Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 909 Wong Ju Learns to Be Bad

Chapter 909: Chapter 909 Wong Ju Learns to Be Bad

Zhulan said with a smile, "When our family unites and works together, naturally things will prosper and thrive."

She didn’t intend to provoke Mrs. Du, but no matter what she said, the old lady would overthink it. Who could blame her, given the old lady’s particularly sensitive state of mind now?

Mrs. Du read between the lines, interpreting that each member of the Du family had their own agenda, which naturally made their lives more and more distressing; her expression was far from pleasant.

Zhulan lowered her head to sip her tea, thinking to herself, See, I knew it would turn out this way.

Once the old lady’s expression softened, she began, "I heard from the Princely Heir’s wife that Duke Ning is very fond of Zhou Shuren; he has spoken highly of him on many occasions."

Zhulan found it somewhat awkward to hear "the Princely Heir’s wife." Mrs. Du could simply call her daughter by name, but she insisted on emphasizing "the Princely Heir’s wife," as if to remind Zhulan that the Du family had indeed fallen on hard times, but Lady Du was still the Princely Heir’s wife, "Our master also has great respect for Duke Ning."

Mrs. Du’s concerns eased somewhat—she couldn’t enter the Duke Residence, let alone see her daughter. Last time she pushed her daughter too hard, the Prince whisked her daughter away on the very same day; Mrs. Du lost her confidence, aging significantly with the strain, "You must have heard quite a bit about the Du family as well."

Zhulan felt slightly uncomfortable. Was the old lady trying to chat with her? She glanced sideways at Granny Song, who also looked stunned.

Zhulan carefully responded, "Yes, I’ve heard some things."

Recently, the hubbub was not only about the long-delayed imperial edict for the princes’ titles but also about the affairs between the Du family and Duke Ning’s residence. The year was barely underway, and the capital was already buzzing with activity.

Mrs. Du blushed with embarrassment; her sons’ recent antics had been outrageous, and in contrast, Duke Ning’s residence had shown no reaction. The Du family had made a public spectacle of themselves, enduring the burning shame, "The Zhou family is related by marriage to Duke Ning’s residence. I would like to ask Zhou Shuren for help, to say a few words on behalf of the years of marital ties, to save some face for the Du family."

Zhulan frowned. Duke Ning’s residence had always maintained its principles, and if the Du family could not guarantee adherence to these principles, Duke Ning’s residence would not relent. These days, the Du family’s goodwill was nearly worn away; there was hardly any face left to save, "Mrs. Du, this is not a favor our Zhou family can grant."

Zhulan’s refusal was unequivocal; she had no intention of sympathizing out of pity for the old lady’s sad state. The Du family’s path to their current situation bore much of Mrs. Du’s responsibility, and it could not be shirked.

Mrs. Du could hardly believe her own ears. Seeing Yang’s calm gaze upon her, she finally snapped back to reality. Even a personal visit was ineffective, and her temper flared, "Does your Zhou family also look down on our Du family?"

Zhulan replied indifferently, "Mrs. Du, respect or disrespect must be earned by one’s own efforts. The Zhou family’s standing today is the result of hard work and sweat. Our journey was taken one step at a time, one footprint after another, and it was far from easy. I prefer not to dwell on those hardships. What I want to say is, to achieve success, one must first learn how to behave."

Mrs. Du, already looking terrible, had her pride wounded by these words. Now with her face exposed, she faltered, "I take my leave."

Zhulan stood up, "I’ll see you out."

From start to finish, Zhulan had maintained respect for her elder. Mrs. Du could not fault any aspect of the courtesy shown. She had visited other residences, and no one would personally see her off out of respect for her age and seniority. Since the Du family’s decline, no one had shown her respect.

During lunch, Zhulan kept her daughter with her, while she sent everyone else away. She then mentioned Mrs. Du’s visit and her intentions.

Xue Han had visited the Duke Residence several times after the new year, "Mother, aside from Lady Du, nobody at the Duke Residence cares about the Du family."

She could see that whether it was the Duchess or Duke Ning, nobody truly paid any mind.

