Chapter 260: Acknowledging Kin
Zhou Wangshu had just come out from the yamen when the Marquis of Cheng’an, who was waiting there, saw him and strode over.
“Lord Zhou…”
Zhou Wangshu looked at the Marquis of Cheng’an and said indifferently, “Does the Marquis have something to discuss?”
“Today I want to invite Lord Zhou for a drink. Lord Zhou, you must give me face!”
“I’m afraid it’s inconvenient today.”
“Then when is it convenient for Lord Zhou?”
“It’s inconvenient any day.” Zhou Wangshu said indifferently, “Marquis, though I am just an insignificant official, I dare not let down the imperial grace. If the Marquis wants me to do something against principles, forgive this subordinate for being unable to help.”
Marquis of Cheng’an: “…”
Zhou Wangshu walked past him.
Seeing him about to leave, the Marquis of Cheng’an hurriedly grabbed him.
“Lord Zhou, this marquis has some private matters to discuss with you, unrelated to official duties.” An insignificant official still worried he was asking him to pull strings?
He had originally thought this boy was quite clever, but now he seemed a bit rigid, which was a bit troublesome.
He remembered Jing’er as a child was not so inflexible. How had he grown up to be like this? It could only be said that growing up in the countryside had limited his horizons too much.
“Then there’s even less to talk about. I’m not familiar with the Marquis of Cheng’an and have no private matters to discuss.”
“Lord Zhou, do you have any impressions of your own background?” the Marquis of Cheng’an asked.
“I once suffered a severe injury and lost my memory. I don’t know where I came from; I only have memories after being rescued from the water. Does the Marquis of Cheng’an know my origins and identity since he wants to discuss private matters?”
“Let’s find a place to talk slowly. Lord Zhou, this way please.”
Zhou Wangshu hesitated for a moment, then followed the Marquis of Cheng’an.
Colleagues coming out from the yamen watched the two leave and discussed what private matters they might be talking about.
“The Heir Apparent of Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion really lost all face. The Marquis of Cheng’an isn’t dealing with the mess at home—how does he have time to worry about Lord Zhou’s background?”
“Exactly…”
These were all old foxes of officialdom. After a few remarks, they realized something was off and one by one showed gossiping expressions.
“Do you all want to know?”
“Lord Wang, where do you think the Marquis of Cheng’an will invite Lord Zhou to drink?”
“It has to be a quiet place convenient for talking matters, and such a quiet place can only be Zhang’s Tavern.”
“Let’s go. This official invites you colleagues to Zhang’s Tavern for drinks.”
Zhang’s Tavern. Zhou Wangshu poured a cup of wine for the Marquis of Cheng’an and said, “Marquis, speak. Do you know my background?”
The Marquis of Cheng’an took out a jade pendant and looked at Zhou Wangshu expectantly: “Do you recognize this thing?”
Zhou Wangshu took it, stroked it fondly, and said, “This is mine. How did it end up in the Marquis’s hands?”
“Lord Zhou, forgive me. Last time you dropped it unintentionally, I picked it up intending to return it to you, but then I found it looked familiar, so I kept it to investigate. I can confirm this jade pendant is the same one my legal wife gave to my son.”
“What does the Marquis mean?”
“I once had an eldest legitimate son, the child of my legal wife. Even at a young age, he showed wisdom and daring; he was the child I was proud of and wanted to rely on. Unfortunately, heaven was unkind. He had an accident. I thought he was dead because the child in the water was wearing clothes identical to his, had been soaked for days, body swollen, unrecognizable, and could only be identified by his clothes.”
“Why does the Marquis think I am that child?”
“Because of this jade pendant!”
“I have no memory; I don’t know how this jade pendant came into my hands—perhaps I picked it up from someone else.”
Marquis of Cheng’an: “…”
He thought upon hearing this news, Zhou Wangshu would eagerly want to return to Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion and acknowledge him as father, but he was unmoved and even tried every way to prove he wasn’t that child.
Was the title of Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion not attractive?
Or was it that he was now the son-in-law of the Protector General’s Mansion and looked down on Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion?
If that was the case, he was laughably stupid. How many years could the Protector General Who Protects the Nation live, how long could he protect him? Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion’s title was hereditary; as long as they didn’t commit a crime warranting extermination, their family could continue indefinitely.
