"The Governor has arrived!"
Upon hearing this sound, Wu Zhenhai bit his tongue, forcing himself to calm down.
Even though Zhou Xu is gone, his life must go on.
The pain on his tongue and the metallic, fishy smell brought him back to his senses.
Wu Zhenhai stood up, bowed, and clasped his hands in a salute.
Governor-General Zhou was no different from usual. He came over, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "The dead cannot be brought back to life. You don't need to be too sad. It's just that she wasn't blessed."
These were words of comfort, but Wu Zhenhai found them extremely grating.
Was the deceased really his own granddaughter?
Why was it that Zhou Xu, even until her death, could not make the slightest ripple in the Zhou Family?
His regret and remorse came too late, yet the Zhou Family family remained oblivious until their deaths.
They won't reflect on their actions, nor will they feel sorry for Zhou Xu.
Whether they live or die, it doesn't matter to them.
Wu Zhenhai had always known that Zhou Xu was not living a good life, otherwise she would not have lowered herself to live with him.
But Zhou Fu, who dared to hit his sister to her face, and now Governor-General Zhou, who seemed to be standing aside comforting others, made him increasingly aware of why his Ruanruan was so full of thorns.
Because if she weren't powerful, she would have been trampled to death by these people long ago.
But Ruanruan, as Ruanruan as a weed, ultimately met her demise.
He gave her hope, but he wasn't the person she wanted.
He was the last straw that broke her back.
Why is he so despicable, always trying to provoke her with other women!
Why is he so impatient with her!
He was her last hope!
Thinking of this, Wu Zhenhai was overcome with grief, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't help but cover his face with his hands and sob.
Governor-General Zhou said, "That's enough. She's not lucky enough. You're a grown man, why worry about not having a wife? Cry for her once and that's it. If you keep crying and wailing, how are you any different from a woman?"
Wu Zhenhai couldn't stand these words, even though they came from Governor-General Zhou.
He even went so far as to clench his fists and punch someone, but he managed to control himself and gritted his teeth and agreed.
"Come with me, I have something to tell you."
"Yes!"
Wu Guang looked at his master with concern.
He was always afraid that his master might lose control and do something rash.
Sigh, Zhou Xu, alive she's a menace, dead she'll still be a menace to adults. A long sigh escapes me.
Governor-General Zhou led Wu Zhenhai to the study, treated him very politely, and asked him to sit down and talk.
Wu Zhenhai sat halfway up the chair, head bowed, without taking the initiative to speak.
In the past, he would have been a sycophant, saying, "If you need anything, just tell me."
But today, he really wasn't in the mood.
Zhou Xu is dead. With a son like that, even if he amassed mountains of gold and silver and wielded immense power, with whom could he share it?
For Old Cabbage Stalk, this was the first time in his more than thirty years of life that he had ever felt the urge to retreat.
This didn't exist before.
His ambition grew vigorously amidst poverty, and his desire to climb upwards never ceased.
This time, he was truly exhausted.
"Zhenhai, you should know how I've treated you all these years." Governor-General Zhou stroked his gray beard, looked at Wu Zhenhai in front of him, and said meaningfully.
"The Governor is right. Zhenhai was promoted by you. He owes everything to your kindness!"
Wu Zhenhai's sycophancy was effortless, almost instinctive.
He was a child who suffered greatly. He lost his father when he was young and his mother when he was six. He grew up relying on the kindness of others for food.
He felt that no one in the world was suffering more than him.
Therefore, he has an uncontrollable desire for power.
Because I've been trampled on for so long, I desperately want to turn things around.
However, he now felt that Zhou Xu was suffering even more.
He's a man, and he can make a living through his own abilities; Zhou Xu? She doesn't have that possibility.
She could have enough to eat, but she was bullied and always trampled underfoot and manipulated at will.
If she were a man, she would have stood out long ago.
But because she was a woman, she didn't even have a chance.
In fact, she was shrewd, resourceful, ambitious, and willing to humble herself... yet she still chose that path.
Wu Zhenhai thought that perhaps he was also the murderer who took her life.
Because if she never sees sunlight, she might get used to the darkness.
But he gave her hope, and then foolishly created so many obstacles for her.
Zhou Xu must have felt that even if she married him, she wouldn't be happy in the future, which is why she took her own life.
Unfortunately, he was the biggest fool in the world. Only after she was gone did he realize more deeply how much suffering she had endured.
"Xu'er doesn't have that kind of luck, but I still think highly of you and want you to be my granddaughter's husband."
Wu Zhenhai: "..."
He's even more eager to hit someone now.
Zhou Xu's body was barely cold, and her own grandfather was already busy arranging marriages for her fiancé?
"Fu'er is my most cherished granddaughter. It's just a pity that you two were betrayed... But it's also fate. How about we change this marriage to you and Fu'er? What do you say?"
Wu Zhenhai used almost all his strength to control himself.
He cannot riot, he cannot.
"Your Excellency," he said with difficulty, "Xu'er and I have already gone through the proper formalities. In my heart, I already consider her my wife..."
Governor-General Zhou had always been a local tyrant whose word was law, and now that Wu Zhenhai was being so tactless, his expression darkened.
However, since Wu Zhenhai was still somewhat useful, he didn't turn against him.
"No matter how good Xu'er was, she's gone now. We must look to the future! Fu'er is the legitimate daughter, virtuous and talented, skilled in both literature and martial arts. She will surely be your wise and capable wife in the future. This matter is settled."
They didn't give Wu Zhenhai any room to object at all.
Wu Zhenhai said, "I can agree. However, there is one more request."
He could agree to the marriage, but whether Zhou Fu would live to enter the Wu Family was up to fate!
Finally recognizing his humility, Governor-General Zhou's expression softened slightly as he leaned back in his chair. "Speak, we're all family."
--He wanted to use his granddaughter to win over a talent like Wu Zhenhai.
Especially with the arrival of the Prince of Jin, the standoff between the two sides has become increasingly tense, making this a crucial time for talent acquisition.
At his age, Wu Zhenhai's experience, knowledge, and abilities are truly remarkable.
Wu Zhenhai said, "I'd like to welcome Xu'er in first."
Governor-General Zhou angrily retorted, "What are you saying! Are you deliberately trying to oppose me?"
What's the point of entering a sect when someone's dead?
Wu Zhenhai rose and bowed, saying, "Xu'er died tragically before marriage and cannot be buried in the ancestral grave. I cannot bear to see her all alone, so I wish to bring her to the Wu Family with the rites due to a wife, so that she may be buried with me after my death."
Ruanruan, if you have a spirit in heaven, you're surely watching me with a cold laugh, mocking me.
People leave and the tea grows cold; belated affection is worth less than grass.
But this is one of the few things Old Cabbage Stalk can do for you.
I don't believe in reincarnation, but I can't bear to see you as a wandering ghost, and I long to light your way to be reborn and find me.
But you probably don't want to anymore.