In the capital, at Ning Hou Mansion, Ning Xu told everything he knew, then drank tea to clear the smell of alcohol from his mouth, waiting for his second brother to react.
Ning Hui took a long time to come back to his senses, and said with some stuttering: "You, you mean, the third place winner is the fifth prince?"
This news was so big that it almost shook his soul out of his body!
Ning Xu nodded, "The current fifth prince is a fake. There is another fake one in the open, the real one is Rongchuan. This child does not look like the emperor and queen. For Rongchuan's safety and for the sake of planning, they have never recognized each other. That's how it is."
Ning Hui covered his heart and cursed, "We didn't even know about the fake fifth prince, you bastard, you didn't say a word when you came back."
At the same time, Ning Hui felt sad. Didn't his sister tell the Ning Mansion about anything? If Ning Xu hadn't come back, the Ning Mansion would definitely not know anything. Or there was no one in the Ning Mansion. Thinking of his descendants, Ning Hui felt even more sad.
Ning Xu laughed dryly and didn't mention Rong Chuan's matter because he didn't want to upset his second brother and his parents. But he really didn't tell his family about the fake fifth prince. "Second brother, you know Rong Chuan's identity now. Just keep it in mind. Don't show it too obviously when you meet him."
Ning Hui waved his hands and said weakly, "I know. And, Rong Chuan's affairs cannot be concealed. You should think about it and tell Dad. At least give Dad some peace of mind. Don't be like me. If you meet him suddenly, Dad will not be able to withstand the stimulation."
Ning Xu, "Dad doesn't go out often."
Ning Hui chuckled, "I don't often go out, so why did we meet?"
Ning Xu, "..."
This statement cannot be refuted. It seems that I should give my father some assurance.
In the evening, at Zhou's house, Zhulan was telling a story to her son. The source of the story was a travelogue. At the dinner table, Rongchuan mentioned the newly bought travelogue. She also liked it very much, so Rongchuan gave her a copy. It was a good opportunity to tell her son that reading and traveling thousands of miles made sense. Combining the local customs and practices in the travelogue, Zhulan added some regional folk customs known in modern times and told the story vividly. Her son especially loved listening.
Zhou Shuren came in and signaled Mrs. Song that she could leave. Changzhong spotted his father first and quickly got down to put on his shoes. "Dad, you're back."
Zhou Shuren spread his hands, "Daddy can't hold you today, Daddy's waist is not feeling well."
He just sat there this afternoon. When he was in the government office, he would go out for a walk after working for a while. When there was no one around, he would lie down for a while to rest. Anyway, he was the eldest and had his own way. In the palace, the emperor could lie down and rest by himself when he was tired, and he was very happy!
Yes, the prince is the same as him, but he is young!
Zhu Lan took out Zhou Shuren's clothes and said, "Change into your official uniform first."
Zhou Shuren took his clothes to change and came out soon. Zhulan had already wrung out a towel for Zhou Shuren, "Wash your face."
Zhou Shuren washed his face and felt much more refreshed. "It's really comfortable. It's quite cool in this palace. I was sweating a lot in my thick official uniform. My face was greasy. It's much better now."
Zhu Lan motioned Zhou Shuren to lie down, "Let me massage your back."
Zhou Shuren took off his shoes and said with emotion: "I'll use some strength today. I sat for the whole afternoon."
Zhulan: "I understand."
Changzhong blinked his eyes and said, "Daddy, let me step on your back."
Zhou Shuren, "... ... No, son, your father doesn't need to step on your back."
Changzhong was unhappy, "Before, Daddy let me step on his back!"
Zhou Shuren turned over and stopped looking at his son. He didn't want to answer. His back couldn't bear the weight of this kid!
Zhulan laughed, "Your father is tired, let's not bother him anymore."
Changzhong was silent for a while, "Okay."
Zhulan said, "Okay, you should take a shower and go to bed."
