Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 759 Dumbfounded_1

Chapter 759: Chapter 759 Dumbfounded_1

The next day, at Zhou Residence, Lady Gao, the wife of Chief of Staff Zhong, came to pay a visit. Zhulan was quite surprised; she had attended a banquet at the Zhong Residence, but there were too many guests, and even though Lady Gao took care of her, they didn’t talk much. However, Lady Gao did introduce her to quite a few official families.

She truly didn’t expect Lady Gao to come to her doorstep.

Zhulan went out to meet her; Lady Gao was about the same age as Zhulan. Zhulan said, "I thought I heard wrong, and I had to confirm it again before I believed you had come. Please, come inside."

As they walked, Lady Gao said, "I couldn’t wait for you to visit, so I had to come myself. The entire way here, I admired your residence; it’s truly befitting the reward it represents, so imposing and elegant."

Zhulan sensed that Lady Gao’s tone was much warmer than last time, a consequence of Zhou Shuren’s influence. Zhou Shuren had secured his footing in the Ministry of Revenue, and just yesterday he received an additional reward, which was the talk of the capital, "The view at Zhong Residence is also one of the best in the capital. After visiting last time, I’ve been thinking about renovating our own garden too!"

Lady Gao inwardly remarked that upon two meetings, this Mrs. Yang did not seem like she came from a peasant family. And then she thought, if Chief Zhou could make the master want to socialize, it was natural for Chief Zhou’s wife to be extraordinary, "It’s a bit late in the season to be renovating the garden, it’s best to do in the spring."

"By then, I shall come to you for advice. I’ve visited many places, and you mustn’t think me a bother."

Lady Gao laughed, "I would be glad for you to visit more often. Whatever you ask, I will share without reservation."

Zhulan, "Then it’s settled."

"It’s settled."

At this moment, Steward Ding came in with a handful of calling cards. Steward Ding said, "Madam, these are the calling cards we’ve just received."

Zhulan signaled Granny Song to take them and glanced at them; there were indeed many.

Lady Gao thought to herself, the Zhou family has truly established itself in the capital; the Ministry of Revenue is always short of silver. The master was transferred from the Ministry of Revenue, and he knew very well the recent actions of the Ministry. He admired Zhou Shuren greatly. As a married couple shared fortunes, if the master wanted to befriend Chief Zhou, naturally she also needed to be on good terms with Mrs. Yang.

On reflection, her initial invitation to Mrs. Yang had merely been to express her gratitude because it was thanks to Zhou Shuren that the master had been able to move from the Ministry of Revenue to the Ministry of Personnel.

Fortunately, she had invited Mrs. Yang back then, or her visit today would have seemed abrupt.

In the Duke Ning Residence, Ning Zhixiang furrowed his brows, "Stop pacing in front of me, will you?"

The endless pacing was irritating him; he was already feeling a tightness in his chest, now it was even worse.

Madam Yu’s brows were knit in distress, "I’m worried; mother hasn’t asked me to accompany her in a long time, and recently, it has always been my sister-in-law. I brought up something to mother that she seemed interested in, but I don’t know what went wrong, and she gave me a piece of her mind."

Ning Zhixiang’s eyelids drooped, "No more talk of adoption, understand?"

Madam Yu couldn’t let it go, "Uncle Three’s family fortune is no less than the Duke Residence’s, and he also has a marquisate."

"Enough, don’t bring it up again."

Why would mother speak to Madam Yu like that? It must be father’s doing. Only if father spoke would mother’s attitude change like that. And father’s words were grandfather’s words.

He saw it clearly, compared to Uncle Three, father was the one who obeyed grandfather the most.

Madam Yu clutched her handkerchief, feeling frustrated that the wealth in front of her was out of reach, still unwilling to give up.

Ning Zhixiang closed his eyes, refusing to look at his dissatisfied wife. She was discontent, but he was even more so; yet he thought further ahead. Uncle Three’s recent actions had been noticed by all; he truly regarded the third son of the Zhou family and Zhang Rongchuan highly.

He was more concerned about Zhang Rongchuan but just couldn’t figure it out, nor did he dare to have people keep an eye on Uncle Three; he wasn’t someone easy to deal with. He couldn’t think about this anymore, the more he thought, the more suffocated he felt.

In the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren and Qiu Yan stood outside the Grand Master of Writing’s door, no longer wishing to enter. The door was open and the ministers of The Six Ministries had gathered, even the Minister of Works was there.

The big players inside were squabbling fiercely, the argument was fiery. Having been coerced into donating silver, the flame of their ire was only fueled when the Ministry of Revenue received rewards the day before.

Zhou Shuren twitched the corners of his mouth, they were all grown men yet bickered like children. The Minister of Rites always veered off-topic during arguments, and the Minister of Personnel would steer him back, the Ministry of War fanned the flames, the Ministry of Justice delivered cutting remarks, and the Ministry of Works fixed the gaps, truly a sight to see.

Qiu Yan was used to this, and whispered, "Let’s go back, this won’t end in less than an hour."

Zhou Shuren listened to Grand Master Xiao’s strong voice, holding his ground one against five, not falling behind, "Alright."

But the thought of arguing as part of his daily routine in the future made Zhou Shuren’s blood pressure rise!

Two hours later, Grand Master Xiao called Zhou Shuren and Qiu Yan over.

Grand Master Xiao was sitting next to an ice bucket, sweating profusely from the argument, unbearably hot, "You two are here. Apart from the Ministry of War, tell me which ministry should receive silver."

He wasn’t planning to give it to all of them.

Qiu Yan was familiar with the reasons for needing silver, "This official believes it should go to the Ministry of Rites. Rituals are important, and the Ministry of Rites truly needs to replace some of their equipment."

Zhou Shuren thought for a moment and said, "This official believes it should be the Ministry of Works. I’ve checked the amounts requested by the Ministry of Works for the past two years, and they’ve received the least. The Ministry of Works is the one truly in need of silver."

Indeed, if one wished for rapid development, the Ministry of Works was very important, sadly in ancient times, the Ministry of Works was the least valued among The Six Ministries.

Xiao Qing was taken aback, "I thought you would also choose the Ministry of Rites!"

The army had already arrived at the capital and was resting, preparing to enter the city. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau had selected the auspicious day for rituals, so the Ministry of Rites was particularly insistent on needing silver; they were the most argumentative with him today.

Zhou Shuren, "This official has also examined the silver disbursed by the Ministry of Rites in the past two years, and the Ministry of Rites should still have some."

Xiao Qing thought it over and took out the Ministry of Works’ petition. The requested amount of silver for the Ministry of Works wasn’t large. With a frown, he agreed, "I’ll leave it to you."

Zhou Shuren, "Yes."

After dinner that evening, Zhulan said, "I have something to tell you, the legitimate second son of Marquis Yao’s family woke up, but he seems to have become foolish."

Zhou Shuren was taken aback, "Who told you that?"

Zhulan, "I heard it from Lady Dong, who mentioned it when she came back from a banquet and told me about it. Do you think he’s truly foolish, or is it feigned?"