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

Chapter 206

Xu Yaozong's feelings upon seeing Zhou Chu this time were completely different from the last time. Previously, he was unaware of the true extent of this Jinyiwei centurion's influence. The reason he wanted to curry favor with Zhou Chu was entirely because he knew that the business of icing and glassware belonged to Zhou Chu.

Although there are other icings and glasswares on the market, they are not in the same league as the ones produced by this Lord Zhou. Whether it is the purity of the glass or the sweetness and purity of the icing, they are far inferior.

Small merchants who obtained these quotas for icing and glassware all turned their fortunes around and made a fortune.

Although this Lord Zhou was a bit domineering, demanding that merchants who received quotas hand over 40% of all their profits.

However, people like Xu Yaozong, whose income was already very low and even felt like they were struggling to make ends meet, would have a huge turnaround if they could get the quota for icing and glassware. That's why he tried every means to curry favor with Zhou Chu.

Since seeing Zhou Chu again this time, Xu Yaozong has been under much more psychological pressure.

These days he has received some rumors that the person in front of him is no ordinary person. Even the governor and the censor show him respect and avoid his sharp edge. It is said that one of the guards behind him is the princess's son and a marquis of the Ming Dynasty.

These rumors were quite detailed and convincing, and many signs pointed to them.

For example, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has changed completely recently. In the past, the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Suzhou Prefecture was always obsequious and polite to everyone, especially to officials, where they even had to smile obsequiously.

Now things are completely different. These Imperial Guards are no longer arrogant and domineering, but their demeanor has changed drastically. In Suzhou Prefecture today, anyone who encounters an Imperial Guard will be questioned before they can leave.

In addition, there is one more point that can serve as evidence.

This cloth shop owned by Lord Zhou has robbed many merchants from the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, and so far, the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce has not made any statement.

Xu Yaozong knew very well that this was something he would never have dared to imagine before. The merchants of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce never treated out-of-town merchants as human beings. The Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce was practically all-powerful in the entire Jiangnan region, and no one dared to mess with them.

Lord Zhou not only offended him, but it seems he's completely unharmed.

This is very scary.

At this moment, Xu Yaozong felt immense psychological pressure facing Zhou Chu. He had never seen such a powerful figure before. Not to mention Zhou Chu, he couldn't even imagine meeting the young marquis behind him, the princess's son. The difference in their status was too great.

"My lord, I have successfully carried out my mission and brought the mother and child here."

Xu Yaozong lowered his head and said.

At this moment, Xu Yaozong didn't even dare to look up at Zhou Chu.

“You did a great job. Take this letter to Boss Li. She’s in charge of these things.”

Zhou Chu casually wrote a note, put it in an envelope, and handed it to Xu Yaozong.

Xu Yaozong was overjoyed to hear this. Wasn't this exactly what he had been trying to achieve by bringing the mother and child from Zhejiang?

Xu Yaozong carefully took the envelope with both hands, holding it above his head as if the note Zhou Chu had casually written was something extraordinary.

"You may leave now."

Zhou Chu waved to Xu Yaozong.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yaozong felt relieved. Holding the envelope in both hands, he bent over and backed away step by step until he was far enough away before turning around and leaving the Zhou residence.

Zhou Chu looked at the woman in front of him. The woman looked haggard, and her clothes did not seem to fit her well. It was obvious that Xu Yaozong had found her clothes at the last minute, and it was likely that the clothes she wore before were not very good.

"This humble concubine greets Your Excellency."

The woman knelt before Zhou Chu, her eyes slightly trembling. She didn't know why this important person had summoned her and her son here.

Regardless, she was grateful to Zhou Chu; without him, she wouldn't even have been able to see her son.

After giving birth to Xu Wei, he was driven out of the Xu family mansion by the matriarch, Madam Miao, and barely made a living by washing clothes for wealthy families.

Xu Wei, who was just over a year old and had only recently learned to walk, looked at Zhou Chu with curiosity in his eyes, but not much fear.

"I had Xu Yaozong bring you and your son here because I heard that your son is a child prodigy, very bright since he was a child. My teacher is now over fifty years old and has no children. I wonder if you would be willing to let this little guy recognize my teacher as his father and take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days?"

Zhou Chu looked at the woman in front of him and said.

The woman thought about it and did not agree immediately. In her opinion, if she entrusted the wrong person, it would be better to raise her own son. Although it would be difficult, she would not be unable to survive.

"Do you not know your teacher's name?"

The woman mustered her courage and said.

"You've probably heard of my teacher's name. His surname is Tang, his given name is Yin, and his courtesy name is Bohu."

Zhou Chu smiled.

"Tang Bohu!"

The woman couldn't help but exclaim upon hearing the name.

Even though she was just a woman confined to the inner quarters, she had heard of the name Tang Bohu. Tang Bohu was a very famous man in Jiangnan. She never expected that the man in front of her would ask her son to recognize Tang Bohu as his father.

This is a blessing that you can't ask for.

"This humble concubine will leave it to your discretion, sir. However, this humble concubine wishes to enter the Tang household, even if it is just to be a laundry maid. This humble concubine would be content with that."

Xu Wei's birth mother clearly did not want to be separated from her son again, but she had no say in the matter, so she had to ask Zhou Chu for help.

"Now that your son has become my teacher's son, you will naturally no longer have to suffer. From now on, you can live in the Tang residence as my teacher's cousin. You won't have to worry about anything. You and your son's identities don't need to be hidden from others. He will naturally be very filial to you in the future."

Zhou Chu's words reassured the woman.

"Thank you so much for your great kindness, my lord. I have no way to repay you."

The woman kowtowed repeatedly.

"No need to be polite."

Zhou Chu smiled.

After settling the mother and son in, Zhou Chu had Chunlan deliver a letter to Tang Bohu, essentially asking him to choose an auspicious day to formally acknowledge the son.

Tang Bohu didn't care, but Yunniang was very happy after reading the contents of the letter. She immediately made arrangements for Tang Bohu, set a date, and sent invitations to all of Tang Bohu's relatives and friends to celebrate.

Is it really necessary to go through all this trouble?

Tang Bohu said with some helplessness.

Yunniang rolled her eyes at him when she heard this.

"Of course we need to. Our family is too small. Apart from the two of us, the rest are just servants. When our son enters the family, we should definitely have a big celebration so that the whole Tang family can share in the joy and get rid of any bad luck."

Upon hearing this, Tang Bohu thought about it and it seemed to make sense, so he let Yunniang handle it.