After the palace examination, Changzhong thought he would have a few days of leisure. However, he couldn't even sleep in the second day because he was woken up early in the morning by his fourth brother. With his fourth brother came many books, most of which were foreign books on astronomy.
Chang Zhong was confused, sitting on the bed with his hair uncombed, "Fourth brother, what do you mean by this?"
Changzhi pointed at the books and said, "You forgot that you said you would help Mingrui and the other two organize the books."
Changzhong's sleepiness was completely gone, "No, aren't their jobs over?"
"They lost their jobs and became your brother's."
Changzhong lay back, so he agreed to help his nephew, and could not refuse to help his brother. He silently pulled the quilt up to cover his head and said sullenly, "Wait until I wake up."
Changzhi also felt sorry for his younger brother. He was already a teenager when his younger brother was born. The older brothers said they were jealous of their younger brother and they raised him as their own son. They stood up and said to their younger brother, "Go to sleep."
Changzhong heard the footsteps fading away. He lay down for a while and fell asleep again in a daze. However, he couldn't sleep well because he had something on his mind, so he got up after less than an hour.
The personal servant heard the noise and said, "Sir, I will ask the kitchen to bring the food over right away."
Chang Zhong nodded, "Yeah."
The people who serve the young master of Zhou Hou's mansion are mainly servants. The person in charge of the courtyard is not a maid but a married woman. The people who serve him closely are not the senior maids, but there are a few third-rate maids who are responsible for cleaning. There are no maids who do needlework, but the family keeps many embroiderers.
The young master of Zhouhou Mansion does not take concubines, and Zhulan is very strict, so the maids in the house are all well-behaved.
Changzhong washed up, had breakfast, and went to the main courtyard, where he saw his sister-in-law was there.
Zhulan asked with a smile, "Are you awake?"
Changzhong greeted his eldest sister-in-law and said with a smile, "You've woken up."
Seeing her son looking at the list in her hand, Zhulan explained with a smile, "This is Minghui's betrothal gift list."
Changzhong asked, "Have you chosen a date?"
Li continued, "I have already chosen, and I am just waiting for the gold medal."
Zhulan asked, "Do you want to take a look?"
Changzhong shook his head. He knew Minghui's private actions. Minghui had put a lot of thought into making Miss Shao's dowry look good.
Zhulan said to her eldest daughter-in-law, "Thank you for your hard work these days."
Minghui's betrothal gift was changed again and again, but the amount remained the same. Li felt sorry for her son and changed the items in the betrothal gift again and again. Today's betrothal gift list is the final result.
Li smiled and said, "Mom, I'll go back first."
"good."
Chang Zhong saw his mother looking at her and asked in confusion, "Why do you look at your son like that?"
Zhulan said: "When I saw the betrothal gifts, I thought about your marriage. You are not young anymore. Mother wants to know if you can set a date for your marriage with the Wei family."
Changzhong couldn't keep calm anymore. He was still shy when talking about marriage, "Mom."
Zhulan laughed out loud, "What's there to be shy about?"
Changzhong also thought about his betrothal gift. His betrothal gift was much higher than those of his nephews. When he thought of his fiancée, the corners of his mouth curled up a little, but then he became depressed. He had wanted to ask his fiancée out for an outing, but now his plan was ruined.
When Changzhong came back from the main hospital, he first wrote a letter to his fiancée to apologize for the change of plans. He received a reply from his fiancée, saying that she also wanted to learn some foreign books and wanted him to recommend a few.
Changzhong felt soft-hearted when he saw this, as his fiancée did everything for him.
In the following days, Changzhong was busy all day. He wanted to get Minghui and Mingrui together, but he gave up because Mingrui was running to the embassy every day and Minghui was worried about his marriage.
Changzhong was having a hard time during the days of waiting, and things were not peaceful outside either. Those who had no background, were young, and had no engagement at home were all candidates for son-in-law. Those with great potential were won over, while those with less potential tried to find ways to get in.
