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

Chapter 1312: Chapter 1312: Reuse

At night, Zhou Shuren came home and recounted the events of the flower banquet, relaying the words the Retired Emperor had told him to his wife.

Zhulan paused in her accounting work, ”Who do you think wrote the Zhezi?”

Zhou Shuren hummed lightly, ”It doesn’t matter who wrote it. As a high official valued by the Emperor across two dynasties, I am still too conspicuous.”

Zhulan pondered, ”This Zhezi has two purposes: one is to test whether both the Emperor and our family are interested, and the other is to test whether our family is plotting for the position of Crown Princess Consort, aiming to expose the Zhou family’s ambitions, thereby damaging the Emperor’s trust in the Zhou family.”

Zhou Shuren fiddled with a glass vase, ”It’s a pity they don’t know, I had declined the position of the Crown Prince’s mentor before the Emperor ascended the throne, now it’s just the Retired Emperor and the Emperor setting me up.”

Zhulan glared at her husband, ”Stop picking at the petals, why are your hands so restless? These flowers were arranged by our granddaughters today.”

Zhou Shuren let go of the petal his fingers had pinched, his eyes full of regret. He had already pinched it, and it felt tempting to pluck!

Zhulan, ”This also explains why Miss Shen has hostility towards Yu Yi, she must have heard some rumors.”

Zhou Shuren uttered a sound of agreement, then definitively said: ”Whether the Emperor plans to choose a Crown Princess Consort for the Crown Prince is yet to be mentioned, but as for the Shen family, tsk tsk, no chance.”

Zhulan also thought there was no chance, due to severe infighting within the Shen family, the Emperor wouldn’t choose such a family. ”Right, is there a conclusion about the southern matter?”

Zhou Shuren answered deeply, ”Hmm, it will explode in a few days.”

The Emperor did not go through the court, but handled it personally, commanding Prince Chu directly, even Rongchuan left the capital under the pretext of official duties, and only a few well-informed knew, unfortunately, the transmission of news was too late, the Emperor kept it too well hidden.

Zhulan with a meaningful tone said, ”So after ascending the throne, the Emperor set a massive fire in the south. Many in the south will fall, and Chang Lian will also have a place for reassignment.”

Zhou Shuren, ”Hmm.”

After this cleanup, the Emperor will choose officials loyal only to him, and the Zhou family is a force supported by the Emperor. Chang Lian’s transfer doesn’t need his scheming anymore, the Emperor will arrange it; hence although the south remains chaotic after the cleanup, it’s a good place to be.

With him anchoring things in the capital, some forces in Jiangnan will be wary of him, hesitating to make a move against Chang Lian. This is exactly what the Emperor wants; as long as Chang Lian takes root in the south, he will be the Emperor’s sharp blade there, of course, opportunity and danger exist simultaneously, and danger is certain.

Zhulan finished organizing the accounts, ”Lady Dong, along with Ming Ling, has already set off to return to the capital. I wonder if the little guy can endure the long journey.”

Zhou Shuren referred to this second youngest grandson, knowing him only from his son’s letters, ”Chang Lian said he’s recuperated well, the current temperate weather is suitable for traveling, stop worrying.”

Zhulan, ”Alright, let’s not talk about it anymore, it’s getting late, let’s wash up and rest.”

Zhou Shuren was unwilling to move, feeling lazy every time he returned home, and he lay around for a while longer before getting up to wash.

The next day, as the noble ladies from the flower banquet returned home and recounted their experiences, the fourth young lady of the Zhou family’s Chief of Staff became famous; she was the eldest legitimate daughter of Zhou Shuren’s third son, a previously obscure young lady, who after the flower banquet, gained a new recognition.

Through Yu Yi, the men thought of Zhou Changlian, the third son of the Chief of Staff, ranked excellent every year, and it was again time for a transfer, those unaware of the rumors simply felt the Zhou family’s fourth young lady was a good candidate for a daughter-in-law or granddaughter-in-law.

