Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 711 Going Home_1

Chapter 711: Chapter 711 Going Home_1

Lady Dong said with a smile, "By the way, this afternoon, mother divided some of the gemstones given by the Empress as rewards between me and my daughter. Do you want to see them?"

Chang Lian, "....No need, keep them yourself."

He felt his wife’s tastes were getting higher and higher!

In the Ning Duke Residence, Ning Xu and Ning Hui sat opposite each other. Inside the bedroom, the Imperial Physician was constantly on watch. The family patriarch was still unconscious, and as long as he was not awake, their minds were uneasy.

When Ning Hui heard a noise, he looked up to see his wife, Lady Du. Feeling fatigued due to his poor health, he asked, "Has mother rested?"

Lady Du, feeling sorry for her husband, said, "She has taken sleeping pills and lain down to rest. How is father’s condition?"

Ning Hui glanced at the bedroom, "The Imperial Physician says that as long as he wakes up, there should be no problem."

Lady Du prayed in her heart, hoping that the Duke would be alright. Whether the Duke was present or not made a significant difference. With the Duke’s presence, the entire Duke Residence was sheltered; it truly was the Duke Residence. If the Duke was no longer there, their branch of the family, with their two sons, would just remain as is for life. The elder son held a minor official position and might inherit a title in the future, while the second son would remain a commoner. She had given up on her sons. She only hoped the Duke would live a few more years and that the grandsons of the Ning Residence would prosper.

As for the Empress and Ning Xu, the Empress was ultimately the Empress, and Ning Xu had been away from home for many years. Now, what bound Ning Xu were the Duke and the mother-in-law.

Lady Du thought of her daughter-in-law’s words; indeed, they should make some preparations.

In the Palace, the Empress had not received news of her father’s awakening and was extremely worried. As long as her father did not awaken, her heart would not be at peace.

The Emperor was also concerned—the father-in-law had not had an easy life over these years, "Eased your mind, the physicians are confident he can awaken."

Pressing on her brow, the Empress asked, "Your Majesty, have you investigated? How did the carriage malfunction?"

She did not believe it was an accident. Regardless of how unremarkable the carriage seemed, whenever her father planned to go out, the Residence would surely inspect it thoroughly. Thinking of this, her heart burned with rage.

The Emperor curled his finger slightly, thinking it was better not to reveal the truth. If Qingran heard it, she would be furious. After all, Qingran had wielded a knife and killed a man in the past, even more skilled than him!

The Empress looked up, "Hmm?"

The Emperor said, "It’s fortunate that Rongchuan was late returning to the Zhou Residence after fetching the hairpin."

Because of her son, the Empress’s attention was drawn, "Yes, that child was luckily in time. The Imperial Physician also mentioned that if they had been later, there would have been nothing they could do."

Thinking of this made her anxious.

The Emperor fell silent, feeling fortunate that the father-in-law was unconscious. If he had been conscious, the Emperor didn’t dare to consider it. His son’s face would hurt his father-in-law greatly.

Early the next day, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were about to leave when the steward rushed in, "Family Head, the Princely Heir from the Duke Residence and Mr. Hou have arrived."

Zhou Shuren breathed a sigh of relief. That they could come at this time meant that the Duke must be fine. After exchanging a glance with Zhulan, they both got up to greet the visitors.

As Zhou Shuren arrived at the front hall, his attention was drawn to the boxes inside. Such a gesture of gratitude truly was significant, "What is this?"

Ning Xu and Ning Hui got up, "We are here to express our thanks to the Zhou Residence for the timely rescue."

Zhou Shuren, with exemplary acting skills, said, "So my son and Rongchuan helped the Duke?"

While voicing this, Zhou Shuren didn’t hesitate to move aside, avoiding Ning Xu and Ning Hui as they bowed in respect.

Ning Xu and his brother stood up, with Ning Xu helping his weary elder brother sit down. They had not rested all night. While he could withstand it, his elder brother could not, "Yes, yesterday they happened to be passing by."

Zhou Shuren asked, "Is the Duke doing well now?"

A smile appeared on Ning Hui’s face, "He is out of danger now."

Ning Xu continued, "These are gifts of thanks."

This was also a way to legitimately give silver to Rongchuan. Ning Xu glanced at the closed boxes, remembering his sister’s words.

