Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 742

Chapter 742: 742

Zhulan smiled, "It’s a blessing to encounter someone who understands you on the journey of life."

Xue Han walked in, "Mother, I heard Miss Yao Yao has come, where is she?"

Zhulan, "You can’t call her Miss Yao Yao anymore, she’s already married."

"I understand, Mother, has she left?"

"Yes, she has already returned, are all the masters arranged properly?"

Xue Han felt it was a pity she didn’t get to see Yao Yao, "They are arranged in the small courtyard at the front, served by the same young servant as before. They’ll rest for the day."

Zhulan looked at her daughter who seemed to have grown again, the little girl was becoming a young lady, "Last time I mentioned to you, Mother, that the management of the house will be handed over to a few of your sisters-in-law, have you sorted out the account books?"

"They’re all sorted out, ready to be handed over at any time. Mother, out of the four sisters-in-law, whom will you have manage the house?"

She didn’t cling to the power of managing the house; she was happy to give the responsibility away and looked forward to having more personal time to do other things in the future.

Zhulan didn’t want to put the burden of managing the house on just one daughter-in-law, "Your sisters-in-law will take turns, each managing for a month. You should give some guidance to your eldest and second sisters-in-law."

She hoped that in the future, each daughter-in-law would be able to manage independently. When she and Zhou Shuren grew old, each branch would have its own support, and it would still be necessary to separate the households.

Xue Han wasn’t worried about the third or fourth sisters-in-law, "Mother, I have noted it."

Zhulan added, "Yushuang and Yu Lu, those two girls, although they have also been exposed to managing the house, they have only grasped the basics. This is a good opportunity for them to learn."

Xue Han stood up and started to rub her mother’s shoulders, "Mother, you’ve worked too hard for us."

Considering the entire family wasn’t easy for a family matriarch.

Zhulan smiled, "Mother hasn’t worked hard. Mother has a capable and precious daughter to help, so actually, I am quite at ease."

Xue Han disagreed, "Mother, you are far from at ease. You have always been guiding us, and that is the hardest part."

She had seen too many family matriarchs, who, to maintain balance and demonstrate their importance, often covertly instigated conflicts among daughters-in-law. Rarely were there those like her mother, who would try to guide them, regardless of whether the daughters-in-law were slow or had their own agendas.

The stability of the Zhou family’s inner courtyard was largely due to Mother’s efforts.

In Zhou family village, Xue Mei sent off wave after wave of congratulatory visitors, not getting a break until dinner time.

Xue Mei was somewhat tired, the dinner was prepared by her daughter and mother-in-law, "Mother, you’ve worked hard."

Lady Jiangwang would have given her heart if she could to show her affection for her daughter-in-law, "It’s not hard, not hard at all."

Seeing her husband and son had washed up and were sitting down, Xue Mei asked, "How was your day at the private Academy?"

Jiang Sheng smiled, "It was different from the past few times. Previously, it was just congratulations, but this time, someone secretly gave me silver."

Xue Mei was surprised, "Really?"

"Some within the Zhou clan have become eager to meet my father-in-law. Having been an official for so many years, he never once returned. Now, as he enters the capital for an appointment, they all want to go to the capital to see him, hoping for a brighter future for their children."

Xue Mei, "Taking their children with them?"

Jiang Sheng nodded, "Although the fact that the Dong family’s child has been staying with my father-in-law has not spread widely, there are still quite a few people aware of it. Taking their children with them, perhaps they might get a chance to stay!"

Lady Jiangwang frowned, "What about our Jiang Zhu?"

Jiang Yong coughed, and Lady Jiangwang closed her mouth. She really feared that there would be too many staying behind!

Xue Mei said, "Mother, Jiang Zhu is his own grandson."

A clan surname and a grandson by marriage were indeed different.

Jiang Sheng said, "They offered me silver, hoping that I could speak favorably on their behalf to Clan Leader Zhou, so I didn’t accept the silver."

Xue Mei raised an eyebrow. "I was wondering why they suddenly all wanted to go to the capital. Is it because Clan Leader Zhou intends to send people to the capital?"

