Farmer girl swaps husbands: buys a sickly villain and pampers him

Chapter 254 Taking advantage of the situation
Zhou Wangshu took her hand and intertwined their fingers.

“In the past, that would certainly have been possible. But things are different now; I have my father-in-law and the General’s Mansion behind me.”

Su Yaoguang recalled the arrogant and rude behavior of the Marquis of Cheng'an's heir and said, "In that case, it's fortunate that we were able to reunite with my father at this time."

Before those powerful and influential people, ordinary citizens are like ants, their lives and deaths not in their own hands. If it weren't for the General's Mansion as their backing, Zhou Wangshu might have truly been affected by this incident.

If she had recognized her father in her past life, Xiao Yanci wouldn't have dared to treat her like that, right?

At this moment, in the Cheng'an Marquis's residence, Xia Zhen was listening to his attendant's report. When the attendant said that the person who gave him the horse was the current top scholar in the imperial examination, Xia Zhen sneered several times.

"So what if he's the top scholar? I can still make sure he doesn't live past tomorrow, even if he's just a nobody."

Xia Zhen only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun, and didn't care at all about what was happening outside. As for the top three in the imperial examination, if he wanted to, none of them would have a chance to become powerful ministers.

He was ignorant and incompetent, and of course he didn't care about being a talented scholar or taking the imperial examinations. He even spent his time indulging in pleasure at a brothel during the family reunion banquet held at the General's Mansion.

“If he were just the top scholar, it wouldn’t be too troublesome, but he is now the son-in-law of the Grand General of the Nation.” The attendant continued, “Does the young master remember the woman who was with him back then? That woman is the Grand General of the Nation’s newly recognized biological daughter.”

Xia Zhen was truly furious this time.

"If that lowly commoner hadn't gifted me that Ferghana horse, I wouldn't have gotten into this mess. Am I not allowed to settle accounts with him?"

"Young Master, the Grand General is known for his protectiveness and has a bad temper. If we offend him, the Marquis will be even angrier. Our Marquis's Mansion dares not offend both the Duke's Mansion and the Grand General's Mansion at the same time," the attendant advised tactfully.

As the heir apparent's attendant, he was always the one who suffered when the heir apparent made a mistake. Under these circumstances, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and remind the heir apparent of Marquis Cheng'an that he couldn't let him cause any more trouble.

Xia Zhen was very unhappy and annoyed. However, he was currently confined by the Marquis of Cheng'an and could not leave the manor, so even if he was fuming, he had nowhere to vent his anger.

At this moment, a maidservant brought in tea.

The maid kept her head down, trying her best to minimize her presence, but her whole body was trembling, and she spilled all the tea she was carrying.

She knelt on the ground with a thud, trembling as she begged for mercy: "Young Master, spare my life."

Xia Zhen grabbed the maid and said with a wicked glint in his eyes, "So you want to get my attention? I'll grant your wish."

Upon seeing this, the attendant withdrew.

The pitiful cries of a maid could be heard coming from inside.

A few days later, Zhou Wangshu went to the Ministry of Personnel to report for duty.

As a newly appointed official, he was able to serve as a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel upon taking office, a starting point that is almost the end point for many officials.

As the son-in-law of a great general and the top scholar in the imperial examination this year, his position as a junior official in the Ministry of Personnel was personally appointed by the emperor. This meant that he was much luckier than his fellow students as soon as he entered officialdom.

Su Yaoguang stood outside the Ministry of Personnel, watching the officials come out, searching for the most handsome one among the identical official robes.

"Whose wife is that?" someone asked, pointing in Su Yaoguang's direction.

“It’s my house,” Zhou Wangshu said as she walked out.

When the crowd saw Zhou Wangshu, they greeted him, "Lord Zhou."

"My lords, please excuse my rudeness. Today is my first day in office, and my wife is understandably worried."

"Lord Zhou and his wife are truly a loving couple."

"This lady must be the General's beloved daughter? Lord Zhou is truly blessed!" the crowd exclaimed. "Gentlemen, see you tomorrow."

Zhou Wangshu jogged to meet Su Yaoguang.

At this moment, Xiao Yanci came out of the Hanlin Academy.

Generally speaking, the top three in the first-class imperial examinations all entered the Hanlin Academy upon entering officialdom, but Zhou Wangshu's case was an exception.

Xiao Yanci and the second-place scholar both entered the Hanlin Academy under normal circumstances and became compilers in the Hanlin Academy.

The second-place scholar also happened to see Zhou Wangshu and Su Yaoguang and exclaimed, "Brother Zhou is truly a favorite of the heavens. Look, we're not that far apart, and the woman he married in the countryside is actually the long-lost daughter of the Great General. Who else can have such luck?"

"We have both gotten to where we are today through our own abilities. Relying on women's connections won't last long. Why should Brother Wang be fixated on such petty gains?"

Xiao Yanci left with a cold face.

Seeing Xiao Yanci's expression, the second-place scholar's eyes flashed with disdain.

Who are you trying to impress with that grumpy face all the time?
He claims he doesn't rely on connections, but isn't he himself trying to climb the social ladder by associating with Prime Minister Wang? Isn't that relying on a woman's connections?
"Don't provoke him. His marriage to Miss Wang might fall through, and he's in a bad mood right now!" another official said to Lord Wang.

"Because of the fact that he was married before?" Lord Wang asked. "Is it true, or just a rumor?"

"They spoke with such conviction that they even knew the other person's name, where they lived, and how many people were in their family. It's definitely not a rumor."

"No wonder they said they didn't rely on women's connections; it turns out they couldn't!" Lord Wang said.

"Lord Wang, you seem to dislike Lord Xiao. Could it be that you have some kind of grudge?"

"That's not quite right, it's just that I feel this person isn't upright enough. On the contrary, Lord Zhou, although he is luckier than us because of his wife's family, acts with integrity and honesty. And look at how eager he is to his wife, it makes me feel that he is at least a loyal and righteous person."

"Did you know that Lord Zhou is a son-in-law who married into the family?"

"I really don't know about this."

"Although Lord Zhou relied on his wife's family, he himself was a top scholar and had the ability, didn't he? Besides, Lord Zhou didn't know he had such a powerful wife's family when he married his wife. In the end, it was because he himself was reliable that General Su was willing to accept him as a son-in-law."

"rational."

Just as Xiao Yanci was about to return to his rented courtyard, someone delivered a letter to him. He opened the letter, which contained an address—Yang Family Theater.

Could it be that Wang Ruyan invited him to see a play?
That's it! He writes love poems to Wang Ruyan every day; even if she has a heart of stone, she should have been moved long ago. The reason she hasn't given in yet is because Prime Minister Wang hasn't calmed down.

Xiao Yanci rushed to the theater, entered the second-floor private room, and found the Peony Room mentioned in the letter.

He pushed open the door and entered.

"Why did you take so long?" The woman in the room turned around impatiently, her eyes widening in horror when she saw Xiao Yanci. "How come it's you?"

Xiao Yanci: "..."

The smile disappeared from his face.

One moment he was a gentle and refined young talent, the next his eyes were cold, like a demon crawling up from the ground.

"Come..." Jiang Yihuan had only uttered one word when she saw Xiao Yanci walking towards her step by step. She was so frightened that she dared not utter another sound. "What are you doing? I have nothing to do with you anymore. Get out."