At dinner, Zhulan remembered what she had forgotten and asked Rongchuan, "Is Lu Jiaqing not back yet?"
The child traveled on horseback, so he should be back by now as he is fast enough.
Rong Chuan, "I sent a letter saying that I was delayed by something and it will take some time before I can return."
Xue Han continued, "Mom, has Fourth Brother sent any letters back recently?"
Zhulan used the serving chopsticks to pick up some food for Xiaer and said, "I sent a letter back a few days ago. He is in Chuanzhou City and wants to go to Lizhou City, and then take a detour back to Chuanzhou to take the autumn examination."
Xue Han, "Fourth brother is going to visit his uncles?"
"Well, it's rare that I can get close enough to go take a look, in case I get busy and don't have time."
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard and continued, "I wrote a letter to your cousin Wu Chun, asking him to select some veterans in the barracks who are good at fighting and want to retire, and it's just right for your fourth brother to bring them back."
My children have grown up, and the guards we hired are not enough. If you calculate it this way, the Marquis' Mansion already has quite a few people, and all of this costs money, which cannot be saved!
Rong Chuan said: "Dad, if you need a guard, tell me and I will help you find a better one."
Zhou Shuren waved his hand, "You don't have to worry about finding a way out. The veterans selected by Wu Chun need a way out, and the Marquis' Mansion is a good way out for them."
Another point is that those selected by Wu Chunxuan all have clean family backgrounds, but this is not certain for those in the capital.
In Chuanzhou City, Changzhi and Qian Jiang were drinking in a restaurant. The two did not enter the private room. Qian Jiang said in a low voice, "It's not easy to invite Brother Zhou out for a drink."
Changzhi explained, "I am preparing for the autumn examination."
He didn't say he took the exam. He was telling the truth. Well, he didn't lie.
Qian Jiang narrowed his eyes, "Brother Zhou, aren't you going to set off?"
Chang Zhi curled his lips and said, "Well, we are going to set off."
Qian Jiang sipped his wine and said, "Beijing is a city of mixed people. I wish Brother Zhou all his wishes come true."
Chang Zhi picked up the wine glass and said, "Thank you, Brother Qian, for your kind words."
When Changzhi was dating Qian Jiang, he always used his courtesy name, Ziyu, so Qian Jiang didn't know his name yet.
Qian Jiang had more to say, but it finally turned into a sigh. Everyone has their own aspirations. Then he thought, no matter how dark the capital is under the emperor's feet, it would not be as bad as Sichuan Province.
Chang Zhi suddenly looked down and carefully identified that he was not mistaken. The boy who came in was Lu Jiaqing. The boy sat down in a corner. Looking at the cold air all over his body, he felt like he was freezing to death.
Chang Zhi has never received any letters from home. Ever since he left Kyoto, he has been writing letters home. How did Lu Jiaqing appear in Chuanzhou
Qian Jiang called out again, "Brother Zhou."
Chang Zhi came back to his senses, "I was a little distracted just now, what did Brother Qian say?"
Qian Jiang said: "I said I have to go see my grandfather, so I can't send Brother Zhou off."
Changzhi: "Okay."
Then the two chatted about something else. When Chang Zhi went downstairs, he couldn't help but look towards Lu Jiaqing's position, and then he made eye contact with the child.
Lu Jiaqing paused as he was picking up food. He had not figured out which master the Marquis's wife was talking about was in danger since he left the capital. It was not until he heard that Zhou Siye had become the chief examiner of Chuanzhou that he realized that Zhou Siye had come to Chuanzhou not just for the chief examiner position.
Then he thought about it carefully, what else he didn't understand? Zhou Siye had not been in the capital for a long time, and he had wondered whether he would meet him in Chuanzhou. He didn't expect that he would meet him just when he was leaving.
Since Zhou Siye came to Chuanzhou for a purpose, does he need to take the things he wants to bring back? Should he meet Siye secretly
Chang Zhi thought Lu Jiaqing would look for him late at night, but when he waited until the second half of the night, he didn't hear anyone or even a dog barking. When he woke up in the morning, his eyes were a little dark, and it was obvious that he hadn't slept.
