At the Zhou Mansion, Zhulan was not worried about Mingyun, but Li was very worried. Li pulled her mother-in-law's sleeve and said, "Mother, the Liu Mansion has given a letter this time. Can Mingyun go by himself?"
Zhulan staggered, then pulled her sleeve back from Li's hand, "Mingyun is already thirteen this year, he is a big boy, you should relax, there is nothing to worry about."
In Li's eyes, the eldest son is still a child, "He is still young."
Zhulan said "oh" and ignored Li. She was really not worried about her eldest grandson. He was the grandson raised by Zhou Shuren since childhood, and with her occasional patching up, even if the Liu family had any plans, the eldest grandson would be fine.
At Liu's house, Mingyun followed Liu Qi, wherever Liu Qi went he followed.
Liu Qi's mouth twitched, "Are you planning to follow me forever?"
Mingyun straightened his sleeves, "You cheated me, who else should I follow if not you?"
Liu Qi spread his hands and said, "This is not my intention. I also listen to my father, and my father listens to my grandfather. Everything is my grandfather's idea."
Mingyun curled his lips, "Did I tell you that my grandfather is very protective of his people?"
When grandpa becomes powerful, even the princes will scheme against him. He really doesn't think that the Liu family can withstand grandpa's schemes.
Liu Qi was also depressed, but there was nothing he could do. "I want to be good friends with you, but there is nothing I can do. My grandfather is the head of the family."
Mingyun got a lot of information. The Liu family had close contacts with the Fourth Prince. He saw many children of the Feng family among the people invited today. The intention was too obvious. They wanted to win him over.
Mingyun remained silent. As the eldest grandson of the Zhou family, he was indeed very important. He grabbed Liu Qi's jade pendant and said, "I think your jade pendant is pretty good. What do you think?"
Since Liu Qi did not hide it from him, he was magnanimous.
Liu Qi's eyes almost widened, and he wanted to curse, "This was given to me by my grandfather!"
Of course it was okay. There were only a few pieces in total, and only he, the grandson, got any. Zhou Mingyun was really cruel.
Mingyun let go of his hand and said, "My grandfather must be missing me at home. It's getting late now. I want to go home."
Liu Qi's heart skipped a beat. "Are you trying to trick me?"
Mingyun snorted, "I treated you as a brother, but you cheated me first."
When he arrived at Liu's house, everyone was looking at him. If he hadn't been smart, he would have been surrounded by them and he would have seen the wine on the table.
Liu Qi endured the pain in his heart. He still had to go to the academy. He didn't want to really make things awkward. His grandfather liked to control everything. His father didn't have much say until he became the head of the family. He took off the jade pendant and said, "Take it."
Mingyun felt much more comfortable. Seeing someone coming to see them, he pulled Liu Qi's sleeve and said cheerfully, "Shall we go back together?"
Liu Qi gritted his teeth and said, "Okay."
In Ninghou Mansion, Rongchuan sat aside, watching his father and his second cousin Ning Zhixiang bullying Zhang Yang, while his grandfather was still smiling.
Duke Ningguo handed the peeled melon seeds to Rongchuan, "Don't just look at them, eat the seeds."
Rongchuan, "..."
Grandpa spoils him like a child, and several of his nephews peel and eat melon seeds by themselves!
Zhang Yang was already sweating profusely. He had lost so much money this year that, except for New Year's Eve and the first day of the New Year, he had not stayed in the mansion. On the second day of the New Year, he would go to his second brother's house and win all the money he brought with him every time.
He couldn't go out without money, as the money he earned last time had run out. If he didn't have money for New Year's gifts, his life would be difficult after the New Year.
Ning Xu glanced at the silver on the table and gave it all to his son later.
In Zhoujia Village, Xuemei's house is particularly lively early in the morning. Today they are going to hold a big banquet to invite the villagers to dinner, which is the day of formal farewell.
Xuemei didn't have to put in much effort, but as more people helped her, Xuemei also received blessings.
In the afternoon, Xuemei saw off her fellow villagers. Looking at the courtyard that was bustling just now but now clean, Xuemei stood motionless for a moment. She was different from her younger sister. She was young when her mother's family became prosperous, so she learned a lot and saw a lot. Even in the capital, the younger sister was still very good.
She is different. She got married early and is not conceited. She is grateful and satisfied with her parents' equal love. She likes a simple life and the countryside.
Jiang Sheng personally escorted the clan leader home. When he entered the yard, he saw his wife standing at the door. Snowflakes were floating in the sky. He didn't know how long his wife had been standing there. A lot of snow fell on her clothes, and her face was a little pale from the cold. She hurriedly took two steps and asked, "Why don't you come into the house?"
Xuemei smiled faintly, "I want to see more of Zhoujia Village."
She was born and raised in Zhoujia Village, and lived here for many years after getting married. She wanted to see more.
Jiang Sheng held his wife's hand and said, "We will come back."
Xuemei smiled and shook her head. "My parents mean that it will take many years for the storm to pass. After many years, Jiang Du will take the imperial examination and then get married. We can't leave each other."
Jiang Sheng remained silent. His wife was right. Holding her hand, he wanted to say that he was too unmotivated and only wanted to live a stable life, but in the end he couldn't say it.
Xuemei changed the subject, "My family has sold the land and house, plus the money we have saved over the years, so we have a lot of money. How about buying some land when we get to the capital?"
These were not her dowry. They were what she and her husband had saved up over the years. They were able to save up so much because of her father. She had received many gifts over the years, and this time she had dealt with all that she could.
Jiang Sheng: "We'll listen to you at home."
After thinking for a while, he said, "I will try my best to pass the imperial examination, and then try the imperial examination."
Xuemei smiled and said, "Yeah."
In the capital, at Zhou's house, Mingyun complained as soon as he came back. Zhou Shuren motioned his grandson to go back and rest, and said to Zhulan, "The Fourth Prince has made great contributions to Jiang Huai this time, and many people who have been secretly standing in line have come to the surface."
Zhulan asked, "What are you going to do?"
Zhou Shuren said, "I'll talk to Lord Liu, but he won't take it seriously. They've all taken sides openly. This is a bet that can only win. The root of it lies in the Fourth Prince. This year has passed, and the matter of making him a king should be put on the agenda."
Zhulan had a headache. "After the queen is crowned, more people will take sides. Mingyun and the Ran family are engaged, so we should pay more attention to this marriage."
She likes Ran Wan very much and she doesn't want the marriage to fail.
Zhou Shuren said: "I will talk more with Mingyun. Fortunately, this kid is only thirteen, so he is not too old."
Zhulan didn't tell her eldest grandson not to accept invitations in the future. This is unrealistic. The eldest grandson will have to experience it sooner or later. It won't hurt to have more contact with it while he is still young. The earlier he is tempered, the earlier he can take precautions.
In the first room, Mrs. Li saw her eldest son coming back. Seeing his blushing face, she patted him on the back and asked, "How much did you drink? Why are you so careless? Can you drink as much wine as you want outside?"
Mingyun took a breath, in pain, "Mom, my son's face is frozen, it's really not because he drank too much."
Li awkwardly reached out and touched her son's face. It was indeed very cold. "Then I smell alcohol too. You must have been drinking."
Mingyun untied his cloak and looked up at the sky when he saw his father pouring him tea. They were the eldest family, and his father was becoming less and less like a father in front of him. He quickly took the cup and poured it himself. He really didn't dare to drink the tea poured by his father. "Dad, I can do it myself."