Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 1013 - 113 Work Harder Yourself

Chapter 1013: Chapter 113 Work Harder Yourself

Zhulan pondered her daughter’s words after they had left. If what they said was true, and the Duchess had indeed passed away, leaving Lady Du in charge of the Duke Residence, that boded ill for the Ning family. "A harmonious family leads to prosperity", yet if Lady Du were to cause trouble in the future, no one could stand in her way when filial piety was at stake.

Zhulan reflected that with the birth of Mrs. Song’s child, the elderly lady of the Ning family had made a decisive move for the sake of the family’s future.

Chang Yi entered. "Mother, Bahu has been in the capital for many days. He’s planning to return. Mother, I wish to go back with him."

Zhulan had only seen Bahu once when her son brought him over shortly after his arrival. Subsequently, she hadn’t seen him. Although Bahu stayed with the Zhou family, he kept a low profile. Zhou Shuren, however, had met him once. "You don’t need to rush to go abroad."

Chang Yi was taken aback. "Mother, I’ve spoken with Qiu Niang. I plan to spend another year abroad and once everything is settled there, I’ll leave the operations to someone trustworthy. I won’t go abroad after that."

After careful thought, Zhulan realized she had to hint more strongly or Chang Yi wouldn’t change his mind. "Your father has some thoughts about you. I’ve only heard a few words from him, and it seems like he has plans for you."

Chang Yi pondered what plans his father could have for him. His heart raced, especially recalling some of the things his father had said. He was smart; his father’s plans for him were surely not simple. Restraint himself from excitement, he said, "Then, Mother, I will go to the Xu family to make arrangements for Bahu. I shall not leave just yet."

"Mm."

At the Ministry of Rites, Wong Ju suddenly found himself with a lot of spare time and felt uncomfortable. He jokingly thought to himself that he must be a glutton for punishment. In the past, he would grumble about Zhou Shuren as he busied himself with work, but in reality, he quite enjoyed the hustle and bustle. It made him feel fulfilled and allowed him to learn a lot.

Although he was loath to admit it, there were indeed many things about Zhou Shuren he needed to learn from. Feeling aimless, he sighed.

Wu Ming came in, and Wong Ju’s spirits lifted. "Come in and have a seat."

Wu Ming had seen Mr. Wong after the new year when his godfather had taken him to pay a visit to Mr. Wong’s father. "Sir."

Wong Ju knew that Zhou Shuren placed great importance on Wu Ming; otherwise, he would not have brought him to the Wong residence alone, without his own son. Zhou Shuren had not set foot in the Wong residence during last year’s festival. "Take a seat. I am friends with your godfather, and you are also my junior, so no need for such formality."

Wu Ming didn’t bother with pretentious politeness. He had seen his godfather and Mr. Wong teasing each other, something that only real friends would do. "Yes."

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren delegated his responsibilities to Lei Langzhong. Even without Wong Ju, he had other capable assistants. Additionally, he managed to smoothly remove some underperforming officials from the ministry, which improved his mood. The efficiency was much higher now, and it would be even better if he could continue the purge, but that was wishful thinking.

Zhou Shuren felt happy, which meant Lei Langzhong felt stiff. Upon arriving at the Ministry of Revenue and being promoted two ranks, he also realized why his colleague view him with a sympathetic gaze.

Lei Langzhong, holding his ledger, went out and encountered Zhang Jinghong. He gave him a deep look. This man posed as the fake fifth Prince. Since the true and fake prince incident, this was the first time he saw Zhang Jinghong, who he thought would be disillusioned. To his surprise, Zhang displayed a vibrant energy and bore a happy smile on his face.

How could Zhang Jinghong not be happy? In a few months, his child would be born. Whether a son or a daughter, it was his child. Moreover, Zhou Shuren had recommended him to the Crown Prince. With his own efforts and proving his capabilities, he now received much attention from the Crown Prince. His life had greatly improved, naturally he would not be downcast and was living with more hope.

