Zhou Shuren had already gotten on the carriage, but saw Chang Lian still standing there stupidly. He frowned and asked, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"
Chang Lian didn't need to wait for Fen Mo's reply and quickly got on the carriage he came in.
Divide the ink, "... ... .."
Ever since the mistress left the house, he found that the masters in the house didn't dare to breathe. Well, the servants didn't dare to either!
Back at the Zhou Mansion, the whole family was waiting for dinner. Zhou Shuren was in a good mood. Not only did he have an extra 20,000 taels of silver to build Lizhou, he also refused to be wooed. Zhou Shuren thought about this year's taxes. The potatoes and sweet potatoes in the granary had been replaced with corn and other food that could be stored. A lot of taxes were collected from merchants in the second half of the year. Although there were still some counties below where taxes were basically zero, the entire Lizhou was still doing well.
Zhou Shuren calculated silently. It was almost the New Year, and he didn't know if there would be any year-end bonus or something. Zhou Shuren took a sip of wine. The emperor was so poor that his eyes lit up at the sight of silver. It would be good enough to have a conscientious reward, but forget about the year-end bonus.
Zhou Shuren was in a good mood, and the dining atmosphere in the main hall was also relaxed.
The only one who was conflicted was Chang Lian. He had only heard about how powerful the old man was before, and now he saw him in person. He wanted to toast the old man, but he didn't dare to move his hands, and he felt very anxious.
What happened in the restaurant was known to all officials in Lizhou City without having to wait until the next day.
Master Chen opened his mouth wide, "Say it again, I didn't hear it clearly."
The servant was silent. It was not that the master did not hear clearly, but that he did not believe it. The servant learned it again, feeling a little emotional in his heart. Lord Zhou was not only a good official, but also a romantic man. He could not help but look at the master. His own concubine was given to him as a gift!
As for Lord Zhou's claim that he had heard it wrong, he didn't believe it. It was just a trick to deceive the ignorant people.
Chen Chen waved his hand to let the servant go. After the servant left, he couldn't help but swear, "Zhou Shuren is amazing. He cheated 20,000 taels in one go."
Chen Chen thought about why Zhou Shuren dared to do this, and finally kept silent. Chen Chen was jealous. Zhou Shuren had popularity among the people and was valued by the emperor. This was Zhou Shuren's confidence. He could not compare with him. He felt jealous.
He Mansion, Lord He was speechless for a long time. There was a huge gap between him and Lord Zhou. However, Lord Zhou was really mean. Lord He was happy again. Lord Zhou's reputation was too high, and he moved faster. However, he still felt a little jealous in his heart. His rapid promotion made people jealous!
The men thought that Zhou Shuren was shameless and mean enough, while the women were jealous of Zhulan who was away from home. Zhulan used to be envied by the women in her hometown, but now she has become the object of jealousy by all the women in Lizhou City!
Zhulan really didn't know, she just felt that she sneezed a lot that night, which scared Zhou Lao Da and Zhou Lao Er, who kept asking her if she caught a cold. Zhulan said no, but they still didn't believe her, so Lord Zhou insisted on calling a doctor.
Zhulan was speechless. She didn't even know if she had caught a cold or not. "Do you think I'm old and confused? I don't even know if I'm sick or not?"
After sending the doctor away, Zhou Lao Da felt relieved and said, "Mom, please have pity on your son."
A few days before he left home, he was constantly threatened by the old man!
Zhou Laoer didn't want to recall the threats his father made to them. They were really afraid that their grandfather would punish them when they got home.
Zhulan: "... Let's all go back and have a rest!"
The next morning, Zhou Shuren received a silver note of 20,000 taels as soon as he arrived at the government office. He handed it to Lord Chen and recorded it in his account. "Now we have the money to build the ice cellar."
Lord Chen gave a thumbs up and said, "Lord Zhou, there are very few people I admire, but I really admire you. I admire you, I admire you."
Then he happily took the silver notes. Although there was some silver money on the account, part of it had to be sent back to the capital, so there was not much left on the account. Who knew what the situation would be like next year? He was worried to the point of losing hair. Now he had silver.
