There was only the Emperor in the Zheng Palace. The Crown Prince was not there. Eunuch Liu left. After Zhou Shuren greeted him, he glanced at the messy memorials on the table. His heart sank. The Emperor was not in a good mood!
The emperor motioned Zhou Shuren to sit down, "Have you met with the King of Qi and the King of Chu in the past few days?"
Zhou Shuren heard that the emperor was indeed the most suspicious person. The prince of Qi had many ulterior motives. If the prince of Qi came a few more times, he might lose the emperor's trust. He admitted generously: "Yes, the prince of Qi told me that he did not send people to assassinate me. He also hinted to me that the prince of Qi knew who did it. The prince of Qi invited me to have tea, but I refused."
The emperor was stunned. He didn't expect Zhou Shuren to say it so generously, "The Prince of Qi is my son."
Aren’t you afraid that I will favor my son and trust him more
Zhou Shuren understood the emperor's hidden meaning, "I am your subject. If your Majesty asks me questions, I will tell you everything I know. I will never hide anything from your Majesty."
The emperor looked into Zhou Shuren's eyes, and he really saw sincerity in the eyes of this old fox. He was a little afraid of this old fox, especially because the old fox was protective of his shortcomings and had a strong desire for revenge. He had people keeping an eye on the Zhou Mansion in the past two days. He knew all the reactions of the Zhou Mansion, but Zhou Shuren didn't react at all. He also met the second and third sons in succession, so he couldn't help but think too much.
This led to today's question. The emperor withdrew his gaze and asked, "What did the third brother say to you?"
Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes in his heart, "The King of Chu asked about my son and told me to open my eyes. The King of Chu thought the King of Qi had said something to me."
This time it was Zhou Shuren's turn to stare at the emperor. When he heard the emperor snort, Zhou Shuren knew it was not the King of Chu. The emperor snorted because the King of Chu was not a thief but had an extreme reaction. So it was the King of Liang. That's right. The King of Liang has been very powerful in the past year, and with so much flattery, he has become a little too arrogant and can flap his wings. Isn't he the most courageous
Zhou Shuren touched the jade pendant around his waist. Prince Liang has always been very courageous. When Zhang Jinghong was still the fake fifth prince, Prince Liang was the emperor's youngest son. He curled his lips in his heart, knowing that both legitimate sons and illegitimate sons of the royal family have the opportunity to inherit the throne.
The emperor knew what the third son said, but he didn't know what the second son said. There was no one around them at the time. Zhou Shuren was an old fox. With his two sons, this old fox must have known something. Just like Ning Xu, why didn't Ning Xu make a fuss? Because he guessed who did it.
The emperor fiddled with his bracelet, "I heard from Rongchuan that your third son wants to be sent out of the capital?"
Zhou Shuren nodded, "Yes, I have come this far step by step, so I hope Changlian can also walk down to earth. Although I am luckier, Changlian is not bad either. He has a father like me who can protect him from the rain."
What Zhou Shuren said was frank. Even if he didn't say it, it was the truth. Isn't the purpose of a father to support his son
The emperor paused, feeling that Zhou Shuren's words were pointing at him, "The coastal states have developed very quickly in the past two years."
Zhou Shuren's heart moved. It was indeed developing very fast. The better the development, the more achievements it could make. "Indeed, it can be seen from the tax revenue of each state."
The emperor hummed, "I think the coast is a good place, what do you think?"
Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "I think it's good too."
This is compensation. It is better to have compensation than no compensation. He also wants to thank the King of Qi and the King of Chu. If it were not for the two of them, the emperor would not have summoned him, especially after ignoring Chang Lian.
The emperor smiled, "You really live very clearly."
Zhou Shuren's heart moved, "I am the pillar of the family. I have a big family to support, so I must live a clear life."
He will definitely live longer than the emperor, and he is waiting for the prince to ascend the throne.
In the temple, the queen had already prayed. There were many steps in the temple, and the princesses were in a mess. They were very tired but did not dare to fall behind. They had to kneel while praying, and some of them were a little swaying.
Xue Han felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. Her position was ahead of several princesses. Although she was a little behind the Crown Princess and several princesses, her position was not right.
The queen sensed Xue Han's uneasiness and opened her eyes. "Calm down."
Xue Han quickly closed her eyes and recited scriptures silently in her heart, reciting them over and over again, slowly calming down.
The Queen was very satisfied, but the Crown Princess was worried that her mother must like Miss Zhou too much and even brought her along to pray for blessings.
Princess Qi was so angry that her teeth were itching. The Queen did it on purpose. The Queen also practiced martial arts in the palace. Even though she was old, she was still in good health. She didn't even breathe heavily when climbing the stairs. They were different. Even when burning incense, they walked slowly. She felt pain in her chest when she walked so fast.
The Princess of Qi looked at the young lady of the Zhou family again and asked, "What does the Queen mean?"
The Princess of Chu and the Princess of Liang were not much better; they were both delicate ladies from wealthy families, and it was summer, so their makeup was smudged.
After another half hour, Zhulan thought to herself that the knees of ancient people were not knees. Even with a cushion, her knees were very uncomfortable after kneeling for so long. She was already sitting on her heels, and her kneeling posture was not standard at all.
The Queen stood up first, followed by the Crown Princess. Xue Han was conflicted, and the Crown Princess pulled her up. Xue Han had never kneeled for so long before, but she was so flustered that she ignored her legs.
Xue Han looked at the princesses and then silently looked away. The princesses' makeup was smudged, looking very ugly.
The Crown Princess also wanted to laugh. She was not from a military family, but in order to cater to her mother's preferences, she had practiced it, so she didn't think much of going up the stairs. Then she thought of Miss Zhou, who seemed to have practiced it as well.
The Queen didn't even look at Princess Qi and the others as she walked out, and the officials' wives also stood up one after another.
The queen first chatted with the wives of several important officials, and after taking care of everyone she needed to take care of, she said, "Mrs. Yang, come forward."
Zhu Lan secretly thought that she had been keeping her nerves tense, and hurried forward to greet him, "Your Majesty the Queen."
The Queen personally helped him up and said, "Please don't be polite. The Emperor has mentioned the Third Young Master of the Zhou Family to me many times. The children that I have taught are all very outstanding. I like Xue Han very much. In the future, I will come to the palace more often to talk to me."
Zhulan thought that she had guessed right. Today, the Queen organized a blessing ceremony for Rongchuan and the Zhou family. All the officials and their wives from the fourth rank and above in the capital came. The Queen's words elevated the Zhou family and also elevated her. She felt warm in her heart. "As long as the Queen doesn't dislike me, I will definitely come to the palace more often."
The Queen smiled and said, "I don't mind. I'm just worried that I have no one to chat with."
This is very interesting. Does the Queen need someone to chat with? No, there are many wives of officials who want to catch the Queen's eye, but unfortunately the Queen rarely summons them.
The Queen's words enlightened everyone, and she valued Zhou Yang.
In the capital, Zhulan did gain a lot of respect with the help of Zhou Shuren, but the wives of officials from the big families still looked down on her. According to the Queen, at least no one would look down on her openly in the future.