CHAPTER 1589: CHAPTER 1589: RETURNING TO THE CAPITAL

Ming Rui and a few others came out, and the young servant from the Shangguan family had already rushed back to the house to report the good news.

The Fourth Prince circled around Shangguan Liu, saying, "Next year you’ll achieve high marks."

Everyone likes to hear good words, and Shangguan Liu is no exception. "I accept the good wishes of Your Highness."

In previous years, the Fourth Prince rarely left the palace. This year he went out more often, not only at the Empress’s suggestion but also the Emperor’s. The Emperor thought highly of the young men from the Zhou family and was happy for his son to interact with them, feeling it was better than being close to the Wen family. This situation was favorable for the Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince pointed to the stewards waiting nearby, asking, "Why are there so many stewards?"

Chang Xhong explained, "They’ve come to observe."

Shangguan Liu responded, "They are here to look at potential scholars to choose husbands for the girls in the family."

The Fourth Prince found it interesting, "That’s intriguing."

Chang Xhong smiled, "Next year will be even more interesting."

During the conversation, they arrived at the parked carriage. Coincidentally, it was right next to the Wen family’s carriage; the Wen family’s carriage had to leave first for the Zhou family’s carriage to depart.

Young Master Wen Six greeted people and came back, encountering Ming Rui and his group.

Young Master Wen Six noticed the Fourth Prince and made his way forward to pay his respects, "Greetings to the Fourth Prince."

The Fourth Prince was not fond of this cousin from the Wen family, not only because his father disliked him but also because he was the Crown Prince’s direct sibling who took the Crown Prince’s side. Besides, as the legitimate son, he naturally harbored some disdain for illegitimate children and responded indifferently, "Congratulations."

Young Master Wen Six detected the cold tone, then turned to nod at Shangguan Liu, casually saying, "I thought Young Master Zhou Three would participate; what a pity."

Ming Rui knew what the pity was about; it was a pity that they didn’t compete head-to-head, given he was at the top of the ranking. Ming Rui smiled without responding.

Young Master Wen Six felt awkward and unconvinced. Despite his outstanding qualities, he was illegitimate. Only the illegitimate sons from various households truly respected him. Even if his legitimate elder brother was incompetent, the legitimate sons of each household still sought to please his elder brother instead of him.

After Young Master Wen Six left, Chang Xhong spoke, "He’s not easy to associate with."

At the Zhou residence, Zhulan was meeting with Ning Ming, accompanied by Lady Song. Ning Ming expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Lady, for arranging this good match."

His marriage was settled, just waiting to propose for the one-year anniversary, and he would have to wait for mourning to end to wed.

Zhulan smiled, "In the future, you will have a harmonious and beautiful life together."

Ning Ming’s ears turned slightly red, as he had chosen his future wife, who was gentle in temperament—the kind of wife he had imagined.

Lady Song said, "Now that the engagement is set, the Yu family wouldn’t dare cause trouble. Ning Ming can focus on his studies without any worries in the future."

Ultimately, the Yu family dared to make a fuss because Ning Ming’s mother was from the Yu family. They were considerate of Ning Ming, so the Ning family wouldn’t be too harsh. But it was different with the Zhou family; Mrs. Hou from the Zhou family helped with matchmaking, and the Yu family wouldn’t dare to cause trouble again, which not only helped the Ning family but also found a good marriage for Ning Ming.

Zhulan sent off Lady Song and Ning Ming, looking at the gifts in the hall. Lately, she had received quite a number of presents, making a fortune.

The gifts were all prepared by Ning Ming, whose family was poor except for Silver Coin and Babe. The thank-you gifts were generous, including antique vases.

The Zhou family had accumulated wealth rapidly over the years, not to mention being a noble family of over a hundred years; they truly did not lack treasures.

After the items were stored in the warehouse, Zhulan calculated the days and said, "The transfer from the capital should have arrived in Qiizhou Province, right?"

Qing Xue replied, "According to the days, it should have arrived."

Indeed, it had arrived. At the Qiizhou Government Office, Zhou Changlian sent people off to rest in a daze. He looked at the official robes sent along with the transfer, raised his hand to touch them, and wondered, "Have I become the Prefectural Ningzhou?"

