Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 1113 - 113: The Map

Chapter 1113: Chapter 113: The Map

In a flash, it had been over ten days, and tomorrow would be the day Xue Han left her confinement. Zhulan and Zhou Shuren went to bed early, Zhou Shuren having taken leave specially to attend his granddaughter’s full-month celebration.

Half-awake, the persistent knocking at the door followed by Qing Xue’s voice, "Master."

Zhulan woke first, nudging the still-sleeping Zhou Shuren, "Qing Xue is looking for you, it must be the Emperor seeking your audience."

Zhou Shuren instantly became alert, while Zhulan lit a candle and Zhou Shuren had already put on his clothes. Zhou Shuren said, "I’ll go out and see, it’s probably related to the Rong family. You continue sleeping."

Zhulan guessed as much, "Alright, but be careful yourself."

Zhou Shuren’s hair was casually tied back. Meeting Qing Xue, who bowed her head and said, "Eunuch Liu is waiting outside the mansion gates for master."

Zhou Shuren nodded in acknowledgment, understanding he was being summoned, "You may go."

Qing Xue quickly withdrew, but her mind couldn’t help but churn with thoughts. Ever since her cover was blown, she hadn’t received new orders, until half a month ago when she was assigned to protect master and his wife.

Zhou Shuren boarded the carriage, with only Eunuch Liu accompanying him. Despite the dim candlelight in the carriage, Zhou Shuren could see clearly, "Eunuch, you don’t seem to be in good spirits."

Eunuch Liu hadn’t slept well in half a month, "Been a bit busy lately."

Zhou Shuren asked no more questions. These days, not just Eunuch Liu, but even the Emperor was difficult to see. With the Crown Prince handling matters both in and out of court, without a significant issue, one could hardly catch a glimpse of the Emperor.

Prince Liang hadn’t been looking well these past few days, while Prince Chu seemed very busy. Previously, he seemed to desire to spend every day at court, but Zhou Shuren hadn’t seen Prince Chu for quite a few days in this last half month.

The carriage stopped, Zhou Shuren alighted. Rong Garden, he and his wife had guessed correctly. Upon entering, he found the garden under strict guard. When he arrived at the location, Zhou Shuren was startled—were they constructing a mausoleum? The whole courtyard had been dug up.

Zhou Shuren followed Eunuch Liu down the excavated steps, descending step by step. The giant stone door was already open.

Zhou Shuren spotted fresh blood stains on the ground and instantly understood, there were traps here.

Inside, there were no blood stains. Zhou Shuren, however, noticed keys sticking out from the walls, his eyes widening at the revelation. The keys left by mother weren’t for opening doors; they were for disarming traps.

The passageway wasn’t long, and soon he saw the Emperor and the Crown Prince together, the Emperor holding a box. Zhou Shuren looked more closely; the Emperor had become increasingly cautious with his own life in recent years, a fact Zhou Shuren had noticed. Unfamiliar objects were never handled personally by the Emperor, but now he was holding this box as if the contents were more precious than life itself.

Zhou Shuren greeted the Emperor, "Your servant pays respect to the Emperor."

The Emperor was in a splendid mood, "Shuren, get up quickly. I guessed right. The Rong family’s wealth has always been within their residence. I’ve really dug it up—everyone says the Rong family’s wealth could rival that of a country, and it’s no falsehood."

Zhou Shuren only saw the Crown Prince activate a mechanism, and a door opened before him. Then his heart couldn’t take it—door after door opened, revealing rooms filled entirely with gold. "This, this..."

This was too much. The wealth he had seen in the Zhang family estate was mere trifles compared to this.

The Emperor had already lost his sense of surroundings, instinctively clutching the box tighter, addressing Zhou Shuren, "You are also a part of the Rong family, so I let you see. Later, I will seal this place and re-bury it, leaving a passage till the descendants of the Rong family are found."

Zhou Shuren was very astute. The Emperor was letting him witness this. The Emperor hadn’t taken anything for himself; Zhou Shuren wasn’t sure what to say. He wanted to take Silver Coin, yet also maintain a good reputation, "Your Majesty is wise indeed."

