Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 490 Unexpected_1

Chapter 490: Chapter 490 Unexpected_1

Granny Song was top-notch when it came to gathering information; many of the things Zhulan knew came from her investigations.

Moreover, the news this time was no secret; it was an imperial decree. There was even less likelihood for Granny Song to be mistaken, and Zhulan raised a hand, needing to hear no more from her.

Looking silently at the sky, Zhulan thought it disgustingly good weather for such events – just moments ago it had been sunny, but now it was suddenly overcast with clouds.

Once back inside, Zhulan tugged at the corner of her mouth. The Emperor’s maneuvers truly disgusted many; the third young miss of the Min family entered the Third Prince’s residence, the fourth entered the Fifth Prince’s residence, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Revenue’s second daughter was with the Second Prince, and the third young miss from the Ran family, whose engagement was withdrawn, entered the Crown Prince’s residence.

Someone also entered the Fourth Prince’s residence, the fifth young lady directly descended from the Qi Clan, the Princely Heir’s maternal relatives.

Except for the Fifth Prince who had yet to take a main wife, the remaining princes had all married their wives, even if some were of concubine status, they were still spouses.

Looking at her son spread-eagled asleep, Zhulan once again reflected with relief that it was fortunate she had given birth to a son; a daughter’s life would have been much harder.

The Emperor didn’t care whether a woman could be happy or not; all he saw was political strategy. The Min family was a staunch supporter of the Second Prince, with one daughter going to the Third Prince and another to the Fifth Prince. The third Miss Min had been used by the Liu family to scheme against Chang Zhi then turned her sights on Yao Zheyu, while the fourth was prepared for the Second Prince. Now, by the royal decree, both princes were probably feeling quite sickened.

Stroking her chin, Zhulan thought the Emperor really detested the Min family. By contrast, the Emperor seemed to have a fondness for the Ran family, otherwise, he wouldn’t have allowed the third Miss Ran to enter the Crown Prince’s residence, even if only as a concubine.

Zhulan felt herself clever, but still found her brain struggling to keep up; she always felt the Emperor wouldn’t disgust the Crown Prince like this.

Not to mention that Jinzhou City was shell-shocked; the princes in the capital were all bewildered.

The Second Prince was initially pleased with the decree. Tolerating the decision for the Min family to send a daughter to him, he endured it. After all, Mr. Min had some utility. But now, with the Vice Minister of Revenue, Mr. Min wasn’t of much use anymore. Now that his father, the Emperor, had grown extremely weary of Mr. Min, dealing with him was just a matter of time.

The Third Prince was expressionless, although if one overlooked the cup he gripped tightly, it would have been more persuasive. The fifth Miss Qi from his maternal clan, the most favored girl from that branch, was now betrothed to the youngest brother. Wasn’t this dividing his influence? And then Miss Min from the Min family, utterly disgusting!

The Fourth Prince felt an unexpected thrill. Wow, pie falling from the sky – could he dare to guess that the Emperor was very pleased with him? Then again, upon reflection, since his father had betrothed the Crown Prince to a woman whose engagement was broken off, could it be that the Emperor was dissatisfied with the Crown Prince?

The Fifth Prince, still with little influence, could only endure.

The Crown Prince was somewhat stunned as he looked at the message in his hand. He rarely lost composure, but now even Eunuch Liu, who had watched the Crown Prince grow up, found amusement in his loss of poise.

Gripping the message, the Crown Prince watched Eunuch Liu leave the room and then quickly returned to his study, fists clenched unexpectedly tight. How fiercely Mr. Ran and Mr. Min had been fighting, and the Qi family had gone all out supporting Mr. Ran!

Who could have imagined that Mr. Ran was the Emperor’s man? He hadn’t noticed it at all. At first, when receiving the decree, his bad premonition came true. He mulled over where he might have displeased his father. Now, clenching his hand tightly, he reminded himself not to be hotheaded. So what if the Emperor had told him? It might just be a test; stay calm.

In Jinzhou City, Zhulan looked at the overly excited Madam Tao, who was reveling in schadenfreude, "This time Liu has played the fool."

Zhulan didn’t feel happy, only sad for the plight of women. However, since it was the Emperor’s decree, she could not speak out with any opinion and could only hold back, listening to Madam Tao speak.

After a while, the excitement wore off Madam Tao, and she noticed that Madam Yang did not wish to talk more. Soon after, she took her leave.

Zhulan sat for a while longer, and then Xue Han arrived, rushing into Zhulan’s arms. Zhulan asked, "Finished with school?"

Xue Han nodded, "Mm-hmm."

Zhulan stroked her daughter’s hair, "Not happy?"

Xue Han, lying in her mother’s embrace, said sullenly, "Mother, Miss Ran is a very good person."

She had interacted more with Miss Ran because of flower tea, visiting the Ran Residence. Miss Ran had also taken good care of her; she could tell whether it was genuine or not. She wasn’t good at playing the guqin; it was Miss Ran who had tutored her. She sincerely hoped Miss Ran would find someone reliable to depend on.

Zhulan had always had a good impression of Miss Ran, so she never hindered her daughter from associating with her. She, too, lamented the turbulent fate of Miss Ran, "Your Miss Ran is a smart girl; she will take good care of herself."

Xue Han hugged her mother tighter, feeling grounded only in her embrace, "Mother, thank you, and thank you, Father."

She was thanking them for arranging her betrothal early and for finding her a reliable husband.

Zhulan also couldn’t help but feel immensely relieved. It was fortunate they had settled the engagement early, otherwise her daughter too would have been a pawn in the Emperor’s hands, with the imperial power paramount, and so many things beyond one’s control.

At the Ran Residence, Mrs. Qi was completely panicked, tears streaming non-stop, "Mother has wronged you, wronged you so much."

Although she had never openly shown interest in the Fourth Lord, some people had noticed. She didn’t fantasize that the Crown Prince was unaware. Regarding the Princely Heir, she had inquired too; with her daughter retiring from an engagement, all was her fault.

Miss Ran’s marriage was settled, making her the calmest one now. After the cliffhanger of her matrimonial affairs, she was finally free. Taking a handkerchief, she wiped her mother’s tears, a sincere smile on her face, "Mother, we’ve never been masters of our destiny; the only thing we can do is love ourselves."

Mrs. Qi cried harder. Wasn’t she herself a piece in the Qi family’s chess game, a direct-born daughter, a sister to an Imperial Concubine, married to a widower? From her daughter’s birth, she had feared a fate like her own, which is why she sought an early engagement. And now, "It’s all mother’s fault, all my fault."