Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 1368: Psychological Suggestion

Chapter 1368: Chapter 1368: Psychological Suggestion

Before they knew it, the Crown Prince and his entourage had finally returned to the capital, completing the return journey days faster than when they had set out.

Zhou Shuren looked at the city gate and thought, "We’re finally back."

They had been delayed in Zhangzhou Province for some days, and the round trip took nearly half a month. Now, the Lesser New Year was just around the corner.

As the carriage entered the city, the streets of the capital were bustling with activity, everywhere adorned with lanterns and streamers in preparation for the New Year, and the streets were crowded with people coming and going.

Zhou Shuren wanted to return home first, but that was unfortunately not possible. The Emperor was waiting in the palace, so he had no choice but to follow the Crown Prince’s carriage and enter the palace with him.

Once inside the palace, the Retired Emperor was also present. The Emperor looked at his eldest son, who had grown up quite a bit, with eyes full of satisfaction, "To not just rule from within the city is to see and hear the true voices with one’s own eyes and ears."

The Emperor embraced his son and patted his back, saying, "Good, good."

The Crown Prince’s face turned involuntarily red – the Emperor was praising him, yes, the Emperor missed him too.

The Retired Emperor gestured for the Crown Prince to come over, "Hmm, you’ve grown quite sturdy with this trip outside."

The Crown Prince laughed, "Indeed, your grandson has grown stronger."

The Emperor shifted his gaze away from the Crown Prince and said, "You two ministers have worked hard on this journey."

Zhou Shuren wanted to ask if there was any extra reward for the hardship, but what he said was, "Your servant did not find it hard."

Minister Yan, facing the Emperor, was extra cautious. He had just received a reprimand and echoed, "Your servant did not find it hard."

The Emperor’s face carried a smile, and his gaze swept over Minister Yan without any change in his expression, and he continued, "The New Year is upon us, and various regions have offered plenty of tribute items. The capital’s fruits are precious, and I have made arrangements. When the two ministers leave the palace later, they may take them back to their residences."

This time Zhou Shuren was pleased. Tribute items! The tributes of this dynasty were not just any leftovers used to deceive people from various places; no one dared do such a thing because they were indeed the best. Even though the preservation techniques in ancient times couldn’t compare to modern ones, do not underestimate the ancients; the common folks didn’t have the silver to back them up.

The tribute items sent to the palace during the winter, like fruits, were rare goods on the market!

Zhou Shuren mused to himself that the Emperor wouldn’t be so stingy as to give only one box, right?

Today the Emperor didn’t have much else he wanted to discuss. What he truly wanted was his son; his eldest son had always been by his side. The days without him, even though his other sons visited often, were different. He wanted to take his son to dine with the Empress.

The Emperor said, "Both ministers have been away from home for many days. I shall not keep you any longer."

Minister Yan said, "Your servant shall take his leave."

Just as Zhou Shuren was about to speak, the Retired Emperor said, "It has been quite some time since I have seen Shuren. The day is still early, and it wouldn’t be too late for Shuren to have a few games of chess with me before returning to his residence."

Zhou Shuren, "...."

Tsk, he just wants to return home now; who would want to play chess with a doddering old man.

Minister Yan felt a complex emotion in his heart, realizing even more at this moment how differently the royal family treated the Zhou family, truly worthy of their kinship by blood. Upon considering this, Minister Yan realized that, when it comes to the entire capital, it seemed only the Rong family and the Zhou family really had kinship ties with the royal family. The Ning family counted too, but that was external kinship through marriage, while the Rong family was more closely related to the Emperor.

Now, Minister Yan felt he should be even more careful with Zhou Shuren in the future. He nodded slightly towards Zhou Shuren and followed the eunuch out.

The Emperor and the Crown Prince also left, leaving only the Retired Emperor and Zhou Shuren in the hall.

The Retired Emperor signaled Zhou Shuren to sit. Once the chessboard was set up, he began, "Did anything interesting happen on this trip to Zhangzhou?"

Zhou Shuren held a chess piece in hand and said, "You are even clearer about it than I am."

Every day there were people around him, and there was nothing that the Retired Emperor did not know.

