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

Chapter 1309: Chapter 1309: Posts Are Hard to Come By

Palace, Zhou Shuren stood motionless, as the Emperor was reviewing petitions. He still had the mood to wonder why he wasn’t kneeling while waiting; it seemed the Emperor wasn’t redirecting anger. To be honest, the Crown Prince’s taste is really hard to describe in a few words. The fact that the Emperor can suppress his anger shows that the Crown Prince is increasingly becoming a concern that should be attributed to the Emperor himself.

Eunuch Zhang Yuguang glanced at Master Zhou, thinking to himself that the Crown Prince really did learn from Master Zhou.

The Emperor’s attention wasn’t entirely on the petitions; he noticed Zhou Shuren sneaking several glances at the bonsai.

The Emperor set down his pen, ”Master Zhou, what do you think of my bonsai?”

Zhou Shuren, ”...quite unique.”

The Emperor, ”...hehe.”

Zhou Shuren responded to all changes with silence; silence is golden. On one side is the Emperor, on the other the Crown Prince. Whatever he says would be wrong. He really felt caught between two fires.

The Emperor didn’t dwell on Zhou Shuren, but he did feel a bit of a headache thinking about the Crown Prince’s temperament. His son was a bit of a disappointment, and the Emperor felt conflicted. This was different from competing with his troublesome brothers. How to put it—it’s just, the child is still too young.

The Emperor reflected on himself, ”Do you think I’ve forced the Crown Prince to study too much?”

So, the child developed a rebellious streak, wanting to stir up some trouble.

Zhou Shuren, ”??”

The Emperor always taught the Crown Prince with his own learning experiences, having the scholar Wu teach him the same curriculum he had as a child. The son was lively and, while being distracted by concern, the Emperor felt genuinely worried.

Zhou Shuren stared woodenly at the contemplative Emperor, pah, his face being shown a display of fatherly love.

In the empress sleeping quarters, Consort Liu, fanning her face, the corners of her mouth turning up into an increasingly large smile, ”Empress, it’s not that I’m being intrusive, but you really should pay more attention to the Crown Prince.”

She had a good night’s sleep after hearing the news, refreshed and invigorated.

The Empress placed her teacup down forcefully, silencing the room. Her sharp gaze locked onto Consort Liu, ”Is the Crown Prince someone you can casually discuss?”

Consort Liu’s gaze faltered; she bit her lip, ”This concubine knows her mistake.”

The Empress watched Consort Liu, who was kneeling and silent, until she could no longer bear it, then said, ”Only this once, there will be no forgiveness next time.”

Consort Liu’s mouth was already bleeding, ”Yes.”

The Empress turned her gaze upon the other concubines in the room, who lowered their heads at her scrutiny; the Empress then retracted her gaze, ”That’s enough, you may all leave.”

Only after the Female Officer and others had left did she speak, ”Empress.”

The Empress raised her hand to interrupt the Female Officer, she initially worried, but later, seeing the Emperor’s growing concern for the Crown Prince, she was relieved; her son was already grown up, and managing the harem was enough for her.

At the Zhou residence, Zhulan held the list of preparations needed for the flower banquet for her eldest granddaughter. This was the first time the Miss of the Zhou family invited girls of her age. Previously, it hadn’t been done because Yushuang and Yu Lu’s father was a commoner, later one held an official rank and the other was eligible for an inherited title, not to mention the accession of a new Emperor, which brought attention to the Zhou family to some extent.

The Zhou family acted low-key, hence the banquet invitations were forgotten.

Now, after a year without these concerns, holding the banquet was only natural.

Zhulan smiled, ”You and your sisters have been in touch with the steward since childhood, especially Yushuang, who is more capable. You didn’t miss anything in your preparation, very good.”

Yushuang’s cheeks flushed, a confirmation of her abilities, ”Granddaughter still has a lot to learn, I’m not good enough yet.”

Zhulan looked at her younger granddaughters; Yu Wen may seem lazy, but having a mother with a substantial dowry, Yu Wen was the best in the family at arithmetic, also the most skilled. Thinking of Yu Wen’s words, Zhulan couldn’t help but laugh, the girl had said, in order to not be fooled in the future and to be able to slack off in peace, she must learn well.

