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

Chapter 795: Chapter 795 Where There Are Still People

In the afternoon, Duke Ning’s family finally left, and both Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were exhausted. After seeing off the people from the Duke Residence, the couple retreated to their room to rest. As for the thank-you gifts, they didn’t have the energy to check them; they wouldn’t go missing anyway. Rest was the priority.

After changing his clothes, Zhou Shuren lay down comfortably, ”Even though we didn’t discuss state affairs, Duke Ning and Marquis Ning sure asked a lot.”

He alone had faced the five men of the Ning family; it was tiring!

Zhulan fared a bit better, needing only to accompany the Duchess of Duke Ning. Later, when the Duchess went to rest, she only had to deal with Lady Du, ”This Princely Heir’s wife, how should I say it, actually tried to coax information out of me personally. Fortunately, our daughter married into the Hou Residence, so Lady Du didn’t dare to overstep.”

Despite Lady Du’s apparently gentle demeanor, after speaking with her extensively, Zhulan began to understand her. This one was not truly generous of spirit.

Zhou Shuren rolled over, ”Let’s not talk about them anymore.”

Zhulan closed her eyes as well, ”Mm.”

In the main house, Lady Li was fanning herself, muttering, ”Thank goodness the meals went without error. I’ve been worried sick.”

She had been on edge all day for fear of making a mistake during her stint as the household manager, causing the Duke Residence to look down upon the Zhou family. Now that the guests were gone, she felt somewhat spent.

Yu Lu took the fan from her mother’s hand, ”Mother, let your daughter fan you.”

Lady Li felt reassured in her heart; her daughter was so considerate towards her. Still, she asked with a hint of insecurity, ”Did I perform okay today?”

Yu Lu, her eyes smiling, saw that under the pressure, her mother had improved significantly. She nodded, ”Very well done, you truly have the grace of the principal wife.”

Lady Li, grinning from ear to ear, ”My daughter always speaks the truth.”

Yu Lu found her mother utterly adorable, ”Mother, is father about to return?”

Lady Li felt an emptiness in her heart, ”Mm, he should have started his journey back.”

In the second wife’s quarters, Zhao Shi felt somewhat dazed. Seeing this, Yushuang thought her mother had been wronged, ”Mother, did you hear something unpleasant?”

Zhao Shi came to her senses and hugged her little daughter Yu Die, laughing, ”No one said anything unpleasant. Mother just feels like it’s all a dream.”

Although the wives of the Duke’s grandsons, Song Shi and Yu Shi, were indifferent towards her, they were still polite. She was the daughter-in-law of Duke Ning’s family, after all!

Who could have imagined that she, once bullied as a child and prepared for death during the drought in her later years, not only had sons and daughters now but was called ’Second Madame’ wherever she went? She truly feared it was all a dream.

Yushuang grasped her mother’s hand. Her mother had been through too much and was anxious about losing what she had gained, ”Mother, this is not a dream.”

Zhao Shi laughed, ”Mother knows. You’re also tired. Go rest for a while.”

As Yushuang stood up, she said, ”Mother, you should rest too.”

With that, she took her little sister back to her own room.

In the third wife’s quarters, Lady Dong also had her reflections, but they were not as profound as those of the first and second wives because in the Zhou family, currently only Chang Lian had embarked on a career in the civil service. Lady Dong received many invitations and had seen much of the world. The only thing she lamented was her younger sister-in-law; she didn’t dwell on much else.

Su Xuan had even simpler thoughts: as long as they were good to the Zhou family, that was all that mattered.

Within the territory of Qingzhou, Chang Yi was counting the days. In five more days, he would reach the capital. Although he was eager to return, his journey was not fast because of the many items he had purchased. Now, at last, he was about to arrive home.

Sitting in the carriage, Chang Yi was considering whether to continue traveling through the night when Dongmo, riding a horse, came up to the carriage window, ”Second Master, Qiangzi who went ahead has returned; there are people up ahead abducting village girls.”

Dongmo had been with the Second Master for many years. He was merely reporting the facts, knowing better than anyone that the Second Master was not one to meddle in idle matters.

Chang Yi lifted the carriage curtain and asked in a lowered voice, ”We’ve been on this road several times before, haven’t we? Why do I recall that this area is quite far from any village? Or am I mistaken?”

