When Zhou Shuren arrived at the Zhengdian Hall, he immediately saw Changzhong standing there. Next to Changzhong stood a boy of about the same age. The little boy pursed his lips with a look of dissatisfaction.
Zhou Shuren was worried about why his son was in the palace. As expected, his experience told him that it must be a bad thing.
Entering the study, Zhou Shuren saw Old Master Wen, the emperor's father-in-law. There was no need to guess, the young girl next to Changzhong must be the descendant of the Wen family, and a legitimate one at that.
Zhou Shuren collected his thoughts and said, "Your Majesty, I see you."
The emperor was in a good mood, "I've been waiting for you."
Zhou Shuren took a deep breath and said, "My youngest son is young. I want to know why Changzhong entered the palace?"
He would not directly apologize, as if his son had really made a mistake. He would not do anything that would give others something to blame him for.
The emperor glanced at his father-in-law. The first thing his father-in-law said when he saw him was to apologize. Then he looked at Zhou Shuren, and the first thing he said was that the child was still young.
The emperor looked at the prince, who stepped forward and said, "It snowed heavily today, and I went out of the palace to check on the snow removal. It was just a coincidence that I ran into Wen Xiao and Chang Zhong, and their carriages collided with each other."
Zhou Shuren had a plan in mind. The roads were slippery on a snowy day, and his son would not let the carriage go too fast, otherwise it would be the Wen family's fault if the carriage collided with the Wen family.
Zhou Shuren looked at Master Wen with a smile, which made Master Wen feel very uncomfortable.
Wen Chuhang entered the palace first. The emperor had never told him the reason, but now he knew the reason. His face was a little hot. Only knew whose grandson he was. Wen Xiao was the only legitimate son of the third room, and the youngest legitimate grandson of the Wen family. The child was brought up in pampering, so naturally he had a bad temper.
The Emperor doesn't care about how the Wen family educates their offspring; that is the Wen family's business. He called them here today to give them a warning; the Wen family has been a little too ostentatious recently.
The Emperor asked, "Does Lord Wen have anything to say?"
Elder Wen said, "I will discipline the children more when I return."
The emperor didn't say anything, and Old Master Wen continued, "Wen Xiao is young and ignorant. He did something wrong today, and he should apologize to Master Wen."
Zhou Shuren pondered the emperor's intention and met the emperor's eyes. Zhou Shuren looked at the smiling prince again and thought, "Tsk tsk, although the prince is young, he is very good at seizing opportunities. Today, his son has become a tool."
This was because the Emperor was dissatisfied with the Wen family and took the opportunity to give them a warning. Old Master Wen knew this, which was why he apologized so promptly.
It was already half an hour since she left the palace. Zhulan was worried because she had not found her son. She inquired about the news and came back with only that her son had left with someone, but she didn't know with whom.
After a while, Zhou Shuren brought his son home. Zhulan was surprised, "Why are you two together?"
Zhou Shuren explained the whole story, "This is what happened. Changzhong had bad luck today."
Zhulan sighed, it was more than just bad luck, she asked her son with concern, "Are you scared to enter the palace?"
Changzhong shook his head and said, "My son did nothing wrong, so I'm not afraid."
Dad said that there was nothing to be afraid of as long as he had a clear conscience. It was not his fault. He would not be afraid of losing the Zhou family. He felt that he had performed very well.
Zhou Shuren touched his son's head and said, "This kid did a good job."
The more generous his son is, the more stingy Wen Xiao seems. Old Master Wen must regret spoiling his child.
Zhulan was relieved to see that her son was not afraid. In her eyes, her son was still too young. She turned around and asked her husband, "Are you going back to the Ministry of Revenue?"
Zhou Shuren, "I won't reply."
It's a rare opportunity to leave work early, he would be stupid to go back.
Zhulan smiled and said, "Then go change your clothes. I'll ask the kitchen to prepare dinner in advance. We'll have a pot dinner tonight."
Zhou Shuren curled his lips and said, "Okay."
The first snow was retained, and the temperature dropped quickly. It snowed frequently in some states this year, with several heavy snowfalls, which would affect travel in modern times, let alone in ancient times.
Fortunately, the imperial court has prepared disaster emergency supplies in recent years, and the states with severe snow disasters did not suffer many casualties. The benefits of the imperial court's control over medical clinics were greatly reflected. The imperial court allocated silver to make free decoctions, and those with frostbite could go to the medical clinic to get ointment.
Now the treasury has sufficient silver and the funds are allocated smoothly. The snow disasters that once terrified the people now have timely relief. The people are grateful to the court, and the emperor has gained more popularity.
The prefects of the states where the disaster occurred wrote summary memorials to the capital, which not only reported the situation but also expressed the people's gratitude to the emperor.
The emperor was in a good mood and was even more friendly to Zhou Shuren, the person who first proposed how to deal with the disaster.
The emperor kept Zhou Shuren, "Shuren has worked hard recently."
Zhou Shuren, "..."
This conversation made his heart stir.
The emperor continued, "The reform of the Ministry of Revenue is going very well, and other ministries have also followed suit. This is all thanks to Shu Ren."
Zhou Shuren narrowed his eyes and said, "I dare not take credit for it. This is what I should do."
"If all the ministers were like Shu Ren, I would be able to enjoy a peaceful and peaceful life."
Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes in his heart. You are really not greedy. "Your Majesty, I would like to ask for a few days off."
If I don't give it a try at this time, I would be letting down the emperor's good mood today.
The emperor's smile remained unchanged, having expected the old fox to like resting. "Three days at most."
Zhou Shuren was a little uncomfortable with this, and actually asked for leave, either for sick leave or for vacation, with his eyes wide open.
The emperor patted the old man's shoulder. Hmm, he was very skinny. "Why, do you dislike him a lot?"
"I thank the emperor."
The emperor stood by the window, looking at the snow scene outside through the glass, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
Zhou Shuren clicked his tongue twice. The emperor was really happy, and he was happy too, because he saved many lives.
During the three-day holiday, Zhou Shuren and his wife went to Zhuangzi to take a hot spring bath. This time, only the old couple came and no one was brought along.
Changzhong pulled his fourth brother and said, "Dad is already old, but he still told me that he wanted to live a life with me, and he actually left Beijing without taking me with him."
Changzhi rarely rested, and faced his complaining brother, he said coldly: "You should have gotten used to it."
In Dad's heart, Mom's position is absolutely the first and cannot be shaken, not even Changzhong can do it. He had discovered this a long time ago.
Changzhong, "... I want to go to Zhuangzi, too."
Chang Zhi, "Let Ming Teng take you there. Ming Teng is a wealthy man, and he has several hot spring manors."
Chang Zhong curled his lips, "I can't catch him now. He is being taken to study by the brother-in-law of the King of Qin. He doesn't have time to take me. Fourth brother, can you take me?"
Changzhi looked at the snowflakes floating outside the window and curled his lips, "I'm very busy."
He was unwilling to move, especially in winter. Staying in the house during the winter holidays was the right choice. Was the small kang not warm enough, or was the warm house uncomfortable? He would not take a carriage out of Beijing.
Chang Zhi said disdainfully, "Fourth brother, don't tell me in the future that you don't know who Yu Wen looks like. This girl looks exactly like you."
Fourth brother is also lazy. If you don’t look carefully, you won’t be able to find it.
Changzhi refused to admit it, "I'm not as lazy as this girl."
Changzhong sneered, "Don't struggle. Yuwen is just a magnified reflection of your character."