Chang Zhong asked, "Are you okay in the palace?"
Lu Jiaqing grinned, "Okay, I'm fine now. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be where I am today."
He always remembered the feeling of being on the verge of death, when he really thought he was going to die.
Changzhong raised his teacup, "This is our destiny."
Lu Jiaqing picked up the teacup and held it up, "To our fate."
The two no longer mentioned the imperial examination case, but instead talked about the trivialities of the capital. They chatted for a while and then dispersed. Lu Jiaqing took half a day off.
Chang Zhong walked down the stairs slowly, raised his eyebrows, and asked, "Second Brother Wei?"
Wei Zhen was chatting with a friend. He turned around and smiled, "You are not very busy, how come you have time to come to the teahouse today?"
Chang Zhong glanced at the people around Wei Zhen and smiled: "I have an appointment for tea today, Brother Wei is busy first, I will go home first."
Wei Zhen wanted to keep Chang Zhong for a while, but considering that there were outsiders around, he smiled and said, "Okay, I'll come to see you another day."
"Then I'll be waiting."
As he spoke, Changzhong walked out of the teahouse with the servant and disappeared after a while.
Wei Zhen's friend, Master You, said, "This must be the young master of the Zhou Marquis's mansion."
Wei Zhen nodded, "Well, you guys have been clamoring to meet me, you must be ashamed to see me today."
Master You, "You are not the same kind of people as us."
Wei Zhen agreed in his heart. This brother-in-law was very influential. He heard from his father that the Fourth Prince had not left the palace since the Queen passed away. He only left the palace for his brother-in-law. When he looked at his brother-in-law's friends, he was so envious.
In the main courtyard of Zhouhou Mansion, Zhulan was reading the law. This was a newly improved law. The prince had put in a lot of effort, and many vague boundaries became clearer. Not only that, it also regulated commercial crimes.
Changzhong came in and asked, "Mom, what are you looking at?"
"Would you like to take a look at the law book your second brother sent back today?"
Changzhong sat down and asked, "Has it been printed?"
"Well, it will be sent to the states in a few days."
Changzhong picked up the law book, weighed it and said, "It's at least twice as heavy as before."
“Yes, many regulations are subdivided.”
Changzhong looked at the laws one by one and said, "The prince must have put a lot of thought into this."
When the Queen passed away, the Crown Prince not only had to observe mourning but also had to be busy. The Fourth Prince only had to observe mourning full-time. Compared to this, the Fourth Prince is really happy.
Zhulan was very happy in her heart. Only with constraints could there be a better future. She knew very well that when faced with life and death, people would try to find ways to exploit loopholes in the law.
Changzhong took a look and said, "Go back and study it carefully, son."
"Yeah, by the way, you met Lu Jiaqing. Is he okay?"
She hasn't seen the child since Lu Jiaqing returned to Beijing. She heard news about the child from Rongchuan, and he didn't say much.
"He's fine, just waiting to avenge himself and return to pay tribute to him."
Zhulan nodded to show that she understood, "Okay, you should go back and rest too."
Changzhong stood up and said, "Okay."
In a blink of an eye, Mingyun and his wife returned to Beijing. Mingyun and Ran Wan had changed a lot. Their skin had turned from fair to wheat-colored.
Li cried out, "We need to take good care of this."
Zhulan smiled and replied, "It's good. It looks healthier now."
Mingyun said: "In the past few years on the grassland, my strength has increased a lot, and I am indeed healthier."
If Ran Wan stayed in the house all day, her skin wouldn't turn into a wheat-colored skin. She liked riding horses. "Grandma, my horsemanship is very good now."
Zhulan looked at him and smiled, "I see you are much more cheerful now."
Ran Wan was aware of the changes in herself. The people on the grassland were becoming more heroic, and she was more or less affected.
Li couldn't get enough of her son. Zhulan saw it. Then she looked at Mingyun and his wife, who never took their eyes off the two children. She said, "Okay, Mingyun, you guys must be tired from the journey. Go back and rest first."
Mingyun picked up his son and said, "Then my grandson will come over in the evening."
"Okay, let's all go back."
