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

Chapter 907: Chapter 907: Time to Test Acting Skills

Old Madam Song replied, ”You’re not mistaken, Lady Hu indeed said she made it herself.”

Zhulan picked up the hairpin, ”I thought she made snacks or some handkerchiefs, I didn’t expect it to be jewelry, look at these colors matched so nicely.”

Old Madam Song was also very surprised, ”Lady Hu’s craftsmanship is truly fine.”

Zhulan put down the hairpin, ”It seems that the jewelry Lady Hu used to wear must have been made by herself.”

This was all out of necessity, and Lady Hu indeed had talent, now that her circumstances were better, she did not hide her skills out of modesty, and Zhulan came to think more highly of her.

No one is perfect, but everyone has their own highlights.

This jewelry, inappropriate for Zhulan to wear, was distributed among the various rooms, and though not precious, it was quite novel to wear.

At bedtime, Zhou Shuren mentioned the matter of conferring titles.

Zhulan, somewhat sleepy and about to doze off, suddenly found her spirits lifted, ”The titles won’t include Prince Jin, will they?”

Zhou Shuren, ”As long as the Crown Prince is stable, Prince Jin won’t be considered. The Emperor is testing the ministers, and the ministers are also probing the Emperor’s thoughts. Just watch, there will be many mentioning Prince Jin tomorrow!”

Zhulan sat up somewhat excitedly, ”Once the titles are set, these princes won’t just give up. Speaking of which, the Second Prince’s maternal family really knows how to keep a cool head.”

Zhou Shuren, ”Those who can keep their composure are the ones fit for great enterprises, with the exception of the Crown Prince. The Second Prince draws the most attention, and the Chen family’s inaction is the greatest help to him.”

”Have you ever met Mr. Chen?”

Zhou Shuren shook his head, ”No, Mr. Chen keeps a low profile, arriving early and leaving quickly during court sessions.”

Zhulan counted on her fingers, ”The Qi family is severely damaged, the Phang family is also crazily swaying on the edge of a cliff, only the Chen family remains.”

Zhou Shuren said meaningfully, ”The Chen family’s hold is not easy to grasp.”

He too had paid attention to the Chen family, having Scholar Deng keep an eye on them. The Chen family had small faults, but no major issues. It was likely that even the Emperor was quite troubled by this.

The Emperor was indeed troubled, pondering the dynamics of the court before bedtime. Lying motionless, when he heard the Empress sigh, he asked, ”You haven’t slept yet?”

”You haven’t had a good rest for many days.”

In these days, the Emperor had been going to bed very late. Once she got up in the morning to find the Emperor sitting motionless in a chair, and she didn’t even dare to breathe heavily. The Emperor had also been resting in her chamber every day, keeping her on edge.

The Emperor held the Empress’s hand, aware of her caution, but he could only find some comfort in sleep within her palace, ”I am indeed getting old. After the New Year, I keep having dreams, often waking up startled.”

They were mostly unpleasant dreams, envisioning a sea of blood red that alarmed him. Although his eldest son held the heaviest place in his heart, his other sons also had their weight. He did not wish to see conflict and strife, and that was the reason for his anxiety.

The Empress thought to herself, it would have been better if he had not spoken to her, ”Dreams are often the opposite of reality.”

The Emperor chuckled softly, ”Let’s sleep.”

His time to step down had not yet come.

The Empress turned her head to listen to the Emperor’s steady breathing, her husband managed to fall asleep, but now she found herself unable to do the same. With too many memories, even if some held grudges, there were still indelible memories. Raising her hand to touch her husband’s brow, she decided she should trust him.

On the early court session of the following day, Zhou Shuren listened to the petitions in the imperial court, which had erupted into disputes over the title of Prince Jin. The Second Prince and the Fourth Prince were contending for the title, while the Third Prince, still not recovered from his dealings with the Qi family, knew he couldn’t compete and hadn’t let anyone speak on his behalf.