The Emperor’s face was unabashedly thick-skinned as he hummed in acknowledgment, eyeing Zhou Shuren. If it weren’t for the path his mother had left for him, and the significant amount of the Rong family’s wealth he had used for his rebellion, with Zhou Shuren’s precedent, he might have wavered in his decision to seek out the Rong family’s young uncle’s descendants.

The Emperor caressed the box in his hand, knowing he must search for that person, and if he could not find them, he would need to make the arrangements before his abdication.

Zhou Shuren kept his head lowered. He could feel the Emperor’s gaze upon him, so inscrutable were the Emperor’s thoughts. It was best, he decided, to feign ignorance.

An hour later, the Emperor was alone in his sleeping quarters and opened the chest once again. Inside was a map, a map of foreign lands, marked with gold mines and other minerals, some located in other countries. The Rong family had acquired so much gold by transporting it from overseas.

The Emperor touched the marks on the map, gazing at his own thin, withered hands, motionless for a long time before finally sighing, "I’m old. If only I were ten years younger."

Ambition filled the Emperor’s eyes as he slowly folded the map back up. This was indeed the most precious asset of the Rong family. He felt unsafe placing it anywhere but reluctantly decided to put it back in the chest; he feared there might be a sudden illness, and without proper instructions, it could inadvertently harm the Crown Prince.

The next day, Zhulan did not rest well; she was up waiting for Zhou Shuren to return. After talking for a bit longer, they finally slept. After breakfast, there was still the trip to the Duke Ning Residence to attend to.

The granddaughter’s first-month celebration drew the Crown Princess Consort herself, and even Princess Qi and Princess Chu made their appearances.

Xue Han was taken aback, not minding that her daughter was passed from arm to arm. A little panicked, she asked softly, "Mother, surely they don’t believe my daughter has such great fortune? What should I do?"

Zhulan looked at her daughter, who still did not know the truth about Rongchuan’s origins, and comforted her: "Don’t worry. It’s not because of the child’s fortune."

Xue Han felt even more unsettled. If not because of the child, then what was it for? She could hardly believe that her own status was significant enough to warrant personal visits and lavish gifts from the Crown Princess Consort and even Princess Qi.

Princess Chu turned to her sister-in-law with a question, "Sister-in-law, the gift you brought is far too valuable."

Princess Qi was just as bewildered, since the gift was chosen by the Prince, "Never mind me. Why have you come as well?"

To herself, Princess Chu thought it was because her Prince had instructed her to follow Princess Qi’s lead, but now, with the Crown Princess Consort and Princess Qi’s gifts being so valuable, hers seemed embarrassingly inferior, which left her displeased.

Mrs. Yu, who had been quite envious initially, felt her envy fade upon seeing the Crown Princess Consort and others; their status was too far removed, and she could not muster the same jealousy.

Mrs. Song, on the other hand, felt envious. Her own child’s first-month celebration hadn’t been nearly as grand, yet she attributed the success of the current event to the auspicious timing of the child’s birth.

The Crown Princess Consort held the child, the direct granddaughter of her father and mother, noticing how the baby had inherited the best physical features of her parents, yet perhaps there was a semblance of the Empress in her tiny face.

In the front courtyard, Rongchuan was hosting the Crown Prince and several Princes. Zhang Yang had recently been keeping a low profile, seldom leaving his residence except for important matters, and had drastically reduced his attendances at court. Today marked his first venture out in several days.

Prince Qi glanced at Rongchuan and then at Zhang Yang, his eyelids drooping. If not for Zhang Yang being such a vital piece in the game, Rongchuan would have already been called back to the royal family.

In a low voice, Prince Chu asked, "Big brother, why do you keep staring at the fifth brother?"

Prince Qi smiled, "The fifth has become more low-profile; I haven’t seen him in so long, so I’m taking a good look. He seems to have gained quite a bit of weight."

Prince Chu snorted with laughter, "He’s overdone the nourishments."

Knowing more, Prince Qi joined in the laughter.

Within the Palace, the Emperor informed Shi Qing of the birthmark, "Send someone to investigate."

Shi Qing committed the details of the birthmark to memory, his newfound confidence showing plainly on his face, "Yes, Your Majesty. I will handle it well and not disappoint you."

The Emperor dismissed him, "Go."