At night, Zhulan told Zhou Shuren her guess, "Do you want to test Shi Qing?"
Zhou Shuren rejected it without a second thought, "It's not good for us to ask or not."
Zhulan wanted to ask who said that, and she had even made a plan. But then she thought, Zhou Shuren was right, it really was of no benefit to them. What difference did they make whether they knew or not? They were just there to watch the show and didn't want to get involved.
Zhou Shuren was thinking, "The ship is setting sail today, and I don't know if the journey will be smooth."
"The envoy is to a neighboring country, not a country far out to sea. It is relatively safe to go south."
Zhou Shuren, "Tomorrow is a day off, and I can have a good rest. I've been really tired these past few days. Oh, money, money, my mind is full of money. The taxes on the people cannot be raised. In order to develop the economy, the taxes on merchants have been reduced. Fortunately, the taxes on sea trade have made up for it. Yes, we have to add that last year's salt tax was much better, otherwise, I don't know how tight the treasury will be!"
"The current treasury has a good amount of cash, but the Ministry of Revenue was struggling in the past few years."
The country had just recovered from ten years of war, but then there were successive wars and then floods. The economy had just started to pick up, but the Ministry of Revenue was really suffering. Although it collected a lot of taxes every year, there were even more places to spend money.
Zhou Shuren pulled the quilt higher and said, "Don't think about it anymore. Go to sleep. Go to sleep."
Zhulan slapped away the hand that was pinching her belly. Ever since she gained weight, this man really treated her like a chubby pillow!
The next day, Zhou Shuren slept until he woke up naturally. When he got up, breakfast had been over for an hour. After breakfast, Zhou Shuren strolled in the yard. He didn't go anywhere, for he was afraid of meeting people outside. This day's rest would be ruined again. The previous experience was too painful.
After breakfast, I lay down in the rocking chair, pulled a blanket over myself and didn't move.
Zhulan came back from the fourth room and saw her husband was about to go to sleep again, "... Who else is not satisfied?"
Zhou Shuren didn't even want to open his eyes, "Well, what did you do in Room 4?"
Zhulan sat on the chair and said, "Butler Ding sent me a letter a few days ago saying that the house in my hometown has been rebuilt and Changzhi and his wife want to go back home early. I asked them when they plan to leave."
Zhou Shuren became more alert, "They want to go back early?"
"Well, Changzhi has accumulated a lot of experience for many years, and now he just needs to review, so he wants to go back to his hometown to communicate more with the clan members who are going to take the provincial examination and help the scholars in the clan."
Zhou Shuren opened his eyes and said with relief: "This child has finally grown up and achieved success."
He had thought about it, but he just didn't have time to talk to his fourth son. His family passed away too quickly, and the clan needed more support to avoid a serious gap, as the clan would always rely on his family. He hoped for mutual help rather than taking on the responsibility of the entire family.
Zhulan, "Changzhi means to go back without waiting for the snow to melt, so that it won't be easy to walk after the snow melts. I'll come and tell you later."
Zhou Shuren was completely alert, "Let's not take Mingjia and Yuwen away."
"Well, the two children stay."
Zhou Shuren sat up, "I remember you said Jiang Sheng would go back with you."
"Let's go back together. Once Changzhi sets a date, I'll tell Xuemei."
Just as Zhou Shuren was about to speak, Changzhi came in. Changzhi was stunned when he saw his hair was tied up and then undone. He quickly responded, "Dad."
Zhou Shuren didn't care about his image. He was as comfortable as he could be today. "Well, your mother told me that you have realized that people who are too alone can't go far. I am very glad that you can realize this. Your mother and I are waiting for you to come back in Beijing."
Changzhi watched his second brother embark on a career in government, and he also hoped to get his father's recognition in his heart, so he wondered what he could do for the family if he didn't embark on a career in government. Now that he was recognized, the fire in Changzhi's heart burned even more vigorously, "Dad, your son will definitely get good grades and come back."
"Well, when are you leaving?"
"Ten days later."
Zhou Shuren thought for a moment and said, "Shen Xing will also go back with you this time."
With the addition of the people given to Chang Zhi last time, and two people with good skills following him, he can feel more at ease. Not only for Chang Zhi, but also for some young people in the clan. They are the sparks of the Zhou family. Don't let them be extinguished before they even start, otherwise he will cry.
Chang Zhi was not happy. Instead, he felt worried. The more his father valued his safety, the more dangerous it was. The old man had taken care of everything for so many years. He thought he should tell his wife to bring some people back. Fortunately, his wife's dowry also included a number of helpful servants.
In the academy, Mingyun explained what Jiang Du didn't understand, and only after confirming that his cousin had understood it did he pick up the book to read himself. Now that Gu Liufeng had passed the examination for the scholar first, he still had to wait.
Fortunately, Jiang Du was promoted to Class A. Thinking of Ming Teng in Class B, he gritted his teeth. Ming Teng was not motivated. As for Ran Xun, if he didn't urge them, these two would have to stay in Class B for two more years.
In Class B, Ming Teng sneezed, "I don't know who is talking about me."
Ran Xun looked at his friend, "It's probably your eldest brother."
Ming Teng shuddered, it was horrible that his elder brother forced him to study every day.
Dong Zhan continued to study with his head down. Jiang Du went to Class A. He also tried at the beginning of the year, but his results were too far behind. He pursed his lips. He did not have the confidence like Ming Teng, especially after his aunt and uncle-in-law left Beijing to take up their new posts.
Dong Zhan originally wanted to go with his aunt, but his uncle-in-law didn't let him. He thought it was right for him to stay in the capital. However, without his aunt, he was the only outsider in the Zhou Mansion.
Ran Xun noticed Dong Zhan's expression. It was easy to guess what Dong Zhan was thinking. It was not easy to live under someone else's roof. He looked at the book at hand, thought about it, and then picked it up to read seriously. He was much happier than Dong Zhan.
At the Zhou family, Zhou Shuren still did not slack off. When it was almost noon, Liu Jing came.
Zhou Shuren changed his clothes and said, "Today is not a day off for the Dali Temple. Did you ask for leave?"
Liu Jing looked tired and nodded, "Yes, I have been on leave for a few days."
Zhou Shuren knew that the two families had decided to marry, but Liu Jing had never come to visit in person. He must have come for something. "Do you have anything to tell me?"
Liu Jing was angry. His two sons were going to take part in the provincial examination this year, and the second son was going to take the examination for students of higher learning. The second son was smarter than the eldest son, and he ranked third in the college examination. The competition was fierce this year, and he could get third place. The second son had a promising future.
Liu Jing took a sip of tea and said, "You also know that my youngest son is very talented. He is also the youngest scholar in this class."
Zhou Shuren naturally knew that the Zhou family had also sent gifts. If it weren't for the big age difference between his granddaughter and Liu Jing's second son, he would have wanted to make the marriage closer. "Is someone interested in your youngest son?"
Liu Jing's face darkened again. "Well, after the results came out, someone talked to me about it."
Zhou Shuren understood that the conversation must have been unpleasant, and he might even threaten Liu Jing. Liu Jing was not like the Zhou family. He had the emperor's support behind him and had enough political achievements. Liu Jing was always cautious in the Dali Temple and had just been enduring all these years. "Whose family?"