Chapter 275 Saying One Thing and Doing Another

Meanwhile, Zhan Xingzhuo returned with a dark expression.

Xiao'er is reciting the Three Character Classic.

He didn't like going to class and kept fidgeting. Zhou Zhining tapped his shoulder with a ruler, and the child sat up obediently. He caught sight of Zhan Xingzhuo out of the corner of his eye and immediately got up and ran towards him.

"Daddy—" The child's soft voice did not improve Zhan Xingzhuo's expression, but he still bent down and picked up the child.

Xiao'er wrapped his arms around his neck, and Zhan Xingzhuo casually struck up a conversation with him: "Didn't you sneak out to play today?"

Xiao'er looked into the courtyard, and Zhan Xingzhuo turned his head and saw Zhou Zhining standing at the study window.

She was dressed simply in casual clothes, holding a ruler in her hand, staring at them with her beautiful eyes.

She came out and picked Xiao'er up: "You've spoiled him rotten. He's almost five years old and can't even recite the Three Character Classic properly."

Zhan Xingzhuo said, "What does it matter?"

Zhou Zhining turned to look at him and said reproachfully, "How can it not matter? Even if you become a minister or prime minister in ten years, Xiao'er will have no worries about his future, but if he has no knowledge, he will still be ridiculed."

The two walked toward the study, but Zhan Xingzhuo was preoccupied and didn't respond to her.

Zhou Zhining glanced at him again, knowing why he was so absent-minded, but she still couldn't help but say, "You just don't care about Xiao'er. If your own son was this age and still couldn't recite poems or read, you would have been anxious by now."

Zhan Xingzhuo paused, his face darkening completely: "Don't you know the entire Yao family is locked up in jail today? Whether he can get out alive is a question. And you're still worrying about this?"

Zhou Zhining opened her lips, her eyes reddening: "I..."

Zhan Xingzhuo gave her a cold glance, stepped over the threshold, and closed the study door.

He locked himself in his study and wouldn't allow anyone to disturb him.

Zhou Zhining stood at the door for a while, holding her child, tears welling up in her eyes.

Zhan Xingzhuo had never said such harsh words to her before.

"Mother, what's wrong with Father?" Xiao'er asked softly. "Why isn't he talking to us?"

Looking at the child's innocent face, Zhou Zhining thought of Yao Qingling's child.

That child never had a chance to grow up. Who told him to be reborn into Yao Qingling's family?

So, she decided to forgive Zhan Xingzhuo for the time being since he didn't give her a friendly look this time.

Zhou Zhining smiled, touched Xiao'er's face, and called the wet nurse to take the child away.

She turned and went to the kitchen to scoop out the stewing dendrobium soup.

She knocked on the study door and went in before anyone could answer.

Zhan Xingzhuo sat there blankly, doing nothing, his eyes lifeless.

Zhou Zhining put down the dendrobium soup and said gently, "Jin Mantang got some good stuff, so I brought some back. I've been simmering this dendrobium soup all morning. Drink it; it'll help cool down your liver."

Zhan Xingzhuo's eyes flickered slightly as he turned to look at Zhou Zhining.

She held a handkerchief, wiped the corner of her eye, her small mouth pursed, still looking aggrieved.

The man frowned, then took her hand: "I spoke too harshly to you. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. I'm sorry."

Zhou Zhining sniffed and said, "I'm not really angry. Who knew something like that would happen to the Yao family?"

"Yao Qingling always put on such a righteous and upright act, so I thought the Yao family was clean and honest, and even a little devil wouldn't dare to come near. Who knew they harbored such filth behind the scenes? Is it really true that the more despicable a person is, the more innocent they pretend to be? Oh well, there's no point in saying anything now. It's just a pity for the child, who's not even a year old yet..."

Zhou Zhining appeared magnanimous and unconcerned, saying, "I misspoke just now. I care too much about Xiao'er and am afraid he won't amount to anything."

"Actually, when Xiao'er and I went out this morning, we saw the Yao family being taken away by the government, and I was filled with many emotions..."