Seeing this, Ding Jue asked, "Sir, did you not get enough rest?"
Changzhi gritted his teeth, "Yeah."
Ding Jue, "..."
So it’s not that I didn’t get enough rest, I don’t know who pissed off the adults!
Outside Chuanzhou City, Lu Jiaqing touched the thing in his arms, and after thinking it over, he decided that it would be better not to meet him. Moreover, if he gave it to Prince Qin, the emperor would see it faster, while if he gave it to Lord Zhou, he would have to wait. So he made up his mind, had a good sleep, and set off back to Beijing.
Two days later, Zhou Shuren was calculating carefully how much money he could save to start a pharmaceutical factory. Halfway through his calculations, a shadow blocked the light from his head. He looked up and fell silent.
The emperor narrowed his eyes and asked, "My dear, how much wealth have you hidden?"
Zhou Shuren, "Your Majesty, do you want to scare me to death? Can scaring others to death?"
The emperor thought Zhou Shuren was very brave and pointed at the list on the table. "Let's talk about this first?"
Zhou Shuren didn't feel guilty at all, "The deed to the house is indeed gone, and the invoice stated some valuable antiques."
Antiques from the golden age of turbulent times. Now that the country is stable and the economy is developing rapidly, there is good room for appreciation of antiques.
The emperor thought to himself, this old man is really good at hiding things, and he can't check the registration books one by one. He believes that Zhou Hou will not embezzle, but this old man clearly has something in his hand. Every time he makes a suggestion, Zhou Shuren will shout that he has no money!
Zhou Shuren felt that his luck today was terrible. This was the last thing he had left. "It's really gone."
The emperor asked in a puzzled tone, "Really?"
"It's true, truer than the sun rising in the east. In my dreams, I count the money in the national treasury. I feel miserable. I can only create greater value on a limited basis. Is it easy for you to be my minister?"
The emperor coughed and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Zhou Shuren picked up the booklet and said, "I am stingy, but I have never missed a penny of the money that should be given. The Ministry of Medicine setting up a pharmaceutical factory is a major event that benefits the country and the people. After hearing what the emperor said, I calculated the money every day and took out all the money at the bottom of the box. Look at the half-finished abacus!"
Bah, you really think he has it easy. Without him to fiddle with the money, the emperor can just dream of implementing many of his policies!
The emperor was really afraid that Marquis Zhou would give up his duties and retire. "I have watched you for a while and know how hard you work."
Zhou Shuren was satisfied. He just wanted the emperor to know his difficulties and not think that he was omnipotent like a god. "Does the emperor want to see the list? I can give you the market price."
Your Majesty, "..."
No, there are countless treasures in my palace, he really doesn’t care about them!
Zhou Shuren just said, "What important matter does the emperor want to see me about?"
The emperor was in a bad mood. "I want to go to the imperial farm and take a look. Last time I asked you to go with me, so I came to the Ministry of Revenue to invite you to go with me."
Zhou Shuren didn't want to settle the accounts anymore. He also wanted to go out for a walk. "Your Majesty, please wait for your subjects."
As he spoke, Zhou Shuren wrote down the number on the abacus, then made a mark on the list before getting up to change into casual clothes.
The emperor waited for Zhou Shuren to leave, picked up the record book, and moved the abacus with his fingertips. The emperor was also worried. He and his father were spoiled by Marquis Zhou. Marquis Zhou was too worry-free in the Ministry of Revenue, and he never worried about money.
He also knew that Marquis Zhou was old and would be responsible for the education of the emperor's eldest grandson in the future, but who would be in charge of the Ministry of Revenue
The emperor also looked for someone, and then compared him with Marquis Zhou. The emperor hoped that Marquis Zhou would live a long life.
When Zhou Shuren changed into casual clothes and came out, he saw the emperor flipping through the account books on the shelf. The shelves were marked according to categories and contained all his records.