Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 755 There’s still learning to do_1

Chapter 755: Chapter 755 There’s still learning to do_1

Zhou Shuren thought to himself, during the times of turmoil, the maternal families of several princes surely didn’t miss the opportunity to grab lots of silver. Even though they’ve spent extravagantly over the years, their foundations are robust, and with steady income, the silver in their hands still makes others apprehensive. Having too much silver is troublesome; with silver, one can stir up trouble. The Emperor really is giving this some thought!

In the Palace, the Emperor looked at the Zhezi that Xiao Qing had submitted. Over the years, his second son had needed silver to buy loyalty, and a lot of silver had been spent. His third son can still bring out two hundred thousand taels at once. All his sons are shrewd indeed; they also dare not take too much, just the right amount that the sea merchants made available.

So, his several sons still have quite a lot of silver in their hands. This attempt to probe them turned out to be quite a surprise.

The Emperor’s mind went from the second son’s maternal Chen family, to the third son’s maternal Qi family, to the fourth son’s maternal Phang family. Since the Ning dynasty was established, these three families had always kept a low profile, yet for so many years, they never knew what restraint was.

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed, and Zhou Shuren once again attended the early morning court session. He and Qiu Yan took turns attending court; this month it was his turn, next month it would be Qiu Yan’s.

This time, there were much fewer officials in the imperial court. Those in the front rows were the regular attendees, such as the Ministers of the Six Ministries and so on!

Zhou Shuren was somewhat tired; he had risen too early. Actually, there was really nothing for him in the imperial court. Regarding the silver, the Minister of Revenue was present, so he was just there to make up the numbers.

The only significant news in the court session today was that the army would be returning to the capital in three days. For the Ministry of Revenue, this wasn’t news. The Ministry of Revenue had known the exact time of the army’s return long before, for they were the ones who had to prepare the silver!

After the court session, Zhou Shuren walked alongside a Grand Master of Writing. Mr. Li quickly approached them, "Has Master Xiao prepared the silver?"

Xiao Qing didn’t even lift his eyelids and continued walking forward.

Seeing this reaction from Xiao Qing, Li Zhao understood that the consolation silver was ready. Speaking of which, in all his years of dealings with Xiao Qing, he found that Xiao Qing was quite reliable when it came to major issues. However, "Old brother, you really need to prepare more silver."

Xiao Qing pretended not to hear. Those who wanted silver would always find whatever he gave to be too little!

Zhou Shuren had already started chatting with the Deputy Minister of War, who said with a simple grin, "I’ve long heard of Mr. Zhou. Mr. Li hasn’t stopped talking about you in front of us, calling us foolish and telling us to learn from you whenever we have a chance."

Zhou Shuren, "...."

How was he supposed to respond to that?

Mr. Li, hearing the loud voice, frowned and said with irritation, "The Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of War are fraternal departments; we should learn from each other so we can serve the Imperial court better."

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, wanting to laugh. Maybe all the cunningness in the Ministry of War went to Mr. Li, "The Grand Master speaks wisely. Through mutual learning, we can make progress together."

Regret showed in Mr. Li’s eyes. Why couldn’t the people from the Ministry of War have a mind like Zhou Shuren’s?

At the Zhou Residence, Mrs. Xu had arrived. Zhulan greeted her with a smile, "I’ve recently acquired two new paintings and invited you over to take a look. You can help me discern their quality."

Mrs. Xu was quite confident in her knowledge of calligraphy and painting. Although she was a merchant’s daughter, she had learned everything that should be learned. After getting married, she continued her studies to fit in with the other officials’ wives.

Zhulan was just using the paintings as a pretext to invite someone over. She brought over the paintings, which she had taken from a third household because she didn’t have the silver to buy paintings herself.

Zhulan gestured for the maid to unfold the paintings and stood up to walk in front of them. Both were paintings of majestic mountains. She remarked, "These landscapes, they abound only in peaceful times."

Mrs. Xu didn’t want to recall the chaos of war. When the upheaval began, the Xu family also lost many people, "Indeed."

