Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 774 Discontent_1

Chapter 774: Chapter 774 Discontent_1

Xue Han spoke up, "Mother, will the Liu family come looking for us?"

Miss Liu did not take a light fall, and when she left, she had to be helped by her maid.

Zhulan thought about the Liu family. Miss Liu’s father was a doctor in the Ministry of Personnel, where officials are accustomed to being arrogant, and their families follow suit. Zhou Shuren almost joined the Ministry of Personnel. Sir Liu’s family wielded some influence in the capital, and as Sir Liu aimed to become a Deputy Minister, Zhou Shuren’s arrival in the capital caused quite a stir, becoming well known in the Liu household.

This also resulted in her experiences at banquets, where she would encounter Sir Liu’s wife, who would treat her with disdain. Her daughter had also had many run-ins with Miss Liu, who would often pick fights.

Zhulan said, "The Liu family probably won’t come to our door, but they will remember this and seek retribution later."

Xue Han breathed a sigh of relief, "Hmph, Miss Liu has always been picking on me, I’m not afraid of her."

Zhulan cautioned her daughter, "You should still be careful."

She did not underestimate these young ladies’ manipulative schemes; after such a humiliating loss, Miss Liu would surely hold a grudge against Xue Han.

Xue Han took note and then said, "Mother, for the next few days, Yushuang should not attend any banquets."

Zhulan smiled, "Go, why not? We have nothing to hide."

Xue Han thought about it and agreed, realizing that avoiding banquets might be interpreted as an admission of guilt by the Zhou family. "Mother, let’s go change our clothes and come back for dinner later."

"Alright, go ahead."

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren bid farewell to Sir Liu, who had sneaked over. Qiu Yan sneered, "The Crown Prince has returned to the Palace, and the Ministry of Personnel immediately recalled their request for silver."

Zhou Shuren said, "It seems that the Crown Prince’s visit to the Ministry of Personnel has frightened the entire ministry."

Qiu Yan paused, then said, "Indeed, it was so sudden, they were caught off guard."

He could imagine the panic of the Ministry of Personnel’s officials upon seeing the Crown Prince; it was a pity he could not watch the drama unfold. He had no fear of the Crown Prince coming to the Ministry of Revenue; they dealt with silver all the time, and their accounts were meticulously clear.

Cough, the main reason was that the Ministry of Revenue was always short of silver, and every transaction was accounted for with extreme clarity.

Zhou Shuren thought about the officials at the Ministry of Personnel and secretly regretted the timing. The Emperor would probably leave them to the Crown Prince, who in the Emperor’s eyes, could embezzle or take bribes as much as they liked since when it came time to confiscate their property, it would all end up in the imperial treasury anyway. There was no rush to finish the job at once.

In the Palace, the Emperor asked the Crown Prince, "Have you found anything?"

The Crown Prince toyed with the Jade Pendant, "Your son has indeed discovered quite a bit. The silver that was just allocated to the Ministry of Personnel is gone, and upon reviewing the assessments of officials over the past few years, I found them to be unduly lenient. Father, I have brought back records of the Ministry of Personnel officials’ promotions spanning over a decade, and I will cross-check them with the current list of names."

He was very dissatisfied with the Ministry of Personnel, where upon his unexpected visit, most of the officials were still leisurely drinking tea and chatting.

The Emperor said, "Hmm, leave the verification to you."

"Yes."

The Emperor continued, "You need not come to the Palace these days."

"Understood, your son comprehends."

This act he was playing also brought him internal anxiety. He truly feared any rift with his father and had to constantly remind himself it was all pretense. Yet, he also warned himself that he needed his father’s trust and dared not make a single misstep.

At the Hanlin Academy, Chang Lian was rarely able to enjoy Shi Qing being happy all day long, his face unable to hide a smile. After withstanding curiosity all morning, he finally found a chance to come over and ask, "Is there some good news?"

Shi Qing touched his face, "Is it that obvious?"

"Extremely so."

Shi Qing, beaming, said, "I am going to be a father."

He married late, so when his wife got pregnant not long after their wedding, could he be anything but overjoyed?

Chang Lian was happy for his friend, "Congratulations."

