The next day, Yuyun observed Changli and his wife. He knew that Changli and his wife went to see Shuren last night. When he saw the couple smiling at him, he knew what was going on. With a grin on his face, he knew the deal was done.
Changli and his wife thought about it for a long time when they got home last night. They couldn't save resources for their children like Changyi and his friends, and they couldn't just rely on their eldest son. After thinking it over, they felt that it was indeed most meaningful for Mingteng.
Today Zhou Shuren left the court and stayed behind. The war in the southwest was still going on. Now the two sides were in a standoff, and there was a lot of food and grass every day. Zhou Shuren also knew that some radicals had submitted petitions to set fire to the mountains.
Fortunately, the emperor and the prince rejected the memorial.
In the study, after discussing other state affairs for a while, the emperor left Zhou Shuren alone and asked, "Did your eldest come back yesterday?"
Zhou Shuren: "Yes, I'm back."
The emperor added: "My fourth uncle has lived in your house for some time."
Zhou Shuren thought to himself, "Indeed, he has been teaching Ming Teng in the mansion. Fourth uncle is better than me. Ming Teng has made a lot of progress under Fourth uncle's guidance, both in schoolwork and martial arts."
In this academy test, Ming Teng ranked among the top five in Class B for the first time, which is a significant improvement.
The emperor stroked his beard and said, "The roads in the capital will also be completed. If the Rong Marquis Mansion is not the bloodline of my uncle, the credit can also be taken by my fourth uncle."
Zhou Shuren understood that the emperor was telling him directly that the favor given to Rong Marquis' Mansion was all because of the emperor's mother. After all, they were blood relatives. Even if Rong Enqing was a bastard, he was of this branch's blood, and this could not be changed.
The emperor thought of the old fox in his heart, but continued: "The prince will be rewarded when he ascends the throne."
Zhou Shuren finally became serious. What the emperor meant to tell him was that there would be more rewards for his fourth uncle's branch
The emperor smiled and said, "I gave the fourth uncle a title, but unfortunately he is only one person. If I want to give more, I will have to take it back, so I didn't give more. But the fourth uncle said that he would be adopted, so this reward will be given."
Zhou Shuren heard it clearly. The emperor explained why he only gave him the title of marquis, and also told him clearly that his fourth uncle could only adopt a child from the Zhou family and would never adopt a child from the Rong Marquis's Mansion. His fourth uncle was disgusted, and the emperor did not allow it. After all, the emperor hated the Rong Marquis's Mansion.
Seeing that the emperor was silent and only looked at him, Zhou Shuren said seriously, "I understand."
The emperor hummed, "You are a good person. I have tested you over the years and I trust your character."
"I have no way to repay the emperor's trust."
As for dying and then stopping, sorry, he can't do that.
The emperor helped Zhou Shuren up, "Get up."
The emperor waited for Zhou Shuren to go out, and stood by the window watching him leave. He actually proposed to adopt Zhou Shuren's second son, because with the title he would have a smoother career, but Yu Yin was unwilling.
Yu Yun has lived for so many years, and he hopes to build a better Rong family instead of choosing an heir who has everything set in stone. In Yu Yun's words, he hopes that the Rong family can be true and does not need to be too calculating.
The emperor later thought that this was a good thing, as it would prevent Zhou Shuren's second son from becoming too ambitious about being adopted and thus ruining his plan.
In the academy, Ming Teng was listless and looked a little dazed. He answered the teacher's questions incorrectly several times. Even after being told by the teacher, Ming Teng still couldn't muster up any energy.
Mingrui frowned, "Second brother, second brother, what happened to you today?"
Ming Teng hesitated to speak. His parents made a lot of noise yesterday. He happened to overhear them when they came back. Thinking of what they overheard, he said listlessly, "No, nothing."
Mingrui knew his second brother who couldn't hide things. Something big must have happened. His mind was turning, and he suddenly remembered what his father had accidentally said once. His eyes widened, it turned out to be true!
Ran Xun was curious, "Don't lie, you must be in trouble."
Ming Teng was very irritated, "If I say it's okay, then it's okay."
When Ran Xun heard this, he felt that the matter was even more serious.
In the restaurant, Rong Enqing and Gu Ren sat opposite each other. Rong Enqing looked at the things Gu Ren brought over. "Is this the good thing you were talking about?"
Gu Ren's eyes flashed with excitement. "Yes, don't underestimate it. This thing can make people energetic. It is a rare good thing abroad. This time when I went to the northwest to do business, I asked someone to bring some good things that foreign tribes would fight for. This box is worth ten gold coins."
Rong Enqing suppressed the anger in his heart. This thing was harmful, but he still had to smile. "Are you sure the emperor will like it?"
Gu Ren's tone was bewitching, "He must like it. Didn't you say that the emperor was mentally exhausted when he came in? You will know after trying it. If you are worried, you and your father can try it first."
Gu Ren paused and continued, "My Lord Rong, your situation is not good. You are obviously the more orthodox one, but the emperor values an old man who is about to die. Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to be a nominal Lord? We have been friends for many years, so I am distracted and troubled by you. I rarely have this kind of thing."
Rong Enqing hooked his fingertips on the box, he knew what was inside. When Lord Zhou set tariffs on various commodities, this ointment was on the list of overseas goods. When Lord Zhou saw it, he wrote a memorial to the emperor pointing out the harms of this ointment and sent people to investigate along the coast. The results were chilling.
Therefore, the customs of the Maritime Affairs Bureau prevented the entry of this type of ointment from the very beginning, and also publicized the dangers along the coast. Unexpectedly, Gu Ren changed the name and sent it to him.
Rong Enqing thought to himself, did Gu Ren really think he didn't know? That's right, he was just a scholar in the Imperial Academy last year, and this thing was banned from entering the capital by Lord Zhou, so many people didn't know about it.
Gu Ren felt anxious when he saw Rong Enqing was silent. These things were still smuggled in. When there was no ban, they really made a lot of money. He got even angrier when he thought of this. Zhou Shuren improved the customs tariffs step by step, cutting off too much of their money.
Gu Ren, "Are you still hesitating? Now is not the time to hesitate. I heard that your fourth grandfather is going to adopt Zhou Shuren's grandson. If your grandfather's branch has descendants, the emperor will pay less attention to you. In the future, when mentioning the Rong family, he will only remember your fourth grandfather's branch. Are you willing to accept this?"
Rong Enqing narrowed his eyes. Gu Ren knew a lot. He even knew about the adoption. You know, outsiders knew nothing about this. Was there anyone under Gu Ren around Fourth Grandpa
As for marginalization, he knew it very well. As long as his son had the blood of the Yao family, and he was not the legitimate son, it was doomed.
Next to the restaurant, the King of Qi and the King of Chu pricked up their ears. This restaurant belonged to the King of Qi. He had noticed it ever since he knew that Rong Enqing often came here with a businessman. Coincidentally, today was right next door. There was something fishy about this restaurant. There were some traps. When the traps were activated, the muffled sounds from next door became much clearer.
The King of Qi raised his eyebrows, this is interesting.