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

Chapter 1034: Chapter 1034: Hope to Be Recognized

In the evening, Zhulan told Zhou Shuren her suspicions, ”Do you want to try probing Shi Qing?”

Without even thinking, Zhou Shuren immediately dismissed the idea, ”Asking or not, it does us no good.”

Zhulan wanted to argue—who said that? She had plans of her own. But then she thought about it and realized Zhou Shuren was right. Indeed, it was of no benefit to them. What difference did it make whether they knew or not? They were merely spectators, not wanting to get involved.

Zhou Shuren was preoccupied with Chang Yi, ”The ships set sail today; I wonder if they can reach their destination smoothly.”

”The embassy is headed to a neighboring country, not some far-off maritime nation. Heading south should be relatively safe.”

Zhou Shuren sighed, ”Tomorrow is a rest day, and I can finally take a good break. These past days have been truly exhausting. Ah, silver, silver, my mind is filled with nothing but silver. We can’t raise the taxes on the citizens. In order to boost the economy, we’ve reduced the merchants’ taxes a bit. Thankfully, the maritime trade taxes compensate for that, and adding last year’s salt tax made it look much better, otherwise, who knows how strapped the national treasury would be!”

”The state treasury’s silver reserves are quite decent now. The Ministry of Revenue had a really tough time a few years back.”

Having just recovered from a decade of turmoil and successive wars, followed by flooding, the economy had just begun to improve. The Ministry of Revenue truly had a hard time. Despite collecting a lot of taxes every year, there were far more places needing silver.

Zhou Shuren pulled up the blanket, ”Enough thinking, time to sleep, sleep.”

Zhulan swatted away the hand pinching her belly. Ever since she had gained weight, he really treated her like a plush pillow!

The next day, Zhou Shuren slept until he woke naturally. By the time he got up, breakfast had ended two hours ago. After breakfast, Zhou Shuren strolled in the courtyard. He didn’t go anywhere else, fearing that encountering someone would ruin his rare day off—previous experiences had been painful lessons.

After breakfast, he lay on a rocking chair, pulled a blanket over himself, and stayed still.

Zhulan returned from the fourth courtyard and saw her husband ready to sleep again, ”...haven’t you slept enough?”

Zhou Shuren, barely willing to open his eyes, murmured, ”Hmm, what did you go to the fourth courtyard for?”

Zhulan sat on the chair, ”Steward Ding sent a letter a few days ago. The family estate back home has restarted construction. Chang Zhi and his wife want to go back earlier, so I was asking when they plan to leave.”

Zhou Shuren perked up slightly, ”They want to go back early?”

”Yes, Chang Zhi has settled down for many years and now only needs to revise. So, he wants to return to his hometown and interact more with the Scholars taking the county examination, to help our clan’s Scholars.”

Zhou Shuren opened his eyes, relieved, ”Finally, this child has grown up and is making plans.”

He had thought about it too but never had the time to talk with his fourth son. His own family advanced too rapidly, and the clan needed more support to avoid too much dependency which might lead the clan to rely solely on his family. He hoped for mutual assistance, not to shoulder the entire clan.

Zhulan added, ”Chang Zhi meant to leave before the snow melts to avoid difficult travels. He will come and speak with you soon.”

Zhou Shuren was fully alert now, ”Ming Jia and Yu Wen aren’t leaving with them, are they?”

”No, the two children will stay here.”

Zhou Shuren sat up, ”I remember you mentioning that Jiang Sheng was supposed to go back with the fourth son.”

”They will go back together. Once Chang Zhi has set the date, I’ll speak with Xue Mei.”

Just as Zhou Shuren was about to speak, Chang Zhi entered.

Chang Zhi stared blankly at his father, who was casually tying back his hair, and then quickly recovered, ”Father.”

Zhou Shuren didn’t care about his appearance; he was at ease today, doing as he pleased, ”Mmm, your mother has told me that you have understood that a person who is too independent won’t go far. I am relieved that you realized this, and your mother and I will be waiting for you to return to the capital.”