Everyone in the room left. Zhulan breathed a sigh of relief. The space was too small and there were too many people standing there. After a moment of calming down, she said to Qingxue, "Put all the leather and other items that Mingyun brought back into the warehouse."
Qingxue had already looked at the leather. "I have some nice leathers. Can I make you a cape?"
Zhulan thought about it and said, "Okay."
He also asked Qingxue to choose a few pieces to make a cloak for Shu Ren, and then looked at the list of gifts Mingyun brought back. This kid has saved a lot of money during his years on the grassland. It seems that he is doing well in grassland business.
The eldest grandson of Marquis Zhou returned to Beijing. Zhou Shuren left the yamen as soon as the time came. Anyone could see that he was in a good mood.
The next day, Mingyun was allowed to attend the morning court. The grandfather and grandson stood together and were very eye-catching. Mingyun was not afraid. He was trained on the grassland. The people of the grassland were not reserved. He had also been confessed to by a girl.
The emperor was delighted to see Zhou Mingyun during the court session. After the court session was over, he motioned for Mingyun to step forward and said, "Not bad, you are now able to handle things on your own."
Ming Yun said, "It is all thanks to the Emperor's training. I thank the Emperor for his grace. Long live the Emperor."
The emperor smiled happily and said, "Work hard in the future."
"I will definitely live up to the emperor's high expectations."
Then the ministers in the court felt jealous of the emperor's favor to Zhou Hou Mansion. They wanted to say something sour, saying that Zhou Hou Mansion's eldest grandson was indeed outstanding.
Zhou Shuren received a few glares, but he was very happy. The more jealous he was, the happier he was.
After the morning court session, Mingyun left with the emperor, who wanted to ask in detail about the situation on the grassland.
Zhou Shuren was happy about the congratulations, but some people were unhappy.
Old Master Wen was so upset thinking about his eldest grandson that he had a heart attack. The resources that the Zhou Mansion could give to his eldest grandson could also be given by the Wen family, but his eldest grandson just didn't live up to expectations!
Old Master Wen looked at his in-laws and thought that he should think about this carefully. Some things could not be delegated.
Mingyun chatted with the emperor for the whole morning. He even drew a map for the emperor himself. His map was more detailed than the emperor's. Mingyun said, "All the places I drew are the places I visited personally."
The emperor was even more satisfied with Zhou Mingyun. Seeing that it was getting late, he said, "Okay, go back to Beijing and have a good rest."
After a pause, he said, "Spend more time with your grandfather. It has not been easy for him these years."
Mingyun thought to himself, "You know my grandfather has a hard time." But he said, "Yes."
In the following days, Mingyun first accompanied his wife back to her parents' home and stayed at home most of the time, turning down all invitations except those from a few friends.
As time passed, the capital city gradually became more lively, and the successful candidates in the imperial examinations came to Beijing ahead of schedule.
Before Changzhi arrived in the capital, newspapers about the court's breeding of improved varieties had already been published. The newspapers reported the increase in production and said that improved varieties would be sent to various states. The people were excited.
The result was that the temples became more prosperous, and the people who could not go to the imperial mausoleum went to the temples to pray for the retired emperor.
The emperor was not really jealous of his own father. He also gained a lot of benefits and fame, and Ming Teng was able to gain a firm foothold thanks to the contributions made by the emperor.
Changzhi saw the newspaper on his way back to Beijing and asked Zhang Jinghong, "What do you think?"
Zhang Jinghong remained silent. He had complicated feelings towards the retired emperor. He thought he had gotten over it, but when the retired emperor passed away, he still cried all night. Now, when he saw the newspaper about the retired emperor, he felt an indescribable loss in his heart.
Chang Zhi patted Zhang Jinghong on the shoulder. He was able to survive thanks to the tolerance of the retired emperor.
Zhang Jinghong read the newspaper carefully, "The emperor is a good emperor."
Changzhi smiled and said, "Your Majesty is also a good emperor."
Zhang Jinghong felt a pang in his heart. Indeed, the emperor was a good emperor, and the emperor emeritus would not choose the wrong person.
The enthusiasm for grain seeds did not die down, and Chang Zhi and his party finally returned to Beijing. Their return poured cold water on the entire capital, and even the common people did not dare to discuss it loudly.