CHAPTER 1571: CHAPTER 1571: AN EXTRAORDINARY MATTER

Zhulan spoke as she signaled Qing Xue to fetch her son’s change of clothes, and then asked the maid to prepare hot water. Although the temperature was warming up, the chill of early spring was still quite severe.

Chang Zhong sat on the chair and accepted the hot tea. After a sip warmed him up, he said, "Mother, I fell into the water by the riverside today. Quite an unlucky day."

"Did you really fall into the water?"

Chang Zhong furrowed his small brows, "Today, just as your son and the Fourth Prince left the library, people ahead started arguing and fighting. Because of the Fourth Prince, we stayed back. Unfortunately, the fierce fight startled several young ladies on the street. As the ladies moved towards us, seeming like they were about to fall into my arms, I had no choice but to jump into the water myself."

Even worse was the Fourth Prince; not only did he not pull me back when he realized, but he also laughed heartily by the riverside. With the commotion I caused, well, even the street brawl stopped, and everyone watched me.

Zhulan, "..."

Chang Zhong continued to speak for himself, "Although jumping into the water was a bit silly, it was better than embracing a young lady. I don’t want to get engaged lightly."

He wanted a love like his father and mother’s, and he would find a wife that he truly liked in the future.

Zhulan frowned, "Why didn’t you change your clothes before coming back? The spring chill is so severe, aren’t you afraid of getting sick?"

"Because I remembered your teachings, Mother. To avoid accidents, I wrapped up in my cloak and came straight back."

Zhulan glanced at her son’s rosy face; this child had a robust constitution, "Which family’s young lady almost flew into your arms?"

"At the time, I was surrounded by the Fourth Prince’s guards and left shortly after; I didn’t pay attention, really not sure."

Zhulan saw Qing Xue coming in, "Alright, go bathe and change your clothes."

"Okay."

As soon as Zhao’s younger brother-in-law left, she said, "Mother, should we send someone to investigate whether it was an accident or targeting the Fourth Prince or our younger brother?"

"I was thinking that too, considering it involved the Fourth Prince."

After returning to the palace, the Fourth Prince also spoke of this matter. The reactions of the Prince and Crown Prince were the same; they believed it was aimed at the Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince, seeing his father and elder brother’s serious expressions, timidly stretched out his chubby hand, "Well, I think it was aimed at Zhou Changzhong. At the time, several young ladies were startled and ran towards Changzhong, scaring him to jump into the water himself. I saw it clearly while being protected by the guards. One of the young ladies who almost landed in Changzhong’s arms looked disappointed."

Emperor, "..."

The Crown Prince found it hard to express, "Did you tell Young Master Zhou?"

The Fourth Prince smiled, "Changzhong didn’t give me the chance to say anything; he was afraid of another mishap and quickly slipped away. Brother, you didn’t see how fast Changzhong ran."

The Crown Prince was speechless. If this brother really wanted to inform him, he wouldn’t have let Changzhong escape. Not telling him was just to watch the show unfold.

The Emperor frowned, "In public and at the library, if Zhou Changzhong embraced her, he would have to marry her."

The Fourth Prince said, "That’s why I said it was directed at Changzhong."

The Emperor glared at his fourth son and instructed someone to investigate.

The investigation results quickly reached Zhulan’s side. The fight was an accident; the young ladies involved were identified. It was clear that the impromptu attempt to fall into his arms was opportunistic, well-planned, and almost succeeded.

Zhulan’s face was icy, and Zhao cautiously observed her mother-in-law because her mother-in-law was angry, "Mother, don’t be upset over something not worth it."

Zhulan snorted, "I thought the Zhang family had given up, but they’re still hopeful, seizing every opportunity."

Zhao also found it disgusting, thinking the scheme almost succeeded, "Our little brother’s young servant is still too dull."

Zhulan hadn’t thought of that, "Let’s replace them with two smarter ones in some time; keep the current ones at home."

Zhulan didn’t hide anything from her son. Changzhong said, "In the future, your son will definitely stay far away from females. As long as it’s a woman, your son will avoid them at all costs."

