Chapter 868: Paving the Road

After Zhulan finished speaking, she looked around the box. The interior was very elegantly decorated, especially the screen embroidered with plum blossoms, which was the finishing touch. She handed the cloak to Mrs. Song and chose a seat to sit down.

Bai had already poured the tea herself and replied with a smile, "If you hadn't come to the Du family today, I would have invited my sister-in-law to have tea so that the private room wouldn't be wasted."

Zhulan sniffed the tea. Hmm, it smelled good. She had just eaten something greasy, so drinking tea was just the right way to relieve the greasy feeling. "Now that there are no outsiders around, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Bai took a sip of tea and said without beating around the bush, "My dear lady, you know that my husband is a doctor in the Ministry of Personnel."

Zhulan naturally knew that Bai's husband was not very old, but he had already reached the position of Langzhong in the Ministry of Personnel. Zhou Shuren had said that in the future the Song family would also be able to produce a person of high power.

Zhulan put down her teacup and asked, "What news did you hear?"

Bai was born into a noble family. She liked talking to Yang, and she took the initiative to make friends with her because they were both smart. "Yes, the Ministry of Personnel is currently conducting an assessment. I don't need to mention Lord Zhou. Everyone knows it in their hearts. I want to mention Wu Ming, Lord Wu."

Zhu Lan thought, it seems that the Song family is the prince's family, so it is normal for the Song family to know about Wu Ming's transfer, "Does the Song family have a suitable girl?"

Bai was not surprised that Yang had guessed it, and said generously, "Yes, my cousin's little daughter is coming of age this year. Because Shuren and I are more familiar with each other, we are having this conversation today."

Zhulan has also been thinking about Wu Ming's marriage. The three-year mourning period has passed. She wrote to Wu Ming several times to ask if he wanted to start a family, but Wu Ming said there was no rush.

Now that Wu Ming was going to Beijing, the marriage should indeed be arranged. Zhu Lan asked, "The daughters of the Song family have always been engaged early, why is this Miss Song still not engaged after she reached the age of marriage?"

Bai did not hide it. This matter could not be hidden. "When my cousin was young, she was engaged. When she was ten years old, my cousin's uncle made a mistake and was demoted, so the other party cancelled the engagement. Two years ago, my cousin's uncle became powerful again. My cousin's aunt was a little scared and wanted to find a good man. But the good men in the capital were either engaged early or too young, so it was delayed."

Bai paused and continued, "I originally wanted to find a good one during the imperial examination, but there was no suitable one."

In fact, the current Fifth Prince was also on my aunt's list at first, but after the imperial examination, my aunt directly crossed him out. According to my aunt, marrying such a man would mean a lifetime of worry and hardship.

Zhulan's heart moved. Zhou Shuren thought highly of the Song family. "I've made a note of it."

Bai didn't say much, "Lady, please have some tea."

Now that the conversation was over, Zhulan felt relieved. She sipped her tea with a smile and tried the snacks in the teahouse. She thought they were delicious, so she packed two packets and took them back for the children.

In the evening, Zhou Shuren came back and Zhulan told him about this matter, "Cousin from Bai's in-laws' family, do you know about this?"

Zhou Shuren nodded, "I know. This Lord Song was originally the Minister of Guanglu Temple, a third-rank official. Something happened and he was demoted. He rose again two years ago and is now the Minister of Honglu Temple, a fourth-rank official."

He paused and continued, "This is the advantage of having a large family. If he didn't have a family, this Lord Song would have no chance to rise. Although he is now a fourth-rank official in the Honglu Temple, he is the head of the Honglu Temple."

Zhu Lan said quietly, "If you have family news, you are well-informed. Wu Ming didn't go to Beijing, so he came to our house."

Zhou Shuren said, "The Song family supports the prince. The prince wants to use Wu Ming, and the Song family happened to have a suitable girl. The prince must have given a push."

Zhulan asked, "So what do you think of this marriage?"

Zhou Shuren spread his hands, "The prince intervened in this marriage, and we think it's unimportant. To put it bluntly, we are just messengers, and because of Wu Ming's status as godfather and godmother, he came to our house on purpose."

Zhulan, ".......You are right, then write a letter to Wu Ming and let him decide for himself."

Zhou Shuren curled his lips, "From the beginning to the end, there is only one answer. Wu Ming can only agree. He has no other choice. This marriage will be good for Wu Ning after he enters the capital. Now it seems that the prince admires Wu Ming very much and has paved the way for him."

Zhu Lan sighed, "When we were not here, Wu Ming was the boss. Gold will shine sooner or later. Now Wu Ming is just walking more steadily than before."

Zhou Shuren, "It's a pity that it will take him some time to remember. I really hope he can wake up sooner so that I can feel more at ease."

Zhulan pushed her husband and said, "Go write a letter."

"Um."

The next day, Zhou Shuren went to court and returned to the Ministry of Revenue. When he saw Zhang Yang greeting him cheerfully, he paused for a moment, and Zhang Yang actually smiled at him!

After measuring his body, he asked the doctor beside him, "What's wrong with your highness?"

The doctor coughed and said, "Sir, I heard that two concubines entered the Fifth Prince's mansion yesterday."

Zhou Shuren really didn't care about this. He curled his lips and said, "Well, send someone to the Dirty Department and ask them to clean up a few more warehouses."

Doctor, "Yes."

Zhang Yang was in a good mood and touched his purse, which was given to him by his concubine. He almost didn't want to come to the Ministry of Revenue today. His father still loved him, and both of his concubines were beauties.

Zhang Yang was a little absent-minded while doing the accounting and felt that time was passing very slowly.

However, he still cares about his wife. The concubine is good, but the wife must be better!

At noon, Changyi arrived at Zhou's house. "Mom, this is the money from the frozen fish in the ice cellar, and this is the money from the fish in the fish farm. Take a look."

Zhulan took it and looked through it. "The fish in this ice cellar sold for one hundred taels more than I expected."

Changyi explained: "The fish market is good this year, and the storage is also good, so the price has increased a bit."

Zhulan took the silver and looked at Changyi.

Chang Yi has known his mother for so many years, and although he can't say he knows her completely, he knows her about 60% to 70%. "Mom, do you have something to tell your son?"

Zhulan, "Our family has a good relationship with the Chen family. I have been listening to the Chen family talking about overseas affairs. Now I heard that the Chen family is going to open a store in an overseas country. I am thinking, do you think it is possible to buy property overseas?"

Chang Yi was surprised, "Mother, of course you can buy property. Your son has met many merchants and knows a lot. This time when I went to the fishing ground, I learned even more. Some people have already bought property overseas. I also heard that some foreign merchants sell our products in their own countries and they are very popular among the people."

Zhulan continued, "I heard that some countries are in chaos, some countries are always at war, but there are also some stable countries."

Changyi didn't think his mother was just chatting with him, and he was distracted, "Mom, do you want your son to go out and have a look?"

Zhulan did have an idea. She and Zhou Shuren could not go out. Zhou Shuren, who was retired at such an age, would definitely not be able to endure the hardships on the ship. But she still hoped that someone from the Zhou family could go out and see the world.

The world is big, even if you go out for a trip, you will come back with a broadened horizon.

Currently, the only one in the Zhou family who can leave is Changyi. She mentioned this to Zhou Shuren, and Zhou Shuren supported it. They didn't know what the future would be like, but it might help their children and grandchildren broaden their horizons and learn more about the world. As elders, she and Zhou Shuren could provide guidance.