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

Chapter 1842: Chapter 1841: Taking an Apprentice (Part 2)

The formal ceremony for becoming a disciple took place in the Palace. The Emperor invited all the prominent ministers to witness it, and a banquet was arranged in the palace.

When Zhou Shuren arrived, he felt many eyes on him, filled with both jealousy and surprise. They were envious of the royal favor towards the Hou Residence of the Zhou family, and surprised that Zhou Shuren would take the Imperial Grandson as his disciple!

Zhou Shuren sat in the central position under various gazes, waiting for the ceremony to begin. Today, the Imperial Grandson wore his formal attire, and as soon as he appeared, the venue became noisy.

As the cushion was placed, the discussions grew louder. The Grandson wearing formal attire as a monarch—was he going to kneel?

Zhou Shuren could not sit still; was this too much emphasis on him?

The Emperor walked over and pressed Zhou Shuren back into his seat, saying, "You deserve it."

He originally hadn’t planned for his grandson to perform the kneeling ceremony. Who would have thought his father would come to him in a dream on the third anniversary, showing him a dynasty without Zhou Shuren, where the Ministry of Revenue couldn’t produce silver, and he couldn’t see a brighter future, leaving ambitions trapped in politics.

The lives of the people showed little improvement, scenes so realistic that he was terrified for several days before composing himself again.

The Emperor believed his father must have expended great effort to send this dream, a warning to him. Previously, his father’s dreams were hard for him to relate to, but personally experiencing it made him deeply realize Zhou Shuren’s importance.

Thus, the ceremony today must occur, making Zhou Shuren the grandson’s mentor, binding the fortune of the royal family together. If not for the old man’s wish for no further marriages into the royal family from the Zhou family, he would have considered betrothing a Zhou daughter to his grandson.

The gathered ministers were stunned, only recovering after a while, as the Imperial Grandson kneeled straight and proposed the ceremony, holding a tea cup in his chubby hands, "Master, have some tea."

Zhou Shuren took a deep breath and reached out for the tea cup, drinking its contents at once, then pulled out a jade slip from his pocket, "This was custom-made for me by the Retired Emperor. It even bears his engraved seal, inscribed with ’Era of Peace’—this is my hope for you."

The young Imperial Grandson, knowing anything related to his great-grandfather was important, solemnly received it with both hands, "This disciple will not let down the master’s expectations."

The Emperor looked at the jade slip, somewhat lost in thought, as it was personally carved by his father. Seeing it again, he felt a sense of disorientation, soon followed by a smile—two jade slips have returned to one.

Elder Wen looked at the jade slip, lips tight, realizing that except for Zhou Shuren, no one knew the Retired Emperor had given him such a precious item, marked with the seal that could save lives.

Elder Wen considered his Wen family to be not lacking, yet he still couldn’t understand why both the Retired Emperor and the current Emperor showed such emphasis and favor to Zhou Shuren!

The ceremony opened the eyes of the witnessing ministers, who continued discussing during the banquet, casting subtle glances at Zhou Shuren, truly a source of envy.

Zhou Shuren had many toasts, and even the likes of Prince Qi had complex expressions.

Today, Zhou Shuren drank a bit too much, somewhat muddled when leaving the palace and returning home, accompanied by several elder Zhou family members.

Zhulan motioned for her sons to rest and personally took care of Shuren. The old man had truly drunk too much, chuckling happily, "Zhulan, I want to live a few more years."

Zhulan responded, "Alright, I’ll accompany you."

Zhou Shuren held his wife’s hand, a trace of clarity in his muddled eyes, "Promise you’ll stay with me, don’t leave first."

Zhulan softly replied, "Okay."

The ceremony concluded, and the Imperial Grandson officially followed Zhou Shuren to study. As the Minister of Revenue, Zhou Shuren took him to the Ministry of Revenue.

Now, Zhou Shuren didn’t need to manage everything personally at the Ministry, so he had some leisure time. His first lesson for the Imperial Grandson was about recognizing prices before taking him to the national treasury.

While Zhou Shuren taught the Grandson, the Crown Prince’s selection of a concubine was also announced.

At the Hou Residence, Yu Jiao had a day off and had plans with Shangguan Li.

However, Yu Jiao returned before noon, entering the main courtyard, surprising Zhulan, "Why are you back so early?"

Yu Jiao replied, "Ah Li is embroidering her wedding dress, and I found it dull, so I returned."

Zhulan looked at her granddaughter, "Jealous?"

Yu Jiao shook her head, "I’m not jealous. I think it’s nice as it is now."

There’s nothing good about marrying early, it’s inconvenient to go out; it’s better not having a betrothal.

Zhulan laughed, "You’re thinking about engagement, but we can’t bear to part with you."

Yu Jiao suddenly mentioned, "I heard from Ah Li that the Crown Prince is selecting a concubine, and it seems the Qie family is interested in offering someone."

Zhulan was not surprised, "The Crown Prince is distancing himself from the Wen family. The Qie and Wen families are in-laws, so the Prince can’t take a Wen girl, and has to send a Qie girl instead."