Chapter 1784: Chapter 1784: Beyond Expectations

Chang Zhi and his group returned to Chuanzhou Province, with Father Qian and Qianjiang sitting somewhat nervously in the carriage, which belonged to Chang Zhi.

Chang Zhi laughed, “Don’t be tense, I’m not a monster that eats people.”

Father Qian thought to himself that this was even scarier than a monster; a monster is simply focused on causing harm, whereas the man before him is unpredictable. He truly feared that saying something wrong would bring disaster to his family. He replied in a very gentle tone, “You’re joking, sir. My son and I are just momentarily out of sorts.”

Chang Zhi believed this, and took out a prepared ice box from the cabinet with washed seasonal fruits on top, “The weather is a bit dry, have some fruit.”

Qianjiang had been secretly observing the man, his eyes falling on the jade pendant at the man’s waist. Hmm, it would take several hundred taels to buy that, feeling that he should indeed wear such a piece.

Father Qian reached out and picked the smallest one. He didn’t even dare to start a topic. From the conversations between his son and the man, it was obvious that the man came to Chuanzhou not just for the main exam.

The Qian family is rooted in Chuanzhou, familiar with its circumstances. If a thorough investigation is needed, a minister without deep background won’t suffice. Father Qian secretly thought that the background of the Zhou Residence is deep enough to suppress any troublemakers.

Qianjiang saw that his father kept gnawing on fruit, twitching the corners of his mouth, and after some thought, cautiously said, “Sir, An San has met you.”

Chang Zhi’s tone was very casual, “The one trembling in fear is not me.”

The father and son of the Qian family exchanged a glance; this statement implied that he acknowledged having a purpose for coming to Chuanzhou. As for why the An family was trembling in fear, they knew a thing or two. So the man had already investigated thoroughly!

Father Qian swallowed a mouthful, cryptically saying, “Sir, the folk of Chuanzhou are bold and big-hearted; you’d better be prepared mentally.”

Qianjiang chuckled; his father’s words weren’t subtle at all!

Chang Zhi also laughed, “I am well aware.”

Not just big-hearted, but shockingly bold at that. After investigating from top to bottom, he admired his own patience.

Father Qian opened his mouth but finally closed it; who is Mr. Zhou? That is the fourth son of Marquis Zhou, who had been in the Hanlin Academy for many years. Often a presence in the Palace, he’d better not advise the man.

In the capital, at the Girls College, Zhulan was flipping through the enrollment register. In just a few days, over three hundred people had enrolled. Since it became known that married women could also enroll, married women enrolling increased, accounting for one-fifth, which was a high proportion.

Zhulan understood as soon as she thought about it; daughters-in-law earn money for their husband’s family after getting married, and some people think sending daughters-in-law is more cost-effective than sending daughters.

Jiang Ling frowned and said, “Principal, the number of enrollments today decreased significantly.”

Zhulan wasn’t disappointed, “That’s perfectly normal.”

There were the impulsive ones these days who sent their children and some who had considered it long ago; lastly, those who were more sensible. Actually, this number surprised her.

Jiang Ling said, “Many teachers from the Chen family clan have come; we have enough teachers for the Academy, but the Academy has received many unsolicited applications. Should we give them some opportunities?”

Zhulan, “Of course, we should give them a chance. You find someone to respond, then choose a day for interviews.”

Now, we’re not afraid of having too many teachers but rather too few. Eventually, all the teachers will be utilized, and she certainly didn’t want to experience having no one to use when needed.

Jiang Ling noted this down, “The Academy’s dormitories are running out of space.”

Zhulan frowned, a building indeed occupies less space, “I’ll make a note of that.”

She planned to discuss it with Rongchuan, as recently the girls were enrolling enthusiastically, and the Men’s Academy was bustling, reportedly already admitting over eight hundred people.

These eight hundred were the result after testing; otherwise, there would be more. Zhulan knew the Men’s Academy was already planning expansion.

