Zhou Ling'an stared at the two of them for a long time before finally sighing, "Get up. This is not your fault."

His mother was at fault first. If it were him, and someone else did the same thing to him, he would also be tempted to kill.

"Lord Zhou, we really have come to apologize."

"No need, don't worry. Even if you don't come, I won't cause any trouble for your family."

The brother and sister were both taken aback, exchanged a glance, and realized that the other had guessed.

They had already heard about Zhou Ling'an's story. He had passed the imperial examination and was highly valued by the Crown Prince, holding an important position in the court.

Now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, if he stayed in the capital, his future would be limitless. However, at the height of his power, he chose to return to Tianxiang County, which made the two of them uneasy.

Yes, they were afraid of Zhou Ling'an's retaliation.

If it were Zhou Ling'an's current status and position, Madam Yu would definitely be fine. It was precisely because Zhou Ling'an was nothing back then that Xu Jiaojiao was so bold.

Now that he's back, they're starting to get scared.

"I keep my word. You can go back now. I won't target your Xu family. Let's just consider this matter over."

What else can we do if we don't go?

His mother is already dead, so is he still seeking revenge for her by killing Xu Jiaojiao?

His mother did something wrong and deserved to be punished; that's only right.

The brother and sister hesitated for a moment, bowed, and then left.

As soon as the person left, Zhou Cheng walked in from behind and patted his son on the shoulder: "If you want, go and take a look."

"......Um."

When Yu was buried, the place was chosen randomly. At the time, Zhou Cheng hated Yu for harming his son, and it was already considered good that he didn't leave her body exposed in the wilderness.

So many years have passed, my son is fine now, and I've come to terms with some things.

Even though she did many bad things, she was still Zhou Ling'an's biological mother.

The next day, Zhou Ling'an went to the grave. He saw that there seemed to be no one there, as the grass had grown to his calves.

After clearing away the surrounding weeds, burning paper money, and setting out offerings, Zhou Ling'an smiled and spoke to the tombstone: "Why are you in such a hurry? Your son has already become an official. If you had waited a little longer, he might already be enjoying good fortune. Perhaps he could even earn you an imperial title in the future."

"What a pity, you weren't destined for that, you left before I even got to high school."

"In the next life... I'll live a peaceful and uneventful life."

Madam Yu was too anxious and wanted to find a good marriage for her son so that it would help his career in the future. Unfortunately, she ultimately chose the wrong path.

Zhou Ling'an wasn't really sad. He wasn't much saddened when his mother passed away, and he felt even less saddened now.

But in the end, it's still a regret.

I don't know how long I sat there, until the sun was setting, before I slowly got up and said, "My son is gone. I'll come to see you again later."

......

Since taking office as the magistrate of Tianxiang County, Zhou Ling'an has begun to handle some matters.

Nowadays, the county has a growing population, making it difficult to manage, which has led to many problems.

A more effective population management system must be adopted in order to better maintain order in the county.

These past few days, he's been so busy day and night that the Zhou family is extremely worried.

So, the family sat down together to discuss it.

"Father, shouldn't we... find Ling'an a wife?"

Zhou Cheng couldn't help but think about it, but then he sighed, "Sigh, you all know what Ling'an is thinking. It seems like things won't be like this for a while..."

How could Ma Chunyan not see it? Her brother-in-law's feelings for Er Ya were obvious to the whole family.

But Er Ya is now married with children, loved by her husband, and pampered by her in-laws.

Even if you have this thought, what can you do?

It's his own fault for not saying anything back then. Aunt Yue Niang had the same idea, but since he didn't speak up, how could anyone else help him?

“Ling An is sensible and will let it go.”

If I hadn't made up my mind to let go, why would I have returned to Tianxiang County?

On the day Er Ya got married, Zhou Ling'an was drunk all day, but afterwards he acted as if nothing had happened and continued reading as usual.

But her family knew she was definitely heartbroken.

“Ling’an is a sensible person. Give him some time. In time, he will naturally forget about it.”

Zhou Cheng was easygoing. Fortunately, he had a son and now had grandchildren. Even if Zhou Ling'an didn't marry and have children in the future, he would let him be.

Zhou Ling'an really had no intention of getting married. He thought that he would not marry any girl until he forgot Song Ning.

There's an older brother in the family to carry on the family line, so there's no need for him.

However, plans can't keep up with changes. Three years after returning to Tianxiang County, something happened that caught him completely off guard.

A girl burst into his world in a whirlwind.

The girl's personality was very similar to Song Ning's, but also a little different.

Before Zhou Ling'an's term in Tianxiang County was over, Jiang Shuyue summoned him back, assigned him to the Ministry of Revenue, and transferred him to an assistant official position.

The official was a woman.

She was also the first female official in the history of the Jin Dynasty to participate in government affairs.

It has to be said that this girl is efficient and meticulous in her work, sometimes even more thoughtful than him, and sometimes she even complains about him.

Zhou Ling'an was a good-tempered man, but he couldn't stand his subordinates scolding him all day long. After a while, the two became familiar with each other.

He used to think it was absurd for women to hold official positions, but now he has finally witnessed that women can be decisive and efficient, and have the same courage as men.

The officials in the Ministry of Revenue were initially unconvinced, but now they have been completely subdued.

This girl is indeed quite shrewd.

Zhou Ling'an couldn't help but admire him; the last time he saw someone like that was Song Ning.

Such a person always attracts attention, and even he had to admit that he was indeed interested.

......

On this day, Jiang Shuyue and Song Ning were drinking tea in a private room at Xiangyun Tower when they saw Zhou Ling'an and his colleagues passing by on the street downstairs.

Song Ning suddenly wanted to laugh: "It seems things are going quite smoothly."

"Don't you trust me to handle things? This child was handpicked by me; he's capable, in no way inferior to men. Otherwise, why would I have sent him to the Ministry of Revenue? If he wasn't capable, how could he manage the money?"

The person Jiang Shuyue sent was Jiang Shuyin.

In recent years, Jiang Shuyin has been learning business from Song Ning and has done a pretty good job. A few years ago, she also passed the imperial examination and is determined to enter the Ministry of Revenue. She just likes dealing with money.

"I also want to thank you. That child had been lifeless since he lost all his family, but since he came to life with you."

Song Ning smiled knowingly: "I didn't expect these two to be able to talk about the same thing."

"Yes, I never expected that my lovely and capable younger sister would like Zhou Ling'an, this taciturn guy."