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

Chapter 1231: Chapter 1231 Up and Down

Zhulan could guess from Lady Li’s expression what she was thinking, ”If the Empress really wanted to interfere, she would have done so long ago.”

Lady Li was unconvinced, ”Wasn’t it because the title wasn’t legitimate before?”

The Crown Prince had numerous concubines and consorts. All of them his biological sons. Could the Empress truly not care? She even suspected that the Empress had appointed concubines for Rongchuan.

Zhulan’s intuition was precise; if the Empress had wanted to intervene, she would have done so already. Since she hadn’t, she wouldn’t in the future, ”Your worries are superfluous.”

Lady Li felt her mother-in-law was too confident, ”Not everyone is as good a mother-in-law as you.”

Zhulan thought to herself, her being a good mother-in-law had earned her quite a few enemies. If her status hadn’t changed step by step, she would have had to listen to endless sarcastic remarks.

Zhao spoke up, ”Mother, the young couple didn’t return to the Ning Duke Residence but instead went to their maternal home. Will they not return to the Ning Duke Residence in the future?”

Zhulan responded, ”Yes, I heard from your father that the fifth Prince’s residence was chosen a long time ago. The belongings of Rongchuan in the Hou Residence have almost been moved out, only waiting for Rongchuan to return from the ritual to the imperial family before moving in. Now, they are no longer suited to live in the Ning Duke Residence.”

She had thought the couple would live in the palace until moving into the Prince’s Residence but didn’t expect them to return to their maternal home.

Su Xuan took up the conversation, ”What about the original residence of the fifth prince?”

Zhulan indeed knew, ”It’s still under careful inspection. Once cleared, it will be rewarded to those who contributed.”

There were many who contributed during this palace upheaval, yet rewards had not been granted. The rewards would have to wait until the Crown Prince ascended to the throne.

Su Xuan lowered her voice, ”And what of the Yao family’s living quarters?”

Zhulan replied, ”Seized by the Ministry of Revenue, just waiting for the regulations to be issued before they are parceled out and sold.”

Some were superstitious, but many were not. Ten years of turmoil left many dead in the capital, to say that a house where no one had died existed was truly impossible. Many desired the Yao family’s well-located residence.

At the Duke Ning Residence, Zhou Xuehan waited until Rongchuan entered the study, then found Mrs. Song. Now she couldn’t call her ’sister-in-law’ but rather, ”Cousin-in-law.”

Mrs. Song was truly surprised when she learned the news, but beneath that surprise was an understanding of all the previously illogical issues. She held Zhou Xuehan’s hand, ”I didn’t have a chance to speak with you these past days; I’ve been meaning to have a talk with you!”

Zhou Xuehan responded, ”I feel the same, cousin-in-law. Are all well with you recently?”

Mrs. Song brightened, ”Yes, all is well with me, though a bit busy. Oh, you didn’t know? Your second cousin-in-law and your second cousin have been staying at the Duke Residence these few days.”

Zhou Xuehan understood—Rongchuan was a prince, and a dukedom he could potentially receive was now vacant. She had no position to make comments now, simply smiling.

Mrs. Song meant no harm with her words; she hoped it would work out, so they could support each other in the future alongside her husband. Unfortunately, the Duke Ning rarely saw Mr. and Mrs. Ning Zhixiang.

As they spoke, Mrs. Yu arrived. Before she even stepped inside, her voice announced her presence, ”I was wondering why the magpie was incessantly chirping today—it turns out there’s a distinguished guest. Let me take a good look at the Prince’s Consort.”

Zhou Xuehan had gotten used to this title; palace attendants addressed her thus in the palace, and her clothing rank was also that of a Prince’s Consort. On this visit to the palace, the Empress Mother even gifted her two chests of jewelry.

Zhou Xuehan smiled and said, ”Second cousin-in-law.”

Mrs. Yu upon entering was captivated by Zhou Xuehan’s attire; these were garments befitting her rank. Observing her headgear, Mrs. Yu thought to herself how fortunate Zhou Xuehan was, being elevated to a Prince’s Consort, and a future Princess Consort.

At the Ministry of Rites, Zhou Changyi had avoided several Westerners for a few days, but today could not escape them.

