Chapter 292 Zhan Xingzhuo's eyes reddened with grievance.

Zhan Xingzhuo took an umbrella but didn't open it, and went into the small wine shop in the rain.

Minglu muttered, "What's wrong? Does he miss the young mistress again?"

Minglu has followed Zhan Xingzhuo for over twenty years and understands this man's thoughts better than anyone else.

So, he secretly changed Yao Qingling's title to Young Mistress, which pleased the Master as well.

But that person is truly heartless.

They've already had a child, why are they still tormenting Second Master like this? Wouldn't it be better for the whole family to be together?

Minglu instructed the tavern owner to take care of the Second Master, then got into the carriage and went to find Zhou Zhining and her son.

Zhan Xingzhuo did not go to the private room. The small wine shop did not have any private rooms. The small shop had only six tables, making it seem crowded.

However, on this cold, rainy night, the small shop actually felt warmer.

Zhan Xingzhuo sat in an inconspicuous spot, ordered a pot of Shaoxing wine, and several side dishes.

Soon the side dishes and wine were served.

Zhan Xingzhuo was alone, enjoying some snacks and a drink.

He looked at the raindrops falling from the sky and thought of Yao Qingling holding an umbrella and waiting for him to return home.

Her striking eyebrows and eyes were clearly visible even in dim light.

Her eyes, which used to be so bright when they looked at him, when did they start to dim?

"Minister Zhan, why are you drinking alone on this Lantern Festival?" A man sat down opposite him.

The man who came was a guard in the emperor's service. His family worked for the Censorate. He was not on duty today and had gone to the Temple of the Matchmaker to pray for a marriage. He had just come from the Temple of the Matchmaker.

This man was very generous; he ordered a large jar of wine from the restaurant and also ordered several side dishes.

The man poured wine and raised his bowl: "Is the banquet in the palace tonight over?"

Zhan Xingzhuo nodded and clinked glasses with him.

For these people, palace banquets were nothing new except for displaying their status. They were simply a place to watch song and dance performances, meet various empresses, and witness ministers scheming and vying for power.

The man then said, "The banquet is over, why are you drinking alone here?"

He turned to look outside. "Strange, this road leads neither to the palace nor back to your new residence. What are you doing here? Do you also want to go to the Temple of the Matchmaker?"

The relationship between Zhan Xingzhuo and Zhou Zhining is common knowledge. The only obstacle preventing them from being together is Zhou Zhining's identity.

The man subconsciously guessed that Zhan Xingzhuo was troubled by Zhou Zhining's status as a slave.

The Zhou family's affair has caused too much trouble, and Zhou Zhining's reputation is also bad, making it very difficult to get her status as a slave removed.

Although this Vice Minister Zhan is exceptionally talented, he is powerless in this matter. Should he entrust his hopes to the gods at the Temple of the Old Man Under the Moon?

Men may tease Zhan Xingzhuo for his dashing good looks, but he too can be troubled by matters of the heart.

Zhan Xingzhuo remained silent, guessing what the man was thinking.

The man didn't care and continued, "Speaking of which, it's yourselves who didn't seize the opportunity. If Zhou Zhining had made the greatest contribution by reporting this major case, and the Emperor had entrusted you with the task, Zhou Zhining would now be a free citizen. Perhaps the Zhou family, who are currently serving hard labor in the north, could return to the capital, and you two could have gotten married."

"What?" Zhan Xingzhuo grasped the key point. "What do you mean? Explain in detail."

The guard was taken aback: "Minister Zhan knows nothing?"

Seeing Zhan Xingzhuo's puzzled expression, he frowned, hesitating whether or not to tell him about it.

However, the Duke of Zhan's family knew about it. The Grand Princess of Deyang even went to see Empress Dowager Jiang and said that this matter had nothing to do with the Duke's family.

Zhan Xingzhuo, with a stern face, deliberately stood up and bowed to the man, asking him to give his message.

Men are naturally willing to do the Duke's mansion this favor, especially since Zhan Xingzhuo is also a favorite of the emperor.

He said, "To tell this story, we have to start from when you returned from Luozhou and were appointed as a vice minister. At that time, the emperor bestowed many fine things upon you. Did you share some with your former mistress?"

Zhan Xingzhuo frowned.

