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

Chapter 1697: Chapter 1697 Standing in Front of People

Back at the main courtyard, Zhulan took the list from her eldest son’s hands, and then there was a silence. The names of the girls were indeed simple; names like Li Sanya were too common, taken according to the ranking in the family. Even if there were literate elders in the family, unless they particularly liked a girl, most names were given casually, almost like a code. To put it bluntly, they didn’t pay much attention to girls, subconsciously believing that once married, they belonged to someone else’s family.

Zhou Laoda asked, ”Mother, are you not happy?”

”No.”

Zhou Laoda noticed his mother still looking at the list and said, ”The parents of these children asked if they could have their names changed when enrolling in the school.”

Zhulan felt a little better, ”That’s fine.”

Zhou Laoda saw that his mother looked tired, stood up, and said, ”Mother, you should rest first.”

”Okay.”

Zhulan lay down for less than an hour, changed her clothes, and washed up briefly. She glanced at the clock; there was still two hours before she had to report to the government office.

Qing Xue came over to help with her hair, ”Madam, I’ve inquired about Miss Wei.”

Zhulan looked at herself in the mirror, noticing her drooping eyelids. If it weren’t for her plumpness, she’d look even older, ”What have you found out?”

Qing Xue held the comb in her hands, her eyes fixated on the white hairs before diverting her gaze, ”Miss Wei gets along well with her two sisters-in-law. Her nephews and nieces are close to her, and she has kept a dog for five years, taking it for a walk every day.”

Getting along well with her brothers and sisters-in-law indicated Miss Wei’s good character; she liked children and was affectionate.

Some people only liked pets when they were young and cute but disliked them when they grew up.

Zhulan asked, ”What do you think?”

Qing Xue had finished braiding her hair, ”Miss Wei seems quite nice.”

Both in temperament and character, she was quite good.

Zhulan was just about to continue speaking when Chang Xhong returned, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hands, ”Mother, do you think the flowers are beautiful?”

”They are quite beautiful. Where did they come from?”

Chang Xhong replied, ”I bought them at a foreign flower shop. There were many cut flower branches in the shop, so I picked some and wrapped a bouquet.”

Zhulan touched the brown paper, ”It’s wrapped quite nicely.”

”I wrapped it myself. I heard that foreign merchants rented several estates in the suburb of the capital specifically to grow flowers for sale. Many ladies came to buy flowers today for the grand opening.”

Zhulan inhaled the fragrance of the flowers, thinking it was quite similar to modern flower shops, ”Go get a vase from the shelf.”

”Okay.”

Zhulan got up and walked to the small table, instructing the maid to bring scissors over to prepare the flowers for arranging, motioning her son to sit on the opposite side.

Chang Xhong asked the maid to get scissors again, ”Mother, how did it go today?”

”Quite smoothly. Empress Dowager Chen helped me a lot. By the way, your sister brought a young lady for me to see today, and I think she’s quite good.”

Chang Xhong held a flower stalk, ”Mother, you said to listen to you. If you think she’s good, just tell me.”

Zhulan raised her head, ”Marriage is for a lifetime; you have to feel a connection too. Let me tell you about the Wei family, so you have an idea.”

Chang Xhong trusted his parents’ judgment, ”Okay, I’ll listen while you speak.”

Zhulan recounted what she remembered, with Qing Xue supplementing where needed.

Chang Xhong kept it in mind; he was quite curious about the girl his mother approved of.

The auspicious day for the academy’s opening finally arrived. Zhulan donned her decree robe; the Emperor and Crown Prince would personally attend today, and Zhou Shuren went with her.

Zhou Shuren asked, ”Can you tell me the surprise you mentioned now?”

Zhulan shook her plump hand, ”Not yet, you’ll find out after the academy opens.”

Zhou Shuren was extremely curious; after much anticipation of the academy opening, he still didn’t get to see the surprise, ”You really can keep things to yourself.”

