Yu Shuang mentioned the price of ice in the capital, and then said, "You can go to your future father-in-law's house to improve his favorability now, and it will definitely be twice the result with half the effort."
Yu Lu continued, "We have a lot of ice at home, you can take some over."
Ming Teng blushed and said, "I won't take anything from home."
Yu Shuang asked, "You wasted money buying ice?"
Ming Teng shook his head. "No, although we didn't move last year, Grandpa made use of the ice cave and stored a lot of ice. Now we haven't used any of it."
The two sisters then remembered that they had a large ice cellar in their own house and there was also an ice cellar next door.
Ming Teng went to see his great-grandfather first, then went to the main courtyard. After leaving the main courtyard, he went to see his parents. With something on his mind, he did not stay for long and went to the next door with the servant to fill up ice.
In the evening, at Liu's house, Liu Jing returned home from the Dali Temple. As soon as he entered the house, he realized something was wrong. In the past, he would not be willing to use ice at this time. In the past, the indoor temperature was a bit stuffy, but today, as soon as he entered the door, he felt a chill. He looked around and saw the ice basin. The sticking ice cubes were very conspicuous.
Liu Jing was surprised. "Didn't you say that ice was expensive and we should use it sparingly? Why are you so willing to spend it today?"
Ma smiled happily, "This was sent by your future son-in-law. Just now, a large cart arrived."
Liu Jing exclaimed, "Did Ming Teng send it?"
"Yes, he personally delivered it to me, and told me that he would send more in a few days. I couldn't refuse, and he also told me not to save it."
Ma thought this son-in-law was absolutely amazing. The more she looked at him, the more she liked him. If her daughter was not so young, she really wanted to get married to him immediately.
Liu Jing was in a good mood, "That's thoughtful."
Ma, "Ming Teng came here right after he returned to Beijing. He is so thoughtful."
Liu Jing had a curled beard. He had a good son-in-law and a son, but his own son didn't even mention taking out his private money to buy ice.
Zhulan found out about what Mingteng had done when they were having dinner in the evening. She glanced at Mingyun out of the corner of her eye. To be honest, she dared to say that her family was the richest in Beijing.
Two days passed in a blink of an eye. Two days later, Zhou Shuren still hadn't recovered. He kept getting sick again and again. Fortunately, it wasn't serious, but he just didn't have much energy. The imperial physician came to see him several times and always told him to rest carefully for a few days.
That day, Tao came to visit, and Zhulan was surprised, "Aren't you reluctant to go out on hot days? Why are you here today?"
Tao sat near the ice basin, not afraid of catching a cold, "You don't know yet."
Zhulan was puzzled, "Know what?"
Because it’s been hot, no one in my family has gone out recently, so I really don’t know what gossip is out there.
Tao was eating iced watermelon, feeling cool, "I know you don't know that the news that your Ming Teng sent ice to the family of your future father-in-law has spread all over the capital."
Zhulan was speechless. This was her family's gossip. "How did it spread?"
Tao said, "It's a coincidence. The day before yesterday, I happened to see Ma quarreling with someone. How should I put it? The other party looked down on Ma for being vulgar and mocked the Liu family for not wanting to use ice. Ma retorted that having a good future son-in-law was better than anything else, and the news spread."
Zhulan laughed, "This is also good."
Tao understood what Zhulan meant. The young marquis Mingteng had started to do errands. The more outstanding Mingteng was, the more people would keep an eye on him, and the more the Liu family would be targeted. The quarrel she saw was a sign of contempt for the Liu family.
Now that the news has spread, everyone knows that Ming Teng is satisfied with his marriage, but he is trying to please his Yue family before the wedding. Jealousy makes people ugly. I don't know how many people's faces have been distorted by this news.
Tao wiped the juice off her hands with a handkerchief, "Your Ming Teng wore this headband, he really pulled a lot of hatred."
Her husband even joked that he would ask his grandson to deliver ice to the Zhou residence as well.
Zhulan also smiled, "I think the father-in-law in the capital must be very happy."
Tao laughed out loud, and then said, "By the way, this summer is long and the temperature is high. How much ice do you have at home? You even have some left to give away."
The Zhou family is also a large family, with all the masters being legitimate sons. It takes a lot of effort to treat everyone equally.
Zhulan smiled and said, "My master has a good relationship with Lord Wang, and we are also friends. If you don't have enough ice, I will give you some."
Tao covered her chest and said, "No, I'm really jealous of you. There's a shortage of ice now, but you still have some!"
The Wang family is a large family, and they use a lot of ice. They store a lot of ice every year. This year, the usage is high, so she has to use it sparingly!
Having said that, because of Ming Teng’s operations, everyone knows that Zhou Jiabing has more than enough.
Inside the palace, the emperor was silent as he read the news. The Zhou family actually had four ice cellars, including the one in the new house. "So many?"
The Queen came in and asked, "What did the Emperor say?"
The emperor handed the paper to the queen, "This is not Ming Teng's fault. I was just curious about the amount of ice stored in the Zhou Mansion. I was surprised when I saw this."
The queen took it and said, "I am envious of you."
The use of ice in the palace had been reduced, and most of the ice was used at night. Since she was the queen, some of the ice was also given to her sons.
The queen moved the corners of her mouth, but finally said nothing. It was no big deal for the royal family to use the ice of their subjects. It was obvious that the emperor also wanted to save face at this time.
At Zhou's house, Zhulan sent Tao away and came back to tell Zhou Shuren about this.
Zhou Shuren motioned for the maids to go down and rocked the rocking chair, "We have a lot of ice at home. With Ming Teng's gift, outsiders may not know how much ice we have at home, but the emperor will definitely know."
As he spoke, Zhou Shuren pointed at Qingxue and others outside.
Zhu Lan was silent, "What do you mean?"
Zhou Shuren said, "I meant to let Fourth Uncle send his ice cave away. We won't intervene in this matter. The Emperor also knows that it was my intention. It just so happens that Ming Teng caused it, so Fourth Uncle is the most suitable person to intervene."
Zhulan pondered, "Then let's do as you say. The royal family is training Ming Teng after all."
Zhou Shuren stood up and said, "I'm going to see my fourth uncle."
Zhulan: "Okay."
At noon, Rong Yuyun entered the palace. The emperor was surprised, "Why did you come to the palace on such a hot day?"
Yuyun, "This is not something that the brat at home caused."
The emperor also laughed, "I heard that there is a saying in the capital: whether the son-in-law is sincere or not, you can see his true heart by sending ice to get rid of the summer heat."
Yu Yun was dumbfounded and coughed dryly a few times. "Your Majesty knows that I am now living in the Earl's Mansion. I also have an ice cellar in my mansion. It was full before I moved in last year. The Earl's Mansion has enough ice. I don't need the ice I stored now, and it would be a waste to keep it, so I thought of giving it to Your Majesty."
The emperor smiled deeply. He knew that this uncle was very old and seldom went out. He spent most of his time in the courtyard listening to books. It must be Zhou Shuren's idea. "I will not hide it from you, uncle. There is indeed a shortage of ice in the palace. I would like to thank you."
Yu Yun said, "I don't deserve your thanks. It's my duty. Ming Teng has caused the King of Qin a lot of trouble. It's all my duty."
The emperor sent his uncle away, "Zhou Shuren is an old fox."
Two days later, Zhou Shuren's body was completely recovered, but he still needed to rest for a few days. Zhou Shuren was in high spirits, and his eyes fell on Yuwen. He did not forget that he had a granddaughter at home who might be a genius.
Zhou Shuren had just called a few granddaughters when the housekeeper rushed in.