Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 730: Don’t Think About Hiding_1

Chapter 730: Chapter 730: Don’t Think About Hiding_1

The capital, Chang Lian finally emerged from the palace; he no longer had to relay messages. The Hanlin Academy knew, the official circles of the capital could seem very large, yet also very small.

Mr. Lv, "Congratulations to Uncle on joining the Ministry of Revenue."

Although it was only temporary, everyone in the room was keenly aware; the Emperor had laid out so much groundwork not for a mere temporary position. The Deputy Minister of Revenue, a role for which many have toiled a lifetime and still found the fourth rank unattainable, Zhou’s scholarly background truly made others green with envy.

Chang Lian could now accept the congratulations openly, "Thank you."

His father had become the Vice Minister of Revenue, the moneybag among The Six Ministries. Now that his father had arrived in the capital, his support had come, and he couldn’t help but straighten his back; he was now the son of the Vice Minister of Revenue!

Shen Yang cynically thought that the Vice Minister of Revenue was not the Minister of Personnel. Watching everyone offer their congratulations to Zhou Changlian, he was well aware of the situation; how could he not be? Zhou had won the Emperor’s favor—now he was the Vice Minister of Revenue, but what about in the future?

With a deep breath, Shen Yang rose to his feet, "Congratulations, young master Zhou."

Chang Lian smiled, "Thank you."

Mr. Lv added, "This is a great joyous event, Chang Lian, you can’t be stingy now!"

Chang Lian knew he couldn’t hold onto his purse tonight, and he was happy to spend the Silver; he smiled and said, "Tonight I’m treating, everyone come."

Everyone responded with a laugh, and Chang Lian’s smile deepened when he saw Shi Qing nod in agreement.

Afterward, Chang Lian went to find Rongchuan who was brimming with joy, "Third brother, Aunt and Uncle are coming to the capital."

"Yes, they are finally coming to the capital. I’m treating tonight; how much Silver do you have on you?"

Rongchuan patted his purse, "I have two hundred taels in my pouch."

Chang Lian, ".... Do you usually carry so much Silver?"

Rongchuan caressed his pouch, "The more Silver I have in my pouch, the more at peace I feel."

Chang Lian patted Rongchuan’s shoulder; even though Rongchuan no longer lacked Silver, he still cared greatly for it.

In the evening, Rongchuan and Chang Lian left the Hanlin Academy. Their carriage was waiting, and a young servant stepped forward, "Third master, the lady has a message for you."

Chang Lian signaled for everyone to wait a moment and followed the servant a bit further away, "Is there a letter from Jinzhou Province?"

The servant took out a pouch from his chest, lowering his voice, "The lady sent me to deliver Silver to the third master."

Chang Lian received the lightweight pouch; it must contain silver notes. Grinning, he thought his wife understood him, "You go back first. In an hour and a half, meet us at the tavern."

The servant smiled, "Yes."

With his back turned, the young servant was sly, discreetly handing over the pouch; Mr. Lv and the others weren’t in a position to keep a close eye on Chang Lian, so nobody knew he had been given Silver.

At the Zhou Residence in the capital city, Lady Dong was also busy. She went around each courtyard, instructing the maids, "You must watch closely. In a few days, the whole family will be in the capital, and I’ll be in charge of the house. We can’t afford any mistakes."

Sisters-in-law and younger siblings-in-law had arrived, and she had to do well. She couldn’t allow them to find any fault.

The maid replied, "Every courtyard is cleaned daily; you can rest assured."

Lady Dong, "It’s precisely because it’s cleaned every day that some problems might be overlooked."

In the Duke Residence, the Old Duke was fanning himself, "The dust has settled."

Ning Xu placed the shelled sunflower seeds before his father, "Mm, now we just wait for Zhou Shuren to arrive in the capital."

"He’s finally arriving. These days, accompanying opera performances, I’ve also grown weary."

Ning Hui could not suppress a smile, "Father, you have worked hard."

Duke Ning set down his fan, "I may not attend court, but keeping in touch with old friends behind the scenes is mentally exhausting. This time I’ve used up Old Qi’s favor, and a favor from him does not come easily. After so many years, he only owed me this one."

Ning Xu rolled his eyes, "Father, you still made a profit."

So don’t keep harping on about Old Qi, he’s only just returned. To Old Qi, his face isn’t quite a face, his nose isn’t quite a nose towards him.

