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

Chapter 1046: Chapter 1046 Arrangements

Zhulan waited until her eldest had left, her heart steadfast yet she still stood and paced back and forth. The Crown Prince had been searching for secret passages everywhere these past few days, and the sudden sealing of the city gates indicated that a passage had been found and was now under control.

There must be quite a few hidden forces lurking in the capital, and now it was time to ”close the doors and beat the dogs.”

The potential of people faced with death is immense, and those shadowy figures are among the most desperate—caught meant death, so why not fight back? Hence, the district of the Zhou family was the prime candidate to bear the brunt.

Zhulan’s heart thumped wildly; the rise of the Zhou family had been aided by her and Zhou Shuren flapping their wings too vigorously, stirring up a great deal of enmity. Turning to Granny Song, she said, ”Go inform each of the courtyards, have Lady Li and the others bring their children to the main courtyard to stay. All the maidservants not needed should go back to their quarters and lock up all the doors.”

Granny Song glanced at the few maids at the doorway before hurrying out.

In the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, everyone from the various quarters arrived quickly at the main courtyard. Lady Li’s forehead was beaded with sweat, showing how hastily she had come.

Zhulan gestured for Lady Li to sit down, fearing any sudden disturbance would frighten her into premature labor. Her gaze dropped to Lady Li’s belly, thankful that her constitution was strong.

Lady Zhao was as brave as she was scared—she cherished her life so dearly that her hands clutched her handkerchief tightly. ”Mother, what has happened?” she asked anxiously.

Zhulan, looking at her eldest grandson, said to the standing grandchildren, ”All of you, don’t just stand there—sit down.”

Only after the children were seated did she explain about the capital being sealed and the message sent from the Ning Duke Residence.

All of a sudden, Zhulan thought of Zhang Jinghong. If trouble did arise, it would also pose a danger to Zhang Jinghong’s family. She pressed her brow and began to pace again.

At this moment, Jing Yan returned with a few soldiers in tow. ”Mother, father sent me back to guard you. These soldiers have been dispatched by the Princely Heir of Ning.”

Zhulan felt a warmth stirring in her heart; Mr. Hou’s notice was due to their kinship, and Rongchuan truly considered them as parents.

Zhulan asked Jing Yan, ”What’s the situation like in the streets?”

Jing Yan replied, ”There are military patrols in the streets, and several battalions from around the capital have entered the city.”

Zhulan exhaled and said to Jing Yan, ”Go check on Minister Zhang’s residence. Bring his wife and children back here.”

It seemed there was still time before the search began.

”Understood,” Jing Yan responded.

Zhulan added, ”Yes, and as for Shen Xing’s wife, I have already sent someone to bring her here.”

After Granny Song departed, she had summoned the steward. The steward had personally gone to fetch Xue Mei’s family and taken the opportunity to bring Shen Xing’s wife over as well. A messenger had also been sent to the Wu family.

Zhulan’s brows furrowed slightly. There was no need to worry about the Ran family; the Crown Prince would have made arrangements. Neither was there a need to concern herself with the Liu family, which had an arranged marriage with the Duke Ning Residence. From front to back, nothing was overlooked. As for the Wang family, there was even less to worry about, which finally put Zhulan’s heart at ease.

Jing Yan was moved; how could he not also be worried about his own wife.

At the Ministry of Revenue, soldiers guarded all the ministries around the capital. Qiu Yan paced back and forth, his concern for his own household palpable. ”Minister Zhou, do you know what has happened?”

Anyone with clear eyes could see that something big was afoot.

Zhou Shuren pressed on his brow, for he was the most worried; he had unwittingly made enemies on numerous occasions. Qiu Yan, on the other hand, had little chance of being the Liu family’s target.

Seeing that Zhou Shuren remained silent, Qiu Yan did not press further. He would learn nothing from asking; even if Zhou Shuren knew, he would not divulge anything.

In the streets of the capital, Rongchuan rode his horse alongside the Crown Prince, with a sword at his waist. Rongchuan felt somewhat out of sorts, being an official from the Hanlin Academy, yet these days he followed the Crown Prince to inspect all the secret passages. The transformation was somewhat great, and moreover, the Crown Prince did not hesitate at all to let him know all the discovered passages; although they would be sealed afterward, the trust he was given was too great.

