Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 1001 Livening Up the Atmosphere

Chapter 1001: Chapter 1001 Livening Up the Atmosphere

With the wedding day drawing nearer, what seemed like many days turned into a blink of an eye, and it was the eve of the wedding. The Zhou family’s courtyard was filled with dowry items, tied with red ribbons and covered with red cloths to protect against snow.

Xue Han ate her last dinner at home before getting married, and she found herself unable to eat despite all her favorite dishes being on the table.

Zhulan felt sentimental, her discomfort growing as her daughter’s wedding day approached. Looking at her daughter in front of her, she felt a sourness in her nose, wanting to cry—it was hard to let go. The girl she raised by hand would become part of someone else’s family tomorrow.

Lady Li tried to lighten the mood, "Little sister, eat more today. When you come back tomorrow, it will be to visit your mother’s home."

Zhulan, "..."

On the surface, the words were right, but why did they sound so awkward?

Lady Zhao hurriedly chimed in, "We’re all in the capital, and little sister should come back often."

Lady Dong smiled, "With just one look from little sister, Rongchuan will surely accompany you back home."

Lady Li shut up. She realized she wasn’t good at talking and decided not to try to enliven the atmosphere anymore. As soon as her words fell, her mother’s face had stiffened.

Xue Han, about to leave her family’s home for marriage, already felt heavy-hearted, but seeing her sister-in-law’s belly so big and awkward, she couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Zhou Shuren was drinking his wine. Unlike his wife, he had felt reluctant to see his daughter get married before, but now he had come to terms with it, whereas his wife had become the emotional one.

Today’s meal was not a reunion dinner, as Chang Yi couldn’t make it back.

It was Zhulan’s first time marrying off a daughter, and although she had the experience of marrying off Wu Ning, it wasn’t the same—she only had memories when it came to Xue Mei.

After dinner, Zhulan handed a box to her daughter, "Take this with you."

Xue Han was stunned, "Mother, didn’t you already give me the dowry silver?"

Zhulan coughed, feeling awkward; after all, she hadn’t prepared this herself. She hadn’t even thought of it when Wu Ning got married; it was Nanny Song who had prepared it this time, "If you don’t want to look at it, just leave it or burn it."

Xue Han’s ears reddened. The wet nurse had hinted at a few things about it. The room’s charcoal fire burned hot, making her blood feel like it would boil; she pushed the box away with such force it fell to the floor, spilling the books inside and scattering them!

With an expressionless face, Zhulan picked up and closed the book, tossed it into the brazier, "Pretend I wasn’t here tonight."

Xue Han genuinely saw nothing and couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her mother’s demeanor, "Mhm, tonight mother wasn’t here."

Zhulan stood up gracefully, considering that such matters were more of Rongchuan’s concern. She believed Rongchuan wouldn’t dare to hurt Xue Han, else, hmph.

Nanny Song’s mouth twitched; having seen the whole process, she realized she had been meddling unnecessarily.

After her mother left, Xue Han laughed even louder, and the wet nurse looked on helplessly, thankful she had already talked to Xue Han about it.

In the master courtyard, Zhou Shuren put down the book he held, "What did you go and give to our daughter now?"

Their little girl’s dowry was extravagant, comparable to a grand procession. Of course, the Ning Duke Residence had contributed quite a bit, turning the gratitude gifts from years past into the daughter’s dowry, topped with what they themselves had prepared for her—the courtyard filled with the dowry was a spectacular sight.

Zhulan responded, "Nothing much, I just wanted to look. In the blink of an eye, our little girl is getting married. Time flies so quickly, we’ve been here for so many years already."

"Yes, the years have flown by in the blink of an eye."

Zhulan needed to rest well, she still had a busy day ahead, "I’ll go to sleep first."

Zhou Shuren hummed in agreement, continuing to read—he had to finish or it would occupy his mind.

Palace, throughout this year the Emperor seldom visited the harem, but today, he made his way to the Empress’s sleeping quarters. Despite being a married couple meant to be together, once estranged, silence and wordlessness ensued.

The Emperor sipped tea in silence, not knowing how many cups he had consumed, until he felt somewhat bloated and finally set his cup down, "I heard that you gave the wedding jewelry I sent you to Miss Zhou."

He had known about this incident for some time but did not want to dwell on its significance. Was the Empress thoroughly disappointed in him? Or was it that she could not personally attend her son’s wedding to send her blessings?

The Empress had given away her wedding jewelry to her young daughter-in-law without much thought, "Ah, to be unable to personally bless my biological son’s marriage. It seemed fitting that Miss Zhou wear these on her wedding, thus fulfilling my wish. I had also wanted to give them to the Crown Princess Consort in the past, but your son beat me to it; I was one step too late."

The Crown Prince had personally chosen his Crown Princess Consort back then. Despite her composed exterior, her actions were grand, and indeed, she had been too late.

A weight lifted from the Emperor’s heart, he truthfully had not ever heard the Empress mention this. After all, the Empress harbored grievances in her heart back then, so why would she share so much with him? "The Crown Prince is like me."

The Empress pursed her lips, indeed, the eldest son resembled the Emperor the most, not just in temperament but also in nature, "Mm."

At the Ning Duke Residence, Rongchuan wrapped himself in a cloak, inspecting each room within the court where the wedding would take place. Marquis Ning had searched everywhere for his son and eventually thought to look here.

As Rongchuan stepped outside, he saw his father standing in the courtyard, "Father, what brings you here?"

"I’ve come to talk to you for a bit."

Rongchuan adjusted his cloak, "Father, your son has memorized the wedding proceedings, rest assured."

Ning Xu was speechless; the boy asked about the proceedings every few days, and after he could no longer frequent the Zhou household, he had taken to reciting the sequence daily. There was no question of remembering, he knew them by heart, "Don’t you have anything you wish to discuss with me, your father?"

Rongchuan thought carefully and shook his head with utmost honesty, "No."

Ning Xu, "...."

He felt like a failure as a father, his son only ever thought of him when wishing to pay respects to his future father-in-law!

Rongchuan approached his father, "Father, it’s windy outside, let your son escort you back."

Ning Xu, "....What have you taken a fancy to now?"

Rongchuan, "....Initially, nothing. But now that you’ve brought it up, Father."

Ning Xu turned on his heels and dashed off quickly. No matter how many treasures he had, he couldn’t sustain his son’s extravagant ways; it pained him, and as the boy’s tastes grew more refined, only the Emperor could afford to support him.

If the Emperor knew his brother-in-law’s thoughts, he would surely say, wrong, he also couldn’t afford such extravagance.

Chilled by the cold wind, Rongchuan shivered, "The old man’s constitution is really something. Look how fast he runs; he’s out of sight in the blink of an eye."

The young servants in the courtyard remained silent, feeling that the Princely Heir had done it on purpose. Ever since he was no longer allowed at the Zhou residence, he had been finding ways to scare Marquis Ning!

Rongchuan’s lips curled into a smile, "Let’s go, we too should head back."

Thinking of getting married tomorrow filled him with excitement; he was finally bringing her home, no longer facing his father alone at meals.

The next morning, Zhulan woke up early. She abruptly sat up and Zhou Shuren, still with his eyes closed, felt it. Today was one of the rare days he didn’t need to attend court. He pulled the covers up and burrowed deeper, refusing to get up.

Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren, who wished to curl up entirely, and tapped him, "It’s not good to sleep like this."

Zhou Shuren responded with a hum, and his head slowly reemerged, eyes still tightly shut.

Zhulan, "...."