Zhou Shuren continued, "I have worked with Prince Yao for a long time. Prince Yao really deserves the title of the best son in the capital. If I had a son like him, I would have enjoyed my old age early. It's a pity that my eldest and second sons are not capable of running the family."
The third prince almost laughed out loud. Lord Zhou is really good at finishing off a backstabber and still enjoying his old age. That’s a good thing to say!
The fourth prince raised his lips, "Look how happy the Marquis is. His face is red with excitement."
Yao Wenqi was hurt inside. He shouldn't have sent the invitation to Zhou's house. He was really asking for trouble today. He was facing four people at once and his head was buzzing.
Yao Wenqi coughed and said, "It's winter now and I feel a little unwell. I..."
Zhou Shuren interrupted, "The Marquis loves to watch operas and hunt, so his physique must be stronger than mine. Could it be that the Marquis' physique is not even as good as mine?"
Yao Wenqi couldn't say what he wanted to say, and squinted his eyes, "I had a very pleasant chat with Mr. Zhou today."
Zhou Shuren held the tea and said, "It's really pleasant."
Inside the palace, someone around the emperor was learning what to say, and he learned what everyone in the box said. The emperor was in a good mood, "It seems that our Lord Zhou can cooperate well with everyone."
Look, he likes what Zhou Shuren said very much.
The prince felt very regretful. He wanted to see Lord Zhou have fun yesterday, but today he regretted not going to watch it live. It must have been exciting, what a pity. He wanted to chat with Lord Zhou. He no longer felt a sense of accomplishment after arguing with his four younger brothers.
The emperor motioned the person who was learning to talk to go down, "Tomorrow you should tell the second brother to stop talking."
Prince, "Yes."
The emperor added: "When the gold and silver on the islands are transported back, they will not go through the Ministry of Revenue. Half will be invested in the navy, and the other half will be used to subsidize the troops stationed in the Northeast and replace their equipment. You select people to follow the silver to the Northeast."
The prince's blood was boiling. Did his father allow him to have access to military power? He suppressed his excitement and said, "Yes."
The emperor was still satisfied with the prince's attitude. Although he was excited, he recovered quickly and then closed his eyes. The total amount of gold and silver on the island was more than 8 million taels, which was really a huge number. He was still relieved. This large amount of silver was earned in the past three years and finally belonged to the court. He felt a little relieved. Fortunately, it was not too late and the silver had not been used yet.
However, the emperor felt uneasy. He had to make some big moves with the silver he had saved for three years. But he was also glad that now that the silver was gone and the soldiers on the island had been killed, no major chaos occurred. A hidden danger just disappeared.
The emperor stroked his chin. He felt that he wanted Zhou Shuren to come to Beijing. Unfortunately, he could only think about it. Zhou Shuren had been promoted very quickly and had reached the fourth rank. He could not be willful anymore. Fortunately, Zhou Shuren had made many achievements and was in good health. The prince was still too young.
The prince paused and said, "Father, the Xu family in Jinzhou."
The emperor interrupted the prince and said, "Leave it to you."
The prince understood that this was his use. He still liked people like the Xu family who had brains. "Yes."
In Jinzhou City, Zhulan sent Xu Zhao away. Zhulan was very tired. Xuehan supported her mother and said, "Mom, the mistress of the Xu family has stayed for too long."
Zhulan patted her daughter's hand and said, "The Xu family has had a hard time."
The longer they stay, the more the relationship between the Zhou family and the Xu family becomes apparent. The Xu family is seeking temporary shelter. They brought gifts again today. Unlike yesterday's thank-you gifts, today's gifts are shelter gifts. The Xu family knows that they may be retaliated against at any time, and they are waiting for someone from the capital.
Zhulan returned to the house, and Mrs. Song said, "Madam, look."
Zhulan took the box. It was hollow, and inside were several silver notes, five in total, each worth one thousand taels. Zhulan pursed her lips and said, "Send a few servants with good martial arts to stay at Xu's mansion for a few days, and send these silver notes back as well."
Mrs. Song: "Yes."
Xue Han didn't know much about the Xu family. She only knew that they had severed ties, but had been in contact again in the past two days. "Mom."
Zhulan: "It's okay, mother knows what's going on."
