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

Chapter 1223: Chapter 1123: Charges

The Crown Prince saw Zhang Yang’s foolish appearance and scoffed. He didn’t believe that Zhang Yang had really been reduced to idiocy by shock. He was well aware of Zhang Yang’s resilience to adversity.

The Crown Prince gestured for Prince Qi to pull Zhang Yang up and stepped forward. ”I forgot to tell you, the poisonous hundred thousand taels in silver notes—Zhang Ren gave half of them to you at that time.”

Zhang Yang’s pupils constricted as Prince Qi let go of him. Prince Qi sneered, ”Not so foolish now, are you?”

Zhou Shuren, ”....”

Hundred thousand taels in silver notes, what a surprise!

Zhou Shuren looked at the other ministers who had taken their places. Several of the scholars he disliked were now injured. Scholar Ding’s arm was still bleeding; tsk, tsk, this isn’t good. The Six Ministries had won, and the officials of The Six Ministries were quite adept at dodging.

The Emperor, watching Zhang Wuxi’s eyes filled with hatred, smiled. ”This time, you have no chance to escape. I have issued an order to leave no survivors. Don’t look at me like that. I am merciful. Your entire family will march neatly on the Yellow Spring Road together, and no one will be left behind.”

The ministers in the hall, who were injured, had hoped to draw more attention from the Emperor by vocalizing their pain. However, as the Emperor’s words fell, everyone fell silent as chickens, the Emperor as terrifying as ever.

Zhang Wuxi suddenly laughed, ”You knew from the very beginning that Zhang Yang was an impostor, that he wasn’t the true Fifth Prince.”

The multitude of ministers in the hall, ”....”

There had been too many twists today, they were all becoming numb.

The Emperor said, ”Yes, I knew since his appearance that he was a child of the Zhang family, and also a pitiful pawn.”

Zhang Wuxi’s laughter echoed through the hall. ”The Fifth Prince was switched by Yao Wenqi’s arrangement. Both Zhang Jinghong and Zhang Yang are fakes. Haha, in your lifetime, you will never see your real son, the true Fifth Prince. He is already dead, haha.”

The Crown Prince spoke solemnly, ”I said earlier there was something important I hadn’t mentioned. In fact, I found my dear brother long ago. Don’t glare; my brother has a strong fate. He was switched out of the Palace and presumed dead but was found. Now he is living well, enjoying his identity, lacking neither gold nor silver, and is already married.”

With the words of the Crown Prince, the old foxes in the hall were plentiful. Immediately, based on the information provided by the Crown Prince, they guessed who it was. With a unanimous glance, they turned towards Marquis Ning, knowing who the Emperor and Crown Prince treated most kindly.

Zhang Wuxi, ”I don’t believe it, I don’t.”

The Crown Prince smiled, ”My brother is also a Third-rank Scholar. Right, I forgot to mention, nephews often resemble their uncles. I think you should know by now who it is, my brother is currently attacking islands overseas.”

Zhou Shuren only saw Zhang Wuxi spit out blood, having thought he could leave the Emperor with regrets, but instead was nearly enraged to death himself.

Zhou Shuren was pulling on the sleeve of his official robe that Wong Ju was holding, without success. Face darkening, he said, ”Let go of me.”

Wong Ju was shocked. The Crown Prince’s news directly proved that Rongchuan was the Fifth Prince. ”I—no, did you know all along?”

Zhou Shuren, ”If I said I didn’t know, would you believe me?”

”Believe my ass.”

Wong Ju refused to let go, realizing Zhou Shuren was now a Prince’s father-in-law, and not just any Prince, but the legitimate father-in-law of the Crown Prince. After the Crown Prince’s accession, the Fifth Prince would swagger about. Wong Ju was green with envy, ”Sometimes, your luck is just too good.”

A child picked up turned out to be a Prince; raised and even became a son-in-law!

Zhou Shuren hummed. His good fortune was also the result of his own efforts.

At this time, Yao Zheyu and others entered. They had rushed back to the Palace on horseback. Yao Zheyu knelt down and reported, ”The Clan Leader of the Yao family has been executed. Not a single person escaped.”

