Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1164: Hints

Chang Yi was indeed interested; he had properties overseas, and the Xu family, with their vast estate, could help. Yet his offerings couldn’t catch the Xu family’s eye, and he cared about his reputation.

Chang Yi arrived at the merchant caravan and opened his mouth, "Shi, no, Rong Enqing, never mind, it’s easier to call you Mr. Hou."

En Qing chuckled, "I changed my name myself; sometimes it doesn’t quite fit."

Chang Yi laughed heartily. Indeed, he had changed it too many times. Calculating in his mind, he pulled Mr. Hou aside to sit down for a talk.

In the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren looked at the doctor who managed the Ministry of Commerce, suspecting Ning Zhiqi of incompetence and somewhat unwilling to work with him, yet he couldn’t speak his mind and had to review what Ning Zhiqi had done.

Zhou Shuren flipped through the errors Ning Zhiqi had noted, and after a moment of silence, said, "Alright, you can go back first."

The doctor exhaled deeply; he was truly busy. Recently, Shi Qing, no, rather Mr. Hou had been constantly on leave, dumping his responsibilities onto Ning Zhiqi with poor results. Despite many corrections, errors still remained.

After the doctor left, Zhou Shuren called for Zhang Jinghong, "I have a task for you."

Zhang Jinghong replied, "Yes."

Zhou Shuren said, "Put aside what you are currently handling and go to the Ministry of Commerce for a few days to guide Ning Zhiqi."

Zhang Jinghong had taken many leaves but was still aware of the affairs in the Ministry of Revenue. Ning Zhiqi was of special status and thus very conspicuous, and his poor handling of tasks was known. Hearing his superior waiting for a response, he said, "Yes, I will go arrange the handover immediately."

Zhou Shuren gave a grunt of acknowledgement, "Be thorough with Ning Zhiqi, this is also a time to make a good impression."

Zhang Jinghong genuinely took Ning Zhiqi under his wing; either the queen or the Crown Prince could recall his name.

Having received the guidance and now willing to lead, Zhang Jinghong spoke louder, "I will definitely take good care of Mr. Ning."

Zhou Shuren waved his hand, signaling it was okay to leave.

A quarter of an hour later, Qiu Yan came in, sitting without speaking, hesitating several times before speaking. Zhou Shuren lost his patience, "We have been colleagues for many years, and we’re both very busy. I don’t have the patience to guess your thoughts; just speak directly."

Qiu Yan was there regarding his elder brother, "My elder brother was transferred to the Ministry of Works this year, wasn’t he?"

Zhou Shuren knew, behind the scenes, Qiu Yan had been manipulating things, "What about it?"

Qiu Yan, slightly embarrassed, said, "You know Hu Xia, right? My elder brother is now under Hu Xia. Could you help me make an introduction? I’d like to invite Mr. Hu for tea."

Zhou Shuren thought it was something serious, "Alright, I’ll send Jingyan there shortly."

Qiu Yan said, "Children are debts. I never leveraged connections for myself in my life, only for my son."

Zhou Shuren smiled, "As parents, we’re all the same."

After Qiu Yan’s task was completed, he went back to work. Actually, he could have approached Hu Xia himself, but it wouldn’t carry the same meaning.

Zhou Shuren thought of Hu Xia, always a practical official, dedicatedly working in the Ministry of Works and indeed producing results, securing his position, and with hard work, possibly even advancing further.

In Li Family Village, Zhou’s eldest son arrived at his in-laws in the afternoon. Zhou’s eldest son greeted his in-laws, who couldn’t accept the formalities as they had heard from their daughter that the main house might inherit the noble title.

Being the least noticeable son of the Zhou family, he suddenly seemed quite prominent. Lady Li’s father assisted his son-in-law, "Please, stand up."

Zhou’s eldest son was sincerely paying respects. Over the years, his in-laws had been peaceable and had also helped look after Zhou’s estate, all of which mattered deeply. Since his in-laws were genuinely kind to his wife, he naturally respected them even more.

Lady Li was all smiles. Her husband treating her parents well was a sign of his affection for her, bringing joy and pride. Facing her mother, Lady Li said, "Mother, you believe it now, don’t you? He truly treats me well. You can rest assured, your daughter is living well, and it’s not all for show."

Talking about this made her helpless; the disparity between their families was too great, instilling unease in her parents, no matter if she brought gifts prepared by her mother-in-law. Her parents doubted whether she was merely sharing good news, forgetting every time her elder brother entered the capital.

Lady Li’s mother, now a stout old lady, sharply said, "Shut your mouth, no one thinks you’re dumb if you don’t speak."

Lady Li laughed, having not heard her mother speak to her like that for many years, and Zhou’s eldest son also began to laugh.

Lady Li’s father didn’t inquire about Li Family Village, able to guess already, and asked instead, "Have you chosen a date to pay respects to our ancestors?"

Zhou’s eldest nodded, "It’s been chosen, good weather in seven days."

Lady Li’s father signaled his eldest son to grab the calendar and checked it, "Indeed, it’s a good day."

Lady Li’s family previously couldn’t afford to buy a calendar, but now, Li Family Village housed the largest estate, affluent enough to procure whatever was needed.

In the capital, at a teahouse, Chang Yi and En Qing were drinking tea, having reached an agreement, while Gu Ren finally found a chance to coincidentally meet them.

Gu Ren approached and addressed En Qing, "Shi, no, Mr. Hou, I mean. I haven’t been gone long, but you’ve already become Mr. Hou. I heard about it, congratulations."

En Qing smiled silently. Aware of whether Gu Ren had truly left or not, he asked, "You’re back in the capital for business?"

Gu Ren nodded, "Yes, the merchant caravan is heading to the Northwest soon, and the capital has the best goods, so I’m in charge of acquisitions here. I was planning to visit Mr. Hou at the Hou Residence in a few days, but here we are, meeting today."

Chang Yi, having seen all levels of society, knew how to navigate among them despite his changed status. Carefully evaluating the man before him, whether this encounter was a coincidence or planned, Chang Yi had a good guess.

Chang Yi didn’t believe Mr. Hou, his cheap cousin, couldn’t see through this, but Mr. Hou pretended not to know, which was interesting.

After some conversation, En Qing introduced him, "This is my cousin, the second son of Mr. Zhou from the Ministry of Rites."

Gu Ren knew him well and thinking of Zhou Shuren made him uneasy; he truly did not wish to engage with Zhou’s family and managed a smile, "I have something else to do, I will take my leave first."

En Qing, "...."

It seemed that the Zhang family was quite cautious of the Zhou family!

Chang Yi was stunned; he hadn’t understood what happened, and the man had already left?

At Zhou’s residence, Zhulan looked at her daughter, "Weren’t you in the palace today? Why didn’t you return to the residence but came straight to your maternal home instead?" freēwēbnovel.com

Xue Han patted her chest, "There was a big scene in the palace today, and it frightened me, so I came to find some peace with mother."

Zhulan, hearing that there had been trouble, and judging by her daughter’s pale face, it wasn’t a small matter, exclaimed, "What happened? How is Lin Xi? How is Lin Xi?"

Xue Han hurriedly explained, "Lin Xi stayed in the palace, the child is alright."

Zhulan breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that the child was unharmed, then questioned, "Wasn’t there a problem? Why is the child still in the palace?"