Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1264: Something is Wrong

Time passed swiftly, Zhou Shuren, who rarely had a day off, didn’t want to get up in the morning. He not only refused to rise himself but also kept his wife in bed.

Zhulan, wrapped in a robe and sitting leaned back, complained, "If you don’t want to get up, then don’t, but why must you keep me from getting up?"

Zhou Shuren didn’t respond to his wife’s remark. He found sleeping on the warm kang during winter immensely comfortable. Now that the quilt was toasty warm, he snuggled deeper into it and said, "Time really flies; it feels like the New Year has arrived in the blink of an eye."

Zhulan, clutching a soft pillow, said, "That’s because you’re so busy, that’s why time seems to pass so quickly."

Zhou Shuren whispered, "If I weren’t intentionally delaying things, mark my words, the Emperor would definitely assign me even more tasks. That would really keep me busy."

He certainly did not overlook the Emperor’s hesitant looks, clearly wanting to give him more tasks — something he need not even consider.

Zhulan, speaking softly, asked, "I heard from Xue Han that after the New Year, a princess from the foreign clans will enter the capital?"

Zhou Shuren replied, "Is that so? I hadn’t noticed."

Zhulan didn’t inquire further, acknowledging that men and women focus on different things; it was obvious that the nomadic tribe’s princess’s entrance to the capital was for a marriage alliance.

When the former Emperor was in power, he was old, and the newly established dynasty was unstable, having just subdued the foreign clans through a major battle. Back then, the foreign clans had contemplated a marriage alliance, but the Emperor was old and cared little for women. Additionally, all the princes already had main wives, so the idea was dismissed.

But now things were different. The new Emperor was in his prime, and the country was growing stronger, making a marriage alliance an imminent item on the agenda.

The couple lay in bed a while longer before getting up. Yu Yi’s children had already eaten breakfast, which Zhulan had asked the maidservants to send over. Without such arrangements, Yu Yi and Yu Jiao would definitely have waited for them to get up before eating.

After breakfast, Zhou Shuren reclined in a rocking chair while Zhulan made a belt for their son. Zhulan mentioned, "The Empress Dowager has been sick for some days now."

Zhou Shuren nodded, noting that recently the Retired Emperor had been keeping the Empress Dowager company and had not visited the Ministry of Revenue for some time, "The Old Duke’s passing has deeply saddened the Empress Dowager."

Zhulan replied, "Now that the Hou Residence is back on track, hopefully, the Empress Dowager will come to terms with it sooner."

Zhou Shuren, who had his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and asked, "What about Chang Zhong?"

Zhulan put down her needlework, "Had you not mentioned it, I wouldn’t have noticed either. That child hasn’t been by my side much lately, and today being your day off, he should be sticking close to you."

Since the new Emperor had ascended to the throne, Wu Ming had been very busy, and Chang Zhong had been staying home, always clinging to Zhou Shuren. His absence now was indeed strange.

Meanwhile, Chang Zhong was with Ming Teng meeting Prince Qiaoyi. Since their last encounter, Chang Zhong had actually become friends with Qiaoyi.

Ming Teng, with a stern face, said, "Little uncle, did you forget something?"

As Chang Zhong sat in the carriage, he furrowed his brow and pulled out the box containing the gift for Prince Qiaoyi, "No, I didn’t forget the gift."

Ming Teng reminded him, "You forgot, today grandfather has his day off."

Chang Zhong indeed had forgotten; recently his father had been very busy, and he had been preoccupied with the foreign trinkets Qiaoyi had promised to give him, so he truly had forgotten.

At the palace, Rongchuan was grinding ink for the Emperor, always keeping his eyes fixed forward, not daring to stray.

In front of the Emperor’s desk was a yellow imperial decree, upon which the Emperor was writing very seriously. Only after setting down the pen did the Emperor carefully pick it up, waiting for the ink to dry completely before carefully pressing the Jade Seal upon it.

