Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 716: Need an Identity_1

Zhou Shuren pressed his brow, "No, a suitable candidate is hard to find."

He had carefully considered the marriages of his granddaughters, hoping that they could all marry into families of good character. Since true love was hard to find in ancient times, he did his best to ensure his granddaughters would have a secure future. Of course, as long as he was alive, he would be their support, which was as much as he could do for them as a grandfather.

Zhulan took Zhou Shuren’s clothes, "Perhaps it’s just not fate yet, marriage is a matter of destiny."

Zhou Shuren didn’t want to think about it anymore, "Mm."

In the capital, within the Palace, the Emperor gestured for people to leave. Ever since Duke Ning’s incident, he had assigned more people to the Duke Residence and asked the Crown Prince, "What do you think about the matter of adoption?"

The Crown Prince was a bit confused, "Father, that depends on Uncle’s wishes. Hasn’t uncle clearly stated that he will not adopt?"

Why was Father still asking him?

The Emperor smiled, "Your maternal grandfather wants to meet Rongchuan now, but we can no longer acknowledge Rongchuan."

The Emperor left the rest unsaid.

The corners of the Crown Prince’s mouth twitched as he finally understood why the Emperor had asked him. Rongchuan looked too much like a person from Ning Residence, and while he was staying in the Hanlin Academy unnoticed, as time went on, people would eventually take notice, which meant Rongchuan needed an identity.

After so many years, he had never seen through his grandfather. He was certain that the Emperor had been calculating all along, just waiting for his grandfather to meet Rongchuan. Now the time had come.

The Crown Prince felt sympathy for Duke Ning’s Household, as everyone from his grandfather to his uncle had been part of the Emperor’s schemes.

The next day, in Jinzhou Province, Zhulan met with Mrs. Xue, "You didn’t come just to see me, did you?"

Mrs. Xue always had matters to attend to when she visited the Zhou Residence, and it looked like she had something to discuss now.

Mrs. Xue mopped her sweat with a handkerchief. She disliked going out more as summer approached, "I’ve been match-making quite frequently these past two years, you might have guessed."

Zhulan paused, "Yushuang?"

Mrs. Xue nodded, "I didn’t want to come, but the Wang family owes the Ma family a favor, so I had to make the trip."

The master had said that the Zhou family would not agree to this marriage proposal and told her to state it directly at the Zhou Residence to avoid offending anyone. Thankfully, with He Shu’s connection, she wasn’t too concerned.

Zhulan recalled the situation at Minister Ma’s household; his son seemed to attend the same Academy as Mingyun. Why was she thinking about this? Surely the Ma family would have approached Zhou Shuren first. Smiling, she said, "You and I are not strangers. I’ll be honest with you: My grandfather and I want to consider Yushuang’s marriage proposal a bit more."

Mrs. Xue smiled, "I know, so I’m just going through the motions and also taking the opportunity to repay a favor. Having this obligation hanging over us has been unsettling. Come to think of it, we’re even borrowing the Zhou family’s goodwill to repay it."

Zhulan understood that although money was easy to repay, favors were difficult, especially those in official circles. The Ma family had even resorted to calling in favors, indicating they wouldn’t give up easily.

At noon, at the Academy, Ming Teng searched for a while before finding Ming Rui, "Why didn’t you wait to have lunch together? Where have you been?"

Ming Rui was at a loss for words, "Don’t ask. Minister Ma’s son went crazy or something, inviting me to lunch. I barely managed to get away."

Ming Teng was stunned, "It makes sense for Minister Ma’s son to invite our elder brother, but why invite you?"

Ming Rui spread his hands, "Who knows."

Ran Xun hesitated, then led his two friends to a more secluded area, "I might know the reason?"

Ming Rui asked, "How would you know?"

Ran Xun was at a loss for words; the young ladies from the Zhou Residence rarely went out, and his two friends were not sensitive to this area. Clearing his throat, he said, "It’s likely that the Ma family wants to form a marital tie with your family. At the moment, Ming Rui, your sister is of a suitable age."

