The emperor looked at the list and the spy's message again, then said to the prince, "Mr. Zhou's subsidy can be extended to all states."
There are too many officials with family backgrounds in the court now. No matter how willful he is as an emperor, he cannot only select officials without background in every imperial examination. Of course, not all officials without background have the ability to be valued by him. It is difficult for him as an emperor to strike a balance in everything. It is not easy for a founding emperor to take back his power!
The prince pursed his lips and said, "Your Majesty, it's difficult to promote it."
There are too many poor students taking the exam, which is something that the wealthy families from all over the country don’t want to see.
The emperor also knew that when he saw Zhou Shuren go to Lizhou City, he had his eyes on the top scholar as a knife. In the end, the top scholar didn't mention it, but he got angry when he thought about it. He was not very kind. The emperor thought that Yao Zheyu's knife was aimed at military power, and he still needed a sharper knife to cut the aristocratic family. He turned the names in his mind around and replied to the prince, "Forget it if it can't be promoted."
He didn't want to hear the news of people pretending to obey but actually disobeying, which was already annoying enough.
The emperor looked at the prince and asked playfully, "It's time for our Lord Zhou to move. Where do you think we should send him?"
The prince felt that his father had been having fits from time to time this year, and he had gotten used to the initial trepidation. He lowered his head and said, "It's all up to the emperor, the emperor."
The emperor said quietly, "So, who will take over Lizhou City after Lord Zhou leaves? Lizhou City will no longer be a place where people don't like money. Next year, Lizhou City will be a big fat piece of meat. Who do you think should be sent?"
The prince sometimes wanted to curse, "My son doesn't know."
The emperor flicked the paper and said, "Your brothers will be very interested in this."
The prince thought about the actions of his brothers' in-laws and the chaos in Pinggang. He felt really upset.
The emperor felt that the prince was getting better at hiding, and squinted his eyes, "Get out!"
In Lizhou City, Li Xu looked at the apple trees all over the mountain and asked, "Are these planted by my in-laws?"
Zhulan nodded, and then introduced how to plant, how much investment and how much income a year would bring, and finally Zhulan said: "This year's spring rain has not stopped, it looks like a year of good weather and good harvests. I did some calculations, and the income from the apple orchard alone will not be less this year."
Li Xu was moved, "Mother-in-law, can we grow crops in the Northeast?"
Zhulan did ask, "You can plant them, but they won't grow big and the taste will be worse. If your mother-in-law wants to plant them, why not plant hawthorns? I'll help her find a fruit merchant."
Zhulan dared to make a promise, so of course she trusted the Li family. The Li family was serious about their work, so they would naturally serve seriously as well. She believed that the Li family could grow hawthorns well.
Mrs. Li Xu was so happy, "Thank you, mother-in-law."
"You're welcome, you guys have helped us a lot."
Li Xu thought, no wonder the old saying goes that if one person's success brings prosperity to the whole family, if her relative-in-law had not been an official, she would not have dared to plant fruits even if she had the intention, for fear that the fruit merchants would be embarrassed and not only would she not make any money, but would also lose money. Now she is not afraid anymore, she can plant fruits boldly, and she will not lose money as long as there is no natural disaster.
Zhulan and Li Xu took a walk and returned to the city. Zhulan did not take Li Xu to the shop as she did not want to embarrass Li Xu. So she let Li take her to the shop. As mother and daughter, there was no need to be so fussy.
The next day, Li took her parents to the shops and bought a lot of things.
Mrs. Li Xu said a little embarrassedly: "I didn't buy anything good, I just bought some jujube and honey to nourish my body. I thought we should go to the Yang family when we came here. After all, we are the younger generation."
Zhulan glanced at Zhao, who was biting her lip. With the comparison, she realized how unpresentable she and her mother were, and she felt even more ashamed.
Zhulan smiled. She had originally only done it for Li, but she had not expected that it would also play a role in educating Zhao. Zhulan thought of her mother’s liking for Li Xu when they were at the Lijia Village house. “My mother must be happy. She came to talk to me about my hometown a few days ago, and mentioned the days when she chatted with my mother-in-law in Lijia Village!”
Li Xu smiled and said, "Aunt and I get along well. I just want to chat with her."
Dong glanced at her second sister-in-law, hoping that with the comparison with her eldest sister-in-law's family, her second sister-in-law would see her own problems clearly. The Zhou family would only get higher and higher, but if her second sister-in-law still couldn't stand up to the standard, it would be the entire Zhou family that would be embarrassed.
The next morning, Zhulan and Li Xu went to the Yang family together. Sun was indeed happy, "I was just talking about you a few days ago. Let aunt take a good look at you."
Li Xu was filled with emotion. The Yang family was now an official family. "Aunt, can you tell me if I am old?"
Sun looked at him carefully, and her heart ached. "You are indeed old. It is really not easy for you."
Li Xu used to think that her life was miserable, but now she doesn't feel that way anymore. After all, she has a good daughter. In a few years, she can be an old lady who enjoys a peaceful life. "Good days are ahead. I am happy now and look forward to enjoying a peaceful life."
Sun also liked Li. Among her grandsons' wives, she liked Li the most. Dong was not bad either, but Zhao had wasted her daughter's teaching. She was old but not confused. She also knew about her daughter's family affairs. "Okay, okay, enjoy your life."
Sun really liked Li Xu, and Zhulan and her group stayed for lunch.
At night, Zhulan had just fallen asleep when she heard someone knocking on the door, "Madam, the first wife is about to give birth."
Zhulan sat up at once and said, "Go get the doctor."