At night, in the palace, the emperor held two booklets and asked, "Do you suspect that these two merchants are related to the Zhang family?"
Shi Qing said, "The woman that Mr. Zhou's grandson arrested last time disappeared when he was investigating a merchant. I have been investigating. I remember clearly the business, business dealings, and household registration of the merchant. The business operations of these two registered merchants are similar. It is too coincidental that they are similar again and again. I think we can continue to investigate."
Shi Qing knew that the emperor was anxious to investigate the Zhang family who had disappeared again. Even if it was still Prince Qi who was investigating openly, he still had to rely on spies in secret.
The emperor was very satisfied with Shi Qing and said, "Send someone to investigate."
Shi Qing accepted the order and took back the booklet, "Yes, I will definitely check it out."
After Shi Qing left, the emperor fell into deep thought. Last time, Zhou Shuren's grandson accidentally discovered traces of the Zhang family, and he wondered if the Zhang family might have become merchants. Now with Shi Qing's discovery, it was almost certain.
There was a coldness in the emperor's eyes. He was really willing to do it. It was also true that the Zhang family was not like the Rong family, a noble family with pride and integrity.
When the Emperor saw the Crown Prince approaching, he restrained the coldness in his eyes and asked, "You said the other day that the Crown Princess and your concubine both had family members participating in this year's Spring Examination?"
The prince said, "Yes, the cousin of the Crown Princess, he didn't pass the exam last time, but he will continue to take the exam this year. Liu's brother is taking the Spring Exam for the first time this year, and Ran's nephew is also taking the exam."
The prince also paid a lot of attention to the backyard. He would naturally use those who were capable, but would not promote those who were not capable. However, Liu's younger brother was indeed good.
The emperor hummed, "The competition is quite fierce this year. I have read the list of candidates submitted by various states. I don't know if Zhou Shuren's fourth son will be as ambitious as his brother."
The prince smiled and said, "We'll know when the results come out."
The emperor nodded and thought of Yuhun. After the New Year, he went out of the palace and met Yuhun several times. Every time Yuhun mentioned offspring. The emperor knew what Yuhun was thinking. Yuhun saw that Zhou Shuren had many offspring, so he was thinking of adopting one.
But Zhou Shuren would not adopt any of his sons, even if he was the eldest son of a white family. If the eldest son was adopted, the eldest grandson who had been raised with great effort would have grown up into a family. Yu Yun knew this very well and mentioned Zhou Shuren's second grandson many times.
At Zhou's home, Zhou Shuren still doesn't know that his grandson is being missed. Zhou Shuren is tired after a day of work and is enjoying a head massage from his wife.
Zhulan first talked about the affairs of the mansion, and then mentioned, "The Duke's health deteriorated after the New Year, and he is holding on with his energy and spirit."
Zhou Shuren sighed. Who could have thought that in just two years, the Duke's Mansion would become like this? "The old Duke wanted to hold on until the Crown Prince ascended the throne."
"But there are gains and losses. Now the Duke's Mansion seems to be on the decline, but it also makes the emperor and the prince feel at ease."
Zhou Shuren also agreed. The prince was no less suspicious than the emperor. Now that the Duke's Mansion was weak, the prince would be worried about it when he ascended the throne. He would just have to wait until the next generation came to power.
But Zhou Shuren paused, the next generation just happened to catch up with the growth of the prince's sons.
Zhulan added, "I heard from my daughter that the Queen wanted Ning Zhiqi's second son, Ning Yang, to be a companion to the Crown Prince's eldest son, but the Duke rejected it."
Zhou Shuren, "It's better to refuse. The Queen is thinking about the Duke's Mansion, and the Duke doesn't want to get involved."
Zhu Lan smiled, "Xue Han said that the old Duke has been carefully teaching his great-grandchildren these days."
Zhou Shuren thought that the old Duke had a long-term vision, so it was right for him not to participate. Being a companion reader was not easy. "The Emperor is considered to be long-lived. I think the Crown Prince will also be long-lived. The Crown Prince's eldest son is different from the Crown Prince. The Emperor got married late, so the Crown Prince is not very old. But the Crown Prince's eldest son is eight years old this year, no, it's already past the New Year, and he is now nine years old. The Crown Prince must be a long-lived person."
