Zhou Shuren returned home with his granddaughter. After changing his clothes, he went to the front yard to meet Jiang Du and Mu Fan. The two were reading in the study with Ming Rui and others. The Zhou family's collection of books was already very rich, with many rare copies. Mu Fan and Jiang Du did not dare to slack off and seized the time to read.
It's rare that he comes back so early, I'd like to give him some advice.
Changzhong hugged his father's arm and said, "Dad, why did you come back so early today?"
Zhou Shuren groaned, "You little brat, you don't know how heavy you are, don't press on me."
Changzhong chuckled, but still didn't let go of his hand.
Zhou Shuren said in a doting tone: "Today I accompanied the emperor to the teahouse, and met Yudie and others in the teahouse, and then came back together."
Chang Zhong realized, "Because of a few wonderful debates?"
"Well, the quality of this year's candidates is very high."
I didn’t encounter anything exciting today, but there were several wonderful debates in just a few days, which proves how fierce the competition for the list is this year.
Jiang Du was nervous after hearing this, "Grandpa, I."
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard and motioned for everyone to sit down before saying, "The teahouses in the capital will not be quiet before the New Year. You can go to the teahouses and have a look. It will be like knowing yourself and the enemy. You will have a general idea in your mind and study in a planned way."
Jiang Du and Mu Fan, "Yes."
Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, you two. Our family has participated in the imperial examinations many times and has a lot of experience. It's a pity that Mingyun is in the grassland. However, your fourth uncle is at home, so let him teach you in the evening."
Jiang Du and Mu Fan were excited. Their fourth uncle was the best at studying and had been in the Hanlin Academy for many years. With their fourth uncle around, they felt more confident.
Zhou Shuren pointed to the bookshelf again, "There are exam questions from various years on it. You can try them out. If you don't understand, just ask. There are so many people at home!"
Jiang Du and Mu Fan stood up and said, "I'm sorry to have worried you, Grandpa."
Zhou Shuren, like all elders in the world, hopes that the younger generation will have a bright future. He took the book they were reading and said, "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me while I have time today."
This opportunity is rare, mainly because he is very busy.
The next day, Zhulan was waiting for Qi at home. Qi came over to say hello first, then went to see Ran Wan and the two children, and came back after half an hour.
Zhulan had already pasted a small painting with flower petals. Qi liked it and asked, "Do you have this skill?"
"I have nothing to do, so I'll find something to do for myself. Sit down."
Qi sat down and said with envy, "You are living a comfortable life."
Yang's daughter-in-law is filial and there are no worries at home. Unlike her, she has been worrying too much in recent years and has aged quickly. All she thinks about every day is household affairs and she has no leisure time at all.
Zhulan, "You can live comfortably too. I'm not saying that you shouldn't take back the housekeeper's power."
Qi was also upset. "Ever since the eldest daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law had a falling out, the backyard has been a mess. I want to give up."
Zhulan pushed a cup of heat-reducing tea to Qi, "It's for cooling down the heat, it will cool you down."
Qi, "... "
She was indeed very hot-tempered and her temper was getting worse and worse. Chanting Buddha's name and meditating was of no use.
Qi drank her tea and winked at Zhulan, who signaled the maids to go downstairs. "What's the matter?"
Qi said quietly, "Haven't you heard the rumors in the capital?"
Zhu Lan's heart moved, "Who is the candidate for the Crown Prince's concubine?"
"You know."
"I'm not deaf, so how could I not know? Look at your expression. Does the Qi family have any idea?"
The more Zhulan thought about it, the more this seemed possible. The Qi family had been able to relax for so many years, and with Concubine Ran around, and the King of Chu taking good care of them in private, things had been pretty good in recent years.
Qi shook her head. "The Qi family is scared. How can they dare to think about it? It's enough to be thrown into the dust once. You won't be so lucky next time."
If the King of Chu had not been in good health, there would have been no possibility for the Qi family to be united.
