Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 1101: Orphan Girl

Chapter 1101: Chapter 1101: Orphan Girl

Chang Zhi thought to himself, Prince Liang really knew the Zhou village quite well; he had already chosen an auspicious day and was merely waiting for a few days to relocate the grave.

Prince Liang spoke, "In five days’ time, I too will go take a look."

Chang Zhi replied hesitantly, "About this grave relocation, is it not inappropriate for Your Highness to go?"

Prince Liang’s intuition told him that he must go, as if missing it would mean overlooking something important, and he smirked, "I have seen many dead bodies before, even killed a good number myself. I need not avoid it."

Chang Zhi chuckled inwardly—his concern wasn’t for Prince Liang but rather due to his unwelcome presence.

A tension then grew within Chang Zhi, relieved that he had wrapped and hidden the item found under his grandfather’s tombstone immediately after digging it up, instructing Ming Qing to keep it a secret; otherwise, Prince Liang would have known everything now and thought the Zhou family hid some treasure!

Inside the imperial palace in the capital, Zhulan took her granddaughter with her just as the Zhao family left, and soon a Female Officer arrived.

Zhulan pondered and decided to bring her granddaughter along to boost her confidence, hoping she might receive some words of praise from the Empress.

Upon arriving at the chambers of the Empress, Zhulan greeted her and then kept a straight face; she saw the Empress and two other ladies playing cards, looking as happy and close as sisters, including Consort Chen and Consort Qi, except for the noble consort.

The Empress said, "We are short one player, does Lady Yang know how?"

Zhulan responded, "Your servant does."

Ever since Zhou Shuren joined the officialdom, she had learned to play—it was quite interesting, although she never played at home.

The Empress pointed to an empty seat, "Lady, please sit here."

Zhulan sat down confidently. Hmm, seeing several people eyeing her purse, she thought to herself, thankfully she habitually carried extra Silver. Unfastening her purse under their eager eyes, "Your servant had to leave in a hurry."

So don’t expect her to carry much Silver, let that be clear to you.

Consort Chen laughed, "We understand, we understand."

Zhulan sneered inwardly. No, she felt they really didn’t understand; were they inviting her just to be a card partner?

Zhulan glanced sideways at her granddaughter, hmm, already making tea under the guidance of the Female Officer.

After a round of cards, Zhulan had got her bearings; Consort Chen and Consort Qi were together, she caught the hint from the Empress—a clear hint. Keeping a poker face, she looked down at her cards during her turn, "Your servant doesn’t play much, nor well."

Then she played her hand. The Empress laughed, and Zhulan thought to herself, thankfully she was sharp-minded and had been keeping track of the cards from the start and had her eyes on the Empress all along; otherwise, she would have lost.

After a round, Zhulan neither lost nor won. The Empress won quite a bit and was pleased, "Counting the days, Xue Han is about to give birth."

Zhulan replied smiling, "Yes, it’s soon."

The Empress then said, "There are no elder female members in Ning Duke Residence currently. Now that the young couple has moved back to Duke Residence and the Duchess has been unwell, Lady Song is the only one managing the Duke Residence."

Zhulan understood; playing cards was one aspect, but this was the important part—the Empress was concerned about her unborn grandchild or granddaughter. Ever since Zhou Shuren and the Emperor had their confrontation, she knew the Empress would be informed as well, "In a few days, your servant will go look after them."

The Empress smiled, "That would be wonderful—you are indeed blessed, and with you watching over them, the young couple will be stable."

Her son had been nearly living at Duke Residence these days, and it worried her to see.

Consort Chen touched the cards, looking at a baffled Consort Qi, and couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed the Zhou family was in the know—out of the four people at the table, only Consort Qi was out of the loop, completely unaware!

The Empress had nearly won enough and stopped playing, "One can’t sit as comfortably at this age."

Continuing, "Lady Yang’s granddaughter’s tea making is quite impressive, precisely to my taste—a skillful and thoughtful girl."

Zhulan smiled, "I don’t deserve such praise from the Empress."

