Zhou Shuren felt hot and uncomfortable, “Water.”

Zhulan hurriedly poured water for Zhou Shuren, “Hey, don’t be anxious, drink slowly.”

Zhou Shuren grabbed it and drank it in one gulp, “I want more.”

Zhulan poured him two more cups, and Zhou Shuren felt much better, but his head was still dizzy. Zhou Shuren grabbed Zhulan’s hand and said, “I want to tell you something.”

“You say.”

Zhulan’s voice was a little soft. She thought of passing the imperial examination and then coughed, her face getting hot.

Zhou Shuren burped and said, “The Emperor tricked me into taking our house in Pinggang. All three houses are gone.”

Zhulan, “.”

She wanted to hit someone!

Zhou Shuren laughed, “However, the Emperor also said that he would reward us with a house with three large courtyards. The location is particularly good. There is a small garden and a pond in the courtyard. The scenery is great in all seasons.”

Zhulan’s eager thoughts disappeared, and she asked excitedly, “Really?”

Was her daydream going to come true?

Zhou Shuren nodded, “Really, but I have to solve the situation in Lizhou City before he can give it to us.”

Zhulan, “.”

She still wanted to hit someone!

Zhulan gritted her teeth as she watched Zhou Shuren fall asleep on the table. No, her heart ached. The Emperor was really good at this. Her three houses. She was just calculating how much the house in Pinggang had increased in value!

Wait, how could Zhou Shuren, a runner-up, solve the Lizhou situation? It seemed that her guess had come true!

Zhulan didn’t know. Fortunately, Zhou Shuren was asleep. She didn’t know about the imperial edict in the court, otherwise she would not be able to sleep all night.

Zhulan wiped Zhou Shuren’s face and took off his clothes. Zhou Shuren was snoring in his sleep. Zhulan pinched Zhou Shuren’s face and suddenly laughed. This man who never suffered any loss was tricked today. He must be very upset!

Zhulan stretched out her hand to rub Zhou Shuren’s knees. It seemed that he knelt a lot today. His knees were a little blue. In ancient times, officials had to have good knees. She was really afraid that Zhou Shuren’s knees would be uncomfortable when he got old.

There are some pitfalls in this dynasty, why should we kneel? No, why should this dynasty continue the custom of the previous dynasty!

The next morning, Zhou Shuren woke up with a headache. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Zhulan resting her head on his arm. Zhou Shuren’s breath smelled of alcohol. He quickly closed his mouth, thinking it was amazing that Zhulan didn’t dislike him. He hugged Zhulan with tenderness in his eyes, but the movement was a little too big and Zhulan woke up.

Zhulan rubbed her eyes and said, “You’re awake too.”

“Well, thank you for your hard work last night.”

Zhulan said faintly: “It’s not hard, but it’s very stressful for my heart.”

Zhou Shuren recalled carefully. He had no memory loss when he came back, and he quickly remembered what he had said. It was indeed very heart-wrenching. It was a pity that Zhulan didn’t punish him.

Zhulan cleared her mind for a while and asked, “What do you mean by Lizhou City? Were you sent out as I guessed?”

Zhou Shuren smiled, “How did you guess that?”

Zhulan told Zhou Shuren about the parade she saw. “It was obvious that something big had happened. I guessed it.”

Zhou Shuren kissed Zhulan on the forehead and said, “Smart, I was sent to Lizhou City as the Zhizhou¹, a fifth-rank official.”

Zhulan, “.”

The official position was high, but the job was difficult and the risk factor was extremely high, and it was easy to lose your head!

Zhou Shuren coughed and said, “There were four imperial edicts yesterday.”

After hearing this, Zhulan covered her chest and said, “Don’t talk, let me take it easy.”

The imperial decree had been issued, and the house in Pinggang would double in value. The land had already been sold, and she wasn’t the least bit troubled about that. What bothered her was the house. Although the Emperor’s words were not to be taken lightly, Zhulan had no confidence in the current Emperor. She only focused on the reality before her: her house was gone, and she hadn’t received a single penny for it!

It was only then that she realized—her savvy investments, in the era of imperial power, meant nothing!

Zhou Shuren, “Change your mind, the house the Emperor gave as a reward cannot be exchanged for money.”

Zhulan laughed, “Do you have confidence in the Emperor’s words? I don’t have confidence anyway.”

Zhou Shuren, “.”

The Emperor really didn’t know that Zhou Shuren and his wife thought of him this way. Although he had done a lot of shameless things, he would fulfill his words, but there were always prerequisites!

At breakfast in the morning, Chang Lian finally saw his father, but his father’s face was not very good, so he did not dare to go forward.

Zhou Shuren’s face looked like he had been drinking. Good wine was indeed delicious and had a strong aftereffect, but his head still hurt.

Wu Ming drank the least amount of wine, and almost no one came forward to toast him. He was the most coldly treated top scholar since the founding of the dynasty.

After breakfast, Zhou Shuren called Wu Ming to the study. Chang Lian stood aside, dumbfounded. His own son had been standing there for a long time, but his father seemed to have never noticed him!

Boss Zhou patted his third brother on the shoulder and said, “Dad and Wu Ming must have something important to discuss.”

He also saw the parade yesterday, so it must be something big!

Chang Lian looked at his eldest brother. He realized that he had only been away from him for a few months, but he had changed a lot. His clothes were secondary, but his aura was the main thing. Now he could even understand his father’s affairs. He felt a little nervous. The more his eldest brother was in line with his father’s wishes, the other sons would have to be separated sooner or later! This was not good. Chang Lian walked towards the study.

Boss Zhou opened his mouth and closed it again. He could also see what the third brother was thinking. He felt very emotional. Everything had changed. The brothers were thinking more and more about themselves. He wanted to win his father’s attention for his son. He didn’t know when Mingyun would come to the capital.

Boss Zhou laughed in his heart. Who could have thought that his father would be so powerful? Now that his father’s identity had changed, his thoughts had also changed. He used to think that being the eldest brother was not good as he was always betrayed by his younger brothers. But now it was good to be the eldest brother. The eldest son was supposed to live with his parents. His experience in the capital for a few months had proved how good it was to live with his parents.

It was indeed as his mother said, in different environments, people’s hearts would change accordingly. Their identities had changed, and they had also changed, and they could never go back.

Er Yue ran over and said, “Master, there are officials and eunuchs outside the door.”

(End of this chapter)

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Footnote

1. A Zhizhou was a prefectural governor in ancient China, typically overseeing the administration of a zhou, which was a regional division.

T/N Poor Zhulan