Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, half a month has passed and it is now November.
Zhulan looked at the snow scene outside the door. It was the first snow of the year and it was falling quite heavily. It had only been snowing for less than half an hour and the ground was already covered.
Zhulan signaled to Liuya to lower the curtain, and the room immediately became dim. Zhulan had been in ancient times for several years, and she hated gloomy weather more and more. Every time the weather was gloomy, the room would be like night during the day, and if she wanted more light, she had to light candles.
This kind of atmosphere is really depressing. Zhulan misses the glass windows.
Zhulan was yawning. She had just gotten up and was already feeling sleepy again. This kind of weather was perfect for sleeping.
Zhulan had just gotten up and was about to go back to hug her son for a nap when Xuehan came in wearing a cloak. Liuli behind her shook off the snow on her umbrella, and Liuya had already taken Xuehan's cloak.
Zhulan looked at the account book in her daughter's hand, paused, and waved, "Come over and warm up."
Xue Han blushed, "Mom, it's not cold outside."
Zhulan took the account book and looked through it. This was last month's account. She remembered every item very clearly. Then she put the book down and said, "It would be better to come over after the snow clears."
Xue Han, "My husband took a leave of absence today, so I came here because I couldn't stay in the house."
She really had nowhere to go. Sister Wu Ning had the most schoolwork, and even if the teacher took a leave, she would still be busy with her schoolwork. Yu Shuang and Yu Lu had to help take care of their younger siblings. As for the fourth sister-in-law, she was really not welcomed by the fourth brother.
Zhulan thought about it and decided not to go back to sleep. "You are free today, come with me to the storehouse to pick out some furs. We will distribute the furs to each room when winter comes."
Xue Han smiled and nodded, "Okay."
The furs in the warehouse need to be taken care of every once in a while. Zhulan feels a sense of accomplishment every time she comes here. She saves them and touches the white fur. "This one is for you."
Xue Han's eyes sparkled. White fur was rare. A few days ago, she and her fourth sister-in-law went to the fur shop to check it out. Many of the furs were not as good as her own. "Thank you, mother."
Zhulan pointed at the black mink fur and said, "This one is for Rongchuan. By the way, I haven't seen Rongchuan in the past few days. What is he busy with?"
Xue Han's heart was filled with sweetness. "He is helping Master Shi copy calligraphy and paintings, and has been staying in the study."
Zhulan, "Your father praised this boy's copying very much!"
A few days ago, Zhou Shuren asked Shi Qing to copy a letter. After coming back, Zhou Shuren kept saying that Rongchuan was a genius.
Xue Han straightened her back. She was proud of Rong Chuan, but she was humble. "He's still a long way from that!"
Zhulan laughed. This girl, "Shi Qing asked Rongchuan to copy calligraphy and painting. Give him some benefits."
Xue Han's ears turned red. "Well, the reward for a painting is thirty taels."
There haven't been many lessons recently, and Rongchuan has painted five or six pictures. Rongchuan said that he would take advantage of this rare opportunity to open a shop, which would be his betrothal gift to her.
Zhulan didn't want to speak anymore. She was too old to be kept here.
After quickly selecting the fur, Zhulan took Xuehan back to the house. The mother and daughter chatted for a while, and then Xuehan went back.
The snow stopped in the afternoon. Snowy days are the best time to eat hotpot, which we ate in the evening.
Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren. No matter how well Zhou Shuren concealed it, she could see that he was suppressing his anxiety in his heart!
After dinner, Zhou Shuren hugged his son. The little guy refused to let him hold him, but Zhou Shuren did not let go. The little guy got so angry that he screamed and finally burst into tears.
Zhulan held her son in her arms. The little guy felt very aggrieved. "Okay, okay, mommy said daddy, don't cry anymore."
Zhulan noticed the finger marks on the child's arm and patted the aggrieved little guy, but her eyes were always on the dazed Zhou Shuren. Something big must have happened today, which is why Zhou Shuren was so absent-minded.
Time passed little by little, and the little guy in Zhulan's arms fell asleep soon, holding Zhulan's hair with one hand and grabbing her clothes with the other. Zhulan carefully put the child down and slowly pried open her son's little hands. There was nothing in his hands, and the little guy was about to wake up. Zhulan hurriedly stuffed her handkerchief into her son's hands and patted him for a while before her son fell asleep soundly.
Zhou Shuren frowned, "When did this kid develop the habit of grabbing things?"
Zhu Lan sat up and said, "It's been more than a month. This means he has become more careful and can't be fooled anymore."
Zhou Shuren pressed his eyebrows. He was very busy and came home late recently. He paid less attention to his son. He reached out and touched his son's chubby face. "He is carefree and the happiest one in the family."
Zhulan pulled back the quilt and lay down. "It's getting late. Go to bed."
Zhou Shuren stood up and blew out the candles. Zhulan and the others lay down before asking, "What happened?"
"I alerted the enemy. All the people I sent out died. Today in the government office, the bowls and chopsticks I used were poisoned."
Zhulan sat up suddenly, startled. Zhou Shuren pulled Zhulan to lie down, "There's someone by my side, nothing will happen."
Zhu Lan pursed her lips and said, "There is always a loophole in a hundred precautions. How can you be sure that there will be no mistakes?"
Zhulan was really scared. It was poison. She had never encountered this before, but this time she encountered it. She thought that once she alerted the enemy, he would definitely retaliate, but she didn't expect it to happen so soon.
Zhou Shuren was also a little frightened, because the poison was fatal upon contact with blood. They really thought highly of him, thinking that he had become a serious threat. To be honest, if he had investigated slowly on his own, he would not have alerted the enemy so quickly. It was because of the emperor that a comprehensive investigation was conducted. Well, he became the first person to be retaliated against.
It was hard work. He had been on guard ever since he entered officialdom, always gathering useful people. He was prepared for poisoning and other methods. Even if there were no people sent by the emperor following him, he was prepared.
He lost his composure because he was worried about Zhulan and the child. His son was a baby less than a year old and the most vulnerable being.
Zhou Shuren patted Xue Han on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I am really prepared. However, you should control your family members more recently."
Zhulan nodded, "I understand. I won't let them go out recently."
Zhou Shuren hugged Zhulan and said, "Don't worry about me. You dared to poison me openly this time. It's already a challenge to the emperor. He won't attack me easily. I'm afraid of attacking you."
Zhulan's heart tightened because Zhou Shuren was right. "Can I understand it this way? You found the key information?"
Zhou Shuren didn't want Zhulan to worry about it, so it was better for her not to know about it. "I can't tell you about this."
Zhulan opened her mouth and swallowed the words in her mouth, "I won't ask anymore."
Zhou Shuren was poisoned, and because of the government affairs, this matter could not be concealed.
The emperor was the first to know the news. To the emperor, Zhou Shuren was a lucky general and a very capable confidant, so as soon as he got the news, he sent people to Jinzhou to protect him.