Meanwhile, those aware of the rumors, noticed the Shen family making a move, while others more well-informed were waiting for movements within the Palace.

No matter what, Zhou Yuyi, the Zhou family’s fourth young lady, made her name with one battle.

Inside the Palace, the Emperor, who rarely visited the empress sleeping quarters after the morning court, came today because he was too busy yesterday and didn’t return to the harem, today he had something to discuss with the Empress.

The Emperor walked into the hall and stopped the Empress who was about to salute him, ”We, as husband and wife, need not be overly formal.”

Ever since his talk with the Empress, the Emperor felt very satisfied with his wife, and their interactions became more casual.

The corners of the Empress’s mouth lifted in a sincere smile, happy in the knowledge that, no matter how many people were in the harem, she alone was his wife, the only one worthy to stand by the Emperor’s side.

The Emperor handed over a list to the Empress, ”Take a look at this list.”

Accepting it with a puzzled look, the Empress saw that it included names of young girls, along with their ages and family backgrounds clearly recorded. She understood, ”Is this...?”

The Emperor sat down and brewed tea himself, ”It’s what you’re thinking, a list I have screened.”

The Empress quickly glanced through the list but didn’t see the name she expected. She had paid attention to the recent flower banquet for the sake of her son and therefore knew it very well.

Indeed, the Empress had thought about the Zhou family’s granddaughter, but there were better options, so it was just a fleeting thought. However, the performance of the fourth Miss Zhou at the banquet made her think a lot.

Naturally, the Emperor noticed the slight frown on the Empress’s face. If it weren’t for the remarkable performance of the fourth Miss Zhou yesterday, he wouldn’t have brought the list so soon after finishing his tasks. His original plan was to discuss it with the Empress later, to gauge the Wen family’s actions.

The Emperor spoke, ”The Retired Emperor has decreed that the Zhou family has always been loyal only to the Emperor.”

Yes, that’s what the Retired Emperor wanted to convey, and he thought the same. Now, using the Retired Emperor’s decree saved explanations.

The Empress’s gaze paused, ”Your servant understands.”

The Emperor hummed, then added, ”There’s no rush to choose from this list. The Crown Prince is still young; you have ample time to consider.”

The Empress saw the name she originally favored on the list, ”Hmm.”

After the Emperor left, the Empress felt very pleased. The Zhou family’s loyalty only to the Emperor implied that the Zhou family would only provide a Princess Consort for Prince Qin and would not engage in marriage alliances with the royal family in the future. This was ideal.

The Empress also marveled at the deep foresight of Chief of Staff Zhou. If it weren’t for Chief of Staff Zhou’s intentions, both the Retired Emperor and the Emperor wouldn’t have trusted so completely, and she also elevated Lady Yang in her heart, recognizing that Lady Yang truly knew how to guide her granddaughters.

In fact, the brilliance of the Zhou granddaughters had another reason; each girl maintained her integrity and character, which made them more vibrant among the noble ladies.

Because the Emperor had no intention of involving the Zhou family in the competition for Crown Princess Consort, he directly rejected the Zhezi, this being the Emperor’s most direct response.

Zhou Shuren noticed the Zhezi, and he was also among the first to know about the Emperor’s actions. The Emperor’s straightforward expression of trust in the Zhou family also sent a signal that his descendants would be given important roles.

Of course, the underlying meaning was not yet clear, just waiting for the news from the south to break, then everything would become clear.

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren noticed Zhang Jinghong sneaking glances at him several times, ”What do you want to say?”

Zhang Jinghong, ”Nothing.”

Zhou Shuren looked again, and Zhang Jinghong was already diligently organizing the accounts. Observing for a while and discovering nothing, Zhou Shuren no longer paid attention.

Why did Zhang Jinghong frequently observe Chief of Staff Zhou? Because he thought of his own son. So far, being a child of the previous dynasty, he had fared well, but he feared that the royal family ultimately might not accommodate his descendants.

Every time Zhang Jinghong saw his son growing up, he thought about planning more for his son. Ah, the daughters of the Zhou family, alas, it was only a thought.