By a twist of fate, the illegitimate son of the Marquis's family marries the county princess.

Chapter 171 The Terrifying Nature of the Beijing News

Pei Rujing had lunch with Emperor Shun'an in the palace before leaving.

It was also by chance that they ran into Zhou Wangliang on their way out of the palace.

Zhou Wangliang's heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his eyes and said respectfully, "This servant greets the County Princess."

Pei Rujing stopped in her tracks and said arrogantly, "I heard from my uncle that you went back to the Zhou family?"

"Exactly."

"And how did you deal with your audacious nephew?"

Pei Rujing was too lazy to beat around the bush and asked directly.

Zhou Wangliang said, "He dared to offend Lord Wen, so this servant naturally dared not tolerate it. I have already ordered him to be driven out of the capital and never be allowed to return to the capital in this lifetime."

Pei Rujing was taken aback: "Expelled from the capital?"

Zhou Wangliang bowed deeply: "I wonder if the county magistrate is satisfied?"

Pei Rujing's dissatisfaction had indeed dissipated considerably, and she said calmly, "Uncle is right, you are indeed a smart person. Let's leave it at that."

After that, Pei Rujing ignored him and left.

Zhou Wangliang then continued his journey back to Linhua Palace.

From Pei Rujing's few words just now, Zhou Wangliang knew that she had gone to the palace to file a complaint.

However, Zhou Wangliang was not surprised by this. Even if Pei Rujing hadn't said anything, he would have reported it to Emperor Shun'an himself.

Zhou Wangliang became Emperor Shun'an's confidant because of his honesty; he never hid anything from Emperor Shun'an.

After returning to Linhua Palace, Emperor Shun'an was already taking a nap, so Zhou Wangliang waited by his side to serve him.

When Emperor Shun'an awoke, Zhou Wangliang took the initiative to tell Zhou Fangguang what he had done and what punishment he had received: "Your Majesty, this servant has failed to manage his household properly and has committed a grave error. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Emperor Shun'an waved his hand: "Ignorance is no excuse, you handled it very well. However, you must keep the Zhou family in check from now on, Anhe is very angry. I will not pursue this matter this time, but if you offend her again next time, I cannot protect you."

Zhou Wangliang replied, "Your Majesty is benevolent; this servant will certainly remember this."

This was just a minor incident.

After Emperor Shun'an awoke, he and the Crown Prince worked together to process the memorials.

The Crown Prince also didn't inquire about the Zhou family, as they weren't people he needed to pay attention to twice.

The Crown Prince believed that Zhou Wangliang would handle the situation well.

It wasn't until evening, after Emperor Shun'an had retired for the night, that a young eunuch approached Zhou Wangliang and whispered, "Godfather, today Princess Anhe suggested to the Emperor that a deputy chief eunuch be promoted in Linhua Palace."

Zhou Wangliang's expression faltered slightly: "Did the Princess of Anhe say that?"

"Exactly."

"This doesn't sound like something Princess Anhe would say."

Zhou Wangliang murmured.

He inexplicably thought of the editor of the Beijing Gazette, who had become famous in the capital after taking charge of the Gazette.

Only he could come up with such a radical and radical idea.

Zhou Wangliang felt a chill in his heart, because Wen Zongji was trying to undermine his position simply because Zhou Fangguang had offended him.

That's so petty!

Then I thought of Princess Anhe's personality.

Zhou Wangliang's lips twitched: "A match made in heaven."

Fortunately, he had already sent Zhou Fangguang out of the capital and had no intention of opposing Wen Zongji. Otherwise, given Wen Zongji's petty nature, it's hard to say how he would have dealt with him.

It wasn't that Zhou Wangliang, Emperor Shun'an's most trusted confidant, was cowardly; rather, the power of the eunuchs was entirely in the hands of Emperor Shun'an.

In terms of his standing in Emperor Shun'an's heart, he couldn't even come close to Pei Rujing.

In this way, he would be unable to use his most important means, and it would be too foolish to oppose Wen Zongji again.

……

Yunguangyuan

After Wen Zongji finished his shift, Pei Rujing told her about her visit to the palace to file a complaint that day, and that Zhou Wangliang had already expelled Zhou Fangguang from the capital.

Wen Zongji said, "I remember Zhou Wangliang only has this one nephew?"

Granny Feng nodded: "That's right. Zhou Wangliang's elder brother only has one son, Zhou Fangguang."

Wen Zongji smiled: "Zhou Wangliang truly lives up to his title as the chief eunuch of Linhua Palace; he is decisive in his actions."

My only nephew, he just gave up on me without hesitation.

Such a person is not suitable to be an enemy unless you are certain of a fatal blow.

Pei Rujing didn't think too much about it and said, "I originally suggested that my uncle promote a deputy steward of Linhua Palace to curb Zhou Wangliang's arrogance, but unfortunately my uncle disagreed. Considering that Zhou Wangliang does things fairly well, I won't hold it against him."

Wen Zongji: "...My wife is truly magnanimous."

He felt sorry for Zhou Wangliang, who had done nothing wrong but was almost tricked into becoming a deputy general manager by his own nephew.

Pei Rujing pouted, leaned against him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, saying, "I'm not that forgiving. If anyone dares to bully you, I'll definitely get my revenge a hundredfold."

The county princess has never known how to write the word "magnanimity." What she pursues is vindictiveness and a clear mind.

Wen Zongji lowered his head and kissed Pei Rujing's forehead: "What a coincidence, me too."

He's not a magnanimous person either!

Unlike Pei Rujing, he doesn't show his emotions outwardly. Even when he takes revenge, it's done so secretly that the other party might not even know who did it afterward.

Pei Rujing beamed with joy: "We really are a match made in heaven."

Recalling his own bizarre experiences, Wen Zongji wholeheartedly agreed: "Indeed."

Pei Rujing was someone he met after traveling through a different world; how could it not be considered fate?

At first, no one cared about Zhou Fangguang leaving Beijing, except for his few cronies.

But with the release of the fourth issue of the Beijing Daily, Zhou Fangguang and his cronies became famous.

They have achieved their initial goal of gaining fame through the Beijing Daily.

Although the result was slightly "off".

The Zhou family's foothold in the capital was already unstable because of Zhou Wangliang's help. Now, because of Zhou Fangguang, they have become rats crossing the street—everyone shouts to kill them.

After experiencing being hit by stones on his carriage several times, Zhou Wanggong decided to ask the government for a long leave and stay home to have a baby.

The Zhou family steward was very efficient. Within a few days, he found several widows with large hips who were good at conceiving. All of them had given birth to several children, so their fertility was guaranteed, as long as Zhou Wanggong worked hard.

Meanwhile, Zhou Fangguang's cronies, who had gained notoriety alongside him, were also universally reviled. Unable to bear it any longer, they left the capital together to seek refuge.

Ministry of Revenue

Minister of Revenue Zhou Shiyue pointed to the fourth issue of the Beijing Daily: "Have you heard about the recent events in the capital?"

"Zhou, the chief steward, bribed a minor official in the Beijing Gazette Bureau, attempting to get his article published in the Gazette through underhanded means. However, Wen, the chief editor, discovered this and published their actions directly in the Gazette. As a result, Zhou, the chief steward, also expelled his nephew from the capital."

Zhou Shiyue asked, "What did you see?"

Someone lamented: "I have seen how terrifying the Beijing Gazette is. It can make an unknown person famous overnight, or it can ruin several people's reputations. The difference depends entirely on how the Beijing Gazette writes it."

Zhou Shiyue's eyes were deep: "Indeed! The influence of the Beijing Daily is far greater than we imagined."