Chapter 962: A Different Mother

At the Zhou family, the eldest son of the Zhou family came back from outside the city. "Mom, I have already visited the hot spring manor that Mr. Deng mentioned."

Zhulan put down the pen in her hand and handed it to the girl, straightened her clothes, sat on the chair and asked, "What do you think of it?"

Boss Zhou was not very satisfied. "The location is a bit far, and the buildings are a bit shabby. The only good thing is that the land area is larger, about 260 acres."

Zhulan was speechless. "Do you really think that all manors are like our manor? Don't you think that one of our manors originally belonged to the prince, and the other two were given to your sister as a dowry. How can they be the same as ordinary manors? It costs a lot of money to repair a manor every year, and not everyone is willing to spend that money."

This manor belongs to a merchant. It was originally rented out and all the residents are tenants. They don't have that much money to maintain the house.

With the development of maritime trade, many merchants in the capital followed suit. If it wasn’t for raising money, they would not have sold the manor.

Boss Zhou laughed dryly. His own manor was elegant and luxurious. Every time he took his wife there, he wanted to stay longer. He was used to luxury and now he was not used to ordinary manors. "Mom, what do you think?"

Zhulan, "Mr. Deng said there are several small springs in the village. Have you seen them?"

Mr. Zhou said, "I have seen it. It is indeed as Mr. Deng said. However, the spring cannot compare with ours."

Zhulan was attracted by the large size of the manor and the hot springs. The manor was a dowry for the young lady, and in a few months she would go to the Ninghou Mansion with her. It was a gift, and Zhulan had never thought about who to give it to in the future.

It is difficult to buy a manor that is close to Beijing and has hot springs, so one can only buy one that is farther away from Beijing. After buying this manor, Zhulan wants to divide it into five parts, so that each family can have 52 acres of land and build five small manors.

Zhulan looked at the eldest son, Zhou. The Zhou family had really many sons, five in total. As Mingyun grew up, she had already begun to prepare for the future division of the family.

Boss Zhou touched his nose and said, "Mom, the price can be cheaper."

Zhulan had some money. Although she had spent a lot in Jiangnan, she still had a lot of money left, including the money for her daughter's dowry. "Then let's buy it. Continue to rent it to tenants first, and then make plans after a few years."

After a pause, he continued, "After the transfer, go and appease the tenants."

Zhou Lao Da wrote it all down, "Mom, I'll go deliver the letter to Mr. Deng."

"Um."

Zhulan waited for the eldest brother to go out, and did not continue painting. She said to Mrs. Song, "According to the date, Wu Ning's baby will be born soon."

When Wu Ming got married, Wu Ning's belly became noticeable. Time flies so fast.

Mrs. Song replied, "It will be full moon next month."

"Have you prepared everything I asked you to prepare?"

"We are ready."

"Send it over tomorrow."

She couldn't leave the capital, especially at this troubled time. Even if she wanted to leave, Zhou Shuren wouldn't let her. Everyone knew that she and Zhou Shuren had a good relationship. Zhou Shuren was too hated, and she was also in danger.

Ministry of Revenue, today, Zhou Shuren came home a little late. When he went out, he saw Shi Qing, and then looked at the carriage in front. Zhang Yang became smarter and smarter.

Shi Qing stepped forward and said, "Master Zhou, I have something to ask you."

Zhou Shuren kept looking at the carriage. There were people in the carriage. Shi Qing was now Zhang Yang's representative and the person Zhang Yang trusted the most. Especially since Shi Qing was the emperor's man, he had to pretend. "I am still willing to talk to you because of our past friendship. Everyone has to be responsible for themselves. Since you have chosen this path, I have nothing to say. If you think that I can treat you differently based on our friendship, you are wrong."

Shi Qing knew this would happen, but he had to come. He was the most trusted person around Zhang Yang. "Sir, I am grateful for your guidance."

Zhou Shuren paused, "What do you want to ask?"

Shi Qing lowered his voice and whispered, "Does your Excellency have any clues about the assassin?"

Zhou Shuren looked at Shi Qing with amusement, "No."

Shi Qing smiled and said, "Sir, I have it here."

Then he raised two fingers.

Zhou Shuren looked at Shi Qing motionlessly, then turned and left without saying a word. He got on the carriage and signaled the driver to go. When the carriage started moving, Zhou Shuren sneered, thinking that Zhang Yang wanted to take this opportunity to make the water more muddy.

Zhang Yang really underestimated him, thinking that he would believe it if he gave him a hint. However, Zhang Yang's actions became more and more frequent, and as expected, after the start, the power behind Zhang Yang also fell.

Shi Qing returned to the carriage, and Zhang Yang asked anxiously, "Did Zhou Shuren say anything?"

Shi Qing shook his head, "I gave Lord Zhou a hint, but he left without saying a word."

Zhang Yang asked uncertainly, "How much do you think Zhou Shuren believed?"

Shi Qing was speechless. Lord Zhou didn't believe it at all. He must have looked down on Zhang Yang. Shi Qing pretended to say, "I don't know either."

Zhang Yang thought Zhou Shuren would believe it more. Zhou Shuren was protecting his own people and dared to plot against him. "As long as Zhou Shuren takes action, I can make the situation even more confusing."

Shi Qing said nothing, as dreams come faster during the day.

Zhang Yang's heart was burning with excitement as he thought of the forces that were constantly leaning towards him. He clenched his hands together in excitement.

After dinner, Chang Lian stayed behind and asked his father, "Dad, I heard that pirates are robbing merchant ships near the coast. The pirates are so rampant. What should I do when my second brother returns to the country?"

He was afraid that there would be more and more pirates. What if he encountered his second brother's returning merchant ship? He had heard that pirates not only robbed merchant ships, but also killed people.

Some even killed everyone on board.

Zhulan heard it and asked, "Pirates?"

Zhou Shuren explained: "This month, there were two cases of merchant ships being robbed offshore. The ships were looted and a few people were brought back alive."

Zhu Lan blurted out, "Oh, these are not pirates at all, they are simply foreign soldiers in disguise, robbing near the coast to provoke, and leaving them alive is a test."

Chang Lian was a little dumbfounded after listening to this, and stared at his mother blankly. The expression on his mother's face was something he had never seen before, not to mention the words her mother said.

Zhou Shuren coughed, and Zhulan came back to her senses. She cleared her throat, picked up the teacup and drank the tea, as if the words just now were not said by her.

Chang Lian came back to his senses and looked at his father on the left and his mother on the right. His father was not at all surprised by what his mother said. He suddenly realized that not only his father was awesome, but his mother was also incredibly awesome. At least he didn't expect his mother's words to be so sharp.

Zhu Lan felt uncomfortable being stared at by Chang Lian, and glared at him, "What are you looking at, little brat?"

Chang Lian silently withdrew his gaze, "Mom, your son wants to get to know you again."

Zhulan felt exposed, her face expressionless. It would be wrong to say more at this moment.

Zhou Shuren, "How do you talk to your mother?"

Chang Lian really felt like he was getting to know his mother all over again. He smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Son thinks mom is amazing."

Zhou Shuren estimated that Mrs. Song would be back soon, so he said to Chang Lian, "Your second brother will not be back until the end of the year, so you don't have to worry about it for now. Now, hurry back."

(End of this chapter)