Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 720: The Infatuated Man_1

Chapter 720: Chapter 720: The Infatuated Man_1

Mrs. Xue’s brows relaxed, and after pondering for a while, she understood Mrs. Yang’s intention, "Ah, that’s quite a coincidence. My husband’s cousin has a suitable girl of age, sixteen this year. She’s read some books, and both her looks and character are decent."

Zhulan asked, "Why hasn’t she been betrothed at sixteen?"

There were unmarried girls of that age, but very few had not been betrothed yet.

Mrs. Xue explained, "My husband’s cousin passed away early, leaving behind a widow and orphans, and the cousin’s younger sister was too soft-hearted to bear the family burdens. The cousin had four children, two girls and two boys. The older girls took on the household responsibilities. The eldest daughter got married at seventeen, and the one I mentioned is also waiting until seventeen, so she hasn’t been betrothed yet."

Zhulan understood that the two girls couldn’t rest easy about their home. "If she’s sixteen this year, she’ll be seventeen next year. How old are the two brothers this year?"

"The older one is fourteen this year, the younger one twelve. Those two girls haven’t had it easy, waiting for their brothers to grow up."

Hearing how well Mrs. Xue knew the family’s situation, Zhulan was satisfied and could see she had helped them frequently. Wu Yong’s nature suited a wife capable of managing a household, and if Mrs. Xue said the girl was decent, she must be, but still, it was necessary to meet her in person.

"The girl isn’t in Jinzhou Province, so coming to Jinzhou City isn’t easy, is it?"

Mrs. Xue, sensing an opportunity, replied with a smile, "Both of the younger ones are studying at the Academy in the city. Every month, she comes to visit them. As luck would have it, another month will pass in a couple of days."

Analyzing the information she received, Zhulan noted that both youngsters were studying together and in the Prefecture City; this family had some resources. Smiling, she said, "Indeed, what a coincidence. I’ll come back in a couple of days."

Mrs. Xue understood that this matter wasn’t settled yet, so it was inappropriate for her to bring someone to the Zhou residence, "Alright."

In the capital, at the Palace, the Emperor gestured for everyone except the Crown Prince to leave. Once everyone had left, the Emperor began, "You are here regarding Rongchuan’s matter?"

Ning Xu replied, "Yes."

The Emperor said with some emotion, "Carefully considering it, you faked your death almost twenty years ago. Before the establishment of the dynasty, you infiltrated the capital and operated covertly. After the dynasty was established, to stabilize the government, you continued to hide in the capital. Once the government was stable, I sent you abroad."

Over the years, he had always remembered what Ning Xu did for him and the dangers he had faced, which made him feel guilty about allowing Ning Xu to conceal the Silver Coin and the fact that Ning Xu had no heirs.

Ning Xu had never forgotten his days in hiding. Initially, the Emperor trusted the Ning family most, and Ning Xu, with his adaptable mind and courage, had taken over from his older brother to stay by the Emperor’s side. With his brother’s lesson in mind, he had seldom shown his face, and over time, many had forgotten what he looked like, leading naturally to his assignment to fake death and go into hiding.

After calming his emotions, Ning Xu said, "All this is my duty."

He had no regrets; his sacrifices weren’t for himself. They were for the legacy and honor of the entire Ning clan and for his sister.

The Emperor hmm’d, "Back then, when you infiltrated the capital, you also frequented many pleasure quarters."

Ning Xu’s face turned red for a moment. Cough, while he was gathering intelligence, he was also a normal man. His eyes suddenly widened as he guessed the Emperor’s thoughts. Ah, had Rongchuan became the child of a brief passion and his illegitimate son?

Then he realized something wasn’t right, "Emperor, the old woman who took away Rongchuan was not just anybody; she could not be afforded by an average household. Even if the Zhang family was controlled, the people of Zhou village did not know of Rongchuan’s origins, but surely Master Zhou’s family would have been clear by now. This would be difficult to justify."