“Marquis, if there’s no other evidence, I’ll take my leave.”
“Your appearance is also evidence,” the Marquis of Cheng’an said. “You look extremely similar to your mother.”
Zhou Wangshu sighed lightly: “Marquis, I know you’ve had too many frustrations lately and desperately want to break out of that vicious cycle. But please calm down a bit and don’t let your imagination run wild. Without more evidence, I can’t accept a stranger as my father. In fact, even if you prove you’re my biological father, I have no intention of returning to Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion.”
“Why?” The Marquis of Cheng’an didn’t understand.
“If you truly cared about having such a son, how could you fail to recognize whether the dead one was your biological son? This shows you didn’t understand your own son at all. Since he was someone you didn’t care about, how much true heart do you have for him? Why should I go back?”
“You’re now in officialdom and should know how busy official duties are every day. As a man, I couldn’t possibly stay trapped in the inner chambers all day managing the women and children there, could I? Of course I cared about my child; I was just a bit negligent. I’ve already sent people to bring back your wet nurse. No one knows you better than her; then we can prove if you’re my Jing’er.”
“Then bring her here first. Marquis, don’t hold too much hope, lest you end up disappointed for nothing.”
Zhou Wangshu stood up and said, “I’ll go first. Marquis, enjoy.”
Watching Zhou Wangshu’s figure stride away, the Marquis of Cheng’an frowned: “Any smart person would recognize this kinship without needing evidence, then joyfully return to inherit the family title. Is this boy an idiot?”
The several lords next door had heard the whole play and were all shocked.
“Do you think Lord Zhou will return to Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion?”
“If he really is the Marquis of Cheng’an’s eldest legitimate son, he should go back to inherit the title! The legitimate son born to the second wife is already a waste, turning the entire Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion into a joke. Now even the servants of Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion are embarrassed to go out, afraid of being pointed at, let alone the masters. Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion has several collateral branches, and those people are very dissatisfied with the direct line!”
“But even without the Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion title, Lord Zhou has the Protector General Who Protects the Nation as backing; his future prospects won’t be bad.”
“It was originally his title to inherit—why not take it? Title and promotion don’t conflict.”
“Makes sense. Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion’s title has passed three generations; by their generation, it has no glory left. Just inheriting the title isn’t enough; he must make himself valuable. As Lord Wang said, he can take the title and still rise in office!”
Zhou Wangshu returned to the Protector General’s Mansion. As soon as he entered, he asked the butler if he had seen his wife.
The butler smiled and said, “The eldest daughter’s sworn sister and female cousin came. Several young ladies are accompanying the General’s wife doing skincare beauty treatments. The Great General returned, saw the madam had company and didn’t need him, so he took a few confidant generals to drill and won’t return for dinner today.”
“My father-in-law has company, but I have no one. Sigh…” Zhou Wangshu looked pitiful.
“Lord Zhou, if you’re bored, we can accompany you practicing archery,” several guards said nearby.
The guards in the Protector General’s Mansion were all retired from the military camp. These were confidants promoted by Su Rende. Because of injuries, they couldn’t handle the task difficulty in the military camp anymore and didn’t want to idle, so he arranged them in the mansion as guards.
These people, though injured, were still tigers even without teeth—more than enough against ordinary experts.
Zhou Wangshu also wanted to improve himself. Since he was idle anyway, he would play with them for a while.
Several hours later, the guards admired Zhou Wangshu greatly.
“Young Master, you really never served in the military?”
Zhou Wangshu shot his last arrow. It didn’t hit the bullseye opposite but directly struck a bird in mid-air.
“I never served in the military, but to strengthen my body, I secretly practiced martial arts,” Zhou Wangshu said. “In the early years, our life was very hard. At first, there were no men in the family, and Yaoguang and the others were always bullied. Later they bought me, but because I was young and frail and weak, they were still bullied. So I secretly practiced to make myself stronger, which gave me this good physique now.”
“The madam and eldest daughter really suffered a lot. But our general wasn’t idle; he had amnesia, not deliberately staying away.”
“Don’t worry, my mother-in-law has forgiven him. We juniors only admire his service to the country and people—how could we blame him?”