The questions for the palace examination were also spread. Those who had foresight and had learned subjects in the co-educational colleges had already realized that the imperial examination would undergo changes, while those who were pedantic and inflexible became anxious.
Some people tried to test the emperor, but the result was like falling into an icy cave. Realizing that the imperial examination would be reformed, they still couldn't help but hold on to a glimmer of hope. Unfortunately, since the emperor had set the question, it showed that he had already made up his mind.
The ministers in the court have also discussed this privately. The old foxes kept silent, and of course there was no point in jumping around. Now that the emperor's popularity has reached its peak and he holds great power, several major actions in recent years have said it all. The ministers can see clearly that the emperor really doesn't indulge them!
During the morning court session that day, Zhou Shuren was stopped by the Minister of Rites. "As long as we don't talk about money, we can talk."
The Minister of Rites was speechless. The Ministry of Revenue asked Zhou Shuren to fill out layers of forms to apply for silver, and he felt a headache when he saw the forms.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Zhou Shuren said, "It's okay, I'll leave first."
The Minister of Rites said, "I have something to say. You are the best person in front of the emperor. None of us can compare to you. You also know the questions that the emperor will ask for the palace examination. Please give me some advice."
Zhou Shuren knew that the Ministry of Rites would be the one to suffer from the reform of the imperial examination, but he could not say anything. "You think too highly of me. I deal with money all day long. If you ask me to instruct the Ministry of Rites to apply for less money, I can still say it. Otherwise, I am just an old father waiting for the results of the palace examination."
The results of the palace examination haven't come out yet, how can I guide you? If this gets out, people who don't know will think he knew the questions in advance!
Is it easy for his child to get to where he is today? He will never betray his son!
The Minister of Rites reacted and said hurriedly, "Look at me. I've been tired of being asked questions lately and haven't had a good rest. That's why I'm talking nonsense today."
Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "You have black eyes. You really need to rest well."
He also sympathized with the Minister of Rites, and who else could he turn to if not the Minister of Rites for the imperial examinations.
The Minister of Rites said a few more words and left, and then the Minister of War came over and said, "The result will be known in a few days. I will privately hold your youngest son as a prisoner."
Zhou Shuren, “… .”
It was really beyond his expectation that many people were optimistic about his son. A few days ago, he met Zheng Hong, who also bet on Changzhong!
Fortunately, his identity was not revealed, otherwise it would have been a big deal when the list came out.
Lord Gong whispered, "Do you think the money requested by the Ministry of War can be approved soon?"
Zhou Shuren curled the corner of his mouth. Lord Gong was different from Li Zhao. This man was more smooth than Li Zhao. He had many little thoughts but was not annoying. It had only been a short time since he got the position of Minister of War.
Days passed, and soon the day of the announcement of the results arrived. The emperor did not give Zhou Shuren any hint, but the emperor and the prince were in a good mood, and Zhou Shuren was not blind, so it was obvious that the two had made a fortune.
Zhou Shuren was excited. His son was really doing well. He shared this with his wife in private, but they both kept their composure and didn't show it.
So on the day of the announcement of the results, Changzhong was confident in himself but also afraid of unexpected events. This time, not only the Fourth Prince would look at the list together, but also Wu Shangheng and others.
This is quite a big deal. With the lesson learned from last time, we sent people to take up seats in advance. Well, the best seat so that we can see the top scorer by posting it.
Changzhong looked at the fourth prince on the left and the future prince consort on the right. Who would dare to come over with this configuration!
As a result, Changzhong was the center of attention, with all kinds of meaningful looks on his face. Some people even thought maliciously that he had not won the top spot and that the Zhouhou Mansion had lost face.
The time has arrived. The person who posted the list paused when he saw Changzhong and the others. He thought to himself that Young Master Zhou had won the big three prizes, plus the small three prizes. Wow, the Zhou Mansion finally had a top scorer. He regretted not placing a bet!