Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 1365: Return to Beijing

Chapter 1365: Chapter 1365: Return to Beijing

Yu Die paid the Silver Coin but still wanted to buy the fabric in the young master’s hands. Yu Die stood without leaving, her gaze undisguised, and the shopkeeper’s eyes lit up, "Miss Zhou, do you see any other fabric you like?"

Yu Die’s eyes were fixed on the fabric in the young master’s hands, and the shopkeeper quickly walked up to Master Liu, reaching out with his plump hand to take the fabric, "Is it this piece?"

Master Liu the Second looked at his empty palms. Just then, without attention, the fabric he fancied was gone. He reached out wanting to snatch it back but ended up not making any move.

Yu Die felt awkward, "Does this gentleman still want it?"

Master Liu the Second did want it, as it was the most suitable fabric within his budget. However, the lady opposite was too generous, and he could no longer bargain down the price. The shopkeeper would not agree.

Yu Yi said to the shopkeeper with a smile, "We have bought enough, let’s go."

Speaking of which, Yu Yi took a step forward and grabbed Yu Die’s hand, Yu Die compliantly let her younger sister lead her.

The shopkeeper was full of regret, watching Miss Zhou, who seemed like the God of Wealth, leave, he sighed, "Ah."

Master Liu the Second’s mouth twitched, "Shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper looked down at the fabric in his hand, "The lowest is ninety Silvers."

Master Liu the Second wanted to say fifty-two Silvers, but seeing the shopkeeper’s expression as if to dare to say it and be ready to walk away, he painfully touched his purse, "Ei-eighty Silvers."

The shopkeeper, "Deal."

Master Liu the Second, "!!"

The shopkeeper had played him, but as he was someone who always kept his word despite being stingy, he could only bear the pain and pull out a silver note, memorizing Miss Zhou’s family in his heart!

At the jewelry shop, Zhulan chose some jewelry for her granddaughter again, waiting for the shopkeeper to tally the account.

"Madam, it’s such a coincidence to see you here today."

Zhulan looked over and saw it was Lady Ranqie, Ran Wan’s elder uncle’s wife, "Oh, it’s you."

Lady Qi’s gaze swept over the jewelry selected, "Madam truly dotes on her granddaughter."

Understanding the relationship between the two families, she knew the Zhou family well. Every woman envied the Zhou girls!

Zhulan did not like Lady Qi in her heart, but never showed it. Lady Qi only represented some of the unenlightened women in the ancient inner court, and explained, "Most of them are for my granddaughter-in-law."

Lady Qi fell silent, indeed, the Zhou family had provided a dowry for their married daughters after their fortune improved. Miss Zhou, who was inconspicuous in the past, had become increasingly well-known over the years, "I heard from my mother-in-law that your granddaughter-in-law will marry next year."

"Indeed, she will marry next year."

The shopkeeper came back after tallying the account, Lady Qi went to choose jewelry, and Zhulan left the store with her maids, Yu Die and the others had already returned.

Zhulan, "Do you have anything else you want to buy?"

Yu Die replied, "No more."

Zhulan and her entourage boarded the carriage, the maids holding several boxes, presenting quite a grand sight.

Master Liu the Second stood dazedly by his carriage, "The Zhou family is indeed wealthy."

Just now, he had learned from the shopkeeper which family it was. This was the family his father intended to seek for his marriage proposal, and among the young ladies there earlier was the one his parents had their heart set on!

In Zhangzhou City, Zhou Shuren accompanied the Crown Prince making a round at the city gate and then returned. Zhou Shuren watched as the Crown Prince only lingered in front of a tent before leaving with a sigh of relief.

Zhou Shuren said to the Crown Prince, "Not bad."

This trick of fishing is becoming more and more like the Retired Emperor. The Retired Emperor used to love using bait to fish back in the day.

The Crown Prince blushed with a shy smile, "I still have a long way to go!"

Imperial guard Yan wore a stern face, being a person of strict conduct, he found such acts beyond him.

The carriage drove along the city streets, and because of the Crown Prince, the snow in the city had been mostly cleared away, with shops on both sides of the street reopening for business.

