Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!

Chapter 156: Chapter 156 Killing the Chicken to Scare the Monkey_1

After dinner, Ming Teng listlessly followed his elder brother back to their room, his wrist aching from the lengthy time spent tracing embroidery patterns.

Zhulan had finished laying out the bedding when Zhou Shuren entered the room. Zhulan expressed her surprise, ”Why have you returned so early? I thought you and the boys would chat for at least half an hour!”

Zhou Shuren began changing his clothes, ”There wasn’t much to talk about. Most matters in Pingzhou, they are not yet aware of, and nothing much has happened at home in the last two months. Our conversation was over in a sentence. As for the schoolwork of a few children at the academy, I can test them at home when I have time in the future.”

Zhulan asked curiously, ”How did your sons spend the Silver Coin you left as a test when you left?”

Zhou Shuren, now dressed, suggested, ”Let’s wash up first, and then I’ll tell you all about it slowly.”

Supressing her curiosity, Zhulan agreed, ”Alright.”

After washing up, Zhou Shuren lay down and turned to his side, ”The eldest, whom I personally taught, still lacks adaptability. No matter how much Silver Coin I gave him, he didn’t spend a cent. Moreover, on the day of receiving good news, the eldest was at a loss, but the second one was quick to react. The reward money for delivering the news all came from his own funds. The eldest, if not taught by me, he doesn’t know how to manage. In the future, I need to spend more time with Mingyun.”

Zhulan knew Zhou Shuren hardly had much time to spend on the eldest son, at most another year of personal coaching. After next year, Zhou Shuren wouldn’t have any time at all. Whatever the eldest could learn in a year would be all he could count on. In the future, the eldest’s family would have to rely on Mingyun, ”I will also teach Lady Li a bit more. Although it’s hard to sculpt rotten wood, with some extra effort, we might also be able to bluff others.”

Zhou Shuren nodded, ”What I am most satisfied with is the second son. He’s got the perfect innocent facade for deceiving others. If the second son were the eldest, we would have much less to worry about. Now, unfortunately, the first son can’t shoulder the responsibilities of an elder brother, and we can’t pay more attention to the second son lest we disrupt the balance, which would be detrimental to family harmony.”

Zhulan remarked, ”The Silver Coin you left for the second son hasn’t been wasted at all. He even learned to manage future household finances by checking the accounts kept by Zhao’s wife, and he’s picked up some skills on his own.”

Zhou Shuren hummed in agreement, ”As for the third son, I didn’t expect him to be so fond of money. He didn’t spend any of his own coins and managed to swindle quite a bit from Chang Zhi.”

Zhulan was speechless about her youngest son, ”Chang Zhi has no concept of money at all. He is naturally unconcerned about Silver Coin. It seems he can’t guard money, and such innate traits are hard to change. We’ll need to find him a wife who can manage money well.”

She certainly didn’t want to be in charge of her eldest son’s finances forever.

Zhou Shuren twitched the corner of his mouth, ”Hmm.”

Zhulan then asked, ”And what about Rongchuan?”

Zhou Shuren’s face showed a smile, ”That boy sure knows how to make money work for him. He used the Silver Coin I gave him to buy some quality paper and copied out the exam questions I had set for him, charging Five Coins per piece. Anyone who needed them would go to him, and now the boy has Three Hundred Wen Money in hand.”

Zhulan laughed, ”After you became a Scholar, there must have been quite a few who bought exam questions from him, right?”

Zhou Shuren nodded, ”Indeed, there were quite a few. However, once he became a Scholar, he stopped writing them. That kid is shrewd, fearing that people might mistake the sale of exam questions for a sure way to pass the Scholar exam. He didn’t want to assume any responsibility or attract unnecessary trouble, so he quit. He also made it known that the questions were based on his own study progress and unrelated to the children’s imperial examination.”

Zhulan was very satisfied with Rongchuan’s discretion. Not having as much contact with Rongchuan as Zhou Shuren did, she grew curious, ”Do you think Rongchuan can match Wu Ming?”

She had already given up on comparing her eldest son, who was naturally gifted in studies but also inherently flawed, incapable of handling practical affairs. Such a person was destined not to go far but could shine in the field of literature.

Zhou Shuren rubbed his chin, ”If we talk about intellectual maturity, Rongchuan’s hardships have been no less than Wu Ming’s. But one grew up in the village, the other in Prefecture City. Wu Ming faced more malicious people, whereas Rongchuan’s trials were limited to his parents. Aside from his talent in learning, Rongchuan can’t compare with Wu Ming. Environment shapes a person, and Wu Ming’s success is a product of his environment.”

Zhulan turned over, ”In fact, I prefer Rongchuan. Even though he has faced hardships, he still has a good heart, unlike Wu Ming. Wu Ming is too vengeful and holds grudges, which makes trying to understand his heart and dealing with him exhausting.”

Zhou Shuren added, ”He also has the merit of being grateful and seeking to repay kindness.”

”Hmm, let’s hope he remains grateful and seeks to repay for a lifetime, and not just because we happen to be on the same side for now.”

Currently simple, but when one spins in the large dye vat of power later in life, ’every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost,’ having a fearsome enemy is troublesome.

Zhou Shuren wasn’t worried; his and Zhulan’s wings were stronger. Wang Ru hadn’t changed much, but instead, it was he and Zhulan who had initiated greater changes. Based on what he inferred from Wang Ru’s actions, Wu Ming must have faced another ordeal after being outsmarted this time, which made him desperate to rise to the top by any means necessary, forming the cornerstone for his future climb to high positions. But now, with Zhou Shuren and Zhulan’s intervention, Wu Ming smoothly became a Scholar, gained a significant fortune, was taken under the tutelage of a renowned teacher, and received support and favor from relatives. Wu Ming had lost the determination needed for an inevitable rise to a high position.

Even if Wu Ming still climbed to a high position in the future, his growth environment had changed, and so would the way he conducted himself.

Zhou Shuren shared his analysis with Zhulan, and she felt reassured, ”If that’s the case, our wings have changed Wu Ming’s fate. Now that Wu Ming’s family is united, no matter how ruthless his methods, he will have to consider his family. Throughout history, those in high positions seldom have good endings. With Wu Ming now having more to consider, perhaps he could indeed have a better outcome.”

Zhou Shuren grasped Zhulan’s hand, ”I’ve speculated that if Wu Ming harshly sought a high position, he would be but a knife in the Emperor’s hand. If he could free himself in the future, well and good, but if not, his numerous offended parties would make him a target during a transfer of imperial power. He would become the nail that the new Emperor seeks to remove, an example set by killing the chicken to scare the monkey. Our intervention in changing his destiny is definitely towards the better.”

Zhulan hadn’t circulated in circles of power but understood that her workplace was also a small field of power dynamics. The strategy of killing the chicken to scare the monkey was something she too was adept at using.