Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 918 Future Plans

Chapter 918: Chapter 918 Future Plans

The next day was Zhou Shuren’s day off, and Wu Ming happened to arrive in the capital just in time, having spent the night at Zhou’s house. After breakfast, Zhou Shuren took Wu Ming to keep an appointment.

On his day off, Zhou Shuren had already arranged to have tea with Wong Ju, along with Liu Li, Ming Teng’s future father-in-law.

This time, he brought Wu Ming with him, firstly to introduce Wu Ming to them, and secondly to show the people of the capital how much he valued this godson.

The teahouse they had agreed to meet was one of Zhou Shuren’s favorites, and this time they would not run into Mr. Hou.

Zhou Shuren arrived early with Wu Ming and ordered some pastries and dried fruits.

As soon as Wu Ming entered the private room, he opened the window and watched the bustling street below, the vendors hawking their wares. Wu Ming felt a bit dazed; it had been too long since he left the capital, and he hadn’t expected to return so soon. Then he smiled.

The shopkeeper had already brought in the tea. Once the shopkeeper left, Zhou Shuren asked, "Thinking of something happy?"

Wu Ming turned around, stood up, and sat down, "Just reminiscing about my days coming to the capital for the exams."

Zhou Shuren poured himself a cup of tea, "Time flies so fast, several years have gone by in the blink of an eye."

He too would sometimes reminisce, recall his initial days in the ancient era, and think of his official journey, which were all precious memories to him.

Wu Ming’s mouth curled up, "Actually, I’ve saved quite a bit of silver out there."

The dowry for his sister, the betrothal gifts for his brother, the house in the capital that needed preparing, and now his own betrothal gifts.

Zhou Shuren holding his teacup, "You’re doing well."

Wu Ming felt like he was chatting with his own biological father, very at ease, "I have plans for the future. Currently, my two younger brothers aren’t capable of living independently, so I’m not planning on dividing the family yet. Therefore, I want to divide my silver into several portions to set up separate businesses, and when the time comes to separate, I’ll give them to Wu Yong and Wu Ting."

Finishing his words, Wu Ming felt a pang of sorrow. Being the eldest brother is like being a father. He had always been the one to worry about his siblings, but fortunately, the hard times had passed.

Zhou Shuren understood why Wu Ming hadn’t spoken with Zhulan about these matters. The young man held him in a higher regard in his heart, and being a government official himself, Wu Ming was more inclined to share with him, "Your plans are good."

Wu Ming didn’t say that he needed his godfather to help set up the businesses, as he could handle these minor matters himself.

At the Zhou residence, Zhulan had already written to Wu Ning. Just yesterday, Wu Ming said he hadn’t told Wu Yong and the others about his arrival in the capital, so Zhulan wrote a letter as well.

After the letter was sent off, Zhulan wrote invitation cards, planning to personally visit the Song family and talk to Lady Liu about the marriage arrangements.

Xue Han had always been by her mother’s side, and she was not going to continue with her music, chess, calligraphy, and painting lessons after the New Year. "Mother, Big Brother Wu is getting married, and we need to prepare the wedding items. There are a few nice shops in the capital, I will write them down for you to consider."

Since her daughter had only just married off last winter, Zhulan hadn’t been in a rush to finalize the wedding items. Squinting her eyes, she asked, "Did Rongchuan tell you about them?"

Xue Han was still a bit embarrassed, "Yes, after the new year, he has been meticulously choosing them."

Zhulan, speechless, found that Rongchuan was really in a hurry, having chosen so early on, "Okay, give them to me later, and once I’ve discussed with the Song family, I’ll go have a look."

Xue Han sighed with relief. It was a good thing that her mother didn’t continue questioning. Ever since the New Year, Rongchuan might not have become braver, but the messages he sent through others became more frequent, and, ah, there were gifts too. It hadn’t been long since New Year, but her new jewelry box was almost full.