Zhou Shuren didn't say the rest, but he made it clear that even if the prince's eldest son was made the prince, his situation would be very different from that of the prince. The situation would be different, and the future would be very different.
The reason why the prince can ascend the throne smoothly now is due to many factors. Of course, the most important point is that the emperor got married late and the prince is not really old. If the emperor got married early and the prince was older, the prince might not be able to maintain his current mentality.
Zhu Lan paused, "Besides, the prince has many children, and the future is unpredictable. I remember you said that the prince is more ambitious than the emperor."
The current emperor is already a wise ruler, and the prince is ambitious and wants to surpass him. It’s okay now, but no one can predict the future, as power is too tempting.
Zhou Shuren held his wife's hand, "I can feel that the prince has set his sights on me. He believes that I can help him realize his ambitions. Moreover, the prince intends for me to teach his eldest son."
This was what he feared the most. If he really taught the crown prince's eldest son, he would be the crown prince's eldest son's mentor. Although he probably would not see which of the crown prince's sons would succeed to the throne, he was afraid that because of his teaching, his descendants would become the eldest son's faction.
The emperor's grace can be given to you, but it can also be taken back. He is afraid of being blamed. If the eldest son succeeds to the throne smoothly in the future, everything will be fine. The Zhou family will be rich and prosperous, but without the throne, if the eldest son makes a mistake in the future, it will be the fault of his mentor. The mentor will definitely be blamed for not teaching him well, and the Zhou family will be in trouble!
Zhulan was startled, "Did the prince tell you that?"
Zhou Shuren shook his head. "No, I can feel it. When my daughter went to the Crown Prince's Mansion a few years ago, the Crown Princess mentioned me. Coupled with Concubine Liu's actions, I had some thoughts in my mind."
What Zhou Shuren could think of, Zhulan could also think of. The emperor was ruthless, and the skill he used most often was to vent his anger. "You have to think of a way."
Now the emperor has not yet abdicated, and the emperor has no intention of doing so. Should the prince give the order directly after ascending the throne
Zhou Shuren pressed his brows and said, "I think it would be good for me to have more headaches in the future. What do you think?"
Zhulan: "... You're so smart."
Zhou Shuren said quietly, "I thought I had won the imperial power transfer, plus my achievements and my close relationship with the emperor. But now I realize that there are traps everywhere."
Zhulan pursed her lips and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "It's OK. It's not hard."
He still has his own son to raise, so he has to work hard for him.
The Spring Examination ended quickly. Zhulan went to pick up Changzhi in person. Zhulan was in the carriage, and Suxuan couldn't wait to get off the carriage.
When the door opened, the young men of the Zhou family came out one after another, followed by Chang Zhi.
Su Xuan felt so distressed when she saw her husband's haggard appearance that she hurried forward to support him, "But where do you feel uncomfortable?"
Chang Zhi exhaled, "I'm fine, but now I'm starving and want to sleep."
Su Xuan, "Mom is here too, let's go home and rest."
Changzhi heard his mother coming and said, "Hurry up and don't let me wait anxiously."
Zhulan had already spoken to a few young men and knew that they were in good health, so she asked them to get on the carriage to rest.
Changzhi got on the carriage, and Zhulan handed him some hot tea, "Have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."
Changzhi licked his lips, drank some hot tea, and calmed down for a while before saying, "I'm sorry that you missed me."
Zhulan, "I'm happy to see you doing well."
She was lucky and finished the exam safely, but she knew that some people were carried out halfway through the exam this year.
Chang Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Mother, the seat next to me is the younger brother of Concubine Liu in the Crown Prince's Mansion."
Zhu Lan's heart tightened when she heard about the Prince's Mansion. "Is there a problem?"
Changzhi shook his head, "There's no problem, it's just that my son has heard of him, and he's also a hot topic this year."