Zhulan smiled and said, "Our family is working together, so naturally, we will become more and more prosperous."
She didn't mean to argue with Old Mrs. Du. She would overthink whatever she said in response, as she was currently in a particularly sensitive mental state.
Old Mrs. Du heard the hidden meaning in her ears. Everyone in the Du family had their own thoughts, so naturally their lives became more and more miserable. The old lady's face did not look very good.
Zhulan lowered her head and drank her tea. See, she knew this would happen.
After Mrs. Du's expression eased, she said, "I heard from the Crown Prince's wife that the old Duke likes Lord Zhou very much and has praised him a lot."
Zhulan felt a little awkward when she heard the name of the Crown Prince's wife. Mrs. Du was her biological mother and it would be fine if she called her daughter by her name, but she insisted on emphasizing the Crown Prince's wife, as if to tell her that the Du family was indeed in decline, but Mrs. Du was still the Crown Prince's wife. "Our master also respects Duke Ningguo very much."
Mrs. Du's heart was somewhat lost. Not only could she not enter the Duke's Mansion, she couldn't even see her daughter. Last time she had forced her daughter too hard, the prince took her daughter away that day. The old lady lost her confidence and looked much older. "You must have heard a lot of news about the Du family."
Zhulan was a little uncomfortable. Did the old lady want to chat with her? She turned her head to look at Mrs. Song, who was also stunned.
Zhulan considered and said, "Yes, I heard some of it."
What has been abuzz recently is not only the delayed title of the prince, but also the affairs of the Du family and the Ningguo Mansion. It's only the beginning of the new year, but the capital city is already extremely lively.
Mrs. Du blushed. Her sons had been making too much noise these days, but the Ningguo Mansion had no reaction. The Du family had made a fool of themselves. Her face was burning. “The Zhou family and the Ningguo Mansion are related by marriage. I would like to ask Lord Zhou to help talk to them. After so many years of marriage, please leave some face for the Du family.”
Zhulan frowned. The Ningguo Mansion has always had its principles. If the Du family cannot guarantee to abide by them, the Ningguo Mansion will not give in. The favors they have worn out over the past few days are almost gone. There is really no favor left. "Old lady, this is not something our Zhou family can help with."
Zhulan flatly refused. She would not sympathize with the Du family for their troubles just because the old lady felt sorry for them. The old lady was largely responsible for the current situation of the Du family. She was the unshirkable root of the trouble.
Mrs. Du couldn't believe her ears. When she saw Yang looking at her calmly, she came to her senses. She came to the door in person but it didn't work. She got angry and asked, "You Zhou family also look down on our Du family?"
Zhu Lan said calmly: "Old lady, it doesn't matter if you look down on me or not. I have fought for it myself. Our Zhou family has achieved what it has today through hard work and sweat. We have been making progress step by step. I don't want to talk about the difficulties. If you want to succeed, you must first learn to be a good person."
Mrs. Du's face was originally very ugly, but she felt mixed emotions after hearing the last part. She knew the ugly situation in the Du family best. After the revelation, the old lady shook her head and said, "Goodbye."
Zhulan stood up and said, "I'll take you there."
From the beginning to the end, Zhulan always respected her elders. Old Mrs. Du could not find any fault with the etiquette. She had also been to other houses, but no one would personally see her off just because of her age and seniority. After the Du family lost power, no one respected her.
During lunch, Zhulan left her daughter behind and sent everyone else away. She told them the purpose of Mrs. Du's visit.
Xue Han went to the Duke's Mansion several times after the New Year. "Mom, except for Mrs. Du, no one in the Duke's Mansion cares about the Du family."
She could see that no one really cared about either the Duke's wife or the Duke himself.
Zhulan, "How is Du doing in the Duke's Mansion?"
She really didn't pay attention to it before, but today when Old Mrs. Du came, she was really interested in asking.
Xue Han smiled faintly, "Mrs. Du has always acted like an elder in front of my daughter. Since the Du family got into trouble, my daughter hasn't met the Crown Prince's wife. But Mrs. Yu has met her twice, and she has calmed down."
Zhulan nodded. Yu family’s biggest backer was Du family, so Yu family would naturally be more honest.
Ning Hui was having dinner at the Ningguo Mansion when he heard his father say that his mother-in-law went to the Zhou Mansion. Ning Hui almost choked on the soup, "Dad, my mother-in-law went to the Zhou Mansion?"
Duke, "He must have failed to please me. He didn't look very happy when he came out."
Ning Hui had heard a lot about Lord Zhou's wife. Who told him that his wife said, "The Zhou family has always acted cautiously and rarely got involved in trouble."
Duke Ningguo hummed, "You've been holding the Du family hostage for some time, so give them a final slap and stop making a fool of themselves."
These days, the Ningguo Mansion has been embarrassed by the jokes about the Du family. The unequal marriage has little impact on the Mansion, but it is the first time in so many years that the Mansion has been so lively, and he is still unhappy.
Ning Hui, "My son knows."
In the afternoon, Zhou Shuren came out of the gate of the Ministry of Revenue and saw Hu Xia talking to a man in his thirties or almost forty.
When Hu Xia saw Gu Zhuomin, he knew that he came for Lord Zhou, not to invite him to dinner. "Lord Zhou, this is Gu Zhuomin."
He didn't introduce anything else, Zhou Shuren knew it better than him.
Zhou Shuren did know a lot. Two years ago, he didn't have enough time to do much research. After the New Year, he had plenty of time and the detailed information arrived in the capital. He admired Gu Zhuomin. He took the blame twice. The most serious one was that he was demoted and almost couldn't climb up.
This man was able to climb up on his own and even come to Beijing. His methods and schemes are all upper-class.
As for the Gu family in Shen County, Gu Zhuomin took charge of everything, which meant that even if Liu Feng had a smooth career in the future, there would be no trouble for Liu Feng. This showed Gu Zhuomin's sincerity.
Gu Zhuomin was not as calm as before. This was the first time he met Lord Zhou. The image he had heard about him was very consistent. No, he was also a little surprised. Lord Zhou seemed to be a little fatter than his friends said, and his official uniform made him look round.
Gu Zhuomin didn't want to rush to see Lord Zhou, but he had his reasons. The factions in the Ministry of Rites were very clear, and the result was that he was marginalized. Since he was just a leader, no one paid attention to him, let alone win him over, so his life became difficult.
This is the most difficult place to take root in the capital, and he doesn't want to leave. Once he leaves, he will never be able to return to Beijing for the rest of his life.
That's why I invited Hu Xia to dinner today. We have been chatting at the door of the household department and waiting for Lord Zhou. Fortunately, Lord Zhou is just as he has found out. When Lord Shangshu leaves, Lord Zhou will leave on time.
Wang Ju walked out of the mansion at this time, and was dumbfounded to see that Zhou Shuren had not left. He had waited for a while on purpose just for Zhou Shuren to leave. Ahem, he learned this from Zhou Shuren. But when he thought about what Zhou Shuren had just told him, was it too late for him to go back now
When Zhou Shuren heard the footsteps, he knew who it was without turning around, so he turned around and asked, "Master Wang, are you going home?"
Wang Ju's teeth ached, and he laughed dryly, "Yes, sir, I will be here early tomorrow, and I will prepare it and put it on your desk when you leave the court!"
Zhou Shuren sighed in his heart that Wang Ju had learned a lot. He stroked his beard and thought that he must have learned it from him.