Jiang Sheng nodded. "My father-in-law’s promotion this time is different. The clan leader wants to send some clan members to the capital to express their congratulations."

Xue Mei said, "That’s a matter for the Zhou clan to deal with; we can’t intervene. Clan Leader Zhou will handle it."

Jiang Sheng hadn’t thought to interfere anyway. As a son-in-law, he had never been of any help to his wife’s family; instead, he had always taken advantage of them. He had no right to get involved in the affairs of the Zhou clan.

At the capital, Zhou Shuren returned to his residence, and Zhulan was surprised. "I thought you’d come back very late!"

Zhou Shuren, changing out of his official uniform, said, "I thought I’d have to stay at the Ministry of Revenue tonight!"

"So how come you got back on time today?"

"Minister Xiao said that since it was my first day on the job, the officials at the Ministry of Revenue also hadn’t been home in a long time, so everyone went home today."

Zhulan took the official uniform and handed it to Nanny Song. "Go wash this."

The official uniform had become sweaty from a day’s wear.

After changing, Zhou Shuren finally felt revived. "I had to enter the palace this morning, and once inside, I had to walk a lot, so I sweated quite a bit."

"How are the conditions at the Ministry of Revenue?"

In Jinzhou Province, the Jinzhou Government Office was never short of ice to use.

Zhou Shuren smiled. "The conditions at the Ministry of Revenue should be the best among The Six Ministries; there has been an uninterrupted supply of ice inside the building."

Zhulan asked, "What did you think of your visit to the Ministry of Revenue today?"

"Right now, the Ministry of Revenue is short of silver. They were very warm to me. The shortage of silver is significant, with flood relief and condolence money weighing heavily on our shoulders. The whole ministry is tense, fearing demotion. Currently, there’s a strong sense of unity, and I can’t see much else."

Zhulan said pensively, "Though they haven’t made things difficult for you, their overenthusiasm is as if you can solve everything. They’ve pushed you to the forefront. If you can think of some solutions, that’s fine, but if you can’t, it will be difficult for you to establish authority in the Ministry of Revenue in the future."

Zhou Shuren was well aware of this. "Actually, it’s not just the Ministry of Revenue; the Emperor also has high expectations for me. I really dug a big hole for myself."

Zhulan knew her husband very well, and her tone even carried a hint of teasing. "Have you thought of any solutions?"

Zhou Shuren’s eyes curved with a smile. "I knew my wife understands me best."

Zhulan’s curiosity was piqued. "What solution?"

She had pondered solutions for Zhou Shuren herself, but they were either too slow to take effect or impractical. These past few days she had felt as if she were losing her hair over it, so she was especially curious about Zhou Shuren’s plan.

Zhou Shuren saw that Nanny Song had returned. "Let’s eat, I’m hungry."

Since arriving in the capital, the whole family had once again gathered together for meals.

Chang Lian had been thinking about his father all day. "Father, how was your first day on the job at the Ministry of Revenue?"

Zhou Shuren replied, "Pretty good. Don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself."

Chang Lian sighed, feeling the vast difference between them. He was just a Scholar without a rank, and it would take another three years of assessment to be appointed to an official position. He couldn’t help but wonder when he would reach the fourth rank, let alone the third rank, which he didn’t even dare to think about right now!

Rongchuan also wanted to say something but ended up closing his mouth. Better to just eat quietly. An uncle as formidable as theirs really didn’t need any worrying!

The next day, Zhou Shuren went to the Ministry of Revenue, Chang Lian and Rongchuan to the Hanlin Academy, and Mingyun and a few others to the Academy. Apart from the two little ones, Chang Zhong and Ming Hui, the house was left with just the women.

Zhulan called over her four daughters-in-law. "I asked you to come over today to discuss matters concerning the steward."

Lady Li, since her husband was becoming more and more like his elder brother, had also realized her responsibility. As the eldest sister-in-law, she should be the first to speak up. "Mother, hasn’t the youngest sister-in-law always been managing household affairs?"