Zhou Shuren drank his tea and said, "Master Chen, you can admire me more in the future."
He had many ways to cheat people out of money. If he hadn't been afraid of causing too much hatred, he would have directly written about the donation of silver in a memorial to the emperor. Although it seemed that he had gained benefits for the merchants, he actually cheated merchants across the country. The hatred value would be too great, so he decided not to do it.
Lord Chen looked at Lord Zhou who was drinking tea speechlessly. The longer he spent with Lord Zhou, the more he realized that Lord Zhou was extremely thick-skinned.
Before noon, the reward team arrived. Zhou Shuren thanked them and looked at the many officers and soldiers in the team. He cursed in his heart, thinking that they were not only here to give gifts but also to collect taxes.
After arranging the officials and others, Zhou Shuren didn't care about food. What he cared about was the house deed in his hand. Oh, and there was also a whole piece of jade. How generous!
Such a large piece of top-grade jade, the entire carving is a treasure, but Zhou Shuren narrowed his eyes, he did not plan to keep it as a family heirloom after carving it.
He and Zhulan worked so hard to save money for the Zhou family, but they also saved heirlooms? Dream on. Even if they saved money, it would not guarantee the long-term prosperity of the Zhou family. Who knows who will benefit from it in the future. Besides, they could not take the treasures they saved with them when they died, so they might as well enjoy them while they are alive.
This piece of jade, well, is enough to carve a small box of jewelry for Zhulan. They are all top-grade jade jewelry. It will be so face-saving to carry it out. The only pity is that the reward from the emperor cannot be sold. If it was sold, Zhulan wouldn't have to work so hard. Zhou Shuren thought that the emperor had no money, but he had many treasures. Although he was very stingy sometimes, he was still very generous as long as it was useful to the emperor.
Zhou Shuren is a man of action. There are many skilled craftsmen in Lizhou City, so Zhou Shuren invited one to come over and make two sets first, which is less than one-third of the whole piece of jade. The remaining two-thirds will be made when Zhulan comes back, and Zhulan can carve jewelry according to her own preferences.
The emperor did not only reward Zhou Shuren, but also Lord Chen, Lord He and others for their good performance. He rewarded them with some tangerines and a few tribute decorations, and nothing else.
No matter how much old vinegar the two adults drink, it will be useless, because every policy in Lizhou City was proposed by Lord Zhou.
Zhulan had already entered the southern territory a long time ago. Today she was going to take a boat to continue heading south. This was the first time for Zhulan to take a boat since she came to ancient times. She felt very novel, but soon she felt a little uncomfortable. The wind was a little strong today. Although she could go fast with the wind, the boat was shaking a lot. In addition, Zhulan had never taken a boat before, so she felt a little seasick.
The journey southward was really fast with the wind. Zhulan had originally expected it to take three days, but she reached the port in just two days.
This is already the southern territory. Although it is winter, the clothes people wear are similar to those in the north in autumn. Zhulan does not plan to go further south. Jinzhou City will be enough. Zhulan sits on the boat and looks at the green vegetable fields on both sides. This is enough.
Staying in an inn in Jinzhou City, the south is prosperous and the architecture is exquisite. Zhulan is better. I have been to Jiangnan many times since I was young.
Zhou Lao Da and Zhou Lao Er are just country bumpkins who came to the city and can't even see enough.
Zhulan calculated the journey. She originally estimated that it would take a month, but she didn't expect it would not take that long. Well, she changed her destination and no longer went south, so naturally it would not take a month. Zhulan was happy because she could go home earlier. Yes, home. Wherever Zhou Shuren was was her home.
Zhulan sent housekeeper Ding and Zhou Laoer out for a walk. She just wanted to have a good rest. The room she chose was next to the street. Zhulan sat by the window and watched the pedestrians on the street.
The land in Jinzhou City is fertile, and because of the terrain, floods are rare. Zhulan is becoming more and more satisfied with Jinzhou.
There is a reason why Jinzhou is so prosperous. Unless there is war, normal situations will not really affect Jinzhou.