The next day, Zhou Shuren went to the morning court with a headache. Even though he pretended to be drunk yesterday, he still drank a lot of wine. When he woke up early in the morning, he had a severe headache and stared at the princes in front of him, who did not drink much yesterday.
The prince stood there and glanced at Zhou Shuren, who looked unhappy, then retracted his gaze and looked at Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang actually hinted that he was helping him. They were brothers from the same mother, so it was quite convincing.
After the morning court session, Zhou Shuren left quickly as he wanted to go back to the Ministry of Revenue to rest.
Unfortunately, several princes caught up with him, and the King of Qi said with concern: "Yesterday, I thought Lord Zhou was pretending to be drunk. Today, after seeing Lord Zhou's face, I realized that Lord Zhou was really drunk. If I had known earlier, I would have disrespected Lord Zhou."
King Chu, "In the end, the second brother was the most respectful. People who don't know would think that Lord Zhou had offended the second brother in some way."
The King of Qi snorted, "Why did I remember that it was the King of Chu who held the wine pot yesterday?"
King Liang curled his lips, "I will testify."
Zhou Shuren felt as if a swarm of bees were buzzing in his ears. He really wanted to slap them to death, but he couldn't. The princes walked very slowly and blocked his way.
It turns out that he has to pay for his misdeeds. I’ll punish him when I get the chance!
Zhou Shuren cursed Li Zhao over and over in his heart, saying that he had really screwed him over this time.
Li Zhao had slipped away long ago. He kept sneezing and touching his nose, knowing that it must be Zhou Shuren who scolded him for not doing things for his own benefit. Well, okay, he just wanted Zhou Shuren to attract attention. Who would have thought that Zhou Shuren was hated by several princes so much.
Zhou Shuren finally got on the Ministry of Revenue's carriage and breathed a sigh of relief, finally having some peace and quiet. Thinking of King Liang, he remembered how he got him drunk yesterday. It seemed that after King Liang took action against Chang Lian, he had no intention of winning him over. No wonder the King of Chu said that he would not meet King Liang.
At Zhou's house, Zhulan was preparing to take her daughter to Minister Feng's house. Xuehan was thinking about her father, "Mom, I heard what you said to Mrs. Song just now. Is Dad really not drunk?"
Zhulan also felt sorry for Shuren, "Most of it was fake, but he really didn't get enough rest last night, so he had a headache this morning."
Xue Han pursed her lips, "The princes did it on purpose."
Zhu Lan whispered, "Even though you know it's intentional, you can only endure it and pretend you don't know. Endurance is a learning process, you should learn more."
Xue Han nodded, "My daughter will remember this."
Zhu Lan, "Your father has been dealing with several princes. The princes are proud and arrogant. They have been resentful for many times. This time they are taking revenge and can vent some of their resentment. They will not cause trouble for your father in the short term."
Xue Han twisted her handkerchief and said, "Dad has worked so hard."
Zhulan patted her daughter's hand and said, "Okay, don't think too much about it."
The carriage soon arrived at Minister Feng's house. Zhulan arrived late and saw Song Lan at first sight. Wu Ming was in the Ministry of Rites, and Song Lan came in person despite being pregnant.
Zhulan sat next to Song Lan, "When did you arrive?"
Song Lan felt a little uncomfortable sitting there. "I came very early and sat there for a while."
Wu Ming was a sixth-rank official, so she didn’t dare to be late. After her pregnancy started to show signs of improvement, she had been feeling uncomfortable. If she came too early, she could hardly sit still.
Zhulan also noticed it and said, "Everyone hasn't arrived yet, let's go out for a walk."
Song Lan lowered her voice, "Godmother, is this okay?"
Everybody was sitting so they could see anything they moved.
Zhu Lan patted Song Lan's hand and said, "It's okay. There are many people here today. We'll just walk around nearby and come back in a while."
Song Lan really couldn't sit still anymore. With her godmother by her side, she stood up as well.
Xue Han walked on the other side and reached out to support her sister-in-law.
Today is the birthday of Minister Feng's wife, and many people came. Zhulan did not take Song Lan far away, and just walked around near the banquet.
Song Lan felt much better and said, "Godmother, let's go back."
Zhulan was still very worried. If she didn't say that Song Lan was Wu Ming's wife, she would be more concerned if she and Song Lan's mother were friends. "Are you really much better?"
Song Lan nodded, "Much better."
Zhulan frowned, "If you can't hold on any longer, just let me know and I'll take you back."
It would be difficult for Song Lan to leave early. As long as she had a reason, no one would say anything if she left early.
Song Lan nodded, "Yeah."
When they returned to their seats, the Shangshu's wife had already come out. Zhulan could not sit next to Song Lan. The seats were arranged. Song Lan was surrounded by officials' wives of similar official positions. Zhulan was a third-rank lady, so her seat was in the front.
Zhulan followed the maid to her seat. Just as she was about to sit down, Princess Liang spoke up, "Mrs. Yang, sit over here."
Zhulan glanced at the table where she was sitting. Everyone came with their daughters. One of them had met the Feng family before and secretly shook her daughter's hand.
Xue Han shook hands back. Her mother didn't have to bring her here, but she still brought her here. This was to train her. After getting married, she would no longer have a mother-in-law to protect her and would only have herself to rely on.
Before she got married, she was Miss Zhou, so even if she was engaged, it wouldn't be too obvious to target her. But it was different after she got married, because she was a member of the Ning family and no one would be polite to her.
Zhulan greeted everyone before sitting down. She sat at the head table.
Princess Liang had just entered the palace to see her mother yesterday, only to find out that Yang had entered the palace and her mother had lost face. The prince had taken action against the third son of the Zhou family and had no intention of continuing to win over the Zhou family.
Above the prince are the Crown Prince, the Prince of Qi, and the Prince of Chu. It's not cruel to be ranked fourth, but there is no hope at all.
Princess Liang was drinking tea. She was a person who held grudges. She was even more jealous of the Crown Princess, Princess Qi and others who had been suppressing her by relying on their status. She always remembered that she lost face last time, but now was not the time to tear her face apart. Princess Liang smiled and said, "I wanted to say a few words to Shu Ren in the temple last time, but I never had the chance. Yes, and Miss Zhou. My mother likes Miss Zhou very much. In my mother's eyes, all the ladies in the capital are not as good as Miss Zhou."
Zhu Lan thought, here it comes. As soon as she said this, her daughter's hatred value was full. "The young ladies in the capital are like the flowers in a garden, each with its own merits. Xue Han is just the one that caught the Queen's eye."
Princess Liang paused fanning herself and looked at him with a deep gaze. "Shu Ren has always had a good reputation in the capital. I have never believed that Shu Ren is good at talking, but today I have learned my lesson."
The smile on Zhulan's face never changed. Today was a birthday banquet, and Princess Liang didn't want to make things too awkward, as this would bring shame to the entire Feng family. "I just like making friends."
Princess Liang did not continue speaking, but was thinking in her heart, Zhou Shuren is an old fox, and this Yang is also cunning, no wonder the Zhou family is thriving. Thinking of the several failed attempts to place people in the Zhou family, Princess Liang was very puzzled, how could Zhou Yang have such ability
Although Mrs. Feng did not like Yang, she did not want her birthday to be unhappy, so she spoke to Princess Liang with a smile, and the tense atmosphere just now disappeared.
The atmosphere at the main table was pretty good. Xue Han's side interacted with each other a few times, especially with the young ladies of the Feng family. They were all proud and arrogant young ladies from aristocratic families. Xue Han was elevated by the Queen, and the young ladies were not convinced.