A few days after the Queen's ceremony, the retired emperor and the empress dowager moved into the Prince of Qin's Palace. Ever since the retired emperor left the palace, Zhou Shuren had been on high alert.
Zhulan also received an invitation from the Queen. In recent days, the new Queen has been very busy. The emperor is in charge of external affairs while the Queen is in charge of internal affairs. The emperor is busy with state affairs while the Queen is receiving female relatives.
This time it was not a formality like the grand ceremony, the queens were all invited individually.
Zhulan was one of the first group to be invited. When she entered the palace, Zhao was pregnant and about to give birth, so Li could not enter the palace, so Su Xuan still accompanied her into the palace.
Zhulan was also familiar with the Queen's bedroom. She had been there several times, but the people who saw her had changed. Even the little palace maids who led the way were unfamiliar. Looking along the way, none of them looked familiar.
Zhulan felt that it was the Empress Dowager who took all the palace maids away on her own initiative. After all, the Empress Dowager was a good mother-in-law.
When Zhulan arrived, the Queen Mother had already arrived. It was obvious that the Queen Mother attached great importance to her.
Zhulan greeted him, "Your Highness Yang greets Her Majesty the Queen."
Su Xuan also followed suit and saluted.
The Queen said with a friendly tone and a smile, "Please get up quickly."
After Zhulan stood up, the Queen allowed her to sit down. Zhulan also noticed the Queen's complexion, which was very good. It made sense, as the Queen Mother moved out of the palace after she entered. She was the most senior in the palace, and the other concubines were not of high status, so the Queen's complexion was naturally good.
The Queen said, "The former Japanese princess met my sister-in-law and also talked about Madam. I have always known that Madam is Mr. Zhou's wise wife. I admire your wisdom."
The Queen was not lying. She was impressed when she received some of Yang's calculation drafts from the Emperor. Few women could achieve Yang's level.
Zhulan said modestly: "Your Majesty, that's a great compliment. I am just doing my duty."
The queen smiled and said that Yang was really humble. If she were not a woman, she could have been an official with her talent.
Today's meeting was mainly for casual conversation, and the Queen was not in a hurry to make any moves to win him over. She quickly gave the guest some rewards and sent him away.
Zhulan glanced at the closed box and thought to herself, the Queen has many female relatives to meet, and it will cost a lot of money to spend all this money!
Just as she was thinking about it, Zhulan saw the palace maid leading the way in front stopped, and then she saw Concubine Liu and a concubine.
The palace maid greeted them first, "Greetings to Concubine Liu, and to Concubine Du."
Zhulan looked at Du Zhaoyi in surprise. She didn't think it was a chance encounter. The imperial palace was not small, and the concubines would not stroll to the point of leaving the palace.
Concubine Liu took Concubine Du's hand and said with a smile, "My sister and I were just about to return to the palace. I didn't expect to run into Madam. How is Madam after not seeing her for so many days?"
Zhulan's mind turned, and she replied, "Everything is fine, thank you for your concern, madam."
Concubine Liu said, "My sister and I will go ahead."
Zhulan watched Concubine Liu and Concubine Du leave. After they left the palace and sat in their own carriage, Su Xuan spoke up, "Mother, what does Concubine Liu mean today?"
Zhulan opened the box and took out the bracelet given by the Queen. "She showed me that she has a good relationship with Du Zhaoyi, which means that if they join forces, they will also have two princes."
Su Xuan blinked her eyes, she felt that she was quite smart. Apart from not liking to study, she also grew up in an environment of intrigue and deception. But in the end, she was still no match for her mother. She thought it was a quite normal meeting, but her mother could see so much!
Su Xuan was very curious, "Mom, how did you know that?"
Zhulan had already changed her bracelet for the one given by the Queen. She smiled and said, "First, Concubine Du was very low-key when she was in the Crown Prince's residence, but today she was not shy about taking a walk with Concubine Liu. Second, Concubine Liu was holding Concubine Du's hand, which was a very intimate gesture. The two of them couldn't be close friends. They could only be partners in interests."
Su Xuan gave a thumbs up, "Mom, you are awesome."
Zhulan raised her hand, "How is it, does it look good?"
Su Xuan looked at the jade bracelet. Her mother was originally white, and she looked good with the emerald green bracelet, but there was a gap between the bracelet and her wrist. Ahem, "It looks good."
Zhulan took it off. She seldom wore bracelets anymore, simply because she had gained weight, so her wrist was usually left empty. She put it back and would divide it up after she died.
In the Ministry of Revenue, the new official Zhou Shuren has already started the first of three things he has done since taking office, which is to make the division of labor more clear. Previously, drastic changes were not allowed, but now there is no room for them to make any changes. Those who try to take advantage of the situation and slack off will no longer have a place to survive.
I can no longer take advantage of the annual Ministry of Personnel assessment. If I want to get a good rating now, I have to do my job carefully. If I don’t do it well, Zhou Shuren won’t preach or scold me. If I didn’t get a high rating in two years, I would just leave.
The reason Zhou Shuren was able to carry out such efficient reforms was that he had been laying the groundwork for many years. Anyway, the Ministry of Revenue, which he controlled, wanted efficiency, so those who wanted to gain an advantage by relying on seniority should not come to the Ministry of Revenue.
Zhou Shuren was in a good mood, and then happily took out the tea set and tea leaves sent by his son-in-law. He is also busy now, but different positions have different responsibilities. He used to be the Shangshu's right-hand man and had to keep an eye on everything personally, but now he is the boss!
The tea had just been brewed when the emperor arrived. Zhou Shuren felt as if a stone had fallen from his chest. Ah, he finally arrived.
Zhou Shuren stood up and said, "Your Highness greets the Emperor."
The emperor, in his casual clothes, had already sat in front of the tea table. He sniffed the scent and looked at the tea set. This set of tea set looked familiar. The prince had asked for it from him, and now it belonged to Zhou Shuren. He smiled with a fake smile, "Shuren has so many treasures."
Zhou Shuren was very alert like a little animal. He didn't try to offend the emperor by saying that it was a gift from his son-in-law. He said honestly, "I don't have any treasures. You don't know me. I have always liked Lord Xiao's tea set. Unfortunately, Lord Xiao didn't leave it to me, so I boasted and went to ask the King of Qin for it. I shamelessly asked for it."
The retired emperor snorted. If this was a gift from the Prince of Qin, he would not have the heart to say anything to the Prince of Qin. He had many ways to torment Zhou Shuren.
Zhou Shuren asked, "Why did the emperor come to the Ministry of Revenue today?"
The Emperor said, "I heard about the Ministry of Revenue's big move when I was in the Prince of Qin's Palace, so I came here to broaden my horizons."
Zhou Shuren, "... ... Didn't the Emperor have anticipated this day?"
His little actions could not be hidden from the former emperor, who clearly condoned them.
The emperor nodded, "It is said that a new official should start with three things. I think one is enough. What do you think?"
Zhou Shuren understood that the emperor was here on behalf of the emperor, and whispered, "Did someone come to the emperor and murmur?"
The Emperor said, "You should also think about the other five departments. Your steps are too big and the other five departments can't keep up. This is not good."
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard and said, "I understand."
He has been in the Ministry of Revenue, so naturally he wants to make it better, but the six ministries are actually a whole, so he really needs to take it slowly.