The Emperor wasn’t looking at the quarreling ministers; his attention was all on the Crown Prince. After announcing the title, he had been watching the Crown Prince, who did not appear anxious. Even as the ministers bickered, he remained composed and stood steadily.

The Emperor noticed the Crown Prince watching the speaking ministers, touched the armrest with pleasure in his eyes. This was as it should be—this was how the Crown Prince ought to behave.

Zhou Shuren’s attention was also on the most illustrious father and son. The Emperor’s gaze was subtle, yet he still noticed it—the Emperor was testing the Crown Prince.

Zhou Shuren inwardly sighed; since ancient times, the role of the Crown Prince has truly been a tough one. One must outperform one’s brothers and constantly face tests from the Emperor. Just as one is about to ascend to the throne, the Emperor toyed with him, leading to a tragic outcome.

After the early court session, the Emperor did not speak, and the debate was futile.

At the Hou Residence, Shi Qing took leave today to accompany his wife back to the residence. Upon entering the gates, the steward was already waiting eagerly.

The steward said, ”Second Young Master, the master is waiting for you in the study.”

Shi Qing looked hurried, ”Is that so? I’ll head there right now. My wife, go see your brother first, I’ll come find you afterward.”

In Yao Yao’s eyes, her husband was acting particularly fake. Holding her husband’s hand, she said, ”I’ll wait for you.”

Shi Qing gestured to the maids to assist her and hurriedly walked briskly towards the study.

Yao Yao didn’t know what her husband was planning; she was certain that his intention wasn’t truly to ally with her father. It was this intuition that stopped her from intervening. She had seen too much of what was genuine and what was not; what she could do for now was to trust her husband.

Once Shi Qing arrived at the study, he greeted, ”Your son-in-law pays respects to his father-in-law.”

Yao Wenqi hummed in acknowledgment and asked, ”I have always neglected you, never helped you. Do you hold any resentment in your heart?”

Shi Qing, who had rehearsed the night before, was now calm. A trace of embarrassment appeared on his face, and his eyes evaded before he bowed his head. ”Your son-in-law dares not. Coming from humble origins, to become the son-in-law of the Hou Residence is already incredible fortune.”

Yao Wenqi scrutinized Shi Qing’s reaction carefully. No resentment would be abnormal. He felt more at ease. If it were not for lack of options, just thinking about Zhang Yang made him almost spit blood. He had arranged for several people to get close to Zhang Yang, but in the end, Zhang Yang only trusted Shi Qing!

Yao Wenqi pointed to a chair, ”Son-in-law is like half a son to me, so don’t just stand there. Let’s father and son-in-law sit down and have a chat.”

Shi Qing displayed a look of surprise and then slowly sat down, ”Thank you, father-in-law.”

Yao Wenqi was very satisfied with Shi Qing’s reaction. He wasn’t in a rush to state his purpose; he still wanted to test him several more times.

At the Zhou family, Zhulan held the letter from Wu Ning, speaking to Nanny Song, ”She’s actually pregnant, nearly two months along.”

Nanny Song knew that the mistress hoped Miss Wu would delay having children and said, ”That’s destiny.”

Zhulan thought to herself, indeed it was destiny; not to mention ancient methods of contraception, even modern ones weren’t foolproof. ”The child in the letter is written about with such caution. This is good news. Go and select some supplements for her health, and arrange to have them sent immediately.”

Nanny Song saw the joy in her mistress’s eyes and felt relieved, ”Yes.”

Zhulan stood up to reply to the letter. Without a mother-in-law above her, Wu Ning needed clear instructions on certain precautions. Zhulan wondered if this girl would come to the capital when Wu Ming arrived.

Zhulan felt extremely emotional; the young girl she had raised was now pregnant and about to become a mother. Counting the days, by the time Xue Han got married, Wu Ning would have just given birth.

Nanny Song chose quite a few health supplements, and while writing the letter, Zhulan specifically instructed not to over-supplement. Having dealt with many pregnancies in the family, Zhulan was highly experienced. She included everything she could think of, carefully checking the letter twice to ensure there were no issues before sealing it.