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

Chapter 1201: Chapter 1201: Spending No Silver

The next morning at the early court session, yes, it was truly an early court session, announced at the last minute the night before. When Zhou Shuren found out, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. How could he not be shocked? This time, he was bound to be humiliated on a grand scale.

Zhou Shuren mentally cursed the Emperor in Mandarin, keeping his head low the entire time. There was no need to watch the drama unfold this session; he focused solely on the floor tiles!

The ministers were in high spirits today at the early court session. How could they not be pleased? Just look at the state ceremony for greeting the foreign monarchs, like a bunch of country bumpkins. This time, the envoys were princes and dukes from Western nations.

Any great nation would hope to see a golden age where they receive homage from all the world, a true mark of glory.

The Emperor was naturally elated. Numerous states had sent envoys this time, and to host such an event before his abdication was to bring his reign to an even more satisfying close.

Today belonged to the Ministry of Rites. The Minister of Rites was rubbing his hands with glee, having sworn to organize an event that would showcase our national prowess.

Zhou Shuren had come today with his ears open, thinking to himself that it was the nation’s military strength and wealth that were alluring, so much so that the rulers wanted to see for themselves the messages sent back by their envoys.

The Emperor sat upon the Dragon Throne. Today, there were no performances; he spoke at length with Zhou Shuren. Zhou Shuren’s words regarding the foreigners were cautious and his impressions of some neighboring countries were not favorable. The Emperor remembered all of it, making sure not to underestimate any small country because he felt his nation was a great celestial empire.

He always remembered how Zhou Shuren spoke of gunpowder as one of China’s four great inventions and that the foreigners also made good use of it. He had sent spies to follow the merchant caravans, which over the years had brought back valuable intelligence. He became increasingly vigilant, with the production of glass being a clear example of the foreigners’ impressive technology.

However, as the Emperor’s gaze rested upon Zhou Shuren, who kept his head down, his brow furrowed, ”Zhou, your loyal subject, why do you keep your head bowed?”

He truly hadn’t heard about Zhou’s family matters. No news had reached him.

Zhou Shuren mentally repeated his Mandarin curse, feeling everyone’s eyes on him. He moved his jaw slightly and slowly raised his head, ”Your Majesty, your servant’s neck is a bit stiff from sleeping awkwardly.”

The Emperor’s eyes fell upon Zhou Shuren’s face. His aging eyesight wasn’t what it used to be; he only saw that Zhou Shuren’s cheeks were somewhat red, ”I see not only is your neck stiff, but what’s with the swelling on your face? Are the mosquitoes particularly vicious this year?”

Zhou Shuren, ”....”

He was certain the Emperor wasn’t deliberately making things difficult for him, since the older man’s eyesight was poor. The Emperor had spectacles, a gift from the foreigners, but he rarely wore them as he hadn’t grown accustomed to them!

A snicker followed, then a continuous wave of suppressed laughter!

Xiao Qing silently looked up at the sky, exasperated. He was closest to Zhou Shuren, who was keeping his head down and was clearly visible to him. On the way to the palace, Xiao Qing had snuck peeks the entire way, not knowing what to say—it wasn’t as if Zhou Shuren was a young man!

Xiao Qing didn’t suspect Zhou Shuren of keeping a concubine. In his eyes, Zhou Shuren was truly henpecked, so it could only have been marks left by Zhou Shuren’s wife, tsk tsk!

Zhou Shuren, hearing the laughter, had seen it all. He lifted his head expressionlessly and then smiled lightly at those still shaking with laughter.

Then, those who met Zhou Shuren’s gaze stopped shaking, and all faced forward with expressionless faces!

The Emperor took the spectacles Eunuch Liu handed to him and put them on, his gaze turning complicated as he looked at Zhou Shuren’s face, before envying him immensely. The Empress wouldn’t even give him a kiss, much less allow him to touch her. Enviously, he cast a sidelong glance at Zhou Shuren!

Zhou Shuren pretended not to see and until the end of the court session, the Emperor didn’t look at him again!

After the early court session ended, the older members began to leave. In their old-fashioned ways, they commented on what Zhou Shuren’s appearance signified for decency, while others simply chuckled and walked away.

