Zhulan felt helpless when she saw that everyone was paying attention to her. She had become the focus.
Ran Yan stood up and took a step forward, "I haven't seen Zhou Shuren for a long time, and I know that my niece is engaged to the eldest grandson of the Zhou family, so I will take better care of her. I don't want to upset the Third Prince's wife."
The Crown Princess reached out and patted Ran Yan's hand, "You are just too cautious. Zhang is not a petty person. You don't need to explain."
The Third Prince's Consort Zhang was so angry that her heart ached. This echoed the others' words and proved that she was petty and looking for trouble.
Zhulan shook the teacup in her hand. Ran Yan pointed out all the relationships between the Zhou family and the Ran family in one sentence. This was exactly the result the Crown Princess wanted. The Zhou family was in the circle of power and could not hide. Instead, they were getting deeper and deeper into it.
The Second Prince's wife came over and sat down at some point. "I just heard that the eldest grandson of the Zhou family has been engaged, and I heard that the second grandson is not young anymore. Does Zhou Shuren have a boyfriend?"
Zhulan thought it was Yushuang at the beginning, but she didn't expect it was Mingteng. Mingteng was noisy, and Zhulan felt that this child still hadn't grown up. Then she remembered that Mingteng was the same age as Yushuang, "This child is more lively, and we haven't met yet."
The Second Prince's Consort Wu smiled and said, "I am not exaggerating about my niece from my mother's family. She is proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy and painting at such a young age. What a coincidence that my sister-in-law is currently looking for a boyfriend."
Wu was really grateful for Concubine Ran's reminder. She had originally been thinking about becoming the eldest granddaughter of the Zhou family. After this reminder, she realized that it was better to have a grandson. If she married into the Zhou family, she would be a member of the Zhou family, and the remaining children in the future would also have the surname Wu, which was much better than marrying off a daughter.
Zhulan understood what he meant, but it was because she understood that she felt helpless. It would be difficult for the children of the Zhou family to find a good family without any involvement in the future. Fortunately, Mingyun and Yulu had decided it early on. "Then the threshold of Lord Wu's house will definitely be trampled down."
Just as Wu was about to speak, the Fourth Prince's wife interrupted, "Sister-in-law is here. I was wondering why she was gone when I turned around. Sister-in-law, Third Sister-in-law was looking for you!"
Wu snorted in her heart. The Fourth Prince Zhu interrupted deliberately. Among the princes' wives, Zhu had the weakest background. A weak family background did not mean that Zhu was weak. Zhu, like the Fourth Prince, was the most scheming.
Zhulan breathed a sigh of relief and finally left. When she turned around, she saw that all the officials' wives around her had left. They were afraid of being implicated and isolated.
Ministry of Rites. The prince finally finished seeing everything he wanted to see and gained a deeper understanding of the Ministry of Rites. The Feng family has been running the Ministry of Rites for so many years, and it is really as Lord Xiao said, the Ministry of Rites is almost becoming the Feng family's Ministry of Rites.
The prince stood up and said, "Master Zhou, do you think we should go to the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Works next?"
Zhou Shuren thought that the prince would go to the Ministry of War next. He realized that military power was a taboo. The prince was really cautious. Zhou Shuren was satisfied that the prince did not relax because of the emperor's trust. This was very good. A clear-headed and capable prince made people feel at ease.
Zhou Shuren thought for a moment and said, "I think the prince can go to the Ministry of Works first."
This will bring more attention to the Ministry of Works and show that the Crown Prince values the Ministry of Works.
The prince was thinking about the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice had things he wanted to investigate. Whether it was Yao Wenqi or the second brother Jingyang, the Ministry of Justice had a lot to investigate.
The prince looked at Zhou Shuren who bowed his head to greet him. He had spent more time with Zhou Shuren these days and had a deeper understanding of him. Zhou Shuren would not say a word of nonsense. "I heard that after you arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, you spoke for the Ministry of Works. The Ministry of Works paid money very quickly these two times, and you played an indispensable role. It seems that you value the Ministry of Works very much?"
