Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 1070: Decency

Chapter 1070: Chapter 1070: Decency

Two days later, the Duke Residence hung up white; Lady Du had passed away from illness—that was the official reason given by the Duke Residence.

Zhulan personally visited, regardless of how Lady Du had died; officially it was from illness, and the proper respects were paid. Of course, these respects weren’t for Lady Du; the Duke extended them for her grandsons Ning Zhiqi and Ning Zhixiang.

The funeral was arranged by Ning Zhiqi’s wife, Mrs. Song. When Zhulan arrived, Mrs. Song was entertaining the incoming guests.

Zhulan didn’t want to disturb Mrs. Song. Taking a few steps forward, she noticed that Lady Du’s coffin was made of the finest wood and accompanied by the best items—this was the face of the Duke Residence.

Mrs. Song came over, "I’m too busy today to attend to the lady."

Seeing Mrs. Song’s haggard face, Zhulan said, "You’ve had it hard."

Mrs. Song forced a bitter smile. She was happy about her mother-in-law’s death but it was too indecent. The Empress had intervened; she worried if her husband would be implicated. The Empress had decreed the killing; pleading by her husband and brother-in-law was in vain, and with the Duke ill, it was quite concerning.

Zhulan didn’t wait for Mrs. Song to speak and patted her hand, "You don’t need to attend to me, go ahead with your tasks."

As she spoke, an old maid from the Duchess’ side approached, "Lady, the old Duchess heard you are here and wishes to speak with you."

Zhulan hadn’t planned on visiting the Duchess today, but since the old lady requested her presence, she must go, "Alright."

Mrs. Song added, "Your sister-in-law is accompanying grandmother."

Mrs. Song’s voice was particularly hoarse, nearly lost—anyone would think the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a great relationship!

Zhulan pondered why her daughter wasn’t there and nodded, "Alright."

Mrs. Song was uncertain; grandmother hadn’t allowed her sister-in-law to come over, not even Rongchuan. She turned her head to look at the coffin, her eyes brimming with irony. Her mother-in-law should have had a glorious life, but in the end, she brought ruin upon herself. She had been kind to Mrs. Yu before, but now the one bustling about was herself—Mrs. Yu had just fainted, real or feigned, she saw it clearly.

Zhulan walked along the footpath, observed the prosperity of the Duke Residence—a part of this prosperity was marred by Lady Du. The Duke and Duchess were old, their day of departure inevitable; Ning Hui was frail, and the Ning family could only rely on Ning Zhiqi, a pity for his mediocrity.

Without Lady Du’s foolish actions and the Duke’s planning, the Empress—who shared blood ties with the Ning Hui lineage—could have protected the Duke Residence for several generations. Now, the Empress was annoyed with the Ning Hui lineage, hence the decisive action—protecting the Ning family but with a rift towards the Ning Hui lineage.

The Crown Prince was the Empress’s own son; her feelings would indeed influence him. The next Emperor disliking them would ruin the good situation.

With the Duke supporting the family, the Empress had affection for the Duke Residence; what about after the Duke and the Duchess passed away?

The Crown Prince was a very astute man, and the Emperor unsympathetic!

Upon reaching the main courtyard and seeing her daughter and the Duchess talking, Zhulan smiled and came in, "Old Duchess, I’ve come to see you."

The old lady was frail and bedridden, only able to move her neck, her voice weak, "You’ve come, Xue Han conveyed your regards, thank you for thinking of me, please sit."

Zhulan didn’t sit too close; the old lady needed fresh air. Her heart was sour—already frail, the old lady was now paralyzed in bed, yet she admired the old lady’s optimism, "You must take good care of yourself, and once you’re better, I’ll come and chat more with you."

The old lady smiled, "I indeed need to take good care of myself, to live well!"