Yushuang’s flower banquet not only invited young ladies she has been on good terms with over the past few years but also daughters of officials from other noble families in the capital. This was the first flower banquet prepared by Miss Zhou’s family, and the significance was different.

Lady Li spoke, ”Everything is ready; we can now send out the invitations.”

Yu Die stretched out her hand, ”When Sister was preparing the invitations, I helped choose the patterns too.”

Lady Zhao doted on her little girl, ”Only you could.”

Yu Die ran behind Yu Yi, out of mother’s reach, and even made faces, until Yushuang smacked her sister on the head, and Yu Die finally settled down.

In the following days, the Zhou family’s invitations were sent out continuously. Lady Tao visited the residence and bluntly said, ”Do you have any spare blank invitations left? I could use a few.”

Zhulan was confused, ”What invitations?”

Lady Tao clarified, ”My apologies for not being clear. The Count Residence’s flower banquet invitations; do you have any blank ones left for me?”

Now Zhulan understood, ”You’re quite direct.”

”We’ve known each other for years; there’s no need for beating around the bush.”

Now curious, Zhulan verified, ”There are still some spare blank invitations left. Tell me what do you need them for?”

Lady Tao was visibly irritated, ”Isn’t it known all over the capital that you and I have a close relationship? As the Count Residence hosts its first flower banquet for young ladies, too many wish to attend. As the future matriarch of the Wang clan, I simply can’t turn everyone down. I have no choice but to ask for your help.”

Zhulan responded, ”Our family’s invitations are that sought after?”

”What do you think!”

Zhulan scoffed sardonically, ”Don’t tell me there are ulterior motives. Everyone knows the Crown Prince has dealings with the Count Residence, and they all have high hopes!”

When the maids had all left, Lady Tao whispered, ”The Empress is a living example of the smooth enthronement of the Crown Princess Consort. With the Crown Prince not yet betrothed, everyone is eagerly eying the position of the Crown Princess Consort. Just you watch, the ages of those attending this flower banquet will definitely be young.”

Zhulan wickedly thought, maybe she could sell the remaining blank invitations her eldest granddaughter had. Surely someone would bid for them.

But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it. The Emperor and Empress were watching, and the Emperor wouldn’t allow anyone to manipulate the situation with the Crown Prince.

Zhulan sent a maid to her eldest granddaughter to get a few invitations, handing them over to Lady Tao, who then took her leave without staying longer.

In the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren and Qiu Yan had gotten along well over the years. When they were equals, they had a good relationship, and the stability of the ministry owed much to Qiu Yan.

Now, with their roles as superior and subordinate, Qiu Yan continued to diligently do his duties.

Zhou Shuren handed an invitation to Qiu Yan, ”My eldest granddaughter is hosting a flower banquet; this is an invitation for your granddaughter. Take it with you.”

While Zhou Shuren got along well with Qiu Yan, their children had no contact with each other. Even if they met at a banquet, they would only nod in greeting.

Qiu Yan’s offspring were not particularly outstanding. The Qiu family relied entirely on Qiu Yan. If they wanted to secure a good marital match, they needed to attend more high-quality banquets. Qiu Yan, a cautious person and a traditionalist at heart, would of course seek the best for his grandson, but his granddaughter ranked significantly lower in importance.

Zhou Shuren had only heard Qiu Yan mention that he had an unmarried legitimate granddaughter of marriageable age, and the family was fretting over it, which is why he had asked for an invitation from his own granddaughter.

Qiu Yan moved his lips, ”Thank you.”

In fact, his wife had nagged him countless times about obtaining a few invitations to the Grand Master of Writing’s family’s flower banquet. After so many years of working together, they certainly had that kind of rapport, but he hadn’t agreed since he would rather humiliate himself for his grandson.

Zhou Shuren said, ”We’ve worked together for many years; no need for formalities.”

Clutching the invitation, Qiu Yan sighed inwardly. He had not mentioned it, but Zhou Shuren had remembered, and that was enough to show he cared.