In the evening, Shuren and his wife chatted after dinner. Zhulan mentioned Mingjia, "Suxuan and I mentioned the He family, and Suxuan said we should find out first."
Zhou Shuren, "The He family."
"how?"
"Nothing. The He family is not ranked among the upper-class families in the capital, but it is considered top-notch among the middle-class families. The children in the family do not have a bad reputation. Overall, it is pretty good."
Zhu Lan: "That's good. I'll wait for news from Su Xuan's investigation."
Zhou Shuren thought about his grandson Mingjia, "This child is the quietest among the grandchildren."
"Yes, and the most well-behaved one."
Zhou Shuren counted the days and said, "Mrs. Dong will give birth soon."
Zhulan: "We have to wait for a while."
Zhulan continued to read the story in the newspaper. In order to avoid cramming at the last minute, she read every issue. When she finished reading and looked back, she found Shuren lying on his side and fell asleep.
When he looked at the time, it was already late, so he put down the newspaper in his hand and gently pushed Shu Ren, "Wake up and go back to the room to sleep."
Zhou Shuren opened his eyes and took a moment to calm down. "I feel a little tired today."
"I'm not as energetic as I used to be."
"Um."
After a quick wash, the couple lay down and fell asleep.
The next day, in his hometown county, Changzhong had just finished breakfast when there was a knock on the door of his house. Today, the candidate named Hu came alone.
Changzhong and Minghui looked at each other and asked, "Have you eaten?"
Hu Liang: "I've eaten."
Changzhong asked, "You come here so early. Do you have any questions?"
Hu Liang hooked his fingertips on his palm and said politely, "My family is poor and cannot afford to buy books. Yesterday I saw you had a lot of books on your desk, so I came to borrow some books."
Changzhong had a faint smile on his face, but there was no smile in his eyes. "My Zhou family's collection of books is open once a month. Anyone who is a reader can come and read. Have you ever been there?"
Hu Liang had been there, and every time he went there he wished he had another head, and he envied the Zhou clan members, "The Zhou clan is righteous."
Chang Zhong, "I didn't bring any books with me when I came back from the capital. The books you saw were all from my clan's collection."
Hu Liang didn't believe it, so why did he come to borrow the book? It was because he thought that Zhou Hou must have marked some key points for his youngest son.
Minghui sneered, "You don't believe my uncle when he tells you the truth?"
Hu Liang's face looked unnatural, and a sneer made his heart churn. He wondered in his palm why some people were born rich.
Changzhong stood up and said, "Come with me and take a look. Then you will know whether what I said is true or not."
After checking the books and finding out that they were indeed from the Zhou family's collection, Hu Liang's face turned red.
Minghui's tone was sharp, "Do you still want to borrow books?"
Hu Liang was already in a dilemma, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Yes."
Changzhong, "You can borrow any book you want, but there is no direct book for the middle school students here."
Hu Liang's thoughts were exposed, his fingertips became stiff, and he didn't dare to look at Zhou Changzhong.
Minghui continued, "Please remember what book you borrowed, and don't slander me behind my back out of jealousy. My Zhou family has a clean and upright family tradition and will not tolerate slander."
Hu Liang became afraid at this time. The Zhou family had become a giant in the local area. Not only that, the Zhou family had a very good reputation. They opened their collection of books every month and won the favor of scholars. Moreover, if they had any questions, they could also consult the Zhou family's scholars and literati.
As long as you ask sincerely, no one in the Zhou family who has made great achievements will refuse.
Minghui and the others left, "You have so many little thoughts."
Chang Zhong chuckled, "Not all private schools in small places are honest. Each county has a limited number of places for scholars. Students in private schools are not only classmates but also competitors. You and I have taken up the places when we came back, so there is nothing to be angry about."
Minghui blinked his eyes, "There are also many intrigues in the academies in the capital, but they are more direct."
The formation of factions in academies is very direct, while in small private schools there are fewer opportunities and more calculations.
In the capital, at the Ministry of Revenue, Qiu Yan said, "The second prince's residence has been chosen."
Zhou Shuren knew, "What do you want to say?"
Qiu Yan smiled and said, "It's great that the money for the reconstruction goes into the emperor's private treasury."
Zhou Shuren also laughed, "It's true, the emperor has a lot of private rooms."
The emperor had a hard time when he was the crown prince, but he became more powerful after he ascended the throne. He controlled the royal family's source of income, and he could only have a rough guess, which made him jealous. The emperor was so rich that of course he would be responsible for his son's mansion himself.
Qiu Yan whispered, "The Second Prince's residence is not far from my home."
Zhou Shuren really didn't know where the Second Prince would choose his residence. He learned from Chang Yi that the wedding preparations were going smoothly, and Chang Yi also mentioned that the Second Prince had a residence.
Qiu Yan said: "The house is not small but not exquisite. The only advantage is that it is big enough."
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard and said, "The Ministry of Revenue still has a lot of house deeds that haven't been sold yet."
Qiu Yan, "Well, you said you are not in a hurry to sell it, wait for it to rise again."
The housing prices in the capital city change every day and have always been on the rise. Every time we searched the houses, we were reluctant to sell them.
Zhou Shuren flipped through the map of the capital and found the property deed. "I found a good buyer."
The emperor's sons are all grown up, and he inherited quite a few houses from the retired emperor, but only a few are large enough for the princes' residences.
Qiu Yan: "Ah?"
Zhou Shuren stood up with the map and the title deed in his pocket, "I want to go into the palace."
Qiu Yan, "... "
In the palace, the emperor looked at the map and the title deed, staring, "You've been holding on to the title deed and not selling it?"
Zhou Shuren, "Well, wait for the price to go up."
The emperor flipped through the book of house deeds in silence, and pointed at a place with his fingertips, "You kept the house deeds that were confiscated when my father was in power until now?"
“There are only two titles that have not been sold.”
He kept the two best houses for emergencies.
The emperor flipped through the book, "You told me you have no money?"
"This is a family asset for a rainy day. A house in the capital not only maintains its value but also increases in value."
Emperor, "... ... What do you mean by showing me your background now?"
Zhou Shuren curled his lips, "Your Majesty, are you buying a house? Look, these deeds are next to each other. If you open them up, it will be the size of a royal palace."
The emperor said indifferently, "You are fine."
Sell the house here!
Zhou Shuren said quietly, "In fact, I can also sell them separately. The court knows that many of my houses are under confiscation by the Ministry of Revenue, and many people have asked me when I will sell them."
The emperor looked at the map of the capital. He was worried about having too many children. There were only a few houses of adequate standard in the capital. He was unwilling to let his subjects move. The second son was getting married, and the third son's marriage also needed to be selected. "Leave it for me to take a closer look."
Zhou Shuren, "According to the market price."
Your Majesty, "..."
Obviously the whole world belongs to me!
Time passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye it was time for the county examination. Ming Qing was worried about Chang Zhongshu and Minghui, so he came to the county town in person to take charge.
Changzhong and Minghui really had no burden, they both went to the exam very calmly.
The Zhou family in the capital also remembered the date. Li asked, "Mother, I want to go to the temple to pray for my younger brother and Minghui. Do you want to go with me?"