After Zhulan finished speaking, she looked around the box. The interior was very elegant, especially the screen embroidered with plum blossoms, which was the finishing touch. She handed the cloak to Mrs. Song and chose a seat to sit down.
Bai had already poured the tea herself and replied with a smile, "If you hadn't come to the Du family today, I would have invited my sister-in-law to have tea, so the private room wouldn't be wasted."
Zhulan smelled the tea. Hmm, it smelled good. She had just eaten something greasy, so drinking tea was just the right way to relieve the greasiness. "There's no one around now. What do you want from me?"
Bai took a sip of tea and said without beating around the bush, "Mrs. Shu knows that my husband is a doctor in the Ministry of Personnel."
Zhulan naturally knew that Bai's husband was not very old and had already reached the position of Langzhong in the Ministry of Personnel. Zhou Shuren said that in the future the Song family would also be able to produce a person of high power.
Zhulan put down her teacup and asked, "What news did you hear?"
Bai was born into a noble family. She liked talking to Yang, and she took the initiative to make friends with her because they were both smart people. "Yes, the Ministry of Personnel is currently conducting an assessment. I don't need to mention Lord Zhou. Everyone knows it. I want to mention Wu Ming, Lord Wu."
Zhu Lan thought, it seems that the Song family is the prince's family, so it is normal for the Song family to know about Wu Ming's transfer, "Does the Song family have a suitable girl?"
Bai was not surprised that Yang had guessed it, and said generously, "Yes, my cousin's little daughter is coming of age this year. Since Shuren and I are more familiar with each other, we are having this conversation today."
Zhulan had also always been concerned about Wu Ming's marriage. The three-year mourning period had passed, and she wrote to him several times to ask if he had any thoughts on starting a family, but Wu Ming always said there was no rush.
Now that Wu Ming was going to Beijing, the marriage should indeed be arranged. Zhu Lan asked, "The daughters of the Song family have always been engaged early, why is this Miss Song still not engaged after she reached the age of marriage?"
Bai didn't hide it. It couldn't be hidden. "I was engaged when I was young. When my cousin was ten, my uncle was demoted because of a mistake, so the other party canceled the engagement. Two years ago, my uncle got famous again. My aunt was a little scared and wanted to find a good man. But the good men in Beijing were either engaged early or too young, so it was delayed."
Bai paused and continued, "I originally wanted to find a good one during the imperial examination, but there was no suitable one."
In fact, the current fifth prince was also on my aunt's list at the beginning, but when I inquired after the imperial examination, my aunt directly crossed him out. According to my aunt, marrying such a man would lead to a lifetime of worry and hardship.
Zhulan's heart moved. Zhou Shuren had a very high opinion of the Song family. "I've made a note of it."
Bai didn't say much, "Sister, please have some tea."
Now that the talk was over, Zhulan felt relaxed. She sipped her tea with a smile and tried the snacks in the teahouse. She thought they were delicious, so she packed two packets and took them back for the children.
In the evening, Zhou Shuren came back and Zhulan told him about this matter, "Do you know about the cousin from Bai's in-laws' family?"
Zhou Shuren nodded, "I know. This Lord Song was originally the Minister of Guanglu Temple, the third rank. Something happened and he was demoted. He rose again two years ago and is now the Minister of Honglu Temple, the fourth rank."
After a pause, he continued, "This is the benefit of having a large family. Without the family, this Lord Song would have no chance to rise. Although he is now the fourth rank official of the Honglu Temple, he is the head of the Honglu Temple."
Zhu Lan said quietly, "If you have family news, you are well-informed. Wu Ming didn't come to Beijing, so he came to our house."
Zhou Shuren said, "The Song family supports the prince. The prince wants to use Wu Ming, and the Song family happens to have a suitable girl. The prince must have given them a push."
Zhulan asked, "So what do you think of this marriage?"
Zhou Shuren spread his hands, "The prince intervened in this marriage, and it doesn't matter what we think. To put it bluntly, we are just messengers, and because of the status of Wu Ming's godfather and godmother, he came to our house specially."
Zhu Lan, "... You are right. Then write a letter to Wu Ming and let him decide for himself."
Zhou Shuren curled his lips, "There is only one answer from the beginning to the end. Wu Ming can only agree. He has no other choice. This marriage will be good for Wu Ning after he enters the capital. Now it seems that the prince appreciates Wu Ming very much and has paved the way for him."
Zhu Lan sighed, "Before we were around, Wu Ming was the boss. Gold will shine sooner or later. Now Wu Ming is just walking more steadily than before."
Zhou Shuren, "It's a pity that it will take him some years to remember. I really hope he can wake up sooner so that I can feel more relaxed."
Zhulan pushed her husband and said, "Go write a letter."
"Um."
The next day, Zhou Shuren went to the Ministry of Revenue after attending court. When he saw Zhang Yang, he greeted him cheerfully, paused for a moment, and even smiled at him!
He turned around and asked the doctor beside him, "What's wrong, Your Highness?"
The doctor coughed and said, "Sir, I heard that two concubines entered the Fifth Prince's mansion yesterday."
Zhou Shuren really didn't care about this. He pulled the corner of his mouth and said, "Well, send someone to the Dirty Penalty Department and ask them to clean up a few more warehouses."
Doctor: "Yes."
Zhang Yang was in a good mood and touched the purse, which was given to him by his concubine. He almost didn't want to come to the Ministry of Revenue today. His father still loved him, and his two concubines were both beauties.
Zhang Yang was a little absent-minded when he was doing the accounts and felt that time was passing slowly.
However, he still cares about his wife. The concubines are all good, and the wife must be better!
At noon, at Zhou's house, Chang Yi arrived home. "Mom, this is the money from the frozen fish in the ice cellar, and this is the money from the fish in the fish farm. Take a look."
Zhulan took it and looked through it. "The fish in this ice cellar sold for a hundred taels more than I expected."
Changyi explained: "The fish market is good this year, and the storage is good, so the price has increased a bit."
Zhulan took the silver and looked at Changyi.
Chang Yi has known his mother for so many years. Although he can’t say that he knows her very well, he knows her about 60% to 70%. “Mom, do you have something to tell your son?”
Zhulan, "Our family has a good relationship with the Chen family. I have always heard about overseas affairs from the Chen family. Now I have heard that the Chen family is going to open a shop in an overseas country. I am wondering, do you think it is possible to buy property overseas?"
Chang Yi was surprised. "Mother, of course we can buy property. My son has met many merchants and knows a lot. This time I went to the fishing farm and learned more. Some people have already bought property overseas. I also heard that some foreign merchants sell our products in their own countries and they are very popular among the people."
Zhulan continued, "I heard that some countries are in chaos, and some countries are always at war, but there are also some stable countries."
Chang Yi didn't think his mother was just chatting with him, and he was moved, "Mom, do you want your son to go out and see the world?"
Zhulan did have an idea. She and Zhou Shuren had no way of going out. At his retirement age, Zhou Shuren would definitely not be able to endure the hardships on the ship. But she still hoped that someone from the Zhou family could go out and see the world.
The world is big, even if you go out for a trip, you will come back with a broadened horizon.
Currently, the only one in the Zhou family who can go out is Changyi. She has mentioned this to Zhou Shuren, and Zhou Shuren supports it. They don't know what the future will be like, but it may help their descendants broaden their horizons and learn more about the world. As elders, she and Zhou Shuren can provide guidance.