In the front hall of the Wang Mansion, when Zhou Shuren arrived, Old Master Wang was already waiting.
Zhou Shuren stepped forward and saluted, "Greetings, Lord Wang."
Old Master Wang smiled and said, "I have heard Wang Ju mention this many times. I have always been looking forward to meeting Lord Zhou. Today I finally get to see him in person. Lord Zhou, please take a seat."
Zhou Shuren did not sit down, but greeted again, "I would like to thank you for your help, please accept my greetings."
Old Master Wang stroked his beard and accepted it, then smiled and said: "You have helped Wang Ju a lot, this is all due, not to mention that our two mansions are also relatives, don't be extravagant and sit down."
Zhou Shuren sat down this time. Although Mr. Wang had a kind face and was slightly plump and his smile made people feel more favorable, he knew that the old man first mentioned that he would help Wang Ju, and then the in-laws. This was the order in the old man's mind. In-laws were the icing on the cake, and making friends who could help each other was the most important.
Zhou Shuren came in a carriage, feeling a little thirsty because of the heat. This tea was herbal tea, so he took a sip from the cup first. "I have already come to Beijing, but this is my first visit. I heard Wang Ju talk about your preferences, so I brought a few gifts. I hope you like them."
Mr. Wang has always loved playing chess and can be considered a chess fanatic. He opened the box and saw the chessboard. "What is this?"
Zhou Shuren said, "This is an ancient chess manual. There are many rare chess games on it. I don't have the original copy either. Although it's not the original copy, it's still very rare."
He found this while rummaging through his bookcase, and then asked someone to copy it.
Old Master Wang flipped the page quickly and looked at it with his eyes narrowed. He had seen this chess manual before. It was a royal collection. He had taken a glance at it when the emperor was reading it. Then he remembered that the emperor had rewarded Zhou Shuren with many things. He remembered that he had heard from his son that the emperor seemed to have rewarded Zhou Shuren with a lot of copied books once.
It seems that a copy of the chess manual was also copied for Zhou Shuren!
It was even more rare for Mr. Wang to know the origin of the chess manual. "I like it very much. You are thoughtful."
Zhou Shuren, "As long as you like it."
There were a few other gifts, all of which were pens and ink, which the Wang family had no shortage of. However, Zhou Shuren picked out the best ones, which showed his thoughtfulness.
In the afternoon, Zhou Shuren returned home and Zhulan just woke up from her nap. "You took so long to come back, what did you talk about?"
Zhou Shuren said as he washed his face, "The Wang family has always been neutral. Mr. Wang is such a cautious person, he wouldn't tell me anything in advance. Most of the time he just chatted and didn't say anything about the court. In the end, I played chess with him for a while, and then I said goodbye."
Zhulan felt quite regretful, "I thought Mr. Wang would remind you something!"
Zhou Shuren wiped his face and said, "I already know almost everything about the Ministry of Revenue even if the old man didn't remind me. As for other matters in the court, the old man didn't mention them. I thought someone would mention them to me!"
He hasn't forgotten about Lord Qi, and Mr. Wang even mentioned it jokingly today!
Bamboo orchid, "... "
She also thought of Lord Qi, but the couple really didn’t know Lord Qi!
Zhou Shuren put down his handkerchief and said with a smile: "I'm a little sleepy. I want to rest for a while. I'm going to sleep first."
"Um."
Zhou Shuren went back to his room, changed his clothes, lay down on the bed and quickly fell asleep.
In Zhoujia Village, Xuemei received another letter, an urgent one at that. She thought something had happened at first, so she opened the letter as soon as she received it while standing at the door. She didn't move for a long time after she finished reading it.
Jiang Miao asked worriedly, "Mom, what's wrong with you?"
Xuemei came back to her senses and laughed out loud, pulling her daughter's hand and shaking it tightly, "Happy news, very happy news, your grandfather got promoted, and is now the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a third-rank official in Beijing!"
After she finished speaking, she felt a little dizzy and a little shocked. Ever since her father became an official, she had paid much attention to the rank of officials and learned more about them. She also knew that the fourth rank was a hurdle in the official career, which her father had overcome.
Jiang Miao was stunned for a moment, but quickly came back to his senses, "Mom, you have to tell the clan leader and dad about this big thing!"
Xuemei smiled and said, "Yes, yes, I must tell your father."
As for the clan leader, my parents must have written a letter to him.
When Jiang Sheng found out about this, the news spread throughout the Zhou family. This was a great joyous event, and the clan leader asked his grandsons to deliver the message as soon as he received the news.
Xuemei and Jiang Sheng hurried home. On the way home, the tribesmen who knew the news congratulated them.
The Zhou family was in high spirits, which made the other clans in Zhoujia Village envious. However, when they thought about the fact that they were all from the same village and had some connection, the jealousy in their hearts was quickly suppressed.
In the evening, after dinner, Zhou Shuren and Zhulan sat outside to enjoy the cool air. Zhou Shuren had taken a nap in the afternoon and was now particularly energetic. "When I was chatting with Mr. Wang, he introduced several good academies and also mentioned the private school of the Wang family."
Zhulan didn't worry about that. "Have you chosen?"
"Well, before I came to the capital, I knew a few academies, and the old man said they were good, so I thought about it and chose Zhongxiu Academy."
Zhulan asked, "Is there anything different about this academy?"
"This academy is relatively stricter. As you know, our three boys Ming Teng, Ming Rui, and Ming Hui are still too lively. It is better to go to a stricter academy."
Zhulan was silent. Zhou Shuren's words were really subtle. Which one was more lively? Mingteng and Minghui were too lively. Mingrui studied hard, but he was also naughty!
Zhou Shuren turned his head and said, "The private school of the Wang family is not bad. Many people want to study there, but our children can't go. If they really go, we will owe a favor to the Wang family, so the academy is better."
The debt of favor is the hardest to repay, and he doesn't want to leave himself or his descendants in debt. Anyway, if the academy can't teach him, he still has it!
The Zhou family also has second place, third place, and Jinshi!
Zhou Shuren enjoyed the cool air for a while, and seeing that his son had not returned yet, he got up and went to the front yard to pick up his son and check on his grandchildren's homework.
In the front yard, when Mingyun went back to Dafang to get a book, the boys were very happy that Mingyun was no longer in the study.
Ming Teng threw away his pen and said, "We haven't even chosen the academy yet. Big brother, you are such a fool. Can't you let us take a break for a few days?"
Mingrui flexed his wrists, "I've come to the capital, but I haven't been out on the street yet. Big brother is becoming more and more overbearing. If he doesn't go out, we can forget about going out!"
Minghui burst into tears and said, "You are still my elder brother. I am not old enough to go to the academy. Why do you drag me along with you to study?"
Didn’t you say that the elder brother loves the younger brother
Ming Teng grabbed his brother's pigtails and said, "Brothers should share the same troubles!"
Changzhong came here just to join in the fun. Anyway, his nephew didn't dare to say anything to him, and he wasn't afraid of his nephew's cold face. Well, by the way, watching Mingteng and the others with bitter faces, the study was really fun. Now after listening to Mingteng's words, he tilted his head and said, "You said we share the hardship, so does that mean we share the happiness as well?"
Ming Teng was alert. Although his uncle was young, he had been cheated many times. "Yes, there was."