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

Chapter 1217: Chapter 1217: The Contrast Between Reality and Nightmare

The next day, early in the morning, Zhou Shuren had yet to eat breakfast when a eunuch arrived at the Zhou residence, requesting Zhou Shuren to enter the palace.

Zhulan frowned, ”Why would you be suddenly summoned to the palace?”

Moreover, it was early in the morning, before the great court session and without morning court, Zhulan couldn’t help but overthink.

Zhou Shuren was also surprised, as it made sense that neither the Emperor nor the Crown Prince should meet anyone before the great court session, yet now he was being summoned without even time granted for breakfast.

Zhou Shuren got dressed in his official attire, ”Don’t worry.”

Zhulan wasn’t worried, just puzzled, ”Though there’s no danger, you should still be extra careful.”

”Alright.”

Zhulan handed Zhou Shuren a purse filled with pastries, ”To tide you over.”

”Hmm.”

The carriage drove quickly, clearly in a hurry to get Zhou Shuren to the palace, and once inside, it headed straight for the government hall.

Zhou Shuren straightened his official attire before entering the study where only the Emperor was present, immersed in his thoughts amidst the silence of the room, exuding an air of tremendous pressure.

Zhou Shuren’s heart sank, ”Your servant pays respects to the Emperor.”

The Emperor snapped back to reality, seemingly taking a while to find his voice, ”Ah, Shuren has arrived.”

Zhou Shuren grew even more puzzled, still not understanding what was wrong with the Emperor.

The Emperor rubbed his forehead, ”Shuren, take a seat.”

Zhou Shuren stood and sat in the chair that had been prepared earlier, cautiously saying, ”Your Majesty seems to be in poor spirits. Did you not rest well?”

The Emperor’s face darkened again, his nasal voice faint, ”Indeed, I did not rest well.”

Zhou Shuren, ”....”

Today’s Emperor, his mood is extremely outwardly displayed!

The Emperor’s gaze fell on Zhou Shuren, staring unwaveringly, making Zhou Shuren extremely nervous; how could he not be when the Emperor’s scrutinizing look was so undisguised?

Zhou Shuren tried to stay calm, asking with a hint of uncertainty, ”Is there something wrong with my official attire?”

The Emperor withdrew his gaze, shaking his head, ”I merely had a nightmare.”

More than a nightmare, the dream was filled with blood red; he could hear his own roar, and the great hall was soaked in blood. Then, as if an onlooker, he watched. He saw one familiar face after another, but Zhou Shuren was nowhere to be seen. Yes, Zhou Shuren was missing.

He had searched carefully in the dream, the Vice Minister of Revenue was not Zhou Shuren, it was still Mr. Zhong.

This nightmare felt all too real, his son poisoned and unable to rise, the great hall filled with rage. He recognized every face, the Crown Prince was victorious, but at a cost.

The Emperor closed his eyes to steady his emotions, wishing he could tear the Zhang family to pieces, then opened them, ”Last night, I dreamt a dream without Shuren in it.”

Zhou Shuren’s heart pounded dreadfully, terrified; oh my heavens, was this some kind of joke? Even providing hints to the Emperor, ”Why would Your Majesty dream of your unworthy servant?”

Admiring his own quick reaction.

The Emperor, ”I dreamed of a court without Zhou Shuren, to Me, it was a nightmare.”

Zhou Shuren drew a sharp breath inward; the amount of information conveyed in that sentence was quite significant. Then he realized it was indeed so. Without him, no one would come up with good ideas to rake in Silver to fill the state treasury, no one would innocently pick up the Silver Coin from the foiled conspiracies of the Zhang clan, and without his mistakenly regained affiliation with the Rong clan, their treasury wouldn’t have been discovered.

Zhou Shuren looked at the Emperor, most importantly, without his occasional deliberate guidance, the thoughts of the Emperor and the Crown Prince would not have become so progressive and open.

Zhou Shuren, ”Emperor’s dreams are always the opposite.”

What could he say? Could he tell him that his dream was right, and that he was the greatest accident?

