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

Chapter 724: Chapter 724 Looking Forward to the Future_1

Rongchuan had been immersed in the experience, but now he felt like he had a thorn in his back, ”Thank you, Mr. Hou.”

Zhang Jingyang withdrew his gaze and quickly picked up a chopstick-full of fish, which had diminished by nearly half, and placed it in his bowl before turning his attention to Marquis Ning. This attitude was all wrong.

Although Marquis Ning was amicable to everyone, that was merely a facade. Marquis Ning’s affection for the Crown Prince, his nephew, was genuine, but he always firmly maintained his position as a minister. However, the kindness he showed Zhang Rongchuan startled him. Could it be that he was feeling a father’s love?

Ning Xu saw the perplexed look in Rongchuan’s eyes and softened his voice even more, ”Stop looking, eat more.”

Zhang Jinghong snapped back to reality and noticed there were only a few pieces of meat left on the plate. He snagged half of them, not caring why Marquis Ning was so good to Zhang Rongchuan. He would rather eat more, as opportunities like this were rare. Ever since he discovered his origins, he hadn’t been to the food hall for a long time. In the past, he never cared about Silver Coin, but now saving Silver was not easy!

Throughout the meal, Ning Xu didn’t stop serving dishes to Rongchuan, and he didn’t need to avoid doing so. Sooner or later, he would acknowledge Rongchuan. It was good to lay the groundwork in advance.

Upon returning to Zhou’s residence, Chang Lian didn’t rush back to his room but instead strolled through the garden with Rongchuan, ”Marquis Ning is overly kind to you.”

Rongchuan fell silent. The words from his third brother were subtle. This was not just being overly kind — it was overly excessive, as if to a son. Rongchuan was frightened by this thought.

Chang Lian looked sideways at Rongchuan, who had stopped walking, ”What’s wrong?”

Rongchuan shook his head. He shouldn’t entertain this idea; it would only lead to disappointment, ”We’ll find out in time. Third Brother, I drank a bit too much and would like to go back to rest.”

Chang Lian uttered a sound of realization, watching Rongchuan depart, then stroked his chin. Could it be that Rongchuan was Marquis Ning’s child?

The next morning in Jinzhou Province, during breakfast, the second son of the Zhou family ate in the main courtyard. He waited for his parents to finish before speaking, ”Father, I will set off for Lizhou today. Do you have any other instructions for me?”

Zhou Shuren put down the napkin from wiping the corner of his mouth, ”On your way to Lizhou, pay close attention to the weather conditions in the other provinces, and write a letter back home at each province you visit.”

The second son noted this, ”I will definitely pay close attention to the weather.”

Seeing that Zhou Shuren had no other instructions, Zhulan spoke up, ”Make sure to rest adequately on your journey, don’t rush too much, and take good care of yourself when you’re away from home.”

Warmed by his mother’s concern, the second son reflected on how he would not have come to the main courtyard for a meal with his parents before leaving in the past. This was his first time, and it felt particularly good, ”Mother, I will remember.”

Zhulan stood up and handed the prepared letters and gift box to Chang Yi, ”The two small boxes on top are for your eldest aunt and your second aunt, and the box at the bottom is for Wu Chun’s daughter. Your eldest aunt wrote saying that the young girl’s hair has grown long enough to wear jewelry, so I picked out some for her. When you arrive, give them to your eldest aunt.”

The second son smiled, ”The girls in the Yang family are scarce; all of them are treasured.”

Zhulan also smiled, ”Indeed.”

Wu Chun’s daughter was already there when the Zhou family left Lizhou. Born after the New Year, the little girl was three by nominal age and now knew to wear jewelry.

Zhou Shuren went to the government office while Zhulan personally saw off the second son. Although he left with light luggage, there were several horse-drawn carriages, mainly carrying gifts from Zhulan to her maternal family, all rare foodstuffs from Lizhou.

Zhulan let out a wistful sigh. Since her parents’ passing, the letters had not been as frequent as when they were alive, typically arriving only during festivals or in response to her own letters.

