The family crest of the Marquis’s carriage was particularly conspicuous. It was hard for Zhulan not to notice it. She watched the carriage stop. A familiar servant, a familiar person!

Deng Xiucai was a little confused. He stared at the carriage in a daze. He didn’t understand why the carriage stopped.

Yazi huddled to the side. As a small man, it was better for him to stay huddled at this time!

This time Yao Zheyu did not sit in the carriage and look down from above. Instead, his servant helped him get off the carriage and politely saluted, “Zhou Guanshi.”

Zhou Shuren was calm and composed. He would not come to see the man for no reason. He knew the man had been paying attention to the examination as soon as he heard the address. Zhou Shuren responded with “Young Master.”

Yao Zheyu’s servant said, “Young Master is already the Shizi.”

Zhulan, “.”

This incident was quite a big deal. She had almost forgotten the plot, but she had to remember the scene where the hero appeared. She clearly remembered that the hero was still a young master when he participated in the Tongsheng exam a year later!

Zhulan looked at Yao Zheyu out of the corner of her eye. He was dressed in black. Hmm, the fighting power of the blackened hero was different!

Zhou Shuren became a Guanshi in just a few months, and Yao Zheyu became the Shizi directly. The Shizi of this dynasty had to be approved by the Emperor. Judging from the situation of the Marquis’ Mansion, the Emperor definitely wanted to destroy it as soon as possible. How could he approve the memorial so easily?

According to the male protagonist’s situation, it should be that his father did not love him and his stepmother harmed him. Even in this situation, he could still ask the Marquis to give him a title. His fighting power was really strong!

The Shizi and the Eldest Son were two completely different concepts. The only thing the Eldest Son could boast of is his status as the legitimate son, while the Shizi could handle some things and have access to the connections of the Marquis’ Mansion!

Yao Zheyu stared at Zhou Xiucai, who should be Zhou Gongshi. He had forgotten the little guy behind him, but he didn’t expect that he would become a Gongshi after singing all the way. He was really amazing. He had detailed investigation data in his hand. Yao Zheyu said: “Meeting is fate. I have a deep fate with Zhou Gongshi!”

Zhou Shuren kept smiling, but in his heart, he wanted to curse. To be honest, he didn’t want to be predestined with the male lead at all. Anyone who was predestined with the male lead would easily become cannon fodder. Although he was no longer the male lead now, his fighting power was still strong. He really wanted to curse, “We have only met a few times, your words are too kind, Shizi.”

Yao Zheyu’s smile deepened. Why didn’t he think Zhou Shuren was a fox before, and a particularly cunning fox at that? He was wrong. “Zhou Gongshi did save this Shizi. What this Shizi said is the truth.”

Zhulan, “.”

Now you remember the grace of saving your life, but you forgot when you threw the silver note to warn them a few months ago about the grudges between them?

Zhou Shuren, “The silver has been received, and there is no more grace of saving Shizi’s life.”

When Yao Zheyu thought of money, he really didn’t expect that Zhou Gongshi’s wife was a good money-maker. The value ​​of several houses she bought increased greatly, and he was jealous of her. He worked so hard to secretly scheme against merchants and openly scheme against his father, but after several months, he only earned two thousand taels. Then, look at the Zhou family. In the few months before and after, the Zhou family’s wealth at least doubled.

Yao Zheyu thought of the land in Pinggang, and his eyes became deeper. Zhou Gongshi’s fortune was a little too prosperous!

The most feared thing about the scene was silence. Zhulan wanted to curse in her heart. This was Xicheng, the place with the most powerful people. Yao Zheyu killed people and paid for their lives. Well, their family had nothing to do with Yao Zheyu.

Look at Deng Xiucai’s stunned expression, and then look at Yazi’s frightened expression. Well, she thought the male protagonist was more annoying than a dog-skin plaster.

Yao Zheyu lowered his eyes, “Zhou Gongshi, I have prepared some wine and food to congratulate you. How about we go to the restaurant?”

Zhou Shuren cursed in his heart, it looked like he was going to fight to the end. Whether he got in the car or not, he had a close relationship with the young master of the Marquis’s Mansion. He didn’t want Zhulan to be left out in the cold. “Please, my lord.”

