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

Chapter 845: Chapter 845: A Long Night Full of Dreams

Zhou Shuren remained silent; his mind had drifted off, praying the Emperor wouldn’t put him in a difficult position. As all eyes were on him, thankfully he managed to keep his composure, ”Your servant doesn’t know.”

The Emperor hummed in acknowledgment and shifted his gaze, ”Do any of you have further suggestions?”

Mr. Qie braced himself and spoke up, ”Your servant believes Marquis Ning is the most suitable candidate.”

Zhou Shuren thought to himself that trouble indeed comes uninvited. Nevertheless, Marquis Ning indeed seemed fit for the position, which likely was also the Emperor’s preferred choice.

After the court session, Zhou Shuren slipped away first. Despite not having long legs, when he really wanted to run, he could run quite fast.

The little eunuch, sent to intercept Minister Zhou, was bewildered, wondering where Minister Zhou had gone.

The Minister of Personnel and the Minister of War exchanged glances and laughed before leaving with long strides.

At the government hall, the little eunuch returned, ”By the time I went there, Minister Zhou had already left.”

Eunuch Liu waved him away and then went inside to report, ”Minister Zhou left quickly and is already out of the palace.”

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, ”He’s not tall, and his legs are not long, yet he sure can run fast.”

Eunuch Liu, with his head bowed, fought back a chuckle, thinking the Emperor’s blunt truth was a bit harsh on Minister Zhou.

The Crown Prince couldn’t hold back and let out a laugh.

The Emperor spoke softly, ”Since he wasn’t stopped, let’s send someone to make a trip later.”

The Emperor was speechless; he truly hadn’t thought Shen Yang would take a fancy to Zhou Shuren’s granddaughter, even claiming love at first sight. Spirited, he had the nerve to be so upfront about it.

The Crown Prince was equally speechless. After dinner the previous night, when Shen Yang had revealed his feelings, the Crown Prince had been genuinely choked by his tea, only then learning that Shen Yang had actually approached Zhou Changlian about it.

Shen Yang still harbored resentment in his tone last night, having learned from Zhou Changlian’s warning, it sounded like he was lodging a complaint to him!

Pah, the Crown Prince thought Zhou Changlian’s warning was too mild. If it weren’t for the fear of spreading rumors, Shen Yang would have been beaten up long ago.

As Eunuch Liu left, the Crown Prince recalled, ”Shen Yang doesn’t want to marry Minister Zhou’s granddaughter as his main wife; he feels he’s not young anymore and should marry, but Minister Zhou’s granddaughter hasn’t achieved success in the imperial examinations yet, implying he can’t wait forever.”

The Emperor snorted, ”Really, you can’t compare people: Rongchuan’s status underwent a shocking transformation, but look at Rongchuan, and then look at this fellow. He hasn’t even entered The Prince Residence yet, and already his ambitions are grand, demanding too much.”

The Crown Prince truly didn’t want to deal with Shen Yang, yet he still had to endure!

At the Ministry of Revenue, just as Zhou Shuren arrived, a palace eunuch followed right behind, stating, ”Minister Zhou, the Emperor mentioned that Miss Zhou is not young anymore, and if there’s a suitable match soon, you should settle it. The Prince will move into The Prince Residence within the next few days.”

Zhou Shuren took out some silver from his purse and passed it to the eunuch, ”There’s not much silver here, take it for tea.”

The eunuch took it neatly, ”Thank you for the reward, Minister.”

Once the eunuch had left, Zhou Shuren pondered over the Emperor’s words, which were no longer hints but explicit. His heart tightened, realizing Shen Yang must have said something to the Emperor or Crown Prince. He had thought Shen Yang’s request would take some days, never expecting it to be so swift.

Well, no need to ponder any further on a future daughter-in-law, it will have to be Gu Liufeng, and it must be done quickly.

The fact that the Emperor informed him was a sign of regard; if he failed to seize the opportunity and his granddaughter’s reputation was harmed, it would be his own affair.

The Crown Prince Residence, Shen Yang, no, it should be Zhang Yang now. Zhang Yang’s head still hurt, he had drunk a bit too much yesterday. Carefully recalling his own words, bolstered by the courage from the alcohol, he had professed his admiration for Miss Zhou, the granddaughter of the Zhou family. He furrowed his brows, having voiced his inner thoughts. Then again, he was a prince, having said it meant it was said.