”My grandfather taught me from a young age to keep a tight lip.”

Zhou Shuren chuckled, ”If I could return, he would also be my grandfather.”

Zhulan noticed Qing Xue entering with the maids, and altered her words, ”Let’s go.”

As the dean, Zhulan was the head of the Marquis Zhou Residence today, and the whole family was mobilized, with Zhulan and Zhou Shuren leading the way.

Many people came to witness today; by the time Zhulan and her husband arrived, the Emperor and Crown Prince had already arrived. Originally, the Empress was supposed to attend too, but she fell ill again some days ago.

The Retired Emperor and the Empress Dowager were also here and had already gone inside to rest.

The auspicious time was calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, attracting quite a crowd for the occasion. The Retired Emperor did not make a public appearance and sat with the Empress Dowager in the seating area, as the Emperor spoke, ”Zhen...”

The speech was a bit long-winded, summarizing that they hoped to cultivate talents in various fields for the Imperial court.

The speech, Rongchuan’s proposal, allowed the Emperor to feel the people’s gratitude towards him, and he quite enjoyed it.

Rongchuan then gave a speech, followed by Zhulan. Zhulan stood on the stage, feeling the gaze of the crowd. The capital’s nobility was okay, gradually accepting it, but the nearby commoners rarely had a chance to see Mrs. Hou. Knowing the female dean was Mrs. Hou, there was quite a buzz today.

Some recognized Zhulan; the families she visited earlier were all present, mouths agape.

Zhulan didn’t speak much, only expressing her commitment to running the academy well. Nothing else was said; what could she say to the nobility about raising women’s status? She couldn’t; she had to proceed cautiously and subtly.

As Zhulan finished speaking, applause erupted, particularly loud. Her smile was exceptionally bright.

Zhou Shuren didn’t care how others viewed him, his eyes reddened with excitement. After living in ancient times for many years, it was the first time his wife stood confidently in front of the crowd, and she was such a good wife!

Zhou Laoda and his brothers also applauded with pride. This was their mother; they not only had an impressive father but also an extraordinary mother.

The Emperor couldn’t understand Zhou Shuren’s excitement; no minister was as accepting of his wife as Zhou Shuren. Then, he smiled; only such sincere people were those he could trust.

The Duke of Yongan also attended, finding the applause hard to describe. In his mind, women should manage the household, and only an oddity like Marquis Zhou would allow such latitude to his wife.

Many shared the same thoughts, with Marquis Zhou’s wife on stage speaking making them feel unreal, unable to suppress their thoughts as they looked towards the Emperor, having to restrain themselves.

Some maliciously thought that the academy might open without students and were eager to see how Marquis Zhou’s residence would handle it, as the couple was inseparable.

Then came the time for enrollment; the boys’ and girls’ academies were at a certain distance apart. Zhulan and the Empress Dowager went to the Girls College.

Accompanying them were Xue Han, the eldest princess, and others.

The boys’ academy didn’t lack students, so there wasn’t much to see, but the Girls College was different; everyone wanted to see the spectacle, driven by the same curiosity, many followed Zhulan.

In the carriage, Zhulan sat with the Empress Dowager, who said, ”I know you’ve put a lot of effort into having more students enroll.”

”I only hope my efforts yield good results.”

The Empress Dowager, who had been following the situation closely, noted Yang’s calm demeanor and asked, ”Aren’t you afraid?”

”Of losing face?”

”Hmm.”

”No, my husband says sometimes face can be put aside.”

The Empress Dowager laughed, ”You and your husband are quite similar.”

Zhulan’s brows and eyes softened, ”After so many years of marriage, we’ve learned from each other. I’m like him; he’s like me. We have long become inseparable.”

The Empress Dowager envied Yang, ”You are very good together.”

The carriage moved slowly, and by the time they arrived at the Girls College, there was already a queue for enrollment, and the long line surprised Zhulan.

The Empress Dowager noticed too, ”Oh.”