At Zhou's house, Zhulan had breakfast and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. The Zhang family's original mansion had burned all night yesterday and was still burning. Thick smoke lingered over the capital. Although Zhou's house was far away, the smell was still there.
The housekeeper came back from the street and said, "There are very few pedestrians in the capital today. There are only a few horse-drawn carriages rushing by."
Zhulan nodded to indicate that she understood. The fire had made everyone in the capital city nervous. Seeing blood year after year had made everyone very scared, especially the ordinary people.
Zhulan said to Mrs. Song, "Go to Mr. Zhang's house to see the child later. Tell Yao Xin to keep the door closed."
Mrs. Song took note and said, "Yes."
Zhao said, "Mother, should I send a servant to tell Hu?"
"Just let her know. She has no source of information and now she's panicking!"
Zhao nodded and gave some instructions to the maid behind her. After the maid left, she said, "Mother, I'm going back first."
"Okay, go ahead."
Zhao left the house and turned her head to look in the direction of the smoke. She couldn't see the fire in the daytime, but she saw the true appearance of the survivors. The thick smoke made people feel heavy. Zhao missed her husband and didn't know whether he was doing well.
At sea, Wu Ming had breakfast and sat on the deck enjoying the breeze. The sea and the sky seemed to be connected into one line. After looking at it for a long time, he felt no sense of beauty at all. He just felt irritated and didn't know how he could reach his destination.
Wu Ming knew who it was when he heard the footsteps, "Here they come."
Chang Lian pulled a chair over and sat down, looking at Wu Ming worriedly, "You eat too little. You only had a small bowl of porridge in the morning. It's only been a short time, and you've lost weight."
Wu Ming also sat on the chair and looked at Chang Lian. Chang Lian was not thin at all and could eat and drink. "I am considered good. There are two others who are sick!"
Chang Lian understood. "It was the same when I first took a boat. Now I'm used to it. Apart from being a little boring, it's still quite interesting."
Wu Ming pressed his forehead and said, "Although I brought enough food and dried vegetables, I still can't get used to the food at sea. Meat will get moldy when it encounters wind and rain, even if it is dried meat. I can't eat fish all the time."
Chang Lian curled his lips and said, "We have tried our best to dock as much as possible to resupply."
Wu Ming also knew that, but he used to eat and use the best things at home. He was mentally prepared to not get used to it when he got on the ship. "It will be fine when we get back."
Zhang Jinghong came over, and Chang Lian saw him and said, "You have a good appetite."
Zhang Jinghong chuckled, "I didn't expect that I would be so easy to support. Didn't you say that human potential is unlimited? That's me."
In order to stay alive, he has been adapting himself and can live well even if he is not a prince.
Chang Lian was a little embarrassed. "It wasn't me who said that. It was my father who told me to unleash my potential."
Zhang Jinghong paused, "Master Zhou is admirable."
Chang Lian nodded. He thought that he would never be able to learn all his father's skills in his lifetime.
In the palace, Zhou Shuren was in a daze. The emperor did not talk about state affairs, but chatted with him about hobbies, as if they were friends. Zhou Shuren became more alert.
The emperor showed his painting, "This was painted when I was fifteen years old. Shuren, come and take a look."
Zhou Shuren walked in and took a look. He was silent. The emperor's painting skills were really not that good. "Who did the emperor learn from?"
The emperor touched the painting and said, "I learned it by myself."
The emperor took out two more paintings and said, "These two were painted in recent years. In fact, I don't paint many paintings, and I have always kept them myself."
Zhou Shuren thought to himself, you still know that you have no talent for painting, it's embarrassing, "Your Majesty, why are you showing these to me?"
The emperor put away the painting and said with a smile, "Because I am happy today, very happy."
Zhou Shuren saw it and said, "I am happy for the emperor."
The emperor felt very sad. He didn't have any friends. He had no friends when he was young, and he had even fewer friends when he pretended to be stupid. Later, he became an emperor, and an emperor didn't need friends. He had never shared anything with anyone, but today, because he was happy, he wanted to be willful for once, and the person who thought of sharing was Zhou Shuren.
Zhou Shuren had been watching the emperor's struggles silently and discovered another side of the emperor. The emperor was quite secretive. Of course, the older he got, the more evil his taste became.
Eunuch Liu stood in the distance, his eyes never leaving the emperor. His eyes turned red. The emperor had never had the innocence of a child. He had grown old and willful, but a little bit of his innocence could be seen in him. He knew that after today, the emperor would be the same emperor as before, and today was the only time he was willful.
The emperor was tired after tossing and turning for a while, and rubbed his waist, "I am old, I can't toss and turn anymore."
Zhou Shuren thought for a moment and reached out to support him. "Your Majesty is not old, and your body is still strong."
The emperor waved his hand, "I know my body is bad, but it's a pity for my ambitions. But it doesn't matter, the prince is very good, he will inherit my ambitions."
Zhou Shuren withdrew his hand and lowered his head, "I am terrified."
He was really terrified. Haven't you scared me enough today? Saying this so casually in front of him, aren't you telling him directly that the prince will succeed to the throne
The emperor laughed and scolded, "You old thing are too shrewd. I know you are capable and have a broad mind. Don't think that I don't know if you hide it. Even if you are shrewd, your eyes can't deceive people."
It was only after careful observation that he discovered that Zhou Shuren was very good at hiding things in his eyes. So what? Why did he like to ask Zhou Shuren to follow the meeting? Because he wanted to see Zhou Shuren's reaction. Even if Zhou Shuren didn't speak, he would still show some reaction at the critical moment.
He was very satisfied with Zhou Shuren's determination to make the country strong. It was precisely because of Zhou Shuren's belief that he felt less wary of Zhou Shuren.
Zhou Shuren's heart was trembling. He didn't have the heart to complain at this moment. The emperor was the emperor. He controlled a country and his subjects. If he really paid attention to one person, how could he be deceived by the disguise? He just didn't know how much the emperor had discovered.
The emperor looked at Zhou Shuren, who was still calm in front of him, and smiled softly, "I hope you won't let me down. I am a stingy person. I have experienced too much since I was a child and I don't want to trust people. So I only give you one chance. Shuren, you must cherish it. I hate betrayal."
Zhou Shuren's heart was in ups and downs, but he calmed himself down and said, "I will always keep it in mind and will never let the emperor down."
His words were sincere. He had never had a disobedient heart. He loved his home very much. This was what he had always longed for. Although he had no parents, he was a good father. What he wanted to protect expanded from Zhulan and his son to everyone in the family. He felt respected by his son and admired by his grandson. He was the pillar of the Zhou family!
The emperor stared at Zhou Shuren without blinking, patted Zhou Shuren on the shoulder, and said, "I am tired."
Zhou Shuren bowed with extra respect this time, "Yes, I'll take my leave."
The emperor was stunned for a moment, then his eyes curved, and a smile appeared in his calm eyes, "Yeah."
The prince waited for Zhou Shuren to leave before coming out of the compartment, "Is the emperor happy?"