The Emperor glared, as he would never choose a mother from a pleasure quarter for his son, even a fictitious one, "I haven’t finished speaking. My point is, you are a normal man. You met a confidante in the capital, but the affair was exposed, the woman just gave birth, and the old woman stole the child, who was coincidentally saved by the Zhang family."

Ning Xu’s mouth twitched. The Emperor’s words had turned him into a man of love and secrecy?

No, that truly wasn’t him. He had been with women over the years and had admired some, but he would never secretly care for someone that deeply. This wasn’t his doing!

The Emperor continued, "Although the arranged origin is still not impeccable, people are prone to conjecture. You don’t need to clarify too much; they will fill in the blanks themselves. I’ve already arranged for the woman and the old woman, the woman died in childbirth from a hemorrhage ignored by others, and the old woman was found and killed by you."

Many spies died back in those days, and he had carefully chosen suitable people. Moreover, Rongchuan’s appearance added credibility.

Ning Xu carefully reminisced, but there were still many loose ends, such as why the old woman who stole the child would want to kill it. However, given the chaos in the newly established dynasty, some loose ends seemed more realistic; too much precision could actually seem more contrived. Few people knew that his refusal to marry was due to his physical ailment. All right, once he recognized Rongchuan as his son, he would become the most lovestruck man in the capital!

Ning Xu, "Emperor, when would it be appropriate for me to acknowledge Rongchuan as my son?"

The Emperor, fully aware of the pretense, couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable. Having his son call someone else father was a hard pill to swallow. "Ah, when the time comes, I will let you know."

Ning Xu, "...."

He felt a pang of jealousy. Ah, the weather today is really nice!

The next day, in Jinzhou Province, Zhulan had already received the information gathered by Old Lady Song. She hadn’t asked Old Lady Song to investigate the Wang family’s daughters, only the conduct of the two Wang boys in the Academy.

The two Wang boys, the elder named Wang Ke and the younger Wang Cheng, studied very hard. The elder also took care of the younger one, showing the self-reliance of the two brothers.

Zhulan breathed a sigh of relief. The boys’ self-reliance implied that the Wang family’s daughters did not spoil their brothers, indicating that the Wang family’s daughters were far-sighted and intelligent women.

It was just a matter of waiting for Wang Ling to arrive.

Wang Ling arrived the next day, and Zhulan was preparing to visit the Wang family. These days, the long spell of dry weather was broken by a heavy rain that morning. The rain fell in torrents, quickly filling the puddles to the brim.

Xue Han looked at the heavy rain outside, "Mother, this won’t stop anytime soon. Are we still going to the Wang family today?"

Zhulan glanced at the sky, "This rain is falling hard; it should stop soon."

Xue Han sat by the window and could easily catch the rainwater with her hand, "I don’t wish for the rain to stop. It’s been hot and dry these days, and the water level in the garden’s lake has dropped a lot, killing many of the fish!"

Zhulan also didn’t hope for the rain to stop; the crops were waiting for it.

Regrettably, it was but a quick downpour, and the rain stopped after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Xue Han went out to the courtyard and quickly came back, "The rain has stopped, but it has brought down quite a bit of water. The ground is still not thoroughly soaked through though."

Zhulan said, "The sky is still overcast, and it might rain again later. It’s getting late; we should hurry to the Wang family."

"Mm."

At the Wang family, Madam Xue said, "I thought you wouldn’t come today because of the weather!"

Zhulan smiled, "If I couldn’t come, I would have sent someone to inform you. Have you been waiting long?"

"I’ve been at home, waiting a little longer isn’t an issue. It’s just that you came out in the rain; your skirt hem is wet."

Zhulan sat down, "The rain was heavy, and there were many puddles; my skirt’s hem is a bit wet, but it’s not a big deal."

Madam Xue had already instructed the maids to start making ginger tea, "Have some ginger tea later to get rid of the cold."

Zhulan, "Thank you."

Seeing Madam Yang looking at Wang Ling, Madam Xue said with a smile, "Look at me, so busy talking I nearly forgot. This is my niece, Wang Ling. Wang Ling, come here and greet Madam Yang."