Zhou Changyi exclaimed in surprise, ”Why have you all come to find me at once?”

Aaron no longer regarded Zhou Changyi as a simple, honest man. This man was clearly very cunning; they had blocked him several days in a row, only managing to catch him today. Aaron said, ”We’re here to talk about some people in the prison; surely, there’s been some misunderstanding.”

Chang Yi felt the Westerners were shameless, ignoring such evidence as harmful ointments, ”Didn’t you sell gunpowder and cannons to the Zhang family?”

Aaron replied, ”We sold them to many countries and merchants.”

Chang Yi scoffed, not believing a word. He had been abroad himself, ”I have served as an envoy to several countries.”

Aaron was choked up; he and a few others had come to the capital to serve as officials, not to be interpreters. They wanted to use their knowledge to earn the Emperor’s trust, but unfortunately, the Emperor treated them as mere translators.

Among those captured this time were the sons of dukes from their countries, which made the situation even more troublesome. Thinking about convicting them made Aaron extremely anxious.

Aaron couldn’t reveal their true identities yet.

Aaron wanted to say more, but Chang Yi was busy and unwilling to listen anymore. His father was right, those who wanted to serve in the court had their own agendas, ”I have other matters to attend to, I must leave first.”

Aaron watched Zhou Changyi’s departing figure and cursed under his breath.

Johns said, ”It seems we can only wait for the envoys including the princes to arrive.”

Their status was such that if the Emperor did not summon them, they simply could not meet him. They had tried everything these days and hit walls everywhere; they really had no options left.

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren was bowing his head when suddenly the light in front of him was blocked. Looking up, he saw the Crown Prince standing in front of the table, flipping through freshly handled zhezi.

Zhou Shuren hurriedly rose to his feet, ”Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince personally helped Zhou Shuren up, ”Lord Zhou, you may dispense with the formalities.”

As Zhou Shuren stood, he asked, ”What brings Your Highness to the Ministry of Revenue?”

The Crown Prince sat down, ”It has been some days since I’ve left the palace, and I found myself at the Ministry of Revenue while strolling. I had some matters to discuss with you, so I came in.”

Zhou Shuren, motioned to sit, asked, ”Is Your Highness here to inquire about the foreigners?”

The Crown Prince smiled, ”Lord Zhou truly understands me.”

Zhou Shuren thought to himself, it wasn’t that he understood the Crown Prince, but he understood his ambitions, ”Is it regarding how to deal with the few men in the prison?”

The Crown Prince nodded, ”In recent days, these foreign lords have been quite active.”

Zhou Shuren chuckled, ”Indeed, moving all over the place.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes blazed as he stared at Zhou Shuren, ”I agree with your views, Lord Zhou, but it involves several countries, and one mishandling could lead to endless troubles.”

If it weren’t for the war in the south and his succession to the throne, he would have preferred to fight a real battle.

Zhou Shuren did not believe that the Crown Prince had no ideas in his mind, and he also wanted to take this opportunity to understand what the Crown Prince was thinking, ”Does Your Highness have any strategies?”

The Crown Prince toyed with the Jade Pendant at his waist, ”I have many ideas. I want to revise the laws, specifically laws regarding foreigners, and I also want to establish a credibility list.”

Zhou Shuren was stunned upon hearing about the credibility list; this was what he had mentioned to some officials of the Ministry of Revenue, ”Your Highness has excellent ideas.”

The Crown Prince smiled, ”I knew Lord Zhou would understand me.”

If he didn’t skin these foreigners a few layers, he wouldn’t be satisfied!

The Crown Prince continued, ”The southern port has already sent news that the envoy fleet is about to arrive. Also, the pamphlets depicting the hazards have been distributed across the provinces, and recently we are planning to adapt them into plays for further propaganda.”

Zhou Shuren’s eyes sparkled, ”This method is most excellent.”

A dual-pronged approach to propaganda would have a better effect.

At Zhou’s family home, Xue Han and Rongchuan returned in the afternoon. Zhulan wanted to inquire about her daughter, but since Rongchuan was always there, she didn’t have the chance to speak to her daughter alone.

Unexpectedly, after dinner that evening, the couple from Rongchuan came over together.