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

Chapter 523: Chapter 523 Fake_1

Zhulan fiddled with Zhou Shuren’s hand, ”You could have someone keep an eye on Miss Yao the second.”

Zhou Shuren held Zhulan’s hand and gently shook his head, ”I’d rather not trouble myself further. It’s sufficient to know the general direction.”

Zhulan was indeed curious about what the Princely Heir had discovered.

Zhou Shuren drew Zhulan closer, ”It’s getting late; best to rest now.”

Zhulan truly was tired; her youngest son hadn’t slept all day, and she had kept him company throughout, but her age was catching up with her, and she couldn’t keep pace with her energy, ”Hmm.”

Zhou Shuren too closed his eyes; with everything accounted for, he soon fell asleep as well.

In the capital, within the Crown Prince’s study, the Crown Prince looked at the message he had intercepted from the Third Prince. His eyes darkened—The Third Prince had been closely watching the Fifth Prince and had speculated from the actions of the Princely Heir that the returned Fifth Prince was an impostor. The Crown Prince closed his eyes, recalling every detail before suddenly opening them—if the returned Fifth Prince was a fake, then the real Fifth Prince must have long since gone into hiding. Thereby, the Hou Residence’s decision to send the legitimate Miss Yao to Jinzhou City was to prevent suspicions that the Fifth Prince was fake. The Hou Residence wanted them to think that with the legitimate daughter dispatched there, the Fifth Prince must be genuine.

The Crown Prince stood up and then sat down again, now certain that the returned Fifth Prince was a fake. So where had the real Fifth Prince gone, and when had he found someone to take his place? And what role had the Hou Residence played in all this? They really were willing to sacrifice their legitimate daughter.

The Crown Prince thought about the Emperor’s expression and had an epiphany—the Emperor was not only using the Fifth Prince as bait but had known all along that the returned Fifth Prince was fake. Therefore, there was no need to return to the capital. The Emperor had even used this impostor to openly lure the Hou Residence into the trap.

The Crown Prince chuckled softly, realizing he was still too green. It was his father, the Emperor, who was the master hunter.

At the Second Prince Residence, the Second Prince also had intercepted messages in his hands. After reading, he remarked, ”The Third Prince is really hiding deep. I suppose all the brothers have this message by now.”

The Second Prince firmly believed that the Third Prince was the most cunning. How cautious had the Third Prince been before? This interception was too easy.

If the Third Prince knew how the Second Prince felt, he would have cursed, ”Bah! What cunning? These days, with the Second and Fourth Princes keeping a close eye on him, he felt like he was being scapegoated. With most of his people sent out, it was natural for there to be more slip-ups; it truly wasn’t him being lax.”

The Fourth Prince pinched the piece of paper with the message. He thought if the Fifth Prince was indeed fake, didn’t that mean the Hou Residence was completely backing him? Did they possess such great capability? It should be noted that there were not just a few watching the Fifth Prince’s departure from the capital, but no one noticed when the switch had occurred.

The Fourth Prince’s heart sank. They had all underestimated the Fifth Prince; at such a young age, he wielded so much influence. Instantly, the Fourth Prince elevated the Fifth Prince to the same level as the Crown Prince.

The next afternoon, Zhulan heard an astonishing message, ”A royal decree for an arranged marriage?”

Song’s old nanny, aware of the message, was also stunned, ”Yes, the eunuch who proclaimed the decree has already left, and by now it must have spread throughout Jinzhou City.”

Zhulan took a moment to process, ”The Emperor actually arranged a marriage for the Princely Heir, and the bride is too surprising.”

Song’s old nanny thought that the entire Jinzhou City must be bewildered—who could have expected the Emperor to arrange a marriage for the Princely Heir.

Zhulan was really amazed, astonished at the bride of the arranged marriage—the young Magistrate’s daughter from the Anping Marquis Residence. The Marquis’s second son was the former Prefect of Jinzhou, so Zhulan knew more about the Anping Marquis Residence, staunch supporters of the Emperor. How many others sought such a distinguished daughter, now bestowed upon Yao Zheyu!

