Li and Zhao had not seen much of the world. Although Li did not sigh, her eyes and hands betrayed her. She could not help touching the table and chairs. She heard clearly that the table, chairs, etc. would be left behind.
Zhao was also very happy, and she felt like it was a dream.
Zhulan didn't need to say anything else and made the decision right away.
Deng Xiucai said in a low voice: "Five thousand taels is too low for the renovation of this manor. Even if it is sold for ten thousand taels, it will be a loss. The material alone is higher than the selling price. I think it is better to check it out."
Don't have any problems that will affect the Zhou family. He can now live a decent life relying on the Zhou family.
Zhulan looked at the housekeeper. Although the housekeeper didn't say much and she saw few maids and servants, the way the maids and servants walked could not deceive Mrs. Song. She already had an idea in her mind that this should be a manor built by the royal family.
"It will be fine."
What Deng Xiucai heard was an affirmative tone, and he was puzzled. Could there be something he had not discovered? Thinking of how much Lord Zhou loved his wife, he had already reminded her, so he did not say much.
Then they went to another manor. This manor was not as well renovated as the previous one, and its area was not as large as the previous one. Zhulan knew that this should belong to the Ningguo Mansion, and Zhulan made the decision.
Li pinched herself and it hurt, but she still felt like she was dreaming. She pulled her brother and sister-in-law and asked, "Is our family going to have two farms?"
Zhao was still a little more sober, "Yeah."
Li and Zhao never thought that they would be given as dowry to their sister-in-law, so they thought that the house they bought would be theirs.
Li grinned, "Next summer you can come to the village to escape the heat."
Zhao was also very excited, she liked it here.
Zhulan came over and heard the conversation between her two daughters-in-law. She fell silent. She really liked the first farm, but unfortunately, she asked Mr. Deng to inquire about it just for the dowry. Now that the Emperor and the Ningguo Mansion were selling the farm at a low price, she couldn't afford to slap herself in the face.
In the imperial palace, Zhou Shuren and the prince arrived at the Zheng Hall. Inside the Zheng Hall, the emperor was talking with the grand secretary, so Zhou Shuren and the prince could only wait.
The prince was very comfortable. He sat down and ate the fruit, and gestured, "Master Zhou, you should eat too. This fruit is good."
When the prince thought of the fruit, he sighed in his heart that his uncle really knew how to behave. Yesterday, when he was in the Ministry of Revenue, his uncle sent fruit to the Ministry once and also to the prince's mansion once, because he was afraid that he would not be able to eat it.
Zhou Shuren looked at the prince, then at Eunuch Liu, and also took the fruit and started eating.
Eunuch Liu was truly happy, for when the Crown Prince was away, he missed him, and when the Crown Prince was not in the Zheng Palace, he trembled at the Emperor's wrath.
After waiting for about a cup of tea, the emperor came over.
The prince greeted him, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Father."
Zhou Shuren stood up quickly and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
The emperor raised his hand and said, "No need to be polite, everyone, please sit down."
The prince stood up straight, "My son has something important to report."
The emperor knew that the prince would not come to the palace unless he discovered something important. He had already noticed the account book. "Go ahead."
The prince told his father what he had discovered and showed the amount to his father. Seeing his father remain silent, the prince shut up. He had said everything he needed to say and the rest was up to his father.
Zhou Shuren felt that he had to speak up for the Ministry of Revenue. Judging from the emperor's attitude, he was angry. The emperor always had a problem with venting his anger on others. "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is only responsible for recording. The problem lies with the Salt Transport Bureau and the Salt Inspector who delivered the account books."
The Ministry of Revenue only needs to record every year and will never look at the amounts from previous years. There are too many things to do in the Ministry of Revenue and the amounts to record are too many to remember.
These days, he has a headache facing numbers every day and easily forgets the calculations he has made. It's because there are too many numbers and people are not computers.
The emperor was indeed angry, but when he looked at Zhou Shuren, his anger subsided a lot. "Lord Zhou is very worthy of my heart. You have made great contributions this time, and you will be rewarded. Is there anything you want?"
Zhou Shuren's heart was in his throat, but the emperor was still angry. "Your Majesty, this is all my duty. I dare not take credit for it."
Your Majesty, "Just say what I tell you to say."
Zhou Shuren wanted to curse in his heart. This was also a test from the emperor. Ever since the incident with Sun Liao, no one knew what the emperor had found out. The emperor was suspicious to begin with. He was considered to be valued. The emperor had tested him, so he had to give an answer. If he didn't, the emperor didn't know what he was thinking. It was really not easy for him. "Then I will boldly ask for a reward."
The emperor picked up the teacup and said, "I am listening."
Zhou Shuren said: "I was born into a farming family and studied hard. It has not been easy for me to get to where I am today. Thanks to my virtuous wife who manages the household, I have money to spend. I am old now and I want to enjoy a few years of peace and quiet."
Before he could finish, the emperor interrupted him, his mouth twitching, "My dear minister, you are not old, so don't mention retirement."
Zhou Shuren choked. Did he lay too much groundwork
Zhou Shuren coughed, "I am not going to retire. I just think it is not easy for my wife to follow me. It is not easy to buy a manor in the capital. The land I just bought is not suitable for building a manor. So I dare to ask the emperor to give me a manor."
The emperor almost choked on his tea. This morning, the queen had just sold the farm to the Zhou family at a low price. He had given that farm to the queen. The emperor thought that since Miss Zhou would marry into the royal family with the farm, it might as well be considered as selling it to an outsider. It would be passed down to his grandchildren in the future, so he might as well sell it.
The emperor thought of the manors in his hands and looked at the prince out of the corner of his eye. The manors he left behind were too big to be rewarded. "I have a manor in the south of the capital, with an area of 80 acres. I will give it to you as a reward."
Zhou Shuren talked so much, also want to relax the emperor's nerves, really hopeless to get Zhuangzi, surprised that the emperor really rewarded Zhuangzi, with a raised mouth corners kneeled down to thank the emperor, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
The prince had a wooden face. Haha, when he heard about the farm in the south of Beijing, he didn't think much about it, because most of his father's farms were in the south of Beijing. But when he heard about eighty acres, he looked at his father in disbelief. This was really his father. His father had large farms, and the eighty acres was his. It was awarded to him many years ago!
The emperor felt uncomfortable being stared at by his son and cleared his throat, "The deed is in the hands of the prince, prince, don't forget to give it to Lord Zhou."
Zhou Shuren, “… .”
No, so, this manor belongs to the prince. Thinking back to the prince’s jade pendant, Zhou Shuren sympathized with the prince for a few seconds.
The prince's heart ached, "I will send it to Lord Zhou's residence tomorrow."
He will send the deed tomorrow. There are too many antiques in the manor that need to be moved, and Lord Zhou cannot afford it.
The emperor felt the accusation in his son's eyes, as if he heard his son say, "Dad, I have a whole family to support, and I only have a few farms. I am so poor."
The emperor remembered his family assets very clearly, especially those that he kept in his hands, which were all the best. He coughed and said, "Your Highness has also made contributions. I will reward you with a farm of 130 acres in the south of the capital."
The prince's eyes lit up, and he felt relieved this time. He knew this manor, as his father had taken him there before. "Thank you, father."
Zhou Shuren, “… .”
He laughed in his heart, and he finally understood that the emperor was only stingy with outsiders, and the emperor was just reluctant to reward him as an outsider!