The Retired Emperor choked for a moment, and then his face darkened somewhat. He indeed knew quite a bit, but the Emperor hadn’t told him what he most wanted to know. "Each time I go out, I think of you a great deal," he said.

Zhou Shuren laughed, "Your servant also thinks of the Emperor."

"I bring you a gift every time I visit a place."

Such straightforward words, now you understand, don’t you?

Zhou Shuren’s expression was subtly complex, suddenly regretting bringing back gifts; it turned out that the Retired Emperor wanted his gifts. Had he known, he would not have spent the silver.

The Retired Emperor observed Zhou Shuren, having made up his mind, "I knew you were thinking of me, where is the gift?"

Look at Zhou Shuren’s pained expression, ha, he bought it and yet regrets it!

Zhou Shuren took a deep breath, "Your servant didn’t bring it into the palace."

"I will send someone to fetch it."

Zhou Shuren, "Mhm."

The Retired Emperor was no longer in much of a mood to play chess, "What did you buy?"

Zhou Shuren dryly replied, "Local specialties."

The Retired Emperor has been fond of traveling south these years; he hasn’t been to Zhangzhou Province yet. Stroking his beard, regardless, he’d be able to see it soon anyway.

The Retired Emperor stopped fussing over the gift, feeling exceptionally cheerful, "After you left, the Grassland Tribe entered the capital."

Zhou Shuren became wary in his heart; the Retired Emperor had thoroughly let go, not meddling in the Emperor’s decisions for years, so why mention this to him today?

The Retired Emperor, seemingly oblivious to Zhou Shuren’s tension, "I don’t want to discuss these things with you. What I want to talk about is Lin Xi. These tribes have grown ambitious over the years, even daring to propose marriage to Lin Xi."

Zhou Shuren’s hand, holding the chess piece, tightened, "Hmph."

The Retired Emperor smiled; this old fellow is quite protective of his daughter. Since his abdication, it has been improper for him to interact with former ministers, let alone meet ministers alone. The only one he could meet was Zhou Shuren, "Your son has given them a lesson."

Zhou Shuren glanced sideways, "A lesson?"

The Retired Emperor nodded, "Rongchuan can’t take care of it himself, it would seem petty if we are too obvious, so we involved your second son. That young man did well."

An embassy is a place where things like poisoning and the like must not occur, with so many nations watching, and there are not a few visiting now.

Zhou Shuren became curious, "What exactly did Chang Yi do?"

The Retired Emperor’s mouth curved, "On the first day, he replaced all the belongings of various Grassland Tribes with luxurious styles that suited their tastes. On the second day, he changed some of the miscellaneous servants at the embassy. On the third day, he replaced the displayed antiques."

Zhou Shuren raised his eyebrow, "Is he subtly hinting to the Grassland Tribes that precious antiques are commonly seen in the capital, and exquisite belongings are also quite common? As for changing the miscellaneous servants, they must have been trained."

The Retired Emperor nodded, "Yes, for this embassy, we’ve turned out everything valuable; of course, with Rongchuan backing them."

Zhou Shuren laughed, "These tribes have lost quite a bit of silver these days, haven’t they?"

The Retired Emperor’s mouth curled, "Indeed, they’re suffering in silence, having no choice but to willingly hand over the silver."

He had been watching Zhou Changyi’s moves closely, laying the groundwork for seven days. The Grassland Tribes are forthright, so don’t expect them to be good-tempered. Of course, there are also agreeable ones, but Zhou Changyi targeted the ill-tempered ones specifically.

It’s common for them to vent anger by smashing things – they love to break things. Accidentally knocking over an antique rack or damaging something is only too normal.

The Ministry of Rites then wrote a Zhezi, weeping about the lost treasures from the bottom of the trunk, a huge loss, listing a litany of grievances. In the end, the Emperor ended up seeking restitution from the tribes.

The Emperor played his role brilliantly, "I treated you as honored guests, using only the best for you, yet you disrespect my intentions. I won’t ask you to compensate for all the antiques, just half will do."

The Emperor effectively silenced the tribal princes who tried to interject several times, and eventually, the compensation was settled. Once the reparations were made, they had no idea that the real antiques had already been switched out by the trained miscellaneous servants.