Chapter 279: Chapter 252: Upheaval

The news that the Wang family’s eldest daughter’s prospective husband, the newly titled third place examinee, had previously married in the countryside spread quickly.

As soon as the news broke, the Wang family immediately summoned Xiao Yanci to inquire about it.

Xiao Yanci thought that this matter could not be concealed just by wanting to. Not to mention Zhou Wangshu being an eyesore, many of his peers were still in the Capital City waiting for their official appointments. Those people also knew his background very well. Therefore, faced with this situation, instead of trying to erase those traces, it would be better to keep the initiative in his own hands.

The rain poured down in torrents. Wang Ruyan stood at the window, watching the man kneeling in the rain, her eyes showing a hint of emotion.

"Miss, Mr. Xiao has been kneeling for two hours already," the maid next to her said. "If this continues, he surely won’t be able to endure it."

Wang Ruyan looked at Xiao Yanci opposite her with a complicated expression and said softly, "My father is very angry and is already reconsidering potential matches for me."

"But the sincerity Mr. Xiao has for you is something no other young lord can offer. I’ve inquired about it; Mr. Xiao’s situation with that original wife is a bit complicated."

"How so?" Wang Ruyan asked.

"Mr. Xiao married that original wife out of gratitude. She was a village girl, completely beneath Mr. Xiao. Mr. Xiao was busy with his studies and couldn’t accompany her, so she gave Mr. Xiao a cuckold, finding a lover outside, and was even caught by Mr. Xiao. Mr. Xiao immediately wrote a letter of divorce, ending his marriage with her. I think Mr. Xiao’s biggest problem is just his bad luck, meeting such a fickle woman. That original wife clearly found a treasure, yet didn’t cherish it, leading to such an outcome."

"You’re speaking up for him so much today, have you received some kind of favor from him?" Wang Ruyan turned to look at her personal maid.

The maid said aggrievedly, "My dear Miss, I’ve grown up serving by your side, am I not the closest to you? Do I not receive enough rewards from you usually? He’s just a poor scholar without much money. Do you think a few coppers from him could buy my loyalty to you? I just see that he has genuine feelings for you, and couldn’t help but speak a few fair words."

"Alright, go and make some arrangements. Tell him not to kneel anymore. Rather than kneeling here, he should think about how to win over my father. Also, prepare some clean clothes and hot water for him. Let him rest first. When he’s rested, we’ll see. I’ll listen to my father. If he can change my father’s mind, I’ll marry him." Wang Ruyan said, her cheeks blushing.

The maid went into the rain with an umbrella.

She stopped in front of Xiao Yanci, squatted down, and said to him, "Mr. Xiao, our Miss said that kneeling here is useless. Rather than thinking about how to kneel for our Miss’s forgiveness here, you should think of ways to change the Prime Minister’s mind. But for now, why don’t you take a hot bath and change out of these clothes? Rest well first, and we can discuss further afterward."

At Taoyao Square, Zhou Wangshu embraced Su Yaoguang from behind. The latter pushed him away with a face full of disdain, "Shouldn’t you report for your duties by now?"

"I’ll start in three days," Zhou Wangshu said. "Stay with me for these three days, and when I’m on duty, you can slowly get back to your business, can’t you?"

Su Yaoguang looked at the sky outside and said, "The rain is coming down hard, and there are probably many guests in the front courtyard without umbrellas. I should go arrange something."

Zhou Wangshu lay on the soft chair, sighing like a complaining husband.

Now, Zhou Wangshu was the new Champion Scholar and a freshly appointed official in the Ministry of Personnel. Before, he would follow Su Yaoguang like a shadow, helping her manage her business. Now, knowing his status, no one dared to accept his service. Thus, in situations like this, he could only wait for her in Su Yaoguang’s study. If he went to the front courtyard, the atmosphere would immediately become awkward.

As for why Su Yaoguang, the eldest Miss, and Zhang Zhaodi, the General’s wife, could still interact with guests as before, it was originally because the two of them were never condescending. They interacted with guests like friends. Now that their positions had changed, guests were initially unaccustomed, but gradually became more eager to curry favor, wanting to maintain a good relationship.

Zhou Wangshu was almost asleep on the soft couch when someone covered him with a blanket.

He opened his eyes and saw Su Yaoguang leaving the side.

Zhou Wangshu hugged her waist and nestled into her embrace, "Stay with me, won’t you? It’s raining so heavily, and there aren’t any other guests. They can manage just fine."

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