Chang Lian calmed down for a while and asked, "Mom, will Dad stay in the capital from now on?"
Beijing officials, or the Hanlin Academy. This dynasty has continued the official system of the previous dynasty. Everyone knows that one cannot enter the Hanlin Academy or the Cabinet. The cabinet ministers of the previous dynasty all came from the Hanlin Academy.
Chang Lian believes in his father's ability, and he believes that his father will be his greatest support in the future.
Zhulan felt that something was very uneasy when she saw the parade today. It was because Zhou Shuren was calm that Zhulan was sure that there must be something going on. Looking at Chang Lian who was grinning foolishly, she thought that it was not easy for this kid either. He had worked so hard to come to the capital. Let him be happy for a while!
Zhulan kept her smile and asked, "Did you meet your grandparents on the way here?"
According to the time calculation, my parents set off first, because my mother's health was not very good, and the Yang family was a large family and the journey was slow, so Chang Lian should have met them.
Chang Lian was so happy that he forgot about the important things. "Mom, please wait for me."
Having said that, he ran out like the wind.
Chang Lian came back quickly, holding two letters in his hands, "One is from my second uncle to my eldest uncle, and the other is from my second uncle to you."
Zhulan took the two letters. Her eldest brother drank too much at noon and was dizzy. He went back to bed without even seeing his nephew. She told him to give this letter later and opened the letter from her second brother. The letter told her not to worry, that her parents were in good health and the letter was expected to arrive in six days. The rest was to congratulate Zhou Shuren on becoming a tribute scholar.
Zhulan sighed when she saw this. In ancient times, the news was too delayed. She folded the envelope and asked, "Did you see how grandpa and grandma were doing?"
Chang Lian knew that his mother would not believe his second uncle's letter. Fortunately, he did not rush to travel. He stayed to accompany his grandparents for a day. Chang Lian stole a glance at his mother. He had a deep memory of her ruthlessness. "Grandpa is in good health. He does a set of boxing every day when he stops the car. Grandma is thinner than when I went back to see her off. Although she is thinner, she is in good spirits. She even took a few nephews to pick wild vegetables and cook them for them to eat."
Zhulan was relieved this time. Changlian didn't dare to lie to her. "You came by yourself, where is Dong?"
"I came to the capital, and I was worried about the Dong family being left alone in Pingzhou, so I sent Dong family back to Lijia Village."
Zhulan continued to ask, "Is there anyone watching over the house in Pingzhou City?"
Chang Lian: "Ma Qiang and his wife are watching."
Zhulan stood up and walked to the table, took the pen and ink, she felt that it was time to write a letter to Zhou Laoer, saying that the house in Pingzhou could be sold. The officials who had reported to the various states yesterday had already left, and it wouldn't be long before everyone knew that Zhou Shuren was the runner-up and Wu Ming was the top scorer, so the house in Pingzhou could be sold.
Fortunately, she was smart and did not take the house deed of Pingzhou with her. Instead, she gave it to the second brother for safekeeping before leaving.
Chang Lian stood beside his mother and watched her write a letter. He felt very complicated. He found that he didn't understand his mother at all. In the past, it was his father who earned money, but now it seems that his mother is the powerful one. Look at what she said to his second brother!
Zhulan finished writing the letter and saw Changlian's complicated expression, "What's wrong?"
Chang Lian was silent. His mother had written very clearly in the letter. She asked his second brother to give money to the storyteller in the teahouse and ask him to analyze how the new runner-up in the imperial examination had been singing his praises all the way to his place on the list of successful candidates since he bought the house.
Mother also told my second brother that when the rumor spread to Feng Shui, she would let him go find a broker to sell the house, and the rest could just wait.
He also told his second brother to only sell to merchants and not to scholars.
Chang Lian understood the first part, but not the last part. "Mother, why did you tell my second brother to only sell to merchants and not to scholars?"
Zhulan had an expression that said, "You're stupid."
Chang Lian, “… … ..”
He really didn't give up the idea of following his mother's lead, and he even doubted whether he was really stupid.
Seeing that Chang Lian really didn't understand, Zhu Lan explained, "The reason is very simple. Your father is where he is today because he is capable. Young people should be down-to-earth. Only real ability is real, and everything else is false. Of course, you can't say that there is no luck, but people's luck is not always there. It is still safest to have your own ability."
Chang Lian blinked his eyes. His mother once again refreshed his seriousness. His mother not only had vision, but also could see through the essence of things. Well, it would be great if he inherited his father's intelligence and his mother's insight.
Zhulan didn’t know what Changlian was thinking. If she knew, she would keep smiling. Sorry, she and Zhou Shuren were not his biological parents.
Chang Lian asked, "Then why only sell to merchants?"
Zhu Lan held up two fingers. "First, merchants are rich and believe in Feng Shui the most. Second, the policies towards merchants will become more and more relaxed in the future, and the merchants' lives will become better and better, which is also a reason for our family to sell the house."
Chang Lian admired his mother's thoughtful consideration, but, "Mom, what if the merchant's business fails?"
Zhu Lan tapped the letter paper and said, "That's why I told your eldest brother, if someone from the Feng family or the Wang family comes to buy it, don't hesitate and sell it directly. Son, you have to learn to collect all the information, instead of just listening to what you want to know."
Chang Lian was silent. When his mother mentioned the two surnames, he knew why. This was because everyone in Pingzhou knew that the Feng and Wang families, merchants with these two surnames, had donated a lot of grain to the emperor during the war. As long as these two families did not commit suicide, the possibility of decline was extremely low.
Zhulan asked about the family situation and found out that everything was fine. She sent Changlian to deliver the letter and prepared to rest.
Zhulan slept until dark. After dinner, Zhulan slept a little too much and felt particularly energetic. Zhulan stood in the yard looking in the direction of the palace, wondering what Zhou Shuren was doing
In the palace, Zhou Shuren was running around with a wine glass in his hand. There were eighty people in the court in the morning, and he paid attention to where several of them were sent. He wanted to take the opportunity to remember all the places where the eighty people were sent.
The relationship between them, the first batch of people sent abroad, was different from that of the previous ones. With more conversations, they established friendships. With friendships established, the rest would be easy. Zhou Shuren took the opportunity to ask some questions, and one of the Jinshi, who was so happy to have been promoted, got excited and agreed to Zhou Shuren's promise to help as much as he could.
Zhou Shuren was very satisfied. Many people heard this, and it happened at a banquet in the imperial palace. In order not to leave the impression that he was untrustworthy on the emperor, if he really came to him for help in the future, he would bite the bullet and help him for the sake of his face and reputation.
Even though the emperor was sitting high up, he was watching the fun the most. He saw all of Zhou Shuren's performance. He was indeed a talent scout who had a keen eye for talent!