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

Chapter 770: Chapter 770: Showcasing Fatherly Love_1

The Emperor laughed, ”It’s rare for Us to leave the palace, and to encounter my resting minister is indeed a coincidence.”

Zhou Shuren, ”...Yes.”

But inside, he regretted wildly. Why hadn’t he stayed a bit longer in the teahouse? The damned coincidence, he didn’t want any part of it. While others might be overjoyed at meeting the Emperor, he truly didn’t need this now!

The Crown Prince, because of the good strategy of purchasing grain abroad, had a better impression of Zhou Shuren, ”Mr. Zhou, it’s important to rest more.”

Zhou Shuren, ”...Thank you for your concern, Crown Prince.”

What on earth were these two doing out here?

The Emperor felt that the carriage was not the place for conversation and did not speak further. Indeed, running into Zhou Shuren was quite the coincidence; it seemed their fate as sovereign and official was truly bound together.

The Crown Prince also closed his eyes to rest, but his thoughts were many. He was genuinely concerned about Mr. Zhou. After being confined for so long, seeing Mr. Zhou again made him feel the old man had grown thinner, though he seemed well in spirits. Still, he appeared thinner, and it seemed necessary to bestow more medicinal ingredients for his health in the future.

Zhou Shuren suddenly shivered and then felt numb inside. Without a word from either of these gentlemen, where was the carriage heading? He had purposely finished his duties early to spend time with his son, who was angry when he left that morning!

Outside Zhou family’s village, Chang Zhi sat by the carriage window, looking at his hometown, ”Big brother, I vaguely remember this road not being so smooth before.”

Chang Li sighed, ”You haven’t come back for quite a while, so naturally you don’t know about the changes in our hometown. Zhou family’s village is no longer the small village of the past. In the past two years, not only have many families moved here, but the traffic to and from Zhou family’s village has also increased. The road has been re-paved.”

Chang Zhi craned his neck to look ahead and could already see Zhou family’s village, ”After so many years away, if it weren’t for the big tree at the entrance, I would hardly dare to recognize Zhou family’s village.”

The changes were indeed significant; even the bridge over the small river had been rebuilt, and much of what he remembered had changed considerably.

Chang Li said excitedly, ”It’s all thanks to father that Zhou family’s village has developed so well.”

The entire Pingzhou knows that Zhou family’s village has produced Mr. Zhou!

The caravan soon entered the village, and by the time they reached Xue Mei’s home, the informed Xue Mei was already waiting at the door.

Chang Zhi got out of the carriage first, ”Big sister.”

Xue Mei’s eyes widened, ”Chang Zhi, you’ve come back too.”

Chang Zhi smiled, ”Yes, this time my brother and I have come back together to worship our ancestors.”

Xue Mei was quite excited to see Chang Zhi, ”It’s good you’re back, you haven’t been back for a long time. You should really have a good look around, Zhou family’s village has changed a lot.”

”Alright.”

Chang Li got out of the carriage, rubbing his belly. He had gotten fatter after going home, and it felt uncomfortable to sit in the carriage for so long, ”Big sister.”

”Big brother, you must have had a hard journey, come inside quickly.”

Chang Zhi didn’t feel the journey was hard since they didn’t rush and rested well. His spirits were high as he looked around his big sister’s home, which was quite nice.

Back in the house, Chang Zhi saw the little one being held, ”Sister, this must be my youngest nephew, Jiang Lei.”

Xue Mei smiled, ”Yes, time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, Jiang Lei is already talking. How are the fraternal twins at home doing?”

Chang Zhi had an abundance to say about his daughter and son, ”They’re doing very well. The two little ones change every day, and their temperaments are just like the Magistrate’s—small in stature but not in spirit.”

Xue Mei said with a smile, ”I was quite regretful not to be at your wedding.”

Chang Zhi also felt the regret, he reached out to hold his little nephew, shifting the conversation, ”Where’s brother-in-law? And my other nephews, oh yes, and my niece?”

Xue Mei replied, ”Your brother-in-law is at the clan school. Jiang Ping and Jiang An have reached the age to attend the clan school; they began their enlightenment there last month. Jiang Miu went to the Jiang family to play with Jiang Mulan.”

