Zhulan was reminiscing while opening the letter. She thought of Yao Zheyu. Could it be really Yao Zheyu
Zhulan was silent after opening the letter. It was not Yao Zheyu, but someone she could never think of, Shi Qing? When was the last time she thought of Shi Qing? Well, she had forgotten.
But why did Shi Qing write to her? Zhulan quickly flipped through the letter and was speechless. Shi Qing came to visit, so he should have written to her, because if he wrote directly to Zhou Shuren, Zhou Shuren would pretend not to see the letter.
The housekeeper said that she would understand when she saw the letter. In fact, she was just asking her to read the letter out of curiosity. She saw it, and with her experience in Zhoujia Village, once she invited Shi Qing into the house, it would be difficult for Zhou Shuren to deny that he didn't know Shi Qing. She was sure that Shi Qing's purpose of coming was not simple, but Shi Qing thought she was an ordinary woman, so she would invite him in. Unfortunately, she was not the original one.
Steward Ding saw that the mistress's face was not very good, "Madam, the young master from the capital is still standing outside the door, Madam, what do you think?"
Zhulan, “… … ..”
He truly deserves to be the person who changed his own destiny. The longer Shi Qing stood outside the door, the more people knew that a young master had come to the Zhou family.
Zhulan was sure that Shi Qing must have gotten off the carriage and was standing at the gate. What a good trick.
Zhulan couldn't help but think that Shi Qing was a scheming man and he would not just write to her. Zhou Shuren might have received it as well, and the two letters must be different.
Zhulan's guess was indeed correct. Zhou Shuren received a letter from Shi Qing. In the letter, Shi Qing said that he would visit Zhou's house first and wait for Zhou Shuren to return home in the evening. The letter had two pages in total. It was not until the second page that Shi Qing said that he was ordered to come and become his disciple.
Zhou Shuren wanted to curse. He thought about who the emperor would choose if Wu Ming's knife was gone. His first reaction was to think of Shi Qing. However, he did not expect that the emperor would let Shi Qing come to Lizhou City to become his disciple. Bah, he was really grateful that the emperor thought highly of him. He was asking the emperor to sharpen his knife!
Zhou Shuren took a few deep breaths. Did he really think he was easy to fool? If the emperor had given the order directly, Shi Qing would not have gone directly to Zhou Mansion in Lizhou City, but should have come to see him immediately. It was obviously a difficult problem given to Shi Qing by the emperor, and he was testing him at the same time.
Soon, Zhou Shuren folded the letter and he was no longer angry. Did he really think Zhulan didn't know anything? It was not so easy for Shi Qing to get in.
At the entrance of Zhou's house, Steward Ding replied, "The mistress said that since the family is full of women, it is not convenient to entertain guests. If you want to visit, you should wait until the master is on vacation. If you have anything to do, you can go to the government office to find the master."
Shi Qing thought that this method was a sure thing, but it failed. Shi Qing kept smiling and said, "Okay, I'll come back another day."
As he spoke, the servant beside Shi Qing handed Butler Ding a bulging purse.
Butler Ding touched it and found a silver ingot inside. This young man was really generous.
Shi Qing would not stay at the door, as this would only make him look incompetent. There must be the emperor's people following him. If he wants to live a good life and be a good knife in the emperor's hand, he must prove his ability.
Shi Qing returned to the carriage and clenched his fan with both hands. In the past few years, he had the opportunity to take the imperial examination, but the emperor had never seen him again. At the beginning, the Shi family betrayed their original master, and he clung to the emperor. No one in the capital made things difficult for the Shi family, but as the emperor seemed to have forgotten the Shi family, the original master began to make trouble from time to time, but in the capital, they did not dare to do anything too drastic because they were concerned about the emperor.
His life was not easy. He could not hire a teacher or find a good master, no matter how much money he spent. Even when he wanted to buy books, no one sold them.
The reason he was able to pass the exam and become a scholar this time was all due to his previous accumulation. It would still be difficult for him to pass all the way because he did not have enough accumulation.
A lot of things happened in these three years. His father gave away his family property because of him, and was worried that the Shi family would be retaliated against and cut off, so he fell ill. His stepmother poisoned him after he had complete control over the Shi family. No, she poisoned the entire family. In the end, they fell into decline so quickly that his stepmother became paralyzed, but he was lucky enough to be fine.
It should not be said that he had a tough life, but that he was treated in time. He knew at that time that the emperor was paying attention to him. That's why he even saved his stepmother. He just didn't want him to be unable to take the examination for the status of a scholar.
So he had been enduring the difficulties, just waiting for the opportunity. Two months ago, the opportunity came. Unexpectedly, he was asked to come to Lizhou City to become an apprentice. Eunuch Liu said that the emperor had chosen a good teacher for him, and whether he could become the apprentice depended on his ability.
Zhou Shuren, Lord Zhou, he was too familiar with him. He had never taken Zhoujia Village, a farming and reading family, seriously. Even though Wang Ru cared about her very much, he didn't feel any difference. Now it seemed that he was indeed too young.
In the past two years, Lord Zhou has become well-known to everyone. Many scholars respect him very much. The scholars in Pingzhou are even more proud of having Lord Zhou.
Shi Qing closed his eyes. He had betrayed his master before and was too opinionated. Besides, he was the son of a merchant. If it weren't for the emperor's grace, he would not have had the opportunity to take the imperial examination. With such an identity, even if the emperor wanted to find a teacher for him in the capital, some noble families would not accept him.
Therefore, he must successfully become an apprentice to the teacher that the emperor found for him. It is not only a test from the emperor, but he also really needs a master to teach him.
In the yamen, Zhou Shuren knew that Shi Qing did not go in and left, and he curled the corners of his mouth. This is the consequence of underestimating women. His wife is very powerful!
In the evening, Zhou Shuren came back after dinner. When Zhou Shuren came back, Zhulan had already changed her clothes and was embroidering a purse with needle and thread. This was embroidered for Zhou Shuren. Since Zhou Shuren wanted to match Zhulan in everything, the purse and belt must be the same as Zhulan's.
After Zhou Shuren came back from washing up, half an hour had passed and Zhulan had already put down her needlework and was ready to rest.
Zhou Shuren got on the kang and supported Zhulan's head, "Are you busy recently?"
Zhou Shuren had just washed his hands. Now it was autumn again, and the temperature dropped at night. Zhou Shuren's hands were a little cold, and Zhulan was refreshed. "I'm not very busy. The eldest brother is back, and the autumn harvest and the orchard are handed over to the eldest brother. Since the family was handed over to my daughter, I haven't worried too much. I seem to be quite free recently."
She spent her free time doing needlework.
Zhou Shuren found an excuse for Zhulan, "It seems that you are tired in spring and autumn."
Zhu Lan smiled and said, "It's true that I really lack sleep after entering autumn. By the way, you didn't come back for dinner today just to avoid Shi Qing, right?"
Zhou Shuren snorted, "Shi Qing is not going to let me hide. The dam has been repaired, and Master Chen should celebrate. Let's have a meal together."
Zhulan thought of Lord He and couldn't help but laugh, "You should go to the embankment from time to time to watch. Lord Chen and Lord He can't just stay in the government office. I haven't seen Lord He for a long time. I guess he has darkened a lot."
Mr. He’s wife, Miao, also likes bright-colored silks, and Zhulan wants to laugh whenever she thinks about it.
Zhou Shuren also laughed. He couldn't tell whether Lord He's face was dark when he was angry or not. "It is indeed a lot darker."