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

Chapter 1357: Chapter 1357: Becoming a Disciple

After two more days, the snow in the capital had stopped, and the sun shined brilliantly on the snow, dazzling the eyes.

Although the snow in the capital stopped, it was still snowing in Zhangzhou City. The roads that were barely cleared before are now congested again, with the grain delivery team from Jinzhou Province stuck halfway.

The Crown Prince, wrapped in his cloak, opened the window and stood on the second floor of the inn, looking down at the street where people were clearing the snow. Everyone by the street took responsibility for their own storefront; however, the accumulated snow was not being cleared away, so the carriages could still not travel.

Zhou Shuren sat cross-legged in his chair, completely enveloped in his cloak, ”The wind outside isn’t strong, would the Crown Prince like to take a walk?”

The Crown Prince had been inquiring about the situation in Prefecture City for the past two days and had not stepped out of the inn, ”Would you accompany me, sir?”

Since Zhou Shuren suggested it and he had promised the Emperor to mentor the Crown Prince, naturally, they would go together, ”Hmm.”

The Crown Prince said to another official sitting aside, ”Sir, you may stay and rest at the inn.”

That official, ”...Yes.”

Indeed, the Crown Prince’s patience with him had nearly reached its limit. Taking a deep breath, thankfully he realized it not too late.

Zhou Shuren stood up to stretch his legs, put on his gloves, and even packed a pouch with two meat floss buns, lastly picking up the hand warmer and said, ”Let’s go.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes twinkled with amusement, only now realizing that Zhou was a man who likes to boast about his wife, and even when he is outdoors, he leads a life of delicacy.

These past few days, he had enjoyed Zhou’s meat floss and fish floss, which were really tasty when put into plain porridge. And yes, there were also the pickles brought by Zhou, a flavour he recognized from stays at Qin Prince Residence, which both his grandfather and grandmother liked very much.

The inn was filled with people who were stuck in Zhangzhou and could not leave, with Zhou Shuren’s group being the most conspicuous in recent days.

Upon leaving the inn, Zhou Shuren adjusted his scarf, it was indeed very cold outside.

The Crown Prince, worried, ”In such cold weather, the shelters outside are inadequate.”

Zhou Shuren replied, ”We have already dug snow caves for warmth.”

The Crown Prince furrowed his brows, ”Healthy adults might fare better, but the elderly, women, and children might not withstand it.”

Zhou Shuren’s steps were laborious; he had been in Zhangzhou for several days and frankly, not only was the Crown Prince dissatisfied with the Prefect of Zhangzhou, but he was also displeased. The disaster relief promoted by the Imperial court was supposed to be improved, yet the actions taken in Zhangzhou were too slow, and in these past days, he had heard that many had frozen to death.

The Crown Prince stuffed his mouth with snow and closed his mouth, walking with his head down.

The group had not walked far before being covered in snow lifted by the shovelling at a shop ahead.

The Crown Prince stared at the accumulated snow all over the road, his lips pursed even tighter, ”The accumulated snow in the capital is immediately cleared away. If I remember correctly, this snow has not been cleared since we entered the city.”

Zhou Shuren said somberly, ”Perhaps they are too busy with relief efforts.”

The Crown Prince, having only been hearing reports these days, took a deep breath, ”Then I must take a good look at how the relief efforts are being executed. Shall we go to the city gate?”

Zhou Shuren thought to himself, if it were not for the Crown Prince, he certainly wouldn’t go out in this weather and walk all the way to the city gate, ”Hmm.”

In the capital, Zhulan rarely saw such displeasure on her eldest daughter’s face, ”What’s wrong? You look upset as soon as you walked in.”

Xue Mei let out a sigh, ”Mu Lan’s stepsister has come with her child. How could she have the nerve to come to the capital, considering how she used to scheme against Mu Lan?”

Zhulan was surprised, ”In this heavy snowfall.”

Xue Mei said, ”The heavy snow blocked the roads, causing a delay for several days. It was only cleared yesterday, and they entered the capital. Now she’s putting on a good sister act, it just makes me angry.”

”Is she at your home?”

Xue Mei looked a bit better, ”She rested at an inn yesterday and came to visit today. She didn’t stay long before Mu Fan took her away; otherwise, I couldn’t have come out.”

Zhulan said that her daughter is not someone who is impolite, ”If you don’t want to see her, then don’t. You have your mother; I’ll support you. Don’t get angry over people who don’t deserve it.”

Xue Mei smiled, ”Mom, I’m already grown up.”

”You’re still my daughter, aren’t you?”

Xue Mei felt completely relieved, ”Every family has annoying relatives. Mu Lan’s stepsister really isn’t the worst. It’s just her scheming is a bit disgusting. You know that Jiang Sheng has grown quite reputable these past two years. Many people want Jiang Sheng as a mentor. Ultimately, it’s the benefits he brings that everyone is after.”

Zhulan was aware of this. Privately, some people approached Jiang Sheng with generous offers to become his disciples, but Jiang Sheng himself hadn’t fully mastered his own skills and was not about to take on disciples.

If it weren’t for the Zhou family backing him as his in-laws, Jiang Sheng wouldn’t know how many people he might have offended by refusing. Now it seems that Mu Lan’s stepsister also has this idea.

As Jiang Sheng’s reputation grew, becoming his disciple became a shortcut for many.

Zhulan, ”Mu Lan and Mu Fan are both shrewd. The oldest daughter of Jiang Ming was unfeeling; they already had no emotional ties. And since the stepsister is not an elder, there’s no filial piety to hold down, she has no impact on Mu Lan and Mu Fan.”

Xue Mei, ”I know.”

Zhulan said with a smile, ”Since you’re here, look at what I prepared for Miumiu. This child loves books, so I especially had Yu Die copy some books for her.”

Of course, there were also books she organized herself, all filled with practical knowledge points.

Among the granddaughters, Yu Wen had the most talent for reading, while the talented and diligent one was Jiang Miu.

In recent years, Zhulan rarely attended banquets. Sometimes when she went out, she would take Jiang Miu with her. This child was very low-profile; many people knew that the Zhou family had a granddaughter, but few had actually seen her. Well, she is also a homebody.

Zhulan took Jiang Miu out to make her known, to prevent others from bullying her granddaughter.

In Zhangzhou, Zhou Shuren walked to the city gate too exhausted to straighten his back. Walking in the snow was already strenuous, coupled with the wind, although not strong, walking against it was tiring; the painfully refreshing feeling was just indescribable.

Zhou Shuren was a homebody who worked in an office, his greatest daily physical activity was walking to the Imperial court, and the rest of the time he was sitting. He had a carriage to take him home, and the chest pains and leg discomfort from the walk just now were unbearable.

In the end, he couldn’t bear it and sat down on a snow pile, waving his hand as he gasped for air, ”I can’t take it, rest for a while.”

He had managed to endure up to this point by gritting his teeth, and if it hadn’t been for the fear of stopping midway and not wanting to move, he really couldn’t have continued.

The Crown Prince was also tired but felt much better after resting for a while. He had practiced martial arts since childhood and had a strong body, plus he was young and recovered quickly. The Crown Prince’s breathing had already evened out.

The Crown Prince, anxious to check the situation outside the city, said, ”Then, uncle, you rest here; I’ll go and have a look.”

Zhou Shuren looked at the guards accompanying him, ”Jin Yan and Shen Xing stay with me; the rest follow him.”

If something really happened to the Crown Prince, no one could bear the responsibility. If it wasn’t for the Retired Emperor having cleared potential risks and the Emperor conducting several purges secretly over the past years, the Emperor wouldn’t dare let the Crown Prince leave the capital.