As Zhulan opened the letter, she recalled the events. She thought of Yao Zheyu. Could it really be Yao Zheyu?

Zhulan opened the letter and fell silent. It wasn’t Yao Zheyu, but someone she never expected—Shi Qing? When was the last time she thought of Shi Qing? Well, she’d forgotten.

Why would Shi Qing write to her? Zhulan quickly flipped through the letter, speechless. Shi Qing had come to visit; he should indeed write to her, because if he wrote directly to Zhou Shuren, Zhou Shuren would pretend he hadn’t seen it.

The housekeeper said she would understand once she saw the letter, but actually, she just wanted her to be curious and read it. She had seen it, and given her experience in Zhoujia Village, once she invited Shi Qing into the mansion, it would be difficult for Zhou Shuren to deny recognizing him. She was certain that Shi Qing’s purpose in coming wasn’t simple; he just thought she was an ordinary woman who would invite him in. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the real deal.

Steward Ding noticed the mistress’s pale face. “Mistress, the Gongzi from the capital is still standing outside the gate. What do you think?”

Zhulan was speechless. Truly, Shi Qing was the one who changed his destiny. The longer Shi Qing stood outside, the more people would know that a Gongzi had arrived at the Zhou family.

Zhulan was certain Shi Qing had gotten out of his carriage and was standing at the gate. What a clever tactic!

Zhulan couldn’t help but think that Shi Qing was cunning and wouldn’t just write to her; perhaps Zhou Shuren had also received a letter, and the two letters were definitely different.

Indeed, Zhulan was right. Zhou Shuren received Shi Qing’s letter. Shi Qing said he would first visit the Zhou residence and wait for Zhou Shuren to return that evening. The letter was two pages long; on the second page, Shi Qing revealed that he had come to become a disciple on orders.

Zhou Shuren wanted to curse. He had considered who the Emperor would choose if Wu Ming wasn’t his ally, and his first thought was Shi Qing. He just hadn’t expected the Emperor to send Shi Qing to Lizhou City to become his apprentice. Bah! He was actually grateful the Emperor thought highly of him; this was a way to sharpen his blade!

Zhou Shuren took a few deep breaths. Did the Emperor really think he was so easily fooled? If the Emperor had given the order directly, Shi Qing wouldn’t have gone directly to the Zhou residence in Lizhou City; he should have come to see him immediately. It was clearly a difficult problem the Emperor had given Shi Qing and a way to test him.

Soon, Zhou Shuren folded the letter. He wasn’t angry anymore. Did the Emperor really think Zhulan was clueless? It wouldn’t be so easy for Shi Qing to get in.

At the entrance of the Zhou residence, Steward Ding replied, “Madam says that the household is presently occupied only by female family members, making it inconvenient to receive guests. If Gongzi wishes to pay a visit, it would be better to return when the Master is home on his rest day. If Gongzi has business to discuss, he may seek the Master at his office.”

Shi Qing, who had thought his plan was foolproof, failed. He maintained his smile, “Alright, I’ll come another day.”

As he spoke, a servant beside him handed Steward Ding a bulging purse.

Steward Ding felt it; inside were silver ingots. This Gongzi was truly generous.

Shi Qing wouldn’t linger at the entrance; that would only make him appear incompetent. He was certain the Emperor’s men were following him. If he wanted to live well, if he wanted to be a tool in the Emperor’s hands, he needed to prove his abilities.

Shi Qing returned to the carriage, gripping his fan tightly. In recent years, he had been allowed to take the imperial examinations, but the Emperor had never seen him again. Initially, the Shi family had betrayed their original master, and he had then aligned himself with the Emperor. No one in the capital bothered the Shi family. However, as the Emperor seemed to have forgotten about the Shi family, their original master began to cause trouble from time to time, though they dared not go too far in the capital out of fear of the Emperor.

His life was difficult; he couldn’t afford tutors or good teachers, no matter how much money he spent. Even buying books was impossible.

