In the evening meal, Zhou Shuren had a great appetite, having rested well for a day, his spirits were high, and his cheeks were rosy, not at all the look of someone who had been ill.
What made Zhou Shuren happiest was that his leave request had been approved, a five-day vacation, which was granted by the Ministry of Revenue with surprising alacrity and generosity.
That afternoon, the approval of his leave had sparked another round of speculation, leaving even more people believing that Zhou Shuren had fallen out of the Emperor's favor.
Zhou Shuren, the eldest, felt nothing special being cooped up indoors.
Chang Zhi was affected by this development. The banquet that had been arranged was canceled, but Chang Zhi wasn't disappointed -- rather, he found it amusing. With no reaction from his father yet, Chang Zhi had already taken a measurement of people's hearts and simultaneously lamented that his judgment of character was off.