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

Chapter 1187: Chapter 1187: Character Setting and Appearance

After leaving the government office, Zhulan noticed and said, ”Have you encountered something pleasing?”

These past days, you’ve been coming home frowning every day, but today it’s clear you’ve run into some great joy.

Zhou Shuren rubbed his hands together. ”You’re talking about me, huh? It’s been a long time since I’ve skimmed some silver for the house, and my salary, though it has increased quite a bit, still isn’t enough for household expenses. This time, I’m going to land a big one.”

Zhulan asked, ”Hmm?”

Zhou Shuren took out a piece of paper from his chest. ”This is an imperial decree. I need to archive this document.”

Zhulan looked at the document, which had only one cursive character for ”approved.” She asked, ”What did the Emperor agree to for you?”

”He’s given me permission to accept bribes. Let me tell you, Rong Enqing slapped down fifty thousand taels on the table today. You can’t imagine how envious, jealous, and resentful I felt. Rong Enqing has been teasing Gu Ren for so many days. I did the calculations for him—from the Ministry of Commerce’s registration to the Maritime Affairs Administration’s dealings—this kid has not skimmed a small amount of silver at all.”

He was truly green with envy. His wife had been working so hard to manage the house, and even after saving for so many years, they still hadn’t amassed as much silver as Rong Enqing had collected in this short period!

Zhulan said, ”The Zhang family has tried to deal us a fatal blow several times. You understand.”

Zhou Shuren’s eyes curved, appreciating his wife’s understanding. ”I understand, I understand. This time I’ll surely take a good peel off of them, and I’ll give Rongchuan a share as a gesture of goodwill.”

If it weren’t for the fear of peeling off too much and worrying about making the Emperor uncomfortable, he wouldn’t want to share with Rongchuan at all. In the future, Rongchuan would be the most lavish. However, Rongchuan was his son-in-law. He wouldn’t accept it and would even return it back to him!

Zhulan couldn’t help but laugh. ”Your little schemes are plain as day to the Emperor.”

”Even if it’s just for show, I’m expressing my attitude, aren’t I? If I don’t express it, how would the Emperor know what I’m thinking in my heart?”

Many misunderstandings between people are due to a lack of communication. Everyone thinks the other person will understand, but in reality, without speaking up, no one truly knows what’s in your heart!

The very next morning, Chang Yi went to the government office with his father. ”Father, are you not attending the morning court session today?”

Zhou Shuren replied, ”There’s no morning court today.”

Chang Yi was stunned. ”No morning court?”

This was the first time since the establishment of the dynasty. How diligent the Emperor usually was! He never missed the morning court, and when the Crown Prince wasn’t confined, the sessions still continued with the Crown Prince presiding.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhou Shuren watched Chang Yi but didn’t explain. The Emperor’s play had entered the second phase, and to make it look real, he naturally couldn’t rise for the morning court. ”The embassy has been completed. Do you have any thoughts on that?”

Chang Yi’s heart stirred. His father had been too busy lately. After his assignment was over, he had returned to being preoccupied with various trivial matters in the Ministry of Rites. This was the first time his father had brought up an assignment with him. ”Father, I wish to go to the embassy. The new embassy is operational, and I want to gain experience in reception and further practice my spoken language skills. What do you think?”

Zhou Shuren, stroking his beard—not out of pretense, but out of habit—responded, ”Hmm, it’s indeed a good opportunity. It’s good that you have a plan. Mention it to Wu Ming today; he will help you arrange it.”

Wu Ming was on the rise. With a solid foundation built over the years and now in the Ministry of Personnel, his ascent was even quicker!

Chang Yi made a mental note. If his father was telling him this, then Wu Ming must have already received his father’s message. ”I thought, Father, that you would ask Mr. Wong to help.”

Zhou Shuren glanced at him. ”Are you stupid? Wong Ju doesn’t owe our family anything; we’ve just arranged a marriage alliance! In fact, I owe Mr. Wong a favor for his advice. Would I go out of my way to offer a favor in return? Favors are difficult to repay! Our family’s favors are too valuable now. It’s different with Wu Ming; he owes our family too much.”

