Chapter 601: Chapter 599: The Transmigrated Woman Who Self-Destructed 18 Times (Part 30)
"Not home?" Shen Hong, who came personally to escort Zheng’an back, was somewhat surprised to hear this from the gatekeeper. Zheng’an was not yet an official, and the Sixth Prince hadn’t assigned him any tasks. He had looked into it and found that Zheng’an had mostly been at home studying recently, seldom going out, as if he was aiming for the next Imperial examination.
How could it be that he’s not home today?
"Do you know where your master went?" He asked.
The gatekeeper’s expression was somewhat peculiar: "He went to the Shen Family Ancestral Hall."
The young master going to the Shen Family Ancestral Hall was known to the gatekeeper, but not to the Marquis Mansion? No wonder the young master is unwilling to return to the Marquis Mansion.
Shen Hong sensed the gatekeeper’s odd expression and felt uneasy.
Wasn’t Zheng’an unwilling to return to the Marquis Mansion?
How could he go to the Shen Family Ancestral Hall?
"Do you know what he went there for?" He asked again.
The gatekeeper didn’t hide anything; when the young master left, he instructed that if anyone from the Marquis Mansion came to inquire, to tell them honestly.
"Of course, it’s to be reinstated into the Shen Family’s genealogy," the gatekeeper said, "After all, my master hasn’t committed any offenses relating to exam cheating."
This genuinely unsettled Shen Hong. Zheng’an wanted to be reinstated into the genealogy, yet hadn’t consulted the Marquis Mansion. Instead, he went directly to the Shen Family Ancestral Hall. The situation couldn’t be more evident.
As for why he wouldn’t notify the Marquis Mansion, it’s all because Shen Jun was so ruthless. Not only did he expel Zheng’an from the genealogy, but he also severed their father-son relationship. How Zheng’an will fare in the future is naturally unrelated to the Marquis Mansion; not informing them is rather normal.
The ancestral hall isn’t opened casually, but Zheng’an’s matter caught the attention of Your Majesty, who clearly attached great importance to it. Given his own abilities, it’s reasonable to make an exception for him. Perhaps in the next Imperial examination, Zheng’an could be the Top Scorer and seize the Champion Scholar position; it’s quite possible.
The Shen Family is certainly willing to do him a favor.
Actually, Shen Hong misunderstood. After all, Zheng’an was also from the Marquis Mansion. The clan patriarch indeed arranged for someone to invite them over, and the person just arrived at the Marquis Mansion.
"The Marquis is not in the mansion."
"Do you know what the clan patriarch wants?" A courteous inquiry from the Marquis Mansion’s gatekeeper.
The person replied, "It’s concerning Zheng’an’s reinstatement into the genealogy and adoption."
The gatekeeper was stunned; he understood the reinstatement into the genealogy but what about adoption? Realizing it wasn’t right, he smiled apologetically and asked the person to wait for a moment before running off to notify the old lady.
Then the person from the Shen Family’s patriarch was invited inside.
The old lady was stunned upon hearing about Zheng’an wanting to be adopted, becoming someone else’s son.
She slapped the table, suddenly feeling that Shen Jun’s scolding was accurate; truly, what a wretched thing to do.
Recently, there had already been people mocking the Marquis Mansion, and it was foreseeable how much laughter this would provoke once the news got out; this would truly be a mockery from early in the year until its end.
Zhengjie siblings were invited by the Yun Family and arrived, equally bewildered by the news.
Zheng’an, he actually did it.
Shen Jun, hearing about this, was furious and rushed to the ancestral hall, determined to stop the matter; otherwise, he’d truly become a joke.
The Yun Family was arranging for someone to find Shen Hong and followed to the ancestral hall; the Zhengjie siblings were also in shock, following along and still not fully grasping the situation.
This move by Zheng’an was truly unexpected.
Previously, Zhengjie thought Zheng’an was a bit foolish, but now it seemed the opposite—he was evidently quite shrewd.
It was heard that Zheng’an was adopted by a clan uncle who passed away several years ago, without an heir.
There was a senior member, but deceased, still Shen Family; Zheng’an no longer had any senior members to restrain him.
Zhengjie’s mouth twitched sharply; if only his fate were less resilient, if he had died, it wouldn’t be so troublesome.
"I oppose!"