Shi Qing smiled, "Thank you."

Chang Lian saw someone approaching and turned to leave.

That evening, when Chang Lian returned to his residence, he shared the good news with his mother. Zhulan, who had a lot on her mind, didn’t feel any joy. With the issues at the Yao Hou Residence, could the second Miss Yao really give birth to a child?

Seeing no smile on his mother’s face, Chang Lian asked, "Mother, what’s wrong?"

Zhulan snapped back to reality, "Nothing, I’m just feeling a bit sentimental. Time flies, and before you know it, everyone has settled down and started families."

Chang Lian didn’t think too much into it, "Your son saw that Shi Qing was particularly happy. He has always longed for a child of his own blood. Now, his wish has been fulfilled."

Zhulan forced a smile, "Go change your clothes, we’ll eat when your father comes home."

"Yes."

Zhulan waited for Chang Lian to leave before pondering over the affairs of the Yao Hou Residence. Although she rarely left home, Zhou Shuren would tell her about the situation there and in the capital. She knew quite a lot. The second Miss Yao’s marriage to Shi Qing might have been peaceful without children, but now that she was pregnant, it would be fine if the child were a girl, but if it were a boy...

Zhulan frowned, her thoughts wandering far. Whether the child could be safely delivered was itself uncertain.

After dinner that night, Zhulan shared her thoughts with Zhou Shuren, who spoke in a lowered voice, "We shouldn’t interfere; this is Shi Qing’s own matter."

Zhulan responded, "I didn’t plan to interfere; I just felt a little sentimental."

The second Miss Yao was indeed admirable. It’s just a shame she was born into the Yao Hou Residence. It’s a good thing she married Shi Qing; otherwise, her future would have been even bleaker.

Zhou Shuren massaged his shoulders, "The capital will not be peaceful in the days to come. Our family can only take care of itself. Pay more attention, and let’s try not to get dragged into anything."

Zhulan asked, "Have you discovered something?"

Zhou Shuren whispered, "The Crown Prince is going down to The Six Ministries, and the first he visited was the Ministry of Personnel, which keeps all the records of officials’ credentials and evaluations. Clearly, with Sun Liao’s affair coming to light, there must be quite a few problematic officials at court. We know nothing about these officials, so you should be more vigilant with the comings and goings of their families, just to avoid getting the Zhou family involved."

Zhulan’s heart tightened, distinguishing friend from foe among these officials was truly difficult, "I will be careful and prudent. It seems I will have to be even more meticulous about Yushuang’s matrimonial prospects."

Zhou Shuren said, "Yushuang’s marriage can wait."

"Hmm."

The next morning, Zhulan received two invitations, one from the Duke Ning Residence and one from Magistrate Shen.

Zhulan looked at the Duke Ning’s invitation. The Duke Residence seldom held banquets. She instructed her servant, "Go find out who else the Duke Ning Residence has invited.

After the servant took the order and left, Zhulan picked up Magistrate Shen’s visiting card. Magistrate Shen actually made a house visit, which puzzled Zhulan. At such a time, shouldn’t Magistrate Shen be focusing on her son and rarely leaving the residence?

In the Duke Ning Residence, Mrs. Yu leaned close to her mother-in-law, "Mother, what made you suddenly want to host a flower banquet?"

During her many years with the Duke Residence, there were only a handful of banquets, and a sudden flower banquet was something she couldn’t quite understand.

Could the Princely Heir’s wife say it was her husband’s idea? No, she couldn’t. She didn’t understand why her husband wanted the Duke Residence to host a flower banquet; however, she could be certain of one thing—it must have been instructed by the Duke.

The Princely Heir’s wife looked at her second daughter-in-law, who had come to gather information. In fact, she preferred the first daughter-in-law over the second, but because she owed the second daughter-in-law more, she indulged her. Recently, it had always been the first daughter-in-law accompanying her and as time passed, the difference between the two daughters-in-law became more apparent. "Instead of prying here, you would do better to go back and take care of Zhi Xiang."

Her youngest son had asked for a doctor these past two days, and she had been worried. Seeing Mrs. Yu did not seem overly concerned, her dissatisfaction grew.