Used to the bustling life of the capital, the Crown Prince commented, "The streets of Zhangzhou City are really quiet. It’s almost New Year, but the streets haven’t gotten lively."

Zhou Shuren, "The common people have no silver in their hands."

The Crown Prince fell silent, "Still impoverished."

The carriage suddenly stopped, and the Crown Prince staggered, nearly falling from inertia. Zhou Shuren, who reacted swiftly, steadied him, but in the process, he strained his old arm, hissing in pain, "Ow!"

Once the Crown Prince stabilized himself and heard the sound, he asked anxiously, "Where did you get hurt?"

Zhou Shuren, rubbing his strained arm, moved it again and said, "It’s somewhat strained."

The Crown Prince’s expression turned grave; Grand Minister Yan had already inquired, "Why did the carriage stop?"

The guard driving the carriage, sweating profusely, watched with a dark expression as a girl kneeling ahead blocked the way, "A girl is stopping the carriage."

The Crown Prince, without even looking, ordered, "Get her away, we’re returning to the inn."

The guards riding behind the carriage dismounted and directly picked up the girl on the ground, making room for the carriage to pass.

The girl seemed too shocked to react; by the time she regained her senses and tried to shout, her mouth was already covered, and all she could do was whimper.

Zhou Shuren raised his eyebrows, "Aren’t you going to see what’s going on?"

The Crown Prince replied unhappily, "How old do I look to you? Do I look lascivious in these people’s eyes?"

Zhou Shuren thought to himself about the Emperor’s teaching to the Crown Prince, putting personal safety first. No matter who had stopped the carriage just now, the Crown Prince would not disembark. What if it were an assassin?

Furthermore, with so many people around the Crown Prince who are not idle eaters, it’s hard to know who came up with the stupid act of blocking the Crown Prince’s carriage.

Back at the inn, the Imperial Physician took a look at Zhou Shuren’s arm and advised that he should not exert any force on it and resting for a few days would suffice.

Zhou Shuren said, "As the saying goes, ’an injury to the sinews or bones takes a hundred days to heal.’ Now that my arm is strained, I think I need a month’s rest."

Doing so would mean he would not need to return to the Ministry of Revenue and could simply take leave until the next year, an utterly delightful prospect.

The Imperial Physician, sensing the Crown Prince’s gaze, said, "It won’t take a month; by the time we return to the capital, it should be mostly healed."

Zhou Shuren waved his hand, "I want to rest."

The Crown Prince was sitting to one side and said, "It’s already the end of the year."

The implication was not to think about resting more, as there would be many days off during the New Year.

Zhou Shuren countered, "We should already know why the carriage was stopped; doesn’t the Crown Prince want to ask?"

The Crown Prince replied, "Is the Grand Minister very curious?"

"I just want to know who is so foolish."

The Crown Prince, "I plan to depart tomorrow."

"That works."

In the end, the Crown Prince did not go out to inquire, leaving the girl’s fate and the subsequent events unexplored. The Deputy Magistrate from Zhangzhou took her away, the Crown Prince never showing his face.

In the capital, the Emperor looked over the messages sent back, all containing details about the Crown Prince; every word and action of his son was reported. This wasn’t surveillance but the Emperor’s desire to understand his son’s growth.

The Emperor was very dissatisfied with Minister Yan, his eyes growing stern.

Eunuch Zhang entered the room, "Prince Qin has arrived."

Without hiding the messages on the table, the Emperor saw Prince Qin and indicated that he needn’t be overly formal. He took out the letter of assistance request for grain from the Grassland Tribes, "Take a look."

Rongchuan scrutinized it with a deepening frown and remarked ironically, "Heh, they really have the nerve to ask."

The Emperor commented, "This also shows that we appear wealthy in the eyes of the various tribes of the grasslands."

Moving on from the Zhezi in his hand, Rongchuan said, "The country’s development over the past years is evident to all; some tribes on the grasslands are getting restless."

The big battle of the past left some tribes crippled, but they’ve had years to recuperate. Their request for aid also has an element of probing.