Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 1123: The Old Man

Chapter 1123: Chapter 1123: The Old Man

Zhou Shuren was still a step too late. Having chased halfway himself, his father had already returned home, trembling as he followed his father back. It had been a long time since he’d considered being the eldest was not good, and now the thought resurfaced. Being the eldest was too difficult. He had just arrived home, the command to send the message was definitely not given by him, yet he was the one who took the beating.

Zhou Shuren knew that his wife had awakened and that nothing had happened, yet he still couldn’t quite feel at ease. His mind was filled with all kinds of schemes; in modern times, although he didn’t like to watch TV dramas, he had heard enough from the young people around him about things like chronic poisoning which could go unnoticed at first.

With a stern face, Zhou Shuren entered the room, where the atmosphere was extremely tense. Lady Li and the others silently stepped back, wishing they could stand against the wall. Zhou Shuren’s presence was too imposing, especially when he was not smiling. His years of government authority were too much for ordinary people to withstand.

Zhulan waved her hand, "You all go back."

Lady Li and the others quickly agreed and hurried away.

Once there was nobody else in the room, Zhulan chuckled, "You’ve scared the children."

Zhou Shuren pursed his lips, "What happened?"

Zhulan moved closer to Zhou Shuren and whispered in his ear, "I dreamt about modern times, plus the sound of the snowfall was somewhat hypnotic; they couldn’t wake me from the deep sleep I was in."

Zhou Shuren’s heart eased, but he said, "I’ve already written a Zhezi and submitted it to the palace, asking for a saintly hand from the Imperial Hospital to give you a thorough examination."

Zhulan was stunned. Zhou Shuren was calm enough this time to even write a Zhezi, "It’s not necessary."

Zhou Shuren replied, "It is necessary, otherwise I won’t be at peace."

The Emperor, having seen the Zhezi, asked Eunuch Liu in surprise, "Has something happened to the Yang family?"

Eunuch Liu reported back, "Lady Yang was asleep and couldn’t be awakened. An Imperial Physician has been called, who said she’s in a deep sleep. Lord Zhou is worried."

The Emperor, touching the Zhezi, said, "Go to the Imperial Hospital and convey the decree."

The Crown Prince, after Eunuch Liu had left, smiled and said, "Zhou Shuren really cherishes his wife greatly."

At first, he thought the affection was feigned, but slowly, he could feel whether it was genuine or not, and this affection was so pure it made him want to protect its beauty.

The Emperor said darkly, "Indeed, Zhou Shuren never makes excessive demands. The few times he crosses the line are all for the sake of his wife."

The Emperor was now somewhat afraid — afraid that Zhou Shuren would truly follow a path of love unto death.

The Crown Prince also seemed to have thought of this, and found it amusing. He felt that to keep Zhou Shuren serving the Imperial Court for a long time, it was essential to protect his wife.

The Imperial Physician arrived very quickly, accompanied by a young eunuch.

Zhou Shuren was exceedingly polite and especially generous to the saintly hand of the Imperial Hospital. Merely for taking the pulse, he presented a cherished, high-quality ginseng, "I’m troubled to have disturbed you today, Liu Imperial Physician. This is a small token of my appreciation."

Imperial Physician Liu’s eyes widened; if a hundred-year-old ginseng was a small token, he wouldn’t mind more of such tokens, "This is too generous, I’ve merely come to take a pulse."

Zhou Shuren said, "......It’s not too generous."

While mentioning generosity, could you perhaps remove your hand from the ginseng? Imperial Physician Liu was greatly respected in his heart, a senior figure of the Imperial Hospital, but now his old image was crumbling.

Imperial Physician Liu stroked his beard, "If you need a pulse examination in the future, there’s no need to write a Zhezi. Just send a message to my residence. My sons have inherited my true skill, and they can take the pulse. If they encounter any difficulties, they can return and inform me."

This kind of token, he felt, could be more frequent in the future. Lord Zhou was truly generous. He hadn’t served as an official for many years, yet he possessed many fine things!

Zhou Shuren inexplicably felt like a sheep being sheared but was willing to be fleeced. Ancient Chinese medicine was formidable, no, he believed that Chinese medicine had always been formidable, especially these saintly hands; they were genuinely formidable, "Alright, I won’t hold back next time."

