Zhulan was browsing the letter. Zhao Bo's letter was not long. The main content was to pay back the money. When he borrowed the money, he said he would pay it back in two months. Now he can't pay it back and needs to wait for two years. Zhao Bo was very embarrassed, but he still didn't say why he borrowed the money. It didn't seem like it was a good thing. If it was a good thing, he would have revealed something.
Zhulan put away the letter. Zhao Bo was a man who cared about his reputation. From the time he wrote the letter to borrow money to the current letter, looking at the handwriting, it was obvious how uneasy Zhao Bo was when he wrote the letter.
Mrs. Song walked in, "Madam, Master Wang's wife is here."
"Please come in."
Tao came in a moment later, holding a fan in her hand. As she sat down, she said, "It's so hot. This year seems to be hotter than in previous years!"
Zhulan didn't use ice in the room because she was taking care of herself. She said to Mrs. Song, "Send some ice over."
Tao knew that Yang was taking care of her body, so she waved her hand and said, "No need, I'll be cool after sitting for a while."
Zhulan, "If you don't come today, I will go to see you tomorrow."
Mrs. Tao wiped her sweat with a handkerchief. She had not lost weight since she had the baby. The fatter she got, the more afraid of heat she became. "If I had known, I would not have come today. Anyway, I received a letter from my sister-in-law. She said my mother-in-law likes you very much."
Zhulan really didn't expect that Madam Wang would mention her. She smiled and said, "Is it true? You didn't say that, did you?"
Tao took the herbal tea that the maid put down and took a sip. She felt much cooler and said, "I am telling the truth. My mother-in-law does have a good impression of you."
Her mother-in-law has very high standards. She was very happy that she liked Yang. She didn't want her mother-in-law to have any prejudice against Yu Lu.
Zhulan was also very happy. What is said behind the scenes is the truth. "I have to thank you for this."
Mrs. Tao raised her chin. She should thank her. In the whole Wang family, she dared to say that she knew her mother-in-law best. She had fought with her wits and courage in the past. Ahem, she changed the subject quickly, "I heard that you entered the palace. How do you feel?"
Zhulan raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you learn the news too quickly?"
Mrs. Tao curled her lips and said, "Jinzhou is close to the capital, and the Zhou family is related to the Wang family by marriage. The Wang family is very concerned about this. My brother and sister-in-law and I have been exchanging letters frequently, so I knew this news a long time ago."
Zhu Lan smiled and said, "It's my first time in the palace. Overall, it's not bad. I also borrowed the master's light."
Tao came here in a hurry today just to confirm that Lord Zhou had not returned for many days since he went to Beijing, and the master had been paying attention to him. She heard from the master that Lord Zhou would definitely come to Beijing. Tao felt emotional that Yang had met the queen before her. In the past few years, she had never dared to imagine that the Zhou family would develop so fast.
In the capital, at the Ningguo Mansion, Ningguo had rested for a day and was feeling much better. Seeing his youngest son coming, he said, "You came just in time. Help me go out and sit for a while."
Seeing that his father looked well, Ning Xu signaled the servant to put chairs in the yard. After everything was arranged, he helped his father out to sit down.
Duke Ningguo sat under the shade of a tree. He had just walked a few steps and his legs felt weak. He took a few breaths and said, "It's a bit hot today. It's not even noon yet."
Ning Xu was big and sweaty when he moved. He sat down and fanned himself, "Yes, the temperature this year is higher than in previous years."
Duke Ningguo frowned, "I hope there won't be a drought."
Ning Xu said: "The emperor said the same thing yesterday."
Duke Ningguo leaned back in his chair, staring at his oldest son, and said quietly, "I don't know how long I can live. Your second brother's family is like this. They will need your care in the future. You'd better be more careful."
The great-grandson is still too young, and it is unknown how long the wait will last. There is no one in the second branch who can hold on, so he can only rely on the eldest son in the future. When the eldest son was not dead but resurrected, he did not dare to die, but now he dares to speak out.
Ning Xu felt uncomfortable after hearing what he said, "Dad, I know my limits, and you will definitely live a long life."
Duke Ningguo smiled, knowing his own body well. "Come to think of it, you admire Zhou Shuren's son and future son-in-law. This is a coincidence. Find an opportunity for me to meet these two young men."
Ning Xu, "... Dad, wait until you get better."
Duke Ningguo glared, "I can't take good care of myself anymore. When people get old, they like young men. It's okay to just meet him. So let's arrange for him to rest in the Hanlin Academy."
Ning Xu had planned everything, but he had never expected the old man's temper. Especially the old man who was old, he could be really willful sometimes. "Dad."
Duke Ningguo: "Hmm?"
Ning Xu felt like he was in a pill, and sweat broke out on his forehead. "Well, my son will arrange it."
Duke Ningguo narrowed his eyes. His youngest son was hiding something from him, and it was a big thing. Even though he hadn't seen his son for many years, he still understood him. He had to meet this man. He had to see it with his own eyes.
