Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 277 Having Issues_1

Chapter 277: Chapter 277 Having Issues_1

Three days had passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhulan’s luggage was packed and ready. The caravan’s horse-drawn carriages arrived early in the morning—one for the luggage and one for Zhulan and Zhou Shuren to ride in. After she made sure nothing was left behind, Zhulan boarded the carriage.

Zhulan had given all the necessary instructions and left behind the silver coin she owed. For the three months, she left Lady Zhao thirty taels of silver, which included money for monthly expenditures and food expenses.

Zhou Shuren also left one hundred taels of silver for the eldest Zhou sibling as a precaution against any significant expenses, ensuring that there was silver at hand.

During the three days, Zhulan also bought some decorative items and tea leaves to use for visiting others and for the family’s social obligations.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren boarded the carriage promptly, without any signs of reluctance.

The Zhou sons looked at each other speechlessly; why did they feel as if their father and mother seemed to be relieved, as if they had just shed a heavy burden?

Because of this feeling, the Zhou brothers’ hearts tightened. Sometimes human intuition can be very accurate, and they genuinely feared that if they ever angered their parents, they could indeed be abandoned. They silently warned themselves to always be filial and never provoke their parents’ anger.

The Zhou daughters-in-law, especially Lady Li, felt uneasy. Her mother-in-law had boarded the carriage without a word, and she realized she relied on her the most. At home, her mother-in-law had always sided with her. Now, without her mother-in-law to keep Lady Zhao and Lady Dong in check, she was well aware that she could not compete with her sisters-in-law and felt somewhat afraid!

Lady Li couldn’t help but cry out, "Mother."

Unfortunately, it was a eunuch who drew back the carriage curtain, and Lady Li’s emotions instantly dissipated, frightened back into place!

Lady Zhao wasn’t panicked but rather concerned, as only her mother-in-law could suppress Lady Dong in the household. She was afraid that in her mother-in-law’s absence, Lady Dong would agree to everything on the surface but do just the opposite in secret.

Lady Dong harbored no reluctance to part; after all, she wasn’t very close to her mother-in-law and was actually afraid of her. With her mother-in-law gone, she probably was the only one who felt delighted.

Xue Han stood beside her sister, observing the changes in her brothers and sisters-in-law. The next three months would be interesting indeed; she had a secret mission entrusted to her by her mother!

As the carriage departed, Zhulan instantly felt as if she had let go of a heavy load and let out a long sigh. With her voice lowered, she whispered to Zhou Shuren, "It is only after leaving the Zhou household that I feel I am truly Yang Zhulan."

Zhou Shuren understood what Zhulan meant. In the Zhou household, Zhulan was the family head, worrying about the affairs of the entire family. Only after leaving could she be the modern Yang Zhulan, an individual free from such burdens.

Zhou Shuren clasped Zhulan’s hand, "Nor am I any different."

They had taken over the bodies of their original selves and were not only tasked with changing the fates of the unfortunate members of the Zhou family but also with educating them. They proceeded with caution, step by step; they made it look effortless, but only they knew how much effort and heart had been expended—they, too, could feel weary.

Therefore, Zhulan had been so keen on going to the capital; it was also a chance for her to unwind and relax.

Zhulan leaned against Zhou Shuren, and both of them remained silent, quietly listening to the sound of the horse hooves, waiting to join the caravan at the city gate.

Upon reaching the city gate, Zhulan drew back the curtain to peek through the carriage window. The caravan was indeed not small, stretching as far as the eye could see with its procession of horse-drawn carriages.

Zhulan asked, "Who owns the caravan that Mr. Jiang has found for us?"

Zhou Shuren shook his head, "I don’t know the specifics, only that it is a merchant convoy headed to the capital. The guards they hired are from the best armed escort agency. Mr. Jiang wedged us in for our safety."

Zhulan opened the carriage curtain again, looking at the mounted escort guards. They had hired quite a number of people, perhaps excessively so.

Indeed, the road from Pingzhou City to the capital was very safe. It was the most important official road, and the surrounding area was cleared once every year. Bandits had long been cleaned out, making it unnecessary to hire so many escort guards.