Yao Zheyu turned around and got on the carriage, thinking to himself, the old fox was still a decisive person, why did he let him run away at the beginning? Or because he was too young!

Zhou Shuren enjoyed the carriage of the Marquis’s Mansion again and felt that it was different to have a title. Look at the carriage, it was so magnificent that makes people jealous. And the Marquis’s Mansion was really rich. The Emperor had been thinking about the golden pig for a long time, why hadn’t it been slaughtered yet!

He was really not a good person. Especially when facing dangerous people, his bottom line was lowered. He would remember the threat today!

Zhulan watched the carriage leave. Deng Xiucai was stunned. “Sister-in-law, are we still going to see the house?”

Zhulan gritted her teeth, “Look, let’s go over there now.”

As she said that, Zhulan got on her own carriage. She was taking Eryue and Lichun with her, so she wasn’t going alone. Why won’t she go and see? Besides, she was holding back. Yao Zheyu was still annoying, and his condescending attitude made her angry!

Deng Xiucai and Yazi looked at each other, and they got on the carriage.

Zhulan looked at the house at the northwest border. The house was really shabby. The only thing Zhulan liked was that there was a well, a small pond, and several fruit trees in the yard. Oh, and there was also a small patch of messy bamboo.

Yazi was also very embarrassed. This house was not for sale before, and now no one wanted to buy it. “The seller is not good at business management. He has been living off his capital for many years, so the house is a bit run-down.”

“Is this a bit broken?”

If it weren’t for the fact that it was not the season for snakes to wake up yet, Zhulan would never have come in. The yard was full of weeds, and looking at the rockery, Zhulan felt scared, fearing that big snakes were hibernating underneath.

Yazi also felt a little guilty about speaking out, “The place is not bad. You can build it into a three-courtyard house. If it is well designed, it can also be designed like a house in the south.”

Zhulan counted the money in her mind. The place was indeed big enough, but it would cost a lot of money to build a new one. She thought of Wuchun’s house again. Forget it. Zhulan pursed her lips and asked, “How much does this house cost?”

Yazi said: “Two thousand four hundred taels.”

The last time Zhulan came to the capital to buy a house, she did not bargain for the price because it was the lowest price. She knew she would not be able to get it down even if she talked. Also, it was her first time in the capital and she was not familiar with Deng Xiucai. She and Zhou Shuren had weak financial backgrounds and did not want to be seen, so she just paid the money directly.

This time was different. Not only had her status changed, but in her heart, this house was not worth two thousand four hundred taels. “Two thousand one hundred taels, if it works, otherwise forget it.”

Yazi thought to himself, what a good fellow! She cut off three hundred taels at once, and then asked, “What about the second house in the west city?”

Zhulan really didn’t like the house in West City. It was too small and she was just going to stay there temporarily. “Two thousand eight hundred taels. Now it’s time to see what you can do. If you can help us buy on the price, I’ll give you fifty taels as a thank you.”

Yazi originally felt a little embarrassed. No matter how small the house in West City was, it was still West City. However, considering the benefit of fifty taels of silver and the hope that the Zhou family would sell the house in South City, he gritted his teeth and said, “Madam Gongshi, please wait for my good news!”

Zhulan said to Deng Xiucai, “I’m sorry to bother you today. I’ll invite you to have tea alone some other day.”

Deng Xiucai relied on his cheap jiěfū, who was a sānpǐn¹ official. Outsiders said he was the xiǎojiùzi of the shìláng², but in fact, the original wife’s younger brother was the real xiǎojiùzi. There were plenty of sānpǐn officials in the capital, and his cheap jiěfū wasn’t even a shìláng. He was truly no match for the Marquis’s Mansion, which wielded real power!

Deng Xiucai said politely, “I will come to visit in person some other day.”

Zhulan bowed and said, “I’ve been out for a while, I’ll go back now.”

Deng Xiucai, “Sister-in-law, take care.”

(End of this chapter)

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Footnote

1. Third-rank official
2. Vice assistant Minister