Changzhong wanted to hear more stories, but his mother was busy. "Mom, continue the story tomorrow."
Zhulan also thought that the travel notes Rongchuan had chosen were quite interesting. "Okay, I'll continue tomorrow."
Zhou Shuren heard the door close and turned sideways, "This kid is getting harder to fool as he gets older."
"Yeah, the older you get, the more careful you become. Why did you come back so late today?"
Zhou Shuren recounted what happened in the palace, "I appropriately talked about the division of departments to improve efficiency, but the emperor asked too many questions and forgot the time."
Zhulan paused for a moment, "Just be aware of it."
Zhou Shuren said while lying on his stomach: "Well, I think we will receive some posts in the next few days, you can choose."
Zhulan understood that Zhou Shuren would stay in the palace for a long time, and the Zhou Mansion would be busy. "Don't worry, I know what's going on."
Zhou Shuren was indeed tired. When facing the emperor's questions, he had to think about how to answer them in a way that would not go beyond the scope of the curriculum and that would conform to the ancient times. Today was a very tiring day for his brain. "I'm going to sleep first."
"good."
The next day, not long after Zhou Shuren and his companions left, Zhulan received invitations. Some were from people she knew and some were not. Zhulan saw the invitation from the Wang family. The two families were engaged and were considered in-laws, but Zhou Shuren's official position was not high. She had been wondering whether she should go to the Wang Mansion, but now that she had received the invitation, she could just go there directly.
Zhulan selected the other posts. She did not plan to take Xuehan with her. She chose people with similar official positions, all of which were meant to show Dong the world and would not bring too much pressure to her.
The post was selected. Zhulan had clothes and brought a lot of jewelry. Fortunately, she had a good relationship with Mrs. Tao. During the chat, Mrs. Tao talked a lot about Mrs. Wang's preferences.
Old Madam Wang is old and likes quietness. All the women in the Wang family like to worship Buddha, especially Old Madam Wang who believes in Buddhism the most. The old lady is from a noble family and does not like to wear brightly colored clothes.
Zhulan took out her jewelry. Well, it had to be something she could wear out, but also not look vulgar. Jade jewelry was the best.
As for clothes, she is older after all, so she didn't choose anything too dark, just simple styles that are elegant and decent.
Mrs. Dong came over and saw her mother choosing clothes. "Mom, are you going out?"
"Ah, the day after tomorrow, I'm going to the Wang residence. Yes, you should go back and get ready. I'll take you and Xue Han there the day after tomorrow."
Dong was nervous. Wang Fu, "Mom, I don't know what to choose. Mom, do you have any suggestions?"
Zhulan then told the Wang family's taboos and also mentioned Mrs. Wang's preferences, "Just dress elegantly and appropriately."
Mrs. Dong was relieved. "Mom, you are amazing. You know so much."
Zhulan smiled and said, "I heard this news from Tao when we were chatting. Otherwise, I wouldn't know it."
Tao revealed these only after the two families had verbally engaged, also to prevent offending the Wang family's taboos.
However, the daughter-in-law knows her mother-in-law best, and Tao knows so much purely to deal with her own mother-in-law.
Mrs. Dong also smiled, "Mom, I'll go back and prepare."
"good."
Zhulan asked Mrs. Song and Xuehan to talk to them again, and then asked the maid to hang up the selected clothes to avoid wrinkles on the clothes when they were worn.
Ning Xu entered the Ningguo Duke's Mansion and did not go to see his parents first, but went to his second brother's yard instead.
Ning Hui was lying in a rocking chair listening to his grandson reciting a lesson. As soon as Ning Xu entered the yard, someone saluted him. Ning Hui heard the voice and put down the book. "Why are you here so early in the morning?"
Ning Xu smiled and said, "I'm here to prepare for Dad, second brother, come with me."
Ning Hui sat up and asked, "Have you decided how to lay the foundation?"
"I've thought about it."