Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 1030: Lost Souls

Chapter 1030: Chapter 1030: Lost Souls

Lady Li awkwardly laughed, "I can’t accumulate the dowry for my daughter, and after calculating the expenses with my husband, we both agreed that having a son is better."

Zhulan felt stifled. She really thought her family had too many children, but thankfully, she had laid a good financial foundation over the years, and the annual income was substantial. Now, with her young daughter getting married, there were no major expenditures at home.

Lady Li changed the subject, "Mother, Xue Han hasn’t returned for some days."

Her sister-in-law often visited home; suddenly not having her around felt odd.

"She does want to come back, but her pregnancy scared Rongchuan this time. Until the child is born, she basically won’t leave the Ning Duke Residence."

Lady Li, ".... What?"

Zhulan didn’t explain. The Ning family had already taken action. For the sake of caution, Xue Han could only stay put, but fortunately, she was close by, so Zhulan could visit her daughter whenever she missed her.

That evening, Zhulan spoke to Zhou Shuren about the invitation from the Hou Residence, "My intuition tells me that the Hou Residence has ill intentions."

Zhou Shuren scoffed, "They indeed have ill intentions. Yao Wenqi suffered greatly from his illness this time; he harbors resentment."

Zhulan felt a bit regretful, "He survived, unfortunately. His death would have been good for everyone."

"It’s not his time to die yet. This time the emperor purposely tormented and pressured him to force Yao Wenqi to act!"

Upon hearing this, Zhulan said, "The emperor fears not cleaning up thoroughly."

"Yes, the more he investigates, the more alarming it becomes. The emperor is a good ruler and a good father; he wants to leave a country without worries for the Crown Prince."

Zhulan thought to herself that this was an emperor with great ambitions, "It’s getting late, let’s sleep."

Zhou Shuren held his wife’s hand. Today’s invitation had been a wake-up call; these people wouldn’t dare to touch him, but they wouldn’t be so considerate towards his wife, "Like you always say, there are too many types of poison. Recently, you should also feign illness and avoid attending banquets."

Zhulan was afraid of dying, leaving Zhou Shuren alone, "Alright."

In the Hou Residence, Zhe Yu couldn’t stand his wife tossing and turning, and sat up, "What are you thinking about that’s keeping you awake?"

Shen Yile couldn’t see her husband’s face clearly, but she could sense his impatience, "This banquet was father’s idea. I remember what you said, so I initially didn’t want to invite Lady Yang. But father mentioned it, saying Mr. Zhou has been very considerate towards you, so I added her name. Today, when the invitation was sent to the Zhou household, they outright rejected it. I’m really nervous; something feels off."

Zhe Yu was focused on investigating the people his father had contacted and had neglected his home, "In the future, reduce contact with the Zhou family."

Shen Yile detected the seriousness in her husband’s tone and, although she couldn’t see his face, realized the gravity, "I understand."

Zhe Yu lay back down, his eyes wide open. With his father’s recovery, regardless of what his father plotted, neither he nor his wife could be manipulated by him.

Yao Wenqi was also awake. Many candles were lit in the room. A severe illness had taken much of his vitality; his cheeks were hollow, and as he turned the Buddha Beads in his hand, he muttered, "It’s not time yet. The emperor is very vigilant now; I must endure."

The day for the Ministry of Rites ambassador to leave the capital arrived swiftly. Zhulan, coaxed by Chang Zhong and alongside her two grandsons, sat in the carriage, waiting at the street corner.

Chang Zhong pulled back the curtain of the carriage, expecting grandeur but saw only a few carriages and some guards, "Mother, why are there so few people?"

Zhulan chuckled, "This time they’re embarking on Navy ships as envoys; there are many people, just not visible in the capital."