Mrs. Zhao helped her mother-in-law, ”Mother, it’s hot. Let’s go back.”

”Alright.”

Mrs. Zhao’s brow relaxed, a smile playing on her lips. Ever since her husband changed, she found life to be more agreeable. Her children smiled more often, and the present days were truly good.

Back in the main courtyard, Zhulan picked up the fabric and continued making clothes. She wanted to sew a few short robes for her son to wear at night, thinking they would make his nights more comfortable.

Mrs. Zhao did not hurry to leave and reached out her hand to help pick threads.

Zhulan glanced at her, aware that Mrs. Zhao simply wanted to keep her company, rather than having anything important to say.

Mrs. Zhao picked up the needle, ”Mother, let me thread it for you!”

”All right.”

Mrs. Zhao threaded the needle quickly, and Zhulan smiled, ”Youthful eyes are indeed sharp. Now that I am older, my eyesight isn’t as good as before.”

Mrs. Zhao replied, ”Mother, you’re not old at all.”

Zhulan took the needle back, ”One must accept aging, you should take good care of your eyes, do less embroidery in the future, you’ll understand when you get older.”

Zhulan was protective of her own eyes, but the dim candlelight still strained them.

Mrs. Zhao said with a smile, ”Mother, I don’t embroider large pieces anymore.”

”As long as you’re aware of it, that’s good. Speaking of which, has Ming Rui told you about the Ma family’s business?”

Mrs. Zhao nodded, ”He did.”

”Since you’re here today, I should inform you as well. Yushuang’s marriage is not urgent, I will carefully look out for her. Marriage is a lifetime matter. It’s not easy for women; we both know marrying is like being reborn. With a good in-law family, one can enjoy a lifetime of happiness. We must be cautious with Yushuang’s marital affairs.”

Mrs. Zhao thought of her days in the Zhou family and felt ashamed of the thoughts she had harbored back then, ”Mother, your daughter-in-law...”

”Chang Zhong mentioned he wanted small horses on his garment, I’ll embroider one for him. This thread is a bit excessive, help me sort it out.”

Mrs. Zhao understood that her mother-in-law did not wish to continue the conversation, the past was in the past, and they should look forward to the days ahead!

In the afternoon, the Emperor was playing chess with Ning Xu in the Royal Garden pavilion. The Emperor, seeing he was about to lose, suddenly said, ”I heard that yesterday you took Rongchuan to a full fish banquet? And kept serving him dishes?”

Ning Xu knew the Emperor must have summoned him for this reason, and he could feel the jealousy. Although he felt quite pleased inside, he didn’t dare show it, ”I was just laying the groundwork, waiting for the right moment.”

The Emperor grunted, ”It’s your turn now.”

Ning Xu looked at the chessboard; he dared not win, ”This servant’s move is done.”

The Emperor looked at the revived chessboard and snorted in his heart. Trying to win his favor in front of his son and beat him at chess? Dream on!

Ning Xu saw the Emperor making his moves without mercy and felt somewhat resigned. He thought that in the future, the Emperor would often bully him!

In Jinzhou Province, Zhou Shuren arrived at the government office where Master Wang had already consumed a good deal of herbal tea. Zhou Shuren frowned, ”Drinking so much herbal tea early in the morning, can your stomach handle it?”

Wong Ju was not in high spirits, ”Who would have thought it’d be this hot? We haven’t had such hot weather in years, and the rain we had last time didn’t cool things down.”

Zhou Shuren observed Wong Ju. He wasn’t feeling particularly hot, but now he felt the heat too, ”Go take care of your business.”

Wong Ju didn’t feel like moving; the official’s room was cooler, ”Sir, if the weather continues without rain, your trip to the capital might be delayed.”

Zhou Shuren fell silent; actually, there had been no activity in the capital, and he knew it was related to the weather. The Emperor was worried about a drought disaster in Jinzhou!

Zhou Shuren, ”This official believes it will rain in a couple days.”

His concern wasn’t just about going to the capital but also stemmed from the hope to avoid the drought. He had the memories of his original self; the horror of a drought was something he had never experienced and certainly did not wish to