Zhulan asked, "How is Lady Du faring at the Duke Residence?"

Previously, she hadn’t paid much attention, but now, with Mrs. Du’s visit, she was actually curious.

Xue Han smiled lightly, "Lady Du has always maintained the status of an elder before her daughter. Since the Du family’s incident, my daughter has not seen the Princely Heir’s wife, but has met with Lady Yu twice. Lady Yu has become more serene now."

Zhulan nodded, Lady Yu’s biggest backer had always been Lady Du, so naturally, Lady Yu had become more honest.

At the Duke Residence, Ning Hui was at dinner when he heard from his father that his mother-in-law had visited the Zhou residence. Ning Hui almost choked on his soup, "Father, my mother-in-law went to the Zhou residence?"

The Duke said, "She definitely didn’t receive a warm welcome; she left with a rather unsightly complexion."

Ning Hui had heard quite a bit about Minister Zhou’s wife and said, "The Zhou family has always acted cautiously and seldom gets involved in trouble."

The Duke grunted, "You’ve been dragging the Du family along for some time now. Give them a final warning soon, don’t continue to make a laughingstock of yourselves."

In recent days, the jokes about the Du family had also reflected poorly on the Duke Residence. A mismatched marriage alliance had a minor impact on the Duke Residence, but it was the first time in many years that the Duke Residence had been involved in such commotion, and he was displeased.

Ning Hui replied, "Your son understands."

In the afternoon, at the main gate of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren came out to find Hu Xia talking with a man in his late thirties or so.

Seeing Gu Zhuomin, Hu Xia knew that this man was here for Minister Zhou and it certainly wasn’t for a dinner invitation, "Minister Zhou, this is Gu Zhuomin."

Hu Xia didn’t introduce further, for Zhou Shuren knew more than he did.

Zhou Shuren indeed knew a lot. He hadn’t had enough time the year before last and didn’t investigate much, but after the new year, when he had more time, detailed information arrived in the capital. He admired Gu Zhuomin who had been made a scapegoat twice, and on the most serious occasion, he had been demoted and nearly didn’t make it back up.

This man was able to climb up on his own and even enter the capital; his skills and schemes were top-notch.

The Gu family of Xinxian County, with Gu Zhuomin taking over full control, signified that even if Liufeng’s career went smoothly in the future, he wouldn’t be troubled by any messy affairs—a gesture of Gu Zhuomin’s sincerity.

Gu Zhuomin’s heart was not as calm as his face portrayed. This was his first meeting with Minister Zhou, and he matched the image he had heard about—no, there was some surprise; Minister Zhou seemed a bit fatter than what his friends had described, his official robe looked quite plump.

Gu Zhuomin hadn’t wanted to meet with Minister Zhou so soon, but he had his reasons that he must do so. The factions within the Ministry of Rites were quite clear, and as a result, he was being sidelined because, as just a minor official, no one paid attention to him, nor did anyone try to ally with him, making his life difficult.

The capital was the hardest place to establish oneself, and he did not want to leave; if he did, he would never dream of returning in his latter years.

So that was why he had asked Hu Xia out for a meal today, chatting at the ministry’s main gate without leaving, all to wait for Minister Zhou. Fortunately, as the information he gathered indicated, once the Grand Master of Writing left, Minister Zhou would also leave on time.

Wong Ju stepped out of the ministry gate and was stunned to see Zhou Shuren had not left. He had purposely waited a while to let Zhou Shuren leave first—cough cough—he had learned this from Zhou Shuren himself. But then he thought about the task Zhou Shuren had just entrusted to him; was it still possible for him to retreat in time now?

Hearing the footsteps, Zhou Shuren did not need to turn around to know who it was. Turning his head, he asked, "Minister Wong, heading home?"

Wong Ju felt a twinge in his molars and chuckled dryly, "Yes, Minister, I’ll definitely arrive early tomorrow. Your desk will be well organized by the time you finish court!"

Zhou Shuren sighed inwardly, noting that Wong Ju had become shrewd. He stroked his beard, sure that Wong Ju had learned it from him.