She was not only worried about her husband, but also about the Duke Residence, her daughter, and Ning Hui’s household having developed a rift. Her daughter was resolute yet inflexible, and would remember everything deeply, never forgetting for a lifetime. Ning Hui dared not blame his daughter, but Lady Du had also been with her son all his life; the relationship between the siblings couldn’t go back to the way it was.

Thus, she needed to live; only while she was alive could she influence her daughter to think more about the Duke Residence.

Zhulan could clearly discern the old lady’s thoughts. The old lady must now detest Lady Du and even regret not having dealt with her sooner, leaving the Duke Residence in such a passive position. "Please, ease your mind. When you feel better, your health will naturally improve."

In Ning Zhixiang’s courtyard, Ning Zhixiang had been lying in bed the whole time, having returned shortly after going out in the morning—his face pale, staring rigidly at the ceiling.

Mrs. Yu held a handkerchief, wiping her tears, "What will we do in the future?"

She had thought that her father-in-law would become the Duke, her mother-in-law could endure and become the Duchess, but what happened? The mother-in-law died, the father-in-law fell ill, and now it seemed likely that the title of Duke would skip over the eunuch directly to his elder brother.

Once his brother became the Duke, their household would have to move out of the Duke Residence. Even if they could take part of the property, they’d still be nobodies. She got along poorly with Mrs. Song, and thinking of her grandmother’s frail health and her disdain for herself made her feel even more anxious.

Ning Zhixiang weakly coughed, "Shut up, I’m not dead yet. You don’t need to cry over me."

Mrs. Yu didn’t dare cry anymore; if her husband really met with misfortune, she wondered how she would get by.

Ning Zhixiang, unwilling to deal with Mrs. Yu but still frustrated, said, "If you’re not weeping in front of others, pretending to faint and returning, what would outsiders think of our household?"

Mrs. Yu didn’t want to go. Her mother-in-law’s actions were known to the family, and if it hadn’t been for the Empress and her grandfather holding things down in the past, the whole capital would’ve known about it by now. Thinking of the Empress terrified her even more; the Empress did not like her. "Why does the Empress like Zhou Xuehan so much?"

Ning Zhixiang closed his eyes; he wanted to know too. They were all nephews to her, yet the Empress was so indifferent to the two brothers, disregarding their pleas while always protecting Rongchuan and giving him the best of everything.

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren thought Prince Qi really had a lot of free time. It seemed that ever since he had tricked Prince Qi out of Silver, the prince seldom visited the Ministry of Revenue unless it was for something important. Now he was not only here but had also brought some fine tea. "Does His Highness Prince Qi need something?"

Prince Qi actually had nothing particular in mind; he just wanted to see Zhou Shuren. Zhou’s luck had really been good, no wonder, no wonder the Emperor treated Zhou so differently. Zhou was raising Rongchuan, who had married Zhou’s daughter, and indeed Zhou was exceptionally capable.

Prince Qi put down his teacup, "Master Zhou, how do you find the tea I brought?"

Zhou Shuren thought about it and decided to be honest, "...Actually, I don’t understand tea; the best teas taste the same to me."

Prince Qi, "..."

So what was he doing bringing the finest tea? It was almost enough to make him spit blood; he himself hadn’t even wanted to drink it!

Zhou Shuren really couldn’t guess Prince Qi’s thoughts anymore. Before, he could guess a bit, but now Prince Qi looked particularly at ease, truly resembling a leisurely prince. Well, the Crown Prince couldn’t tolerate any capable prince under him. Rongchuan might be the only brother he could stand.

Prince Qi was intelligent, well-taught by Mr. Chen, and very capable on his own. If Prince Qi acted as a loyal prince, heh, the Crown Prince indeed would lose sleep.

Zhou Shuren, "Your Highness Prince Qi, I am quite busy."

Prince Qi looked at the documents on the table; official business was indeed plentiful. "This prince merely wanted to chat and enjoy some tea with you. However, I had not realized before just how fortunate Master Zhou is."

Zhou Shuren, "Hmm? I don’t quite understand."