Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 1438: Won’t Return to the Capital

Chapter 1438: Chapter 1438: Won’t Return to the Capital

In the blink of an eye, another five days passed, and in the Dongbei border region, the tribes ended their garrison and launched an attack, while the capital’s main forces hastened their march.

Standing with his hands behind his back, the Emperor looked at the map and pointed at the position of the main forces, "The border must be defended for at least two days; it will be two more days before the reinforcements arrive."

Prince Qi studied the map with furrowed brows and said, "The Dongbei tribes have assembled an army of two hundred thousand, while the defenders only number eighty thousand—more than double the defenders in strength. The situation is not optimistic."

The City Defense Army totals one hundred and fifty thousand but is not concentrated in one place. They are dispersed among several border fortresses, and now none dare to provide support, deeply fearing a trap that would lead to a chain of fortresses falling. Once the fortresses are breached and the enemy marches southward, it will be difficult to stop them.

The Emperor fiddled with his String of Pearls, "Where have the troops from the Yiqi Tribe reached now?"

Li Zhao’s face was grim, "It has been seven days since we requested their aid, but the Yiqi Tribe’s forces have only just entered Dongbei."

Zhou Shuren’s ears twitched; he too was pained by the Yiqi Tribe’s intentional delay and the wasted supplies, but the thought of the Yiqi Tribe’s warhorses instantly put his mind at ease.

The Emperor uttered a sound of acknowledgment, indicating that he understood, and his gaze fell upon a grassland area. It was not yet time, and he was not anxious.

By the time Zhou Shuren left the palace, it was already midday, and the ministers who remained were all hungry.

Li Zhao, busy hurrying back to the Ministry of War to make arrangements, hastily greeted everyone before leaving.

The other officials, too, each had urgent matters to attend to. In contrast, Zhou Shuren, having already made his arrangements, was not in a rush to return to the Ministry of Revenue. Riding in his carriage, he passed by a restaurant and signaled the coachman to stop—he wanted to have a meal before going back.

Zhou Shuren had just sat down when Ning Xu came over, "I thought I saw wrong at first; when I entered, I saw it really was you."

"Ah, Mr. Hou."

"Yes, I thought you would be very busy."

Zhou Shuren pointed to the carriage outside the restaurant, "I just came out from the palace, feeling a bit hungry and needing something to eat. On the other hand, Mr. Hou, why are you not at the Hou Residence?"

Ning Xu replied, "It just so happens I’m a bit hungry too. You don’t mind eating together, do you?"

"Let’s eat together then."

Ning Xu ordered two dishes and then returned to the previous topic, "The disaster-stricken prefectures are somewhat in chaos. I’m worried that Prince Qin might be delayed in those provinces. I was restless staying in the residence, so I came out to buy some things for the unborn child."

Zhou Shuren sighed, "Several prefectures are suffering from disasters, and now that unrest has broken out, the common people’s lives have gotten even tougher."

Ning Xu glanced at Zhou Shuren, "Qiizhou is now under the control of your son. I’ve heard about it; your third son is doing well."

Zhou Shuren’s face brightened with a smile. The news from the various prefectures had just reached the capital two days ago. Among these prefectures, two were in turmoil. In one, the Magistrate had been killed; in another, there was rampant pillaging and murdering. The other prefectures, however, acted decisively and suppressed the upheaval immediately.

He was very satisfied with Chang Lian’s response. Chang Lian had stood the test and proven his ability to the Emperor.

In Shizhou, Rongchuan sat inside a ship, cradling his wife’s belly. Shizhou was the least affected by the flood, and on their way back, they could not bypass Shizhou.

Xue Han looked at the situation outside the ship, "The water has already receded significantly."

Rongchuan nodded, "Yes, Shizhou was slightly affected by the disaster. In a few more days, once the water has fully retreated, Shizhou will gradually return to normal."

Touching her belly, Xue Han still felt uncomfortable and leaned on a cushion, "Right now, we’re still able to travel by waterway. Will we have to take the land route after passing Shizhou?"

