Zhou Shuren held Zhulan’s hand. “Don’t worry. Shi Qing won’t be coming to the Zhou residence during the day anymore for the next two years. But let’s keep them separate for now. If anything happens, let Wu Ming play the villain. Wu Ming won’t let his younger siblings be in danger.”

He didn’t have time to continue worrying like a stepfather; it would exhaust him. He and Zhulan wanted to live to a ripe old age and watch their unborn child stand on his own, and it would be even better if they could see their great-grandchild.

Zhulan said, “But Wu Ning is with us. We promised to take good care of Wu Ning.”

Zhou Shuren spread his hands. “We can’t stop the Emperor, right? If Wu Ming is angry, let him be angry with the Emperor. Who told the Emperor to send Shi Qing?”

Zhou Shuren paused. “Besides, you’re just guessing. Who knows what Wu Ning is thinking? And how old is Wu Ning? Okay, stop thinking about it.”

Zhulan thought it made sense. Maybe they were being too nervous. Zhulan was also afraid of overthinking, so she decided to observe first.

In the following days, Zhulan observed Wu Ning closely. She found Wu Ning to be perfectly normal, showing no abnormalities whatsoever. After observing her for a few more days, she even began to wonder if her daughter was seeing things.

Ever since Wu Ning discovered that Xue Han had seen the painting, her heart had been constantly on edge. Later, with her aunt’s observation, she noticed something and regretted not destroying the painting sooner; she had painted it unconsciously.

However, she also understood in her heart that there was absolutely no possibility between her and Shi Gongzhi. She knew that Shi Gongzhi was ambitious, and she and Shi Gongzhi were never on the same path. The slight unease in her heart had long been hidden.

She was just a little envious of Shi Gongzhi. How much better it would be if she were a boy. Shi Gongzhi had a bad reputation, yet he could gamble with his fate. As for her, she could only wait for fate. The only way she could fight back was not to marry, but if she didn’t marry, it would be bad for the Wu family’s reputation. She knew that her willful brothers would support her, but she couldn’t be so selfish as to affect her brothers, whose reputation was already tarnished.

Zhulan couldn’t keep staring at Wu Ning for too long. Finding nothing amiss, she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she and Xue Han were just being overly tense.

Wu Ning was very good at hiding her thoughts; even Xue Han, who shared meals and lodging with her, hadn’t noticed.

A few days later, in the capital, an urgent memorial, delayed due to snow, arrived a few days later than usual. The Emperor, upon seeing the memorial to the people, was deeply moved. In the early years of the dynasty, he had been constantly killing people. He had suppressed the remnants of the previous dynasty and ambitious ministers with an iron fist, adhering to the principle of “better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.”

His reputation was truly tarnished, but to stabilize the situation, ruthlessness was necessary. The people feared him, the ministers in the court feared him, and with the war and the ongoing recovery, even his gritting-teeth tax cuts hadn’t earned him a good reputation.

No one dislikes having too many achievements. This memorial to the people was excellent; the changes in Lizhou City were real. Zhou Shuren was capable, but without this discerning eye, the people of Lizhou City would still be struggling. It was Zhou Shuren’s keen eye that recognized talent; he deserved this gratitude.

The Crown Prince could sense his father’s joy. There were many rumors circulating about his father among the common people, none of them good. This time, the people’s praise truly pleased his father.

The Crown Prince thought of Minister Zhou, finding it quite amusing. Minister Zhou was interesting, very interesting indeed. It was just a pity he didn’t know how long his father would reign. He wouldn’t mind having more talents like him.

After his initial joy subsided, the Emperor smiled and said, “Crown Prince, go back now. You have court tomorrow.”

The Crown Prince lowered his head and replied, “Yes.”

The Crown Prince walked out of the palace gates, silently looking ahead, inwardly scoffing. Despite his father’s happiness, he still needed to check the spies’ reports. The Crown Prince hadn’t taken two steps when he asked, “Fifth Brother, where have you just returned from?”

The Fifth Prince, Zhang Jinghong, smiled and replied, “Elder Brother Crown Prince, I just returned from outside the palace.”