She had heard from Zhou Shuren that four ships would depart as part of the envoy, with over two thousand Navy personnel alone, not counting the shipworkers and others. This Navy mission was not just an envoy task but also a reconnaissance of nearby maritime areas, preparing for future shipping route patrols. Currently, foreign waters were beyond their control, but securing their own maritime safety was imperative.

So Zhou Shuren worried, going out meant spending silver, grain, medicinal materials, and all these were just the basics, but the real costs came from the losses incurred.

Chang Zhong looked yearningly, "Mother, in the future, I also want to go abroad and see. Second brother said there are many countries out there, and I want to see them all."

Zhulan stroked her son’s hair, which had grown long, "It’s good to have aspirations, but you must have the corresponding abilities before I allow it."

Chang Zhong grinned, "Son is very clever."

The twins raised their hands, Jiang An said, "Grandma, we will go with uncle, we will protect uncle, grandma, we’re really good."

Zhulan laughed, "All right, when the time comes, you two protect your uncle."

The twins felt affirmed, "We will definitely train hard in martial arts."

In the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren rubbed his shoulders, "Just approved another sum of silver, hoping to sell the ships and bring back a large amount of silver."

Qiu Yan felt the pinch, "The Navy’s military provisions are truly expensive, twice as expensive as the Army’s provisions, and the ammunition they take, just thinking about it gives me a headache."

Zhou Shuren spread his hands, "There’s no helping it, the sea is different from land, it needs more, and naval training is not easy, so their provisions naturally have to be good."

Qiu Yan, "Whenever I think about the annual expenditure of the Navy in future years, my heart aches."

Zhou Shuren also grimaced, the country’s military strength was enormous, the ambitious Emperor and Crown Prince ensured that the military would not weaken, each year’s salary and provisions were all silver, and with the addition of the Navy, which burned through silver, he now dreaded seeing Mr. Li.

Lei Langzhong came in, "Sir, Minister Fang from the Ministry of Works has arrived."

Zhou Shuren said to Qiu Yan, "I met with Mr. Li yesterday, today it’s your turn."

Qiu Yan, "...."

No, he didn’t want to, Zhou Shuren’s meeting with Mr. Li was when the Grand Master of Writing had gone to the palace, it had nothing to do with him!

Lei Langzhong felt tired, he regretted being in the Ministry of Revenue, his rank had risen, but the workload was too much.

Zhou Shuren glanced at Lei Langzhong, it hadn’t been long, and Lei Langzhong had already lost weight; it was said that these days he was constantly pulling out his hair!

At Rong Garden, the Emperor left the palace and entered the garden, which had been cleared last year, now restarting work, as the ground still wasn’t thawed, they were piling up wood and stone.

The Emperor didn’t bring the Crown Prince, and upon entering the garden, he saw Prince Qi, "You’re actually here."

Prince Qi, pleasantly surprised to see his father, was secretly pleased; the Emperor indeed cared about Rong Garden, and his direct supervision was the right step, "Father directed me to oversee this task, I must personally supervise to be reassured."

The Emperor actually just wanted to walk alone in Rong Garden, he hadn’t even brought the Crown Prince, "Walk with me for a while."

Prince Qi rarely had this privilege, "Yes."

The Emperor walked ahead, still followed by his entourage, Prince Qi not too close, the Emperor gazed at the garden, the burned buildings had been demolished, the whole garden was particularly desolate, "I came here once before ascending the throne after conquering the capital, and haven’t been back since, it’s been many years, this is the first time I’ve stepped in here again."

It was a place of sorrow, too many souls laid to rest here.

Prince Qi sensed the Emperor’s sorrowful tone and was momentarily stunned, his father, harsh and determined, also had times of sadness, "Father, are there really no survivors from the Rong family?"

The Emperor didn’t answer, but stood at a spot he had liked as a child, after so many years, he still remembered this place, as though he could see his uncle carrying him on the back, the cold wind blowing, "Do you hear the cries of the lost souls, even though I have become the Emperor and started a new era, the lost souls of the Rong family have yet to find peace."