It was said that the young Magistrate’s daughter was greatly favored by the Empress, and while she held no title, her name was given by the Empress—Shen Yile, a young lady of just fifteen.

As for her other character traits, Zhulan had no idea because the young Magistrate was very well protected.

In the Government Office, Zhou Shuren and Mr. Wang were staring at each other, wide-eyed. Mr. Wang couldn’t take it anymore, ”Aren’t you surprised, sir?”

Zhou Shuren was quite calm, as he had known for a long time that Yao Zheyu had sold himself to the Emperor and that he couldn’t choose who he married. So, he wasn’t surprised at all and shook his head, ”There’s nothing to be surprised about.”

It was just the influence of the Hou Residence that stunned him, that the Emperor even upped the stakes for Yao Zheyu, and they were quite hefty at that—the Anping Marquis Residence, no less. The Emperor was indeed generous.

Mr. Wang confirmed that Zhou really wasn’t surprised, his mouth twitching. Okay, he was very surprised, no, shocked was more like it. My goodness, one was a marquis residence left over from the former dynasty, and the other was the Emperor’s staunch supporter. With the two great residences joining in marriage, this indeed created a formidable power.

Zhou Shuren, smiling, sipped his tea, ”Mr. Wang, you worry too much. This—no, I should say, what has this arranged marriage got to do with us?”

Mr. Wang was stunned. Right, his family had always been law-abiding, and Zhou was an old fox who had been around for a millennia. It really didn’t have much to do with them. Why was he so worked up? Clearing his throat, he said, ”I’ve lost my composure.”

Luckily the old man didn’t see this, or else he would be copying military tactics again. What a sorrow. The Wang family’s children could recite them backward, the very thought was terrifying.

Zhou Shuren set down his teacup, ”Mr. Wang, you should go back to your work.”

Mr. Wang looked at Zhou Shuren with an indescribable expression, thinking they were on the same side now, but this guy just couldn’t give him a break. He said dismally, ”Someday you’ll wear me out so much that I’ll lose my hair.”

Zhou Shuren glanced at Mr. Wang’s hairline, coughed, and didn’t tell him that he too was worried about his thinning hair. He was also losing hair, and to make matters worse, his son at home enjoyed pulling on his locks. Just thinking about it brought tears to his eyes. He hoped his hairline would at least survive until fifty!

In the Yao Residence, Yao Zheyu held the imperial edict in his hand, taking a deep breath before carefully putting it away. Then he sat, staring blankly at the falling leaves, feeling that he should be happy. The Emperor had arranged a marriage for him with the Anping Marquis Residence, indicating that as long as he behaved, though he wouldn’t hold high power, he would be safe.

The young Magistrate of the Anping Residence, wasn’t she also the wife he longed for? She was indeed the kind of wife he needed. Once he married the young Magistrate, he would finally be free from his cage, and he would have enough strength to fight for the power of the Hou Residence. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to feel happy.

Yao Zheyu withdrew his gaze, feeling ridiculous. He had understood for a long time that he had no right to choose a wife he liked, and he had been deceiving himself. Now he had woken from the dream.

When Yao Yao rushed back, she saw the gloominess of her elder brother and pursed her lips, ”You should be happy, big brother.”

Yao Zheyu gave a light chuckle, ”You’re right. I should be smiling.”

Now, how many people were watching him. He couldn’t show even a hint of dissatisfaction.

Seeing her brother’s smile made Yao Yao’s heart heavier. Her big brother didn’t even have the right to be upset. She didn’t know how deeply he loved Miss Zhou, but she knew that Miss Zhou was the only woman he ever liked, a pity there was no fate between them.

Yao Zheyu saw the sadness in his sister’s eyes and reached out to touch her hair. He wasn’t a pitiable person. In comparison, he only lacked power while his sister had been completely ruined. The one who truly deserved to be upset and cry was this girl, yet, whenever she stepped out of her bedroom, her smile never changed.

Yao Zheyu gestured for the young servant to leave and, after ensuring no one else was around, asked, ”Do you hate it?”