What was the Crown Prince’s expression at the time? It seemed he showed little emotion. Did he truly like Miss Zhou, the granddaughter of the Zhou family? In the past, yes, he liked her, a direct sort of fondness, because she was beautiful.

Later, threatened by Zhou Changlian, he dared not mention it again, but the humiliation remained etched in his heart. He used to think that he was reaching above his station to pursue the Zhou family, but now the status of Miss Zhou wasn’t even sufficient to be the main wife.

In the past, the Zhou family felt he was unworthy, but now they were only fit to be his concubines. He had blurted this out while drunk yesterday. The only question was whether it would happen. It should be possible;after all, he had been replaced, and the Emperor owed him a debt, which should be enough to grant his wish.

At the Zhou family, after just finishing breakfast, Jin Yan returned. Zhulan saw that Jin Yan wanted to speak privately, so she got up and left.

Jin Yan said, ”Sir has announced that Miss Yushuang’s marriage has been decided.”

Zhulan’s heart tightened, ”Has something happened?”

Jin Yan did not hide the truth, ”Today, an eunuch from the palace delivered a message, saying that Miss Yushuang is not young anymore and it was time to settle her marriage.”

Upon hearing this, Zhulan understood everything. She had already come to terms with it and was considering discussing it with her husband that evening. Now that it was settled, so be it. This too was fate, ”I understand.”

Back in the hall, Zhulan found she had lost her appetite. She said to Zhao’s wife and Zhou Er, ”You two stay behind for a moment later.”

Zhou Er felt a tremor in his heart, recently his parents had been worrying about Yushuang’s marriage. Being asked to stay behind now, it must be related to Yushuang’s marriage matters.

Seeing his mother’s low spirits, Zhou Changlian’s face changed, ”Mother, I want to hear about it as well.”

Zhulan saw everyone’s attention on her and thought there wasn’t much to hide, ”It’s nothing serious, just about the girl Yushuang’s marriage.”

Zhou Changlian immediately thought of Shen Yang. His father had just finished with court and had sent Jin Yan to convey the message. Instinct told him it was about Shen Yang. He hadn’t forgotten Shen Yang’s previous interest in Yushuang, and his face turned especially grim. He thought after all this time, Shen Yang would not bring it up, but he had underestimated Shen Yang’s shamelessness, ”Mother.”

Zhulan raised her hand, ”I understand your concerns, but it’s not that.”

Zhou Changlian let out a sigh of relief. If it wasn’t that, then it was fine, but he still felt unhappy. Yushuang’s marriage was surely influenced by Shen Yang.

Because Yushuang and a few others were there, Zhulan didn’t elaborate further.

After the meal, Zhulan only kept Zhao’s wife and Zhou Er, disclosing Gu Liufeng’s conditions, ”Your father has taken a liking to Gu Liufeng. After much consideration, your father and I decided on this youth.”

Zhou Er was startled, ”Mother, this rush must have a reason behind it, right?”

Zhulan didn’t conceal anything and explained Shen Yang’s actions, adding to Zhou Er, ”You are a commoner, your father didn’t tell you many things. We are doing this for Yushuang’s best interest.”

Zhou Er, who didn’t interact much with the outside world, had his own judgments. He was always uncertain about the true and false princes, especially with the attitudes of his father and younger brother. Now, they were hastily arranging Yushuang’s marriage, and he didn’t feel like it was a missed opportunity for wealth. Instead, he just felt a chill down his spine. Regarding Gu Liufeng, he had heard quite a lot about the young man – his scholarship was excellent, he had an uncle serving as an official in the Ministry of Revenue, working under his father, and he found nothing disagreeable about him.

Zhou Er said, ”Mother, I have no objections. Whatever you and father decide is fine with me.”

His parents genuinely cared for the children in the family. If they were only after wealth and status, Yushuang’s marriage would have been settled long ago. He understood all of this.

Zhulan looked at her second son, who spoke his true feelings, and she was pleased.

At the Ministry of Revenue, Hu Xia felt somewhat surreal. He knew the Deputy Minister thought highly of his great-nephew but hadn’t expected him to consider his great-nephew for son-in-law. His great-nephew was indeed lucky, at least luckier than himself!

After a mere mention by the Sir, he knew he had to finalize the marriage as soon as possible to avoid complications if the Sir changed his mind with too much delay!