At the Zhou family, Mrs. Song finally came back from Xuzhou. Zhulan thanked her and said, "Thank you for your hard work over the past six months."
Mrs. Song said hurriedly: "I don't deserve this. This is what I should do."
Zhulan and Xuzhou kept in touch frequently. Mrs. Song had taught Dong a lot in the past six months. She knew how much worrying was. "Come back to see me more often when you have free time."
From today on, Mrs. Song will completely retire.
Mrs. Song was not very sad, as she had been trained, but she was very grateful to the Zhou family and bowed deeply, "Thank you, Madam."
Zhulan did not treat Mrs. Song badly. She prepared a generous pension for her.
Mrs. Song's departure from the Zhou Mansion did not attract much attention, because after more than half a year, people had already gotten used to life without Mrs. Song.
Zhulan felt that good maids were hard to come by, and thinking of her own granddaughter, she wanted to find more good maids.
I have to mention Shui Pozi here. Shui Pozi had already left the Qin Palace. Her daughter became a princess and she was surrounded by reliable female officials.
Pingzhou City, Jinyan and Shenxing led their people to travel quickly all the way, rarely resting in between, and it took them more than ten days to reach Pingzhou City. If it hadn't rained in the middle of the journey and made it difficult to travel, it would have been even faster.
With the arrival of Jinyan and Shenxing, Mingyun knew that his grandfather was not just angry.
Mingyun said, "You have worked hard along the way."
Jinyan did not feel tired. For those who practiced martial arts, fast walking was acceptable. "We have brought gifts from the adults. Tomorrow, you can visit the prefect and other officials on behalf of the adults."
Mingyun looked at the box on the table. The box was not big. He opened it and looked, "Tea?"
Jin Yan smiled and said, "As long as it is a gift from the Zhou Mansion, it is good no matter what it is. Moreover, it is not ordinary tea. This is the tea rewarded by the Emperor. This is the new tea that was just delivered to the capital this year."
When the tribute tea was delivered to the palace this year, the master cried poor. The retired emperor was trying to trick the master and gave him a lot of rewards with a wave of his hand.
Mingyun was happy. The point was not the tea, but the tea given by the royal family. It was a favor and also a deterrent from his grandfather to the officials in Pingzhou City.
Tsk tsk, he even thought of bringing tea when visiting. Looking at the expressions of the prefects and other officials who have been watching the show these days, grandpa is someone who can often see the emperor and the emperor emeritus!
Jinyan added: "My Lord said that he is too busy. Not only is he busy with the Ministry of Revenue, but he also has to instruct the young prince. He asked me to pass on a message to you that the Zhao family will formally apologize and then return to the capital."
Mingyun curved his eyes and said, "I understand."
As soon as Jinyan and Shenxing entered the city gate, they knew what they needed to know. They had all kinds of thoughts about the Zhou family's eldest grandson staying in Pingzhou City and not leaving. Now they smartly understood that the Zhao family's actions had angered the Zhou family.
In the next few days, Mingyun was busy every day. Today he took his cousin to see the prefect, and tomorrow he would see the governor, until he had visited everyone in Pingzhou City.
Mingyun calmed down again. During this time, the Zhao family members were waiting in fear. Jinyan personally stood at the gate to send them away. The Zhao family members also wrote a letter to Zhao Bo, and were just waiting for Zhao Bo's reply.
The prefect and the governor of Pingzhou were chatting in the yamen. The governor said, "The eldest grandson of the Zhou family hasn't left yet."
In fact, after Lord Zhou intimidated everyone, no one dared to make any plans, and the Zhou family gained face, but this young man has not left yet.
The prefect said, "Because it's not enough, just wait."
The prefect sighed, "It's like a dream when I think about it. It's only been a few years, and Zhou Shuren is already the Minister of Revenue."
The prefect sighed, "Let's just watch the show."
Well, this tribute tea tastes different, and it's a little sour. The Zhou family has so much tribute tea that they can give it away as gifts, but it's difficult for people like them to even get a piece of the leaf.
In the evening in the capital, Chang Yi did not return to the courtyard after dinner, but stayed in the main courtyard. Zhou Shuren asked, "But do you have anything to ask your father?"
Chang Yi shook his head, "Dad, I don't have any questions. I just want to chat with you and mom."
Zhulan drank the tea to help digestion. "It looks like something interesting is going to happen."
The sons were not raised in vain. Those at home would take turns to chat with her and Zhou Shuren. The third son from Xuzhou was also very diligent in sending letters and gifts. The sons were all filial.
Chang Yi nodded, "Today, a guest came to the posthouse of the Ministry of Rites. It was a young countess who came across the sea."
Zhulan understood why her son found it interesting, because the earl was a woman, "How old?"
Chang Yi said: "A sixteen-year-old countess."
Zhulan said: "It is indeed quite small."
It was difficult for women to go out in ancient times, and the same was true for overseas. She inherited the title of earl at the age of sixteen and was also subject to various restrictions. She didn't know much about foreign history, but with the development of maritime trade, she also heard about some overseas situations.
Don't think that everything will be fine just because you have the right of inheritance. Don't dream. Greed is everywhere. The young countess may not be able to keep her own property, and it is not known how much she can inherit.
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, "This countess is very courageous, and she has taken action."
Zhulan continued, "It can be seen that life in the country is not easy."
There may even be attempts to escape from marriage!
Chang Yi smiled, "My son also thinks that this countess is an ambitious girl."
A countess came to the capital, and since a woman could inherit the title, she naturally became the focus of discussion.
Zhulan had almost sent out the housewarming invitations. She hadn't seen Mingteng for a few days and missed him. "What have you been busy with lately? You haven't been home for a long time."
Ming Teng said with a sad face, "My grandson was dragged away by my uncle to do some work. Grandma, look at me, I have lost weight."
Zhulan took a closer look and said, "She hasn't lost weight, but she has become darker."
Ming Teng touched his face, which was blown by the wind, and said, "Look, your grandson will come back to see you as soon as he has time."
Zhulan smiled. Ming Teng was different from Ming Yun. Ming Teng was the future marquis. If Rong Chuan took him to do some errands, no one would say anything. "Don't disappoint your uncle."
Ming Teng understood everything in his heart. Others would not be able to ask for such an opportunity. If he had not wanted to support the Rong family, he would not have received such treatment. "Grandson understands."
Zhulan also felt that Mingteng was the lucky one among these children. He had the best resources and his future was clearly arranged.
Zhulan thought of the Liu family, "Don't ignore the Liu family. It's not easy to marry a daughter of a wealthy family."
The more dazzling Ming Teng became, the more rumors there were against the Liu family, and many people hoped that this marriage would fail.
Ming Teng blinked his eyes. If his grandmother hadn't mentioned it, he really wouldn't have noticed it. "My grandson will ask me to send some things to the Liu Mansion."
Zhulan nodded, "Well, let your mother walk around more often."
Ever since her husband became the Minister of Revenue, the Liu family has not visited her easily. Thinking of this, Li, the mother-in-law, is too careless and doesn't pay attention to these things at all.
Ming Teng chatted with his grandmother for a while before getting up to visit his parents. As he walked, he was thinking about what he should ask his mother to send to the Liu family.