Zhou Shuren went to find Director Lei leisurely and said that Director Lei was easier to deal with in the Ministry of Justice. When he was in the Ministry of Justice, he and Director Lei got along well.
Before Zhou Shuren even reached the place, Lei Zhushi had already come out to greet him, "Master Zhou, what a rare guest."
Zhou Shuren, "It's winter now and I'm wearing too much. I'll walk slower so you can come out to greet me."
He really wasn't lying. He was definitely wearing the thickest clothes. In order to prevent his legs from hurting in the future, he wore them extra thickly.
"It's just a few steps away. Sir, please sit inside."
Zhou Shuren walked into the room and said, "I'm here to talk to you about something personal. You're the only one I know well in the entire Ministry of Justice, so I can only ask you for help."
Lei poured a cup of tea, put it on the table, and said with a smile: "Whether it is official or private, is there anything that you can't do?"
Zhou Shuren picked up the teacup. The tea from the Ministry of Justice was not bad. "Indeed, there is. You see, the Ministry of Justice has a lot of contact with the Dali Temple. I think you have a lot of contact with Lord Liu, so I came to ask you about Lord Liu."
Lei sat down calmly. He had a good relationship with Liu Jing. Lord Zhou had really asked the right person, "Why are you asking about Lord Liu?"
Zhou Shuren understood what was going on after hearing this and put down his teacup. "My children are all debts, and so are my grandchildren. I worry about them all."
Lei's heart dropped, and he understood. "Your Excellency has asked the right person. Not only do I have a lot of contact with Master Liu, but our two families are also neighbors. I know some rumors about the Liu Mansion in the capital. I want to say something that cannot be taken seriously."
"What do you mean?"
Lei explained, "Liu Jing and I both come from farming and reading backgrounds. It's not easy to get to where we are today. The Dali Temple is more difficult than the Ministry of Justice. If you make a wrong move in the Dali Temple, you will fall into the abyss. Naturally, we must be doubly careful. Liu Jing is very attentive in educating his children. He personally taught all the children of the Liu family. If it weren't for the fact that my son had an early marriage, I would definitely choose the daughter of the Liu family as my daughter-in-law."
Zhou Shuren smiled and drank the tea in the cup. "It's getting late. I'll go home first. I'll treat you to tea later."
Lei Zhushi realized that there was still a follow-up, and said happily, "Then I will definitely wait for your tea, sir."
"No need to see me off. I can go on my own."
In the academy, behind Jiang Du is Dong Zhan. Dong Zhan has been very close to Jiang Du since he came to the capital. As the nephew of his third aunt, he is also fostered in the Zhou Mansion, but Dong Zhan is the one who is educated by his third uncle.
Therefore, Dong Zhan was not close to his cousins, and he kept to himself even in the academy. It was not that the Zhou family rejected Dong Zhan, but that Dong Zhan himself lacked confidence. In addition, the Dong family always wrote letters to Dong Zhan. He had only been in the capital for a short time, but he knew that they had already received two letters. As time went on, Dong Zhan became even more lonely.
Maybe because they were from the same hometown and his surname was not Zhou, Dong Zhan was particularly close to him.
Jiang Du could see Dong Zhan's envy of Ming Teng from time to time, because Ming Teng was outspoken, which was what Dong Zhan envied the most.
Dong Zhan retracted his gaze and continued to read the book in his hand. Thinking of the letter he had just received, he felt very depressed. After the Dong family lost their official position, his father and grandfather placed all their hopes on him. He shook his head. He couldn't think about it anymore, otherwise he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the book again.
After Ming Teng and Ran Xun were laughing and joking, they noticed Jiang Du secretly glancing at Dong Zhan. They followed his gaze and felt a stomachache. He and Ming Rui welcomed Dong Zhan very much, as it was good to have more friends at home. However, their invitations were rejected several times, and as time went by, they gradually stopped inviting him.
Ming Teng sat down next to Jiang Du and said, "Read your book. The teacher will be here soon."
"I know. Go back to your seat quickly or you'll get scolded again."
"I'm used to it. I'm thick-skinned anyway."
Jiang Du laughed. Ming Teng was indeed the thickest-skinned one. He curved his eyes and said, "Yesterday Yu Lu said that grandma has taken a fancy to a family."
Ming Teng stood up suddenly as if his butt was on fire, "The master is here, the master is here."
Jiang Du chuckled, Ming Teng is still not thick-skinned enough.
Dong Zhan raised his head and looked at Jiang Du blankly, then lowered his head with disappointment in his eyes.
In the evening, Zhou Shuren went home and told Zhulan what he had heard. Zhulan was happy, "Then I'm relieved. From what you said, Mr. Liu's wife and Mrs. Li do have the same personality."
Zhou Shuren, "The fact that Master Liu teaches all his children has already proven this."
Zhulan smiled and said, "During this holiday, please treat Master Lei to tea."
"It's settled now, why don't you take a closer look?"
Zhulan, "No need to look at it. Such a rare in-law is not easy to find. What our family needs is an in-law with a clear mind."
"Okay, I got it."
"Well, you're really quick at doing things. You got the results in just one day."
Zhou Shuren was still proud, "I have a wide network of contacts."
Zhu Lan laughed softly, and then continued: "Jiang Du and I mentioned Dong Zhan today. This child thinks Dong Zhan is too depressing."
After Zhou Shuren arrived in the capital, he had no time to take care of his own grandson, let alone an outsider. Dong Zhan had always been taught by Chang Lian, and he really hadn't paid much attention to him. This child was somewhat invisible in the Zhou Mansion. "If I'm not mistaken, there will be a test in the academy tomorrow!"
Zhu Lan said, "Well, there are also too many letters from the Dong family to this child. It's not good for the child to be put under so much pressure when he is still young."
"After dinner, I'll talk to Chang Lian."
"Um."
At the Liu family, Liu Jing was in high spirits and drank an extra glass of wine. Ma looked at him suspiciously for several times, "Aren't you the most self-disciplined? You only drink two glasses of wine a day. Why did you exceed the limit today?"
Liu Jing touched the wine glass and said, "Because there is a happy event."
Ma frowned, "Why don't I feel like there's anything happy? I was wondering why Lady Zhou is so enthusiastic about me!"
God knows how nervous she was when she was at Lord Zhong's house. She almost couldn't hold it together several times.
Liu Jing laughed, "She is not enthusiastic about you, she is enthusiastic about your daughter."
My wife is good in every way, except that she is not so fussy. Fortunately, the children all follow her!
Ma reacted, "I was wondering why my daughter said that Miss Zhou kept talking to her. It turns out it was because of this."
"My daughter is still young and doesn't think about it in this way. Otherwise, I would have known what happened yesterday."
It made him think about it the whole day, and it was only when Brother Lei said congratulations that he reacted.
Ma was excited, "It is indeed a happy event. I was really worried about this girl. If I had known it was for this, I would not have smiled foolishly. You said that Master Zhou's wife could make it clearer and give me more hints."
Liu Jing thought that it was useless to give her more hints. His wife was so nervous at the time that she would not react even if he gave her more hints.
After dinner at the Zhou residence, Zhou Shuren took Chang Lian to the study, motioned for Chang Lian to sit down, and said, "Since the Dong family's child has been left behind, we must be responsible for this child. You should pay more attention to him."
Chang Lian frowned and said, "Dad, I care about him a lot and I take time out every day to check his homework."
He was also very busy, especially at the end of the year, and the Hanlin Academy was not easy either. He felt that he had done a good job.