Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 340 Low Expectations_1

Chapter 340: Chapter 340 Low Expectations_1

The Emperor Zhang Yu wanted to move his fingers, but he held back in the end. Some slight movements couldn’t be allowed; unconscious gestures are the most revealing of one’s inner thoughts. Suppressing the urge, Zhang Yu looked at Zhou Shuren—the selection this time was special, not even half as many as usual. Out of the eighty chosen this session, he was most satisfied with Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren’s record only started in Pingzhou. A short time frame didn’t mean less information—on the contrary, Zhou Shuren’s file was rather extensive. From the way he earned silver through his own abilities to his wife’s knack for flipping properties, all of these aspects had impressed him and provided many hints!

At the beginning of his reign, when he had seized the capital, he killed many people and collected quite a few residences. To consolidate the imperial governance in the early days of his reign, another batch of officials had been executed, leaving him with a surplus of properties!

He regretted it bitterly now—why had he been so foolish to give residences away as rewards? He should have known that the properties he kept till later were the better ones!

As the Emperor’s thoughts wandered with the increasing complexity, he drifted off course for a moment before pulling himself back to Zhou Shuren, the man he was considering. What he valued most about Zhou Shuren was his decisiveness, his knack for avoiding losses, and his slippery, elusive nature. Moreover, Zhou Shuren’s examination papers had given him quite the insight. Entrusting Lizhou City to him was something he looked forward to with great anticipation.

You see, before discovering Zhou Shuren, he really worried about who to send to Lizhou City. He had gone through all the officials in the imperial court—once they became officials, their wealth seemed to flourish, but most of it was ill-gotten. The rest simply had substantial family assets.

Indeed, none were as lucky in finance as Zhou Shuren. Take his participation in the antique competition, for instance; it all seemed too much of a coincidence, as if they were handing him silver. Right, even the Hou Residence had sent him silver, and Zhou Shuren did trick the Hou Residence out of silver. It took a lot of effort and calculation. Thinking about it, Zhou Shuren’s financial fortune really was incredibly good, even though he got tricked out of some in the end; Zhou Shuren still earned quite a sum.

His expectations weren’t high—he just wanted the starving populace to have enough to eat so that they wouldn’t need to ask the imperial court for silver every year.

Luckily for Zhou Shuren, he was unaware of the Emperor’s inner thoughts, or he would have spat blood in frustration. He had information on Lizhou City too, after all; don’t treat him like an idiot. The data given by Wu Chun was extremely detailed: Lizhou City had a large population. Even though many had fled, they were gradually returning to their hometowns—nowhere is better than home, after all. Once the population return was complete, times would become even tougher for Lizhou City.

Luckily, Zhou Shuren didn’t know what the Emperor was expecting and remained calmly observant, watching the drama unfold amongst the imperial court officials with peripheral vision.

The Emperor sat high above, much like in an examination hall where he could see every small movement below. Smirking slightly, he thought, worthy of being the second-place scholar he had set his eyes on. Had he known earlier that the Top Scorer was so risk-averse, he wouldn’t have considered age in his selection process and would have chosen the second-place scholar instead; it suited him much better.

No matter how much upheaval there was in the imperial court, once the edict was issued, and with the Emperor already prepared, it was only a matter of time before the ministers recovered their senses. The Emperor Zhang Yu had watched enough of the spectacle; he could guess the rest from their expressions. Rising briskly from his seat, he said, "I shall not delay any further; the auspicious hour is upon us. The people in the city are awaiting the appearance of the new Top Scorer. Court is dismissed."

Having said that, the Emperor swiftly made his exit.

The imperial court ministers, "....."

A familiar tactic; they failed to hold him back again today!

The Crown Prince quickly followed suit, jogging to catch up. This was not the time to dawdle—lest he be cornered later for not advising the Emperor more often. His goal was simple: to be the son who heeded his father, the Emperor’s advice.

The Emperor had not embarked on a large-scale purge for the past two years, not because he couldn’t wield the sword anymore, but rather to stabilize the governance and to temper the Princes.