The next day, Zhulan arrived at the Duke Residence one step behind her daughters, the first to visit the Duchess and then Mrs. Song.

It was the second day after Mrs. Song gave birth. Because the baby was very weak and it was winter, they skipped the traditional ’first bath after three days’ for the health of the child. Many people visited Mrs. Song that day.

Zhulan arrived relatively late, when no one else was visiting. Mrs. Song’s complexion was fair, and Zhulan handed her a gift. "You are doing the right thing. You must recover well, for you have to take good care of your child."

Mrs. Song had endured many years of grievances. However, she had vented and was capable of adjusting her mindset. "This morning, I had a good appetite and ate a lot of millet porridge. The Imperial Physician has also seen the child, and with careful nursing, the baby should recover."

Zhulan shared her own experience. "My Yu Die was a premature birth. Now after careful nursing, she runs about in the winter without falling ill."

Lady Song was aware; upon hearing these words, she grew even more confident in her youngest son’s health.

During the conversation, Lady Du arrived. She hadn’t expected there to be outsiders, especially a lady from the Yang family.

Upon entering, Lady Du glanced at the child and said, "Had I not come over, I wouldn’t have known that Lady Yang was here."

Zhulan thought to herself, should I really have to go and meet you personally? Although I am the Princely Heir of the Duke Ning Residence, I’m embarrassed to say, the Princely Heir only holds a nominal office, and it’s an idle one at that, "I went to see the dowager first, so I came straight here."

Lady Du’s expression became somewhat unnatural, dry and awkward, as the mother-in-law did not allow her to the main compound, "I have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave first."

Lady Song was used to the mother-in-law not paying her attention; after all, in her heart, she harbored only resentment towards the mother-in-law, preferring her to be absent. Still, the mother-in-law’s attitude just now made her blush.

Since Lady Song needed to rest, Zhulan sat for a short while before returning to the main compound and then left with her daughter.

The Duke of Ning returned to the main compound and saw his wife was angry again, "Xue Han is here to keep you company, and you’re still not happy?"

"I was quite happy at first, but after hearing what Lady Du did, I just became furious."

Speaking of which, she repeated the words said by Lady Du and Lady Yang, unable to suppress her anger.

The Duke of Ning knew his child was born weak and Lady Song had difficult deliveries several times. His wife had many concerns, which she put aside.

The Duchess said, "We can’t be soft-hearted now."

The Duke of Ning replied, "I still disagree."

The Duchess grimaced, "This concerns the lineage of the Ning family."

The Duke of Ning had his own plans, "Don’t rush; I don’t agree with adopting the eldest, if we do this, where does it leave the second son? The second son has contributed and suffered over the years. Adopting the eldest grandson to the eldest is to chill the second son’s heart, who can only rely on the eldest grandson. As parents, we cannot do this, for every son is our son."

The Duchess sighed, "You’re right."

The palm and the back of the hand are all flesh; it’s just that the eldest left at the best time, becoming their heartache, but the second and third sons are also their sons.

At the Hanlin Academy, Chang Lian was handing over his duties. The list for the Marine Division for the new year had come out, and he was the head of it. Today he had almost finished the transition; he had a month and a half to go to Xuzhou Province.

At the Hanlin Academy, the list included three names. His fellow second-place scholar of the same session was also on the list as a head of it, and another was a Scholar of the sixth rank.

Lv Liang scornfully chuckled, "Some people think they’re a sure bet, but the outcome truly slaps them in the face. No matter how much they try to ingratiate themselves, they are still of merchant origins."

Shi Qing didn’t take it to heart; he was used to it. Some people didn’t dare say it out loud, but their eyes betrayed everything.

Chang Lian couldn’t stand to hear it, "If you lack the ability, constantly having crooked thoughts about others, instead of being consumed by jealousy that makes you ugly, you’d do better to put more effort into improving yourself."

Lv Liang’s face turned red; he didn’t dare to talk back and could only sit down dejectedly.