Zhulan was not surprised to learn of the Emperor's stance. Wen Rong, as a person, is someone the Emperor would not allow to be touched. Just like Mingyun and Ming Teng, the Emperor would not allow the Wen family to go too far because it would disrupt the balance he desires.
No matter how mediocre the Wen family's eldest grandson was, he was still the legitimate eldest grandson, standing as the face of the Wen family. The Zhou family, on the other hand, only had Ming Hui with a broken leg and no distinguished heirs. In the Emperor's eyes, they were not outstanding. Today, the Emperor indulged Shuren's wishes, which signaled his attitude—he was on Zhou family's side, but there were limits.
For the Wen family, however, being publicly humiliated by the Zhou family and having the Emperor's attitude tilt in favor of Qie Li was already a slap on the face. If another insult were thrown, it would mean disgrace in the capital.