Wow, everyone turned to look at Yao Zheyu. They didn’t dare to look at the Emperor, realizing it was the Emperor’s order—what a paternal slaughter. All they could do was stare at Yao Zheyu, who had become a person all noble families refused to associate with.

Mr. Hou closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, there was not a trace of emotion in them. Mr. Hou could not, for the sake of a daughter, implicate the entire family.

Zhou Shuren felt the most complicated of all, that Yao Zheyu had survived was already the best outcome.

At sea, Rongchuan finally disembarked. The attack on the island was swift, starting with a bombardment followed by a large force of soldiers cutting through, leaving blood everywhere on the island, and uncovering even the secret tunnels underground.

Rongchuan walked beside General Hou, showing no fear, never letting an extra glance fall on the bodies lying on the ground.

This made General Hou regard the Princely Heir with newfound respect, ”The people on the island have been executed according to the Emperor’s edict, and some items have been found.”

Rongchuan heard General Hou pause, ”What did you find?”

General Hou said, ”A large amount of harmful ointment and some foreigners. When we were killing our way here, these people were hiding the ointment. Now the foreigners are shouting that it’s their property, forbidding anyone from touching it.”

General Hou paused then continued, ”I’ve heard that the foreign delegates will be arriving in a few days; these foreigners are troublesome to deal with.”

Not dealing with them was not something General Hou was prepared to accept; so much harmful ointment and the Navy often patrolled the seas, encountering many merchant ships, and had seen enough of the foreigner’s disgusting addiction to the ointment. Their own country had banned it, yet these foreigners still had the audacity to smuggle it in.

General Hou wished he could burn all the ointment, but he also had his reservations.

Rongchuan understood, thinking about why he had been allowed to land on the island and why General Hou had personally received him; it was all waiting for him here, ”What misconception led the General to believe that I, the Princely Heir, could take on this matter?”

General Hou smiled, ”The edict sent by the Emperor gave me the confidence that only the Princely Heir can handle this matter.”

Rongchuan, with his hands clasped behind his back, reflected on the time before the Imperial court had a Navy. Pirates were rampant near the coast, and where there were so many pirates, most were merely using piracy as a guise, in reality, they were the Navies of the surrounding nations.

The Imperial court lacked a Navy, and several maritime nations frequently harassed the coast, until the Navy of the Imperial court gradually grew stronger, bringing peace to the nearby seas.

But ambition could not be extinguished by deterrence, and as the Imperial court became wealthier, if the opportunity arose, such suppressed ambition would not remain dormant.

Rongchuan remained silent, and General Hou did not speak either. As they got closer to where the foreigners were kept, they could hear their clamorous voices.

Rongchuan regained his focus and said to General Hou, ”Burn all the harmful ointment, take all these foreigners into custody, charge them with involvement in our internal affairs, colluding with traitors to cause chaos. Unless their nations give a sufficient explanation, we have reason to suspect that these foreigners are acting on their Monarchs’ orders to destabilize our country and have intentions of encroachment.”

General Hou fell silent, surprised by the charge the Princely Heir had crafted, which very much aligned with his own thoughts, yet he hesitated, ”Can the Princely Heir bear such responsibility?”

He didn’t want to end up being unable to bear it; this could provoke conflicts between several nations.

Just now, the Navy personnel who understood Western languages inquired, and these foreigners came from three different nations.

Rongchuan smiled, ”I can.”

In the capital, at the Zhou residence, Zhulan had already learned about the situation in the Palace; everything had come to an end, Zhou Shuren was safe. Because many ministers were injured, they were resting within the Palace and would return after being able to leave.

A smile finally graced Zhulan’s face as the eunuch went house to house to bring news, receiving not much information; still, Zhulan murmured an Amitabha.

Zhulan said, ”Alright, you all may return to your respective yards now and rest well.”

Xue Han, ”Mother, I will stay with you to rest.”

Zhulan patted Xue Han’s hand, ”Yes.”

The daughters-in-law and grandsons took their leave one after another. Zhulan changed into more comfortable clothes to rest, but in her hand, she still clutched the Jade Pendant that Zhou Shuren often carried. Not having seen Zhou Shuren, her mind remained uneasy.