Zhulan: "So what do you want to say?"
"Your fifth girl. What I've heard the most recently is that the fifth girl has been chosen."
The tea in Zhulan's mouth sprayed out, "Huh?"
Qi twitched his lips, "Is it necessary to react so strongly?"
"You're frightened. Could it be that the news of the Queen meeting me alone last time spread?"
Qi nodded, "Yes."
Zhulan spread her hands and said, "It's unfair. Last time, the Queen said that my Yuwen had chosen a husband and the Queen wanted to grant her marriage!"
Qi believed what Yang said. If a girl from Zhou family wanted to marry into the royal family, she could compete for the position of Crown Princess. She didn't compete for it at the beginning, and now she would not be interested in the position of concubine, because a concubine is also a concubine.
Zhulan was speechless, "Why are there so many blind people?"
Qi, "... "
If that's the case, there are too many blind people.
Zhu Lan turned the cup around, "Someone is fanning the flames and testing our mansion. If it's fake, it's just to disgust us!"
The Ran family and the Zhou family were originally relatives by marriage, and Ran Wan was very competitive, with a daughter and a son, so Qi spoke casually, "Who let the girl from the Marquis's Mansion block the way."
Zhu Lan sighed, "Hasn't our mansion shown it clearly enough? My son-in-law hasn't even taken a concubine."
Qi said quietly, "Your daughter is being envied by the young lady in the capital."
Zhulan couldn't refute that her granddaughter was indeed hated.
Zhulan waited for Qi to leave, then called Su Xuan, "Did you hear about it?"
Su Xuan, "I haven't been out recently, so I really haven't heard of it."
"It's impossible for the royal family to explain it in person. If they discuss it for too long, it will be bad for Yu Wen's reputation."
If the royal family's explanation seemed to show that they looked down on Yu Wen, it would be a slap in the face of the Marquis' Mansion. This kind of calculation is indeed disgusting.
Su Xuan was also angry. It was really frustrating that she clearly didn't have such an intention.
Zhulan looked at Su Xuan, her heart moved, and she decided to wait for Shuren to come back and talk about it.
During the night break, Zhulan told the rumor, "This is not good for Yuwen's reputation."
Zhou Shuren knew his wife very well. He knew she had a solution as soon as he heard it. "Do you have any solution?"
Zhulan, "The Queen has already expressed her position, and it is not appropriate for the royal family to explain it in person. It is also not good for Yuwen to suddenly get engaged. Not only will it be unfair to her granddaughter, but it also seems as if the Marquis's Mansion looks down on the Crown Prince."
Zhou Shuren, "Tell me your method."
Zhulan leaned close to Shuren's ear, and the more she spoke, the brighter Zhou Shuren's eyes became, "You can talk to Suxuan."
Zhulan curved her lips and said, "Yeah."
The next day, Zhulan told her idea. Su Xuan's eyes widened after hearing it. She thought about it carefully, and the more she thought about it, the brighter her eyes became. "Mom, I'll go get ready first."
"Um."
As the days passed, there were several snowfalls. Every snowfall made people frown, fearing a snowstorm. Every time the snow stopped, they would recite a few Buddhist verses.
In this atmosphere, the emperor frowned, looked up at the sky from time to time, and sighed: "There is a shortage of cotton and food."
Zhou Shuren remained calm, because he knew that this situation would last for a long time until the Little Ice Age ended. The only thing that depressed him was that it was difficult for him to leave the Ministry of Revenue because the emperor trusted him too much, well, trusted his abilities.
The emperor added: "The soldiers on the border have suffered."
Zhou Shuren sighed inwardly. He really had no other choice but to "make more frostbite cream."
Seeing the emperor frowning, Zhou Shuren said, "It would be nice if there was a lot of cotton."
The emperor looked at Zhou Shuren in confusion, "What is your purpose?"
Zhou Shuren, "..."
What about the mystery between the monarch and his subjects