The Crown Prince glanced sideways at Rongchuan, whose mind seemed elsewhere, ”Scared?”

He knew he was putting himself in danger, but if he did not step forward, they could not catch all the rats within the capital at once. Only by acting himself could he attract attention and reduce unnecessary casualties. This was not about being courageous, but about strategy, and it was his test for himself. The baptism of blood was what would truly allow him to grow and understand what it meant to be Emperor.

Rongchuan shook his head, ”This subject is not afraid, I’m just somewhat confused.”

The Crown Prince chuckled, ”Confused about what?”

”You trust this subject too much.”

Having said this, Rongchuan himself was stunned. He had just spoken his innermost thoughts so bluntly!

The Crown Prince laughed heartily, there was a different level of trust with someone of the same mother, this was a trust born of blood. He patted Rongchuan on the shoulder, ”From now on, the one I trust the most will be only you.”

Rongchuan stood there dumbfounded, and by the time he came to his senses, the Crown Prince had already taken the lead on horseback. Rongchuan hurriedly caught up on his horse.

The Crown Prince listened to the sound of the horseshoes and watched his surroundings. The Emperor’s two most valued sons were together; the Emperor couldn’t afford to take the risk, so there were men in hiding—this was also part of his reassurance. When it came to cherishing life, he was the person who valued it the most!

At the Yao Residence, Yao Wenqi sat motionless, staring intently at the returning messenger. The city gates were locked down—cursed be it, the officials attending the morning court was the Emperor’s ruse; the gates were shut last night and they hadn’t planned to open them today. Now that the secret passages were discovered, he closed his eyes, recalling the memory of over thirty mouths from a single family exterminated. He had vowed vengeance just a day before, and right after, the Emperor made him fulfill his oath. In the current circumstances, he could not afford to take the risk; his escape routes were sealed.

Yao Wenqi sat with his eyes closed, the only consolation being that the person at the burned Zhang Residence had already left the day before.

In the Zhou family, Jinghong quickly returned, ”Madam Zhang has been taken away by the Shi family’s people first.”

Zhulan, knowing where the person had gone, felt relieved, ”Mhm.”

Xue Mei comforted her in-laws; she was scared too, as soldiers were everywhere in the streets, ”Mother, has something big happened?”

”It’s nothing, don’t be nervous. It’s just a search, it will pass quickly.”

As they were talking, the steward rushed back in, ”I just heard at the entrance of the residence that the soldiers seemed to be chasing someone. My lady, we’ve already sent additional young servants to guard the main courtyard.”

Zhulan grew anxious too, ”Good.”

In the streets of the capital, soldiers had started to search suspicious places; some areas were already empty, while others still had people resisting and fleeing, with the sounds of fighting and killing filling the air.

Ahead of the Crown Prince were nothing but corpses. The Crown Prince, with an unchanged expression, coldly observed the bloodshed around him. He had thought the capital hid quite a few people, but he never expected there to be so many—having just counted nearly a hundred, and that number didn’t even include those scattered, trying to create chaos or seeking to die as martyrs.

Blood stained Rongchuan’s sword, and his eyes were tightly fixed on his surroundings, fearful that a moment’s relaxation might reveal another hidden enemy.

The Crown Prince addressed a troop, ”Search the surrounding areas.”

The General in charge of defending the city took the command and led his troops to comb the city, while those left behind remained vigilant.

The Crown Prince himself did not move; his objective had already been achieved, and for safety’s sake, it was not suitable to roam.

At the Zhou Residence, Zhulan sat motionless. She heard noises outside—as expected, the Zhou family’s level of enmity made it a target. Fortunately, the martial skills of the Zhou family’s young servants were commendable.

Zhulan looked at Mingyun and others, nodding in satisfaction. As the eldest grandson, Mingyun showed he was responsible and did not panic and lose composure. Ming Teng and the others also performed well, and she was surprised that Yushuang and several others were also very composed.

The sounds from outside quickly ceased, and Zhulan waited for Jinghong to return and report.