Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 350 Stingy_1

Chapter 350: Chapter 350 Stingy_1

Because Mr. Hou was also a master of facial expressions, Zhou Shuren couldn’t discern Mr. Hou’s thoughts, or else it would have hit him hard!

Zhou Shuren greeted him, "Prefect Zhou Shuren of Lizhou Province has seen Mr. Hou."

Mr. Hou’s face carried a smile as he spoke, "I have long heard that Prefect Zhou is highly regarded by the Emperor, and meeting you today proves that the reputation is indeed well-deserved. Please take a seat, Prefect Zhou."

Zhou Shuren chuckled politely, "I too have long heard of Mr. Hou’s excellence in both literary and martial arts. Having the good fortune to meet you today, I feel deeply honored."

The two exchanged smiles, looking like good friends who got along well!

As for what he thought, Zhou Shuren sneered internally, what moderation, indeed no easy opponent. He purposely mentioned his official position, and Mr. Hou followed by bringing up the Emperor. Just look at that insincere smiling face.

As for Mr. Hou, he pondered, outside they all say he’s mediocre and incompetent, yet to Prefect Zhou, this turns into excellence in both literary and martial arts. Squinting his eyes, he thought this was no mere flattery, and he always felt there was a hidden meaning in the words.

He wanted to see Zhou Shuren firstly to test him, and secondly, Zheyu was very concerned about Zhou Shuren; he also wanted to see what kind of person Zhou Shuren was and if he could be of use to him.

Lately, Zheyu’s actions were incessant, continually dividing the connections of the Hou Residence. His façade of moderation was performed for the Emperor, and having gotten used to it, aside from a few confidants, everyone thought him incompetent. Now, with an outstanding Princely Heir who was also recognized by the Emperor, quite a few had joined Zheyu’s side.

Even though some clever people knew that the Emperor was courting Zheyu to divide the influence of the Hou Residence, no one was foolish. They all understood that the Emperor disliked the Hou Residence and feared being dragged down with them. Now that Zheyu had received the Emperor’s acknowledgment, they believed it to be a promising refuge!

As Zhou Shuren sipped his tea, the tea in the Hou Residence was no worse than that in the Palace, making him reflect on the wealth of the Hou Residence once again. Looking around the Hou Residence was like looking at gold, and if even the Emperor could shamelessly covet their properties, it clearly showed that the Emperor was really short of money!

Mr. Hou, smiling, asked, "Prefect Zhou keeps drinking the tea, do you like the tea of the Hou Residence?"

Zhou Shuren put down his teacup, "The tea of the Hou Residence is in no way inferior to the Palace’s. I indeed like it very much, and I’m not afraid of Mr. Hou laughing at me. Right when I arrived at the Hou Residence, I was also stunned. The Hou Residence not only occupies a vast area but is also resplendent with splendor, unlike the... Oh, my mistake, my mistake."

Having said that, Zhou Shuren quickly picked up his teacup to drink, leaving the rest unsaid, leaving them to understand for themselves. Today, they invited him over to intimidate him, as if he were some clay figurine, but he had his confidence now.

Mr. Hou’s hand holding the teacup tightened. What slip of the tongue by Zhou Shuren? It was clearly intentional; it was the same as openly saying that the Hou Residence had more silver than the Palace. The Hou Residence had plenty of spies, and Zhou Shuren’s words would surely reach the Emperor’s ears. Zhou Shuren was not only untouchable but his status had changed, and so had his attitude towards the Hou Residence. No wonder Zheyu was out of luck.

This person was too cunning; even if Mr. Hou wanted to use him, he wouldn’t dare to.

Zhou Shuren’s gaze shifted to the servants in the courtyard. Should he say something more?

Mr. Hou coughed, "The Hou Residence is not as exaggerated as Prefect Zhou has described."

Zhou Shuren, "Not exaggerated at all, the Hou Residence indeed has plenty of silver, an immense amount of it. Even the teacups for drinking tea are antiques. Prefect Zhou has not exaggerated at all, Mr. Hou, I’m a sincere man."

Mr. Hou, "....."

Just shut up already!

