Zhou Shuren and Lord Fang went out together, and Lord Fang said, "Thank you Lord Zhou for today."
Zhou Shuren, "It's the prince who is coming over."
Lord Fang smiled and said, "Please come this way, sir."
Zhou Shuren really liked dealing with Lord Fang, and soon after a brief visit, he got to know the Ministry of Works. There were not many officials in the Ministry of Works, some of them were on business trips to Jiangnan, and some were following the plans of the Third Prince.
When Zhou Shuren returned, the prince had already looked through several account books. He didn't look at them carefully, but he had an idea in mind.
Zhou Shuren didn't say much. He had already made his suggestion today that it was not good to say too much and that he should take his time and not rush.
At the Zhou Mansion, Zhulan returned home feeling exhausted. She had just changed her clothes and had no mood to rest. She asked someone to invite Mr. Deng to come, as she wanted to inquire about the Wu family first.
Zhulan took out the booklet she had compiled, which contained all the female relatives of officials in the capital. Although she had a good memory, she really couldn't remember them all.
Mr. Deng did not come, but Mrs. Dong and Mrs. Zhao came together, and they brought Yuyi and Yudie with them.
Zhulan waved her hand, "Come here quickly, let grandma take a look."
Of the two little girls, Yudie was well raised by Zhao. She is no longer thin as before and has gained a lot of weight. Although she does not have Zhao's looks, she is still a lovely child.
Not to mention Yuyi, who is doted on by Mrs. Dong. Changlian, her father, also dotes on Yuyi very much. The little girl loves to laugh and is very likable.
Zhulan noticed that her two granddaughters were wearing collars, "Yo, these two little ones have the same collars."
Zhao smiled and said, "My sister-in-law and I rarely see the same jewelry in a jewelry store. It's just right for the two little ones, so we bought it."
Zhulan looked at the two little ones holding hands and smiled happily, "These two girls, if you don't know them, you would think they are twins!"
Mrs. Dong said, "They are close in age, but they are much older than Yu Shuang and Yu Lu. These two are as close as one person and even want to sleep together at night!"
Zhulan saw the two little ones going out to play and asked the two daughters-in-law, "You came together, but is there something wrong?"
When she was at home, her daughters-in-law would come to visit her every day, but they would never come on the days when she was attending social events.
Mrs. Dong was a little embarrassed, "Mom, you are going to be a grandmother again."
Zhulan was delighted to hear this, "I said, children are destiny, look, they are here."
Mrs. Dong was also afraid. Fortunately, she didn't take the medicine to pray for a child. "Yes, my daughter-in-law didn't understand before and made you worry."
Zhulan smiled and said, "Now that you are born, you can relax. Whether it is a son or a daughter, it is destined for you. Don't let your imagination run wild."
Among these four daughters-in-law, only the third wife has no son, which puts Mrs. Dong under great pressure.
Mrs. Dong still wants a son. Now that she has a daughter, she wants another son. It would be great if she has both a son and a daughter. She knows that her mother-in-law wants to make her feel at ease. She is grateful to her mother-in-law. Her own mother-in-law never puts pressure on her. This pregnancy is even more emotional. Her eyes are slightly red. "My daughter-in-law must have done good deeds in her previous life to be my mother's daughter-in-law. In the next life, I will be my mother's daughter-in-law again."
Zhulan laughed, "It seems that in my next life, I have to give birth to more sons, otherwise there won't be enough to go around."
Dong had said it before, Li also said it later, and it seemed that several daughters-in-law had said it.
Zhao and Dong both laughed. Zhao said, "Mother, I sorted out the skins that my husband brought back and picked out the best ones for my sister-in-law. My husband asked me to tell you and send them over soon."
Zhu Lan said, "Okay, I'll hand it over to Mrs. Song later."
Changyi bought a lot of leather, and the best pieces were sent to the main courtyard as soon as she got home. She liked them very much and had already given them to the sewing room to make winter clothes.
Zhulan thought for a moment and said, "When we go to Beijing this year, the banquets we will attend will be different. You should make more clothes. My mother will pay for the leather."
Dong and Zhao looked at each other. They knew best that their mother-in-law liked to save things. She had a lot of good things in her hands. They said happily, "Thank you, mother."
Zhulan mentioned it to Zhao again, "Don't worry about Yushuang's marriage, I'm watching over her!"
Zhao said: "Mother, your daughter-in-law is not in a hurry now, but she is a little worried."
Zhu Lan thought for a moment and said, "Today in the Third Prince's Mansion, the Second Prince's wife mentioned Ming Teng, which will distract some attention from Yu Shuang."
Mrs. Dong frowned, "Ming Teng and Ming Rui are only a few years apart in age."
When Zhao heard this, it was true and her head started to hurt.
Zhulan said: "Mingrui is still young, there is no rush."
At this time, Mr. Deng arrived, and Zhao and Dong took the children back. Zhulan suggested checking the Wu family.
Deng Xiucai took it to heart, and Zhulan then said, "Can you help me see if there are any shops in the capital that sell it?"
Mr. Deng calculated in his mind, how much dowry will Mr. Zhou give Miss Zhou? However, he still kept it in mind, "I'll take note of it."
In fact, Deng Xiucai guessed wrong. Zhulan had money in her hands, and she wanted to buy more shops, not for Xuehan's dowry, but to add to the Zhou family's assets.
Inside the palace, the emperor was looking at the secret letter. Zhang Jinghong did not disappoint him. He actually deceived the other party's trust and sneaked into a stronghold. It was a pity that he did not catch any big fish. The official positions on the list sent were not high, but the positions they were in were still quite important.
The emperor burned the secret letter, so the fourth brother went to Jianghuai and rushed in recklessly. It was a solution, but the effect was minimal. Thinking of the conversation between the prince and Zhou Shuren, he asked the person behind the scenes and picked up a pen to write a letter.
The emperor quickly wrote the letter and sent it away. He then picked up the memorial written by the second son, glanced at it and threw it away. The second son had received a lot of silver during this mission, so it would be better for him to return it.
In the evening, when Zhou Shuren just got home, Zhulan said to him, "The Ningguo Mansion has received a letter, wanting to go through the three letters and six ceremonies again."
Zhou Shuren, "It's been a while since Rongchuan got married, but the Ningguo Mansion didn't come to visit. I guessed this would be the result. They should be preparing the betrothal gifts these days!"
Zhulan held out her hand and handed over the clothes. "Who do you think will come with the matchmaker tomorrow?"
Zhou Shuren said: "We will know tomorrow."
Zhulan was happy to go through it all again, not for the betrothal gift, but for the happiness of her daughter and Rongchuan.
Zhou Shuren said: "The betrothal gift this time must be very expensive. The betrothal gift is also Xue Han's dowry. I have also estimated that with this betrothal gift, Xue Han's dowry will not need to be increased."
Zhu Lan, "If you don't tell me, I won't add more. I asked about the dowry of the prince's wife, and Xue Han's dowry is enough."
The Ningguo Mansion has already stocked up on the precious antiques and other ornaments that were previously scarce, so it would be fine to add more.
Zhou Shuren, "I don't know when the eldest brother and Changzhi will be home. Don't say it, as a father, I didn't care before, but this time when they left, I was still worried about them."
Zhulan laughed, "You were busy a while ago, I didn't hear you mention it, but it seems that your days with the prince are relatively free."
Zhou Shuren also laughed, "That's why I'm in such a good mood."