Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!

Chapter 611: Chapter 611 The Wang Family’s Idea_1

The next morning, as soon as Zhou Shuren arrived at the government office, he was stopped by Wong Ju, ”Has Lord Wong returned from the capital? Is the old man feeling any better?”

Wong Ju let out a dry laugh. His own father had been feigning illness, all to meet with him and have a talk, ”Old age inevitably brings some minor ailments, but after resting for several days, he’s much improved.”

His heart was blocked, should he praise his own father’s shrewdness? The old man had noticed something was amiss from his several reply letters. He blamed himself, too, having written Shen Yang’s name multiple times, which led his sharp-witted father to catch on to the issue and summon him back.

Zhou Shuren stared at Wong Ju without saying a word.

Wong Ju’s heart skipped a beat, ”My lord?”

Zhou Shuren withdrew his gaze, ”You surely don’t realize that every time you feel guilty, your gaze shifts downward.”

Wong Ju, ”....”

He truly hadn’t noticed, so Lord Zhou had realized it long ago and only now chose to tell him?

Wong Ju felt hurt, ”I always thought I had a good understanding with you, my lord, but now!”

Zhou Shuren’s mouth twitched, Wong Ju’s expression was as if he had been let down, pah, that thought was a bit frightening, ”Out with it, what’s the matter that you come looking for me as soon as you return?”

Wong Ju slapped his forehead, ”Right, I received a letter from my wife the night before, continuously singing praises of my lord’s granddaughter in the letter. I mentioned it to my father, my lord, look, my eldest grandson is nine years old this year, a perfect match for your family’s Yu Lu!”

Zhou Shuren was stunned for a moment; he had never thought that the Wong family would take the initiative to form a marriage alliance, especially with Wong Ju’s only eldest grandson. The implications were different—Wong Ju was the next Family Head.

Zhou Shuren certainly didn’t believe that old Lord Wong would agree without reason, struck his chin and recalled Wong Ju’s guilty demeanor, then kept silent. So, had the old man discovered something?

Wong Ju waited for Lord Zhou to respond, confident in himself. First, the Wong family was neutral, and he would keep it that way when he took over. Second, his grandson was truly exceptional. Though the Wong family had few males, precisely because of their scarcity, they invested more in each one. Even if a male member lacked natural talent, with hard work and the family’s backing, he could still develop well.

Zhou Shuren could hardly contain his excitement; this was an excellent marriage proposal. He and Zhulan had once considered Mr. Ran’s grandson but had never thought about the Wong’s, given Wong Ju’s position as the next Family Head and the family’s scarcity of males. He hadn’t dared to hope!

Zhou Shuren curved the corners of his mouth, ”I never imagined that one day you and I would become relatives by marriage.”

Wong Ju smiled, this meant agreement. Come to think of it, it was his own father who had brought it up. The Wong family valued wisdom in choosing marital ties, and of course, they wanted intelligent ones to avoid having an inept ally. This time, after learning more about Lord Zhou, he had become the perfect ally in his father’s eyes.

As his father said, having such in-laws for mutual support in the future would enable the Wong family to thrive even longer. Of course, ahem, the old man was also very optimistic about the potential of the Zhou family. Chang Lian and Rongchuan’s recent successes indicated that the Zhou family wouldn’t be a short-lived prosperity.

At the Zhou residence, He Shu came to express his gratitude. Seeing the paleness of He Shu’s face, Zhulan asked, ”You’ve just recovered a bit; why not rest properly at home?”

He Shu’s voice was still somewhat weak, ”Auntie sent many excellent medicinal herbs, and I had to personally express my thanks. Thank you for your concern, auntie; I am no longer seriously ill.”

Zhulan noticed that, during He Shu’s recovery, the sprains on his feet and hands had healed, but his body was still frail after being seriously ill, ”As long as you know your own condition. I’ve heard from Wu Ning that you’ve decided not to go to the capital for the examinations this time?”

