Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 222: The Zheng Family_1

Chapter 222: Chapter 222: The Zheng Family_1

Zhou Shuren looked at his sons, pleased with their quail-like appearance, "Remember what your mother said, don’t wait to regret when you start having crooked thoughts as it will be useless then."

The eldest Zhou, with a particularly strong desire to survive, replied, "Dad, you know best what kind of person I am. My thoughts are straightforward without any twists and turns. I won’t entertain any crooked ideas, no matter who does."

So quick-witted, look at that, reacting so quickly for the first time. As for whether or not he’d throw his brothers under the bus, ha, his brothers are all troublesome, not worth the worry!

Zhou Number Two looked up at the ceiling beams, as if it had nothing to do with him. His wife was his, and he cared more than anyone.

Chang Lian felt like cursing. Among the four brothers, the second one had a simple appearance but a cunning heart, with many twists inside. But Zhao’s wife was his sister-in-law, and seeing how much the second one cherished her, he wouldn’t plot against his own wife.

So here was the problem, the eldest’s words were hinting at him. If the younger brother didn’t care about these things, then it left him as the one with the twisted heart. Just a few days ago, he had plotted against his eldest sister-in-law. Wuu wuu, this is his own blood brother. Just a moment ago, his mother talked about family, and now he’s been set up.

When Chang Lian saw his father looking at him, he felt a chill down his spine and suddenly understood why his father was warning him—scheming against outsiders might be okay, but not against family. Sister-in-law’s face was indeed worth scheming over, but he really hadn’t thought about plotting against her. He was truly wronged, so much so that he wanted to swear on the eldest’s life, "Dad, I swear to you and mom, if I ever harbor crooked thoughts and plot against the family, may I not die a good death, may the heavens strike me with five thunders, may my lineage end."

Zhou Shuren and Zhulan, "....."

Wouldn’t cursing his lineage to end also curse their grandchildren and great-grandchildren?

Noticing his parents’ displeasure, Chang Lian thought he had made a mistake, "Dad, mom, I didn’t mean anything else by it. I’m just putting the future grandchildren and great-grandchildren at stake, as long as I don’t have wicked intentions, that’s all!"

He believed in himself, his vision had expanded. Through his father’s teaching, he understood that one must rely on oneself, because even if you fall, there’s always a chance to get back up. Depending on others is only a petty path, one that will not be respected by others and won’t get you far in the future.

Zhulan felt that since Chang Lian had staked her future grandchildren and great-grandchildren, they were bound to be upset in the future, but Chang Lian had been well taught by Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren inwardly apologized to his future grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as if worrying he’d frightened them badly, "Please don’t be upset. Don’t let your damn dad and granddad scare you into not wanting to be born!"

Chang Zhi, seeing his third brother be so harsh, didn’t make any oaths but promptly said, "Dad, mom, I don’t like to scheme. My heart is all in my studies."

A year ago, he still had the time to tease his third brother and vie for their mother’s attention, but not now. He needed to thoroughly learn the books his father brought back, and he had to complete heavier homework than his third brother every day. He didn’t have the time to spare.

Indeed, the clan school’s teacher had given him a tailor-made curriculum, and he really didn’t have any extra time.

Zhao’s wife felt even more at ease after hearing all this—for herself and for her daughter. She touched her daughter’s face. Her daughter was luckier than she was. She glanced at her husband and saw him looking at her with a smile at the corner of his mouth, which made her feel fortunate as well.

After dinner, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren went back to rest first. Zhou Shuren waited for Zhulan to finish making the bed, "I’m going to fetch some water for you to wash your feet."

Zhulan pulled him back, "I’ll go today, you’ve had a long day."

Zhou Shuren insisted, "I always feel something’s missing if I don’t fetch water for you to wash your feet."

Zhulan sat still. Ah, this man, even fetching water was an opportunity for him to express his affection. She decided to give him the chance.

After fetching a basin of water, both of them washed their feet together. Zhulan waited for Zhou Shuren to return and lay down, feeling more settled inside. Tonight, she could finally have a good night’s sleep.

Zhou Shuren also felt at peace, "By the way, on my trip to Pingzhou this time, I heard some news about the last dynasty that might concern the Zheng family’s side of the family."

Zhulan was alert now, "What did you hear?"

Zhou Shuren said, "It’s quite a coincidence, winter is approaching again and every year the border tensions increase during the winter days. Speaking of the commanding officers, there was a General Zheng in the previous dynasty whose entire family was exiled to the border defense in Dongbei. One year, they couldn’t stop the foreign clans from breaking through, and the Zheng family organized the locals to resist. After the foreign clans looted enough and left, the City Defender, fearing for his own life due to his failure to protect the border, falsely accused the Zheng family of rebellion."

