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

Chapter 1425: Chapter 1425: Distant Water Can’t Quench Immediate Thirst

Ming Rui is a fearless and tireless person. These past few days, he has been following the soldiers up the mountain, and he saw with his own eyes the excavation of large pieces of gold.

Shangguan Liu watched Deputy Commander Wang and the Crown Prince enter the house and quietly asked Ming Rui, ”Did they really find it?”

”Yes, they found it.”

It has been confirmed that what the village secretly mined is a branch vein, and what they have now discovered is the main vein.

Shangguan Liu clapped his hands, ”We’ve struck it rich – no, we’ve made a tremendous achievement!”

The corners of Ming Rui’s mouth couldn’t stop curling up, ”Yeah.”

The Crown Prince wanted to go up the mountain himself, but Prince Qi stopped him. In the end, Prince Qi personally went up the mountain to confirm.

The Crown Prince is still young, but he’s aware of his father the Emperor’s ambitions. He knows the nation spends a vast amount of silver, just the annual road repairs cost a fortune, not to mention the improvement of dikes and embankments, and even with new sea routes secured, the national treasury is far from abundant.

Now that the gold mine has been discovered, the national treasury can breathe a little easier. Chief of Staff Zhou must be overjoyed.

In the capital, the Zhou family had still called a doctor. Lady Zhao did not sleep all night; though her son was safe, her heart was filled with even more worry. She felt unwell after breakfast.

Zhulan, after asking the doctor and being assured it was nothing serious, comforted Lady Zhao, ”The assassination attempt failed this time, and it will be difficult for them to try again. Ming Rui will be safer with the Crown Prince.”

Lady Zhao, ”Mother, I’ve worried you for no reason.”

”I understand, a mother worries over her child venturing afar; it is a mother’s love.”

Lady Zhao took her medicine, ”Mother, I just can’t help but worry.”

She always imagines her son in danger, frightening herself, sometimes thinking that if she lost her son, she would follow him to the grave.

Zhulan had no way to change Lady Zhao’s nature; she could only hope Lady Zhao would come to terms with it herself after they talked a while longer.

Since Lady Zhao was ill and Ming Rui had not returned to the capital, the second wife was continuously preoccupied, and Zhou Yudie’s engagement had to be postponed.

Lady Zhao had her maid convey a message to the Liu family. After Lady Gu heard, she understood. If her son were in danger and did not return to the capital, she would also be unsettled.

Lady Gu asked a maid to pass the message to her son.

Upon learning the news, Liu Yuanbo squeezed the fabric he held in his purse. This piece he had chosen for Zhou Yudie, waiting to give it to Yu Die once the engagement was set.

The young servant watched despondently as his master became sullen; ever since the master learned he was to be engaged, anyone could see how happy he was.

Even when the eldest son made the master treat his friends, the master endured.

The young servant consoled him: ”Once Master Ming Rui returns to the capital, you can get engaged.”

Liu Yuanbo, ”Who knows when Zhou Mingrui will return to the capital. Sigh.”

Why does Zhou Mingrui have to be his cousin? The cousin wasn’t even satisfied with him. Now, he can get engaged without facing the cousin’s objections, but once the cousin returns, Liu Yuanbo’s fingertips tremble with fear - knowing his frugal disposition, the cousin will surely make him spend silver!

At the Ministry of Rites, Chang Yi received five invitation cards. He wasn’t an academic achiever, and the sons of noble families, prideful as they are, looked down upon him who hadn’t taken the imperial exams. In the past, they would never have sent him invitations.

The Ministry of Rites elder brother didn’t work as an official, yet who could deny that someone has a talented son, and a future title to boot? The invitations received by the elder brother were even more popular than his.

At home, the person who received the most invites was Chang Zhi, because Chang Zhi was the most learned and knowledgeable.

Chang Yi’s eyes lacked any sign of joy; he was not at all thrilled. He glanced at them and then put them aside.

Sir Liu noticed, ”You’re not happy?”

”If my son had died, these invitations would not have reached my hands. These people are sending invitations not because of me; it’s all because my son saved the Crown Prince. The important thing is that my son is alive.”

My son has passed away, and even though Shangguan Liu and my son saved a gentleman’s life together, they will not be grateful. Behind our backs, they would say that my son was just showing off.