Rongchuan raised his hand to touch his wife’s belly, "For safety, once we pass Shizhou, we will have to change to traveling by land."

Xue Han exhaled, "We still have more than half the journey to the capital ahead of us."

When they left the capital, traveling leisurely, they did not feel the passage of time. However, the journey back to the capital was agonizing for her every single day.

Rongchuan caressed his wife’s increasingly gaunt cheeks, "Once we get past Shizhou, we will find a safe place to rest for a while."

"No, we should return to the capital as soon as possible."

He paused and sighed, "Alas, younger brother can no longer return to the capital."

Rongchuan, "Indeed, it should have been us going to meet him and escort him back to the capital."

"Brother Wu Ming wouldn’t let younger brother return to the capital alone."

"Things are a bit chaotic now, it’s safer for younger brother to stay by Brother Wu Ming’s side."

"Mm."

In Qiizhou Province, Chang Lian’s leg no longer required a crutch, but he still needed to walk cautiously. After a stroll around and outside the city and hearing the reports, he showed a satisfied expression.

Back at the Government Office, the Magistrate was also present. Chang Lian’s eyes were filled with joy, "Sir, you’ve come."

The Magistrate, "You have worked hard these past few days, and I cannot afford to shirk my duties either."

Chang Lian and others quickly said it was not hard work. The Magistrate smiled and chatted for a while more before turning to leave Chang Lian with a remark: "You have worked hard these past few days."

"It was nothing; I merely did what was expected of me."

The Magistrate stroked his beard, "You don’t have to be modest, I am well aware of your efforts."

Chang Lian, detecting the closeness in the Magistrate’s tone, "Sir, you must take good care of your health."

The Magistrate chuckled, "Having been to the gates of hell myself, I’ve come to understand how fragile life is. You need not remind me; I will take extra care."

Chang Lian reported on the grain borrowed from the local noble families, "Currently, it’s enough to support the needs of the refugees."

"You’ve done well."

Chang Lian smiled, feeling proud of himself; his contributions this time were not insignificant.

At the Zhou family home, Zhulan was comforting her eldest daughter, "It’s just some border conflicts now; it shouldn’t affect Zhou Village."

She knew in her heart that it would not reach Zhou Village, but her daughter didn’t know. In reality, if her daughter wrote a letter to Jiang Miu, Jiang Miu wouldn’t return to the capital either; pulling one hair would move the whole body, and Jiang Miu’s return to Zhou Village would represent the actions of the Zhou Residence.

Once Jiang Miu set off for the capital, the Zhou clan would also be involved. Given the Zhou clan’s significant local influence, there would inevitably be a domino effect. Jiang Miu was a sensible child; unless absolutely necessary, he would not return to the capital.

Xue Mei clutched her handkerchief tightly, "Mother, there are so many rumors in the capital, making it sound like the city could be breached at any moment. I’m truly scared."

Zhulan frowned; someone in the capital was deliberately spreading rumors to create panic, "Don’t believe the rumors; they are false."

Xue Mei also knew rumors were not to be trusted, but her heart was in turmoil. War meant bloodshed; she still had some memories from her childhood—burning, killing, looting—it all terrified her just to think about it.

Zhulan sighed; this year, her eldest daughter was only worried about the children. She could tell from her daughter’s complexion that she had not been resting well lately.

Xue Mei didn’t get any information from her mother and went back home after sitting for a while.

Zhulan watched her daughter leave, then sat motionless by the window. With the war in Dongbei, it wouldn’t be long before the Northwest was also involved. She didn’t know how her older and second brothers’ families were faring.

And Rongchuan and her daughter; since the news of the assassination attempt, Zhou Shuren had inquired of the Emperor but couldn’t find out any news.

Now, the only thing that could give her peace of mind was her youngest son, who was with Wu Ming. Aside from not being able to come home, her youngest son was doing well in everything else.

Thinking of Chang Lian, she felt a wave of fear; what if he had also been hit by a cold arrow? Thankfully, Chang Lian was unharmed and even managed to stabilize Qiizhou city.

Qing Xue saw that it was raining and came over, "Old Madam, should we close the window?"