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

Chapter 1097: Chapter 1097: Quite a Coincidence

Prince Liang had never intended to investigate at all. The clues were too scarce; there was nothing to investigate. The Emperor had tasked him with the investigation simply to send him away from the capital—it was a pretense to visit the ancestral home of Minister Zhou.

Prince Liang gestured for the Guard to bring out the map, where the location of the coffin was marked. His eyes suddenly paused, ”It’s actually near Pingzhou.”

The Guard replied, ”Yes, at the border between two provinces.”

Prince Liang tapped on the map; Zhou Shuren’s hometown was in Pingzhou. He squinted his eyes—it truly was a coincidence.

In a capital tea house, Zhou Shuren and the Emperor had entered. They had just returned from outside the city because the first batch of purchased grain had arrived back at the capital, and the remaining grain would follow in batches. Thus, the Emperor had taken Zhou Shuren out to visit the nearby villages incognito.

Indeed, an unassuming visit—who could have imagined that the Emperor and the Vice Minister of Revenue would disguise themselves as two old farmers to conduct their visitation? They had left the city as soon as the gates opened and it took them the whole morning to return. They were now somewhat thirsty and wanted to eat some snacks and drink tea at the tea house.

Zhou Shuren and the Emperor did not look great in their coarse clothes. Although they were clean, the hot weather had taken its toll on the two old men, and their spirits were not high. The moment they entered the tea house, they attracted attention, simply because, although they appeared as old men in coarse attire, a retinue of people, some carrying swords, followed them.

The Shopkeeper looked closely, then his eyes widened, ”Mi-Minister Zhou.”

His memory was excellent. Even if Minister Zhou had only visited a few times, he had made a deep impression. Ahem, of course, Minister Zhou’s image was also quite memorable.

A junior eunuch spoke up softly, ”Shopkeeper, do you have any private rooms available?”

The Shopkeeper was startled. If there were eunuchs from the palace, then the person accompanying Minister Zhou must be— he stammered, ”Yes, there are, upstairs.”

Zhou Shuren and the Emperor went upstairs, led personally by the Shopkeeper.

As they passed a half-open private room, Zhou Shuren and his eldest grandson caught each other’s eyes. Mingyun was momentarily stunned, then upon seeing clearly, he panicked—it was the Emperor. He hastily stood to pay his respects.

The Emperor spoke, ”No need to arrange for a private room anymore, this place will do.”

Mingyun stood to the side with his brother and sister. Gu Liufeng hadn’t seen the Emperor before, but he recognized Minister Zhou.

As Zhou Shuren and the Emperor sat down, the Shopkeeper busied himself clearing the fruits from the table. When he saw the fruit, he paused—those weren’t from the tea house. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, ”We don’t have these fruits here; I’ll go buy some immediately.”

Mingyun looked at his brother, Ming Teng, who was also nervous. Mingyun spoke up, ”These were brought from our home; we have more in the carriage.”

Ming Teng had brought them, planning to eat them on the way back to the residence.

Now there were only two pieces of fruit left on the table. Cough, it was a bit embarrassing.

The Emperor said with a smile, ”Just bring up your best tea and desserts.”

The Shopkeeper let out a sigh of relief, ”Certainly.”

The Shopkeeper went downstairs, followed by the junior eunuch and two Guards. Both the snacks and the tea needed to be closely watched.

The Emperor gestured for the children to sit down, ”Don’t be so formal, everyone please take a seat. As for the fruits, these two are enough.”

Saying so, the Emperor took one and passed another to Zhou Shuren, since the children had already eaten these fruits, they could be trusted.

The Emperor indeed craved some fruit; he bit into the juicy and sweet fruit, ”Hmm, not bad. The Zhou household has some good stuff.”

Zhou Shuren chuckled, ”My second son brought them back.”

The Emperor knew. He was aware of all that the ambassadors had purchased—some swapped for gold jewelry, some bought gemstones, while Zhou Changyi opted for fruit and timber.

After eating a piece of fruit, Zhou Shuren felt revitalized. He looked at his eldest grandson, ”Did you come out to listen to stories?”