Unfortunately, my son had good luck. Not only did he survive, but he also discovered a gold mine. If it is just as father said and there might be veins of ore, my son’s contributions would be immense.

Sir Liu, ”The capital has always been like this.”

Between the noble families, it is actually very simple. The focus is solely on whether there is profit to be made.

Chang Yi said with a click of his tongue, ”Honestly, with the power and status my father has now, not only does he stay calm and composed himself, but he also teaches us brothers not to be tempted by power. My father is truly amazing.”

Sir Liu, ”...”

Is it not a day to show off the son but to boast about the father instead?

Two days later, a Zhezi from the Crown Prince arrived in the capital in a hurry. The Emperor called Zhou Shuren to share the good news, ”Following your suggestion, indeed we have discovered a gold vein.”

Zhou Shuren’s eyes shone brightly, ”How large is the reserve of the gold vein? How much gold can be extracted?”

For the first time in these days, the Emperor showed a smile, ”The news that has come back indicates that the reserves in the vein are substantial, and the purity is very high. In a few days, the first batch of gold will arrive in the capital.”

Zhou Shuren was so delighted that he spun around, clapping his hands: ”Good, good.”

In recent times, he had lost quite a bit of hair worrying about the national treasury. Now, at last, the shortage of silver in the treasury could be relieved.

Warfare requires silver. This year, the weather has been abnormal, with continuous heavy rains in the south. Urgent messages have already reached the capital, and once the south floods, it will mean another significant expense of silver—not just silver, but also the loss of fertile fields in the south. Grain is too important in ancient times.

After his joy, Zhou Shuren’s smile faded quite a bit. Now that we have gold, we cannot put all of it into the market. With the reduced grain production in the south, a large influx of silver into the market will affect even more people.

After listening, the Emperor said: ”I have been preoccupied with excitement.”

These days, hearing Zhou Shuren continuously talk about the lack of silver in the national treasury, he also thought about silver every day.

However, discovering a gold mine is indeed exciting news. The Emperor noted the contributions of the Zhou family. Now they cannot yet reveal the gold mine, and he has not forgotten about those who were secretly mining it.

In the Huizhou Mountain Village, after confirming the reserves of the gold mine, all the government soldiers went into the mountains, leaving only a few people behind in the village to quickly erase all traces. The Crown Prince also left the village.

The village has returned to its usual tranquility, simply waiting for those who come to take the gold to be caught in the act.

In Qiizhou Province, despite his leg injury, Zhou Changlian still went to the government office to work because the Government Office was short-handed, and his leave was canceled. There have been dam breaches along the river in Qiizhou, and while the flood did not reach Prefecture City, it still caused many people to become victims. Refugees have already arrived at Prefecture City.

It is still raining, and some families in Prefecture City have decided to move away, fearing that the rivers nearby will also breach. Many more families have closed their doors.

Zhou Changlian was furrowing his brows, knowing that this year’s grain in Qiizhou was gone. He pressed at his brows, aware that the most urgent need in Prefecture City now was medicinal materials. The continuous rain and leaking temporary shelters caused many elderly and children to fall sick.

The nearby provinces, busy protecting themselves, could not spare much in the way of medical supplies to aid Qiizhou.

Zhou Changlian began to write a Zhezi to report the situation in Qiizhou to the capital. After finishing the Zhezi, his brow was still furrowed, knowing that Qiizhou is far from the capital and relief would not arrive immediately.

The Magistrate, returning from an external inspection, had his official attire completely drenched.

Zhou Changlian hurriedly said: ”Sir, please change your clothes to avoid catching a cold.”

The Magistrate was anxious. He was about to leave, but a flood occurred. His luck was terribly bad. With a throat hoarse from irritation, he said, ”I am fine; how is the tallying here doing?”

Zhou Changlian passed the tallied figures to the Magistrate and also handed over the completed Zhezi, ”It’s all here.”

After reviewing them, the Magistrate sighed, ”I have some medicinal materials at home. I will lead by example and donate them. Everyone should do the same and not hoard them; the lives of the people are more important.”

Zhou Changlian respected the Magistrate, who was a good official for the people. He had witnessed the achievements over the years, ”I will send someone to organize and deliver the medicinal materials from home right away.”

The Magistrate looked at Zhou Changlian with satisfaction. They had worked well together over the years.