Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1319: Unexpected Fright

With the news of Mingyun’s successful case in the capital, appointments for the south by the Emperor also ensued one after another; Zhou Shuren had his guesses about which ministers would be appointed, and they were more or less on the mark.

The Zhou family received much attention; Chang Zhi had already been invited to drink by many, trying to take the opportunity to glean information.

Zhulan looked at her unhappy youngest son, "This is a transfer, it’s good for your brother Wu Ming, you should be happy for him."

Actually, Wu Ming being reassigned to the farthest south was beyond both her and Zhou Shuren’s expectations; they had underestimated Wu Ming’s standing in the Emperor’s heart.

Chang Zhi sulked, "When can brother Wu Ming come back?"

Zhulan, "It won’t be too long."

Wu Ming’s assignment to the far south, in Zhou Shuren’s analysis, was not for the situation in the south, but for the shipping routes; the Emperor also wanted Wu Ming to accumulate more qualifications, which was quicker than slowly getting promotions within the Ministry of Personnel in the capital.

Chang Zhi sighed, "With brother Wu Ming gone, I’ll have to learn from father in the future, right?"

Zhulan nodded, "Yes, you’ll attend the Academy during the day, and your father will teach you upon your return."

These years with Wu Ming laying the groundwork, with Zhou Shuren’s teaching for a few years until Wu Ming returned, this arrangement wasn’t too bad either.

Chang Zhi, tugging at his mother’s sleeve, "Mother, brother Wu Ming is leaving, I want to send him some gifts, he has been working hard these years."

Zhulan, "So?"

Chang Zhi grinned and stretched out his hand, "Mother, please give your son some silver."

Zhulan tapped on her son’s forehead, "You’re really tight-fisted."

Chang Zhi covered his forehead, "A son takes after his father, and father is famously tight-fisted."

Zhulan sighed, Zhou Shuren asking for Silver Coin from Rongchuan in the palace had made his reputation for stinginess even louder.

In the end, Zhulan still gave her son some silver; Chang Zhi ran off with the silver, and Zhulan chuckled; the child’s act of being downhearted was all just to get some silver.

At the Hanlin Academy, Chang Zhi looked up to see Lau Song, "When did you come over? I hadn’t noticed."

Lau Song, "You were so focused on writing, that’s why you didn’t notice me."

Chang Zhi’s eyes flickered, "Sit."

Lau Song looked at the open window, "It rained yesterday, aren’t you afraid of catching a cold with the window open?"

Chang Zhi explained, "I was a bit sleepy just now, so I opened the window to freshen up. Have you completed your tasks?"

"Yep, all done."

Chang Zhi wouldn’t ask what tasks proactively, "Speaking of which, I haven’t congratulated you yet, on the joy of your newborn son."

Due to the Zhou family’s poor relations with the Lau family - poor indeed, since the marriage proposal from Lau family was rejected, he and Lau Song seldom spoke.

A trace of joy appeared on Lau Song’s lips; although his wife wasn’t to his liking, he was pleased to have a legitimate son.

Lau Song asked, "What’s your opinion on the south?"

Chang Zhi thought to himself, here it comes, "I don’t have any particular opinion. But it seems you have many; do you want to go to the south?"

Lau Song looked intently at Zhou Changzhi, "Yes."

Chang Zhi was surprised, "You admit it quite readily."

Lau Song, "I don’t believe you can’t see the dilemma I’m in."

Chang Zhi fell silent; this Top scorer had become a target within the Lau family, not yet having gained strength. The Wen family would stop at nothing to crush Lau Song, and while he didn’t feel it much in the Hanlin Academy, once the three-year term ended, the path ahead of Lau Song would be nothing but pits and snares.

Chang Zhi, "You certainly don’t have it easy."

Liu Song tugged at the corner of his mouth. What he wanted was not this response, and he had never felt any part of his life was difficult; as a member of the Liu family, this was all to be expected. "Give me a straight answer, are you willing to go to the south?"

