Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 744 Method_1

Chapter 744: Chapter 744 Method_1

There were also some women’s fans and children’s items, but the precious fabrics were the first to be dealt with. Zhou Shuren glanced over, the confiscation had indeed been thorough.

The most abundant were the books, the ancient texts had already been processed, these were confiscated collections. The books weren’t necessarily valuable, but they were plentiful and varied in category.

Zhou Shuren exhaled, relieved that the remaining items were within his tolerable range, "Let’s open the last room as well."

The officer said, "The last room contains only some damaged items."

Zhou Shuren, "Open it."

"Yes."

The room was opened, and they were greeted by a musty smell; this storeroom was rather messy!

The officer explained, "Some porcelain is fragile, it was already broken upon arrival. Even though it’s stored here, it cannot be taken away for personal use. Over the past decade or so, the damaged goods have mostly piled up in this storeroom."

As Zhou Shuren sifted through the books and paintings damaged by insects, there were indeed a lot of them, "These?"

The officer said, "These were damaged during the home raids more than a decade ago. I heard that there was so much stuff at the time and not enough hands, so the books got infested with insects. Restoration would cost a significant amount of silver, so they kept accumulating. Now, we only do simple pest prevention, as you can see, the damage has worsened. It’s said that since Xiao Qing was appointed Chief of Staff, such wastefulness has never happened again."

Zhou Shuren fell silent; it had been over a decade. At the dawn of the dynasty, indeed many homes were raided, but the last statement, Xiao Qing really knew how to manage a household!

After looking over everything, Zhou Shuren had a good idea of the situation and gestured to close the storeroom.

When Zhou Shuren returned to his quarters, Mr. Qiu said, "The Chief of Staff was looking for you; he said to find him when you return."

Zhou Shuren straightened his official attire and drank a cup of water before going to see Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing looked up at the sound of footsteps; he didn’t beat around the bush, "There’s not much of value left in the Department of Punishment now; I’ve basically dealt with it all."

He was always meticulous with finances, how could he overlook the Department of Punishment? However, Zhou Shuren took notice of the Department of Punishment as soon as he took office; his mind was indeed sharp.

Zhou Shuren smiled, "This subordinate has never believed that the most expensive things are necessarily the most valuable."

Xiao Qing, initially disappointed, now showed interest. They were both fox-like in cleverness; Zhou Shuren was regarded highly by the Emperor, and he certainly wasn’t simple-minded, "Go on."

Zhou Shuren politely said, "This subordinate has some plans in mind, but the inventory is not yet complete, so I need your approval to proceed."

Xiao Qing’s mind was filled with thoughts of silver, "Tell me first."

Zhou Shuren said, "This subordinate needs to compile a list of how many books are stored in the warehouse, as well as inventory the damaged books, paintings, and the like."

Xiao Qing said, "The Ministry of Revenue doesn’t have the silver to restore the damaged books and paintings."

He too was pained by the losses, but there really was no silver for restoration. Restorations wouldn’t be original and the value would diminish; moreover, it was exceedingly time-consuming.

"This subordinate understands."

He knew all too well; the Ministry of Revenue was currently stretched thin to the point of bleeding!

Xiao Qing stared at Zhou Shuren, unable to guess his intention, but if there was a method, he was willing to try, "Tomorrow morning, you will see what you wish for. However, Zhou Shuren, the Emperor values you highly, and so do I. Sometimes, opportunities only come once, so you must consider carefully."

Zhou Shuren heard the implicit warning from the Chief of Staff, "This subordinate has thought it through."

"That’s good."

He had said what needed to be said and provided the necessary warnings. He only did this because he found Zhou Shuren agreeable; otherwise, he wouldn’t have uttered that last sentence.

Zhou Shuren excused himself and left. As soon as he entered his quarters, Mr. Qiu looked up, "Did the Chief of Staff assign you any tasks?"

Zhou Shuren smiled, "No, we just had a brief chat."

