Capítulo 1668: Chapter 1668 Eye Drops
The Emperor laughed again, “Yesterday Wu Shiheng entered the palace to pay respects.”
Zhou Shuren heard the joy in the Emperor’s tone, very pleased with this prospective prince consort, so Zhuo Guyu had no chance of winning against the future prince consort, actually, there was no comparison at all.
The Emperor continued, “The Duke of Yongan gathered quite a lot of good things back in the day.”
Zhou Shuren thought to himself, here it comes, “I am not clear, You know my family’s wealth is accumulated bit by bit, I have never experienced the feeling of overnight wealth.”
The Emperor laughed, “The Zhou Marquis Residence has saved up quite a fortune.”
Zhou Shuren was proud, “My wife is excellent at managing the household.”
The Emperor sighed, “Indeed, Mrs. Hou is capable, I have recently read many letters sent back by Rong Enqing.”
Zhou Shuren felt sorry for Ming Rui after hearing this, traveling in winter, his grandson suffered greatly, not to mention the living conditions, just the journey itself was hard enough, “The letters sent back by Ming Rui, I have also read them carefully.”
The Emperor smiled, “The arithmetic books are being well promoted in the private schools, the children are accepting them well, I’ve been pondering many things recently.”
Zhou Shuren was moved, the Emperor mentioned Rong Enqing, was he planning to change the manor in the suburb of the capital ahead of time?
After another quarter of an hour, the Emperor needed to continue reviewing memorials, Zhou Shuren and Gu Sheng left the palace together.
Zhou Shuren stopped after a few steps, signaling Gu Sheng to come closer and not fall behind by a few steps.
Gu Sheng was very nervous, “Marquis.”
Zhou Shuren, “Do you know your current reputation?”
Gu Sheng was on edge, cautiously replying, “This humble official knows.”
Lately, there have been fewer requests for his paintings, and he has heard people discussing him behind his back, but so what? He has saved up a lot of silver and acquired quite a few properties.
Zhou Shuren did not look back at Gu Sheng, continuing to walk, “The view from the top is beautiful.”
Gu Sheng thought for a moment, pondering his reply, “This humble official thinks the view before me is better.”
Zhou Shuren turned his head slightly, “Do you know if you don’t make an effort, when the gap widens, what awaits you?”
Gu Sheng’s fist clenched slightly, “I understand.”
So he and the future prince consort are friends, and he is also planning.
Zhou Shuren raised his eyebrows and did not speak further, leaving with a look that showed he was in a good mood.
Gu Sheng’s heart was unsettled, he didn’t know if his answers satisfied the Marquis, he picked up his pace and caught up.
In the Zhou Marquis Residence, Zhulan was reading a letter from Ming Rui, which contained many of his reflections, he had witnessed a lot of life and death, personally burying children who had passed away, the words were filled with a deep sense of powerlessness, and her grandson wrote to her seeking answers.
Zhulan got up and went to the study, picking up a sheet of paper and organizing her thoughts before starting to write, modern times have yet to solve the issue of orphans, let alone in the harsher conditions of ancient times, she began by comforting her grandson, her writing then turned to gradual progress, everything has a process, and all one can do at present is to have a clear conscience.
After carefully checking the letter, she sealed it in an envelope and sighed, the manor in the suburb of the capital can develop positively, she not only benefited from her status but also because it was near the capital.
Many things like hiring doctors and teaching are difficult, the cold wind blowing made her heart feel blocked, the conditions in ancient times were too harsh, many children died in winter.
Outside the capital, Ming Rui was coughing, Rong Enqing helped pour water, “This time listen to me, let’s stay in the city, wait for your illness to get better before continuing on.”
Ming Rui drank the water, “I’ve delayed the itinerary.”
Rong Enqing took the teacup, “You need to know that the children’s deaths are not your fault.”
Ming Rui leaned against the pillow, “I understand.”
