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

Chapter 297: Chapter 297 People who are content are likable_1

Zhou Shuren pulled over a pillow and lay down, ”The Zhao family just keeps doing what they do, Zhao Bo secretly told me that things will settle down in a few days and asked me not to worry.”

Zhulan sighed, ”A great family truly has its connections—so well-informed.”

Zhou Shuren uttered his agreement, ”I suspect that the Northwest has gone to war since there have only been a couple of battles on the Northeast border.”

Zhulan felt assured and no longer had anything to worry about. Lying next to Zhou Shuren with her eyes closed, she said, ”Several northern prefectures allowed the people moving southward to come over, but once they reached Pingzhou City, they were sternly denied entry and passage. It looks like they’re taking the chance to purge the officials of the prefectures that let the people through!”

Zhou Shuren hummed in response, ”They probably wanted to cleanse for a while, now they’re taking the chance to settle it all at once.”

Zhulan thought to herself that this Emperor was likely to settle scores far beyond just a few prefectures, intending to resolve all necessary purges in one fell swoop, ”Our Emperor has truly calculated the hearts of people down to their bones.”

”Indeed.”

Furthermore, he was especially bloody, and this purge would certainly result in no small number of deaths.

That evening, Rongchuan and Mingyun came back. Rongchuan said that not a single child of the officials took a leave; they all went to the Academy to study.

Zhulan thought to herself that the officials of Pingzhou City must have truly earned the Emperor’s trust—a good thing indeed. At least Pingzhou City was stable!

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, seven days had passed. Many things had happened in Pingzhou City. On the third day of the lockdown, some people tried to take advantage of the chaos to make a fortune. Unfortunately, they were captured as soon as they started looting, executed on the streets without the slightest hesitation, thereby thoroughly deterring those with intentions to profit. Afterwards, more patrolling soldiers appeared in the city.

The shops in the city remained open, especially the grain stores. It must have been that the merchants, suppressed since the establishment of the dynasty, were scared after witnessing the bloody measures; no one dared to try profiting from the crisis. The price of grain returned to its normal rate, and the Prefecture City was not disrupted at all.

Apart from the difficulty in procuring meat, everyone in the city just continued with their usual activities.

In the blink of an eye, another five days passed. The army passed through Pingzhou City and incidentally sent the people who moved southward back home. The next day, Pingzhou City opened its gates.

Even though the city gates were opened, nobody dared to leave recklessly, all because the army that passed through Beicheng on the outside of the north gate had killed many who resisted. The bodies outside the city gate were cleared away, yet the soil was still dyed red with blood.

It was nicely put that the people were being sent home, but in plain terms, ’escorted’ was more apt.

Zhulan did not know how many had died; the news she got was all through Lady Li’s mouth. That very night, Zhulan couldn’t sleep. It was the first time she had experienced such a bloody suppression since she had come here two years ago. Though the memory of her former self had such experiences, living through it personally still had a profound impact on her. Human life was cheap in ancient times, even cheaper during wars.

Three days later, heavy rain fell over Pingzhou City. After the rain mixed with mud, the bloodstains outside Beicheng were finally less noticeable, and people of the state dared to leave the city gates.

Pingzhou City completely recovered as if the events of the previous days had never happened.

Qian Shengbao visited the Zhou family. This time he came alone. ”My dear in-law, Landlord Zhang and his entire family from near Qian Family Village have migrated south.”

Zhou Shuren and Zhulan understood the implication behind Qian Shengbao’s visit. Zhou Shuren, with his eyes downcast, said, ”Do you want to buy it?”

Qian Shengbao couldn’t believe that Scholar Zhou could not grasp his meaning; Scholar Zhou was doing it on purpose. He did indeed want to buy, but he dared not. If he bought it, wouldn’t he be telling everyone he had silver, a lot of silver?

But it was different for his in-laws. He knew very well that Mr. Jiang was taking his third son-in-law along, and the head of the Academy was his fourth son-in-law’s master. All these connections mattered.

Especially the network of Graduate Xu, who, over the years, has had many Scholars and Graduates emerge from his Academy, with quite a few becoming officials. Moreover, many of his students are the children of officials, and Graduate Xu, when asked, would often give some degree of courtesy. Although Graduate Xu hasn’t taken many disciples, those he has taken have either become officials or have made a name for themselves.

