Zhou Shuren held Zhulan’s hand. “There is indeed good news, but it’s not about me. Today, the yamen received a petition from the people to the Emperor, expressing gratitude for His Majesty’s boundless grace, which has enabled Lizhou City to live in peace and prosperity today. I’ve already sent it to the capital by express courier.”

His efforts hadn’t been in vain; he’d been busy spreading the Emperor’s benevolence, and these past few days had exhausted him.

Zhulan understood. “You did it?”

Zhou Shuren pinched Zhulan’s nose. “I knew I couldn’t hide it from you. I’ll definitely make a move next year; sending this petition will benefit me.”

He didn’t want to be bullied during a lateral transfer; he’d naturally want to increase his own standing.

Zhulan’s mind worked quickly. Zhou Shuren had started as a fifth-rank official, and even with two years of merit, it wouldn’t be easy for him to be promoted another rank; he would still have to work his way up slowly. “I was wondering why your frostbite had flared up again. Turns out you’ve been running around everywhere.”

Zhulan’s words only made Zhou Shuren’s feet itch again. “I was afraid you’d worry, and I also wanted to give you a surprise.”

Zhulan held Zhou Shuren’s hand. Before she was pregnant, Zhou Shuren would never have created a petition to boost his own status. He did this because of the baby’s arrival; both she and Zhou Shuren wanted to give the child the best possible protection!

Zhulan leaned on Zhou Shuren’s shoulder. “You’ve worked hard.”

Zhou Shuren touched Zhulan’s slightly protruding belly and grinned foolishly. “You’re the one who’s worked hard. I just ran errands and did a lot of talking. It’s not difficult at all.”

A petition to boost the status of the people was indeed not difficult. With his reputation, plus a lot of brainwashing, various propaganda about the Emperor’s boundless grace and achievements, and some appropriate guidance, a petition to boost the status of the people would be created.

Zhulan enjoyed the quiet until Liu Ya knocked on the door. “Master, Mistress, dinner is ready.”

Zhulan replied, “I know.”

Zhou Shuren helped Zhulan to dinner, saying as they walked, “Next year, we’ll each eat separately and only eat together during New Year’s.”

Zhulan said, “We don’t have enough servants now. Once we buy more, the kitchen will be busier, and we’ll each eat separately.”

Zhou Shuren helped Zhulan in, and after they sat down, Zhou Shuren said, “Let’s eat.”

On Zhulan’s side, Li Shi looked tired, and Minghui… “He’s so mischievous, and he always wants to be outside. Winter is here, and he is even more unruly.”

He wailed at the slightest thing; he had such a terrible temper! Ugh, Li Shi longed to see her mother-in-law, but she couldn’t! Her son was too much of a handful!

Li Shi murmured, “Mother, you know Minghui only looks like you. If only his temper were like yours!”

Zhulan remained silent about her grandson. She had experienced Minghui’s loud voice and temper firsthand. Cough, cough. Zhou Shuren had too. She then warned Zhou Shuren not to take the child to the main courtyard unless absolutely necessary.

Zhulan placed a piece of food on Li Shi’s plate, saying something she didn’t mean: “It would be good if his temper were like yours.”

But she couldn’t bear to think too much about Li Shi’s temper; the image was too vivid, and it would make her depressed.

Li Shi was speechless.

She didn’t think it was good at all. Every time she saw her son throw a tantrum, she felt a little scared. She would think of her mother-in-law. If her mother-in-law yelled at her like that, she would be terrified.

The next day, Xuehan secretly came to see her mother. “Mother, I have something to tell you.”

Zhulan put down her needlework and saw Xuehan looking flustered for the first time. “What is it?”

Xuehan looked at Granny Liu. Liu Ya immediately went out and thoughtfully closed the door tightly.

Xuehan took her mother’s hand and whispered, “Mother, yesterday Third Brother and the others were having a barbecue in the pavilion, and Sister Wu drew a picture of it.”