Having finished business, Zhulan showed concern, “You’ve worked hard these past few days, so I’ll give you a day off tomorrow.”

Jiang Ling indeed wanted a break; she hadn’t seen her fiancé in a few days, who was now fully engrossed in studying. With a few days without seeing him, she missed him, “Thank you, Principal.”

Zhulan smiled, “You and Shao Ting should take time off separately.”

These two young women were both reliable assistants. She intended to promote them a bit, adding more responsibilities on their shoulders. Both had their salaries increased to one and a half taels of silver coin per month.

Jiang Ling smiled sweetly, “Indeed.”

A Female Officer came in carrying documents, while Jiang Ling left, the Female Officer solely managed logistics, and Zhulan never worried about logistics matters.

In the Palace, the Emperor looked at the request Zhezi sent back by Chang Zhi and handed the Zhezi in his hand to the Crown Prince, “I knew he wanted to stir up a big one.”

The Crown Prince quickly skimmed through it and was stunned, then picked up the gathered evidence, “Father, your intentions?”

The Emperor snorted, “I want to see how he flips the sky.”

The Crown Prince asked, “Should we inform Marquis Zhou?”

The Emperor lifted his pen and prepared to write the secret edict, “Don’t tell him, let him await the surprise.”

The Crown Prince thought inwardly, it’s more like a scare than a surprise. However, he was also eager to see Marquis Zhou’s reaction when he received the news.

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren sneezed several times, almost dropping the salt tax ledger in his hand. Seeing everyone watching him, he cleared his throat, “Get the salt tax for this quarter into the treasury as soon as possible.”

After saying that, he put down the ledger and then sneezed again!

Qiu Yan asked with concern, “Sir, are you feeling unwell?”

Zhou Shuren affirmed he wasn’t sick, “I’m fine.”

The Ministry of Revenue meeting concluded and Zhou Shuren returned to his room, barely settling down before the Deputy Minister of Works arrived, “Marquis.”

Zhou Shuren still preferred the previous Mr. Fang, but unfortunately, one tends upwards, and Mr. Fang was no longer the Minister of Public Works, “Sit.”

The Deputy Minister wore a perpetual smile, “Prince Qin has arrived at the Ministry of Works and taken people to measure land.”

Zhou Shuren, “……”

The Deputy Minister paused before continuing, “These days, the academies are very lively. My family has also sent children to enroll, and I personally visited to see that places are indeed insufficient, as Prince Qin has stated.”

Zhou Shuren glanced at the Deputy Minister, who couldn’t utter a word. Previously, the Ministry of Revenue was most annoyed with the Ministry of War, and now the Ministry of Works unknowingly became the least welcome in the Ministry of Revenue. Let aside the Ministry of Revenue lamenting Silver; he also did. Sometimes just throwing Silver in doesn’t yield results; it made him wince inside.

Considering the need for Silver, he glanced again at Marquis Zhou, with him and the deputy minister wagering on chess games—loser goes to the Ministry of Revenue. Over the years, their chess skills grew ever sharper.

Zhou Shuren, “So, you’ve come to give an early heads-up?”

Telling him the academy will expand with the Emperor urging Prince Qin, so he’s got to prepare Silver!

The Deputy Minister laughed dryly, “Prince Qin said he would tell you, and I’ve come thick-skinned.”

Finished, he was speechless. Prince Qin implicitly suggested his visit, hinting at an extensive academy expansion requiring a substantial amount of Silver coin, but he couldn’t articulate it. He couldn’t afford to offend Prince Qin.

Zhou Shuren lost his joy over the salt tax’s entry into the capital, “Oh, the military payroll for this quarter should also be released.”

The Deputy Minister looked at the ground, refusing to raise his head to see Marquis Zhou’s expression. Thinking about it, Marquis Zhou indeed wasn’t easy. Every department reached out to him for Silver. On another note, his Chief of Staff privately cursed Marquis Zhou for being tight-fisted, yet prayed for him to continue as Minister of Revenue after experiments failed!