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

Chapter 550: Chapter 550: Not Sure Who’s Setting Up Whom_1

Zhou Shuren picked up the conversation, ”I have worked with the Princely Heir Yao for quite some time, and he truly deserves to be called the foremost gentleman of the capital. If I had such a son, I would certainly be enjoying my later years in peace by now, but alas, my eldest and second sons are not up to par.”

The Third Prince nearly burst out laughing. Mr. Zhou really knows how to twist the knife. ”Enjoying later years in peace,” what a line!

The Fourth Prince’s lips curled up, ”Look how elated Mr. Hou is; his face is flushed with excitement.”

Yao Wenqi felt like he had suffered an internal injury. He shouldn’t have sent out invitations to the Zhou residence. Today, he was truly seeking punishment. It was one against four; his head was buzzing.

Yao Wenqi coughed, ”The winter has set in and my health seems a bit off, I...”

Zhou Shuren interrupted, ”Mr. Hou loves the opera and hunting; your constitution must be stronger than mine. Could it be, Mr. Hou, that you are even less robust than I am?”

The words Yao Wenqi wanted to swallow back could not be said. Narrowing his eyes, ”I have enjoyed today’s conversation with Mr. Zhou greatly.”

Zhou Shuren held his cup of tea, ”Indeed, it was delightful.”

Within the Palace, someone next to the Emperor was mimicking the conversation. They repeated everything said in the box, to the Emperor’s amusement, ”It seems our Mr. Zhou gets along with everyone quite well.”

Look at that, the Emperor was very fond of Zhou Shuren’s words.

The Crown Prince was quite regretful. He wanted to see Mr. Zhou make a spectacle of himself yesterday, and he regretted not going to watch in person today. It must have been a sight to behold. What a pity. He wanted to chat with Mr. Zhou; mocking his four younger brothers no longer gave him a sense of achievement.

The Emperor gestured for the mimic to leave, ”Tell the Second Prince tomorrow to practice moderation.”

The Crown Prince responded, ”Yes.”

The Emperor continued, ”When the gold and silver from the islands arrive, don’t go through the Ministry of Revenue. Put half into the Navy and half into the garrison forces in Dongbei for subsidies and equipment upgrades. Pick someone to follow the silver to Dongbei.”

The Crown Prince’s blood heated up. Was his father letting him get involved with military power? Suppressing his excitement, he answered, ”Yes.”

The Emperor was still pleased with the Crown Prince’s demeanor; he was excited but regained composure quickly. Then he closed his eyes. The gold and silver from the islands amounted to over eight million taels—a sizeable figure indeed. He felt relieved; this enormous sum, accumulated over three years, all went to the imperial court. It eased his mind a bit, glad that it was not too late, and the silver had not been spent.

Yet, the Emperor had a nagging concern. To save up for three years indicated a significant undertaking. He felt fortunate now that the silver was gone and the troops raised on the islands had been eliminated. A potential uprising had thus been averted.

The Emperor stroked his chin, contemplating that he wanted Zhou Shuren to come to the capital. Unfortunately, that was wishful thinking. Zhou Shuren’s promotion had already been rapid. Having attained the fourth rank, the Emperor could not act on a whim. Thankfully, Zhou Shuren had plenty of merit, and his constitution was still decent. The Crown Prince was still too green.

The Crown Prince paused and then said, ”Father, about the Xu family in Jinzhou Province.”

The Emperor cut off the Crown Prince’s words, ”I’ll leave it to you.”

The Crown Prince understood; it was his to manage. He liked the cleverness of a family like the Xus, ”Yes.”

In Jinzhou City, Zhulan bid farewell to Madame Xu Zhao. Zhulan was quite tired; Xue Han supported her, ”Mother, the matriarch of the Xu family stayed for far too long.”

Zhulan patted her daughter’s hand, ”It’s not easy for the Xu family.”

The longer the matriarch’s visit, the more it underscored the relationship between the Zhous and the Xus. The Xu family was seeking temporary shelter and had brought gifts again today, different from their gratitude gifts of yesterday. Today’s gifts were for their protection; the Xu family was aware they could be targeted for retribution at any moment, and they were waiting for someone from the capital.

Zhulan returned to her room; old nurse Song spoke up, ”Madam, take a look.”

Zhulan took the box, which was hollow with several silver notes inside—five in total, each worth one thousand taels. Compressing her lips, ”Have a few house servants skilled in martial arts stay at the Xu residence for a few days, and return these silver notes as well.”

Old nurse Song replied, ”Yes.”

Xue Han didn’t know much about the Xu family, only that their relations had been severed and recently rekindled, ”Mother.”

Zhulan reassured her, ”It’s alright, I have it under control.”

The gifts were already valuable enough; there was no need for the silver notes.