The Qiizhou Magistrate was envious; he had waited many years to reach the position of Magistrate, but his transfer had not arrived yet, while Zhou Changlian’s did first. "Congratulations, now you and I are at the same level."

Chang Lian heard the envy, found some sense of reality, and couldn’t control the upward curve of his mouth, "Congratulations to both."

Qiizhou Magistrate said, "They asked you to take office quickly, when are you setting out?"

Chang Lian pondered, "I have to hand over my current tasks; I’ll proceed after the handover is complete."

The Qiizhou Magistrate couldn’t resist another stab of envy, "Marquis Zhou is concerned about you."

Chang Lian didn’t feel uncomfortable taking advantage of his father, on the contrary, he was delighted, "Yes, being my father’s son is a blessing for several generations."

The Qiizhou Magistrate thought, "..."

He shouldn’t have mentioned it.

Chang Lian thanked his colleagues for their congratulations, ignored the envious gazes, and cheerfully went home.

Lady Dong, upon hearing the news, said, "I’ve become the wife of the Magistrate?"

"Yes, are you happy?"

"Happy, oh, if this keeps up, we can return to the capital sooner."

The capital is always better; ultimately, being away from it doesn’t feel like home.

Chang Lian sighed, "Unfortunately, they want me to take office soon; otherwise, I could make a trip to the capital and see my parents—it’s been years since I’ve seen them."

He missed home, often thinking of the days when his father instructed him, longing for his mother’s care.

Lady Dong considered, "Shall I go back and visit?"

Chang Lian replied expressionlessly, "No, if you go, there will be no one to accompany me."

Lady Dong was also worried about her husband being alone; should he fall prey to schemes, it would be troublesome to handle everything himself. Without concubines in the house, there were too many women trying to seduce him, which was a bother.

As days went by, a letter from Jiang Zhu arrived; Jiang Zhu became a Graduate, but his ranking was not high, falling in the middle - Jiang family now had two Graduates.

The family became lively again, awaiting Jiang Zhu’s return as Mulan was nearing childbirth.

As the weather gradually cooled, snow began to fall upon Jiang Zhu’s return to the capital. Jiang Zhu did not come back alone; Jiang Miu and his wife, along with their child, had also returned. Mufan passed as a Graduate with a higher rank than Jiang Zhu, making it to the top ten.

Zhulan held Miumiu’s daughter, carefully examining her, "Oh my, this girl has picked her parents’ best features; she’ll be a beauty someday."

Jiang Miu laughed, "Grandmother, don’t be fooled by her; she’s quite a mischievous one."

The little girl, hearing her mother’s voice, became excited, wriggling her body hard. Zhulan found it a bit difficult to hold her and gestured for Jiang Miu to take her, "I’ve always missed you, now that I see you, I can be at ease."

Jiang Miu blinked, "With you and Grandfather here, my life is good!"

"Good, good, as long as you understand."

Jiang Miu understood well that as long as Marquis Zhou was around, the Jiang family dared not neglect her. See, even having a daughter and no one pressed for another child. She knew that without Grandfather’s protection, her husband achieving success on his own would be too difficult.

Yu Die said, "Cousin, you’ve been away from the capital for so long, shall we go shopping tomorrow?"

Jiang Miu agreed, "Of course."

She was not lacking in Silver Coin, with a rich dowry aside, her father would send paintings to her. Upon returning to the capital, she received two more paintings from her father, keeping them all to eventually split among her children.

In the front yard, Chang Xhong and Ming Rui were hosting Mufan. Chang Xhong said, "Tomorrow, I’ll take you around."

Mufan understood this meant introducing him to people, "Thank you, Uncle."

Chang Xhong waved his hand, "It’s my duty; once you’ve met everyone, you’ll avoid bumping into trouble while out. Of course, if anyone bullies you, tell Uncle, and I’ll stand up for you."

Mufan felt warmth flow through him, yet he wanted to laugh as his uncle was still young.

The next day, Yu Die and the others went out, Jiang Miu looked at the street, "It’s so lively."

Yu Die remarked, "Recently, a large number of Graduates have arrived in the capital, rents for small yards have increased several times. Look, up ahead is where these Graduates like to gather."

Jiang Miu kept it in mind, planning to discuss it with her husband upon returning.