Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 458 Intuition_1

Chapter 458: Chapter 458 Intuition_1

Don’t even mention Zhulan being clueless; the Crown Prince’s move utterly bewildered everyone in the capital. You must know, for so many years, the Crown Prince had never done anything out of line, nor had he ever acted under his own name—it was always whatever the Emperor said, the Crown Prince did.

This was the first time he gave gifts in his own name.

In the capital, when the Second Prince learned of the news, his first reaction was disbelief. The Crown Prince was such a cautious person; how could he possibly send gifts under his own name? After triple-checking and confirming it was true, the Second Prince fell silent. With the Crown Prince now getting involved, many things became problematic. Would he have to abandon some people?

The Third Prince thought, the Crown Prince had finally shown his fangs. He would have to be even more cautious in the future. After so many years, he had never fully grasped his eldest brother.

The other Princes had similar thoughts, but they were also pleased; at least the Crown Prince had taken action. Once he moved, they might be able to get a better read on the situation in the future.

The ministers had even more thoughts. Some who were undecided ceased their scheming, not daring to take sides.

On Zhulan’s end, the gift list had already been registered, and even without holding a washing-three ceremony, they had made a profit.

After checking the gift list, Xue Han remarked with emotion, "Mother, the officials from Jinzhou Province really have silver."

Zhulan responded softly, "Who makes Jinzhou have Pinggang."

Xue Han, now understanding quite a bit, pursed her lips, "Father is the best."

Zhulan smiled, "Yes, your father is the best."

In the afternoon, Xue Mei and her family returned, bringing with them the temple’s vegetarian pastries. Zhulan tasted a piece, "The flavor is good."

Xue Mei said with a smile, "The temple’s vegetarian pastries are very famous. I thought Mother would like them, so I brought back a few pieces. It’s just a pity we couldn’t carry more."

When Zhulan first arrived in ancient times, she went to the temple, but after that, no matter who invited her, she declined. She wiped her hands with a kerchief and asked, "You mentioned going to the temple for divination. Did you do it?"

Xue Mei’s eyes curved with a smile, "I did. First, I got peace charms for Father and Mother, and then did the divination. I asked for a fortune for my husband, and the slip’s message was pretty good. Essentially it meant accumulate thickly to scatter thinly and that the time had not yet come."

Xue Mei did the divination thinking her husband could go take the official exams next year, but her husband wanted to reflect for a few more years. He wasn’t in a hurry, but she was. Having deciphered the divination today, she decided not to urge her husband anymore.

Zhulan fell silent. Sometimes it was truly amazing how accurate the fortunes could be. Just yesterday, she and Zhou Shuren had discussed Jiang Sheng, and Zhou Shuren’s opinion was also that Jiang Sheng lacked too much and wasn’t in a rush, and that it wouldn’t be harmful to reflect a few more years.

Zhulan smiled, "Then he should study for a few more years."

Xue Mei took out the peace charms, "Mother, these are for you and Father."

Zhulan accepted them. This was the first time she had seen a peace charm, having never encountered one in the modern day. This was her eldest daughter’s intention, so she handed it to Granny Song to keep, planning to find a purse to put it in and carry it with her. Seeing that Xue Mei was tired, she said, "Go rest."

Xue Mei was very happy today. Back at home, it was hard for her to go out because of the children, let alone to visit temples and shops. She cheerfully said, "Mother, I’m heading back."

In the evening, Xue Mei didn’t dine with Zhulan. Today, Xue Mei’s family ate in the main room, while Zhulan had dinner with Zhou Shuren.

After dinner and reading for a while, when it was time, Granny Song went downstairs, and Zhulan quietly said, "The Crown Prince has sent gifts over. Did you know?"

Zhou Shuren patting his pouting son replied, "I knew once the gifts arrived."

The officials at the Government Office were very well-informed; as soon as the gift list arrived, they came to congratulate him. He was also baffled for quite a while!

Zhulan inquired, "What do you think the Crown Prince means by this?"

Zhou Shuren replied softly, "I guess this isn’t the Crown Prince’s own intention. He may never have been overlooked these years, but he has always been the Emperor’s shadow, hidden behind the Emperor. Being a shadow for too long, even if capable, without having taken direct action, he still can’t subdue the ministers."

Zhulan understood and fell silent for a moment, "... Who makes the Emperor too formidable, forcing the Crown Prince to be cautious. If it is indeed the Emperor’s will, is this pushing the Crown Prince into the fray, grinding the Crown Prince down?"

Zhou Shuren, with a half-smile, "I don’t know if it’s just my illusion, but why do I feel like the Emperor seems to be guiding the Crown Prince hand by hand?"

It seemed to be phased guidance, and he always felt that he, as a chess piece, was also paving the way for the Crown Prince at the Emperor’s behest?

Not only did Zhou Shuren have this feeling, but Zhulan did too. She felt even more sympathy for the Princes.

In the main room, Lady Li took out a letter and said to the head of the family, "This letter was sent today with the washing-three gifts; Lady Qi gave it to me. Head of the family, the Xu family is impressive— they know of our Mother’s childbirth."

She had grown quite a bit as well. Although she could not compete with Lady Zhao and Lady Dong, with more exposure, she had come to understand a lot. This letter indicated that many people were watching the Zhou family closely.

Zhou Eldest looked at Lady Li. He had been home for a while in the afternoon and marveled at his wife’s restraint. In the past, she would have shown him the letter as soon as he arrived home, but now she waited until the evening. Zhou Eldest chuckled softly. It wasn’t just his wife who had become more steady; he was no different. How long had it been since he arrived in Jinzhou Province? As someone who seldom went out, every time he did, he encountered people eager to get to know him.

Zhou Eldest took the letter and quickly read it through. It was just a routine correspondence. He handed it back to his wife, "Handle it yourself. If you want to continue the relationship, do so. If not, then break it off."

Lady Li kept the letter, "Continue the relationship? We can’t break it off. Didn’t you see what the letter said—that the recipe I sold to Lady Qi was well-received? She even asked if I had other recipes!"

Zhou Eldest, "You still want to sell recipes?"

Lady Li frowned, "I’d like to, but where can I find so many recipes? We’ll talk about it when I’m less busy. I don’t feel like getting too close to Lady Qi right now."

Lady Li wasn’t foolish. She could tell from today’s gifts for the washing-three ceremony that Jinzhou Province was not peaceful.