Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 482: Not to be Bullied_1

Chapter 482: Chapter 482: Not to be Bullied_1

The Emperor’s edict had been issued, but it wasn’t directed at the Jinzhou government officials. The decree established two new bureaus, independent of Jinzhou, and even Zhou Shuren, as the Magistrate, had no authority over them, as they reported directly to the Emperor.

Zhou Shuren sipped his tea, thinking that the Emperor surely moved fast, and today’s tea was quite good.

All the officials in Jinzhou knew that the Emperor’s decree had to be related to Mr. Zhou’s submitted zhezi. The decree didn’t greatly affect Jinzhou’s officials, but it heavily impacted the Maritime Affairs and Inspection bureaus.

The power of the two former bureaus had been significant; even officials from the capital would curry favor with them. Many noble families would nominally engage in trade, and everyone wanted a piece of the substantial profits from sea trade. Min and Ran, of the two bureaus, became the targets of universal flattery.

Now with the taxation tightly controlled and power dispersed, life was not so easy for the two bureaus anymore.

How distressed Min and Ran were, nobody cared. After this incident, all the Jinzhou officials understood that among everyone in Jinzhou City, Zhou Shuren was the last person to provoke. This man was truly terrifying, tricking you with a smile was putting it mildly; if truly provoked, he’d go straight for the kill.

It was clear to all astute observers that with the establishment of the new bureaus, the Maritime Affairs and Inspection bureaus had become trapped turtles in a jar. The Emperor would keep them if he pleased or, without courtesy, strip them clean if displeased. The Min and Ran families had been truly reckless these past few years.

Zhou Shuren was very satisfied with the fear he inspired in everyone. He wasn’t a fan of tepid retaliation; he preferred to cut down to the root. Having felt constrained for so many years, he could finally live a little more freely.

Mr. Wang swallowed hard, while Mr. Bai had already scurried off early, fearing drawing Zhou Shuren’s attention.

Mr. Wang shifted his stance, feeling it might be best to slip away too.

This time, Zhou Shuren showed everyone through his actions that he was not to be trifled with, with the trust of the Emperor and solid achievements, his position as firm as a mountain.

Of course, Mr. Zhou also managed to rack up quite the tally of enmity. Too bad for them, they could only watch, not daring to make a move, and had to suck it up.

That evening, whistling a tune, Zhou Shuren headed to the inner courtyard, where Zhulan was holding their son. "You didn’t listen to music today? Who did you learn this from?"

Zhou Shuren smiled as he took his son, "Mr. Wang likes it. I heard him humming it today and thought it was quite catchy. Not bad, huh?"

Zhulan, "Not bad."

Zhou Shuren played with his son, turning his head to look at Zhulan, "I feel like you’ve lost quite a bit of weight?"

Zhulan touched her cheek, "I’ve been busy these days."

Having slimmed down was actually to Zhulan’s liking.

Zhou Shuren preferred a plumper Zhulan; too thin wasn’t good, but even if he mentioned it, Zhulan wouldn’t listen. While kissing his son, he continued, "Today, someone approached me about arranging a marriage for Shi Qing."

Zhulan put down the small garment she was holding. "How did they find you?"

Zhou Shuren replied, "Shi Qing freely comes and goes from my residence, and he was my student—none of this is a secret. Now that Chang Zhi is out of the picture, they’ve turned their attention to Shi Qing."

Zhulan’s mouth twitched, "What did you say?"

"I’m not Shi Qing’s father, so it’s not my concern. After this year’s tutoring, there’s nothing left I can teach him. He’s on his own next year."

He must have been out of his mind to find a marriage partner for the knife the Emperor had ground.

Zhulan sighed internally at the thought of Wu Ning and then saw Liu Ya come in. She got up, "Let’s eat."

Zhou Shuren gave his son another kiss, "All right."

At the Min Residence, Mr. Min paced in circles unceasingly. Even after receiving a message from the Second Prince, he still couldn’t settle down. He had always felt a sense of foreboding, and now the feeling had manifested concretely like a thorn in his back.

Mrs. Liu, unfamiliar with the intricacies of officialdom, only knew to follow her husband’s lead. Seeing his panicked state, she felt unstable as well. "My lord, if all else fails, we could send our third daughter to the Second Prince Residence."

Mr. Min smashed a teacup, "Absurd! Do you think the Second Prince doesn’t know you used the third daughter to scheme against the Zhou family? And now you still think of sending her to his residence? What do you take the Second Prince Residence for?"

He regretted it; regretted that when the Second Prince had made the suggestion, he had tasted the sweet power of Maritime Affairs and grew ambitious. He wanted more, so he played coy with the Second Prince. Now, Mr. Min felt a chill up his spine. If he were not still in his position, the Second Prince might have already given up on him.

Mrs. Liu asked, "What are we to do? Is the girl...?"

Mr. Min rubbed his temples, "Enough, don’t worry about it."

The atmosphere at the Ran Residence was also not great, but Mrs. Qi was the Third Prince’s maternal aunt, and the Ran Residence was not overly panicked.

The next day, Zhulan received the matched birthdays of Chang Zhi and the Magistrate. A match made in heaven.

When Mrs. Xue received it, she was astounded, "This is the first time I’ve seen such a well-matched pair."

Zhulan felt cheerful; it was a good omen. She sincerely thanked her, "Thank you, sister."

Mrs. Xue replied, "You’re too polite."

She didn’t dare act presumptuously because of her age anymore; Mr. Zhou was truly frightening. Her husband had warned her repeatedly to be respectful at Zhou’s residence, not to get ahead of herself if Mrs. Zhou called her sister.

Zhulan was genuinely grateful to Mrs. Xue, "I’ll have to trouble you again in a few days."

"It’s what I should do."

At the Wang Residence, the matchmaker delivered the matched birthdays, shrouded in flattering words, all of which couldn’t measure up to the "match made in heaven" Mrs. Tao saw on the paper, which put her mind entirely at ease. She had worried the match might be poor.

After the matchmaker left, Su Xuan carefully stored away the paper that declared "match made in heaven." She had been anxious about the matching, fearing her own birthdays were too harsh, that the Zhou family might reject her, and had been uneasy all night. Now, she finally felt relieved.

Mrs. Tao looked at Su Xuan’s pale face with sadness, "Now you can rest easy. After a few days, we’ll send the betrothal gifts and set the date."

Su Xuan’s eyes welled up, "Yes, thank you, Aunt."