Zhou Wangshu thought Su Yaoguang’s side should be about done, so he hurried to the backyard.
Su Yaoguang was lying on a lounge chair. Seeing Zhou Wangshu come, she beckoned: “You came at the right time; my mud mask is dry. Quickly help me peel it off.”
“Are you calling a dog?” Zhang Zhaodi couldn’t stand it.
Zhang Pandi laughed: “This is the young couple’s flirtation; what do you care?”
“I haven’t even mentioned you, and you’re mentioning me. I arranged a marriage meeting for you, but you took a fancy to someone’s nephew and want to arrange a marriage for Chunni. Chunni is still young, no rush for engagement, but you should solve your own problem first.”
“I just feel it’s not quite right,” Zhang Pandi said. “At this age, they have no children yet. Will I delay them?”
“Second aunt, don’t worry. You’re still young now; these years I’ve also helped regulate your body. If you want to have children, you can.”
“Me, still young? Don’t fool me.”
“Whether having children or not, they haven’t cared about this issue. Why do you care so much? They just fancy you.”
Zhou Wangshu peeled off Su Yaoguang’s mud mask and then used the clear water nearby to wash off the excess mask from her face.
“Do you have any fun things from today to tell me?” Su Yaoguang looked up at him.
“Yes, I’ll tell you when we get back.”
He hadn’t told Zhang Pandi and the others about being the eldest legitimate son of Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion, since the fewer people who knew what he was going to do, the better.
After dinner in the evening, the several Zhang sisters continued digesting in the courtyard, while Jiang Jing and Jia Chunni rarely came to the general’s mansion and strolled around.
Su Yaoguang returned to the room and heard Zhou Wangshu talk about the Marquis of Cheng’an finding him.
Su Yaoguang soaked in the bathtub, leaning on the tub edge.
Zhou Wangshu wiped her back and recounted what the Marquis of Cheng’an had said to him.
“He thinks as long as he beckons, I’ll pounce like a dog, acknowledge him as father, and run back to inherit Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion.”
“What do you plan to do next?”
“Keep stringing him along. He’s the one eager to acknowledge kinship now, not me. Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion this rotten mess needs someone to take over, and I’m the most suitable candidate. Not to mention I’m his biological son—even if not, as long as there’s the slightest resemblance, he’d beg me to be. Between a rotten legitimate second son and a famously renowned eldest legitimate son, which to choose? How could he, so sly and cunning, not know?”
“If you string him along too long and he loses patience, directly abandons you this chess piece, what then?”
“One month. I’ll give him one month to prove I’m his son. If I just return to Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion like this and tell everyone I’m that mansion’s eldest legitimate son, they’ll drive me out.”
“I won’t prove it; he’ll prove it himself.”
Him eagerly returning to Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion versus being begged to return was completely different.
“Besides, you said you had amnesia to paralyze them and make them lower their vigilance,” Su Yaoguang said. “The Marquis of Cheng’an hasn’t personally done anything to you; his fault is negligence toward you and persecution of your mother’s clan. But he doesn’t know you already know everything, so he’s unguarded against you and even harbors fantasies that you can bring glory and wealth to Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion.”
“Your biggest trouble now is that Cheng’an Marchioness. First, she did those things back then, so she’s definitely guilty and afraid you’ll return for revenge. Second, she’s a mother. To her, no matter how dirty Xia Zhen is, it’s others’ fault; her son is innocent. If you return, her son loses eligibility to inherit the title. She definitely won’t let you return to Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion alive.”
“Right, but I’m not to be trifled with either,” Zhou Wangshu said. “Yaoguang, give me half a year’s time. After half a year, I’ll return to the general’s mansion.”
“Wait…” Su Yaoguang turned back to look at him. “You plan to charge into Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion alone, without planning to bring me?”
“Knowing it’s a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den, how could I let you fall into it? You just happily be the general’s mansion’s eldest daughter, with your father’s care and protection—no one dares bully you. If you go with me to Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion, the evil ghosts there will target you.”
“Let me tell you, Zhou Wangshu, we are husband and wife. No matter what’s a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den ahead, we face it together. No reason for you to charge ahead killing the enemy while I enjoy glory and wealth in the back.” Su Yaoguang bit his mouth. “Hear that?”