The Crown Prince’s hand behind his back twitched, his eyes deep and thoughtful. Two years ago, he would have included his own brother, born of the same mother and father, in his protection. Now, there were no brothers in the royal family. He was so young, yet he already had such thoughts. “Your sister-in-law is waiting for me to return. I’ll go back now.”

Zhang Jinghong smiled. “When the Crown Prince is less busy, he can treat his younger brother to a meal.”

The Crown Prince waved his hand. “Okay.”

Inside the hall, the Emperor had already read the spy’s report, and his lips twitched involuntarily, especially at Zhou Shuren’s words—they were truly brainwashing. The Emperor narrowed his eyes; Zhou Shuren’s brainwashing skills were excellent. He’d discovered another advantage. Come to think of it, the old fox Zhou Shuren’s words pleased him greatly.

If Zhou Shuren knew what the Emperor was thinking, he would definitely chuckle. He was far from being a match for the Emperor; the Emperor had no idea about modern pyramid schemes!

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. The Zhou family received a letter from Jiang Ming. Zhou Shuren received it at the yamen and, after reading it, gave it to Zhulan. “Although the Emperor didn’t publicly promote my rank in court, he praised my achievements over the past two years and recorded a merit for me. I estimate the imperial edict should arrive after the New Year.”

Zhulan was unhappy. “Why didn’t the Emperor just say it directly?”

Zhou Shuren put his arm around Zhulan. “He’s fishing for information. Jiang Ming can’t attend court, but he has sources. The Emperor praised me highly, and many people think I’ll return to the capital. The Emperor really knows how to use his confidant. Just watch; there will definitely be many people trying to win me over. In a few days, Lizhou City will be in turmoil.”

Zhulan pursed her lips. “Some people are trying to curry favor with you so you can go to the capital, but others don’t want that.”

And even more people didn’t want Zhou Shuren to go to the capital. A confidant of the Emperor, and a confidant with great ability at that. Ha, there were more people who were wary of Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren’s silence didn’t mean she didn’t know. Even if Zhou Shuren was incredibly capable in the border prefecture, who knew when he’d be able to return to the capital? Zhou Shuren’s starting point was too high; those trying to win him over all believed he’d have to endure many more years, so their methods had always been mild.

But now the Emperor had played this trick, and given his consistently unpredictable actions, everyone assumed Zhou Shuren would be going to the capital and would have a high-ranking position.

But in reality, she could guess some of the Emperor’s intentions. Pshaw, without the people’s approval, a lateral transfer was more likely. The Emperor had already acted capriciously once, and now that he’d seen Zhou Shuren’s abilities, he wouldn’t want to ruin him. So, a minor promotion at most wouldn’t be too much.

Zhou Shuren said calmly, “Don’t worry, do you think I have few people around me? I’ve figured it out in the last two years; I have quite a few of the Emperor’s men around me.”

Zhulan felt much relieved, but the Emperor’s mind was too unpredictable, and given Zhou Shuren’s high reputation, she was no longer sure where he would be transferred. “Tell me, where do you think the Emperor will send you?”

Zhou Shuren narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure either.”

If it weren’t for the Emperor’s test, he could have guessed something. But after this test, he knew that the Emperor was wary of his ability to build up his reputation, and considering what he had done recently, he truly couldn’t guess.

Zhulan said, “Let’s not think about it anymore. In ancient times, the Emperor’s word was law. Let him send you wherever he wants!”

Zhou Shuren didn’t tell Zhulan that the Emperor was using him as bait, not only to test the various forces but also to put him to the test. He was afraid that if he passed the test, he would be thrown into a pile of power. The Emperor’s mind was truly hard to fathom. He thought he had guessed some things by studying the Emperor, but the Emperor’s baiting tactics made him realize that he wasn’t a god and couldn’t fathom the deeper layers of the Emperor’s mind.

Zhou Shuren thought to himself that he really needed to be careful; this time it was quite dangerous. The family needed some servants skilled in martial arts, and he would have to go find Wu Chun without Zhulan’s knowledge.

(End of Chapter)

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