With subsequent appointments coming down, there weren’t many official positions left. He needed to confirm whether Chang Zhi was his rival.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, he had to; if Zhou Changzhi went to the south, he would have no chance.

Would Chang Zhi reveal his bottom line just because of a few words from Liu Song? Don’t be ridiculous, "It’s not up to me to go or not."

Liu Song, "..."

How is this any different from saying nothing?

After Liu Song left, Chang Zhi couldn’t help but wonder, what image had he projected to his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy, to make Liu Song think that after a heart-to-heart, he would reciprocate?

Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren stamped the Zhezi for approving silver and handed it to Li Zhao, "This is a significant amount of Silver Coin."

Li Zhao grabbed the Zhezi, "The Emperor said, when we secure the shipping routes and collect toll fees, just wait to gather Silver."

Zhou Shuren, "Then I will wait to gather Silver."

Li Zhao waved the Zhezi and turned to leave, the bold moves since the new Emperor’s accession to the throne were also a testament that the time to prove the Navy had arrived.

After Li Zhao left, Zhou Shuren pressed his brow, this was no small undertaking, and a lot of materials had to be prepared.

Mr. Wang entered, "Sir, here are the accounts for dealing with antiques and calligraphy paintings."

Zhou Shuren skimmed through it quickly, his gaze settling on the total Silver Coin at the end, "The noble families are indeed wealthy."

Mr. Wang, "...The accumulation over many generations results in many fine items."

Zhou Shuren was just feeling the pinch, but now the pain was gone; he relished the feeling of revenue coming in. Although the national treasury wasn’t his, seeing it flourish filled him with pride—it was his management!

Zhou Shuren saw that Mr. Wang hadn’t left, "Anything else?"

Mr. Wang nodded, "My youngest son placed third in the regional examinations and admires the Top scorer Zhou Mingyun greatly, so he wishes to be friends with Young Master Zhou. Not knowing Young Master Zhou personally, I have the audacity to ask of this."

Zhou Shuren thought it was some important matter, "When Mingyun returns, I’ll let you know. And don’t worry about being audacious; I too hope Mingyun makes more friends. I would be pleased if he can socialize with your son."

Of course, real friendship was unlikely, but an acquaintanceship would be no problem.

Mr. Wang left happily. His actions reflected not just a concern for his son’s future but also a desire for his son to interact more with Zhou Mingyun. Since the news of Zhou Mingyun’s success had reached the capital, betting pools had started, with many betting on Zhou Mingyun scoring a hat trick in the imperial examination.

In the returning caravan, Mingyun carefully adjusted the cushion for his wife, "Do you feel better now?"

Ran Wan’s face was terribly pale, a case of what one fears, one runs into. She was almost two months along, having conceived in the capital, but it wasn’t diagnosed before they left the city. Covering the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, she weakly said, "A bit better."

Mingyun didn’t believe her, "I see you’ve been vomiting severely. Tonight, when we reach the city, we should rest for a few days before continuing our journey."

Ran Wan, not wanting to risk harming the baby, didn’t put on a brave face, "Yes, we’ll rest for a few days."

Mingyun had already instructed the carriage driver to go slower, and carefully passed warm water to his wife, "Fortunately, the road has been repaired."

The thought of the bumpy dirt roads of the past made him shudder in retrospect.

Ran Wan turned even paler at the thought, "Thankfully, the child is fine."

Mingyun glared at his wife’s stomach. The child had quite the timing. Then his gaze softened; this was his child, wasn’t it? The feeling was still a bit unreal for him—was he really about to become a father?

His gaze landed on his wife’s weary face, and he truly felt the impending fatherhood.

Mingyun held his wife’s hand, his thoughts drifting. Son or daughter? Would he be a strict father or a tender one?

Suddenly, Mingyun laughed out loud, inciting Ran Wan’s curiosity, "My lord?"

Mingyun said, "Let’s not tell your parents. We’ll wait till we get home to break the news."

Ran Wan uttered a sound of surprise, then thinking of her mother-in-law’s temperament, she couldn’t help but laugh too.