Zhulan looked at her daughter, whose face would turn red and then puff up with annoyance, and sighed about the throes of youth. Then she became unhappy; Zhou Shuren had taken a sizeable amount of silver, claiming he had a little surprise for her—so what became of it?

She hadn’t seen a single gift until now, let alone a small surprise.

Xue Han looked up. "Mother, what’s wrong?"

Zhulan felt dejected inside. "Mother is just feeling a bit sentimental. The older I get, the less attention your father pays to me."

Indeed, Zhulan was unhappy, and if she hadn’t had expectations, she wouldn’t have thought about it, but the more she thought, the angrier she got.

Xue Han, "Ah?"

Zhulan held her daughter’s hand. "In the past, even when your father didn’t have much silver, he still remembered to give me gifts. And now?"

Xue Han blinked. So, had she set up her own father? If she hadn’t mentioned Rongchuan, mother wouldn’t have thought of father. Xue Han thought about her sisters-in-law; whenever Rongchuan gave gifts, they would nag, followed by the brothers frowning.

In the teahouse, Wong Ju and Sir Lau, Lau Jing had arrived. Zhou Shuren was introducing them. "My godson Wu Ming, the former top scorer, has now joined the Ministry of Rites."

Wong Ju had always had high hopes for Wu Ming and said to him, "Your godfather and I have often spoken of you. Today, no, yesterday we met."

Wu Ming knew quite a bit about his godfather’s matters. His godfather wouldn’t say much, but his two brothers and Wu Ning would. Mr. Wong was not only a relative by marriage to the Zhou family but also a friend of his godfather. He hurriedly paid his respects, "Uncle Wong."

Lau Jing felt a twinge of frustration. His daughter was betrothed to Zhou Shuren’s grandson, and he was younger than Wong Ju by a generation. Despite feeling gloomy inside, he maintained a smile. "It’s impressive for someone your age to make it to the capital. The country is truly producing one talented individual after another; our generation is getting old."

Zhou Shuren joined in the conversation, "You should be happy about the emergence of talents. As one generation follows another, the country remains stable and strong, ensuring our descendants will prosper."

Lau Jing loved to hear these words; hadn’t he fought his way to this day just for his family and descendants?

As Wu Ming helped pour tea, Wong Ju’s admiration for Wu Ming grew. He turned to Zhou Shuren and asked, "Can we now speak of which family’s young lady is betrothed to Wu Ming?"

Zhou Shuren smiled, "The Song family."

In the capital, there are many forces and even more surnames. Not everyone named Song is from the same family, just like the common surnames Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, and others—there are a few Song families as well.

Wong Ju asked, "Are you talking about the Dasong family?"

Zhou Shuren smiled and nodded, "Yes."

Wong Ju thought to himself how incredible it was to be the Dasong family. The Tao clan couldn’t compare; the Song family wielded real power. Viewing Wu Ming in a new light now, he offered his congratulations, "A fine match."

Wu Ming was pleased to have secured a good marriage. His days had not been easy, and he still had his brothers to take care of. And who didn’t harbor ambition? He certainly did; he aspired to achieve high status to see the view from the top.

Lau Jing stroked his beard, speaking little and preferring to listen, calculating Zhou Shuren’s connections in the capital. Unbeknownst to him, Zhou Shuren’s network had grown so vast. Lau Jing felt a tinge of jealousy and realized he needed to be careful and cautious, while Zhou Shuren could boldly forge ahead.

At the Zhou residence, Zhulan had already received a reply from the Song family. The Song family had been keeping an eye on Wu Ming, and they were aware of his arrival in the capital. They replied so quickly to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Inside the Palace, the Emperor had been standing at the window for a while, his gaze fixed on the potted trees outside, now left with only branches. The wind had been strong since the morning and had grown even stronger, rustling the branches.

Eunuch Liu once thought that the glazed windows were good because they brightened the room and allowed one to see outside from within. Now, Eunuch Liu wished the windows were made of paper—he hoped the Emperor’s gaze would move away from the branches. Suddenly, Eunuch Liu’s eyes widened, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.