The Emperor thought the same, because Zhou Shuren truly existed, and he too had long been aware of the conspiracies of the Yao and Zhang clans. He was prepared, and he controlled this game of chess. The Emperor laughed, ”Even I have my fears.”

He was truly afraid; the dream felt so real. Thinking of the Empress, the Emperor pursed his lips.

Zhou Shuren’s heart pounded; the Emperor was in a bad mood again. He realized why the Emperor was so eager to summon him to the palace. The Emperor wanted to find a sense of reality from him; it was clear that his dream was truly dreadful.

Zhou Shuren recalled carefully—his memory was somewhat distant. At that time, his wife mentioned Rong Enqing, the original Shi Qing who had failed in the succession struggle and died. Stroking his beard, indeed, without his interference, it seemed that would have been the case. After all, the Shi family had business dealings with the Zhang clan, and without reclaiming his status he would remain a mere merchant, inevitably drawn deeper into those dealings, probably exploited as a pawn as well.

Zhou Shuren dared not steal a glance at the Emperor; the Emperor was too perceptive, he feared his little thoughts could not be concealed, ”Emperor, dreams are just dreams.”

The Emperor smiled, ”Shuren is right, dreams are only dreams.”

Now, the Empress was alive and well, and his sons were all fine. He was fully prepared. However, he still remembered some details from the dream. It was better to believe they might be true than to dismiss them entirely, so precaution was necessary. He believed more so because he was the Emperor and therefore, Heaven would provide him with signs.

In the end, the Emperor grew increasingly satisfied with Zhou Shuren. Thinking of what the master had said, Zhou Shuren truly seemed like a blessed general. With the stark contrast between reality and the dream, the Emperor became more convinced that Zhou Shuren was a stabilizing force for the state.

With this in mind, the Emperor said, ”In the future, We must rely more on Shuren to advise the Crown Prince.”

Zhou Shuren, ”The Crown Prince is personally taught by the Emperor. His excellence makes me, Your servant, feel ashamed.”

Pah, is advising that easy? The Emperor sure knew how to shift responsibility. In the future, the Crown Prince would be the Emperor. While frank advice is beneficial for action, the precondition is whether it can be heeded. Even if the Crown Prince could accept it at first, what about after some time? Once an Emperor for long, he truly might not be inclined to listen.

One misstep, and the Zhou family could be finished.

The Emperor was satisfied with his own teaching of the Crown Prince, especially when it came to handling court affairs—no need for his guidance anymore, ”Shuren is a pillar of the state, We have faith in you.”

Zhou Shuren, ”...”

He had no faith in himself. It wasn’t because he was timid, but because he saw too clearly. Thinking of the Crown Prince’s disposition, as an ambitious expansionist, he truly did not want to listen to sobering advice.

Shuren spent the entire morning in the palace, only leaving to return to the Ministry of Revenue after having lunch.

The Crown Prince’s private summons of Zhou Shuren, so early in the morning for a palace visit, could not help but raise speculations. Indeed, everyone thought the Emperor was now unconscious and on the brink of death, so they assumed the Crown Prince had met with Zhou Shuren.

Because of the Dragon Robe, everyone assumed it had to do with what was said to Zhou Shuren, and it further, indirectly seemed to confirm that the Crown Prince would soon ascend to the throne.

Zhou Shuren faced Qiu Yan’s hesitancy to speak several times, directly ignoring it, letting silence speak louder than words.

In the afternoon, because the Emperor suddenly wanted to see Zhou Shuren, some plans had to be changed. To give a reason, the Crown Prince summoned Marquis Ning, Ning Xu, into the palace. In the following two days, a succession of people loyal to the Crown Prince continued to enter the palace.

Then it was the day of the grand court assembly, and Zhou Shuren woke up at the crack of dawn. Zhulan silently helped him dress, both of them with a premonition that today would inevitably bear bloodshed—the Crown Prince picked the date for the grand assembly, not randomly, for sure.

Zhulan looked at the soft armor, ”Will the soft armor be any use?”