It was inconvenient for Zhulan to stand up, so Zhou Shuren helped her to sit up. "It's a letter from the Lord of the Maritime Affairs Department."
Zhou Shuren pursed his lips in displeasure, "You're already more than nine months old, don't they know?"
Zhulan smiled and said, "People know about it, so it's not an invitation post, it's a visiting post."
Zhou Shuren sneered, "The weasels' New Year greetings have no good intentions. They are anxious because they know the news in the capital."
The Right Assistant Minister is not only the traitor identified by the Emperor, but the Emperor also hopes that he can use this incident to quickly sort out the taxation issues. According to his understanding, the Emperor does not want to touch these people for the time being.
Zhulan was puzzled, "What's the news from the capital?"
Zhou Shuren, "The right assistant minister's house was confiscated."
Zhulan, "... ..."
Therefore, she won’t have to think about having peace in the future. Zhulan couldn’t help but touch her belly. Fortunately, she didn’t have to meet visitors during the confinement period, so she should be able to avoid it, right
Zhou Shuren thought, "Why don't you refuse on the grounds that you're not feeling well?"
Zhu Lan, "I have already agreed, it is not good to regret now, don't worry, we will just meet tomorrow and nothing will happen, it is a good opportunity for me to see what methods are available."
Zhou Shuren remained silent. Zhulan would have to meet him sooner or later. It would be difficult to refuse these people a second time if they refused once. It would be better to meet them directly. "If you feel uncomfortable, please send me away."
"knew."
The food was served, and Zhou Shuren helped Zhulan to eat.
Now the Zhou family eats separately. Although the Zhou family did not hire any more servants, there were already some servants in the government office. Zhulan picked out the ones with good cooking skills and sent them to the kitchen. They eat separately and the kitchen can be busy.
If you don't have a room, the daily food money is fixed. Just order what you want to eat according to the amount of money you want to eat. If you want to exceed the amount, you have to pay more money yourself.
Zhou Shuren was most satisfied with eating separately, as he could finally eat at the same table with Zhulan.
After dinner, Mrs. Song came. This was her daily routine. Zhulan would ask the child, "How is the child today?"
Mrs. Song replied, "The young lady is in better condition today because she drank more milk than yesterday, and her hands and feet have regained some strength."
Zhulan smiled, "That's good."
She didn't even let Zhou Shuren name the child. You could say she was superstitious, but she really hoped that the child could grow up safely.
Zhulan asked again, "Where is the second wife?"
Mrs. Song said without hiding anything: "Second Madam has come to her senses. Today, I didn't use many servants to take care of the young lady. Second Madam did it herself."
Zhulan breathed a sigh of relief. That was good. She was afraid that Zhao would blame the child. "Go back. Come back in a few days."
Mrs. Song: "Yes."
When Zhulan asked Zhao, she thought of Fang. Fang thought that the Zhou family would stay in Lizhou City for many years. Knowing that the Zhou family was leaving, Fang wanted to follow them, but finally gave up the idea because of Qian Keqi.
Qian Keqi studied well in the academy and liked the environment very much. The teachers in the academy were also very good. Fang only said a few words to Zhao before leaving Zhounian, and did not dare to say anything in front of her.
The next morning, Zhou Shuren reminded Zhulan again before leaving, feeling uneasy.
Not long after Zhou Shuren left, Liu, the wife of the Director of the Maritime Affairs Bureau, came. Liu did not come alone, but brought her two daughters with her.
After Liu sat down, she said, "I heard that my sister is 40 years old this year, but why doesn't she look like that to me?"
Zhu Lan smiled, "How old do you think I am, Liu Shuren?"
Liu paused as she held the tea. She tried to get close to Yang on purpose, but Yang refused. She was unwilling to get close to her. She came here fully prepared and knew a lot about Yang. She knew that Yang was not a pushover. Liu did not expect to get close to her with just one sentence. "I think my sister is only 35 years old. I can't compare with her. I am only four years older than her. I still don't look younger no matter how well I take care of myself!"