After resting for a while, Chang Li said, ”Big sister, Chang Zhi and I will make a trip to the Clan Leader’s home first.”

”Okay.”

In the capital, at a dining hall, Zhulan was dining on the first floor with her son and grandson. She had wanted to go to a private room on the second floor, but unfortunately, none were available.

Outside, Zhou Shuren got off the carriage, looked up at the sign of the dining hall, and thought to himself that the Emperor and the Crown Prince had actually brought him here to eat. It wasn’t just any place but the dining hall, a place known for not disappointing the palate. The prospect of a delicious meal comforted him greatly.

Upon entering the main hall, Zhou Shuren confirmed he was not mistaken. Before he could speak, Chang Zhong, who was waiting for his meal, scanned the room and immediately spotted his father. He quickly got off his chair, ”Dad, Dad.”

Zhou Shuren hurriedly stretched out his hands to catch his son who was running towards him. The little guy was quite robust and bumped into him with such force that he shook him slightly, ”Son, Dad thinks you need to lose some weight.”

Chang Zhong’s eyes widened in disbelief, ”Just a few days ago, Dad said it was good to be chubby!”

The Emperor laughed out loud, ”This is Shuren’s youngest son, I even chose the name for him, called Chang Zhong.”

Zhou Shuren smiled, ”Yes, he is, he is my youngest son.”

He almost said ’your servant’ just now. Outside the court, he really wasn’t used to it.

Chang Zhong wasn’t a shy child. He was quite the boss at home and had a lot of courage, ”Is Grandpa a friend of Daddy’s?”

Zhou Shuren, ”....”

His son’s words had just dropped him a generation!

The Emperor, still smiling, indeed he was older than Zhou Shuren, but he hadn’t thought of himself as a generation above Zhou Shuren. He remembered that his own son was going to marry Zhou Shuren’s daughter, ”You can’t call him Grandpa, your dad and I are well-acquainted, you should call me Uncle.”

Yes, Uncle did sound younger.

Chang Zhong was still very obedient, ”Hello, Uncle.”

The Emperor felt for something to give to the boy, but besides the Jade Pendant at his waist, he didn’t seem to have anything else. That Jade Pendant couldn’t be given away, but then he spotted his son’s waist and discreetly took the Jade Pendant from there, handing it to the little guy, ”This is from your Uncle.”

Zhou Shuren’s face stiffened as he felt a twinge of sympathy for the Crown Prince for a couple of seconds.

The Crown Prince’s heart ached. His father was reluctant to part with his own Jade Pendant, and he was just as reluctant to part with his. His own Jade Pendant was quite precious and was one of his favorites!

Zhulan had been carefully observing the conversation among the men. Although she had never met the Emperor, she guessed the identity of some of the men from Zhou Shuren’s reaction. It wasn’t her place to approach, but her heart remained anxious.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Zhou Shuren brought his son over, and Zhulan quietly asked, ”What happened?”

Weren’t they supposed to go for tea?

Zhou Shuren replied, ”It was just a coincidence. I still have to go upstairs, you all can go home after dinner; there’s no need to wait for me.”

”Okay.”

After speaking, Zhou Shuren went upstairs, and only when he reached the private room did he realize that someone had been waiting for him early on, including Marquis Ning.

Once the door was closed, Zhou Shuren apologized first, ”My young son is a bit too bold and may have inadvertently offended the Emperor.”

The Emperor gestured with his hand, ”Today I am out of the palace without the title of Emperor, where’s the offense? Besides, the little guy is lively, and I found him quite endearing. You need not worry, please take a seat.”

Zhou Shuren inwardly heaved a sigh of relief, ”Yes.”

Ning Xu was quite surprised, ”Zhou Shuren’s son is also at the dining hall?”

Zhou Shuren said, ”Yes, I am on leave today, but I had an arrangement that I couldn’t miss. My son has always been clingy since he was young. On days off, I always spent time with him. Today, he was looking forward to my day off but I couldn’t accompany him, so my wife took him out for a stroll. It was quite a coincidence to run into you at the dining hall.”

Ning Xu felt like he just got a face full of fatherly display and suddenly didn’t want to deal with Zhou Shuren!