The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 500

“Sir, Wang Mingyue has been frequently seen near your house and Yun Gui Fang these past two days. She is currently not far from your house, and is probably here for you.”

Shen Lian reported to Zhou Chu.

These words surprised Zhou Chu.

To be honest, Wang Mingyue has surprised me many times.

Logically speaking, since she came specifically for him, she must have known his identity and that her every move could not be hidden from him.

Does this woman seem to want to play her cards openly?

Having figured all this out, Zhou Chu wanted to see what Wang Mingyue was really up to.

So Zhou Chu got up and left the Zhou residence. At this time, Zhou Chu was neither attending court nor performing official duties. He was wearing ordinary clothes, but the fabric of those clothes came from Yun Gui Fang. Anyone with a discerning eye would know that the clothes Zhou Chu was wearing were very valuable.

"You two, move a little further apart."

Zhou Chu looked at Shen Lian and Da Zhu who were following him and said.

Upon hearing this, the two immediately understood and distanced themselves from Zhou Chu.

Zhou Chu hadn't gone far when he saw Wang Mingyue leading a maid out of a cosmetics shop.

Zhou Chu and Wang Mingyue locked eyes.

"It's you. I was just about to settle accounts with you. My father said I was cheated by you for that pearl you sold me. A pearl of the same quality would only cost three thousand taels at most."

When Wang Mingyue saw Zhou Chu, she was immediately furious.

Zhou Chu showed no remorse upon hearing this.

“What are you saying, Miss Wang? Didn’t you set the price yourself? I told you that no matter what price you offered, I would sell you this pearl. It wasn’t me who set the price of ten thousand taels.”

Zhou Chu looked completely innocent.

Upon hearing this, Wang Mingyue was stunned. She thought for a long time but couldn't figure out how to refute Zhou Chu. However, she felt that something was not quite right.

"What's your name? Judging from your clothes, you don't look like a waiter from Yun Gui Fang."

Wang Mingyue looked at Zhou Chu and suddenly changed the subject.

"My name is Zhang Dazhu."

Zhou Chu made up a story off the top of his head.

"Zhang Dazhu? What brings you to this name? Your clothes don't quite match your name."

Wang Mingyue asked, her face full of confusion.

“I grew up in the countryside. Later, my biological parents gave me to my current parents for adoption. They also have the surname Zhang, so I didn’t change my name.”

When Zhou Chu said this, his eyes were fixed on Wang Mingyue.

Sure enough, Wang Mingyue's expression turned somewhat unnatural upon hearing this, but she quickly recovered.

"So what do you think of the people in the countryside?"

Wang Mingyue looked at Zhou Chu very seriously and asked.

“People in the countryside are all different, and every place is different, so you can’t generalize. However, most people in the countryside are just trying to survive, which is already hard enough.”

Zhou Chu said.

“Lord Zhou, I think that’s how people in the countryside should be treated. No matter how good you are to them, they won’t be grateful. They’ll only feel that you haven’t given them enough. Just like two years ago, Lord Zhou investigated and punished so many corrupt officials for the sake of the court and the people. Did the people ever thank you then? They regarded you as a treacherous minister and a monster.”

Looking at Zhou Chu, Wang Mingyue suddenly stopped pretending and addressed him directly as "Lord Zhou".

"The common people may not understand at first, but we can teach them slowly. They will gradually understand, and that's how the Ming Dynasty will get better and better. If we only allow a few people to deceive the emperor and cover up the truth, how can the Ming Dynasty get better?"

Zhou Chu looked at Wang Mingyue and gave a serious reply to her question.

"My lord must have sent people to investigate me these past few days, but I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to find out my biological father, won't it?"

Wang Mingyue looked at Zhou Chu and smiled brightly.

"Indeed, we couldn't find anything. We only found that he was a scholar from Jiangnan."

Zhou Chu nodded.

"What kind of scholar is he? He's just a selfish and petty person. But then again, how many scholars aren't selfish and petty?"

Wang Mingyue sneered; she didn't even bother to address Li Xian by his courtesy name.

“My biological father is Li Xian, the president of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, an extremely selfish and self-serving businessman. He doesn’t even care about the people around him, so how could he care about me, an illegitimate daughter who suddenly appeared?”

“Thirteen years ago, my father adopted me. At that time, he was a small businessman. He treated me very well. I also knew who my biological father was, so I told him. At that time, Li Xian married a lady from a prominent family and ingratiated himself with the government. His business grew bigger and bigger, and I naturally became his weakness. If I, an illegitimate child, suddenly appeared, his wife and even his wife’s family would not forgive him.”

Wang Mingyue's face was calm, as if she were telling someone else's story.

“Li Xian originally wanted to silence us, but my father and I escaped. Out of necessity, he started introducing my father to Shanxi merchants, which helped my father’s business grow bigger and bigger. He only had one condition: that my father and I could never appear in Jiangnan again.”

"So you're not looking for me to avenge Li Xian."

Zhou Chu said.

"Of course not. Li Xian was tortured to death by the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Jiangnan. When I received this news, I felt incredibly relieved. I haven't felt this relieved in many years. All the things my mother went through were because of this beast."

When Wang Mingyue said this, her eyes were filled with hatred.

"So, what brings you here?"

Zhou Chu asked.

"Lord Zhou seems to care a lot about the lives of ordinary people. After Li Xian died, I became more and more interested in Lord Zhou and inquired about some of the things he did. I found out that the wages of the workers in Yun Gui Fang and Yun Gui Fang Cloth Shop were far higher than those of other workers. Moreover, their food and other aspects were incomparable to those of other places."

Wang Mingyue looked at Zhou Chu and said.

Zhou Chu nodded upon hearing this.

"Is this why you're looking for me?"

Zhou Chu asked, somewhat puzzled.

“That’s right. When my mother and I lived in the countryside, all the farmers there bullied her and didn’t treat her like a human being. Later, when I became the eldest daughter of the Wang family, these people shamelessly came to ask me for money. At first, I gave them some, but later they complained that I gave them too little. Even those who took my money didn’t say a good word about me or appreciate my kindness.”

Wang Mingyue said.

At this moment, Zhou Chu and Wang Mingyue had arrived at a nearby restaurant and booked a private room.

"These people deserve to be poor and starving. What's the use of Lord Zhou being so good to them?"

Wang Mingyue looked at Zhou Chu and asked.

"If we don't let these people get better, are we going to let people like Li Xian keep deceiving their superiors and subordinates? The common people at the bottom are ignorant, but they can be guided and taught slowly. The people's wisdom can be awakened, but we can't let the power of speech continue to be in the hands of people like Li Xian. The things you and your mother have experienced ultimately come from Li Xian, not from these people."

Zhou Chu took a sip of tea.

Upon hearing this, Wang Mingyue fell silent.