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

Chapter 983: Chapter 983: Lord Zhou, Your Wife Is Also Very Capable

Zhou Shuren returned to the residence and sat in silence after learning about the affairs at the Prince Chu Residence. He knew that the invitation from the Prince Chu Residence was not simple, but he hadn’t expected it to be this dangerous.

Now, tensions were high; Prince Liang had first lost his amiable guise, showing his fangs, and now it was Prince Chu.

This was becoming increasingly unfavorable for the Zhou family; their tactics were no longer gentle. If it weren’t for his ability to enter the palace, if he didn’t have some skills, Prince Chu’s methods would have been even more ruthless.

Zhulan nudged her husband, ”What are you thinking about? I’ve called you several times, and you didn’t respond.”

Zhou Shuren grasped his wife’s hand that rested on his shoulder, ”I just suddenly feel somewhat useless; I’ve been trying to keep the Zhou family out of the fray, but we still couldn’t avoid it.”

”Don’t talk like that. How could you be useless? Everything the Zhou family has now was fought for step by step by you. You protect our family, and even my current imperial appointment, wasn’t it all won by you and me?”

Zhulan cradled Zhou Shuren’s face with her hands, ”Listen, you’re not a god; you can’t guess everyone’s thoughts, nor can you control every idea. The Zhou family is already doing very well. As long as we are careful, once we get through this period, everything will be fine.”

Zhou Shuren held his wife’s hand, ”Today, you were almost schemed against, and I didn’t protect you.”

Zhulan became displeased and pointed at herself, ”I am quite capable too, okay? Don’t take on everything by yourself. I’ve always been with you. Look, there are very few in the inner court who can outsmart me. It’s a pity that women cannot hold office; otherwise, I could shelter you from the storms too.”

Zhou Shuren felt much lighter at heart, a smile appearing in his eyes, ”Yes, you’ve always been very capable.”

”That’s right.”

Chang Lian stood at the door; no wonder his older brother hadn’t come to call their parents for dinner. His brother must have guessed that their parents were chatting—these old folks were practically face-to-face.

During dinner, the eldest Zhou enjoyed his drink, showing his cleverness.

Chang Lian’s eyes flew daggers at his older brother. He had been about to slip away, but their father caught him. The old man must have felt embarrassed, which was why he punished him in a fit of annoyed anger. He was already an adult and a father twice over, yet he was still forced to memorize books as punishment!

Zhulan’s face was thick enough; she ate her meal at ease.

Zhou Shuren was displeased inside; the good atmosphere was ruined!

In the Ning Duke Residence, Rongchuan picked at his food absentmindedly, even failing to eat what he snagged.

Ning Xu, who had also lost his appetite, asked, ”What are you thinking about instead of eating your meal properly?”

Rongchuan simply put down his chopsticks, ”Father, have you heard about the incident at the Prince Chu Residence?”

”Are you worried about your aunt? I think there’s no need. Your aunt is more astute than you, not at all lacking in cunning compared to your uncle.”

News of the affair at the Prince Chu Residence had already spread; Madam Zhou returned home unscathed. It was amazing how such a shrewd couple still managed to get along so well!

Rongchuan shook his head, ”I’m not worried about Auntie. I just wonder why everyone must vie for the throne. Wouldn’t being a wise prince be quite good?”

”The struggle happens everywhere; even the legitimate and illegitimate sons in the residences fight, let alone the royal family.”

Rongchuan picked up his chopsticks, ”My son is fortunate, an only child.”

He had heard this often and quite liked being referred to as an only child.

Ning Xu didn’t want to discuss disheartening matters, ”Your wedding courtyard has been decorated. See if there’s anything else you need to add.”

Rongchuan was delighted; he was going to get married, and his previous musings were tossed to the back of his mind, ”Father, Auntie’s birthday is coming up. What do you think I should gift her?”

Ning Xu was speechless, ”Were you ever this proactive when it was your father’s birthday?”

Rongchuan felt unjustly accused, ”I was very enthusiastic about Father’s birthday too. Father was quite happy when he received gifts.”

