Chapter 856: Acting Skills Improved Again

After entering winter, a season that I don't want to move, time passes even faster. I felt like winter had just arrived a few days ago, but in the blink of an eye, it was Zhou Shuren's last morning court session this month. After today, I can rest next month.

Zhou Shuren held the heater in his arms. Today was the last day and he finally didn't have to get up early and freeze. He moved his legs, which felt a little heavy. He had two layers of knee pads on. He couldn't walk fast now and moved slowly.

Today's morning court was not peaceful. Zhou Shuren served as a backdrop, looking disillusioned but not showing it, and with the rest of his eyes he watched Lord Ning attending court.

The focus in the past few days was on the expansion of the army and the ships, and the excitement had passed. After just two days of comforting him, he started to hold on to Zhang Jinghong again. Winter should be a quiet time, but they had to make a fuss.

The emperor sat on the dragon chair and habitually glanced at where Zhou Shuren was standing. Every time he wanted to kick Zhou Shuren, Zhou Shuren lowered his head. He was sure that his eyes must be closed. You asked him about sleeping secretly. Every time he opened his mouth, Zhou Shuren could answer him.

The court was already in an uproar over how to deal with Zhang Jinghong. He envied Zhou Shuren for being able to keep his eyes closed and even wanted to kick Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren felt more alert after being blown by the cold wind. The breeze today was too cold, so he continued to listen with his ears tilted up.

Lord Lu of the Yushitai has the most recognizable voice, and he is also the one who insists on settling accounts with the remnants of the previous dynasty. "Your Majesty, the prince was replaced, it must have been the remnants of the previous dynasty, Your Majesty, you can't be soft-hearted.

Zhou Shuren understood Lord Lu. Lord Lu's ancestors suffered a terrible fate at the end of the previous dynasty and almost wiped out their clan. He hated the previous dynasty to the core. He looked up at the adults who insisted on settling accounts. Well, some of them had grudges, some did it for the sake of the imperial court, believing that the remnants of the previous dynasty must be eradicated, and the last small part was just to show off their presence.

Taking sides is particularly interesting. The gap between the two quarreling factions cannot be too big, and some people choose sides just for the sake of balance.

Zhou Shuren really didn't notice it before, but now he's used to it and has seen more. The last group of people will not achieve great success, but they are indispensable in the court.

The emperor had already made plans in his mind. He listened to the quarrel between the two sides without saying a word. When the quarrel was almost over, the emperor stood up and said, "That's all for today. I'm dismissing the court."

Having said that, he quickly lifted his foot and left.

Zhou Shuren knew this would happen, and silently rubbed his official uniform. He thought that the official uniform could actually be made thicker. He lowered his head and walked out, and saw the little eunuch with a red face standing outside the hall.

The young eunuch rubbed his hands tremblingly, "Sir, the emperor summoned you."

Zhou Shuren looked at the eunuch's face and hands. Hmm, he looked uncomfortable, as if he wanted to stamp his feet but didn't dare to. He had been standing in the cold wind for a long time. Therefore, the emperor summoned him when he was not in court because he was afraid that he would slip away. "Let's go."

The little eunuch was about to cry. It was too cold today and he was about to freeze to death. "Yes, sir, this way."

Zhou Shuren looked at the young eunuch and felt uncomfortable. "How old are you?"

The young eunuch was a little confused, and after a while he said, "I am fourteen years old."

Zhou Shuren sighed. He was fourteen years old. He didn't dare to give more. He took out a few pieces of silver and said, "It's cold today. Buy some plaster for frostbite."

The eunuch was a little bit dumbfounded. Living in the palace, everyone had a pair of bright eyes. He could see clearly whether it was real or fake. No one was noble enough to refuse money. The palace was full of places that swallowed money. "Thank you for your reward, sir."

"Um."

Zhou Shuren stopped talking. Everyone in this world has their own way of survival, and soon they arrived at the Zheng Palace.

The best charcoal fire was used in the Zheng Hall. Even though it was freezing cold outside, it was warm as spring inside the house. You could feel the heat as soon as you entered the Zheng Hall.

Zhou Shuren greeted him, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

The emperor motioned for him to stand up, pointed to the stool that had been placed there, and said, "Sit down."

Zhou Shuren was not polite either. Today's morning court lasted a long time and his legs were uncomfortable and he could hardly stand. He had to admit that he was getting old. He was indeed old.

The Emperor signaled the eunuch to clear the tea away, and waited until the eunuchs had left before he spoke, "I heard that you and Wang Ju have been exchanging letters quite frequently recently?"

Zhou Shuren thought, you can listen to me, you have seen everything, didn't you? He replied, "Jinzhou has a port, there are many ships going to and fro, and it is inevitable that some large and small merchant ships need to be repaired. There are many boatmen in the port, and the materials for repairing merchant ships are also complete. You asked me to calculate, and every penny of the Ministry of Revenue must be spent, so I asked Wang Ju to investigate, so as to avoid the intermediate quotation being too high. I hope to know the actual price."

Seeing that the emperor was listening, Zhou Shuren continued, "Wang Ju has always helped me with statistics. Wang Ju is very good at it. I am used to it. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

The emperor remained silent. He looked at the account book that Zhou Shuren presented to him a few days ago. Zhou Shuren did not calculate based on the quotations from below, but only calculated after verification. There were many layers of false reports missing in the middle, and the difference in money was too huge.

The emperor did not mention Wang Ju, but instead asked, "You gave an estimated number. Do you mean that if we want to build the amount I requested, we will need half of the treasury silver?"

Zhou Shuren lowered his eyes and said, "This is a conservative estimate. The actual amount spent will only be more, not less."

The emperor wants too much. Well, emperors all have this problem. When they see something, they want it all and hope to get it all in one go. The reason why he made it so detailed is that he wanted to tell the emperor to stop talking nonsense and be honest.

The emperor stared at Zhou Shuren's head with a playful look, "I understand your intention."

Zhou Shuren knelt down and confessed his guilt. "I am guilty."

In the ancient times, he was used to kneeling. He knew he was guilty when he opened his mouth. He didn't want to challenge the emperor's narrow-mindedness. The one in front of him was really narrow-minded. It was said that women's hearts were as sharp as needles, and this one was almost the same.

It would be a lie to say that the emperor did not feel disappointed. As he gets older, he hopes to make the country stronger while he is still here. He is an emperor, but also a common man. In recent years, he has been more concerned about the records and praises of him by future generations, and oh yes, his autobiography.

The emperor's disappointment disappeared again. "Stand up and tell me. I left you a book."

Zhou Shuren didn't want to know anything about the folding paper from the bottom of his heart. It must be something bad. The more unhappy the emperor was, the more unlucky he would be. "I don't remember."

"It's okay. You'll remember it once the autobiography comes out."

Zhou Shuren opened his eyes wide, as if to ask, "Do you really have to treat me like this?"

This response pleased the emperor, who laughed out loud, "It's getting late, you should go back too. Cut your estimate of silver by half and tell me how much you can build. Okay, leave now."

Zhou Shuren frowned, "I think I can still have a chat with the emperor."

The emperor waved his hand, "Go, go, I don't want to see you now."

Zhou Shuren left the Zheng Palace, looking back every few steps. After Eunuch Liu sent him out, Zhou Shuren's mouth drooped a little, with reluctance in his eyes. His steps became faster, and he felt that his acting skills had improved again.