Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1151: Earl

Zhou Shuren smiled, "Ah, yes, the junior official was calling for my fourth uncle."

Xiao Qing took a deep look at Zhou Shuren, then stiffly turned away, but Xiao Qing’s words were clearly heard by the surrounding officials who then came to their senses, staring at Zhou Shuren in shock.

Zhou Shuren saw the nearby officials’ faces change in unison, guessing what they were thinking. They had thought Zhou Shuren was a pitiable minor figure from an inconspicuous family, yet it turned out he was a hidden boss.

Afterward, Zhou Shuren felt uneasy, why were all the officials staring at him?

Prince Liang looked at Zhou Shuren and wanted to roll his eyes and hold his breath.

Prince Qi narrowed his eyes, speaking to Prince Liang, "You found out at that time."

Prince Liang smiled, "Ah, it’s just that our father, the Emperor, did not allow it to be said."

Prince Chu, "...."

Calculating silently, he had offended Zhou Shuren quite a few times, and it seemed not just a few instances. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

The most shocked was Yao Wenqi, who clutched his chest. A living member of the Rong family truly existed, the Yao family’s genealogy they had obtained was fake, and those living Rong descendants were of the legitimate line. Yao Wenqi had come a bit late and was not aware that Zhou Shuren had called for his fourth uncle.

At last, Yao Wenqi understood why the Emperor had summoned him to court. It was waiting for him here, and lifting his head, he met the Emperor’s gaze— the legitimate heir who had escaped back then was of an age that would be very clear about the detail of the Rong family’s annihilation.

Yao Wenqi’s heart thumped violently, and his mind buzzed.

The Emperor, pleased with Yao Wenqi’s reaction, coughed, and Eunuch Liu called for silence, quieting the great hall.

The Emperor continued, "The Rong family did not lose just the fourth uncle; there is also the sixth aunt, ranked sixth, Rong Ying, and finally our paternal uncle’s line, the only son still lives in this world, having already had a grandson."

The ministers understood; Zhou Shuren’s surname was Zhou, and since Zhou Shuren called Rong Yushang his fourth uncle, his mother must be Rong Ying. As for the Emperor’s paternal uncle’s line, the ministers thought, the Rong family was impressive. Despite the disaster of nearly being annihilated, so many legitimate descendants survived. Impressive.

Yao Wenqi’s pupils dilated, feeling breathless, realizing so many people were alive, thinking of the Rong family’s counter-attack at the time, his heart ached even more.

Prince Liang was stunned for a moment; the father, the Emperor, had indeed found them; after all, if he hadn’t, for safety, he would not have made this public.

The Emperor said, "Shuren, step forward."

Zhou Shuren moved forward under everyone’s gaze, fortunately accustomed to being the center of attention. The looks he received were too complicated: jealousy, envy, and all sorts of emotions.

Wong Ju was dumbfounded; his best friend had hidden such a big secret from him, it was shocking indeed!

Old Master Wong’s eyes lit up with surprise, having chosen well in aligning his family at the start, feeling like he had placed a winning bet. Later on, as Zhou Shuren climbed step by step to become a high-ranking minister, he could drink an extra glass thinking of his foresight, and now an even greater surprise awaited him!

Yao Wenqi clutched his chest, staring fixedly at Zhou Shuren. He wasn’t stupid; he had overlooked Xiao Qing’s words at first, but now as Zhou Shuren stepped forward, he understood everything. That was why Prince Liang had gone to Zhou’s village, that was the secret he had never uncovered.

Zhou Shuren noticed Yao Wenqi’s gaze, turned his head, smiled, and infuriated the old man.

Yao Wenqi really was about to explode with rage. Ever since encountering Zhou Shuren, he’d had no smooth sailing, and as he tallied up one grievance after another, his chest felt heavy, yet he had to stay strong.

The Emperor continued, "The Rong family is my maternal clan. With the support of the Rong family, I was able to withstand the wars of those years. I have been searching for many years, and now I need not carry regrets when I meet my maternal clan. The contributions of the Rong family are engraved in my heart. Zhou Shuren’s contributions... I remember them all..."

He then went on to recount contributions the Emperor had not made public. Zhou Shuren listened quietly; he could not have shouldered so much merit in the past because without a family to support him, he was an easy target, too enviable to others, which was not good.

Now he no longer needed to fear. The Emperor was his backing, and so was the Rong family. This time, he had truly soared to the heavens.

At last, the Emperor said, "The Rong family has helped me greatly, and I feel indebted. The construction of the Rong Garden will continue as before, and Little Uncle’s line has not come today. They will know after the decree is announced."

Eunuch Liu already held three imperial edicts. Eunuch Liu made the announcements, granting Yu Dang the title of Marquis, with the conferred name Marquis Anning.

Zhou Shuren’s imperial edict mentioned something about being "the Emperor’s right hand"—it was all about merit. Zhou Shuren also received the title of Earl, without a conferred name.

The big show was last. Shi Qing couldn’t get out of bed, and the Emperor had not summoned Shi Qing to court, nor had he summoned Shi Huai, but he did confer the title of Marquis directly to Shi Qing, bypassing Shi Huai. It should have been a Duke, but bypassing one generation resulted in a demotion.

Zhou Shuren was genuinely surprised and delighted to receive a noble title; he thought it would just be a grand residence and never imagined the surprise lay here.

As for Shi Qing’s imperial edict, Zhou Shuren looked at the Emperor and thought of the vaults full of gold—oh, he was also an insider.

Shi Qing’s imperial edict could be pondered upon extensively. It involved the treasury and also Shi Huai.

Yu Dang had calculated many things but hadn’t foreseen the Emperor bypassing Shi Huai. Although he was conferred a Marquis, he understood that because he was to be adopted by Zhou Shuren’s grandson, the Emperor would not grant him a higher title.

Yu Dang was uncertain whether the Emperor knew the Rong family’s secrets or not.

Shi Qing’s name was rather unfamiliar to some ministers because he was inconspicuous in the Hanlin Academy and, with Zhang Yang behaving honestly, Shi Qing had disappeared even more from the ministers’ view.

Now, hearing it all of a sudden, not many reacted, but that didn’t mean there was no reaction. Another wave of murmuring ensued, and no one could have imagined the tortuous drama of the Rong family’s ordeal.

This time Yao Wenqi was greatly shocked. He hadn’t expected his legitimate daughter to be involved, only thinking it was actually Shi Qing. Then tasting blood in his mouth, when he realized his daughter was married to Shi Qing, Yao Wenqi’s eyes shone extremely bright.

The Emperor on the throne saw everything very clearly, and there was deep irony in his eyes, "When the Rong family was exterminated, I was young and trapped in Zhang residence, barely able to protect myself."

The buzz of the court silenced!

The Emperor smiled, "Having found the surviving members of the Rong family, only then did I learn of the beginning and end of the extermination. Only then did I learn some truths. Yao Wenqi, your Yao family was a vassal of the Rong family at the time. Oh, it should be said a retainer. A retainer who has supported us all the way, with extensive knowledge of the Rong family. Do you have anything to say?"

All eyes turned to Yao Wenqi. While the construction of Rong Garden had reignited old grudges, it had been too long, and traces had been erased. Some of the noble families pondered, yet they would not speak more.

The rest were those who did not know, but who among those standing in the court was not a fox? The Emperor’s words carried strong implications. Observing the newly minted Marquis Anning, what a grand spectacle it was—so it turned out that the once proud Yao family had been elevated by the Rong family. With the Rong family’s extermination, the Yao family rose to prominence, betraying their patron!