Dongmo confirmed, ”Indeed, it is some distance from any village.”

Chang Yi’s face was serious, ”Turn around, tonight we will stay overnight at the county town we just passed.”

He had to be careful. The higher his father’s official rank, the more people there would be scheming against the Zhou family. At the same time, he was very annoyed in his heart. He knew he looked honest and straightforward, so why did they use a honey trap on him? That’s right, Chang Yi was convinced that the schemes were aimed at him.

After the carriage turned around, Chang Yi pondered that when he returned to the capital, he would need to select a few more reliable men. He wouldn’t venture out lightly in the future.

The front scouts had waited half a day for the caravan but to no avail. Resigned, they sent someone to investigate, and of course, there was neither a caravan nor a person in sight!

The caravan needed to reach the county town, and Qiangzi, whom Chang Yi had deliberately left behind, also hurried over. ”Second Master, we had just left when someone was sneaking around to inspect.”

Chang Yi grunted in response, feeling even more irritated. He was so close to reaching the capital, yet these troubling matters delayed his journey. He wondered if he should leave first.

In the capital, Zhou Shuren had no idea that his second son was being plotted against once again as he and his wife counted the thank-you gifts.

Zhulan looked at the gift list—there was five thousand taels of gold and fifty thousand taels of silver. The jewelry and unpolished gems could be made into accessories for her granddaughters or become part of Xue Han’s bridal dowry. The books and paintings were for Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren had already cherished and put away the items, many of which were in pairs, obviously intended for a bridal dowry.

There was a whole set of jewelry, and most of it was for her. There truly was a lot of jewelry.

Zhou Shuren said, ”I’m going to the study.”

”All right.”

Zhulan sorted out the gold according to the amount of silver each household had lent her. She also chose several pieces of jewelry for each of her daughters-in-law. The granddaughters were not forgotten either, and she instructed Granny Song to deliver them to each household.

Then she sealed away two thousand taels of gold as a dowry reserve for her daughter’s marriage chest, and put away the rest. She also selected some jewelry—the gifts from Ning Residence were all rarities. She saved some for her granddaughters’ marriage chests and the rest for her daughter to take away as part of her bridal dowry.

After Zhulan finished organizing, Granny Song returned. Zhulan sighed, ”These items look plentiful, but once divided, they disappear.”

Still not enough to go around. There were many granddaughters in the family, all of them legitimate, and as their grandmother, she had to treat them equally and also leave extra for the granddaughters not yet born.

Granny Song thought to herself that indeed, marrying off a daughter could empty a family’s coffers. If the Zhou family hadn’t received these gifts to replenish their resources, the dowry for their daughter, though considerable, might seem insufficient for marrying into the Ning family.

In the end, Zhulan took one last look at the sealed chests. If Rongchuan wasn’t the fifth Prince, and her daughter wasn’t to be the future Prince’s Consort, why would she worry so much about her daughter’s dowry?

In Ning Duke Residence, Ning Xu took Rongchuan back to the Hou Residence and personally showed him to the courtyard, ”This courtyard has been renovated for quite some time, and dad oversaw the renovations himself. Knowing you didn’t favor extravagance, everything has been arranged according to your preferences.”

Indeed, Rongchuan and the Crown Prince had similar tastes.

Rongchuan had stayed in a guest room during his last visit, but this time it felt quite different. This was his home, where he would live in the future. ”Dad, isn’t this courtyard a bit too large?”

It was almost as large as the main courtyard.

Ning Xu laughed, ”The bigger, the better. You’re about to get married, and it wouldn’t be good if the place was too small.”

Rongchuan’s face flushed, ”Dad, I’m still young; there’s no rush.”

Amusement flickered in Ning Xu’s eyes. No rush, huh? The young man’s gaze had never left Miss Zhou, and yet he claimed there was no urgency. ”Since you say there’s no rush, and Zhou Da Ren also wishes to keep his daughter for two more years, how about in two years?”

Rongchuan was taken aback, then realizing his father’s eyes were full of laughter, he caught on, ”Dad, why are you teasing me?”

”You said there’s no rush, so dad was just agreeing with you.”

Rongchuan’s ears turned red, ”I really like this courtyard.”

Ning Xu laughed heartily; that was as good as admitting he was indeed in a hurry!