Li Zhao, always one to speak his mind, said, ”Let this official have a good look, they’re quite symmetrical on both sides!”

Zhou Shuren touched his cheek, his wife really did leave him with a matching set, ”Envious? Even if you are, you wouldn’t understand. This is proof of my wife’s love for me!”

Li Zhao was disgusted, hardly believing Zhou Shuren could utter such shameless words. With a tsk-tsk, he remarked, ”I see you want to test how thick your skin is. Hmm, indeed it’s quite substantial—didn’t even bleed from a bite!”

Zhou Shuren, ”....”

This was precisely why he especially loathed Li Zhao!

At sea, Rongchuan had returned to the ship. Early in the morning, he set up a table on deck, which was piled with papers.

Yang Wen approached curiously, ”Uncle, what are you writing? I can grind some ink for you.”

Rongchuan replied, ”I’m writing a letter to your aunt.”

Hearing this, Yang Wen withdrew his hand, settling on not helping—a letter was rather private, after all.

Yang Wen left to stand guard, and when he finished his shift, he could still see his uncle writing diligently, having compiled a thick stack of letters. Yang Wen asked, ”Are all these for my aunt?”

Rongchuan looked at the family letters he had been working on for quite some time. Touching them with a smile on his lips, he nodded, ”Yes, your aunt must have realized that the letters from the past few days weren’t written by me. She might be worried about me.”

Yang Wen felt a bit choked up—though he hadn’t even had any food yet!

In the afternoon, Zhou Shuren entered the palace, accompanied by the Minister of Rites, to discuss the upcoming reception’s expenses.

The Minister of Rites worked quickly, having already prepared the expense report, Zhezi. The Emperor glanced at it, and his gaze finally settled on the total. He pulled a face, ”Three hundred thousand taels is too much.”

The mouth of the Minister of Rites stiffened. No, that line was supposed to come from Zhou Shuren; the minister had his rebuttal ready, he had prepared to haggle, but now the words were stuck in his throat.

Zhou Shuren drew in a sharp breath at the figure of three hundred thousand taels and got angry, ”The noble minister really doesn’t know the value of firewood and rice until he runs a household. The Ministry of Revenue doesn’t have that much silver. If the noble minister believes the official is lying, shall I do the calculations for you?”

The Minister of Rites countered, ”I am only looking out for the Imperial Court, to prevent us from losing face abroad.”

Zhou Shuren would be crazy to allocate silver, and let the Minister of Rites continue his grandiose talk. Zhou Shuren stubbornly insisted, ”There’s no silver.”

Xiao Qing, the one who should have been there, had taken leave right after the morning court session—cunning indeed!

Having experienced Zhou Shuren’s capabilities, the Minister of Rites realized it was pointless to keep talking and stopped wasting his breath, asking bluntly, ”How much can you provide then?”

The Emperor, who had been silent until now, looked towards Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren stated flatly, ”Not a single coin.”

The Minister of Rites became angry, ”Your Majesty, I have already shown a willingness to negotiate, but Zhou Shuren is wilfully being obstructive.”

The Emperor signaled the Minister of Rites to be silent and then inquired, ”Shuren, do you have a way to manage without spending silver?”

Zhou Shuren really didn’t want to use the national treasury’s silver, especially knowing that chaotic times lay ahead when silver would be needed everywhere, ”I think we could invite sponsorship?”

The Emperor pondered ’sponsorship’ for a moment, beginning to grasp Zhou Shuren’s meaning, ”You suggest assigning the hospitality needs like food and clothing to merchants?”

Zhou Shuren remained silent, realizing he no longer needed to explain. He really had influenced the Emperor quite a bit, ”Yes, it’s a form of advertising. The sponsoring merchants could mark their crests on the clothes and goods; hosting a foreign prince is an acknowledgment by the foreign elite society. When the delegation returns home, they could take some gifts free of charge, thus promoting our country abroad. When our trade caravans arrive in those countries later, they will be sought after, leading to greater profits.”

The advantages were indeed numerous—prince endorsements could maximize profits for those who were smart.