Zhulan's skin has indeed improved a lot, and the wrinkles around her eyes have also decreased. They are all because she gained weight during pregnancy, which has stretched her eyes. "Liu Shuren, you're joking. I think Shuren looks younger, about the same age as me!"
Liu laughed and said, "I like what you said, sister."
Zhulan thought to herself, she also knows how to flatter. Thinking back to the past, she had flattered many people before. Zhulan looked at the hairpin on Liu's head shaking with laughter, and felt deeply moved. The people in the Maritime Affairs Bureau were really rich. Not to mention the jewelry on Liu's head, the jade bracelet on her hand was a rare treasure. Looking at the material of her clothes, she must have made a lot of money in the past two years.
Zhulan looked at the two girls. They were both good-looking, but their jewelry was eye-catching.
Seeing Yang looking at her two daughters, Liu was delighted and said with a smile, "Look at me, I forgot to introduce you. This is my third daughter, Min Ying, who is sixteen years old this year. This is my youngest daughter, Min Yu, who is ten years old this year."
Zhulan also knew about the situation of the Haiwu family. It was all information collected by Zhou Shuren. She would recite it when she had nothing to do. When she thought about it, Zhulan couldn't help but twitching the corners of her mouth. There were quite a lot of people in each family, with many concubines, illegitimate sons and daughters, and plus the grandson to carry, Zhulan had been carrying him for a long time.
The mistress of Lord Min's family is extraordinary. Liu is a capable person. Unlike some mistresses who dislike illegitimate sons and daughters, she keeps them all by her side, and all the illegitimate daughters are registered under her name. Liu did not register the illegitimate sons, but she educated them with all her heart.
Liu had only one daughter left, Min Yu. There were three daughters registered under her name, two of whom were married off, leaving one, Min Ying.
Zhulan suddenly knew what Liu came for. She was not here to gather information, but to propose marriage. She didn't think that Liu wanted to marry her little daughter to Changzhi. The Min family didn't take Changzhi seriously, and they might even send her to the palace as a concubine. So it was the sixteen-year-old Min Ying.
Not to mention the family background issue, Zhulan doesn't want to be with Min Ying. It's obvious that she has been brainwashed since childhood.
Zhu Lan smiled and said, "The young lady of Liu Shu's family is indeed worthy of her reputation."
Liu was happy. The girls she raised were all ladies from wealthy families. She was not stupid. She only needed to give a dowry to a girl. She had never thought of raising her in a wrong way. Instead, she carefully raised her so that she could form an alliance with the Min family. "Sister likes her too?"
Zhulan said in her heart that she didn't like thank you, she would rather Changzhi find a queen of flowers, and said with a smile: "Shuren is joking."
Liu's smile froze for a moment. A smart person would understand Yang's meaning with just one sentence. She was just testing her, but Yang replied. Liu glanced at the two girls behind Yang. She knew that they were the daughters of the Zhou family. They would make amends with her son, but it was a pity that they had been engaged so early and had been engaged for many years and were childhood sweethearts and had already developed feelings for each other. If she wanted to arrange a marriage again, she would not use her own son. She felt it was a pity.
As for the other girl, if she hadn't come to Zhou's house, she would have taken a look at her. She had a bad reputation and a poor family background.
Zhulan didn't like the way Liu looked at her daughter and Wu Ning like they were commodities. Liu was polite to her because of Zhou Shuren, but she was not polite to Wu Ning. She had a critical and contemptuous look in her eyes. Zhulan saw Wu Ning's face turn pale when she saw it from the corner of her eye.
Zhulan cried out, which frightened Xuehan. Xuehan hurriedly asked, "Mom, what's wrong with you?"
Zhulan touched her belly. She really wasn't pretending. She really wanted to send Liu away, but she didn't think of pretending with her belly. "I, I really want to have a baby."