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

Chapter 1835: Chapter 1835: Immortal Tablet

In the blink of an eye, it was the day off for the Ministry of Revenue; Zhulan and her husband brought Chang Xhong to the Wei family. Mr. Wei had specially taken leave to be at home.

For the Wei family, a marriage alliance with the Hou Residence was too important. After the engagement, the Wei family had already tasted the benefits, and Mr. Wei hoped that his daughter would marry into the Hou Residence soon.

After the two families exchanged pleasantries, Zhou Shuren spoke, "A few days ago, the Emperor mentioned Chang Xhong’s name."

Mr. Wei, knowing all the information about his son-in-law, understood the origin of his name, "Why did it come up suddenly?"

Zhou Shuren tugged at the corner of his mouth, "The Emperor said that Chang Xhong is about to marry, and he’s waiting for Chang Xhong’s child to be born."

The meaning was very clear; the Emperor would name Chang Xhong’s first child!

Mr. Wei grinned widely. This was good news. Not everyone could have the Emperor grant a name. He was already anticipating his unborn grandson, planning for his daughter to marry soon.

Zhulan received Shuren’s gaze and smiled, "Since we’re talking about children, let’s also discuss the wedding date for the two children. I’ve selected a few dates for you to consider."

With that, she took the written dates from Qing Xue’s hands and handed them to Mr. Wei and his wife.

Mr. Wei saw that all the dates were for the next year, and he frowned slightly. Lady Phang also barely noticeably furrowed her brow.

Zhulan noticed and asked, "Are the dates not good?"

Mr. and Mrs. Wei exchanged a glance, and Lady Phang spoke, "I remember that Young Master Ming Hui is getting married next spring?"

Zhulan quickly understood, "Chang Xhong is indeed an uncle and should marry earlier. It’s torturous to marry in winter. I remember there are a few good dates in autumn; shall we choose again?"

Lady Phang’s smile deepened, "Alright."

Zhulan sighed in her heart. She hoped her son would marry after his birthday next year, but she could not ignore the Wei family’s wishes.

Zhou Shuren asked Mr. Wei, "Does your eldest son have any good news?"

Mr. Wei’s smile grew wider, "There’s news from the Ministry of Personnel that my eldest is getting a promotion."

Zhou Shuren smiled, "Congratulations."

Mr. Wei, "Thanks to Marquis Zhou’s guidance."

Without occasional guidance from Marquis Zhou, he would not have been so steady.

Zhou Shuren accepted the thanks, as the Wei family, being Chang Xhong’s in-laws, received the most attention among his in-laws.

In the Wei family’s garden, Chang Xhong was chatting with Wei’s elder and younger brothers, and the elder brother said, "I heard from my sister that you’re very busy at the Hanlin Academy, compiling books is troublesome?"

Chang Xhong, "The books I’m responsible for have a lot of foreign knowledge, so it’s troublesome."

Mr. Wei was surprised, "You’re even editing books on foreign knowledge?"

"Yes, after a while, the compiled books will be promoted nationwide, and the civil service exams three years later will be more diversified."

Chang Xhong dared to say it directly because the Ministry of Rites was already preparing. The new Minister of Rites was a confidant of the Emperor, only waiting for the books.

The elder brother thought the Emperor was truly partial to the Hou Residence; Chang Xhong had just entered the Hanlin Academy and gained such great merit, starting from an exceptionally high point.

The elder brother was particularly happy about this; it was his brother-in-law, and he marveled that his sister was marrying into a blessed place.

Chang Xhong’s wedding date was set smoothly, set for after the autumn harvest. Zhulan was already prepared for her youngest son’s wedding, and the Wei family was always ready to marry off a daughter, so even after the autumn harvest, neither family would be in a hurry.

The Maritime Affairs case had concluded, and the Emperor’s attention was half on the promotion of quality seeds and half on the second anniversary of the Retired Emperor and the Empress.

