In the Ministry of Rites, Gu Zhuomin was a little confused about Wu Ming and his heart was beating fast. Wu Ming did not even go to see Lord Zhou. This was beyond his expectation. He did not go to the house because he had never been to the Zhou family before. It was not easy for him to go directly to the house and he had to write a visiting card.
Wu Ming dealt with those who came to talk to him and left. He didn't go to see his godfather yesterday, so some people couldn't help but look for him to inquire about the news. They thought he knew the news and was afraid of being implicated so he didn't dare to go. Some people even came to ridicule him.
Wu Ming was lost in thought and felt that Gu Zhuomin was always looking at him. "Why are you looking at me like this?"
Gu Zhuomin, "Lord Zhou is ill."
Wu Ming asked back, "Are you planning to visit?"
Gu Zhuomin was somewhat wary of Wu Ming. Wu Ming was younger than him, but he did not look down on Wu Ming at all. He was unsure of Wu Ming's attitude, so Gu Zhuomin did not say much and just smiled.
Wu Ming also smiled, and then continued to organize the records as if nothing had happened.
Gu Zhuomin was depressed. He would work with Wu Ming in the future. Thinking about the future, his already heavy mood became even heavier.
At the Zhou family, the second guest Zhou Shuren met was Zhang Jinghong. "Why are you here?"
At this time, Zhang Jinghong should be in the Ministry of Revenue.
Zhang Jinghong carefully looked at Lord Zhou's face, and found that it was not sallow at all. He felt relieved. If something happened to Lord Zhou, he would not be able to sleep and would be haggard. Lord Zhou looked good, and even though he looked gloomy, he felt relieved. "I just came to see you because you are out on business. You have been taking care of me in the Ministry of Revenue. I am grateful."
Zhou Shuren, "You just don't have a choice."
Zhang Jinghong admired Lord Zhou, but he really hated his mouth. "Sir, my words are from the heart."
Zhou Shuren automatically understood that he sincerely hoped that his current protector would be okay. As for other things, he would rather believe Yao Zheyu than Zhang Jinghong. In his eyes, Zhang Jinghong was better at protecting himself than Yao Zheyu.
Zhou Shuren drank the hot water and said, "You have seen it, is there anything else?"
Zhang Jinghong really had something to do. "Today, I saw the Fifth Prince talking to Lord Qiu, and Lord Qiu left in a panic. I thought I should tell you."
In the past, everyone in the Ministry of Revenue unanimously agreed that Lord Zhou would be the next Shangshu. Now that Lord Zhou has asked for leave, more officials in the Ministry of Revenue have begun to flatter Lord Qiu.
Zhou Shuren was surprised. Zhang Yang was so bold that he dared to extend his hand to Qiu Yan. This meant that he was planning to support Qiu Yan to become the Minister of Revenue. He really dared to think so. At the same time, this also meant that more people believed that something bad was going to happen to him.
Zhang Jinghong continued, "Sir, there are too many people who want to take advantage of others' misfortunes. Who knows, your memorial may be delivered to the emperor in two days."
It's because Lord Zhou is so envied that everyone pushes him down. If something happens to Lord Zhou, there will be a vacancy and too many people will want to get their hands on him.
Zhou Shuren, "Why don't you stay away?"
If Zhang Jinghong had a better choice, he would also want to leave, because he just wanted to live a good life. "This humble official respects you more, sir."
Zhou Shuren waved his hand, "I'll take note of your words. It's getting late, I need to rest."
Zhang Jinghong left Zhou's house and smiled while sitting in the carriage. He had always wanted to be someone like Zhou Shuren, so he paid more attention to Zhou Shuren than anyone else. Although he could not be 100% sure, he knew in his heart that Lord Zhou would be fine and this trip was worth it.
At the Ningguo Mansion, Ning Hui said, "Dad, should I go see Zhou Shuren?"
Duke Ningguo, "No need, Zhou Shuren would rather no one look at him."
Ning Hui frowned, "Mr. Zhou may have a plan in mind, but once the memorial against Zhou Shuren is submitted, the emperor may think too much after reading it. My son's visit to him may also shock some people."
Duke Ningguo looked at his second son, who had always sought stability, so he was not surprised that he said such things. As for his youngest son, he knew from the time he hadn't returned that he agreed with Zhou Shuren's actions, and might even be secretly fanning the flames.
Duke Ningguo said: "The emperor's actions in the past two days are enough to show that the emperor agrees with Zhou Shuren's approach. We have nothing to worry about Zhou Shuren. Zhou Shuren knows what's going on."
He didn't look at anything else but Rongchuan. The fact that this child entered the palace again today was enough to explain everything.
Duke Ningguo paused and said, "I don't want to hear anything about Rongchuan's marriage. You are the next clan leader and you need to take care of the clan's affairs."
Ning Hui did not dare to be careless with his clan, "My son must be keeping a close eye on him."
"Um."
In the afternoon, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were resting. Mrs. Song woke Zhulan up and came in to say softly, "The eldest lady is here."
Zhulan knew that if it wasn't a big deal, Mrs. Song wouldn't call her, "But what happened?"
Mrs. Song said, "The eldest lady's parents-in-law look pale, something serious must have happened."
Zhulan didn't even comb her hair. She gathered her hair and walked out quickly. She saw a wooden box in front of the old couple of the Jiang family. Their hands were shaking. "What happened?"
Xuemei's face was not looking good either. She just realized that something seemed to have happened to her father. Her parents didn't tell her anything. She felt that she was useless. "Mom, my parents-in-law were stopped when they went to the market. They gave them a wooden box and told them to find out about my father."
Old man Jiang waved his hands in panic, "We didn't want them, but they forced them on us, saying they were just asking about my father-in-law's situation at home. Now all of these are ours, mother-in-law. We didn't dare to take them. It was really not our intention."
Although he was short-sighted, he also knew that his son had always relied on his in-laws. If something really happened to them, everything would be over. The money would be of no use, and in the end he would still not be able to keep it. Without thinking, he hurried home and told his daughter-in-law.
Xuemei was very happy about her parents-in-law's actions, but she was also worried about her father. "Mom, is Dad okay?"
Zhulan took the wooden box and did not answer her daughter. Instead, she took out the silver bills in the box. Oh, what a generous sum, five hundred taels of silver. The Zhou family was well controlled by her, and no news could get out, so she started from Xuemei's parents-in-law.
Zhulan put away the silver bills, placed the wooden box in front of the old couple of the Jiang family, and whispered something to Mrs. Song. Mrs. Song wanted to know who had stopped the old couple of the Jiang family.
Zhulan waited for Mrs. Song to leave before she said to her daughter, "It's just a rumor."
After saying this, he looked at the old couple of the Jiang family.
For the first time in his life, Old Man Jiang reacted so quickly, "We must not have said a word. We didn't hear anything."
Zhulan smiled and said, "Once you find out who sent the banknote, you can take it back."
Old man Jiang was stunned. "I can't take this money."
Zhulan, "Father-in-law passed on the news, this is what father-in-law deserves."
Seeing that her father-in-law didn't react, Xuemei asked, "Mother, do you want my father-in-law to spread false news?"
Zhu Lan nodded, "Well, you just came from your hometown, and the information you have learned is limited. My father-in-law doesn't have to worry about being retaliated against in the future."
She won't spread all false news. Sometimes, even if she spreads true news, she will think that you are pretending and that your father-in-law is not telling all lies. Even if she finds out about it later, she will only think that she regretted not believing the news.
Moreover, after the storm, Zhou Shuren is still the same Zhou Shuren as before, so who would dare to retaliate against him