The Emperor traced his fingers over the characters one by one, his lips curling into a smile as he put away the decree.

Rongchuan, hearing the sound of the box closing, refocused his attention. This was the decree to appoint the Crown Prince.

His father lived at the Qin Prince Residence; his father, favoring him, would naturally analyze the court situation for him and the Emperor’s progeny, inevitably touching on the inherent conflict between a long-reigning Emperor and the Crown Prince.

He understood the Emperor’s concerns, and his elder brother, who clearly knew of them too, believed he could achieve what their father had.

The Emperor touched the box, glanced again at the even smaller box set up earlier, then turned to look at his younger brother but ultimately remained silent.

The Emperor stood up, "I have not seen our father and mother for many days; now that I am not busy, I will return with you to the Qin Prince Residence."

Rongchuan smiled, "Father and Mother often mention you. You too should balance work and rest, as government affairs are endless."

The Emperor’s lips curled up slightly, clearly in a good mood, "I can relax a bit now, your father-in-law has been a great help."

Zhou Shuren’s maneuver had given him significant inspiration; he had to admit, Zhou Shuren handled the task beautifully, and he had already won this game.

At the seed shop, Chang Zhong was grimly noting down details about the seeds. While noting, he looked towards Prince Qiaoyi, not believing a prince would come to the seed shop without reason and still ask him to take notes.

At that moment, the ambition flickering in Qiaoyi’s eyes was the only thing Chang Zhong saw; food was always important.

After asking his questions, Qiaoyi took the notebook, "Thank you."

Chang Zhong didn’t ask further, nor did he think that asking the prince would elicit an answer, "Do you need to go anywhere else?"

Qiaoyi’s eyes crinkled with a smile, "No more places to go; I invite you to dine with us."

Indeed, regarding the seeds, he could have asked the new Emperor for help, but he hadn’t. He wanted to understand personally—only by understanding firsthand would he cherish and remember it.

Meanwhile, the carriage from the Qin Prince Residence happened to pass by; the Emperor saw Qiaoyi and also saw Ming Teng. Relatively speaking, the Emperor was more familiar with Ming Teng, but his gaze lingered more on Qiaoyi.

The Emperor looked at the seed shop and scoffed, finding this prince more of a threat than he had imagined.

At the Zhou residence, Zhulan was both surprised and delighted by the return of Xue Mei and her husband, yet she couldn’t help expressing, "Couldn’t you have sent a letter before coming back?"

Xue Mei and Jiang Sheng, dusty from travel, had come here directly without even returning to their home in the capital.

Xue Mei’s cheeks were a bit red, clearly from the cold, "Mother, I wanted to surprise you."

Zhulan pointed at her daughter’s face, "You’ve suffered, haven’t you?"

Xue Mei hugged the heater, indeed suffering from the winter travel; even with thorough preparations, she still felt the chill, "It’s alright, I can withstand it."

But Zhulan’s heart ached, carefully touching her daughter’s face, "Does it hurt?"

Xue Mei’s cheeks tickled, but she replied, "It doesn’t hurt."

Zhulan didn’t believe her, "Your house has been empty for a long time. Since you’ve come, don’t go back; let’s spend the New Year together."

Saying this, Zhulan instructed Qing Xue to make arrangements in the courtyard.

Xue Mei, now regaining her energy and warmed, spoke of the situation in Xuzhou Province, which was what her mother most wanted to hear.

Zhulan was reassured knowing everything was well in Xuzhou, thinking Old Madam Song should have returned earlier; after some thought, Zhulan decided to let her come back after the Lunar New Year.

Xue Mei looked at Yu Yi and Yu Jiao, smiling, "My sisters-in-law brought back many things for the two."

Yu Yi and Yu Jiao were both happy and a bit downcast, as children always miss their parents.

In the study, Zhou Shuren looked at the drawings his son-in-law had made along their journey, lifting his head to look at his son-in-law as he examined them.

Jiang Sheng was nervous, "Father, is there something wrong with what I drew?"