Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1253: Decisive

Zhou Shuren stole a look at the new Emperor, who still wore a smile, only this time, there was a hint of stiffness in that smile!

Zhou Shuren moved his ears; these old ministers hadn’t really sealed their fate, they had merely requested the appointment of a Crown Prince, without specifying who.

But this nonetheless made the mother clan of the Empress, the new Duke Coleman, anxious. In the hearts of the Wen family, the situations of the Empress and the Empress Dowager were the same, each with two legitimate sons. The new Emperor was appointed Crown Prince because he was the firstborn legitimate son, and the eldest legitimate son of the Empress should also rightly be appointed.

But the Liu family would not be content, not content at all!

The new Emperor’s thoughts drifted far away; setting up the dynasty and appointing the Crown Prince in those days also went through many complications; the powers involved were more complex than they are now.

The new Emperor, having listened to the discourse concerning the appointment of a Crown Prince, scrutinized the ministers, his gaze lingering momentarily on Zhou Shuren, who kept his head down, before continuing to assess the others.

Although the new Emperor was not old, having served as Crown Prince for many years and thus having accumulated an imposing presence from acting on behalf of court affairs, even as the new Emperor, he commanded an overwhelming presence.

Pleased with the ministers bowing their heads, the new Emperor stood up and declared, "It is too soon to establish a Crown Prince, court is dismissed."

After the Emperor had left, Zhou Shuren made a quick escape, truly a dash for it; he feared being kept back by the new Emperor for a private word. Fortunately, the new Emperor didn’t set a trap for him, and no eunuch summoned him.

Old Master Wang couldn’t catch up and could only shout, "Chief of Staff Zhou."

Zhou Shuren paused his steps, turned back, and saw the old master gasping for breath while bracing his legs, touched his nose, and walked over, "Is the old master well?"

Old Master Wang was not well, it had been a long time since he had walked so briskly. He caught his breath for a while before standing upright. "I’m old, old. I can barely run a few steps... I never expected the Grand Master of Writing to be so agile."

Zhou Shuren touched his nose again, "There’s an urgent matter at the Ministry of Revenue, so I must hurry back."

At this moment, the other Chiefs of Staff from The Six Ministries approached; the Minister of Personnel, with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, interjected, "Chief of Staff Zhou certainly is busy indeed. The Ministry of Revenue is making big moves; just be careful not to overextend yourself."

Zhou Shuren, "??"

He actually heard the Minister of Personnel speaking of overextending himself, a sight indeed to behold! It showed how the activities of the Ministry of Revenue had disturbed even the typically obscure Minister of Personnel, who felt inclined to undermine him.

Minister of Justice chuckled, "Speaking of overextending, the Ministry of Justice does indeed have such a punishment!"

Zhou Shuren looked gloomily towards the Minister of Justice, impressive indeed, this was an intimidation!

Li Zhao, Minister of War, didn’t join the conversation. Among The Six Ministries, the Ministry of War had always been under the Emperor’s control. It was difficult to join the Ministry of War for the sake of experience; it was relatively clean of intrigue, hence Li Zhao enjoyed watching Zhou Shuren being ganged up on.

The Ministry of Rites, a major player in gaining experience, had a lot to say. The Minister of Rites commented, "Chief of Staff Zhou has always been tasked with additional responsibilities, making the rest of us seem quite useless."

The Minister of Works looked left and right; his department was a major consumer of silver and was one of the more hands-on among The Six Ministries. The Minister of Works shrank back a bit, as if he couldn’t afford to offend anyone, and withdrew.

Zhou Shuren smiled, "The tax revenue this year has been good!"

Having Silver Coin meant having confidence!

Li Zhao, Minister of War, immediately interjected, "Some rules are meant to be broken before new ones can be established. The Ministry of Revenue has led by example. If you don’t support this, yet still squeeze Chief of Staff Zhou, I cannot stand idly by."

The Minister of Works timidly added, "The smooth reforms of the Ministry of Revenue show the tacit approval of the Emperor."

The Minister of Personnel bit his lip and glared at the Minister of Works; as if he knew, they weren’t blind. Yet they still played ignorant and squeezed Zhou Shuren!

Now, with the words of the Minister of Works aired, whether it be the Ministry of Personnel or the Ministry of Justice, they all flicked their sleeves with displeasure and strode away.

The Minister of Works muttered, "...Should I have not made it so obvious?"