The Empress paused and laughed, "You do, you do. Your granddaughter is not only skilled and clever, but she also has a gentle and kind heart that makes her likable. It’s just a pity she is already betrothed. The family of your future grandson-in-law is truly fortunate, and they must treat your granddaughter well in the future."

Zhulan and the Empress exchanged glances. Hmm, very good, they were both on point!

Consort Chen was stunned. Was this the Empress she knew?

Consort Qi’s mouth twitched. It was the first time she had seen the Empress praise someone so much. The Empress was usually such a reserved person!

Yushuang’s face turned crimson; she felt the Empress’s praise was too exaggerated!

Zhulan left the palace with her granddaughter, feeling this trip was totally worth it. Her granddaughter received the Empress’s compliments and even got rewarded. When the Empress gave rewards, Consort Chen and Consort Qi also followed suit.

In fact, even if the Empress hadn’t mentioned it, she still planned to take care of her daughter. Her daughter was too young; as a mother, she felt uneasy.

Upon leaving the palace, Yushuang held several boxes. "Grandma, why does it feel so unreal to me?"

Zhulan chuckled, "Why does it feel unreal?"

Yushuang opened her mouth, feeling it unreal. Following her grandmother into the palace, she had been nervous all the way. She hadn’t expected her grandmother to play cards in the palace, and then suddenly the Empress started heaping praise on her. That was unusual!

Zhulan patted her granddaughter’s hand. "The Empress has a good impression of our family and asked me to take care of your aunt hence the praise for you."

If it weren’t for Rongchuan’s relationship, the Empress wouldn’t have praised her, as the Empress was a very practical person.

Yushuang touched the boxes, her heart filled with joy. "Hmm."

Having received a reward for being praised by the Empress, Yushuang felt this was something worth boasting about.

Lady Zhao was no longer concerned about her husband on a diplomatic mission or the troublesome Zhao family. The next day, she left for the home of her future son-in-law.

Upon arrival at the residence, Lady Ding was also there, having brought several young ladies with her.

Lady Hu saw her future in-law mother and energetically rose to greet her. She had to be enthusiastic; who could have imagined that Liufeng’s future father-in-law would be so capable? When she learned his mother had become an Honored Lady, she worried terribly that the Zhou family would regret the marriage. Fortunately, the Zhou family kept their promise, for which she was even more grateful. "In this scorching heat, please have some iced tea."

Lady Zhao glanced at Lady Ding, "There really are quite a few people here today."

She was pleased, sparing her a trip to the Gu family.

Lady Ding smiled, "Since I was free, I thought I’d come over for a chat."

Lady Zhao took a sip of the iced tea. "Ah, I was supposed to come over yesterday, but a female officer from the palace visited our home, and my mother-in-law took Yushuang to the palace."

As soon as Lady Hu heard this, she eagerly awaited more details from Lady Zhao. Her own son had had the opportunity to meet the Emperor, thanks to the Zhou family. Now hearing her future daughter-in-law had entered the palace, she was all ears.

Lady Zhao smiled, "This girl has been raised under my mother-in-law’s guidance, and now she has impressed the Empress and even received a reward. The Empress said Liufeng is lucky!"

Lady Hu was ecstatic, happy for her future daughter-in-law and her son. Lady Ding was also pleased.

However, the sound of a teacup dropping onto the table diverted Lady Zhao’s attention. Lady Ding’s family’s young lady narrowed her eyes; having seen much, she could discern issues at a glance.

Lady Ding’s face changed color. Seeing Lady Zhao’s narrowed eyes, her heart skipped a beat, and she glanced toward Lady Hu, whose smile had vanished. Lady Ding pursed her lips, the two young ladies from her maternal home were truly audacious.

In Zhou Village, Prince Liang listened to his Guard, "Did you inquire clearly?"

The Guard responded, "Initially, I heard it casually, but later I felt something was wrong and inquired more carefully. Indeed, Zhou Shuren’s mother is an orphan."

Prince Liang suddenly stood up. He had also investigated Zhou Shuren but had not paid attention to Zhou Shuren’s deceased parents. It seemed now, "Moving the ancestral graves is indeed necessary."