Zhulan withdrew her neck, and her premonition indeed came true, "There seem to be quite a few escort guards, and not a few vehicles. Judging by how the wheels are pressed down, they’re carrying heavy loads. Why do I feel that following the caravan is actually unsafe?"

Zhou Shuren frowned, stretched his neck to look around a few times, and his heart skipped a beat. He lowered his voice, "Mr. Jiang has no reason to trap us. Thinking back, Mr. Jiang mentioned safety several times. It seems that the road to the capital is not going to be peaceful!"

Zhulan wanted to curse, "Mr. Jiang must have heard some rumors. He didn’t advise us against going to the capital, and you still think it’s not a trap for us?"

She seriously suspected that Mr. Jiang hoped the two of them would die so he could take control of Chang Lian. With Lady Dong around, the whole Zhou family was in Mr. Jiang’s grip. But that’s not right either. Mr. Jiang had no need to scheme against them; the Zhou family wasn’t worth that much calculation from him.

So, it could only mean that Mr. Jiang didn’t know much himself and it wasn’t appropriate for him to tell them. For their own safety, it was still best to tuck themselves into the convoy.

Zhulan thought of this, and Zhou Shuren did too, "I thought we were going to the capital for a leisurely visit to the mountains and waters. Alas, things have not gone as desired."

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren didn’t want to talk more, as escort guards were nearby. It was better to be careful.

After waiting a while, more carriages arrived one after another. Zhulan watched continuously and relaxed a bit—it was safer with more people, as these carriages were also following the caravan. It seemed Mr. Jiang really hadn’t calculated against them as a couple; he had indeed taken much trouble for their safety.

But information that made Mr. Jiang afraid to mention it must have been significant.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and the caravan finally started moving. Zhulan was quite excited inside. It was her first time in ancient times witnessing so many carriages traveling together. It was quite impressive.

The only downside was that with so many carriages, the pace was slow. By noon, after much jostling and swaying, they hadn’t traveled far, although Zhulan didn’t suffer too much.

Zhou Shuren put down the book in his hands, "You must be hungry."

Zhulan nodded, "I am a bit hungry. Let’s have something to eat."

Saying this, she took out a basket with steamed buns. Thanks to the mat covering them, the buns were not too cold. Lady Li had specially made them that morning. Zhulan also took out a jar of pickled vegetables and, finally, a jar of porridge that was still warm.

Lady Li had also prepared many pastries, but Zhulan didn’t want to eat them. She only wanted some simple vegetarian buns and plain porridge.

The carriage wasn’t large. After placing a small table, there wasn’t much space left. They found some bowls and chopsticks, and Zhulan and Zhou Shuren had lunch. After finishing, Zhulan didn’t wash the dishes. The water in her water bladder was boiled and safe, so she could wait until the afternoon when the carriage stopped to locate a water source to wash them.

In the afternoon, Zhulan had long passed her initial shock at the size of the caravan and only found it inconvenient. The slow pace was one thing, but the real inconvenient part was when everyone had to stop for bathroom breaks—the ancient forests were plentiful, but with so many people, the scene was quite astonishing.

Especially for the women, it was most inconvenient. They had to wait for the ladies to finish before the men could go, and fortunately, there were quite a few maidens waiting by to guard.

Zhulan benefitted from this arrangement, alas, to speak of it brings tears.

In the end, Zhulan hardly drank any water. After a day of travel, the caravan hadn’t reached an inn and was incredibly slow; they could only find a place with a water source to stay overnight.

Zhulan could finally get out of the carriage and stretch her legs. Each family prepared their own meals, and Zhulan and Zhou Shuren decided to eat pastries for dinner. Zhou Shuren first accompanied Zhulan to wash the dishes. There was no need for someone to guard the carriage; all the important silver notes were on them. The more you left someone to watch the carriage, the more it made people think there was something valuable inside.

Better to be open about it. After all, they were not from a big family and indeed didn’t have anything valuable. Just leaving the coachman to watch the carriage was enough.

The two returned the dishes and were not in a hurry to get back to the carriage. Sitting in the carriage all day was indeed exhausting. They didn’t go far from the carriage, just strolling nearby, when suddenly Zhulan stopped, "Look at the stream ahead."