Li Zhao was at a loss for words; they were all old foxes of the court, who didn’t understand the situation? It was just a matter of keeping up appearances. They had hoped Zhou Shuren wouldn’t create a stir in future, or at least give them a heads-up.

Old Master Wang twitched his mustache, believing the Minister of Works to be the most naive among The Six Ministries.

Yet, here was the Minister of Works, looking earnestly at Zhou Shuren, "I’ve stuck my neck out to draw flak for you, could you perhaps increase the amount of Silver allotted this month?"

Old Master Wang, "..."

Where on the imperial court is anything simple? Pff, it’s all fox spirits.

After leaving the palace, Zhou Shuren and Elder Wang were riding in a carriage. Zhou Shuren, hearing no other sounds outside but their carriage, spoke up, "Elder Wang, is there something you want to ask me?"

Elder Wang shook his head then nodded, "Indeed, there are some things I wanted to ask you, but now I don’t feel like asking anymore."

He had initially wanted to get some information from Zhou Shuren, but after leaving the palace and clearing his head, he realized some things Zhou Shuren wouldn’t mention, such as matters regarding appointing the Crown Prince.

Although the two families had good relations, the Wang family could no longer be of help to Zhou Shuren. He had to maintain the relationship between their families and not just seek information. This was important for the relationship of both families.

When Zhou Shuren returned to the Ministry of Revenue, he saw the carriage from the Qin Prince Residence. With a chuckle, he went back to his office amidst the complicated glances from officials of the Ministry of Revenue.

Zhou Shuren immediately noted the changes in his office; there was an assortment of dried fruits, a chessboard, a few travel books, and even a rocking chair added.

Zhou Shuren, "!!"

It was infuriating; how is this humanly possible? He was busily dying from work, and here this person was sitting in front of him enjoying himself!!

The Retired Emperor swayed in the rocking chair, "Finished with the court session?"

Zhou Shuren forced a smile, "Yes. Retired Emperor, what brings you here?"

The Retired Emperor smiled, "Don’t worry, I won’t disturb your work. You go on with your tasks."

Zhou Shuren felt like hitting someone—he’s slaving away at his desk and the Retired Emperor is enjoying retired life right in front of him!

He was somewhat falling apart mentally, "Actually, I too would like to travel the country like the Retired Emperor."

The Retired Emperor said somberly, "You won’t have the chance. But, I’ll write travel journals for you every time I visit a place. Yes, I’ll also send you some local specialties. There’s no need for formalities between us, monarch, and subject."

Zhou Shuren smiled, yet inside, he wished he could stick pins into a voodoo doll. How he just inflamed the Grand Masters of Writing in the Palace, and now his anger was even more intense!

In the palace, the new Emperor was holding a Zhezi, waiting for Rongchuan to arrive before setting it down, "You’re here."

Rongchuan yawned. He hadn’t rested well the previous night taking care of Emperor Father, so he hadn’t attended the morning court. "Your Majesty summoned me to the palace. Is there an urgent matter that needs my attention?"

The new Emperor gestured for Rongchuan to have a cup of tea to refresh himself and waited for Rongchuan to wake up a bit before saying, "It’s no big issue. I just wanted to have a chat with you."

These past few days, he hadn’t even visited the Empress’s sleeping quarters, let alone the harem. Although he hadn’t been to the harem, he was fully aware of all the movements within.

As soon as he entered the palace, the women in the inner quarters had split into factions, with two illegitimate sons already banding together for warmth.

Rongchuan hadn’t attended court but was aware of the court affairs on his way here. He asked with a smile, "Have you ever seen Father when he’s drunk?"

The new Emperor shook his head, "Never."

Rongchuan whispered, "Emperor Father becomes clingy when he’s drunk, exceptionally clingy."

He didn’t become wild or repetitive; he was simply clingy. Empress Dowager had seen Emperor Father drunk, so she asked him to take care of his father. And so, after a night of looking after him, the image of his father in his heart completely shattered.

The new Emperor, "...Clingy?"

"Uh-huh."

The new Emperor regretted not visiting Emperor Father the day before. He felt like he had missed out on so much!

The new Emperor’s conversation was sidetracked by his brother for a moment but soon returned to the main topic, "What are your thoughts on appointing the Crown Prince?"

Rongchuan blinked, "The decision to appoint the Crown Prince still rests with Your Majesty."

He was confident that his brother had ideas. Although they hadn’t spent much time together, he trusted that his brother had plans.

The new Emperor smiled. This was his dear brother, indeed. He reached out and ruffled his brother’s hair. Ah, it felt good to the touch.