After he returned to the new residence, Zhou Zhining took charge of the internal affairs, and he also entrusted Zhou Zhining with the handling of all the rewards.

He wanted to give Yao Qingling a portion of the reward, but he didn't do it himself because he wanted to save face and consider Zhou Zhining's feelings.

Instead, Zhou Zhining took the initiative to tell him that she wanted to share some with the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.

At that time, Zhan Xingzhuo coldly said that whatever Zhou Zhining wanted to send was up to her, and he would not interfere.

After that, he didn't ask any further questions.

Zhou Zhining gave him a list of things to send.

He only glanced at the list casually; it seemed to contain silver and some medicinal herbs.

He also said that Zhou Zhining was intelligent and kind-hearted, and sent her medicinal herbs to nourish her body.

"...The problem arose from those medicinal herbs. Yao Qingling was the first to discover that the herbs from the palace were fake. She informed the Empress, and then the Emperor was furious."

Zhan Xingzhuo was stunned.

What medicinal herbs?

"But...but weren't those medicines only discovered to be fake because the Empress was unwell?"

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the treasures in the inner treasury had been replaced and stolen.

The guard smiled coldly: "If the medicine the Emperor bestowed upon his subjects is fake, where will the Emperor's face be? We can only say that the Empress took fake medicine and is feeling unwell."

"Besides, the whole thing was indeed triggered by the Empress taking fake medicine. It's just that the person who reported it first informed the Empress, and she changed her approach, having the Emperor investigate thoroughly. We palace people only found out that the source of the report was your former mistress when the matter was settled."

Zhan Xingzhuo clenched his fists, his face grim.

The guard's idea was simple.

Lin Shiyuan handled this major case and was promoted to Vice Minister of War, achieving the shortest promotion in history.

Even Zhan Xingzhuo, the second young master of the Duke's mansion, had to endure hardship in Luozhou for more than half a year before he could obtain the position of Vice Minister.

As for Yao Qingling, she was an orphan who was bullied by the Marquis's mansion. Her divorce was a huge scandal that made her infamous in the eyes of the powerful and wealthy. Yet, through this case, she managed to reclaim the Marquis's mansion and even earned the title of Lady of the First Rank.

How many women in this world can do this?

If Yao Qingling hadn't divorced him, or if she had told Zhan Xingzhuo after discovering the fake medicine, and Zhan Xingzhuo had taken over the case, how successful would he be now?

Or, if Zhou Zhining and Zhan Xingzhuo had been more observant and discovered that the imperial-bestowed medicinal herbs were fake, they could have devised a way to let the Emperor know that something was wrong with the palace's supplies. In that case, Lin Shiyuan wouldn't be the one enjoying the limelight today.

If Zhan Xingzhuoruo were to use this great achievement to seek forgiveness from the Zhou family, it would be highly possible.

"...If this case had been handled by someone else, how could someone from a poor family have gotten the chance to make a contribution?"

The guard scoffed, and seeing Zhan Xingzhuo's face darken even more, he patted him on the shoulder. "Forget it, this kind of opportunity is just that—an opportunity. We'll wait for another one."

Zhan Xingzhuo snapped out of his daze, forced a smile, and replied, "Guard Qian is right. I'll toast you with a drink."

The guard chatted for a while longer before leaving.

Zhan Xingzhuo's expression changed instantly after he left.

Others might think it's simple, but he sees it differently.

Zhan Xingzhuo, after combining the guard's words with all the details from the time the incident occurred until now, turned pale.

Yao Qingling, Lin Shiyuan, they...they...

His heart was pounding, filled with both anger and resentment.

Lin Shiyuan was not heartless or ungrateful at all.

He was simply performing with Yao Qingling, for others to see.

Yao Qingling was willing to endure all the grievances for Lin Shiyuan. Even when Hui Bafang, which she valued most, was shut down without her consent, she did not hold a grudge against Lin Shiyuan.

Even after she was imprisoned, she showed no resentment, remaining calm and composed.

From beginning to end, Yao Qingling was always supporting Lin Shiyuan, helping him rise from a criminal to a high-ranking official of the third rank!

Haha, Lin Shiyuan, you're so lucky!

Zhan Xingzhuo's eyes reddened with grievance.

But why does she never do that for him?

Why would she rather help another man than forgive him?

He is the father of her child, why would she treat him like this!