Mingrui didn't look up, "Uncle, I'm almost well now."
Changzhong took Mingrui's book and rolled his eyes. "There's no need to rush in the next few days. Come, let's talk about how we feel after getting engaged."
Mingrui blushed, but still didn't forget to grab the book, "How can I feel about being engaged."
Changzhong is not as old as Mingrui, so naturally he cannot compete with Mingrui. Changzhong wanted to divert his nephew's attention, but it was useless. "Don't push yourself too much. You are working too hard."
Mingrui pulled the small blanket covering his legs and said, "I am working hard now so that I can have a smoother future. Uncle, you don't know that my father has to study very late at home every day. Compared with my father, I am not that hard-working."
After hearing this, Changzhong stopped disturbing Mingrui and curled up in the quilt. He didn't move for a long time. Mingrui thought that his uncle was asleep, but then he saw his uncle reach out and touch a book, then sit up again and read the book carefully.
Mingrui opened his mouth and swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth. The two of them read the book quietly.
Zhou Shuren stood outside the window, looking at his youngest son and Mingrui through the window, and stood there for a while before leaving.
In the main courtyard, Zhu Lan was puzzled. "You came back early today, aren't you going to see the two children? Why did you come back so soon?"
Zhou Shuren sat down and took off his shoes. "They were reading, so I didn't go in to disturb them."
Zhulan asked doubtfully, "This is not like you!"
Zhou Shuren changed his shoes. "Mingrui works very hard, and Changzhong also works hard with him. It's good for these two children to be together."
"I just think Mingrui is working too hard."
"Mingrui knows what he wants best among all the children. He knows that if he wants to get it, he has to work twice as hard. That's good."
He has many grandchildren of his own, so he pays more attention to Mingyun. He pays relatively less attention to Mingrui. The most he knows about him is that the child is very hardworking.
Zhulan, "Mingrui is the eldest son of the second wife. This child is thoughtful and delicate, and he loves his father."
Zhou Shuren hummed, "Next year the prince will travel on behalf of the emperor."
Zhulan perked up, "Traveling?"
Zhou Shuren nodded, "Well, now that the main roads have been repaired, the prince will inspect them for the emperor."
Zhu Lan was surprised, "Didn't the emperor come to inspect it?"
Zhou Shuren explained: "This time it's not just an inspection tour. The emperor also wants to take this opportunity to let the prince visit the states in person and learn how to be a crown prince who serves the people."
Zhulan sighed, "The emperor's education is really good."
A crown prince who is high above and does not understand the people's livelihood will always be far away from the people, and what you hear will never be as good as what you see with your own eyes.
Zhou Shuren nodded, "It's really good."
The emperor himself has ambitions to expand the country, and what the next generation of emperor needs is the ability to govern. Now the emperor is training the prince on how to better govern the country, starting with understanding the country's people.
Zhu Lan asked, "You suddenly mentioned this to me, it should be more than just sharing news."
Zhou Shuren hummed, "The emperor told me in advance that he hoped that when the prince consulted me, he hoped that I would talk more about people's livelihood. At the same time, the prince would bring some people with him on this trip."
Zhulan narrowed her eyes and asked, "Did the emperor give our family a quota?"
Zhou Shuren nodded, "Well, the emperor not only wants the prince to understand the people, but also wants the children of the major families who will serve in the court in the future to understand, so many families in the capital have quotas."
Zhulan understood, "You originally decided who to send, but now you're hesitant."
Zhou Shuren nodded, "Mingyun has entered the Hanlin Academy, and Mingteng will not follow the prince, so I am thinking of Changzhong, and Mingrui made me ignore it."
Zhulan understood, "This time, the noble families must have chosen teenagers who are fifteen or sixteen years old. Changzhong is young, so let Mingrui go. Mingrui has the least resources among the grandchildren."
The first wife has Mingyun and Mingteng, so it is impossible for her to favor Minghui. The third wife, Mingling, is still young, and the fourth wife, Mingjia, is not very old either.
Mingyun entered the Hanlin Academy, and Mingteng could not follow the prince. According to the order of seniority, Mingrui should be the next in line.
Zhou Shuren, "Yeah."
When Zhulan and her husband were talking, no one would stay in the room. It was a custom that as soon as the conversation started, the servants in the room would go out, and no one would know about their conversation.
Zhou Shuren was the first one to get the news from the emperor. Soon after, other people got the news and started to prepare in private.
The temperature is getting colder, but there is still no snow. The cold wind keeps blowing, and people are worried about next year's harvest.
Boss Zhou not only manages the land of the eldest house, but also the land of the entire mansion. He is worried about the harvest next year, and blisters appear on his lips. "Mom, next year won't be a drought year, will it?"
Li pouted a few times, "Good things work, bad things don't. If you can't speak, don't speak."
It's so scary. It's also a drought year. Is a drought year easy to live in
Boss Zhou slapped his mouth and said, "Good things work, bad things don't."
Zhulan has been in ancient times for many years and has never seen such a winter scene. "Who knows, it might snow in a few days. Who can say for sure?"
Li said, "Mother said it would snow, so it must snow."
Bamboo orchid, "... "
She was just saying it in a positive way, if she said anything it would be fine.
Boss Zhou was not happy. Instead, he was worried that there would be no snow in the winter. If it really snowed, would it cause a snow disaster
Zhulan particularly missed the modern weather forecast at this time. Listening to the howling wind outside, Zhulan lost her energy and said, "You all should go back too."
At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren was also afraid of extreme weather, so he confirmed again and again that there were no problems with the prepared supplies, and only then did he feel relieved.
The newly appointed Minister Liu is naturally capable, and is even more flawless in his conduct than Lord Wang.
Minister Liu asked, "Your Excellency frowned, are you still worried about the weather?"
Zhou Shuren, "Yeah."
Minister Liu said, "The court has been well prepared over the years and has some experience in dealing with extreme weather conditions. You can relax, sir."
Zhou Shuren asked back, "Have you been doing your job smoothly lately?"
"The division of responsibilities is clear, and I have adapted to the situation and am handling it fairly smoothly."
Zhou Shuren nodded, "That's good. If you have any questions, go ask Qiu Yan. There is nothing in the Ministry of Revenue that he can't handle."
Minister Liu: "Yes."
At the Zhou family, Zhulan was in high spirits when she saw her granddaughter Linxi. "Why did you bring Linxi back on such a windy day?"
Xue Han pointed at the basket that was carried in, "The fruits we bought have arrived. I'm sending some to you and dad. Linxi hasn't seen her grandmother for a long time. This girl insisted on coming over, so I had no choice but to bring her here."
Lin Xi, "Grandma, you don't miss me!"
Zhulan smiled and said, "Yes, grandma misses Linxi."
Linxi grew up being spoiled. This girl was the only one who dared to sit in the arms of the retired emperor to eat. Even though she was spoiled by so many people, the child was not spoiled at all. It showed how good-tempered the girl was.
Xue Han watched her daughter chatting with her mother. When her daughter said she was going to look for her cousins, Xue Han said, "Mom, I'm going to leave Beijing with Rongchuan next year."
Zhulan nodded, "Well, you told me, what happened?"