Ning Xu, holding his chopsticks, said, ”Alright, eat your food, eat. The dishes are going to get cold.”

Time flew, and soon it was the eighth lunar month. It was a year of favorable weather, and as August arrived, the biggest event for the Zhou family was Zhulan’s birthday.

On the second day of August, it was Zhulan’s birthday. In the morning, as she opened her eyes, she was taken aback—the room had transformed, filled with paintings, all of her from childhood to the present.

The clothes, backgrounds, and adornments all varied.

Zhou Shuren stood with the box and opened it, revealing a pair of rings. Zhulan was touched but upon taking a closer look at the rings, she asked, ”Why are they made of gold?”

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard. ”Take a look at the inside of the rings.”

Zhulan flipped them over to see their names inscribed inside. ”Did you do this?”

Zhou Shuren placed the ring on his wife’s finger. ”I had a craftsman make them. I wanted to use another material at first, but the inscription wasn’t clear, so after some thought, I went with gold.”

Zhulan, examining the ring, said, ”It’s a bit big.”

Zhou Shuren took a step back before explaining, ”You’re sure to gain weight in the winter, so I purposely had it made a bit larger for you to be able to wear it comfortably.”

Zhulan, ”...Come here, I won’t hit you.”

Zhou Shuren shook his head. ”I’m not coming over. So, how about it? Surprised? Even though I didn’t make the rings, I did draw the design myself.”

Zhulan was indeed surprised, yet she quipped, ”Not one of them looks like me.”

Zhou Shuren, at a loss for words, replied, ”I wouldn’t dare to draw them. What if the children saw and thought I’d taken a fancy to someone else!”

Zhulan actually wanted to draw herself for Zhou Shuren, but there were always people around her so she never dared. ”Now that I’ve stared at this face for so long, I’m starting to get a fuzzy picture of my own appearance.”

Zhou Shuren said, ”Well, I certainly won’t. I always remember exactly what I look like.”

Zhulan teased, ”Because the difference is so vast, naturally you’d remember clearly.”

Zhou Shuren harrumphed, ”I think you’re personally attacking me.”

Zhulan laughed as she put on her shoes and came down, kissing her husband on the cheek. ”You’ve worked hard, still finding time to draw amidst your busy schedule.”

”You only have one birthday a year, I would make time to prepare a gift for you no matter what.”

Zhulan put on the clothes she had prepared in advance. Today was her birthday, and many people were coming later. ”Don’t bother tidying up now, let the girls do it later.”

Zhou Shuren stepped down from the chair. ”I hung them up myself last night, afraid I might wake you.”

”You’ve toiled hard.”

Zhou Shuren, seeing his wife’s smile, felt it was all worth it.

Having washed and ready, with Granny Song combing her hair, Zhulan asked, ”Where’s the master?”

Granny Song smiled, ”The master has gone out.”

Zhulan wondered if there might still be a surprise in store.

When Zhulan came out, she saw a large bouquet of flowers she hadn’t seen in a long time. The bouquet had all kinds of flowers with various colors and looked quite beautiful.

Zhulan asked, ”Did you put together this bouquet?”

Zhou Shuren, blinking, replied, ”Yes, I’ve wreaked havoc on the flowers in the garden. Yu Die and the other girls will surely be crying today.”

Zhulan took a closer look, and sure enough, the brightest flowers were the ones the girls cherished. ”I’ll tell them it was you who picked the flowers.”

”Don’t do that, I did it all to surprise you. So, what do you think? Do you like it?”

Zhulan, holding the flowers, said, ”I love it, I really do, it’s just that your surprises come with a hefty price. Do you know how scarce flowers are in August and that the ones in the yard are not cheap?”

Zhou Shuren was aware; how could he not be? ”Who says it isn’t worth a little extravagance once a year?”

He didn’t understand the language of flowers, so he’d picked whatever looked good together; his aesthetic sense was still on point.

Zhulan, holding the flowers, said warmly, ”I really like your gifts.”