After the Zhou family’s two sons became Scholars, their status was no longer as before. The land that the Zhou family bought was indeed defensible.

Qian Shengbao took a deep breath. His in-law was more fox-like than he was. He wasn’t deserving of the moniker ”old fox,” his in-law was the true ”old fox.” He chuckled dryly, ”Even if I bought it, I couldn’t defend it. I was thinking this good opportunity shouldn’t be missed by the family, so I made a special trip to discuss it with you.”

Zhou Shuren spread his hands, ”I have no silver!”

Even if he had silver, he wouldn’t buy it. Who knew how many people were eyeing the land near Prefecture City? The Zhou family’s status had indeed changed, but they weren’t crazy enough to compete with officials for it.

Qian Shengbao was anxious, ”Landowner Zhang’s land is the best within ten miles. Many people are watching it. If you miss this chance, it won’t come again.”

Zhulan interjected, ”We don’t have the silver.”

Qian Shengbao pursed his eyebrows, wondering why a woman was joining the conversation. Right, today his mother-in-law hadn’t left, and judging by Scholar Zhou’s demeanor, he wasn’t the least bit hesitant. Qian Shengbao quickly relaxed his furrowed brows, realizing his mother-in-law held a high position in his in-law’s heart, even involving herself in external affairs. Qian Shengbao’s eyes shifted, ”If you’re short on silver, I can lend some to you.”

Zhulan scoffed inwardly, ”It’s not a problem of silver; even if we had the silver, we wouldn’t buy it. The Zhou family knows its own weight. We are clear about what the in-law has in mind, and I advise you to give up the thought.”

Pah, Qian Shengbao indeed hoped the Zhou family would buy the land. He had some idea of how much silver the Zhou family had; they didn’t have enough to swallow the land whole, which meant the Qian family could lend them silver. But how would the Zhou family repay it? Only with land. This way, the Qian family would lawfully receive the Zhou family’s protection and acquire the land— such a cunning plan.

Qian Shengbao was stunned, looking at Scholar Zhou, who remained silent. Qian Shengbao was shocked. He had heard from Lady Fang that his mother-in-law was not simple, but he had never taken it seriously, after all, she was just a woman. Today, he believed it. Although she hadn’t spelled out his motive, she had guessed it right.

And it wasn’t just that his mother-in-law held a high place in his in-law’s heart; clearly, she could make decisions!

Qian Shengbao felt he could struggle a bit more, ”Indeed, I do want some profit, but isn’t this opportunity rare? Mother-in-law, do you really want to miss out?”

Zhulan said hauntingly, ”Favors used once are gone. You surely understand this principle. Besides, people prefer someone who lives within their means, don’t you think I’m right, in-law?”

Qian Shengbao understood. His mother-in-law was telling him that the Zhou family wouldn’t use the connections their sons had made just for some land, and if they were to use them, it would be for crucial moments. She also told him that the Zhou family preferred relatives who were contented with their lot!

Zhou Shuren looked at Qian Shengbao’s changing expression. Heh, to handle an old fox like this, you had to crush them, and Zhulan was perfect for the job. Who made the old fox underestimate women? He had wanted to do this a long time ago, ”Looking at the time, it’s getting late, and I have matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you here any longer.”

Qian Shengbao, for the first time, was being seen out. Knowing that the Zhou family didn’t like him anymore, he stood up awkwardly, ”Then I’ll take my leave first.”

Zhou Shuren, ”Hmm.”

Zhou Eldest Son, who had been like a background board the entire time, now moved, ”Uncle, let me see you out.”

Qian Shengbao smiled, ”That’s very kind of you, my dear nephew.”

Zhou Eldest Son marveled inwardly at Old Master Qian. Even after his parents had peeled back his layers, he could still smile. That level of thick-skinned-ness was not something just anyone could achieve.

Qian Shengbao’s mouth twitched. Scholar Zhou’s eldest son was really discerning. It was precisely because he was discerning that Qian felt choked up. Did he think anyone wanted to cultivate a thick skin? Wasn’t it because he had been made to act like a slave all along? How did he come to feel that Scholar Zhou’s son was the most infuriating of all!