Zhulan felt that the days passed especially fast this year. It was as if her granddaughter had just celebrated her full moon. She didn’t realize how many days had passed. The child was already a hundred days old, summer had already arrived, and Zhou Shuren’s birthday had even passed.
Although it is not the hottest time of the year yet, the sun is very strong and the morning sun is bright enough to make people dizzy.
Zhulan was lying in the rocking chair, enjoying the maid's fanning. She could reach the fruit on the coffee table with just one hand, but it was a pity that she couldn't eat anything too cold. As she thought about it, she felt drowsy.
"Grandma, grandma."
Zhulan woke up from her sleepiness and opened her eyes to look at the two little girls who came running in. "You two are the most energetic in our family. Tell me, what do you want to do with grandma?"
Yudie is the elder sister and has the most ideas. She came over to fawn on him and said, "Grandma, mom is going out without us. I want to go to my future brother-in-law's house."
Yuyi nodded, meaning that she wanted to go too.
Zhulan pinched Yudie's nose, "It's no use for you to act like a spoiled brat."
The last time she went there, Zhao was almost scared to death. Her soul almost flew away. The Hu family's yard was deserted. Even if Hu Xia sent servants and maids there, the Hu family's yard was still very empty. There were not many people, but there were many animals, especially the snakes that woke up from hibernation.
The last time the two little girls went there, they couldn't stay idle and ran around. As a result, they saw a small snake. Yudie was not afraid, but the maid who followed them was scared silly. The old woman picked up the two maids and ran away. This also scared Zhao who was not far away, and she almost fainted.
As a result, not only did Zhao not bring Yudie with her when she went out, she also didn't dare to bring Yuyi with her, for fear that if something happened she would not be able to explain to Chuchu.
Yudie didn't want to stay in the house, she wanted to go out, "Grandma, Grandma."
Zhu Lan was not soft-hearted. "I have spoiled you two too much. Since you are so energetic, you should start learning the rules from tomorrow."
Of course, this was said to scare the two granddaughters. The two children are still young, and it is good enough for them to be able to count. It is too early for them to recognize words and learn rules.
Yudie didn't dare to say anything. Her brother taught her to write every day and taught her simple things, but she still couldn't remember them. She shook her head like a rattle and ran out, pulling Yuyi.
Seeing that the two girls didn't fall, Zhulan said to Mrs. Song, "Yudie doesn't look like a girl at all. I think she's even more naughty than Minghui."
Mrs. Song also thought Miss Yudie was lively, "It means Miss is healthy."
Zhulan said, "There are many girls in the family, and each of them has her own temper. Yuwen is already able to speak, but she is not as eloquent as Suxuan. This girl would not speak unless she was pushed into a corner."
At this point, Zhulan herself laughed. Her little grandson Mingjia looks very much like Su Xuan. Ever since he started talking, his little mouth has been busy and he is always scolded by Yuwen. If the little grandson talks too much, he will definitely get a slap in the face.
The twins were particularly fun at this time. Mingjia was already helping them walk around to explore, while Yuwen would lie down rather than sit. Every time Mingjia got down, Yuwen would lie down and watch.
In the palace, Zhou Shuren had been in and out of the palace so many times in the past six months that he had lost count. He sat on a chair and ate fruit, feeling quite comfortable.
The emperor leaned back in his chair, with the window behind him open. The air in the palace was well ventilated and not too hot. "The days this year have passed so quickly."
Zhou Shuren had listened to the emperor calmly say that he was old, and his heart didn't even beat a beat. "Time has indeed passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, my little granddaughter is already a hundred days old."
The emperor smiled and said, "In a few months, you will marry your daughter off."
Zhou Shuren thought to himself, look how happy you are, knowing that your youngest son is getting married, "Yes, I am very reluctant to let him go."
The emperor didn't have a daughter, so he couldn't feel it. He smiled and said, "It's not far away. We are all in the capital. What's there to be reluctant about?"
Zhou Shuren was speechless. He was talking without any pain in his waist, but he said, "Your Majesty is right."
The emperor's thoughts wandered again. For the first time in so many years, he was not worried about money. The treasury had money in it. Even if he spent a large sum, the money in the treasury still made him feel at ease. Apart from his troublesome sons, government affairs were still easy. "I remember all your contributions in the Ministry of Revenue."
Zhou Shuren's heart moved. He wanted to be promoted again, but then he stopped thinking that it was impossible. The promotion was too fast. "It is my duty."
The emperor smiled and said, "I really like your personality."
Zhou Shuren thought for a moment and said, "I also like my own personality."
He speaks more easily now, but he thinks the emperor should reward him. He has been chatting with the emperor over the past few months and has helped the emperor relieve a lot of stress!
Zhou Shuren thought to himself that even though the emperor was very rational, he was old and was unable to do what he wanted, and his emotions would be revealed.
Therefore, the emperor not only rarely met his ministers alone, but even rarely met several princes, and it was said that he no longer went to the harem.
The emperor asked again: "Your second son has been gone for half a year, don't you miss him?"
Zhou Shuren replied, "I've always been worried about the unpredictable world at sea. Sometimes I have nightmares about the boat capsizing or Chang Yi getting into trouble abroad. It wasn't until Chang Yi sent me a letter a few days ago that I felt more at ease."
He didn't lie, he really had a nightmare and he couldn't recover for several days. Fortunately, he brought back a letter, but the kid didn't come back with the Xu family's fleet. He stayed abroad and said he would be back at the end of the year.
The emperor thought about foreign countries, where many places were deserted. He also thought that with the prosperity of maritime trade, more and more courageous people were coming. Some found gold, while others returned empty-handed and lost everything. "In the past two years, more foreigners have settled here. There is even an area in Pinggang, which is full of foreigners."
Zhou Shuren moved the corner of his mouth. He felt that this was not a good idea. He thought that he could stay if he bought the house. Moreover, he felt that too much money was lost to the national treasury, and he was just a person who managed money!
Although the emperor looked casual, his eyes never left Zhou Shuren. He cursed the old fox in his heart. He had discovered long ago that if he didn't take the initiative to dig, this old fox would like to stay in his nest. "My dear minister, please speak frankly. There are only you and me here, the emperor and his subject."
Zhou Shuren thought to himself, what the hell, the matter involved a lot of things, he had thought about it a long time ago but didn't say it, but when he met the emperor's eyes, he cursed in his heart, he was too relaxed, the emperor must have deliberately lowered his guard for a few months, it must be, look at the emperor, he has never relaxed at all, "I do have some ideas."
The emperor hummed, and even changed his sitting posture, "You say."
Zhou Shuren organized his words before saying, "With the development of maritime trade, foreign countries will know about the richness of the mainland. The fact that more people have come from afar to settle here in the past two years is evidence of this. Although the court has controlled the number of settlers, many have come here secretly. Even if we send people to keep an eye on them, there will still be loopholes. So I wonder if we can issue residence permits to these foreigners, with different levels of residence permits. Different levels require different amounts of money to be paid each year, and the purchase of houses and shops can be controlled based on the level of the residence permit. As for land, I think it is not allowed to be bought, but it can be rented, but only for one year."
Zhou Shuren paused and continued, "There should also be laws for foreigners, or when applying for a residence permit, it should be clearly required to abide by our country's laws. Foreign businessmen should also apply for a foreign business license, and they need a guarantee. This will prevent some foreigners from cheating money and running away."
When he was in Jinzhou, there were several cases of foreigners pretending to be merchants, stealing goods and running away. There were so many scammers.