With a profound look in his eyes, the Crown Prince knew that after the Princes were sufficiently tempered, it would be his turn to wield the sword. After all, there was only one imperial throne. Should he fail, his mother, the foreign clans, his entire family, his wife’s family, and his younger brother yet to come of age, none would have a way out—this was a struggle for their very survival.

With the Emperor and the Crown Prince gone, the three Princes who had just entered the imperial court exchanged glances. Seizing the moment before the ministers could react, they quickly made their getaway—heaven forbid that anyone closed in on them right now, making them appear slow-witted!

Zhou Shuren straightened up; with the Emperor and the Crown Prince absent, there was no need for him to keep his head down any longer. It was quite tiring to do so, and his neck had become somewhat stiff. Capital officials sure didn’t have it easy!

Zhou Shuren watched as several princes slipped away. "Hey, they’re all so shrewd," Zhou Shuren silently thought to himself, admiring the Emperor’s good genes. Not a single prince was foolish, and he was thankful that the Emperor had stopped having children. Otherwise, there would have been eight or nine or even ten dragons vying for the throne. When too many vie for power, it’s not good; everyone is preoccupied with fighting for authority, and hardly anyone attends to the welfare of the people. It’s a good thing the Emperor couldn’t have more children.

The ministers at the Imperial court, seeing that those who were meant to leave had done so, also didn’t linger. As for this year’s degree holders, they really had no time to pay them any mind. Even the one with the highest official rank was just a fifth-grade official assigned to the poorest border area; the rest were all entry-level officials. They could be attended to when they rose through the ranks.

Now, they had to go back and calculate how much influence they had lost under the Emperor’s firm hand.

Zhou Shuren looked at the Imperial court, now only left with degree holders. Very good, not only had this year’s civil service examination set a precedent by sending scholars out to the provinces, but it had also escaped everyone’s attention!

At the tavern in the capital, Zhulan had no idea what Zhou Shuren had been through. She waited at the pre-booked tavern for the street procession, calculating the time they should arrive, yet still saw no one.

Xue Han stood by the window. "Mother, why haven’t father and Wu Ming arrived yet?"

Zhulan, "...."

She didn’t know either; her knowledge of the procession was limited to what she had seen on television dramas, which couldn’t be taken as fact.

Lady Li stood on tiptoe, "They’re coming, they’re coming."

Zhulan stood up and saw that they indeed were approaching, riding on tall horses and dressed in court attire, looking very spirited. However, why did she feel some were excited while others seemed dispirited?

The procession, which should have been celebratory, featured Wu Ming and Zhou Shuren looking calm as usual, while others either grinned foolishly, smiled too stiffly, or seemed totally out of it, wearing expressions that screamed, "Who am I? What have I been through?"

Zhulan’s intuition told her that something significant must have happened during today’s gratitude ceremony.

Lady Li, Zhou Laoda, and the children were the most excited. Ming Teng waved his little hands desperately, shouting for Grandpa, and even the quiet Yu Lu waved her chubby hands.

Xue Han was much more reserved, clutching the window frame, eagerly watching outside.

Lady Li wanted to shout too but didn’t dare; one was the Top scorer brother whom she dared not provoke, the other the grandfather she had always been afraid of. To express her excitement, she could only pat her husband’s thigh persistently, "Look, look, the procession is coming."

Zhou Laoda, "....."

It hurt, it really hurt!

To secure a booth near the street, Zhulan had reserved it half a month in advance and had paid a substantial amount of silver. However, since the second-place scholar and the Top scorer became connected as a family, when she came to the tavern today, the shopkeeper returned the silver and even offered tea and pastries for free!

As Zhulan sipped her tea and pondered what might have happened in the palace, she only returned to the moment when the procession came into view. Her gaze landed on the Tanhua; he was in his twenties and indeed quite handsome.

In ancient times, people were more reserved. There was no throwing of perfumed sachets, but fake flowers were thrown instead, mostly at the Tanhua!