The emperor's decree was issued, but it was not for the officials of Jinzhou Prefecture. The decree established two new departments, independent of Jinzhou. Zhou Shuren, as the prefect, had no right to interfere and they were directly under the emperor.
Zhou Shuren drank tea and thought to himself, The emperor is really fast, and the tea today is really good.
All the officials in Jinzhou are well-informed. The emperor's decree must be related to the memorial submitted by Lord Zhou. The decree has little impact on the officials in Jinzhou City, but the two departments of Maritime Affairs and Supervision have a greater impact.
In the past, the two departments had great power. Even officials in the capital city tried to curry favor with them. Many noble families would use their names to do business. They all wanted to get a piece of the huge profits from maritime trade. Lord Min and Lord Ran from the two departments became the objects of everyone's flattery.
Now that taxation is a choke point and power is divided, the two agencies are having a hard time.
No one cared how anxious Lord Min and Lord Ran were. After this incident, all the officials in Jinzhou, big and small, decided not to mess with Lord Zhou in Jinzhou city. This man was too scary. Smiling at you to trick you was the least of his worries. If you got mad at him, he would use his ultimate move.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see clearly that with the establishment of the two new departments, the Maritime Affairs Department and the Supervision Department have become trapped. If the emperor is happy, he will keep you. If he is unhappy, sorry, confiscating your property is the least of his punishment. In the past two years, the Min and Ran families have been really rampant.
Zhou Shuren was very satisfied with everyone's fear of him. He didn't like painless counterattacks. He liked to cut at the root. After being suppressed for so many years, he could finally live more freely.
Lord Wang swallowed his saliva. Lord Bai had already run away, fearing that he would be noticed by Lord Zhou.
Lord Wang took a step forward, as he felt it would be better for him to slip away as well.
This time, Zhou Shuren used practical actions to tell everyone that he cannot be bullied, that he has the emperor's trust, has solid achievements, and his position is as stable as a mountain.
Of course, Lord Zhou also attracted a lot of hatred, but unfortunately he could only watch and did not dare to move easily. He could only hold it in.
In the evening, Zhou Shuren hummed a little tune and returned to the backyard. Zhulan held her son in her arms and said, "You didn't even go to listen to the music. Who did you learn this from?"
Zhou Shuren took his son's hand with a smile, "Lord Wang likes it. I heard him hum a few times today and it sounds pretty good. It's pretty good, isn't it?"
Zhulan: "It's OK."
Zhou Shuren teased his son and looked sideways at Zhulan, "Why do I feel like you've lost a lot of weight?"
Zhulan touched her face and said, "I've been busy these days."
Zhulan is still happy even though she has lost weight.
Zhou Shuren still prefers Zhulan to have some flesh on her. Too thin is not good. However, Zhulan would not listen to him. Zhou Shuren kissed his son and continued, "Today someone asked me to propose marriage to Shi Qing."
Zhulan put down the small clothes in her hand and asked, "How can I find you?"
Zhou Shuren, "Shi Qing is free to come and go in the Zhou residence, and I taught him. This is no secret. It's not that Chang Zhi has no hope, so he has set his sights on Shi Qing."
Zhulan's mouth twitched, "How did you reply?"
"I'm not Shi Qing's father, so I won't worry about him. After teaching him this year, I don't have much to teach him anymore. He can rely on himself next year."
He must be out of his mind to be looking for a marriage partner by sharpening the knife for the emperor.
Zhulan thought of Wu Ning and sighed. Seeing Liu Ya coming in, Zhulan stood up and said, "Let's go eat."
Zhou Shuren kissed his son and said, "Okay."
At the Min Mansion, Lord Min kept walking around in circles. Even after receiving news about the Second Prince, he was still uneasy. He had a bad feeling before, and now it was more substantial, like a thorn in his back.
Liu Shi didn't understand officialdom, she only knew to obey her husband. Now seeing her husband panic, she felt uneasy, "Master, if it really doesn't work, send the third girl to the Second Prince's residence."
Lord Min smashed the teacup, "Ridiculous, do you think the Second Prince doesn't know that you are using the Third Girl to plot against the Zhou family? You even want to send her to his mansion. What do you think the Second Prince's mansion is?"
He regretted it. He regretted that when the Second Prince proposed it, he had tasted the sweetness of maritime rights and his ambition had swelled. He wanted more, so he played Tai Chi with the Second Prince. Now Lord Min felt a chill on his back. If he had not still been sitting in his seat, the Second Prince might have given up on him.
Liu: "What should I do? Should I give up my little girl?"
Lord Min pressed his brows and said, "Okay, don't worry about it."
The atmosphere in the Ran Mansion was not very good either. However, Qi was the third prince's aunt, so the Ran Mansion was not very panicked.
The next day, Zhulan got the horoscopes of Changzhi and the county princess, a match made in heaven.
When Xue received it, she was stunned. "This is the first time I have seen such a compatible horoscope."
Zhulan was in a good mood, which was a good sign. She thanked him sincerely, "Thank you, sister."
Xue: "You're so polite."
She didn't dare to act arrogantly because of her age. Lord Zhou was really scary. The master reminded her many times yesterday that she must be polite in the Zhou Mansion and not take it seriously just because Lord Zhou's wife called her sister.
Zhulan was really grateful to Xue, "I'll have to trouble you again in a few days."
“These are what we should do.”
At the Wang Mansion, the official media personally sent the matched horoscopes, and said a bunch of flattering words, but they were not as good as the four words "match made in heaven" that Tao saw. Tao was completely relieved, as she was afraid that the horoscopes were not a good match.
After Su Xuan and the other official media left, she carefully took the paper with "Match Made in Heaven" written on it and put it away. She had been worried about the horoscopes yesterday. She was afraid that her horoscopes were too strong and that the Zhou family would dislike her. She was worried all night, but finally she could rest assured.
Mrs. Tao looked at Su Xuan's pale face and felt sad. "You can rest assured now. We will set the date for the engagement in a few days."
Su Xuan's eyes were red. "Well, thank you, auntie."