Zhulan, "....."

That’s not necessary, just be cautious.

In the evening, Zhou Shuren, upon learning of this, patted his chest, "That was close. If I’d had to marry a girl from the Zhang family, I’d have been furious."

"Not just you, it would have infuriated me as well."

Zhou Shuren was fortunate there was no entanglement with the Zhang family. It would have disrupted his plans, "We can’t just let this go."

"What can you do? At the time, several young ladies were frightened, and they acted in panic. What can you do?"

Zhou Shuren snorted, "I still need to give Lord Zhang a warning."

"Alright, I’ll leave it to you."

The next day, Zhou Shuren stopped Lord Zhang right after court, an action that drew many looks.

Lord Zhang was pleasantly surprised, as he was planning to seek out Marquis Zhou after court.

Zhou Shuren pointed to a spot with no people, "Let’s talk there."

Lord Zhang’s pleasant surprise faded, as he saw Marquis Zhou’s expressionless and obviously displeased face, "Yes."

Once Zhou Shuren stood still, he said, "You must already be aware of yesterday’s events. Take this marquis’ advice: work honestly, live peacefully, and don’t scheme too much in the future. This marquis’ youngest son’s marriage isn’t something just anyone can calculate. Take care of yourself."

Lord Zhang felt as if he had been struck by lightning. This was completely different from what his daughter told him; claims about Young Master Zhou saving his daughter, and how he fell into the water for her were nonsense. No wonder his daughter was stammering. As Lord Zhang recalled his wife’s thrilled expression, his face turned from green to pale.

Lord Zhang understood then; it was entirely his daughter’s scheme to trap Young Master Zhou, causing him to fall into the water. His face paled even more. His wife was fixated on the Hou Residence because messages from his sister-in-law within the palace indicated a good match, but he knew they couldn’t rise to it, so he warned his wife.

Since the New Year, they had been quiet, and his wife hadn’t brought it up. Yesterday’s incident had made him happy, thinking it was fate. Fate, his foot, this revelation caused him pain in his heart.

On the next day, Zhulan received apologies from the Zhang family. The Zhang family was willing to part with a lot, sending many fine gifts. Zhulan showed the list of compensatory gifts to Shuren in the evening.

Zhou Shuren raised an eyebrow, "Quite a splurge, these are all excellent items."

Zhulan replied, "Yes, the sincerity of their apology is clear."

Zhou Shuren said, "In the afternoon, Lord Zhang sent word to me that a suitable match has been found for Miss Zhang. She’ll return to her ancestral home to wait to be wed."

Zhulan raised an eyebrow, "Lord Zhang is sensible."

"He was scared. Involvement with the Fourth Prince means the Emperor will investigate. It’s likely that the palace’s Consort Zhung sent a message. Coupled with the Emperor’s trust and favor toward me, the Zhang family wouldn’t risk offending me over a daughter."

Zhou Shuren guessed correctly. The previous night, the Emperor had visited Consort Zhung’s palace to see the little prince, and he left soon after. The Emperor didn’t explicitly say anything—just a mention was enough for Consort Zhung to understand. Her information showed the Zhang family how favored Marquis Zhou was by the Emperor.

The gift list hadn’t been so generous initially, but after receiving the message, more items were added.

In the palace, the Empress dined with her two sons. The Empress had a small appetite, and after a few bites, she stopped eating.

After finishing his meal, the Fourth Prince happily recounted the Zhang family’s actions.

The Empress hadn’t paid attention to the aftermath but smiled after hearing it, casting her gaze upon the Crown Prince, "I heard from your father that Marquis Zhou doesn’t plan to betroth his remaining grandchildren early. Not making early matches is a good idea. Crown Prince, don’t you agree?"

The Crown Prince’s expression remained unchanged, "It has nothing to do with me."

The Empress said, "Indeed, it has nothing to do with you. There’s no need for you to worry; the Empress Mother will arrange everything well."

The Fourth Prince was bewildered, staring at his elder brother, seemingly having discovered something incredible!

In the middle of the night, Zhulan was awakened. Sitting up groggily, she asked, "What happened?"