Just feeling distressed, having seen too much along the way, it weighed heavily on his heart.
Rong Enqing thought, still young and inexperienced, “When I was doing business, I encountered all sorts of people.”
He had seen all kinds of suffering individuals, even though he became the honored Marquis, living in luxury for years, having sons and daughters, his heart never softened much.
He went to the manor in the suburb of the capital to find work for himself, feeling more fulfilled by being attentive to teaching the children, going out of the capital to take on tasks was more for himself.
Ming Rui coughed again, “I’ve still seen too little.”
Thought he was resolute, but overestimated himself.
Rong Enqing, “So it’s said you are fortunate.”
The children of the Zhou Marquis Residence were fortunate, with loving parents, no chaotic elements within, deep fraternal bonds, envied by many.
Ming Rui knew he was fortunate even without seeing children who suffered, his wife’s growth environment was considered good, yet she still had half-siblings.
Rong Enqing continued, “Now seeing the drawbacks is a good thing, only by discovering problems can we solve them, we shouldn’t dwell on past mistakes, we should think about how to resolve these issues.”
Saying this, he stood up, patted Ming Rui on the shoulder, indicating for him to rest.
Ming Rui did not rest, thinking he had learned much from Rong Enqing on this journey, after a while he closed his eyes, recalling the villages visited while traveling with the Crown Prince, the more he remembered, the more a smile appeared on his lips, and he slowly fell asleep.
The days passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was December, after December comes the New Year, another year about to pass.
The letter from the grasslands finally reached the capital, Zhulan finished reading the letter and laughed, “Poor Mingyun, look how many times he mentioned fruits and vegetables in the letter?”
Lady Li, “This time prepare more, to avoid being snowed in again.”
Zhulan said, “The vegetables on the manor are yielding well, after keeping enough to eat, send the rest to Mingyun, don’t just send dried vegetables, blanch them in hot water and freeze them before sending them over.”
Previously the family didn’t need to send vegetables far, so they hadn’t researched it, since Mingyun went to the grasslands, they pondered how to eat fresh vegetables in winter without them spoiling, Zhou’s eldest two put their minds to it.
Lady Li chuckled, “It’s all prepared.”
Zhulan added, “And don’t forget the frozen pears.”
In autumn, the Zhou Marquis Residence gathered a lot of pears and persimmons, freezing them as winter approached, mostly prepared for Mingyun.
Lady Li said, “Mom, Mingyun sent back a lot of beef, should we divide it now, or wait until the end of the year?”
“Wait until the end of the year to divide it, unfortunately, Ming Teng won’t get to eat any.”
The Zhou Marquis Residence observed vegetarianism for forty-nine days for his fourth uncle, Zhou Shuren wanted to continue, but the Emperor would not allow it, mainly because Shuren was old and the Emperor feared it might lead to illness.
Ming Teng requested to observe a year-long vegetarian diet, after inheriting the entire Rong family, no one in the Zhou family discouraged him.
Lady Li felt sorry for her son, “At least we didn’t mistreat my grandson.”
Zhulan laughed, “Children need nutrition, Ming Teng isn’t foolish.”
Lady Li had come to terms with the passing of her parents, “Mom, has Ming Hui been going out often without any issues?”
“There are no more problems.”
The issue with the Water Bandits has been resolved, and the scapegoat has been dealt with, plus Ming Hui’s association with Wu Shiheng ensures safety.
Everyone in the capital knows the Emperor is pleased with the future prince consort, who occasionally enters the palace to pay respects and even stays for meals.
In the afternoon, Zhou’s eldest son returned from the suburb of the capital, heading straight for the main courtyard, Zhulan was practicing calligraphy when she heard a shout of “Mother”, her hand shook and ruined a sheet, “You’ve been a grandfather for years, still so rash?”
Zhou’s eldest son, “Mother, a fight has broken out.”
Zhulan lost interest in her calligraphy, “Who is fighting?”