"I disagree with Zheng’an’s adoption!" Shen Jun shouted upon arriving at the ancestral hall, initially intending to strike Zheng’an’s face, but before he drew near, he was stopped.
It was Jiang Zhi’s people stopping him, and as he noticed Jiang Zhi, his heart sank—was the Sixth Prince really here to support Zheng’an?
He felt this matter was unstoppable.
Zheng’an’s face bore a typical foppish smile: "Second Young Master Shen, we’re not father and son anymore. Whom I acknowledge as father seems unrelated to you, doesn’t it? Why the rush?"
Shen Jun was livid, clenching his teeth tightly, his eyes red enough to spew flames.
Shen Hong arrived at this moment too.
He remained calm, realizing it was tough to change anything after spotting Jiang Zhi.
This should be blamed on his second brother; if he hadn’t been so ruthless back then, today’s situation wouldn’t exist.
He tried persuading a bit, though it was futile.
As the saying goes, ’One doesn’t strike a smiling face.’ Zheng’an disliked this uncle. However, when treated politely by him, he didn’t behave erratically, smilingly declining his suggestion.
"The Marquis is aware that Second Young Master Shen can’t stand having me as his son. We’ve long severed ties."
"From childhood until now, I’ve really never experienced what filial piety between father and son is like. Now that I’m grown up, I don’t cherish it as much anymore. Why not just change my father?" He jested, appearing completely unflappable, leaving others helpless.
Shen Hong sighed helplessly, unable to avert it.
By the time the old lady and others arrived, the adoption ceremony was nearly over.
Zheng’an completely severed ties with the Marquis Mansion; henceforth, they would only be relatives.
Yun Family saw the liberated youth emerge from the ancestral hall, feeling disoriented. The Marquis Mansion was already lacking in offspring; they had only two grandchildren, and now one was adopted away—they didn’t even know what to say.
However, she understood better than anyone why the Marquis Mansion had a paucity of heirs and never regretted it.
Being adopted as such is fine, as long as her biological grandson remains; in the future, letting her grandson have more descendants would still carry on the Marquis Mansion’s bloodline.
"Old lady." Zheng’an gestured politely to Yun Family, distant yet courteous. He never really shared any close bond with this old lady.
Today felt different, with a palpable sense of freedom.
Maybe he had shaken off certain shackles?
But the secrets hidden within the Marquis Mansion, he would still investigate thoroughly, particularly whether his mother’s difficult labor was genuinely due to causes beyond control or malevolent acts.
It would be uncovered.
Allegedly, there were already some leads.
Just needed to find the person.
Of course, according to his suspicion that Zhengjie siblings seem off, precautions must be taken to prevent them from silencing the leads.
If they had foreknowledge early on, it wouldn’t make sense not to act. Unless they themselves were unaware of where to find the person he was seeking, or unclear about the specifics? It seemed plausible.
Everyone paid respects to Jiang Zhi, the Sixth Prince, then watched Zheng’an and Jiang Zhi leave together.
The Shen Family patriarch sighed but felt hopeful, recalling Zheng’an’s private conversations with him.
If the next Imperial examination yields a Champion Scholar from the Shen Family, it would truly bring honor to the ancestors.
Also, the vegetables and fruits this young man sent; they should be from the Rare Pavilion, full of sincerity.
The Shen Family patriarch didn’t quite understand why Shen Jun was so harsh on his own son. Anyway, it’s irrelevant now.
"Your Majesty, let’s return for now. I’ll assist you tomorrow," Zheng’an said with a smile, bowing his hands, "Give me a day off, then I’ll be at Your Majesty’s disposal."
Jiang Zhi readily agreed; his matter wasn’t urgent.
Zheng’an wasn’t someone who felt emotions lightly; given his experiences, he likely felt quite upset inside.
However, Jiang Zhi didn’t anticipate upon returning to the mansion, planning to check the growth of crops in the space; recently, he had taken some seeds from outside to plant within the space, wanting to assess their effectiveness.
But as soon as he entered, he found Zheng’an arranging flowers, laughing and joking with Ah Chen; and just in time to hand a brilliantly blooming flower towards Ah Chen.
Ah Chen was about to receive it.
Zheng’an said, "Miss Chu, once you accept my flower, you won’t be able to accept others’ flowers."
Jiang Zhi: It turned out he was the clown all along?
