Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 281 Revealed_1

Chapter 281: Chapter 281 Revealed_1

Zhou eldest deeply sympathized with his wife. She was not very bright and had to deal with two clever sisters-in-law every day. He had seen more than once how his third sister-in-law had tricked Lady Li. Lady Li’s spirits were low also because she had been instructed by her mother not to be so naive. Even though she was slow to react at the moment, she could realize it afterwards.

Zhou eldest’s heart ached not just for his wife but even more for himself. With their father not at home, he had to take care of his brothers and worry about them every day, especially as Chang Lian came home later and later. He was on tenterhooks waiting for him every day. These days had been mentally exhausting; when their father was home, when had he ever worried like this? Mental fatigue was truly exhausting.

Zhou eldest said wistfully, "Next time Father and Mother leave, we must follow them. If the two of us simpletons stay, we’re just going to be bullied."

Lady Li deeply agreed. Now the third sister-in-law looked bad in her eyes too. With Mother not around, the third sister-in-law’s true colors emerged. "My husband, let’s not have children for now. Father is taking the provincial exams, and he will go to the capital next year. Mother will surely follow, and we should go with them."

Zhou eldest blinked in surprise, realizing there was an unexpected silver lining, "Yes, Yu Lu is still young, and we indeed don’t need to rush to have children."

Lady Li had made up her mind. Wherever her mother was, she would follow, for she couldn’t keep up with Zhao’s and Dong’s wits. It was better to be a good daughter-in-law who listened to her mother.

In the second wife’s residence, Zhou second and Zhao were also thinking about their parents and hoping that they would return soon.

Chang Lian was very busy, leaving early in the morning and not coming back until it was dark, only thinking of his parents before going to sleep.

Lady Dong didn’t miss them much. With Mother not home and her sister always calling her to the mansion, she enjoyed a particularly carefree life.

Chang Zhi, however, had moved into the home of Academician Xu and rarely returned to the Zhou family. Academician Xu kept him close by, and aside from thinking of his parents when resting, he was fully immersed in the Xu family’s study.

Rongchuan and Mingyun went to the Academy every day and Xue Han stayed at home, keeping all the household matters in mind.

Xue Han sighed inwardly, not liking the fact that each branch of the family had its own concerns in the absence of their parents.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, six days passed. Zhulan and Zhou Shuren finally saw the capital’s city gates. The guards at the gates of the capital were different from those at the Prefecture City, with checks at two levels.

Not only did they scrutinize identity and household registration carefully, but they also asked about well-known places from the household registration’s locale.

Zhulan’s eyes were opened; these inspecting soldiers were capable, familiar with notable places from various prefecture cities. Hearing the coachman grumble, last year’s checks had not been so stringent. Zhulan understood that indeed, troops were needed, hence the heightened security.

When the caravan reached the capital, the Armed Escort Agency still had to escort the carts for delivery. Zhulan and Zhou Shuren, who had tagged along with the caravan, could simply leave the group. When returning to the Prefecture City, they’d find another caravan to join back. Pingzhou City was an important transportation hub with plenty of caravans coming and going.

The coachmen who often came to the capital knew it very well and brought Zhulan and Zhou Shuren to a reputable inn. They helped move the luggage before the coachman drove the carriage back.

To thank the two coachmen for their care along the way, Zhou Shuren gave each of them two taels of silver as a token of gratitude. The coachmen happily accepted the reward and only after recommending a few reputable Armed Escort Agencies did they leave.

Zhulan wanted a top-grade room, which in the capital cost two taels of silver a day, quite expensive. With 4,800 taels in her possession, she still felt it was costly, "We should look for a house as soon as possible. The inn is too expensive."

Zhou Shuren said, "There’s no rush. You could randomly throw a stone in the capital and hit an official. We should first visit Zhao Bo’s friend; having someone from the capital help us buy a house, we can avoid being cheated by brokers."

Zhulan exclaimed, "Zhao Bo has been really reliable, helping us a lot these past two years."