Seeing his second brother embarking on a bureaucratic career, Chang Zhi was also very eager to gain his father’s approval, which made him think of what he could do for the family without following the same path. Now, having received that approval, Chang Zhi felt the fire within him burning even brighter, ”Father, your son will surely return with outstanding achievements.”

”Mmm, when are you leaving?”

”In ten days.”

Zhou Shuren thought for a moment and then said, ”This time, Shen Xing will follow you back as well.”

With the addition of the capable men accompanying Chang Zhi, he could be more at ease—not solely for Chang Zhi’s sake but also for some of the younger generation within the clan. They were the spark of the Zhou family, and it would be a sorrow if they were extinguished before they could flare up.

Chang Zhi wasn’t pleased, but rather apprehensive; the more his father stressed his safety, the more dangerous he knew his situation was. Considering the old man’s years of flawless calculations, he thought it best to ask his wife to bring more men back with them. Fortunately, his wife had also trained quite a few skilled young servants.

At the Academy, Mingyun explained the unclear concepts to Jiang Zhu again, ensuring his cousin understood before picking up a book to read on his own. Now that Gu Liufeng had already passed the Scholar examinations, he had to wait.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhu had moved up to Class A. Thinking of Ming Teng in Class B, he ground his teeth. Ming Teng was not a hard worker, and neither was Ran Xun; without his supervision, those two could linger in Class B for another two years.

In Class B, Ming Teng sneezed, ”I wonder who is talking about me.”

Ran Xun looked at his friend, ”Probably your elder brother.”

Ming Teng shivered, his elder brother was now relentless about him studying, which was truly horrifying.

Dong Zhan, with his head down, continued to read. Jiang Zhu had moved up to Class A, and he had tried at the beginning of the year but ranked too low. He pursed his lips; he certainly didn’t have the confidence of Ming Teng, especially after his little aunt and her husband left the capital for their posts.

Dong Zhan had wanted to go with his little aunt, but her husband had insisted that staying in the capital was the right decision. Now, without his little aunt, he was the only outsider in the Zhou household.

Ran Xun noticed Dong Zhan’s expression. Guessing Dong Zhan’s thoughts was easy—living at someone else’s mercy was tough. Looking at the book beside him, he thought for a moment before picking it up to read earnestly; he was much more fortunate than Dong Zhan.

At the Zhou residence, Zhou Shuren still hadn’t taken it easy, and nearing noon, Lau Jing arrived.

Zhou Shuren changed his clothes, ”Isn’t today a working day at the Ministry of Justice? Did you take a leave?”

Lau Jing appeared exhausted, nodding his head, ”Mmm, I have taken a few days off.”

Zhou Shuren knew; though their families had arranged a marriage, Lau Jing had never visited personally. His visit was definitely for a serious matter, ”Do you have something to tell me?”

Lau Jing was furious inside; his two sons—his eldest was to participate in the provincial exams this year, and his younger son in the imperial examinations for young students. His younger son, brighter than his elder, ranked third in this year’s academy exams—an immense competition. To secure third place suggested a promising future for him.

Lau Jing took a sip of tea before speaking, ”You also know that my younger son is very talented, and he’s the youngest Scholar of his generation.”

Zhou Shuren was aware; his family had even sent gifts. If only his granddaughter and Lau Jing’s younger son weren’t so far apart in age, he would’ve intended to doubly solidify the alliance, ”Did someone take notice of your son?”

Lau Jing’s expression darkened further, ”Mmm, after the results were released, some people approached me to talk.”

Zhou Shuren understood; the conversation must have been unpleasant—perhaps even threatening. Lau Jing, unlike Zhou Shuren who had the Emperor’s backing and sufficient political achievements, had always been cautious in the Ministry of Justice, merely enduring over the years, ”Which family?”