He Shu nodded, ”Yes, I’ve decided not to continue with the exams this time. I need to properly recover from this serious illness. Health is the primary capital. My plan is to take the exams again in three years.”

This was his decision. When he had fallen ill repeatedly, the nightmares never ceased. There were too many concerns plaguing his mind—the education of his younger brother still in his tender years, the reputation of his fiancée resting upon him. Should anything unexpected happen to him, it wouldn’t just be his own ruin.

Yet he couldn’t let go of his reluctance, thus he tormented himself. He couldn’t come to peace with it, though he had been well-prepared. Only when he had come to terms with it did his illness slowly start to improve.

Zhulan looked at He Shu. There was no resentment in his eyes, and Zhulan felt very relieved. This experience had been invaluable for He Shu. Not everyone had the strength to let go so gracefully, ”Since you’re not going to the capital for the exams, do you plan to return to the county soon?”

A look of longing appeared in He Shu’s eyes, ”Yes, the He family clan is dedicated to teaching and nurturing. I am still young at heart, so I have decided to return to the clan school to teach.”

Zhulan’s smile deepened, ”That’s very good indeed.”

Seeing that it was getting late, He Shu, though regretting that he hadn’t been able to see Wu Ning, blushed at the thought of her. She had taken care of him during these days, and it would be a lie to say he wasn’t touched.

After saying his farewells, Zhulan had Granny Song escort him out.

In the capital, Fifth Prince Zhang Jinghong was stopped by his second brother with a cold face, ”Second Brother, is there something you want?”

Second Prince Zhang Jingyang was silent for a moment, ”Little Fifth, why does your face grow more and more expressionless? Do you need your brother to find an Imperial Physician to have a look? If there’s an ailment, it must be treated.”

Zhang Jinghong’s expression remained unchanged, ”If Second Brother has only nonsense to speak, your younger brother has official duties and must leave first.”

Second Prince squinted his eyes. Little Fifth had changed too much, and Father Emperor had become more and more pleased with him. These days, whether in the court or the government hall, he had often heard praises for Little Fifth, ”Ah, it’s just that it’s been a long time since I’ve had a drink with my little brother. I purposely stopped you to ask you to have a drink with me.”

Zhang Jinghong scoffed inwardly. This was the advantage of holding power. Previously, his older brothers would tease him day in and day out, and now, his second brother was much more courteous to him, ”No thanks, little brother indeed has official duties.”

Second Prince Zhang Jingyang watched Little Fifth’s carriage leave, twirling the prayer beads in his hand, his smile deepening. Just as he was about to let down the curtain, he exclaimed softly; by the time he looked again, the person was gone. He thought he had just seen Father Emperor? No, Father Emperor wasn’t that young. He must have been mistaken, but the profile did look strikingly similar.

In the evening, Zhou Shuren came home with a jubilant face. Before even entering the room, he called out, ”Son, Daddy’s back, come out and greet me.”

Chang Zhong’s toy dropped, and he looked up, ”Mother, what’s gotten into father?”

Before Zhulan could reply to her son, Zhou Shuren had already pushed aside the curtain and entered. The weather was starting to turn cold as winter approached, ”Quick, put down the door curtain.”

Zhou Shuren stopped in his tracks, his initial impulse to embrace his son halted. He stepped back to shake off the chill before picking up his son and planting a vigorous kiss on him, ”Son, did you miss Daddy?”

Chang Zhong’s eyes sparkled, ”Daddy, you can pick me up high again.”

Zhou Shuren paused, suddenly reminded by the excitement that he had told his son he could no longer lift him. There was no helping it—the boy was developing breadthwise; he hadn’t grown much taller, but his weight had certainly increased quite a bit.

Thinking of height, Zhou Shuren examined his son’s legs in detail, feeling a bit disheartened. In modern times, he had been a handsome young man over one meter eighty tall, but after coming to the ancient times, he wasn’t so tall, and genetics hadn’t been kind. No matter how he looked at his son, he wouldn’t grow up to be tall!