The prince replied, "Master Zhou, you have worked hard these days. Please come back soon."
Zhang Jingshi didn't want to let Zhou Shuren go. The reason was very simple. He wanted to find out whether Zhou Shuren was really standing behind the prince. In his heart, he had never ignored Zhou Shuren. Ever since he failed to take action against Zhou Shuren, he had never relaxed his attention on Zhou Shuren.
The more he paid attention, the higher his evaluation of Zhou Shuren became, and the more he didn't want Zhou Shuren to take sides.
Especially this time when he returned to the palace, the emperor was very satisfied with the job he had done, but he also mentioned Zhou Shuren. Zhou Shuren had mentioned the site selection for the expansion of Pinggang before he came to Beijing. The emperor mentioned Zhou Shuren three times in a row. What does this show? It shows that the emperor has this minister in mind.
Zhou Shuren was not stupid enough to wait for the Second Prince to speak. Now the Crown Prince was the most powerful, so he coughed twice and quickly got on the carriage, "Return home."
The prince wanted to laugh. If he hadn't mentioned inviting the imperial physician today, Zhou Shuren would have definitely asked for leave. He turned around and said, "Now that Lord Zhou is gone, I can't treat my second brother to a meal. I'll leave first, too."
Zhang Jingshi didn't want to see the prince's face. He felt very comfortable without the prince in the government hall today. "No need to see you off."
The prince walked to the carriage and paused, "Yes, I want to go to the palace to have dinner with my mother."
Zhang Jingshi watched the carriage leave. He forgot that as long as the Queen was there, the Prince could also enter the palace frequently.
Although my father has visited my mother quite often recently, it has not lost the Empress's face.
At Zhou's house, Zhu Lan asked, "Why did you come back so late today?"
Zhou Shuren washed his face and said, "I won't have any free time in the future. The Second Prince has returned to the capital. I really want to ask for leave and go to the manor to rest for a few days."
Zhulan paused as she took the clothes. "Now that you mention it, I also want to stay at the manor for a few days, soak in the hot springs, eat some barbecue, that's what life is like."
Zhou Shuren changed his clothes. Zhulan saw the paper Zhou Shuren brought back and asked, "What do you write on it?"
Zhou Shuren whispered, "I have found some officials with serious problems. I will go to the Ministry of Justice tomorrow and investigate them thoroughly. Who knows, I may be able to take some leave."
He didn't think the emperor wanted him to get involved, so the emperor hoped that he could discover something. If so, after he found out, he could take the opportunity to ask for leave to recuperate, and also test the emperor's thoughts.
Zhou Shuren sighed. When he was not in the capital, he was a bystander and could guess some of the emperor's thoughts. But when he was in the capital, he changed from a bystander to a chess piece. Being on the chessboard, Zhou Shuren would inevitably be led astray and his thinking would be affected.
He also needs to take a break to calm down and think carefully.
Zhu Lan was worried, "You should be careful too. Living with the emperor is like living with a tiger. Even though he treats us well, he is still the emperor after all."
She never thought that her kindness to Rongchuan gave her a golden ticket to immunity from death. When the Ning Mansion recognized Rongchuan, she and Shuren did think it was protection at first. But from the attitude of the Ning Mansion and the change of Rongchuan's surname, she and Shuren thought more. The emperor is the king and the queen is the father.
Zhou Shuren, "I know what's going on, don't worry."
"Thanks a lot."
Zhou Shuren held his wife's hand and said, "You are the one who has to work hard. You have to worry about the whole family, teach my daughter-in-law, discipline the servants, and be busy with social events. Without you to help me control the family, I can't work hard outside with peace of mind. My wife is the one who has to work hard."
It was all thanks to Zhulan that the Zhou family didn't hold him back. He had seen too many examples of family members holding him back.
Today's Zhou family dinner was the most complete, except for the one in Changyi, Zhuangzi.
Changli raised his glass and said, "Dad, I'll give you a toast."
Zhou Shuren held up the wine glass and said to his eldest son, who was the least talkative among his sons, "Okay, thank you for your hard work along the way."
Changli grinned and drank the wine in one gulp, "Dad, it's not hard for my son. This is what I should do."
Changzhi picked up the wine glass and said, "Dad, I understand a lot after returning to my hometown this time. I am sorry for making you worry."
Zhou Shuren was happy in his heart. Changzhi had really grown up this time. "Okay, I hope you and your third brother can help each other and support each other in the future."
Changzhi knew that this was what his father expected of him, "Yes."
Zhou Shuren said to Chang Lian, "In the future, you should take care of Chang Zhi. Dad is busy, so you should pay attention as his elder brother."
He really didn't have time to take care of Changzhi. This time when he went to Beijing, he had to take time out to check his grandchildren's schoolwork, and he would be even busier in the future, so Changzhi had to be handed over to Chang Lian.
In the palace, the Crown Prince and his mother had just finished their dinner when his father came over. The Queen stood up and said, "You two can chat while I go to the small kitchen to add some dishes."
The emperor sat down and poured himself a glass of wine. "Why do you want to have dinner with your mother today?"
Prince, "My son and the Queen Mother have already made an appointment."
He really didn't enter the palace to see his father, nor did he enter the palace because Jingyang came back. He really had an appointment with his mother.
The emperor believed the prince's words. The dishes on the table were all his favorites. It was obvious that the queen had prepared them long ago. "What did you find in the Ministry of Justice today?"
The prince knew that his father was watching his every move, and he did not want to hide it. The further he got, the more stable he would be, and the more he would trust his father. "I did find a lot of things, and I recorded them with me. I wanted to report to you after I found out everything."
The emperor naturally stretched out his hand and said, "Take it out and let me see it."
The prince untied his purse and took out the folded paper, "I'll write down what my son has discovered."
The emperor opened the paper and saw quite a lot of things written on it. After quickly reading it, he slammed the table and said, "Second brother is really bold. He dares to swallow any silver."
The prince didn't want to speak for the second brother, but he was the prince, and he thought about the country first, and then personal grudges. "I think the second brother is not so stupid. Although the second brother has always been bold, he still has some bottom line when it comes to unscrupulous things. I think that everyone around me has problems, and the second brother should have problems too."
The emperor was very satisfied with his eldest son's words. He was very satisfied that his eldest son considered the overall situation instead of limiting himself to fighting. The emperor thought to himself that when all the problems were solved, he would have nothing to teach his eldest son. He patted his son's shoulders, which were already able to shoulder the responsibility of the country. "Very good, I am very pleased as a father."
The prince was excited. This was his father's affirmation of him. "Your son was taught by your father."
It means that dad taught me well.
The queen stood at the door and did not go in. She was a little dazed. For many years, the emperor did not call himself father. The current emperor was a father instead of a monarch.
When the emperor heard his son calling him dad, he said cheerfully, "You continue to check the above, dad will take care of the back."
"yes."
At Zhou's house, Changzhong refused to leave his parents' house, "Dad, Mom, I also want to go to the village with my eldest brother."
Zhou Shuren deliberately teased his son, "Your elder brother is going to be busy, and he has to take care of you when you go there, that's not okay."
Changzhong pouted and said, "My son will not cause trouble for my elder and second brothers."
Zhulan interrupted, "Your guarantee is too unreliable."
Changzhong was dumbfounded. If his mother opened the door, then there would be no fun. He really wanted to go to the village to play. He had been around the house for a long time. The street didn't have much appeal to him. It would get boring after a few visits. He wanted to go to the village. He had pestered housekeeper Wang to ask about the village. There were many fun things in the village.