Zhulan shifted the conversation, "The army is returning to the capital, the soldiers have repelled the enemy and protected our lands from being trampled by foreign clans. They are all valiant lads."

Pausing for a moment, he spoke with a hint of sorrow, "It’s just that war brings casualties, the soldiers protect our rivers and mountains with their blood, safeguarding the peace and contentment of the people."

Madam Xu didn’t think much of it, simply agreeing with the conversation, but she couldn’t help feeling emotional internally, and then she moved on.

Zhulan didn’t say much more, continuing to smile as she watched the paintings.

After sending Madam Xu off, Zhulan thought to herself that she had given a hint, whether or not Master Xu could realize it was up to him—a realization that Zhou Shuren had come to the night before. After much thought, he felt that it was better to be cautious with the Xu family, since they were indeed the Crown Prince’s people.

Today, she subtly hinted, and if the Xu family understood, they would naturally know what to do next. If the Xu family didn’t get it, they would miss a great opportunity, and the Ministry of Revenue would see less silver.

Master Xu, every time his wife went to the Zhou family, would inquire upon her return. Having heard his wife’s words, Master Xu stood up, engaging in conversation as usual, but his steps hesitated at the doorway.

Master Xu pondered over the lady’s words intently and clenched his fists. Why hadn’t he thought of this himself? He hurried outside, thinking to himself that the Zhou family truly was a benefactor to the Xu family—if Lady Yang hadn’t invited his wife over to appreciate paintings today, he wouldn’t have had this epiphany.

In the afternoon, at the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren was checking the account books that had been delivered when Qiu Yan returned.

Qiu Yan lowered his voice, "I went to deliver the account books, and somehow the Grand Master was particularly happy."

Zhou Shuren looked up, "He must have had some happy news!"

Qiu Yan puzzled, "What could make someone happy? The army is nearly back at the capital, and the silver is running out. Just how great is this joy that even Grand Master Xiao can’t help but smile?"

Zhou Shuren knew clearly, it must be that the Xu family had delivered silver, "I’m busy now; I have to deliver it to the Grand Master of Writing in the evening."

"Ah, okay."

The next day, Zhou Shuren and Grand Master Xiao went to court together. Upon reaching the palace gate, Zhou Shuren glanced at the zhezi in Grand Master Xiao’s hand, which had been written the night before.

In the imperial court, Grand Master Xiao said, "Your servant has a matter to report."

The Emperor glanced at the zhezi, "Present it."

Xiao Qing handed the zhezi to Eunuch Liu, then felt the gazes of his colleagues stabilize—yes, very steady.

The Emperor opened the zhezi, knowing about this matter since the Crown Prince had mentioned it the day before, though without specifying the amount of silver. As his fingertips brushed over the numbers on the zhezi, he noted the generosity of the merchants—one move, and it’s five hundred thousand taels, "Announce it, let everyone have a look."

The officials below were all dying of curiosity. It was rare for the Minister of Revenue to initiate a conversation in court; most of the time, he would only retort when provoked, but whenever Grand Master Xiao spoke, it was always important.

After the zhezi made a round, the court was not foolish; Zhou Shuren noticed some of the grandees casting inscrutable glances towards the Crown Prince.

Zhou Shuren bowed his head, ah, this truly had nothing to do with the Crown Prince; he was just taking the blame. However, it was also beneficial for the Crown Prince.

Grand Master Xiao waited until the zhezi had returned to the Emperor’s hands before speaking, "Family Head Xu has donated silver to the imperial court. The words that Family Head Xu spoke to this old servant came straight from the heart, which made me feel ashamed. When a merchant like him can voluntarily donate silver, this servant, who receives a stipend, feels outshined and ashamed!"

Grand Master Xiao paused and then continued, "Your Majesty, for the enlightenment and dedication of the Xu family, I think they deserve a reward—please grant your wise judgement."

Zhou Shuren bowed even lower, feeling that he still had so much to learn!