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

Chapter 1804: Chapter 1804: Leaving a Name in History

Zhou Shuren was extremely annoyed, ”They all say the pupil surpasses the master; I believe Chang Xhong will surpass me.”

Old Master Wen snorted, the Wen family doesn’t lack Top scorers, but the Marquis Zhou Residence does, ”Then I’ll wait for the good news.”

”When the time comes, I’ll personally deliver the invitation to the Old Master.”

Old Master Wen’s face subtly twisted; he had no intention of stepping into the Zhou Residence’s door, nor did he want to give anything to Zhou Shuren’s children.

Zhou Shuren beamed, ”Old Master, since you’re slow with your legs, I’ll take my leave first.”

Mr. Wei, ”...”

This was quite infuriating; only Marquis Zhou dared to say such things.

Old Master Wen huffed and glared, while Old Master Qie was speechless, ”Why do you provoke him?”

Old Master Wen snorted, he just couldn’t stand Zhou Shuren’s smug face. Remembering how he fell ill after the Empress’s death and the Crown Prince only said two words before leaving the residence, Old Master Wen’s anger dissipated, and his back bent a bit more.

Old Master Qie lowered his voice, ”Have you considered what I said?”

Old Master Wen pursed his lips, clearly understanding that no Wen family girl, even those distantly related, would ever enter the Crown Prince’s harem. Neither the Emperor allows it, nor the Crown Prince desires it.

Old Master Qie, not getting a reply, was not in a hurry. Since the Empress’s mourning period hadn’t passed, there was no rush. Delighted by the thought, Old Master Qie thought, who could have anticipated the sudden passing of the Empress, resulting in the Crown Prince mourning for both the Retired Emperor and the Empress for three years? Consequently, the young ladies prepared to be sent to the Crown Prince’s residence had grown older.

Old Master Qie was pleased, as the Qie family had suitable girls.

Zhou Shuren returned to the Ministry of Revenue, faced with congratulations from Qiu Yan and others, he shared the remaining candies.

Qiu Yan happily accepted, ”I’m keeping this candy for my little grandson, so he can share the good fortune and, in the future, secure a First Place Candidate for me.”

Zhou Shuren, ”I’ve always heard you talk about your little grandson, if I recall correctly, he’s only three?”

Qiu Yan carefully stored the sweets, ”Don’t be fooled by his age, he’s the smartest among my grandsons, he can already recite the Three Character Classic.”

He genuinely adored his little grandson; among so many grandsons, this little one seemed the most promising.

Zhou Shuren thought, by the time this child is eligible for the imperial examinations, the subjects would have surely increased. Tsk tsk, these kids of this generation better work hard!

In the Zhou Residence, Zhulan looked at the added dowry for Jiang Ling, pondering over the list, ”Add another set of ruby jewelry.”

Qing Xue stood up and quickly brought back a tray of ruby jewelry.

Lady Li immediately took a liking to them, ”Mother, when were these made?”

Zhulan smiled, ”They were crafted at the beginning of the year. I thought about making more so they could be distributed to Yu Die and the others when the time comes.”

Over the years, she had collected many gemstones and at the year’s start had selected a boxful of them, converting them all into jewelry.

Lady Li took the dowry list, ”Then I’ll keep this in storage.”

”Yes, you should personally attend Jiang Ling’s wedding.”

”Your daughter-in-law has noted it down.”

Lady Li was well aware of Jiang Ling’s background, and since her mother-in-law valued Jiang Ling, even without being told, she would personally attend the event.

Zhulan continued, ”This child lacks elder relatives. I originally wanted you to help prepare the dowry, but since she doesn’t want to trouble us, she’s found a female officer from the academy instead.”

Lady Li appreciated such a tactful lady, ”Miss Jiang regards the academy as her family.”

”Indeed, quite a few girls have been married from the academy this year.”

The academy had welcomed a new group of students who came specifically to learn literacy and arithmetic. After graduation, they didn’t plan to find work. These girls came from families with some wealth, but finding a female teacher to learn from was difficult, so they were sent to the academy.

The vicinity of the academy had thus become a place where matchmakers frequently appeared, primarily because there were still many orphan girls without arranged marriages.

In Zhou family village, Chang Xhong was recently exhausted. Since achieving First Place Candidate,

he’s been busy hosting banquets for the entire clan and meeting the younger generation upon his return.