Zhan Xingzhuo went to court early in the morning, only to find out after the court session that Lin Shiyuan had raided and confiscated the Yao family's property.

Zhou Zhining's tone turned somber, and she wiped her eyes again. "Yao Qingling was always fighting with me. We've been bickering for years, and now that she's ended up like this, I still feel a little sad."

Zhan Xingzhuo squeezed Zhou Zhining's hand and sighed, "You're still so gentle and kind; even at a time like this, you can still say a few good words for her. She just—"

The man suddenly paused and shook his head.

Yao Qingling's temper is always so bad, she's always stubborn, and she's always narrow-minded. Even now, she still doesn't forget to insult Zhou Zhining.

Her narrow-mindedness ultimately led to her death.

Zhou Zhining knew that Yao Qingling wouldn't say anything good about her, so she certainly wouldn't bother arguing with someone who was about to die. She'd just let Yao Qingling vent her resentment before she died, so that it wouldn't linger after her death.

Zhou Zhining said, "You went to see her in prison, right? That child is not even a year old. If she really cares about the child, she should hand the child over to you. With the Grand Princess there, you can plead with the Emperor and save the child no matter what."

Mentioning this made Zhan Xingzhuo irritable, and his anger flared up. His thick eyebrows furrowed deeply, forming undulating mountain-like lines: "She would rather let the child suffer there than hand the child over to me."

As he spoke, he suddenly looked intently at Zhou Zhining.

She is so gentle and devoted to teaching Xiao'er. If Zhao'er were handed over to her, would she treat the child as her own?

Zhan Xingzhuo then thought of the years when Yao Qingling was the head of the household. She didn't care much about Xiao'er, only giving him the food and clothing he deserved, and the child wasn't close to her.

Children's hearts are the purest. If Xiao'er refuses to get close to Yao Qingling, it must be because he is not good to him.

However, Yao Qingling also said that she cared a lot about his attitude. She said Zhou Zhining was selfish and hypocritical, and she was afraid that Zhou Zhining would treat Zhao'er badly.

The two women were at loggerheads, looking at each other as if they were enemies... Would Zhou Zhining still treat Zhao'er with such gentleness and devotion?

Zhou Zhining didn't know what Zhan Xingzhuo was thinking, but his gaze made her feel very uncomfortable.

She lowered her eyes and picked up the dendrobium soup: "It's getting cold, drink it quickly."

Zhan Xingzhuo took the soup and drank it all in one go. Zhou Zhining then took a handkerchief and wiped the corners of his lips.

Zhan Xingzhuo's lips inadvertently tasted a hint of saltiness on the handkerchief. He touched his lips and asked, "Have you been crying?"

The guilt in his heart immediately lessened his anger and worry towards Yao Qingling.

Zhou Zhining pouted and turned slightly to the side: "It's just a few tears, not a loss of my head. I can't accept your greetings."

Zhan Xingzhuo: "..."

He pulled the woman onto his lap and kissed her forehead: "I couldn't control my temper."

He quickly changed the subject, "Just as I was about to bring Zhao'er out, Lin Shiyuan suddenly arrived. He brought an imperial decree, saying that no one could leave until the case was solved."

“Lin Shiyuan?” Zhou Zhining’s eyes flickered slightly, but she pretended to be clueless. “Didn’t he receive a favor from Yao Qingling? How can he be so unreasonable?”

Zhan Xingzhu sneered, a look of disgust flashing in his eyes: "People who only want to climb up the ladder have no sense of loyalty or righteousness. They're just venomous scorpions that bite once they've crossed the river."

Zhou Zhining's mind raced, but on the surface she pretended to comfort the man: "We're in a very sensitive situation right now, so we can only be patient. This case won't be resolved quickly. You should ask the Grand Princess to plead with the Emperor and Empress on our behalf, and there will be room for a turnaround in a couple of days."

She added, "Xingzhuo, don't worry. If we can get that child back, I will definitely treat him as my own. Actually, once you become a mother, no matter whose child it is, how can you bear to see them suffer?"

I thought to myself, in this cold weather, let's see if the child can make it through tonight.

You might find it frozen solid by tomorrow morning.