At the Jinzhou government office, Zhou Shuren and Wang Ju handed over their work. Zhou Shuren had made a lot of work reforms over the past two years. Now the division of labor in the government office was clear, so there was no problem with him being away for many days.
Wang Ju was the most emotional person. He was still worried about problems after Zhou Shuren left, but after Zhou Shuren left for many days, everything in the government office was as if Zhou Shuren had not left. He could see Zhou Shuren's strength more intuitively. No wonder he had to go to Beijing. Jinzhou was indeed too small.
Zhou Shuren raised his head, "Is there anything else?"
Wang Ju, "It's okay, I know I feel a little emotional, I don't know how long I can work with you adults."
Zhou Shuren was silent for a moment, "I am also reluctant to part with you."
Wang Ju was quite happy to hear this, "Really?"
"I can't bear to part with Lord Wang's abilities. Lord Wang seems to have unlimited potential. He can hold up no matter how much he's squeezed. I really can't bear to part with him!"
It was so easy to use. Wang Ju made a great contribution to his current achievements. He was thinking about whether to get it over after Wang Ju came to Beijing. He would not do everything by himself. He preferred to make rational use of talents.
Wang Ju, “… … .”
Haha, now he doesn’t feel any reluctance at all. Instead, he hopes that Zhou Jinlu will leave soon so that he can save his gradually falling hair!
In the evening, after dinner, Zhulan told Zhao Bo about his letter, "I don't know what happened to Zhao Bo."
Zhou Shuren was also concerned about Zhao Bo. Zhao Bo was one of his few friends. "Let's wait for Zhao Bo to speak in person!"
Zhulan asked, "What was your reaction when you went to the government office today?"
These officials are well-informed and should have their own thoughts in mind.
Zhou Shuren took off his shoes and said, "We are testing them, but we dare not go too far. They are all smart and know the importance of having more good relationships. Since we cannot stop them, we should try to make as many good relationships as possible. If I hadn't said I was tired today, they would not have let me go back."
The most common thing I heard today was to invite him to drink.
Zhulan was relieved, "That's good."
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was five days. Boss Zhou and Second Brother Zhou finally came back. Both of them had lost a lot of weight, especially Boss Zhou, whose belly was most obvious.
Seeing that the two were in good spirits, Zhulan said, "You have worked hard."
Zhou Laoer said: "Big brother is the one who works the hardest."
Because the eldest brother is the eldest, he is busy with the ancestor worship within the Hui tribe. After the worship, he sets off for the Wu family. The eldest brother has never rested. Over the years, the eldest brother has been studying hard. He has seen the eldest brother asking questions more than once. The eldest brother has a notebook in his hand, which he takes wherever he goes. He was curious and secretly looked at it, but there was everything that the eldest brother could not remember.
In the notebook, the eldest brother crossed out one item after remembering it. Although the eldest brother was not smart, he always worked hard in his own way. He was shocked by the eldest brother's efforts and was completely convinced by him.
He also reflected on himself a lot. This time when he went out, he always followed his eldest brother's lead and never went beyond his elder brother's lead. This is the respect that his elder brother deserves.
Boss Zhou smiled innocently, "It's not hard for me. These are what I should do. My second brother has also worked hard. When I was not in Zhoujia Village, it was my second brother who dealt with the elders in the clan."
Zhulan was very pleased. The eldest brother conquered his younger brothers with his own efforts. She knew the changes of Zhou Laoer and the others best. "You all worked hard."
Boss Zhou took out the deeds and said, "Mom, these are the deeds for the shop. Please keep them."
Zhulan: "Okay, is everything okay with Xuehan and the people of Zhou Village?"
Boss Zhou replied, "The clan members are all very nice. The clan leader has thanked Dad many times to his son. He said that the Zhou clan is what it is today because of Dad's protection. He also told me to tell Dad that he would control the clan members and would definitely not cause trouble for Dad."
Zhou Laoer continued, "My sister's family is pretty good. Jiang Du is well-educated, and the children are obedient. Mother, don't worry."
Zhulan saw that the boss was hesitant to speak, "Is there anything?"
Zhou Laoda said: "Mom, when we left, my eldest sister wanted to bring Jiang Du back with her."
Zhu Lan thought it was something else. "So that's it. Dad and I have been talking about it. Your dad wants Jiang Du to come with you when autumn comes and your father-in-law's family sends food."
Boss Zhou smiled. He was happy for his sister. "Dad is really thoughtful."
Zhulan chatted with her two sons for a while and then stopped talking. The two sons were back and there was always time to chat, but now they needed a rest.
In the capital, the emperor was looking through the list in his hand. These were the people who had been lured out. He touched the names one by one with his fingertips. Zhou Shuren was going to the capital, so someone should give up his position.
The prince glanced at the list and felt heavy in his heart. Ever since he knew Rongchuan was his younger brother, his father no longer avoided him. He had also seen the list in his father's hand. Many of them climbed up through the imperial examinations after the founding of the dynasty.