Zhou Shuren exclaimed, "Chang Lian and Rongchuan merely did what they should have. These gifts are too generous."

Ning Xu thought of that time period when not a single carriage had passed by. He lowered his gaze, steadied his emotions, and then said with a smile, "This is the gift ledger."

The gift ledger was placed in front of Zhulan. Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren. After Zhou Shuren nodded, she picked it up. There were three copies of the gift ledger. The top one was for the Zhou residence, and the ones below were for Rongchuan and Chang Lian individually.

Zhulan received the gift ledger but did not look at it. Now was not the time to look.

Ning Hui wanted to go back to rest. It was not easy for him to visit in person, and as for verbal assurances, he felt that even without the Ning Residence’s protection, the Emperor would still look after them somewhat, given the Zhou family had raised Rongchuan.

So after discussing it with Ning Xu, he decided to start with material items. After all, if the Zhou residence ever faced difficulties in the future, they would also provide support.

Ning Hui stood up, "I did not sleep at all last night, so we will head back first. After Mr. Zhou arrives in the capital, we shall have a proper drink."

Zhou Shuren got up, "Certainly, certainly."

Zhou Shuren and Zhulan escorted their guests to the entrance of the residence. Only after the carriage from the Duke Residence had left did the two of them return.

It was only when Zhulan got back to the main courtyard that she looked at the gift ledger. The one for the Zhou residence at the top mostly listed books, calligraphy, paintings, and jewelry.

The second one bore Chang Lian’s name and was filled with antiques and paintings.

The third one was for Rongchuan. After looking it over, Zhulan laughed, "They really know what Rongchuan mentioned. They actually sent a box of gold."

Zhou Shuren took a look and said, "There really are no secrets in our house."

Zhulan saw that Granny Song and Lady Dong had come in, so she handed the other two ledgers to Lady Dong, "The top one is for your household. Take it and keep it safe. The bottom one is for Rongchuan. Give it to him when he comes back tonight."

Hearing that the Duke Residence had come to express their gratitude, Lady Dong joyfully accepted the gift ledger. She glanced at it and felt a bit dizzy from its length, "Mother, could it be too valuable?"

Zhulan comforted her, "For the Duke Residence, the Duke is more important than anything else. You just accept it with peace of mind. With this incident, I can be more assured about you and Chang Lian too. However, I also have a few words of caution for you. You must keep your heart steady and not get disoriented by a few compliments. The Duke Residence has already given a generous gift. We merely lent a helping hand, so don’t presume to be a lifesaver."

Lady Dong steadied her mind. She was excited, but she had also been educated by her mother-in-law for many years, "Mother, don’t worry. Your words are always in my heart."

Zhulan was somewhat reassured by Lady Dong. She had married into the family at a young age, and Zhulan had advised her for many years, "Hmm."

Lady Dong took the gift ledger to go inventory the thank-you gifts, while Zhulan had Granny Song seal up their thank-you gifts as well.

In the end, they left almost two hours later than planned for their return journey to Jinzhou Province.

Chang Xhong sat in the carriage very pleased, "Mother, will my cousins like the gifts I bought for them?"

Zhulan smiled, "They will."

These gifts were ones she had taken her son to pick out in the shops. Thinking of the gifts, Zhulan eagerly anticipated the reactions of Mingyun and the others upon receiving their presents.

Zhou Shuren felt his coin purse. He used to spend silver carelessly, but now he aspired to be like Shen Xing, prudent and cautious. No, those two didn’t carry silver, but it didn’t mean they didn’t have any!

In Jinzhou Province, at the Zhou residence, Chang Zhi saw that it was nearly noon and his parents hadn’t arrived home yet. He couldn’t help worrying, "Based on past experience, they should have been home by now."

Su Xuan was also puzzled. Their parents had sent someone ahead in the morning. They indeed should have arrived by then, "I’ll send someone to greet them outside the city."

She wasn’t the type to wait. She preferred to proactively seek out the problem.

Unable to stay still at home, Chang Zhi said, "I’ll take people to greet my parents outside the city."

Su Xuan replied, "Good."

On the road, Zhulan saw that it was noon and suddenly exclaimed, "Dear me, I forgot. We were delayed by two hours and I didn’t send someone back to inform the house. They must be worried now that we haven’t arrived."

Zhou Shuren had also forgotten, "I’ll have Shen Xing go ahead to inform them."

"Good."