The gift is valuable enough, so there is no need for a banknote.
Mrs. Song came back soon, followed by Shen Xing, "The master asked me to deliver the emperor's reward back to the palace."
Zhulan saw the two boxes of gold and smiled. Oh, the money Zhou Shuren spent was returned. "You've worked hard, too. Go back and rest first."
Shen Xing said: "I still have to hurry back to the capital."
The only person he was worried about was Jinyan.
Zhulan looked at Shenxing and thought he must not have eaten yet. "Eat first and then leave."
Shen Xing, "Yes."
After Zhulan counted, one thousand taels of gold was equivalent to ten thousand taels of silver. It would be better to keep the gold instead of moving it.
Zhulan picked up the porcelain and heard Li's scream. She almost dropped the porcelain and put it away carefully. "Was it bitten by a dog? Your scream can be heard by the whole yard."
Li's hands were shaking, "Mom, mom, look."
Zhulan was silent, "Stop shaking."
Li swallowed her saliva and handed the banknotes to her mother, "Mother, these are five banknotes of 100 taels each. I found them in the jewelry box that Qi gave me."
Minghui insisted on grabbing the jewelry to play with, but she refused. They fought and knocked over the jewelry box, only to find that the box was empty, except for the five hundred taels of silver.
Zhulan: "How did you find it?"
Li told the story, "This is what happened, mother, why did Qi apologize and give silver?"
Zhulan understood that Qi knew Li's character, so she didn't tell Li, but waited until the right time to tell her. Li would definitely be touched. This was because she knew that Li's gift of money was more intuitive, but unfortunately she didn't expect an accident. "Qi hopes that you can be more touched and continue to interact with her in the future."
Li pursed her lips and said, "Mother, can you help me send the banknote back?"
Zhulan asked, "Why? This is not a small amount of money."
Li blinked her eyes and said, "This is a blatant bribe to the Zhou family. We can't accept it."
Zhulan chuckled, "You think too much."
Li felt embarrassed. She didn't know much, but she didn't want to cause trouble for her family. "Mother, you still can't accept this money. Qi has already made an apology. If I accept it, it means I am willing to continue the relationship. Forget about the banknote."
Zhulan was very happy. Li loved money before, but that was a matter of perspective. She was afraid of losing money. Now that she has money, her status has changed, but she can still keep her original intention. Not bad, "I've asked someone to return the money to you."
Li was happy. "Ah, I have to go back. Minghui must have stolen jewelry again. My jewelry."
Then he ran away.
Zhulan laughed. Li was very happy today. To be honest, it was quite unexpected that Qi and Li could become friends.
In the capital city, in a restaurant box, Zhou Shuren ate his food leisurely, calculating in his mind how much money it would cost. The food didn't cost much, but the wine and tea were not cheap, as they were thirty years old.
The Second Prince ate well. It was rare that he liked the Fourth Prince. It was also good to be able to make a killing from Lord Zhou. The wine was good. I didn't expect that this restaurant had such good wine.
The third prince raised his wine glass and said, "Fourth brother, drink."
The fourth prince smiled and asked, "Master Zhou is coming too?"
Zhou Shuren put down his chopsticks and said, "Okay, let's do it together."
Yao Zheyu's stomach ached from eating so much. Even though he kept silent, he was still being tested by the Second Prince. The Fourth Prince was sitting next to him. He gritted his teeth and said, "Waiter, bring another pot of hot wine."
After a pause, he said to Zhou Shuren: "Master Zhou, you won't be reluctant to part with it, right?"
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard and said, "No, everyone can order as much as you want. Do you want to pack it up?"
The second prince chuckled, "Master Zhou is really generous."
Zhou Shuren sneered in his heart. He did want to treat everyone at first, but these people were deliberately trying to rip him off. He was unhappy and didn't know who would pay the bill. "One pot of wine is not enough. I'm so happy today. Waiter, bring us all the good wine in the store."
The second prince paused while holding the wine glass. This old fox should not be underestimated. He might be a trap. "Lord Zhou is generous."
Zhou Shuren played with his wine glass. "Who made me rich? A thousand taels of gold is ten thousand taels of silver, plus antiques and calligraphy and paintings. I have quite a fortune. How much is the annual salary of the princes?"