Chang Yi smiled. ”I oversimplified things.”

Zhou Shuren continued, ”However, Wu Ming is considered family now. We can’t talk about favors anymore. It’s normal for relatives to help each other out.”

After speaking, Zhou Shuren turned his head to look at Chang Yi. ”Your father, I, have built some connections, and you must slowly start to build your own network. Don’t be slack, and be sure to choose people with good character.”

Chang Yi diligently took note of his father’s teachings, wishing he could etch them all into his brain. ”Son has remembered.”

”Hmm, and you must make sensible use of your face. Since you have a guileless face that earns points, you must maintain your persona. I’ve heard people recently say you are hardworking, sincere, and good at networking. That’s very good.”

Chang Yi touched his own face, realizing it was so powerful, but then he asked, ”Father, what is a ’persona’?”

Zhou Shuren patiently explained the concept of persona and finally summarized, ”The officialdom, to a lesser or greater extent, always involves wearing masks. Ahem, once you reach a certain position, you will deeply understand.”

Chang Yi had an epiphany. He got it, really got it. His own old man had several faces!

Chang Yi then frowned, ”Isn’t that unfair for Ming Rui? The best of our family is him.”

Zhou Shuren felt a pang of heartache and touched his face. If it weren’t for his own solid abilities, he really wouldn’t be much sought after. ”You don’t understand; being good-looking has many advantages. It makes it easier to be favored.”

Looks—in ancient times, the importance of appearances wasn’t small either!

Chang Yi, ”....”

The Ministry of Revenue arrived first. Zhou Shuren taught his son, then happily alighted from the carriage, and even waved to his second son, reminding him, ”Be careful on the way.”

Chang Yi was moved, feeling the strong love of a father!

At Zhou’s house, Zhulan heard some gossip. The big news that had occurred at Marquis Yao’s Residence yesterday afternoon, Su Xuan learned and narrated vividly.

Zhulan, ”A posthumous divorce? And Yao Zheyu even moved out of Marquis Yao’s Residence?”

Su Xuan nodded, ”Right, he moved out yesterday afternoon and has already settled into Magistrate Shen’s dowry house.”

Su Xuan was shocked to hear the news as well. A posthumous divorce for a mother who had been dead for years was truly outlandish, and it was the son who facilitated the divorce for his mother!

Zhulan was stunned; she, too, was shocked by this move. However, Yao Zheyu dared to do this; surely, he must have obtained the Emperor’s permission!

Lady Zhao watched, agape, ”Oh my goodness!”

Zhulan was the first to regain composure. For the people of pure ancient times in the house, it was indeed super big news.

Xue Han came back to her senses, ”A posthumous divorce is not easy unless there’s something significant.”

Zhulan thought of Yao Zheyu’s mother, this murderer of two wives. Yao Wenqi would make a name for himself in history, a ruthless person indeed!

Su Xuan furrowed her brows, ”What could be so significant?”

Xue Han, ”I’ve heard my mother say that the Princely Heir’s mother died with symptoms similar to those of Lady Bai.”

Lady Zhao took in a sharp breath, ”That can’t be!”

Su Xuan thought for a moment, ”It’s likely true. Yesterday afternoon, Marquis Yao and the Princely Heir entered the palace.”

Zhulan contemplated further; they must have had ample evidence. It was just that the Emperor didn’t plan on dealing with Yao Wenqi, thus he had been letting it all drag on.

At Marquis Rong’s Residence, Gu Ren could no longer remain calm in the front hall. They had used a harmful ointment to control many people, some for a long time. The amount they needed was growing. If they couldn’t import the goods soon, they would lose control. He knew all too well what people looked like when they lost their reason. If they really got ruthless, the favorable situation would be ruined.

Gu Ren’s brows were tightly knit. Also, the matter with Yao Wenqi—Yao Wenqi having evidence found against him—made Gu Ren uneasy. He now had no contact with Yao Wenqi at all.

Rong Enqing returned to the residence, ”You’ve sought me out in such a hurry, what’s the emergency?”