Zhou Shuren lowered his head even more, "Yes, I think the Ministry of Works is very important. I used to be a prefect, in charge of the politics of a state. The Ministry of Works is closely related to people's livelihood, so I attach great importance to it."
Zhou Shuren thought about it and decided to tell the truth. Development requires the Ministry of Industry. Many modern accumulations are the wisdom of the ancients. If you want to develop, the investment in the Ministry of Industry must be increased.
The prince was moved. Although Zhou Shuren came from a farming family, he had seen Zhou Shuren's vision and agreed with him. "Then go to the Ministry of Works."
Zhou Shuren's smile this time was not fake, it was genuine, "Yes."
Feng Huai personally saw the prince off at the entrance of the Ministry of Rites. As the carriage drove away, his eyes were deep. The prince truly trusted Zhou Shuren. Thinking of the reply from the Fourth Prince, this marriage was indeed feasible.
Zhou Shuren did not ride in the same carriage with the prince. He sat by the carriage window and looked back at the Ministry of Rites. He had talked with the people of the Tao family in the Ministry of Rites. Compared with the absolute neutrality of the Wang family, the Tao family had their own ideas and even inquired about whether he stood on the side of the prince. It seemed that if he took a side, the Tao family would follow him.
Zhou Shuren recalled the reply from Grandpa Wang. Grandpa Wang meant that after Grandpa Tao passed away, the Tao family's children became disunited. Now it is the eldest brother-in-law Wang Ju who is in charge. He is not very capable and is now a fourth-rank official. There is no one to protect him after Grandpa Tao passed away. If he wants to get promoted, he can only wait. That's why he started to think about following the dragon.
There has to be Mr. Wang watching over it, he reminded them, and the old man will take care of it.
We soon arrived at the Ministry of Industry. The office space of the Ministry of Industry was indeed the worst among the six ministries. It looked okay from the outside, but problems were discovered once we entered the Ministry of Industry, so the gate and other things were renovated for the sake of appearance.
Upon hearing the news, the Minister of Industry hurried out to greet him, "Greetings, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Zhou Shuren also greeted the Minister of Industry, "Mr. Minister."
When the Minister of Works saw Zhou Shuren, he was shocked. What did the Emperor mean by letting the Crown Prince take Zhou Shuren to the six ministries? This had caused a lot of trouble for Feng Huai in the Ministry of Rites. In the past few days, Lord Wang and Lord Xiao had joined forces to confront Feng Huai during court sessions.
The Minister of Works was worried, why did he come to the Ministry of Works? Shouldn't he be the last one
The prince said, "I have always been thinking about the Ministry of Works. The Ministry of Works has made great contributions to the repair of embankments in Jiangnan and the planning of the capital. The Ministry of Works has worked hard these days."
Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes in his heart. He was sure that if he didn't mention the Ministry of Works, the prince would definitely go to the Ministry of Justice.
The Minister of Works was happy. What did this mean? It meant that the Crown Prince attached great importance to the Ministry of Works. He was happy, but he understood that someone must have mentioned the Ministry of Works. Thinking of this, he looked at Zhou Shuren and thought that it must be this person who mentioned it.
The prince and the minister went in together. They had not sat for a while when the account books of the Ministry of Works arrived. The prince's mouth twitched. He really did not want to look at the account books of the Ministry of Works. There was nothing to see. The tea he had just drunk was brought from the minister's home.
The prince thought of the other ministries. The Ministry of Revenue had special approval, the Ministry of Personnel was the richest and received the most tributes. Although the Ministry of Rites was noble, it was also rich, and tributes from those below were not interrupted. The Ministry of Justice seemed to be not bad either, with a lot of gray area income. Forget the Ministry of War. Li Zhao was not someone who would suffer losses.
The prince looked at the officials of the Ministry of Works. Most of them were practical people, and the small number of them had fickle minds and were looking for opportunities to escape.
Zhou Shuren said, "Your Highness, I want to go out for a walk."
Prince, "Go ahead."