Zhulan was stunned. “She drew them all?”

Xue Han nodded. “She drew them all. What alarms me isn’t that, but that Sister Wu herself didn’t even realize it. She gave Shi Gongzhi the most ink, while Third Brother and the others were just background figures.”

No, they weren’t even background figures; the drawings were terribly ugly.

Zhulan’s heart sank. “How did you see the drawings?”

Based on her understanding of Wu Ning, it must have been drawn secretly, and it would have been ruined.

Xue Han said, “We shared a study, and she didn’t dare let anyone see it, so she hid it. I found it when I went to look for calligraphy books, but it’s probably ruined now. When I took out the calligraphy books, Sister Wu rushed to the study in a panic.”

She waited until Sister Wu left and confirmed that Sister Wu had gone to her sister-in-law’s courtyard before coming to find her mother.

Zhulan sighed, “What do you think?”

Xue Han was no longer a peasant girl. Her education and growing horizons made her understand that Shi Qing’s learning from their father wasn’t simple. Her third brother was also curious; she had talked to him once and learned from his words that curiosity was a big problem.

Even without these unknown factors and disregarding Shi Qing’s background, just consider Wang Ru and Shi Qing’s relationship. She was young then, but her mother had always used Wang Ru to teach her, and she understood how cunning Shi Qing was. Just for that reason alone, she didn’t want Sister Wu and Shi Qing to have anything going on.

Sister Wu was pitiful enough; she hoped Sister Wu would have a loving husband. “Mother, do you think it would be good for Sister Wu to find a tongyangfu?”

Zhulan almost spat out her water. “Why would you think that?”

Xue Han lowered her head, blushing. She thought Rong Chuan was perfect.

Seeing her daughter’s face flush red, Zhulan set down her teacup and sighed. “Your situation is different from Wu Ning’s. A tongyangfu of good character isn’t so easy to find. Take Rong Chuan, for example. First, your father and I saved his life. Second, your father has taught and guided him all these years. Though he never formally became his disciple, the saying ‘Once your teacher, forever your father’ still applies, and as my son-in-law, it’s much the same. Third, and most importantly, Rong Chuan accepted it of his own free will.”

Not every Tongyangfu accepted the arrangement willingly. A tongyangfu was different from a tongyangxi. Given the status of men and women in ancient times, a tongyangxi could only obey her husband’s family. But a tongyangfu of poor character was another matter. Once he had grown capable enough to stand on his own, who knew what he might do?

After hearing this, Xuehan realized she had been too presumptuous. “Mother, what about Sister Wu Ning?”

Zhulan frowned at her daughter’s face. “Wu Ning is still young. Wait a few more years. Don’t worry about her anymore. She’s stronger than you think. Go back now, or Wu Ning will become suspicious.”

Xuehan was only worried about Sister Wu. “Okay.”

After Xuehan left, even if one of them was unmarriageable and the other unmarried, Zhulan didn’t have high hopes for them. Although she knew Shi Qing better, Shi Qing was unreliable; he was a tool in the Emperor’s hands. Wu Ming had finally managed to extricate himself, and if the two families became involved, she didn’t even want to think about whether they would be wiped out.

Zhulan was troubled. She couldn’t concentrate on her needlework. Why was Wu Ning so unlucky? This child probably wouldn’t have a good ending in a novel either. Whether Xuehan was the heroine or Wang Ru had a comeback, reputation was a major weakness.

Even if Wu Ning married well, once Wu Ming lost power, Wu Ning’s ending wouldn’t be good.

When Zhou Shuren returned home that evening, Zhulan told him about Wu Ning’s situation. Zhou Shuren’s eyes flickered. “I understand.”

Zhou Shuren didn’t want the Shi family and the Wu family to have anything to do with each other. The two families together were like a bomb, and he didn’t want to defuse it.

Zhulan took Zhou Shuren’s hand. “If it’s… never mind.”

(End of Chapter)

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