Mingyun was the calmest, perhaps because he had seen the Emperor frequently; he was very natural. ”It’s been a long time since I’ve accompanied my sisters outside. On a rest day, we thought to have a stroll.”

The Emperor looked at Zhou Shuren’s granddaughter, his thoughts had just been on the fruit, but now seeing the person, he turned his head and took another look at Zhou Shuren, ”I find that the girls in your family are all quite pretty.”

Initially, he was deeply afraid that Zhou Shuren’s daughter would take after Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes internally. That was too blunt, ”Fortunately, the children don’t resemble your servant.”

The Emperor had just toured the nearby villages and knew that everyone was doing well, so he felt relieved and now he even smiled, ”I meant no offense, Shuren, don’t take it to heart.”

Mingyun and the others felt like looking up at the sky. The Emperor was picking on Grandfather!

Zhou Shuren chuckled, ”Your servant takes no offense.”

The Emperor’s mouth curled into a smirk, ”There’s a cold laugh, yet you say you don’t mind. Rest assured, I do not put great importance on appearances.”

Zhou Shuren said somberly, ”I was the second-place scholar back in the day.”

The Emperor laughed heartily, ”Shuren, have some confidence, you are talented.”

Zhou Shuren, ”...Emperor, you will lose your humble servant!”

Ming Teng stood there dumbfounded, unable to resist tugging at his older brother’s sleeve. He felt somewhat shocked today. The Emperor, known as a wise ruler and feared by ministers, was actually fond of bullying Grandfather. Look how disgruntled Grandfather seems.

However, it seemed quite exciting to watch. Grandfather was actually being bullied; in his recollection, only Grandfather bullied others!

Zhou Shuren felt Ming Teng’s burning gaze, smiled, and thought, you little brat, laughing at your grandfather’s misfortune, just you wait!

Ming Teng felt scared and wanted to cry.

Yushuang and Yu Lu were a bit taken aback. They were sitting at the same table with the Emperor!

At that moment, the Emperor’s attention shifted from Zhou Shuren to the children. He quickly moved past the girls since the eligible ones in the Zhou family were already betrothed, and his gaze fell on a new face, ”Whose family is this youngster from?”

Zhou Shuren glanced at Gu Liufeng, ”This is the match I have set for my eldest granddaughter, Gu Liufeng, who became a Scholar this year.”

The Emperor took a longer look at Gu Liufeng. Zhou Shuren had a discerning eye; despite his youth, he had already become a Scholar. He inquired further, ”Are you planning to participate in the provincial examination this year?”

Gu Liufeng was sweating in his palms, nowhere near as composed as Zhou Mingyun, and his voice trembled with nervousness, ”Your Majesty, I do not plan to partake in the provincial examination.”

He wanted to offer some explanation, but found himself unable to articulate it, merely responding dryly.

Zhou Shuren continued the conversation, ”The youngster is still too young; he needs to lay a more solid foundation in his studies.”

The Emperor smiled, ”Your family’s fourth son has been a Scholar for many years, and I am looking forward to his results in the provincial exam.”

Zhou Shuren was also proud. Having his children known to the Emperor was pleasing, but he couldn’t be too boastful for fear of jinxing it. Modesty was best, ”As to how well he will do, your servant cannot say for certain. Success in examinations also depends on the right time, place, and harmony among people.”

The Emperor just smiled, tea and snacks arrived, and he fell silent.

Mingyun took the lead in brewing tea herself, and the Emperor watched her more intently, unavoidably impressed by how composed and dignified Zhou Shuren’s girls were.

The Gu family’s private room received the news, but they dared not come forward, as guards stood half a room away, their eyes sharp as knives even in plain clothes.

The two young ladies of the Gu family regretted not insisting on staying earlier; had they known, they would have shamelessly lingered. But they had no choice but to leave, as both Zhou family’s young masters were betrothed and propriety had to be observed.

The Gu family’s young master had no regrets and was delighted in his heart because Liufeng was also present. They knew their own worth and the significance of having a good family through marriage.

At the Zhou family, Zhulan looked at Yang Wen, ”Have you made your decision?”