Mr. Qiu could hardly believe it, as the end of the month was nearing once again, a few days till the monthly salaries were to be distributed, and everyone was waiting for their Silver Coin. Xiao Qing certainly had no spare time to seek out Zhou Shuren just for a small talk.

Zhou Shuren sat in his seat, his mind drifting. Ever since the Xu family had been engaged in overseas trade and the Zhou family had moved to the capital, the Xu family had come to pay their respects. Zhulan had mentioned that ever since the Xu family started following the Crown Prince, they were no longer solely in the food business but had also branched into the jewelry business. The jewelry of our dynasty was quite popular overseas, especially the more complex pieces which sold even better.

There were many pieces of jewelry in the storeroom. Although the styles of our dynasty had grown old, they were new to the overseas markets. Some could be refurbished, while others melted down and remade. Then they were sold to ocean-going merchants, which also brought in a handsome amount of Silver Taels.

As for books, Zhou Shuren picked up his pen, already having some thoughts in mind, but he wasn’t in a rush; he was waiting for the collected data.

In the Palace, the Emperor looked over the report before him; it was Xiao Qing who had submitted it. Even without Xiao Qing’s report, he was aware of it, "You have a look as well!"

The Crown Prince skimmed through it quickly, "What are Zhou Shuren’s plans?"

The storeroom, he had also visited it; it was indeed worth some Silver, but it couldn’t be transformed into several hundred thousand taels of Silver.

The Emperor was quite expectant, "Over the years, Zhou Shuren has never done anything unprepared. Who knows, he might just turn trash into treasure."

The Crown Prince smiled, "If it really becomes treasure, then it must be thanks to a clever idea."

"We’ll know in time."

Don’t let him down, for if he’s disappointed even once, the level of trust will not be as high as it is now.

Zhulan went to the main house of the Zhou residence, where Lady Li was looking at the account books. Her already small eyes were squinting, and with added weight, they were almost invisible.

Zhulan, "Is there something you don’t understand?"

Lady Li thought she was hallucinating and looked up sharply—it was indeed her mother-in-law, "Mother, what brings you here?"

"Ah, I came to see if there was anything you didn’t understand and to wait for Yu Lu to come back from school."

Lady Li put down the account book, "Mother, your daughter-in-law is good at accounting, I can understand the accounts clearly."

Zhulan, "As long as you can understand, that’s good."

"Mother, are you looking for Yu Lu for something?"

Zhulan sat down and said, "On our last visit to the Wang residence, Mrs. Wang mentioned Yu Lu. Now that your father-in-law has taken office, I should take Yu Lu to visit the Wang residence."

She had always remembered the promise made back then and couldn’t break her word.

Lady Li became anxious, "Mother, will Mrs. Wang not like Yu Lu?"

Having come from a peasant background, she was coarse and lacked refinement. She feared the elder lady might disdain her daughter.

Zhulan, however, had confidence—she had already boosted Yu Lu’s reputation considerably, "Don’t be nervous, the elder lady is very kind. I will help you with clothes and jewelry selection. I’ll be there."

Lady Li’s mood stabilized, with her mother-in-law around!

Zhulan had timed her visit, and not long after, Yu Lu returned. The young girl’s temperament was calm, and she had developed a refined air about her, making her pleasant to look at.

Upon seeing her grandmother, Yu Lu greeted sweetly, "Grandmother."

Zhulan pulled Yu Lu closer, "Was there anything you didn’t understand from today’s lesson with your teacher?"

Yu Lu replied, "It was the first day back at class, the teacher didn’t cover new material, we were only reviewing."

Zhulan observed the confidence in the young girl’s brow and thought to herself that Mrs. Wang would like Yu Lu. After sharing the news about the impending visit to the Wang residence and seeing her granddaughter calmly accept it, Zhulan smiled. The girl had long been aware of the forthcoming visit.

Zhulan said, "Grandmother will help you pick out clothes and jewelry. Let’s go to your chamber."

Yu Lu was not anxious, she knew a visit to the Wang residence was inevitable sooner or later. Since it was bound to happen, she just needed to show her best self.