Zhou Shuren put down his teacup, looking very shy, "Mr. Hou’s tea is top-notch. I took the liberty of drinking quite a bit, it’s truly delicious. It’s only unfortunate that the wealth I have is accumulated bit by bit, and I cannot afford such top-tier tea. No, what I mean is that I couldn’t even find such tea to buy, befitting the Hou Residence. Thank you for your hospitality today, Mr. Hou."

Mr. Hou chuckled, "Today I was merely curious what kind of person Prefect Zhou is. It’s getting late, so I will not keep you any longer."

Zhou Shuren thought to himself how stingy he was, far less generous than your son, who exudes the aura of a rich tycoon. He had even hoped to score some tea leaves for free!

Zhou Shuren stood up, "Prefect Zhou will take his leave now."

Mr. Hou didn’t want to see Zhou Shuren any longer, "See the guest out."

Zhou Shuren pursed his lips. He really had much more to say, yet Mr. Hou couldn’t bear it after just a few sentences. Now it seemed that the situation in the Hou Residence was not good. Zhou Shuren couldn’t help but lift his head to look at the sky. There must be more than one knife hanging over the Hou Residence!

After leaving the Hou Residence, Zhou Shuren came away empty-handed. He had thought he would be able to take something back with him. He sighed and got into his carriage, "Let’s go home."

When Zhulan got home, Zhou Shuren had already returned and was recording something in the room. Zhulan asked, "When did you get back?"

Zhou Shuren put down his pen, "I’ve been back for a while. What did you and Chang Lian buy?"

Zhulan placed the box in her hand down, "I bought some fabrics, pastries, and such. This box is for the ladies’ jewelry. This is for our elder daughter, a pair of jade bracelets. Do you think they look nice?"

Zhou Shuren saw that there was a lot of jewelry in the box, and Zhulan’s purchasing power was strong, as was her earning ability, "Quite nice."

Zhulan covered the box and sat at the desk, clearly writing down who each piece of jewelry was for in the box, so that Chang Lian wouldn’t get confused since there were so many.

As she wrote, Zhulan asked, "What did Mr. Hou say?"

"He didn’t say much before sending me away."

While speaking, Zhou Shuren repeated what he had said.

Zhulan ,"....."

If she were in their place, she would have shown the guest out as well. She then smiled, as Zhou Shuren still had a sense of measure. He only said things the Emperor knew of and didn’t truly step on Mr. Hou’s bottom line. Zhou Shuren had shown that he was not a pushover, so the Hou Residence would not provoke him easily.

Who could blame them? Zhou Shuren was currently favored by the Emperor, so the Hou Residence wouldn’t dare make any moves. Zhulan felt relieved.

Inside the Palace, the Emperor listened to the eunuch repeating Zhou Shuren’s words and fell silent for a while before saying to the Crown Prince, "Yao Wenqi has become stingy, not nearly as generous as his son—look at our Minister Zhou, even after shamelessly praising the tea, he didn’t get a single leaf."

The Crown Prince chuckled inwardly. Minister Zhou’s thick skin was indeed on par with His Majesty. "Yao Zheyu is indeed a rare generous man."

He was quite fond of the generous Yao Zheyu, especially since he volunteered to be the Emperor’s dagger, striking at the power of the Hou Residence.

The Emperor said to Eunuch Liu beside him, "Send the new tea leaves to Zhou’s residence. Tell Minister Zhou—never mind, you go ahead!"

He had just obtained three mansions, so it felt somewhat improper. Better not to scare people.

The Crown Prince had been following the Emperor since he was young. Although he didn’t claim to understand the Emperor completely, he did know that Minister Zhou had truly caught the Emperor’s eye.

After Eunuch Liu departed, the Emperor said, "You may leave as well."

The Crown Prince bowed his head, "Yes."

After the Crown Prince left, the Emperor’s face fell, and he muttered about Yao Wenqi and Yao Zheyu, whose bold moves had indeed unearthed something interesting.

At Zhou’s residence, Eunuch Liu personally delivered the tea leaves. Zhou Shuren looked at the tea box, "Luckily, we have few servants, or else I really wouldn’t know who belongs to the Emperor."

Zhulan inwardly rolled her eyes, "That’s because you’re not of high enough rank yet. Once you are, you’ll have plenty. This serves as a reminder to be more careful with our words in the future."

"Indeed, we must be more careful with what we say."

In the past, they used to chat about modern things, but they cannot do so any longer.