Zhou Shuren stood up and said, "Half an hour every night, after dinner."
Shi Qing said excitedly, "Student greets Master."
Zhou Shuren pulled Shi Qing and didn't let him greet her. "I will only teach you for two years. It's up to you how much you can learn in two years. Come back."
Shi Qing was stunned, "Master, why?"
Zhou Shuren said quietly, "I am just your sir. Call me sir from now on."
To put it bluntly, the emperor just wanted him to teach Shi Qing, not really wanting him to accept Shi Qing.
Shi Qing reacted quickly. The emperor did say he wanted to be his disciple, but he had never made it clear what the meaning was. Shi Qing looked at Lord Zhou and felt relieved. Lord Zhou could guess what the emperor meant. With such a master, he had confidence in the future.
Zhou Shuren did not keep Shi Qing for dinner and asked housekeeper Ding to send him away.
In the main courtyard, Zhulan fell asleep while waiting for Zhou Shuren. When Zhou Shuren came back, he saw Zhulan sleeping soundly. He smiled and pinched Zhulan's fatter face, then took off his shoes and lay down on the kang.
Shi Qing's matter had come to an end. He thought the emperor should be satisfied with his reaction. His tense heart relaxed and he fell asleep soon after while hugging Zhulan.
The next day, Shi Qing reported to Zhou's house after dinner. Zhou Shuren only taught Shi Qing, and he did not force them to learn too much. Whether it was Chang Lian or Rong Chuan, what Zhou Shuren taught Shi Qing was not suitable for them to hear.
Zhou Shuren did not tell Shi Qing about the drawbacks of Lizhou, but he wrote a memorial to the emperor. It was indeed not appropriate to set up supervision now, but he could make changes to the accounts. Greed for money is nothing more than making false accounts. As long as the accounts are more detailed, even greed will not go too far. Zhou Shuren emphasized the hidden dangers brought by foreign races. Lizhou is a border town. Lizhou is not only rich in the eyes of this dynasty, but also fat meat in the eyes of foreign races.
The foreign tribes have been crippled now, but Zhou Shuren believes that it will not take a few years for them to recover, and by then Lizhou City will definitely be the first city to be visited.
Therefore, the defense of Lizhou is very important. It's a pity that he can't stay in Lizhou any longer. If he is given another two years, he can improve the defense of Lizhou.
It’s a pity that the emperor won’t give him time. He has no choice but to write down his thoughts on the memorial.
It was just a memorial, so Zhou Shuren was not in a hurry to send it away. He was waiting for the imperial edict of transfer. He would send it away after the transfer, in order to avoid letting the emperor know. He could guess some of the emperor's thoughts, which was a big taboo.
Three days later, the emperor had all the news about how Shi Qing became a disciple and how Zhou Shuren dealt with it. After reading it, the emperor did not tell the prince this time. The emperor put away the news, his eyes deep, the old fox is really slippery, this time the old fox has become a spirit after two years of hard work. The emperor said faintly: "If everyone knows how to advance and retreat like Lord Zhou, I don't have to worry about it."
The prince lowered his head, he knew that his father's anger could no longer be suppressed. The prince thought quietly, it was because you married too many women at that time. It is difficult to take back the power you gave away. The prince hoped that his father could live longer. Really, compared to his younger brothers, he was not in a hurry to take the throne at all.
Let our father deal with the current mess.
The emperor signaled to the prince to go out. After the prince left, the emperor's face was very cold. It was not good to have such a greedy mentality.
Time passed quickly, and it was Zhou Shuren's day off again. Shi Qing didn't have to wait until the evening to come, but arrived early in the morning.
Coincidentally, Zhulan was going to her mother's house. Wuchun rarely came back this year, so Zhulan took Wu Ning and Xue Han with her and met Shi Qing at the door.
Shi Qing greeted him, "Pleasant lady."
Zhulan motioned to Shi Qing to stand up. Xuehan and Wu Ning bowed their heads in greeting. Then Zhulan took the two maids and got on the carriage.
Shi Qing took two steps and turned around, waiting for the carriage to leave before continuing walking. He thought of the girl who climbed the tree. During these days in the Zhou Mansion, he knew everything he needed to know.
Wu Ning, a girl with a bad reputation, has a hard time getting married. It's the same for him. It's hard for him to marry a girl from a good family. Marrying a girl from an ordinary family will only hold him back.
Shi Qing lowered his eyes. When he caught Miss Wu, she was so thin that her body was all bones.
Shi Qing sneered. He still had the heart to sympathize with others. At least Miss Wu had her brother and the Zhou family to protect her, while he could only rely on himself.
At noon, after Zhulan had lunch, she returned home. Steward Ding said, "Madam, the master has taken Mr. Shi to the Meng Mansion."
Zhulan: "I understand. You can go down now."
Zhulan was about to go to bed. She was sleepy again. She originally wanted to stay at her parents' house for a while longer, but she really couldn't hold on any longer.
Zhulan rarely dreams during the day, and this was her first time having a daytime dream. When Zhulan woke up, Zhou Shuren had already returned. Zhulan asked, "What time is it?"
Zhou Shuren, "It's almost four o'clock. Are you dreaming? You even laughed in your sleep."
Zhulan curled her eyes and said, "Because it was a beautiful dream. I dreamed of a little baby calling for its mother."
Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "It was indeed a good dream."