Imperial Physician Liu felt even more embarrassed this time as he joyfully walked away with the ginseng box in his arms. Upon leaving, he couldn’t help but sigh that it would be great if all the nobles in the capital were so generous; he had glanced at it briefly and saw that the ginseng was nearly two hundred years old.

Zhulan couldn’t help but burst into laughter after Imperial Physician Liu had left. "I think you were too generous with your gift."

Zhou Shuren touched his nose. "I’m already regretting it, but having Imperial Physician Liu remember us isn’t bad. It’ll make him think our residence holds great treasures and prompt him to visit more often. Besides, I can’t keep sending Zhezi to the Emperor every time. We had to expend something."

Zhulan smiled. "You can relax now, right?"

Zhou Shuren’s face was light and carefree. "I can relax now."

Zhulan thought about the ginseng again. Initially, most of the ginseng at home was given by Wu Ming; later on, each branch of the family would send ginseng and other valuable medicinal herbs every year. Although they didn’t contribute silver coins, the amount of valuable items they gave to the old couple each year was significant, and they had accumulated quite a stash.

The next day, Xue Han returned home with her child in her arms. "Mother, are you really alright?"

Zhulan asked, "How did you know?"

Xue Han replied, "Our residence has called for the Imperial Physician twice. It would have been hard for me not to know; word spread this morning."

Leaned against a cushion and eating an orange, Zhulan reassured her, "I’m fine. Your father is just overly worried."

Xue Han could hardly look straight. Is this merely being ’overly worried’? She saw her father so anxious that it seemed he would only be at ease if he could keep mother in his arms. "Mother, what happened to my elder brother?"

He seemed to be walking with some difficulty when he came in just now.

Zhulan gave a light cough. "Your father gave him a couple of beatings, saying your elder brother, being the eldest, is not composed enough."

Xue Han fell silent, feeling sympathetic for her elder brother, who often carried the heaviest burdens.

In the main house, Elder Zhou Brother came into his siblings’ sight and withdrew back to the yard, his face devoid of color, glaring at Chang Zhi. "Do you see how old I am? Yet I’m still getting hit. Take away the ointment."

Chang Zhi touched his nose. He hadn’t expected their father to resort to using the stick. "It has been many years since father last laid a hand on us; he usually just scolds."

"Do you sound almost nostalgic about it?"

Elder Zhou Brother was filled with resentment. Thinking about it, he and the second brother had been beaten the most since childhood. The third and fourth brothers were hardly ever punished.

Chang Zhi laughed. "Elder brother, I really didn’t expect your underwear to be red."

Elder Zhou Brother could only retort with a furious "...get lost."

Chang Zhi left with a grin, quite surprised to discover the elder brother’s preference.

Elder Zhou Brother felt enormous injustice. It wasn’t a preference; it was just that his wife liked bright colors, and he thought red was good for warding off evil, so he wore red. In reality, he only wore red a few times a month—his other clothes were all normal. Who would have thought that getting beaten by their father would lead to someone taking off his cotton trousers!

At sea, Chang Yi was quite excited, counting the days. In three days, they would reach Pinggang, getting closer to home and increasingly longing for it.

Chang Yi patted the booklet tucked tightly in his chest. He felt most secure keeping this investigation report on himself. Gazing into the distance, his mood was very uplifted.

Footsteps approached from behind, and Chang Yi turned around. "Eunuch Yu, why aren’t you resting indoors?"

Eunuch Yu was over sixty years old but very well preserved, especially his hair, which featured few white strands, giving him a younger appearance. However, the years didn’t lie, and after sitting on a boat for an extended time, his complexion looked pale. "I felt too stuffy after being in the room for too long, so I came out for a walk."

Chang Yi thought to himself with some exasperation. Eunuch Yu had come along as the minister on a foreign diplomatic mission, and Chang Yi wondered why the Imperial court would send an older official on such a difficult sea journey instead of a younger one. He was extremely worried, especially for Eunuch Yu’s safety. If anything happened to the diplomatic mission or this elderly official, all the doctors would be deeply concerned.