When Zhou Laoda saw his mother's face turn pale, he was shocked and said, "Mom, I will call the imperial physician right away."
The imperial physician was resting in the side room in the courtyard. He came over soon and said after checking the old man's pulse, "The old man is worried and hasn't rested well. He needs to rest."
Boss Zhou exhaled, "Thank you, doctor."
Xue Han stopped crying and supported her mother, "Mom, take the tranquilizer and have a good rest. Dad is here with us!"
Zhulan said, "Boss, go inform Xuemei."
The news can’t be kept secret, so I’d better tell my eldest daughter to come over.
Boss Zhou, "I'll arrange it right away."
Changzhi and Mingyun did not go to the yamen and asked for leave together. This was out of filial piety, but it also caused some people to misunderstand whether Zhou Shuren was really ill, although it happened too suddenly in one night.
Several relatives of the Zhou family came to inquire about the news. The one who came from the Wang family was Wang Wei in person and had even taken a special leave for this purpose. The one who came from the Liu family was Liu Jia’s second brother, and the one who came from the Ran family was Ran Xun.
The Gu family and others also sent people, and some people with good relationships also sent people to inquire.
Mingyun was the eldest grandson, so he became busy and took his younger brothers to entertain guests.
When Xuemei arrived, Zhulan had already taken a sedative and fell asleep. Zhulan was not afraid of being seen, so she lay down next to Zhou Shuren and fell asleep, not afraid of being infected. Boss Zhou and the others knelt down in a hurry, but it was of no use.
The couple held hands as they slept. Xuemei looked at them with tears in her eyes and wiped her tears with a handkerchief. She was moved by her parents' affection, but also afraid. Her parents' love was too deep, and if something really happened, her mother would not live alone.
Xue Han's heart was heavy as well. Her identity put pressure on the imperial physician. She asked him again and again to confirm the situation. The imperial physician did not get impatient and wanted to swear to heaven that Lord Zhou did not have an emergency condition but was just seriously ill due to being too tired. They would be fine as long as they kept watch over him.
At noon, Wang Ju came. She wanted to go into the house to take a look, but Zhu Lan was also sleeping soundly, so it was not convenient for her to go in.
Wang Ju asked Boss Zhou, "Does it take only rest to get better?"
Boss Zhou, "The imperial physician said so. He said that my father was too tired. My father's illness came too fast. As long as he doesn't continue to have repeated fevers, he will be fine after resting for a while."
Wang Ju felt relieved. "You guys don't know how fierce the rumors are outside. They want to spread the news that your father will be killed tomorrow. Bah."
Boss Zhou's face turned black. These people were so vicious.
Chang Zhi also had a cold face. The Zhou family had gained a lot of benefits today, and some people wished that the Zhou family would lose their father's protection.
Wang Ju saw that Zhou Lao Da and the others looked unhappy, so she said, "You should be more filial to your father. The Zhou family is what it is today because of your father."
Boss Zhou's eyes were red. They had all watched the Zhou family grow step by step to where they are today. As sons, they knew the changes in Dad's hair the best. "I am not a filial son and I cannot help Dad share the burden."
Whenever he thought of his father's bent back this year, he couldn't control his tears.
Changzhi felt even worse. His father told him to follow the procedures and take his time. He really felt comfortable staying in the Hanlin Academy. "Brother, I am the most unfilial person."
The second and third brothers are able to help their father share the burden, Mingyun has also entered the official career to plan for the Zhou family, and only he.
Wang Ju had to admit that Zhou Shuren's sons were well-educated.
Not long after Wang Ju left, Zhulan was still thinking about Zhou Shuren. She drank some sedatives and woke up. The first thing she did when she got up was to touch Shuren's forehead. It was already afternoon and her forehead was getting hot again.
Xuemei and Xuehan had been watching the whole time. They reached out their hands to help their mother get out of bed. Xuemei whispered, "Dad woke up at noon and asked us not to disturb Mom. He drank some porridge and medicine and went back to sleep."
Zhulan asked, "What did the imperial physician say?"
Xue Han replied, "The imperial physician came to see me and said that the fever will recur again, so we don't need to be too nervous."
Zhulan simply wiped her cheeks, and the maid had already brought her porridge and side dishes.
Xuemei handed over the chopsticks, "Mom, you should also eat something light."
Zhulan hummed, drank the porridge and the medicine to reduce internal heat. Zhulan couldn't sleep, so she signaled her two daughters to go and rest, and she would watch over them herself. When her daughters left, Zhulan said, "I used to scare you, but this time you really scared me."
Zhulan kept mumbling for a long time, and Zhou Shuren woke up. Zhulan asked, "Did I disturb you?"
Zhou Shuren was exhausted and unwilling to get up. He raised his hand and touched Zhulan's tears, "I scared you."
"Well, I'll go call the doctor in."
Zhou Shuren hurriedly pulled her aside, "I know what's going on. There's no need to call the doctor in. I was just too tired, so I slept too much. Now that I've had enough sleep, I want to stay with you for a while."
Zhulan used a paddle to wipe Shuren's hands, "Okay, we'll stay for a while."
Zhou Shuren was quite scared. He was afraid that he was really going to be finished. There were too many things he was reluctant to give up. He was reluctant to give up his young son and the several sons he had raised who were not yet able to stand on their own. As for Zhulan, he was not worried because they were one family!
At night, the servants of the Zhou family were the most strict, and the in-laws would not spread the news randomly. The fact that the two imperial doctors did not leave was originally a sign of the royal family's high regard for Zhou Shuren, but it made some people think that Zhou Shuren was really going to die.
The children in the family were all at home, and Yu Lu, the married granddaughter, had also returned.
At the morning court the next day, even though Old Master Wen was pretending, one could still feel that he was in a good mood.
Lord Wang also attended the court today. The old man took a look and then did not give Lord Wen any more glances.
The Emperor and the Crown Prince arrived, and the Emperor said, "The war has been over for a long time, but because the army has not returned, I have not yet rewarded them for their merits."
Everyone's attention was drawn to rewarding people for their achievements. They had already calculated the achievements, but why were they bringing it up today
The emperor continued, "After careful consideration, I have decided to reward the meritorious officials in accordance with their merits, so that they can have a happy new year."
Old Master Wang narrowed his eyes. Since food and the army complement each other, Zhou Shuren had made a great contribution. Thinking of Zhou Shuren's serious illness this time, the corners of Old Master Wang's mouth curled up.
What Lord Wang could think of were all old foxes in the court, so they naturally thought of it as well.
The emperor continued, "The whole country is short of food. Now the fish cakes and other good measures have saved the people in need. They have made great contributions and will be rewarded this time."
The smile on Old Master Wen's face disappeared, leaving only stiffness. The Wen family took the lead in donating grain, but got nothing in return. The emperor was going to reward the Zhou family greatly.
Old Master Wen tried his luck and thought to himself, maybe Zhou Shuren was really in trouble, so the emperor would reward him. Yes, it must be like this.
The emperor noticed the expressions of his ministers. Some of them only cared about their families and had no regard for the common people of the world. For the sake of livestock reproduction, they would rather kill them than sell them to the court. Just thinking about it made him angry.
The breeding of livestock not only solves the problem of meat, but also appeases the people of the grassland, and will form the virtuous circle that Shu Ren mentioned in the future. Thinking of Shu Ren's concern for the people, the emperor narrowed his eyes and decided to reward him.