Duke Ning laughed heartily, "It’s because I am wiser. Duke Ning’s Residence doesn’t need Qi Bai’s favor. The Qi family’s next generation isn’t outstanding, and really can’t offer much help to Duke Ning’s Residence. Now, using a favor to assist Zhou Shuren, whether it’s now or the next generation, the Zhou family is the one that can offer substantial help to Duke Ning’s Residence."

Ning Xu admired his old man deeply. As soon as the Emperor made a move on the Vice Minister of Personnel, his father didn’t even need the Emperor’s prompting to know His Majesty’s intentions, as well as what would be most beneficial for Duke Ning’s Residence.

Once the old master had enough laughter, Ning Hui then spoke, "With the groundwork laid step by step, and Zhou Shuren’s arrival at the capital, the time should soon arrive to acknowledge Rongchuan."

Duke Ning stroked his beard, sighing inwardly, his second son wasn’t bad, but he just wasn’t as sharp as the eldest and youngest.

Seeing that his father remained silent, Ning Xu whispered, "Anyway, we should wait until Zhou Shuren has established his position before it’s the right time."

If Rongchuan is acknowledged now, it would be bad for Zhou Shuren, appearing as if Duke Ning’s Residence helped Zhou Shuren secure the position of Vice Minister of Revenue. That’s not what the Emperor wants.

Although the Zhou family’s third son and Rongchuan owe Duke Ning’s Residence, the Duke’s Residence has always been low-profile and has not interfered in anything. Zhou Shuren has to earn his way into the Ministry of Revenue on his own.

But acknowledging Rongchuan is a different matter, especially if Rongchuan becomes his son. Even if the Duke’s Residence didn’t help, people would still believe that the Duke’s Residence assisted Zhou Shuren in securing his position as Vice Minister of Revenue.

Yet if Zhou Shuren cements his own position, then acknowledging Rongchuan later would be adding luster to the Zhou family, providing them a reliable source of support.

Ning Hui smiled, "It seems that I haven’t thought everything through."

Duke Ning reflected that in the past he had exhausted his efforts in cultivating his eldest son, and he hadn’t spent much time on his second son. Later, when the third son feigned death, his heart couldn’t bear it, and by the time he turned to educate his second son, he lacked the energy.

That evening, in Jinzhou Province, Zhou Shuren was hosting a dinner, and Zhulan also celebrated with the children.

Ming Teng smiled cheekily, "Grandma, starting tomorrow, does that mean we won’t have to attend the Academy anymore?"

Zhulan, "That, I won’t meddle in."

Ming Teng blinked, if Grandma spoke with Grandfather, he would surely agree. But since Grandma didn’t want to intervene, he still had to go to the Academy.

Mingyun kept a stern face, "Jinzhou is close to the capital, and Grandfather won’t take office for another half month. Don’t get any ideas, you better go to the Academy honestly these days."

Ming Teng felt deflated; he really didn’t like going to gatherings. Now that Grandfather was becoming the Vice Minister of Revenue, he would surely be surrounded by people tomorrow.

Mingyun couldn’t be bothered to look at his brother. He felt he had been too lenient with Ming Teng. Ming Teng wasn’t young anymore and still wanted to hide away. The capital was different from Jinzhou, and now was the perfect time to toughen up Ming Teng’s temperament.

Zhou Shuren’s eldest, looking like a father, silently drank his wine. Don’t mention Ming Teng being afraid of Mingyun; even he, as the father, was somewhat intimidated by his eldest son. With a face like a block of ice, whenever his eldest looked at him, he felt somewhat cowered.

In the tavern, Zhou Shuren was seated next to Ran Zheng, who said, "Tomorrow is the handover, right?"

Zhou Shuren, "Mm."

Ran Zheng sipped his wine. He hadn’t expected Zhou Shuren to precede him to the capital, ah, he meant return to the capital, while Zhou Shuren was the one actually entering it, "I also have acquaintances in the Ministry of Revenue, and I have already sent a letter to the capital."

Zhou Shuren raised his glass, "Thanks."

Having acquaintances made a huge difference, it was all about connections, otherwise, he would be groping in the dark.

Wong Ju kept quiet; the Wong family truly had no acquaintances in the Ministry of Revenue. His father did have students in the Ministry of Justice, and there were quite a few in the Ministry of Rites. His in-laws had many officials in the Ministry of Rites. Now that he thought about it, the Wong family really didn’t know anyone in either of the two ministries!

This time, Zhou Shuren had made a breakthrough!