A few days later, Zhou Shuren stayed behind after the morning court session, and several other ministers also stayed with him.
The emperor pointed to the hanging map and said, "There is still one-third of the river that has not been repaired yet."
He was very dissatisfied with last year's progress, but there was nothing he could do as there was quite a bit of snow in the south last year.
Zhou Shuren's heart bleeds every time he sees this, not only because of the money wasted, but also because of delaying too many things.
The emperor continued, "It must be completed by the end of May this year."
Zhou Shuren had no objection. As it was a major matter concerning the people, the money had been prepared long ago.
The other ministers looked at each other, and the Minister of Works hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, one-third of the project is not a small amount."
Emperor, "That must also be completed."
He was really afraid of floods, and in his heart he once again whipped the corpses of the officials who had embezzled money from the river dams.
The Minister of Works shut up. It’s really a headache to need manpower everywhere.
Afterwards, several other important matters were discussed and the ministers left one after another.
Zhou Shuren and Lord Gong were walking together. Lord Gong asked, "I heard that the youngest son of the Marquis returned to his hometown to take the examination for the scholar degree?"
Zhou Shuren, "You pay a lot of attention to me."
Lord Gong smiled and said, "My youngest son is also taking the exam this year."
Zhou Shuren really didn't know, "I remember your youngest son is twenty-two?"
Gong said helplessly but dotingly, "This child is my lifeblood. I protect him whenever he is tired from studying. He could have passed the exam a long time ago, but it has been delayed until now."
Zhou Shuren, "Your eldest son?"
"For a scholar who has passed the 16th examination, the eldest son has to bear different responsibilities."
Zhou Shuren said, "Oh, so the youngest son grew up being spoiled by him." "You are telling me this?"
Lord Gong thought to himself that he wanted to chat with you to get closer to you. Talking about children is a good topic, and they are all his son's lifeblood. "Just chatting."
As a result, the two of them didn't get very close after chatting all the way, mainly because Lord Gong never got to the point every time.
Zhou Shuren got on the carriage with something on his mind. Thinking back to today's morning court session, the emperor was very impatient with the diehards, especially with Mr. Luo. He did not give Mr. Luo any face at all today.
Zhou Shuren pointed with his fingertips. He felt that the emperor wanted to purge a few diehards, and the Luo family was the first to be hit.
In Xiaoliujia Village, in the courtyard where Changzhi lived, he was sitting in the courtyard reading a newspaper. Far away from the capital, newspapers were delayed, and the newspaper he was reading now was the last issue.
Liu Mingsheng pushed the door open and came in, "Mr.
Changzhi put down the newspaper and asked, "Have you signed up?"
Liu Mingsheng couldn't suppress his joy. "I've signed up. Thank you for your help, sir. I will never forget it."
Changzhi motioned for him to sit down, and the servant came up with a teapot, "Have a cup of hot tea."
Liu Mingsheng, "I will definitely win this time."
Chang Zhi did not mention that Liu Mingsheng's score was replaced. He had investigated everything he needed to investigate while staying here. Why were Liu Mingsheng's subsequent attempts delayed in the county examinations? It was all because he bribed the officials who took the prefectural examinations, and the officials in the prefecture had been transferred a few years ago.
So Liu Mingsheng is lucky. As long as he can deal with the county magistrate, Liu Mingsheng can pass the exam smoothly.
Chang Zhi said: "I have been staying here for a few days. I should continue my study tour."
Liu Mingsheng was very reluctant to leave. He had learned a lot from the tutoring in the past few days, which was beyond the academy's ability to teach him. But he also knew that all good things must come to an end. "I wish you a safe journey, sir."
"Okay, wait until I come back to get the four books."
Liu Mingsheng stayed and asked some more questions about what he didn't understand, then thanked again and left.
The servant came over and said, "Sir, the county magistrate here will be imprisoned in three days."
Changzhi hummed, "Let's leave quickly so we don't get discovered."
The servant said, "Liu Mingsheng met you, he met a noble man."
Changzhi smiled and said, "This is fate. If I hadn't heard his story, I wouldn't have stayed so long."
The servant got up to pack his luggage. His steps were brisk. He was finally leaving the village. All the inquiries in recent days were quite annoying.
The next day, Liu Mingsheng received the package. The woman said, "The gentleman who rented the yard left it for you. He also left a message, hoping that you will have a smooth journey."
Liu Mingsheng felt melancholy and thanked the woman. He went back and opened the package. Inside was a set of four treasures of the study and a box. In the box was twenty taels of silver. Including the money for copying the Four Books by heart, it was enough for him to take the autumn imperial examination.
Liu Mingsheng was grateful and laughed and cried. He laughed at being appreciated and cried because he persisted and got the opportunity.
In the palace, Zhou Shuren saw the news about Chang Zhi. Every word and action of Chang Zhi was recorded, with the focus on the questions raised by Chang Zhi.
Zhou Shuren, "!!"
The emperor pointed to the reported news and said, "This boy is really brave."
Zhou Shuren, "..."
This kid did it on purpose. He was trying to test the emperor's attitude. He caused trouble not long after leaving the capital.
The emperor added: "He started the trouble before he even arrived in Chuanzhou."
Zhou Shuren continued to read the news, "The emperor should be happy."
Chang Zhi discovered a good seedling. The hardships over the years did not overwhelm his will, and he still has his own ideas. Liu Mingsheng is good.
The emperor smiled and said, "It would be better for Changzhi to stay in the Hanlin Academy after he comes back."
Zhou Shuren, "Changzhi will not help you again in the future."
The fourth brother knew his limits and understood that he could show favor once, but he could not do so all the time. This was not what the emperor wanted to see, and it was not good for the Zhou Marquis Mansion either.
The emperor nodded. Zhou Changzhi was his secret weapon. He couldn't be used all the time, but he could catch the enemy by surprise. He was still satisfied with Zhou Changzhi.
The emperor signaled to Eunuch Zhang to set up the chessboard and wait for the game to start. The emperor suddenly said, "I have already hinted to Lord Luo to retire."
Zhou Shuren's heart was moved, "This is a bit beyond my expectations."
He could sense the emperor's thoughts, but he didn't expect him to be so decisive.
The emperor took the first step, put the chess piece away and continued, "This is the last face I will give him."
Zhou Shuren, "The Duke's Mansion and the Luo family are related by marriage."
The emperor said in a mocking tone, "Has the Luo family ever provided any help during this long marriage?"
Zhou Shuren was silent. If the Luo family had given help, the Yong'an Mansion would not have lost so much face last time.
The emperor said quietly, "So this in-law is the same whether he has one or not. What's the point of keeping him if the promise is not fulfilled?"
Zhou Shuren, "You know everything."
The emperor sneered, "I didn't stop the marriage between the two families. What do you think?"
I had thought that the Luo family could contribute some effort and we could solve it together in the future. But I underestimated the shamelessness of the Luo family. They took the money from the Duke's Mansion and didn't contribute anything. They are so shameless!
Zhou Shuren understood that the emperor did not want to tolerate the Luo family's inaction any longer. "It's only the beginning of the year and there's a big transfer. Isn't that a bad thing?"
Your Majesty, "That's why I hinted to him to retire. If he retires honestly, I can give the Luo family another half a year. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Zhou Shuren clicked his tongue twice. He didn't want to say anything good for the Luo family. He was also very annoyed with the Luo family.
The emperor continued: "The position of the Luo family's retired official will be retained."
Zhou Shuren pondered for a while and then laughed. The emperor reserved a position for Wang Ju for future transfer. At the same time, he thought sarcastically that it would have no impact on the court whether Lord Luo left or not!