Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 796 Really Tricked Him_1

The next day at the early morning court session, Zhou Shuren attended the earliest court dismissal since he started attending. The Emperor had already taken his leave, and Zhou Shuren was prepared for the congratulations that came his way. He had barely walked a few steps before being surrounded.

Unexpectedly, the first to speak was Scholar Ding, who was quite distant from him.

Scholar Ding’s tone was sarcastic, "Mr. Zhou is indeed lucky, not only will he have a marital connection with the Ning family, but he has also found a powerful backer. My congratulations to Mr. Zhou for having such reliable support in the days to come."

Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes inwardly. Since the Emperor started keeping him behind frequently, Scholar Ding’s attitude toward him had been nothing but foul. Today’s words were not congratulations; they were mockery, "Mr. Ding must have never heard that luck is also a form of strength, unlike some people whose luck is truly poor. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Ding?"

Grinding his teeth, Scholar Ding was especially envious of Zhou Shuren because of his own bad luck. His promotion had long been overdue, yet it was luck that he lacked. Just as he was about to retort, someone else beat him to it.

Li Zhao laughed heartily, "I do enjoy what Mr. Zhou said. Luck is indeed a form of strength. Let’s walk and talk."

Li Zhao was in high spirits because his own luck wasn’t bad. Back when he was leading troops in battle, he survived several encirclements, a testament to his good fortune.

The Minister of Personnel smiled warmly, "Some people are just jealous, there’s no need for sarcasm and to demean oneself. It’s quite unseemly."

Zhou Shuren didn’t believe the Minister of Personnel was defending him out of kindness; it was merely because The Six Ministries and the scholars opposed each other, and The Six Ministries stood unified.

The expressions on the other scholars’ faces changed slightly, as they had allowed Mr. Ding to ridicule Zhou Shuren due to their own sense of crisis. They didn’t have a good solution for the grain purchasing issue, and Zhou Shuren’s method brought multiple benefits in one go. Naturally, they found him disagreeable.

Now that the Minister of Personnel had chastised Mr. Ding, they were feeling uneasy, as if the words were directed at them, making their faces turn sour.

The Minister of Justice, Mr. Sun, gave a sideways glance, "How unattractive."

The Minister of Works coughed, "The sourness is quite unpleasant."

Zhou Shuren looked at the Minister of Rites, the only one who hadn’t spoken. Considering the surname of the Minister of Rites and then glancing at Scholar Ding, he realized that certainly there were those among them the Fourth Prince wanted to win over.

Zhou Shuren returned to the Ministry of Revenue. The Crown Prince wasn’t there today, likely waiting in the palace by now, for Marquis Ning was supposed to accompany Rongchuan to the palace today, as he had mentioned yesterday.

Qiu Yan’s feelings were quite complicated, "Congratulations."

He envied the luck of Mr. Zhou and lamented that the Zhou family was now deeply entangled with the Ning family. With the additional marital ties, he had always believed that Mr. Zhou supported the Crown Prince, and thus he couldn’t maintain a close relationship with Mr. Zhou in the future.

Zhou Shuren replied, "Thank you."

After finishing, Qiu Yan said with a smile, "The Grand Master of Writing will return tomorrow. I heard that he entered the capital yesterday."

Zhou Shuren really didn’t know, mainly because he hadn’t paid much attention to whether the Grand Master of Writing was coming back or not, unlike Qiu Yan, who was eager for his early return to keep a watchful eye, "Now you can relax too." frёewebnoѵēl.com

Qiu Yan laughed genuinely this time, "Indeed."

Although the three princes were away on official duties, he was still on edge. The Crown Prince for some reason had taken to staying at the Ministry of Revenue and wouldn’t leave!

The hottest topic in the capital today was that the Deputy Minister of Revenue, Zhou’s son-in-law, had become the son of Marquis Ning.

Zhulan had just finished breakfast when visitors arrived to offer their congratulations. Scholar Deng and his wife were among the early ones. The couple arrived so early because they knew very well that many would visit Zhou’s residence today, so they left shortly after offering their good wishes.

Indeed, many people visited Zhou’s residence today, including Miss Yao Yao, the second daughter of the Yao family, and others whom Zhulan had a good relationship with since arriving in the capital.