Cheng Xiang arrived today, ”Tomorrow we’re setting off, have you packed everything?”

Chang Xhong, ”Yes.”

Cheng Xiang was thrilled about going to the capital; he had longed to expand his horizons there, but unfortunately, his father always disagreed, ”I’ll head back to rest so I can rise early and not delay our departure.”

”Alright.”

After Cheng Xiang left, Chang Xhong carefully placed the exam topics his father and Wu Ming prepared into a box; he had to take these to the capital, as they contained all of his notes and Wu Ming’s comments.

Sadly, his father had no time to annotate, and the exam topics by his father and brother-in-law were all marked by brother Wu Ming.

After securing the box, he thought about soon seeing his eldest nephew, Mingyun, which lifted his spirits a bit more.

Early the next day, the doors of the old Zhou family estate were wide open as carriage after carriage set off. When Ming Hui left, he took four carriages, and when Chang Xhong departed, four more were added, carrying all the mountain delicacies sent by the clan.

All in gratitude for Zhou Shuren’s contributions to the family.

Looking at the people seeing them off, Cheng Xiang remarked to Chang Xhong, ”I see a family flourishing in the Zhou clan.”

Chang Xhong, ”The Zhou clan will continue to pass down its legacy.”

Hearing the ambition and yearning, Cheng Xiang thought of the Zhou clan’s rules; as long as these regulations existed, the clan wouldn’t involve itself in matters leading to its destruction, ensuring its legacy would persist.

In Chuanzhou Province, Chang Zhi met with Zhang Jinghong and a group of officials. Without resting, Zhang Jinghong led the Ministry of Revenue officials to the warehouse, while other officials filled the vacancies left in Chuanzhou.

Even though the Imperial court dispatched officials to fill the empty positions, there were still key posts vacant.

Chang Zhi, on the other hand, was not busy. Having seen off Yao and other officials who assisted with the Qiu Wei from Chuanzhou the day before, he now leisurely drank tea while watching Zhang Jinghong’s rush.

Zhang Jinghong first inspected the sealed warehouse, then arranged for people to verify each storage room. After making all the arrangements, he felt dizzy from the busyness and extremely thirsty.

Chang Zhi handed over a cup of tea, ”Have a drink.”

Zhang Jinghong drank it in one gulp and said, ”You caused quite a stir, yet now you’re free.”

Chang Zhi cheerfully poured and handed another cup, ”I did all that needed to be done, the rest is your responsibility.”

Zhang Jinghong, after drinking two cups, felt his throat ease, ”It’s tough transporting these back to the capital.”

There were nearly three million taels in gold and silver, along with numerous antiques, among other things.

Chang Zhi knew as well, ”That’s your problem. By the way, be careful when identifying the antiques and calligraphy. There are too many items, my inspections were rather cursory.”

Zhang Jinghong squinted, ”Has anyone tried to approach the warehouse?”

Chang Zhi immediately understood, ”Are you worried someone might swap antiques?”

Zhang Jinghong nodded, ”It’s not unheard of.”

”No, you know what I’ve done, even those who dare wouldn’t dare act.”

Zhang Jinghong was speechless, ”You’re quite proud of yourself.”

Chang Zhi raised an eyebrow, ”The Chuanzhou examination case is such a significant event it will be recorded in history books. I’ll at least have my name etched in history.”

Zhang Jinghong, ”...”

Look at how proud he is. It’s just that the Emperor trusts the Marquis Zhou Residence, otherwise, no one else would dare to act like this. Honestly, the guy in front of him is a fool.

In the evening, Prefect Li prepared a welcoming banquet, paying out of his own pocket since the Government Office’s accounts were still sealed!

Having competed against the Emperor as a former Prince and honed through experience, Zhang Jinghong’s eyes were sharp. Seeing Mr. Li bustling around, he remarked to Chang Zhi beside him, ”See that? You should learn.”

Chang Zhi scoffed, ”If I were like Mr. Li, it wouldn’t have been me handling Chuanzhou’s purge.”

Zhang Jinghong mentally rolled his eyes. Being able to say such things, Zhou Changzhi understood everything acutely, ”The Emperor truly knows how to utilize talents wisely.”

”There’s a reason he’s the Emperor!”