Zhou Shuren nodded, "Indeed, he is a decent man."

"Shall we send the invitation tomorrow?"

Zhou Shuren nodded, "Yes, we’ll send out the invitations and pay a visit tomorrow."

Zhulan, pulling Zhou Shuren along, "You go call the Waiter to bring up two buckets of hot water. Let’s freshen up and go out for a stroll."

They had reached the capital, after all; they must take a good look around. The ancient capital, the political center. Zhulan felt that all the hardships of the journey were worth it.

Zhou Shuren couldn’t help but laugh, "Alright, alright, I’ll go and get some hot water immediately."

"Hurry along, hurry along."

Once Zhou Shuren left, Zhulan took out two new outfits she had not worn yet, thinking that clothes make the man just as a saddle makes the horse. Now that she had arrived in the capital, she naturally wanted to dress as nicely as possible to avoid any trouble.

An hour later, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren had taken their baths, combed their hair, and after ensuring everything was in order, they locked their room and went out to explore the streets.

The capital was truly vast. The western part of the city, where the nobility resided, was inhabited by those with titles or at least officials of the third rank and above—ordinary people did not dare to go there casually.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren’s inn was located in South City, which had many merchants and shops, leading to large crowds; it was the most bustling area of the capital.

The streets of the capital were twice as wide as those in Prefecture City, and the roadside stalls of merchants did not obstruct the normal traffic of horse-drawn carriages.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren arrived at the capital in the afternoon, and by the time they were ready to go out, it was already late. Although the days were getting longer since it was May, the sky was still somewhat dark, and Zhulan caught the time when merchants were closing their stalls.

Looking at the sky, Zhou Shuren said, "We won’t be able to wander around today. Let’s find a restaurant to eat first, and tomorrow after I’ve delivered the invitations, I’ll accompany you around."

Zhulan replied, "Okay."

There were many restaurants in South City, and since Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were not familiar with the capital, they chose the busiest one they could find, reasoning that its popularity must be for a good reason.

Unfortunately, due to the large number of people, they could only dine in the main hall as all the private rooms had been booked.

Zhulan ordered the restaurant’s specialty dishes: hand-torn mutton, charcoal-grilled goose, a green vegetable soup, and two bowls of rice, "That’ll be enough, just these."

The waiter said, "That will be two taels and one coin. Due to the large number of guests, we ask for payment in advance to avoid any oversight. Please excuse the inconvenience."

Zhou Shuren took out some silver, "Of course, here are two taels and two coins; take the extra coin as a tip for yourself."

The waiter gratefully accepted the Silver Coin, "Thank you very much, sir. I’ll brew a pot of tea for you right away."

After the waiter left, Zhulan remarked, "Money talks, silver really is a wonderful thing. Just now they were indifferent to us, but after getting a tip, they even brought us free tea."

"It’s normal. Anyone would get tired from doing the same thing over and over," Zhou Shuren commented.

Zhulan thought about it and agreed that anyone who had to repeat the same task day in and day out would eventually feel mentally exhausted, no matter how strong their mindset.

The dishes were served quickly, and both Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were hungry. The restaurant’s signature dishes were truly excellent, and Zhulan, with a rare good appetite, ended up eating a little too much.

They strolled slowly out of the restaurant to aid digestion. The capital was not bustling at night; it was better to stay indoors when the curfew hours came around. The dynasty had only been established for twelve years and there were still many elements of instability, plus the covetous gaze of other nations, which meant that the capital was subject to a curfew at night.

Zhulan’s room was street-facing, and at night she could hear the sound of horse hooves and the clinking of soldiers’ armor as they patrolled.

Estimating the time, Zhulan noted that patrols passed by every half hour and said to Zhou Shuren, "The capital’s defenses are so strict, it looks like they are indeed preparing for war."

Zhou Shuren, feeling better in his stomach, replied, "Yeah, it’s getting late, let’s go to sleep."

Really tired, Zhulan yawned, "Yeah."