In the blink of an eye, it was the day when the Yu family came to propose marriage. The proposal was successful, and the Zhou family’s relatives congratulated them and said it was a good match.
The news spread quickly in the capital. The Yu family's successful proposal to Zhou Hou's mansion shocked many people. Many people believed the rumor and really thought that the Yu family would marry the princess. They never expected that the Yu family had no intention of marrying the young master, but instead fell in love with Miss Zhou Si.
The day after the proposal, Lord Yu was all smiles and the second son's marriage was settled.
Zhou Shuren was in a bad mood as he had engaged another granddaughter. Alas, his eldest granddaughter got married and followed her husband. He hadn't seen her for more than a year.
Old Master Wen could not understand Zhou Shuren's reluctance to part with his granddaughter. Instead, he hated the Zhou and Yu families, especially the Yu family. There was nothing wrong with the Wen family. He took the initiative to propose a marriage, but the Yu family directly refused. He had been holding a grudge in his heart.
Old Master Wen is old and his eyelids are drooping. He looked at Master Yu with a gloomy gaze, and then glanced at Zhou Shuren. As a result, Zhou Shuren actually smiled at him. What a provocation! This is a provocation!
Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes in his heart, feeling that Old Master Wen was hating him again. But he wasn't afraid of the itch even though he had too many lice, so he just did whatever he wanted.
Lord Yu did not have the confidence of Marquis Zhou's mansion, so he simply avoided his gaze.
At the morning court today, the Ministry of Commerce proposed selecting talents from among the successful candidates. Today, a conclusion was finally reached that nationwide screening is not realistic, so a pilot selection will be conducted in several states near the capital first.
Another thing happened: three days later, the orphans of soldiers from several nearby states came to Beijing.
The emperor has been in a good mood these days.
After Zhou Shuren left the court, he looked at the happy faces of the officials and thought that the emperor had already dug a trap for the ministers to choose from!
The majority of candidates came from aristocratic families, and there were not many who came from humble backgrounds. The emperor said that he would select talents, but he did not say that some of the selected people would go to the grassland.
The emperor had a list of people who were in charge of the grassland, but he was also worried about the large number of grassroots officials. Now, the children of aristocratic families have filled the gaps.
Lord Yu came over and asked, "My Lord, would you like to leave the palace together?"
Zhou Shuren glanced sideways. Old Master Wen's eyes were fixed on Master Yu. He was hating him. "Okay."
Lord Yu breathed a sigh of relief. He could not stand Lord Wen's gaze any more. Alas, the Queen had two sons and one daughter, and the Crown Prince was born to the Queen. As long as the Wen family did not commit suicide, they would still be the Wen family, and the Yu family had to be careful at every step. They had finally entered the capital again and could not be driven out.
When Lord Yu thought of this, he couldn't help but follow Marquis Zhou closely. Well, he felt safe.
Zhou Shuren noticed this and twitched the corner of his mouth. Too many people were wary of the Wen family because of the queen.
Qizhou, Chang Lian rubbed his neck. The prefect should have been promoted this year, but due to a flood last year, the prefect was not promoted. Also, due to food shortage, the prefect could not be promoted in the past two years, so his promotion was also delayed.
Chang Lian sighed and said, forget it, he is still young, it doesn’t matter if he does it a few years later.
The prefect came in and asked, "What are you thinking about? You have been in a trance since I came in."
Chang Lian came back to his senses and smiled, "After the New Year, my mother wrote to me and said that she had chosen a husband for my daughter. I felt a little sad because my daughter will be getting married in a few years."
The information was inconvenient. Although the marriage proposal in the capital had been successful, Chang Lian in Qizhou still knew nothing.
The prefect knew what his wife was thinking, and he also wanted to choose a good marriage for his son. The family with the best background he had come across was Zhou Changlian. Now Zhou Changlian had become the son of a marquis, but unfortunately his wife did not fancy their family.
The prefect asked, "Whose family did the Duke of Zhou choose?"
Chang Lian knew that his mother had written to him, telling him that the marriage would definitely be arranged, but he had not heard the exact news of the engagement. Out of caution, he smiled and said, "I will tell you as soon as the engagement is made."
The prefect smiled. He guessed that it was a good match for the Zhou Hou Mansion. He sighed in his heart, thinking it was a good match.
Chang Lian asked, "My Lord, what do you want to see me about?"
The prefect said, "Your mother, Madam Hou, runs a private orphanage. I want to ask you how much you know about it?"
When the news came from the capital, his reaction was that such a big thing was actually presided over by a woman. Even if she was the wife of a marquis, it shouldn't be a woman. He confirmed the news several times before he believed it.
Chang Lian understood the prefect's mentality, but in his heart he just felt that it should be so, and he should be the son who understood his mother best.
"I don't know much, but I believe that my mother will do it well. Although it is not held in Qizhou now, I believe that it will be held in Qizhou sooner or later. My mother is a visionary. Sir, you will see that my mother will be admired by the world and respected by her own abilities."
The more Chang Lian spoke, the more excited his tone became. In his heart, his mother was as omnipotent as his father.
The prefect was stunned. "No, don't get excited."
Chang Lian's eyes burned, "Sir, one year, this time next year, you will understand that what I said is true."
The prefect, "... ..."
In the past, Zhou Changlian always talked about how great my father was, and now he talks about how great my mother is. The evaluation is too high, and even his prejudiced heart can't help but look forward to it.
In the capital, Zhulan had no idea that her third son was bragging about her. She was chatting with Changzhi, who was on leave at home. Because orphans needed to be educated, they needed educational books. She would have to use the mathematics books she had compiled. The emperor had already allowed private orphanages to use them. As for imparting technology, it would be more convenient to organize the knowledge points.
Changzhi is the one who likes reading the most in the family and reads all kinds of books, so she wanted to talk more about her thoughts with Changzhi.
Changzhi listened to his mother and said, "Mom, it's hard to compile some masters' experience into a book. They rely on experience alone."
Zhulan was also worried, "That's why I'm worried."
Chang Zhi said: "I heard from my second brother that Yu Shuang wants to train a medicine girl who can prepare medicinal materials. Children in the orphanage can also learn. Books on preparing medicinal materials are easier to compile."
Zhulan, “That’s a good idea.”
There are many orphans in the country, and it is impossible for them to learn only one skill. The more they can learn, the better.
Changzhi suddenly talked about himself, "Mom, the Hanlin Academy is also preparing to compile a book, and my son is on the list of editors."
Zhu Lan was surprised, "Has it been announced?"
Editing a book is a big deal and should have been spread long ago, but she didn't hear a single word about it.
Changzhi shook his head, "It has not been announced. The prince told me when my son entered the palace yesterday."
Zhulan asked, "What book are you going to edit?"
Changzhi spread his hands and said, "My son doesn't know either."
“Once the news gets out, it’ll be time to scramble for it again.”
Who doesn't want to leave their name in history? There are so many benefits to writing a book.
The next day was of great significance to Zhulan. She was going to give the orphans their first lesson. When she arrived at the city gate, the carriage was stopped. Zhulan got off the carriage and greeted them hurriedly, "Your Highness, your Highness, and your Highness the Queen Mother."
The emperor indicated that he didn't need to be polite, "I also want to go and listen to Madam's lecture."
Bamboo orchid, "... "
Can she say that she doesn’t want the emperor to see it? Last time she wanted to talk big but she didn’t give her the chance, now she wants to brainwash the children, she has been thinking about brainwashing words for a long time, but once the emperor is gone, she can only restrain herself, it’s really terrible!