Ming Rui’s mouth twitched, "So Minister Ma’s son invited me hoping I would put in a good word when I got back?"

Ran Xun cleared his throat, "That’s the optimistic view. On the downside, it’s better for you to keep a distance. Most importantly, don’t mention any news about your sister."

Even the tiniest bit of information can be turned into a big issue!

Ming Teng realized he needed to reassess his friend, "You seem to know quite a lot!"

Ran Xun rubbed his head, "The environment we grew up in was different. Until a few years ago, when the Min family was still in power, my older brothers were extremely cautious, and I ended up being taught by them as well."

A few years ago, he wouldn’t dare to be so unrestrained. Ran Xun looked at his little friends. His father and mother had told him to get along well with them.

Ming Rui felt a chill down his back. He needed to start avoiding some people. His eldest sister was originally not as advantageous as his second sister, and this matter of marriage should be approached with even greater caution. It was just uncertain whether his grandparents would arrange a marriage for his eldest sister!

In the afternoon, Zhulan was reading a book when she saw Ming Rui, which surprised her. The children usually did their homework after getting down from school. "Ming Rui is here. Don’t just stand there; come in."

Ming Rui approached his grandmother. "Grandma, has the Ma family come to propose a marriage?"

Zhulan’s hand, which was reaching for a fruit, froze. "How did you know?"

Ming Rui looked carefully at his grandmother. The grandmother frowned and then breathed a sigh of relief, which meant she hadn’t agreed. He then recounted what happened at noon and finally said, "Grandma, the Ma family is too scheming."

So many preparations indeed!

Zhulan also felt it was too scheming, "In the future, stay away from Master Ma."

Ming Rui blinked, "Grandma, I’m very good at avoiding people."

Zhulan smiled. "Come here, this is the new fruit I bought today. Eat."

Ming Rui, who loved fruits, did not stand on ceremony. He sat on the chair and snacked on the fruits, eating a few to satisfy his cravings. Seeing that his grandmother continued to read, he thought for a moment and then said, "Grandma, I’ve made progress in the tests again."

Zhulan knew about it when she was in the capital. She had even specially bought gifts to reward the children who had made progress. Now that Ming Rui brought it up again, it meant he had something to say. "And then?"

Ming Rui stood up. "I do not need to rely on my eldest sister."

Zhulan saw the determination in Ming Rui’s eyes, and she reached out to touch his head. "Ming Rui is also growing up."

Ming Rui felt embarrassed by the praise. "Grandma, I will work hard."

Zhulan smiled. "Grandma believes in you, Ming Rui. Rest assured, your grandfather and I will find a good family for Yushuang."

Ming Rui knew his grandmother did what she said. His heart felt at ease, and his eyes curved in a smile. "Mhm."

At night, when Zhou Shuren came back, Zhulan discussed the marriage proposal with him. She was concerned. "This Minister Ma wouldn’t pose a problem, would he?"

Zhou Shuren, "I don’t know about that. The Ma family wouldn’t dare to make too much of a move. But still, it’s better to be careful. It would be bad if something happened just as we’re about to enter the capital."

Zhulan kept this in mind. "Mhm." ƒгeewёbnovel.com

Time flies. Tomorrow is the day off at Hanlin Academy. Chang Lian saw that Rongchuan was distracted. "Are you still thinking about going to the Duke Residence?"

Rongchuan wasn’t calm enough to visit the Duke Residence, knowing he was related to them, yet carry on as if nothing was amiss. "Mhm."

Chang Lian did not know how to comfort Rongchuan and finally said, "What’s meant to come will always come."

Rongchuan replied in a distant tone, "Originally, my plan was to ride back to Jinzhou Province."

He had already decided on the gifts for Xue Han!

Chang Lian, "..."

At the Ning Residence, Ning Xu intentionally chose today to speak, to avoid being beaten. After speaking, he watched the old master. "Dad, are you alright?"

Duke Ning had issues, and they were big. If he hadn’t known for a long time that Ning Xu was hiding something big from him, it would have been unbearable. "You, you’ve done well."

Ning Xu, "..."

So, he was still going to be beaten!