A Time-Traveling Mishap: I Became an Ancient Nobleman

Chapter 277 The Royal Family's Idea

"That's not it. It's Fangniang. Every time I go to buy information for my brother, she always asks for an exorbitant amount. I always felt that she must have other motives for agreeing so easily this time."

It must be said that Zhou Huaide has a fairly deep understanding of Qianmian.

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhou immediately grabbed his ear and pretended to be angry, saying, "How do you know so much about other women?"

"Hey, hey, Madam, no, didn't Zhang'er just say it was a man? Besides, I did go to that kind of place because I had to do something for my brother. I already have a beautiful wife at home, so why would I go to those kinds of places?" Zhou Huaide quickly explained.

Madam Zhou then released her hand, scolding, "You certainly have a silver tongue."

Zhou Hanzhang looked at them and couldn't help but smile, saying, "He did indeed put forward other conditions, which I have already agreed to. I came to let you know."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huaide's eyes widened instantly. "How could you just agree to her like that? She's not someone to be trifled with..."

He couldn't find the right words to describe Fangniang for a moment.

To say she's only after profit isn't entirely accurate, but she's definitely not a kind person.

Mrs. Zhou slapped him and said, "Shut up!"

She then turned to Zhou Hanzhang, "What other conditions does she have?"

"that is……"

When Madam Zhou asked him this question, Zhou Hanzhang wanted to tell them what he had already decided to tell them, but he hesitated when he got to the point.

"Hurry up and tell me."

Seeing that she was stammering and wouldn't say anything, Zhou Huaide worried that it might not be a good thing.

Zhou Hanzhang picked up the water on the table, took a sip, and then slowly spoke, "It's like this, Hongyanfang has always been vying for fame and fortune with Diewuxuan. Coincidentally, their competition is approaching, and Qianmian hopes that I can attend on behalf of Hongyanfang."

Madam Zhou thought for a moment, "That's alright. Our family comes from a merchant background, and we don't care about such empty titles..."

She suddenly remembered something, "But haven't they always used women to compete? The winner is the courtesan, and there's also the concept of a male courtesan?"

"Ahem." Zhou Hanzhang coughed awkwardly.

Seeing that her cheeks were slightly flushed, Madam Zhou suddenly realized, "She wouldn't let you attend as a woman, would she?"

Zhou Huaide hesitated to speak, but was stopped by Madam Zhou and dared not open his mouth.

Under the gaze of those two eyes, Zhou Hanzhang nodded helplessly.

Before Madam Zhou could speak, Zhou Huaide jumped up despite her objections, "How can this be? This will ruin your reputation! How will you ever get married if I let you compete for them? No way, absolutely not!"

Madam Zhou glared at him. "Since Zhang'er has already agreed, she must have thought it through carefully. Now that Zhang'er has made her decision, we should support her. Don't say anything more!"

Hearing Madam Zhou's support, Zhou Hanzhang was deeply moved, but she would not ignore the feelings of her father, Zhou Huaide, as she knew that no matter what, the two of them were worried about her.

"Qianmian is extremely skilled in disguise and changing appearance. He can guarantee that even if I change back into women's clothing, no one will recognize me. Please rest assured, Father and Mother."

Madam Zhou was already quite at ease, and after hearing Zhou Hanzhang's words, she was completely reassured.

"Look at you, you never listen to the end. Didn't you tell me last time that the Emperor was planning to restore Zhang'er's female identity? He just hadn't found a suitable opportunity. I think this is a good opportunity."

"No, even if it were true, we can't use this incident to restore our reputation. Wouldn't that damage our image?"

Madam Zhou frowned slightly. "You keep saying it affects my reputation. When I was showing my face in public, didn't you care about my reputation?"

"...Madam, how can these be compared?"

Zhou Huaide wanted to cry but had no tears.

"Alright, it's settled then. If you feel this is inappropriate, we can find another opportunity later." Madam Zhou made the decision directly.

Zhou Hanzhang, on the other hand, was quite surprised when they mentioned that she had regained her female identity, as she had never heard them mention it before.

"Father, Mother, were you saying that my royal uncle wanted me to revert to being a girl?"

Seeing the child's shocked expression, Madam Zhou knew it was time to explain to her, "We were just planning to find a time to discuss this with you. A few days ago, after your father and your uncle returned from Jiangnan, they said they wanted to find an opportunity for you to regain your female identity, saying that the opportunity had come."

"What opportunity?"

Zhou Hanzhang had always been unclear about this so-called opportunity, and now that it had been brought up, he naturally wanted to get to the bottom of it.

“I don’t know the specifics either,” Madam Zhou nudged Zhou Huaide. “You should explain it to the child.”

Zhou Huaide, entrusted with this critical mission, became serious. "We know you're smart. Over the years, even if we don't tell you, you've probably guessed some things."

You were born extraordinary. It was the royal family's idea to dress you as a man. They wanted you to live as a man in the Great Zhou for more than ten years in order to stabilize the nation's fortunes.

However, when you last came to Jiangnan to find us, a drop of blood fell on the Star Bead. After my brother returned, he consulted the Imperial Advisor, and after discussion, they decided that from that moment on, there was no need to continue maintaining a male form.

Zhou Hanzhang thought about it and realized it was something from that time.

Indeed, the events that happened in Jiangnan were quite mysterious, and the things she had experienced at the academy a few days ago made her believe in these mysterious things.

Seeing that Zhou Hanzhang remained silent, Zhou Huaide tried to guess her thoughts but couldn't figure it out. He could only ask directly, "Zhang'er, what do you think about this? You've always been smart, do you have any ideas?"

Zhou Hanzhang pondered for a moment and finally said, "I don't think now is a good time. I still have to receive a visit from the United States and attend the academy's competition. I should wait until these two things are over before making any plans."

Zhou Huaide wanted to ask something more, but Madam Zhou got up and walked to Zhou Hanzhang's side. "Since the child has an idea, that's good. We two old folks won't say anything more. You must be tired today, so go and rest. You can come and tell us when you've thought it through."

Madam Zhou had great confidence in Zhou Hanzhang; the child had always been easy for her since he was little. It was Zhou Huaide who was the one who caused her so much trouble!

Zhou Huaide originally wanted to say something, but seeing that Madam Zhou had seen Zhou Hanzhang off, he didn't care about anything else. "Zhang'er, I'll come to see you again tomorrow."

Zhou Hanzhang hadn't gone far when he saw Zhou Huaide trying to go back and close the door. But then Madam Zhou pulled him out, saying, "You can sleep in the study tonight."

Zhou Huaide was completely baffled. He really didn't know what he had said wrong, or why his wife had asked him to sleep in the study.

He was about to turn around and beg for mercy when Madam Zhou slammed the door shut, almost hitting his face.

"No, madam, what have I done wrong this time?"