Zhulan eagerly asked, "What happened next?"

Zhou Shuren continued, "After that, the Zheng family’s home caught a great fire, and everyone perished, without a single survivor. Some say they were silenced, others believe they escaped."

Zhulan said, "So you suspect that Madam Zheng’s maternal family was that very Zheng family?"

Zhou Shuren nodded, "Before I left for Pingzhou, didn’t I spend two days inquiring? Although I didn’t investigate deeply, I got a good understanding. The Zheng family arrived in Li Family Village forty-five years ago. They were said to be fleeing from a calamity, just when a great snow disaster struck, and many left their homes to survive. Afterwards, when the disaster had passed, many didn’t return to their ancestral lands. The Zheng family stayed in Li Family Village. The timing matches, so I guess it can’t be wrong."

Zhulan calculated Madam Zheng’s age. She was fifty-two this year, so subtracting forty-five, she would have been seven at the time, and surely aware of the situation, "No wonder Madam Zheng’s health is poor. Being exiled to the border and then fleeing in the snowy disaster would have damaged her health since she was a child!"

Zhou Shuren sighed, "In ancient times, an individual’s mistake could implicate the entire family. Minor offenses resulted in demotion to one’s ancestral home. More serious ones led to exile at the border, and in the most severe cases, adult males were executed, sons and grandsons enslaved, and the fate of the women was even more tragic."

Zhulan, with a deflated tone, said, "Have you forgotten about the punishment of ’extinction of three clans’?"

Zhou Shuren, "....and even the ’extinction of nine clans’."

Zhulan, not wanting to dwell on such heavy subjects, asked, "So will you continue to inquire about the Zheng family?"

Zhou Shuren shook his head, "We can be fairly certain now, no need to keep looking. It’s not easy for the Zheng family to live in peace. If it weren’t for avoiding trouble, we wouldn’t have inquired in the first place. This is enough."

Zhulan nodded, "Do you think, the Zheng family was wronged?"

"At the end of a dynasty, miscarriages of justice are numerous, especially for commanders in charge of troops. The Zheng family was simply a victim of power struggles."

Zhulan sighed heavily, not wanting to think about it any longer, stifled a yawn, truly exhausted, and snuggled into Zhou Shuren’s embrace, dozing off into a confused sleep.

Zhou Shuren kissed Zhulan’s face and, content, followed her to sleep.

Zhou Shuren returned to the village, and the next day the Clan Leader arrived. Before Zhou Shuren departed for Pingzhou, he had asked the Clan Leader to inquire about land for sale. Now the autumn harvest had ended, the land taxes were all paid, and the Clan Leader came to report back to Zhou Shuren.

Madam Zhou was also present, and, as it happened so was Madam Zheng, in Zhulan’s home. Madam Zhou remarked, "Isn’t it too much for your family to buy fifty acres of land all at once?"

In recent years, with good weather yielding rich harvests, farmland was not cheap. The best irrigated fields cost ten silver taels per acre; average ones, eight silver taels; and the poorer quality, five taels – those had not increased in value. Good dryland fields were five silver taels per acre and had gone up by five taels and two coins this year, making fifty acres of dryland fields cost two hundred and sixty taels. Zhou Shuren wanted to buy twenty acres of irrigated fields and thirty acres of dryland – a hefty sum!

Zhulan smiled, "It’s not too much."

She even wanted to buy more, but there wasn’t enough silver. She and Zhou Shuren had crunched the numbers; if he passed the Graduate exam next year, which results come out right before the autumn harvest, they could be exempt from land taxes – equivalent to earning the tax for fifty acres of land. After tallying up, the fifty acres would yield a profit of about eighty silver taels.

By selling the land the following year after harvest, they could earn an additional eighty taels, just enough to buy a small estate near Pingzhou.

Seeing Zhulan respond this way, Madam Zhou realized her concerns were unwarranted, and at the same time, she calculated that Zhou Shuren’s family had substantial wealth. Just the dowry for Chang Lian’s engagement was almost three hundred taels. With the land purchase, Zhou Shuren’s family must have had over a thousand silver taels in cash!

Madam Zhou thought of her own family’s advantage of having a Lizheng son, and how they often received benefits, yet they hadn’t saved much money over the years. She forced a laugh and decided not to make a fuss, filled with envy.

Madam Zheng set down her cup and asked the Clan Leader’s wife, "Did the Clan Leader find out who is selling land?"