In a blink of an eye, the court had its annual holiday. On the second day of the holiday, the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, Lord Yu came to visit with his two sons.
The Zhou family received the invitation from the Yu family before they took their annual leave. Early in the morning, Zhou Shuren was waiting in the front yard with his eldest son and grandson.
Lord Yu said in a grateful tone: "I thank you for your help, Lord."
Zhou Shuren was still thinking about the reason why the Yu family sent a letter to pay a formal visit, and suddenly said, "It's been a long time."
Lord Yu said embarrassedly: "It's all my fault for procrastinating."
Zhou Shuren waved his hand, "Don't take everything on yourself. No one could have predicted that I would become seriously ill."
Lord Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Marquis Zhou was indeed sensible. "I know that you like to play chess. I happen to have some chess records at home. I hope you don't mind."
Zhou Shuren was silent for a few seconds. In the chess manual, the emperor himself had written a scene of him playing chess with him. He had been thinking about writing an autobiography these days. He smiled and said, "I like them. Are these two your eldest and second sons?"
Lord Yu, "Yes, these are my two legitimate sons. The eldest son and the marquis' grandson-in-law took the imperial examination at the same time."
Zhou Shuren naturally understood that the eldest son of the Yu family stayed in Beijing on purpose by the emperor, "That's really a coincidence."
Yu Yueyang had a stern face the whole time, and the few times the Marquis looked at him, he almost smiled in return.
Lord Yu saw Lord Zhou looking at his second son and introduced him, "This is my second son. He is fifteen this year and is already a scholar."
Zhou Shuren, "This face looks a bit young, he doesn't look like fifteen at all."
Lord Yu was not surprised by the casual tone of Zhou Hou. Fifteen-year-old scholars were not uncommon in aristocratic families. "Yes, this child looks young, so I want to temper his temper and wait until he is twenty before taking the imperial examination."
Zhou Shuren thought to himself that this child didn't look twenty years old at all. "It's not easy for a father to worry about his children."
Lord Yu felt the same way. Lord Zhou had also made many plans for his sons, otherwise Lord Zhou would not have been able to get the position in the Ministry of Rites.
Because the Second Young Master Yu had a good-looking face, Zhou Shuren couldn't help but take a few more glances at him. Just as he was about to look away, he saw the boy smiling. His pair of dimples made him look younger. He was stunned for a few seconds, and then saw Lord Yu with a wooden face.
Zhou Shuren was delighted. "This child actually has two dimples. This is the first time I've seen such big dimples."
Lord Yu was very tired, "Yes."
His wife has a dimple, and his mother also has one. This child will grow up to have inherited both of their dimples. Even though he is the second son, he is the most favored one in the family. Sometimes he is cruel enough to temper his son's temper, and even lets him go when he smiles. Alas!
Mingyun knows his grandfather very well. His grandfather is very interested in the second young master. Ahem, he heard from Mingrui that this young master also likes sweet food. He nodded his palm and saw that the young master's eyes would occasionally glance at the snacks on the table.
Mingyun thought that his younger brother was either a fox spirit or a foolish but treacherous man, but none of his younger brothers was as cute as this one.
Mingyun, “!!”
A boy with cuteness, what a combination!
Zhulan didn't know what happened in the front yard. She was writing a letter to her youngest son. Her son couldn't return to Beijing for the New Year. It was the first time he had been away from home for such a long time, and he missed home.
Changzhong said that he learned a lot from Wu Ming and that he had grown taller, etc.
Zhulan wrote the letter and put it in an envelope. The letter could not be sent out until after the New Year, and she also wanted the servant to have a good New Year.
Li came in with her maids and servants. Zhulan said, "What delicious food are you making? You brought two food boxes."
Li signaled the maid to put the food box on the table, and she opened it and took out the food one by one. "Mother, didn't you say that the soup I made last time was delicious? I specially made this soup for you and father, and there are also some snacks to relieve boredom."
Zhulan felt warm in her heart. The soup and snacks she and Shuren had been drinking and eating these days were all made by Li herself, without any touch from the cook. "I've already said that your father is well, so you don't need to do it anymore."
Li sat down and said, "I found that Dad and Mom still like the food I cook the most. If you didn't ask me to take care of the three meals, I would definitely come to the small kitchen to cook for you and Dad every day."
Zhulan, "There is a cook in the kitchen. It is enough for me to know your feelings."
"But my daughter-in-law's cooking skills are not as good as hers."
This was the first time she was so persistent. She had to feed her parents until they were fat, otherwise she would not feel at ease.
After lunch, Zhou Shuren came back from the front yard. Zhulan said, "You look very happy."
"Well, let me tell you, Mr. Yu is a very interesting kid."
Zhulan was very curious, "Tell me what's so interesting about it."
Zhou Shuren told what he saw, and then said: "The information the emperor gave is still not detailed. There is no information about his preferences or appearance."
Zhulan: "... ... it's all very honest."
Zhou Shuren smiled again, "You don't know that when the squirrel fish was placed in front of this child, I saw this child wanted to reach for the chopsticks several times, but he changed direction."
Zhulan's eyes were full of smiles, "It's hard for him."
Zhou Shuren added: "Master Yu has several concubines, the illegitimate son is the youngest son, and there are several illegitimate daughters."
Zhulan, "The emperor gave me news that the harem is relatively peaceful."
Zhou Shuren nodded. The Yu family was a noble family, so the news from the emperor's investigation could not be false. There was nothing dirty in the Yu family's backyard, and the wives and concubines lived in harmony, which was a rare occasion. Lord Yu's wife was quite generous.
Zhulan's happiness disappeared, "So don't be impatient, wait until I meet Master Yu's wife Liu."
Whether it is genuine kindness or fake, we will know when the time comes.
Zhou Shuren felt that after the marriage, Yu Yi would be able to control the Second Young Master Yu tightly, but he was not in a hurry.
On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Steward Ding rushed to the main courtyard early in the morning and said, "My Lord, Madam, the Oger tribe of the grassland has sent us a New Year gift."
Zhou Shuren, "Hmm?"
"The things were right at the door, but I didn't dare to take them."
Zhou Shuren and Zhulan looked at each other. It was almost New Year, so why did they suddenly send gifts to the Zhou Mansion? "Who sent the gifts?"
"The little prince of the Ege tribe."
Zhou Shuren raised his eyebrows. They were sending New Year gifts in the hope that he would be invited to the palace to intercede? The emperor asked them to resign their titles, but these people did not make any move. If he remembered correctly, the Oge tribe was the tribe of Princess Aruna in the harem.
Zhou Shuren narrowed his eyes and said, "Let the prince go and see him."
After Steward Ding left, Zhu Lan spoke up, "They want you to plead for them?"
Zhou Shuren frowned, "That should be the case. The Zhou family is in its heyday and thinks I can influence the emperor's thinking."
These people still don’t want to give up the title!
Boss Zhou was a little confused after hearing what Steward Ding said, "I'm going to see the young prince?"
Steward Ding, "Yes, sir, you are the prince now."
The stewards of these important officials' families are the most well-informed. They no longer take these grassland princes seriously. The marquis is using the young prince to practice on the elder master!