Old nurse Song quickly returned, followed by Shen Xing, ”The master asked me to bring back the Emperor’s reward to the manor.”

Zhulan saw the two chests of gold, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. Ah, the silver spent by Zhou Shuren had come back, ”You’ve also worked hard; go and rest first.”

Shen Xing said, ”I must hurry back to the capital.”

Only Jinyan was someone he could not feel at ease about.

Zhulan looked at Shen Xing, who must not have eaten, ”Eat first before you go.”

Shen Xing replied, ”Yes.”

Zhulan, after tallying, one thousand taels of gold was equivalent to ten thousand taels of silver. These pieces of gold should not be touched; it was best to keep them stored.

Zhulan picked up the porcelain and heard Lady Li’s cry of alarm, almost causing her to drop the porcelain. She carefully set it down, ”Were you bitten by a dog? Your cries can be heard throughout the courtyard.”

Lady Li trembled with a silver note in hand, ”Mother, mother, look.”

Zhulan was silent for a moment, ”Stop trembling.”

Lady Li swallowed before presenting the silver notes to her mother, ”Mother, these are five one hundred tael silver notes, found inside the jewelry box given by the Qi Clan.”

Ming Hui insisted on playing with the jewelry, which she refused to give him, causing the jewelry box to fall over in the struggle. It was then they discovered that the box was empty, containing five hundred taels of silver notes.

Zhulan asked, ”How did you find them?”

Lady Li recounted the incident, ”That’s what happened, mother. Why would the Qi Clan send silver after making an apology?”

Zhulan understood; the Qi Clan knew Lady Li’s personality, which is why they did not tell her upfront, waiting for the right moment to reveal it. Lady Li would certainly be moved, which shows a direct understanding of Lady Li by giving silver more intuitively. Unfortunately, they hadn’t anticipated an accident, ”The Qi Clan hoped you would be even more touched and willing to continue the relationship in the future.”

Lady Li pursed her lips, ”Mother, can you help me return the silver notes?”

Zhulan questioned, ”Why? This is no small amount.”

Lady Li blinked her small eyes, ”This is blatant bribery towards the Zhou family. We can’t accept it.”

Zhulan burst into laughter, ”You’re overthinking it.”

Feeling embarrassed, Lady Li who didn’t know much, only knew not to cause trouble for the family, ”Mother, we still can’t keep this silver. The Qi Clan already made their apology, and by accepting, it means I wish to continue our dealings. Better to forget about the silver notes.”

Zhulan was pleased; Lady Li used to love silver because of shortsightedness, fearing not having any silver on hand. Now that she had silver and her status had changed, yet still being able to hold on to her principles, was commendable, ”Mother will have someone return the silver for you.”

Lady Li was delighted, ”Ah, I must go back now, Ming Hui must be stealing the jewelry again, my jewelry.”

With that, she ran off.

Zhulan chuckled; Lady Li was very happy today. Indeed, it was quite unexpected that the Qi Clan and Lady Li could become friends.

In the capital, in a private dining room of a restaurant, Zhou Shuren leisurely dined, calculating in his mind how much silver would need to be spent. The dishes themselves did not cost much silver, but the wine and tea were expensive — thirty years aged.

The Second Prince was enjoying his meal, unusually finding the Fourth Prince to his liking. It was not bad to fleece Mr. Zhou; the wine was excellent, unexpected for a restaurant to have such good quality.

The Third Prince raised his wine cup, ”Little brother, drink.”

The Fourth Prince’s eyes twinkled, ”Is Mr. Zhou joining us as well?”

Zhou Shuren set down his chopsticks, ”Sure, why not.”

Marquis Yao was eating to the point of stomach pain, silent but still probed by the Second Prince, with the Fourth Prince sitting beside him gritting his teeth, ”Waiter, another pot of hot wine.”

He paused before addressing Zhou Shuren, ”Mr. Zhou wouldn’t begrudge it, right?”

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, ”Not at all, everyone feel free to order, do you need anything packed up?”

The Second Prince chuckled, ”Mr. Zhou is quite generous.”

Zhou Shuren inwardly sneered. He did indeed intend to host, but these people were deliberately trying to fleece him, and he was not pleased. It was still unknown who would end up with the bill, ”One pot of wine is not enough. Since we’re rarely this happy, waiter, bring out all the best wine in the house.”

The Second Prince gripped his wine cup and paused. This old fox was not to be underestimated; perhaps it was a trap, ”Mr. Zhou is quite lavish.”

Zhou Shuren toyed with his wine cup, ”Well, Mr. Zhou has come into a fortune. One thousand taels of gold is the same as ten thousand taels of silver, and with antiques and paintings, the family wealth is significant. May I inquire how much the princes’ annual stipend is?”