This year could be considered one of favorable weather, with well-growing promoted seeds. As the second anniversary of the Retired Emperor approached, not only were the incense offerings prosperous in the Capital’s temples, but nationwide as well. The people were truly simple; whoever could give them a good life, they would erect an Immortal Tablet for them.

The quality seeds studied by the Retired Emperor, coupled with favorable weather this year, made many believe it was the Retired Emperor blessing them.

The day after the Retired Emperor’s anniversary, the Emperor took the Crown Prince, Zhou Shuren, and the Imperial Grandson out of the city.

The party didn’t go to the village estate but to a village further from the capital; the carriage didn’t enter the village but stopped at the edge of the fields.

The Emperor looked at the lush crops, "Next year, the people can save their own seeds."

The Crown Prince continued, "The promotion of quality seeds will be smoother next year."

Zhou Shuren felt proud; with his existence, a prosperous era was already apparent, and he wanted to live even longer, "That’s great."

The Emperor glanced sideways; he didn’t know what Zhou Shuren was thinking but could feel his overt emotions, "Yes, it’s indeed great."

Back in the carriage, they went to a tea stall by the roadside for travelers to rest. This road was well-developed and frequented by people from various villages.

The tea stall had only an old woman. Even though the Emperor traveled low-key, the old woman stammered nervously, "C-customer, what would you like to drink?"

Zhou Shuren spoke, "We’d like to borrow this place to boil some hot water."

The carriage had everything. Given the presence of the Imperial Grandson, caution was advisable. In the past, children in ancient times were hard to raise, and misfortune could strike at any moment. To avoid bringing trouble to the woman, it was better to drink their own tea.

The Emperor glanced at his eldest grandson, implying agreement with Zhou Shuren’s words.

The old woman sighed in relief; she truly didn’t want to earn this Silver Coin, as fortune and misfortune often go hand in hand. Who knew if today would spell disaster? But since it was only hot water, the old lady chuckled, "This way, please, dear customer."

Zhou Shuren and Eunuch Zhang followed the woman to the back, where there was a simple stove. Eunuch Zhang arranged for people to fetch water and boil it.

Zhou Shuren, meanwhile, chatted with the old woman, "Is it just you running this tea stall?"

The old woman felt this man was approachable, so her tone became more natural, "I used to run it with my two granddaughters. At the start of the year, I sent them to school; you know the Girls College, right? Oh, my two granddaughters learned quite a lot there and even came back to teach me. I’m now able to write my own name, even at my age."

Eunuch Zhang stood still, his eyes fixed on the kettle, listening intently to the conversation. When he heard this, he turned slightly to ask, "Do many girls from your village attend the college?"

With her granddaughters at the Girls College, the old woman felt empowered, so she spoke more openly, "Yes, lots. Except for those girls who aren’t too bright, most from the village have been sent to the college. Ever since my granddaughters went, matchmakers have been coming with proposals offering twenty taels as a betrothal gift. I’ve turned them all down; my granddaughters said they’d earn money and support me in my old age first."

Zhou Shuren’s gaze turned towards the distant fields and asked, "As we came along, we saw the fields are thriving. You’ll have a good harvest year, won’t you?"

The old woman grinned, "Yes, thanks to the Retired Emperor and the Emperor."

He then inquired about the situation in the nearby villages. Having run her tea stall here for years, there was nothing the old woman didn’t know, and the Emperor was very satisfied with what he heard.

After a good rest, the party set off again, returning to the city just as it was getting late.

Returning home, Zhou Shuren was excitedly pacing around, Zhulan chuckled, "Aren’t you tired from a day out?"

Zhou Shuren’s eyes were crinkled with joy, "Not at all, you can understand how I feel."

Zhulan understood, "Alright, go freshen up, dinner will be served soon."

"Okay."

Zhulan’s mouth curved upward; their crossing over was not in vain. Even though they still had many shortcomings, they had done their utmost to instigate change.

Time flew by; it seemed to Zhou Shuren that it had only been a moment since he and the Emperor inspected the people’s livelihood, and now it was already harvest season.