His passing the county-level exam this time was entirely due to his previous accumulation of knowledge; it would be difficult for him to advance further due to insufficient personal learning.

Many things had happened in these three years. His father had given up the family fortune because of him and, fearing retaliation that would destroy the Shi family line, fell seriously ill. His stepmother poisoned him—no, she poisoned the entire family—after he had completely taken control of the Shi family. In the end, the family’s downfall was too rapid; his stepmother became paralyzed, while he, by sheer luck, escaped unscathed.

It wasn’t so much that he was lucky, but rather that he was rescued in time. He knew then that the Emperor was watching him; why was even his stepmother saved? It was simply because he didn’t want him to miss the preliminary imperial examinations.

So he endured the difficulties, waiting for his chance. Two months ago, the chance came. Unexpectedly, he was asked to come to Lizhou City to become an apprentice. Eunuch Liu said that the Emperor had chosen a good teacher for him, and whether he could become an apprentice depended on his ability.

Zhou Shuren, Zhou Daren—he knew him too well. Back in Zhou Family Village, the Zhou family had merely been a farming-and-scholar household, one he had never regarded as worth noticing. Even though Wang Ru had cared about them greatly, he had never thought there was anything special about them. Now, it seemed he was indeed too naive.

In the past two years, Zhou Daren had become a household name. Many scholars admired him, and the scholars of Pingzhou were especially proud to have produced such a person.

Shi Qing closed his eyes. He had betrayed his master, was too opinionated, and was the son of a merchant. If it weren’t for the Emperor’s mercy, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to take the imperial examinations. With such a background, even if the Emperor wanted to find him a teacher in the capital, some aristocratic families wouldn’t accept him.

Therefore, he had to successfully become an apprentice. This was a teacher the Emperor had chosen for him; it wasn’t just a test from the Emperor, but he also genuinely needed a teacher.

At the yamen, Zhou Shuren knew Shi Qing hadn’t gone in and had left. A smirk played on his lips. This was the consequence of underestimating women; his wife was quite formidable!

That evening, Zhou Shuren returned after dinner. When he arrived, Zhulan had already changed her clothes and was embroidering a purse. This was for Zhou Shuren; ever since he started wanting everything to match Zhulan’s, even purses and belts had to be identical.

After Zhou Shuren washed up and returned, half an hour had passed. Zhulan had already put down her needlework, yawning, and was preparing to rest.

Zhou Shuren climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed) and gently stroked Zhulan’s head, asking, “Have you been busy lately?” Zhou Shuren’s hands were still warm from washing, and with autumn approaching, the evening temperature had dropped, making his hands a little cold. Zhulan perked up from the chill. “Not too busy,” she replied. “My eldest son is back, so I’ve handed over the autumn harvest and orchard to him. Since I handed the household chores over to my daughter, I haven’t had to worry about much. I seem to have quite a bit of free time lately.”

She even spent her time doing needlework.

Zhou Shuren offered Zhulan an excuse, “Looks like you’re just feeling drowsy from spring to autumn.”

Zhulan smiled. “It’s true, you do get sleep-deprived after autumn arrives. By the way, you didn’t come home for dinner tonight to avoid Shi Qing, did you?”

Zhou Shuren snorted, “Shi Qing wouldn’t make me hide. The dike is finished, and Chen Daren thought we should celebrate, so we had dinner together.”

Zhulan thought of Lord He and couldn’t help but laugh. “You should go to the dike to keep an eye on things from time to time. Chen Daren and He Daren can’t just stay in the yamen all the time. I haven’t seen He Daren in a long time; he’s probably gotten quite tanned.”

He Daren’s wife, Miao Shi, liked brightly colored silks, and Zhulan couldn’t help but laugh at the thought.

Zhou Shuren also laughed. He couldn’t even tell if He Daren was angry or not; he was quite tanned. “He really is quite tanned.”

(End of Chapter)

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