There were also those who had met just a few times; most of them were officials of the fourth rank or below and their families.

The Zhou Residence didn’t host a banquet today, yet the number of visitors matched that of a banquet day.

Several daughters-in-law of the Zhou family came out to entertain the female guests, with Lady Li and Lady Zhao working together. Lady Zhao, attentive and quick-witted, complemented Lady Li’s words well, and their cooperation was quite good.

Lady Dong could manage on her own, entertaining some familiar guests, not to mention Su Xuan.

Zhulan sat beside Lady Gao, the wife of the Third Rank Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and there was no one of higher status than Lady Gao present today.

Lady Gao felt envious inside; who wouldn’t wish for their daughter to be well-married? Although the young lady of the Zhou family had married up, there were life-saving and upbringing favors from the past. As long as the young miss didn’t sabotage herself, the Ning family would hold her in high regard.

Lady Gao said, "Today, news about your adoption of Zhang Rongchuan has already spread throughout the capital."

Zhulan smiled, "Everyone’s well-informed, it seems."

Curving her lips, Lady Gao replied, "It’s not just being well-informed. It’s the Ning Duke Residence that released the news. I heard that today Duke Ning invited many who were among the first to follow the Emperor."

Zhulan knew what was happening; these people had all seen Ning Shao, and this was also a way to verify Rongchuan’s lineage, "I’ve seen Ning Shao’s portrait, and they really do look alike."

Lady Gao, who hadn’t seen it, exclaimed, "I thought it was just hearsay. Are they really that alike?"

Zhulan nodded, "Very much so. If Rongchuan donned armor, he would be Ning Shao himself."

Lady Gao gasped, her mind racing with thoughts - could it be Ning Shao reincarnated!

Within the palace, in the government hall, both the Emperor and the Crown Prince were present. Ning Xu led Rongchuan into the hall, where Ning Xu accompanied Rongchuan in performing the kneeling ritual. This was proper; Rongchuan was the son, and a son kneeling before his father was correct.

The Emperor reached out to help Rongchuan rise, "Good, good."

Ning Xu’s face twitched as he was ignored; the Emperor was jealous in his heart.

Rongchuan looked at the Emperor, wondering why he wasn’t afraid to meet the Emperor and why he felt a fondness for the Crown Prince; now everything was explained, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Emperor, cheery and happy, wouldn’t need to hide his affection for his son any longer. Everything could be attributed to the late Ning Shao. After all, everyone knew that without Ning Shao, there would be no him today, "From now on, we’re family. Come, this is a gift from me to you."

Rongchuan looked at the box Eunuch Liu held, saw his father’s barely perceptible nod, and took it over, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Emperor, feeling a pang in his heart at hearing the address, lifted his foot and stepped on Ning Xu’s foot. Ning Xu winced in pain, but he couldn’t make a sound; he couldn’t afford to provoke the jealous Emperor.

The Emperor eagerly said, "Open it and see."

Rongchuan blinked and opened it; the box felt light, and inside was a stack of deed certificates, "This?"

The Emperor asked, "Do you like it?"

Rongchuan’s hand paused, overwhelmed by the Emperor’s affection. When previously called into the palace, he would leave with gifts and provisions. The Emperor spoke, and Rongchuan opened the deed certificates, stunned for a moment. There were four deeds to shops in the capital, all in prime locations, and the last two -- one to a manor in Jingnan of 120 mu and another in Jiangnan, a ten-acre manor. "This is too valuable. I cannot accept it."

He knew all too well how valuable such assets were, whether houses or manors in the capital, as he had been saving up for his own family fortune.

The Crown Prince, standing close, immediately recognized the Jingnan manor. That estate neighbored the one his father, the Emperor, had granted him. At the same time, his heart was clogged with frustration. The Emperor could have at least informed him about giving the deed certificates; he wouldn’t have secretly sent them to the Ning Duke Residence yesterday.

Now, it was all for nothing, a gift borne in vain to the Ning Duke Residence. His father, the Emperor, had truly outplayed him; he refused to believe that the Emperor was unaware of his actions. He wasn’t one to operate secretly without seeking recognition!