Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

"I went to my mother-in-law's place a while ago to get some information." Old Madam Zhou said with a look of surprise.

Zhou Antai keenly noticed that she looked unhappy, and immediately realized that this matter might not go smoothly.

So, he cautiously asked, "Is there any room for maneuver?"

Mrs. Zhou just shook her head slowly, with a hint of helplessness and bitterness on her face.

After a moment's silence, Madam Zhou sighed softly and continued, "At my age, can't I still tell the difference between making excuses and shirking responsibility? My mother-in-law once said, 'Humble your head to marry a daughter-in-law, hold your head high to marry a daughter-in-law.' Even if the husband of our daughter can't achieve the same achievements as her grandfather in the future, he should at least be no less accomplished than her father."

After saying this, Mrs. Zhou sighed heavily again.

Hearing this, Zhou Antai was shocked and quickly said, "The second son of the Shen family is now a provincial governor, and he may even rise to a higher level in the future. Among civil servants, there are very few who can surpass the Shen family!"

Madam Zhou nodded slightly in agreement. "Lin'er had already reached the rank of General of the Central Army, a fifth-rank officer, in the Jinwu Guard. If his family had given him a little support and he had gone north to gain experience, he might have made a name for himself. But who would have thought he'd choose to pursue a literary career? Not to mention the Shen family already has many children and grandchildren. Their eight grandchildren alone are enough to nurture, so why would they devote resources to a grandson-in-law from another family? Furthermore, our Zhou family has been a military family for generations. Even if we wanted to help him, the impact we could have was ultimately limited..."

Old Madam Zhou didn't know that Zhou Lin was plotted against when he went to suppress the bandits, which left a shadow in her heart and made her unable to look directly at the bloody scene of killing.

She simply thought that the reason Zhou Lin wanted to give up military service and pursue literature was simply because he disliked the hardship of military life.

At this time, Zhou Antai was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "You handled today's matter very well. Han Zhi is about to take the imperial examination. Before then, please do not tell him about this matter. We can discuss it in detail after the exam is over."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhou's eyes reddened, tears welling up in her eyes. She said with a choked voice, "It's been a difficult journey for this child, but now he's finally found a girl he likes. Why don't you go to your father-in-law and find out what he's planning?"

However, Zhou Antai's face darkened upon hearing this, and he responded in a serious tone, "I was just praising you for your insight, how come you've suddenly become confused? The Shen family wasn't just comparing their choices of husbands to those of Shen Huaizhong and Shen Qinghe; they clearly had their sights set on the sky."

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhou was immediately shocked. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she muttered to herself, "I thought they truly loved their daughter, but I never expected they would have such plans in mind."

Zhou Antai sat on the armchair, his right hand slowly stroking the sparse gray beard on his chin, his brows slightly furrowed, and he said thoughtfully: "The situation in the court is unclear now! The Shen family seems to be preparing for a war. Our two families have always had a close relationship. I am afraid that this will inevitably be affected. We still need to find a suitable time to have a good discussion with Shen Huaizhong. As for Han Zhi's marriage, don't mention it again. After all, Mu Jin is still in the Shen family, and she can't be put in a difficult position."

After saying that, he shook his head gently and sighed deeply.

……

Inside the Jinan prefectural government office.

Wang Hongchang carried an exquisite box of snacks and walked hurriedly towards the backyard.

After a while, they arrived at the Song family's residence.

I saw Song sitting by the window doing needlework. The sunlight shone on her through the window lattice, reflecting a peaceful and harmonious picture.

"Mom! My son is here to see you!" Wang Hongchang shouted as he entered the door.

Song raised her head when she heard the voice, and a gentle smile immediately appeared on her face.

After seeing who was coming, she put down her needlework and stood up to greet him.

"My son, you must be exhausted after running here in such hot weather. Come here and let me see you."

As she spoke, Song reached out and picked up a handkerchief from the table, gently wiping the fine beads of sweat oozing from Wang Hongchang's forehead.

Wang Hongchang hurriedly opened the food box in his hand, carefully took out a piece of lotus cake with tempting color and fragrant aroma, and then handed it to Song with both hands.

He smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Mom, you love these lotus cakes the most. Even if the sun is scorching outside or the journey is long, your son will definitely go and buy them for you personally."

However, Song Shi did not accept the lotus cake with her usual joy. Instead, she looked at her son with suspicion and asked with a half-smile, "Did you get into trouble again and cause your father to get pregnant?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Hongchang quickly grabbed Song's hand, spread it palm upward, and gently placed the lotus cake in his mother's hand. He muttered to himself, "You've really wronged me. I haven't left the house recently. I've been studying and practicing calligraphy at home all day. How could I have the chance to go out and make my father angry?"

"Really?"

"real."

Only then did Song take a bite of the peach blossom pastry with confidence and chewed it slowly.

After she completely swallowed the peach blossom pastry in her mouth, she finally spoke, "You don't have to do anything right now. Just watch those idiots shoot themselves in the foot. Think about how Wang Hongwen dared to set fire to the governor's office to please Shen Chuning! Your father spent a lot of money to settle this matter!"

Hearing this, Wang Hongchang couldn't help but curse softly, "Humph! That woman is simply an ungrateful person! If you give her even a little bit of face, she'll dare to trample on your face."

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but recall what happened at the wedding banquet in Fuping.

At that time, he was full of joy and took the initiative to approach Shen Chuning to strike up a conversation, but Shen Chuning didn't even look at him straight in the eye, and even ridiculed him for not being the wife's son.

Thinking of this, Wang Hongchang's anger instantly ignited.

But he quickly suppressed his anger and tried to calm his excitement.

Then, he quickly picked up the teapot on the table like a pug, poured a cup of steaming hot tea with skillful movements, and respectfully held the cup in front of Song.

Song glanced at him sideways, then put the piece of peach blossom pastry in her hand, which she had just taken a bite of, back into the food box.

She looked at Wang Hongchang suspiciously and asked directly, "Tell me, what do you want from me?"