Zhulan, having finished laughing, asked, “What is Shi Qing doing here? He first used my curiosity, then wrote a letter saying he was visiting, but I felt it wasn’t simple and refused.”

Zhou Shuren told Zhulan about Shi Qing’s letter, and Zhulan frowned. “There are plenty of people in the capital who could be Shi Qing’s teacher, so why did the Emperor allow Shi Qing to become your disciple?”

Zhulan realized her mistake immediately. “Look at the stupid question I asked. Given Shi Qing’s identity and what he’s done, no one in the capital would be willing to take him on. Moreover, the Emperor doesn’t want people to know that he’s mentoring Shi Qing, so Shi Qing’s teacher can’t be found in the capital either. The Emperor recognizes your abilities and cunning, and you’re not in the capital.”

Zhou Shuren continued Zhulan’s words: “Most importantly, Shi Qing and I are from the same Pingzhou City. Shi Qing knows us. Back in the capital, I passed the imperial examination…”

“Shi Qing has even given gifts before, and the Emperor knows this, so it’s more legitimate for Shi Qing to come and become my disciple.”

Zhulan squinted. “The Emperor is casting a wide net. He’s giving Shi Qing difficult problems and suppressing and training Wu Ming. Does he want two knives here, or just one? I think the Emperor values ​​Shi Qing more.”

Zhou Shuren said quietly, “Shi Qing comes from a merchant family, and he’s had dealings with the Emperor. Given the Emperor’s personality, he must have thoroughly tested Shi Qing these past few years. Shi Qing can only rely on the Emperor, so the Emperor definitely values ​​Shi Qing more.”

If it were him, he would also favor Shi Qing more. Shi Qing had no brothers, and his father probably hated him to death. Shi Qing was all alone and had no weaknesses. Such a person was ruthless enough; if he were trained well, he would be a killing knife.

Zhou Shuren was unhappy. He didn’t want to be associated with Shi Qing at all. It was obvious that Shi Qing’s ending was not good, and since he had helped Wu Ming, there was a high chance that Shi Qing would suffer the same fate as Wu Ming. If the Emperor took pity on Shi Qing, he might allow him to have an heir.

But Shi Qing had broken a taboo. The Emperor had never trusted Shi Qing from the beginning; he had only been testing him. In the end, Shi Qing’s fate depended on himself.

Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren, “What are you thinking about? You look terrible.”

Zhou Shuren told Zhulan what he had been thinking: “I think I should write another letter to Wu Ming and tell him about Shi Qing. Wu Ming will see things more clearly then. The Emperor won’t ignore Wu Ming just because he values ​​Shi Qing. No one would complain about having too few weapons, especially our Emperor, who is eager to consolidate power.”

Zhulan parted her lips, wanting to say something. As for Shi Qing, she neither liked him nor harbored any particular prejudice against him. Everyone occupied a different position in life and came from a different background; naturally, their actions and personalities would differ as well. Shi Qing was a shuzi¹. If he had not schemed, he would not have survived. His plotting against Wang Ru was, in many ways, a survival instinct.

Now that they’re involved, Zhulan sighed, “I never expected that Shi Qing would end up connected to us. It’s truly amazing.”

Zhou Shuren also found it amazing. “That’s why it’s the real world, not just words. Everyone’s fate has taken a turn, and the subsequent developments are unpredictable. I’m so frustrated I want to curse. The Emperor has indeed presented Shi Qing with a difficult problem, but he’s also testing me.”

Zhulan instantly understood, “Your reputation in the provinces is simply too high, so this matter was used as a test. If you had flatly rejected Shi Qing, His Majesty would have thought you had grown arrogant. If you had accepted him outright, His Majesty would have thought your schemes ran too deep and that he couldn’t quite see through you. In either case, His Majesty would become wary of you.”

Zhou Shuren kissed Zhulan. “My wife is smart.”

Zhulan felt that Zhou Shuren’s official position was too difficult. “Now you not only have to accept Shi Qing but also have to be careful with your words.”

Zhou Shuren sighed, “That’s why I have a headache. Also, the Emperor is not young anymore, and most of the power in the court is in the hands of the maternal families of a few princes. The Emperor is bound to be suspicious.”

Zhulan knew that Zhou Shuren had high prestige, and Lizhou City was now like a piece of fat meat. The tax revenue of Lizhou City was now divided into several parts, no longer relying solely on the taxes of the common people and some merchants. This year, not only were there ice cellars, but a trading area was also set up. The income from these two items alone was very high.

In ancient times, ice in summer was valuable and rare, and the rent from renting it out was quite substantial.

The reason why Zhou Shuren dug ice cellars after the New Year was that he wanted to take advantage of the fact that the ice had not all melted before it was taken back to the ice cellars. Although each ice cellar was not full, the refrigeration function was the same.

These rents all went into the government’s coffers. Add to that the increased silver in the hands of the common people, and tax revenue has also risen. Although Lizhou City isn’t as prosperous as some of the cities in Jiangnan, it’s still a relatively wealthy and lucrative place.

Zhulan, yawning, leaned against Zhou Shuren. “Not to be rude, but the maternal families of several princes are really making too many moves; they’re restless.”

Zhou Shuren had never told Zhulan about any of this because he did not want her to worry. He had already come into contact with members of several princes’ maternal families. As one of the emperor’s publicly acknowledged confidants, he was naturally someone they all wanted to win over.

Fortunately, he had pulled off a masterful move. Because they feared he might act completely outside conventional expectations, they had confined themselves to courteous attempts at persuasion and recruitment.

Zhou Shuren glanced up and saw Zhulan asleep in his arms. He frowned; Zhulan had been going to bed earlier lately.

(End of Chapter)

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Footnote

1. Born to a concubine