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

Chapter 1199: Chapter 1199: Asking for a Beating

The next morning, Rongchuan reluctantly set down his telescope on the island. He hadn’t managed to land on the island yesterday; the opposite island had a large net underwater and even housed sharks. If the two men last night hadn’t been good swimmers, they would surely have perished at sea.

Rongchuan felt a chill thinking about it, among the two men last night was Yang Wen. Despite growing up inland, his swimming skills in the Navy were top-notch.

Yang Wen also felt fearful, last night had been too harrowing. Even thinking of it now, his heart still pounded, ”Cousin-in-law, what do you plan to do?”

Rongchuan said, ”When it gets dark, we’ll take the boat and leave. We can’t stay here long. Wait for us on the warship.”

This time they could only launch a direct assault, but Rongchuan’s complexion was not good. The imperial court did not do business with foreigners for gunpowder and cannons, because their own technology was advanced with the massive accumulation of silver. They did not need the foreigners’ cannons.

However, the Zhang family needed it; the gunpowder in Xuzhou City was probably bought from foreigners.

If they attacked, casualties were inevitable.

Yang Wen had never fought a naval battle before; his ship had exceptionally good luck. To what extent? Every patrol went smoothly, rarely encountering storms, not to mention pirates, whereas other warships had experienced storms and encounters with pirates to some extent.

Yang Wen held the longsword in his hand. Military achievements required battle; all the navy men who came with him were excited. They were not afraid of fighting. They were perceptive enough to see that winning would earn them great merit.

In the naval base at Pinggang, General Hou finally received news and he let out a deep breath of relief. Every sailor was a treasure; he would be heartbroken if they were really lost, not to mention the advanced cannons and warships, all of which cost silver!

In the capital that afternoon, Zhou Shuren received an invitation from Li Zhao to have tea, which piqued Zhou Shuren’s interest. Li Zhao asking him out for tea must mean there was news about the Navy. He said to Qiu Yan, ”I’m stepping out for a bit, I’ll be back soon.”

Qiu Yan didn’t inquire further, ”Alright.”

Zhou Shuren took a carriage to the appointed teahouse. The Li family’s carriage was already parked outside. Zhou Shuren alighted, and the young servant of the Li family hurried forward to show the way.

Once in the private room, Li Zhao was eating dried fruits. The table was already piled with a lot of dried fruit skins. Zhou Shuren said, ”You are the person I know who likes dried fruits the most.”

Li Zhao put a nut into his mouth and continued peeling, ”I don’t like fine wine; I just like this flavor, find it fragrant.”

Zhou Shuren poured himself a cup of tea, ”But is there news about the ships?”

Li Zhao didn’t tease Zhou Shuren, he just nodded with a smile, ”Yes, good news. I can’t say much else, but I can tell you Yang Wen is well.”

Zhou Shuren looked at Li Zhao, who seemed relaxed for the first time in days; he could tell from the speed of his peeling. This man must have learned something, ”Thank you, Mr. Li.”

Li Zhao said, ”Don’t mention it, don’t mention it, it’s nothing.”

Though he said that, his mind didn’t think so. This was just for Zhou Shuren; for others, he wouldn’t share any news at all.

Li Zhao, having received the message, went to the Palace and then saw the Emperor exercising. Aside from the yellow waxiness of his complexion, he felt the Emperor seemed much younger, but what caught his attention was the signs of insufficient rest around his eyes.

The Princely Heir, to prove his identity, had revealed it on the ship. General Hou of the Navy was a confidant of the Emperor; the message had passed through General Hou’s hands without being leaked.

Li Zhao was curious about the current Princely Heir in Pinggang but wouldn’t ask. What the Emperor told him, he’d listen to, what he didn’t, he’d ignore.

Zhou Shuren squinted his eyes and casually asked, ”Is the ship Yang Wen is on coming back soon?”

Li Zhao looked deeply at Zhou Shuren and lowered his head, ”No.”

Zhou Shuren no longer asked further, his mind wondering why Yang Wen couldn’t return to harbor sooner.

In the Palace, the Emperor held a ruler in his hand, occasionally hitting his own palm with it, his expression still looking unpleasant, and the atmosphere around him was heavily oppressive.

The Crown Prince felt that this time his father was truly furious. Alright, he was angry too. Rongchuan knew his own status yet still risked his life. He must be taught a lesson when he returned.

The Emperor wished Rongchuan could return immediately. It was all because he had been too indulgent that Rongchuan had grown so bold as to chase into the sea secretly and not return. Regardless of his achievements, the boy definitely needed a beating, otherwise, he would not learn his lesson.

These past few days, the Emperor had neither eaten nor slept well, deeply fearing that the Empress would find out. Each night, hardly resting his eyes, he was tormented by nightmares—either the Empress wanted to tear him apart or he saw Rongchuan perish at sea!

Eunuch Liu tried his best to shrink away, keeping out of the way of the Emperor and the Crown Prince’s formidable presence. He thought if the Fifth Prince returned, he was done for!

The Emperor set down the ruler in his hand, ”Navy, keep a close watch, make sure everything is foolproof.”

The Crown Prince replied solemnly, ”Yes.”

The Emperor, pressing on his brow, could finally get a good night’s sleep, ”Alright, you go rest too!”

Worried about Rongchuan, both father and son had barely rested these days, their faces pale.

The Crown Prince harbored resentment, thinking of how to discipline Rongchuan, ”This son asks to be excused.”

The father and son duo still didn’t know about Rongchuan having left the ship to scout personally!

On the island, Rongchuan inexplicably shivered several times, feeling an unexplained panic, and couldn’t help but pick up a telescope. Seeing that the opposite side hadn’t spotted them, he wondered—where did his anxiety come from?

In the capital, Zhou Shuren and Li Zhao exited the building, Li Zhao taking the lead, and just as Zhou Shuren was about to board the carriage, he saw Rong Enqing’s carriage.

Rong Enqing, now daring to meet Mr. Zhou, approached him personally, ”Sir, are you also here for tea?”

Zhou Shuren carefully considered Rong Enqing’s tone, his eyes brightening a bit, and it had been a day of good news. First, Yang Wen was alright, and now it seemed that Rongchuan was safe too. His mustache moved with his smile, ”Mm, came for tea, are you here for tea as well?”

Rong Enqing nodded, ”Gu Ren has returned to the capital, he invited me for tea.”

As he spoke, Gu Ren had already walked out of the tea house and came forward to greet Rong Enqing himself.

Zhou Shuren raised an eyebrow, not expecting Gu Ren to be at the tea house, scanning over Gu Ren, who seemed very confident in his return to the capital this time.

Gu Ren approached with a beaming smile, ”Mr. Zhou, is everything well?”

Zhou Shuren replied indifferently, ”This official is very well.”

Gu Ren, calculating the days, thought Zhou Shuren didn’t have long to live, feeling pleased, ”This year has brought favorable weather for the crops. Mr. Zhou shouldn’t always stay at the Ministry of Revenue, you should get out more, lest you miss out on the scenery and have regrets.”

Zhou Shuren, ”....”

Bah, he had no regrets. He still had a young son to raise; he certainly wasn’t poisoned!

Rong Enqing looked meaningfully at Gu Ren. The latter definitely couldn’t imagine that the poisonous silver note had always been in Gu Ren’s own hands. This poison had its limits; exposed to the outside for an hour, it lost its effect, so the Emperor wasn’t worried about implicating innocents.

As for Zhang Yang, he was just really unlucky. Gu Ren had taken the silver note from him, not even looking at it before putting it directly into his pocket, making Zhang Yang the second person in contact!