After the morning court session ended the next day, Lord Xiao sent someone to convey the message that Zhou Shuren's recuperation was over and he would return to the Ministry of Revenue the next day.
Zhou Shuren thought that what Lord Xiao said must be what the emperor meant. He could finally go back to the Ministry of Revenue. Although it was mentally tiring, it would keep him away from trouble.
Zhulan had just returned to Beijing and many people came to visit her. What surprised her was that it was Yu from the Duke's Mansion who came, and she didn't come by herself.
The woman next to Yu came in and looked around, which made Zhulan very unhappy.
Because they were relatives by marriage and Yu was the granddaughter-in-law of the Duke's Mansion, Zhulan endured it in her heart and invited the two of them to have tea.
Yu looked at her sister-in-law beside her with contempt in her eyes. She hadn't made any progress in these years. She smiled and said, "Shuren, this is my sister-in-law Zhao from my mother's family."
Zhulan smiled faintly, "Hello."
Zhao's eyes fell on Yang Shuren's jewelry. The gem was really big. "My master is also a third-rank official, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department."
Zhulan also had some knowledge of the officials in the capital. The Guanglusi Qing was in charge of banquets and feasts. "I heard the master mention the Guanglusi Qing."
Zhao was still very proud. Her master had been the Minister of Imperial Households for many years. "I heard Wanrao say that you were looking for someone for your eldest granddaughter, so I came here."
Zhulan took a while to react before she realized that Wanrao was Yu's name. "Is that so? I'm not in a hurry to find someone for my granddaughter."
Zhao, "It's better for this girl to get engaged as soon as possible."
Zhulan didn't like Zhao's behavior. Even when she was talking to her, her eyes were still busy looking around, and the smile on her face became a little distant. "My daughters are all treasures. This child's engagement is a lifelong event. As a grandmother, I must do a good job of screening. Although our Zhou family has a large population, each branch is really honest and will not calculate for money. I just want to find a good family for my granddaughter."
Yu's face flushed, there was something behind Yang's words.
Zhulan saw the greed in Zhao's eyes, and regardless of the other party's expression, she continued: "A good family in my heart is a family with good family traditions, good character, and a broad mind."
Yu's face turned even redder, because none of the Yu family's conditions met the requirements. The Yu family's family tradition in the capital was not particularly good, and her sister-in-law had often offended people and taken advantage of them by relying on her connections.
Zhao had a lot on her mind, but she wasn't really stupid. She understood the hidden meaning of the words. The Zhou family looked down on the Yu family. She felt like a thorn in her heart, and her face was very ugly. "It's better for this person to know his reputation."
Bah, they are both relatives of the Ningguo Mansion. The Yu family has been in the capital for many years, while the Zhou family has just arrived in Beijing. There is only one Lord Zhou in charge, while the Yu family also has several officials.
Moreover, the second son of the Zhou family was a bachelor, so it was generous of her to let her youngest son marry him.
Zhu Lan was angry and said calmly, "Some people really should know themselves."
Yu's face also turned ugly. She felt that Yang was hinting at her that Rongchuan would inherit the Marquis' Mansion in the future, and she would have nothing.
Zhulan picked up the teacup and said, "It's getting late. I have things to do here. Please come in."
If it was Mrs. Du who came today, Zhulan could still restrain herself, but Mrs. Yu is a junior, so she really would not have any scruples.
Because of her sister and her husband who is a third-rank official, Zhao has been relying on the Ningguo Mansion for these years, so no one can help but give her some face. Looking at Yang, she was angry and said with a dark face, "I want to see what kind of family the eldest granddaughter of the Zhou family can find."
Zhu Lan didn't even raise her eyelids, "He must be a good person, don't worry."
Zhao's eyes widened. Was this saying that she had a bad character
Yu's expression changed again and again, and she pulled her sister-in-law, "Let's go."
She did have some bad intentions. Because of Rongchuan, she had a very bad impression of the Zhou family. She even thought more than once that it was because of the Zhou family that Rongchuan was able to be found. It happened that her sister-in-law was looking for a date for her son, so she became interested.
Her sister-in-law was not an easy person to get along with. She was calculating and not tolerant. She felt that the girl from the Zhou family would have a wonderful life if she married into the Yu family.
But now it seemed that Yang's rude reply showed that she had seen through her thoughts, and she didn't want to stay any longer.
After the two of them left, Zhulan said to the maid, "Put away this set of tea set."
If she hadn't been concerned about the Ningguo Mansion, she really wanted to smash the tea set.
The girl quickly took the tea set out, and Zhou Shuren came in, "Are you angry?"
Zhulan motioned for the maids in the room to leave, "I was indeed pissed off, luckily you gave me the confidence, so I didn't hesitate to retort."
Zhou Shuren looked at the woman who was hugging his waist and said, "Tell me about it."
Zhulan told the conversation just now, and finally said: "This Yu family is very hostile to our family. She must know best what her sister-in-law is like. She even brought the Zhou family to see Yu Shuang."
Zhou Shuren narrowed his eyes, "She thought Rongchuan was in the way, and we were the ones who saved Rongchuan, so she also hated us."
Zhu Lan curled her lips, "She doesn't have much ability, but she has a lot of ideas. I didn't like Yu the first time I saw her. She even relied on the Duke's Mansion to snatch the fabric that my daughter liked."
Zhou Shuren lowered his head and whispered, "Our house is full of people from the palace. Today's conversation will definitely be passed on. Since it concerns the Duke's Mansion, the Queen will take action."
Zhulan smiled. These few years were the most critical time for the prince, and Rongchuan was the fifth prince. Yu thought she had hidden her thoughts very well, but she was really not smart. She was hostile to the Zhou family. The Queen would also protect Rongchuan for some reason, not to mention that she was hostile to Rongchuan.
Inside the palace, the Queen did hear the news. Just as Zhulan had thought, the Queen saw through Yu's thoughts. Yu took her anger out on the Zhou family, as she also thought that Rongchuan should not come back.
The queen became angrier and angrier as she thought about it. She had finally found her son, so she called the female official next to her and said, "When you go to the Ningguo Mansion, tell them that I asked Yu to copy the scriptures a hundred times."
The female officer said, "Yes."
The female official didn't ask what scriptures to copy. The empress said scriptures, which means all the scriptures should be copied a hundred times. The empress was really angry.
At the Ningguo Mansion, Yu had just returned home not long ago. She had just told her husband that the Zhou family relied on their favor and did not take their second branch seriously. She exaggerated Yang's words.
Ning Hui felt bad. He knew rationally that he could only believe half of what Yu said, but he was also a human being, so he still felt bad.
But before Yu could continue speaking, the palace maid arrived and brought the Queen's order.
There was nothing Ning Hui didn't understand. Yu's thoughts were clearly seen through by her aunt. Her face flushed. She said that Yu was also talking about him. Husband and wife are one. Although her aunt punished Yu, she didn't point fingers at him, but he was also largely responsible for not teaching his wife well.
After the female official left, Yu was dumbfounded. She didn't understand how the palace knew about the Zhou Mansion's affairs.
Lady Ningguo came over after hearing the news. Looking at Yu's expression, she snorted, "You are short-sighted. Lord Zhou is a minister that the emperor values. In the early years, Lord Zhou had people from the emperor around him. As soon as you left, your words spread into the palace."