Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 788 Destiny_1

Chapter 788: Chapter 788 Destiny_1

In the afternoon, Zhulan returned to the residence and did not summon all her daughters-in-law. Instead, she singled out one to speak with, bringing them in one by one. She was worried that it would be difficult for the group, especially for the first three daughters-in-law, whose silver savings were not as much as the Magistrate’s.

Zhulan started with the eldest, "The situation is this, my hands are short on silver, so I’m hoping to borrow some from your households. I will pay you back in two months."

Lady Li thought of many things but never imagined her mother-in-law would borrow silver. The first wife’s household didn’t have much silver; the current savings stemmed from the dividends of a snack shop, "Mother, following you I’ve invested in shops, and I currently have around eight hundred taels. Please consider this silver as the first house’s show of filial piety. It’s just that we don’t have much to offer in terms of substantial help."

Zhulan didn’t expect the first wife to have much silver, and she was well aware of where the first wife’s money went. She knew they didn’t have much, and asking Lady Li was not a test of her filial piety. Zhulan simply hoped that all households would stand united and contribute whatever they could, as the thought counted the most.

She also wished that her daughter would know to assist her brothers more in the future and that her maternal care surpassed even that of a birth mother.

Zhulan smiled, "I am aware of your filial thoughts. When I say it’s a loan, I mean it’s a loan."

Over the years, Lady Li had come to understand her mother-in-law, whose decisions were not easily swayed.

After sending Lady Li away, Mrs. Zhao came by, and to Zhulan’s surprise, she revealed the second wife’s financial situation without hesitation, "Mother, before my husband left, he took some silver. I also bought some jewelry for Yushuang. We still have over two thousand taels at hand. I will go back and bring it all here. Mother, let’s not talk about borrowing. You’ve said we are all one family and the parents worry for the family as one. This silver is the second house’s way of showing filial respect."

Zhulan looked into Mrs. Zhao’s eyes and knew she had changed. The despair that once could not be hidden was now replaced by tranquility. Mrs. Zhao’s words were sincere, "Your kind intentions are well received. I just require some liquidity for a short term."

Then came Lady Dong, who said much the same, however, the third house had thin resources and tended to invest any silver they had back into the household, leaving little in immediate cash holdings. In the end, it was Su Xuan who contributed the most.

Now with enough silver, Zhulan instructed Steward Wang to hand it over to Scholar Deng. She felt more at ease, knowing the estate had been transferred earlier.

In the East City Teahouse, the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince sat opposite each other in silence, both awaiting news. The Crown Prince had entered the Palace, accompanied by Mr. Zhou, and according to news from inside, he carried accounting books with him.

The Third Prince felt uneasy; the Crown Prince and Mr. Zhou had been in the Palace for several hours without emerging.

The Fourth Prince felt a sinking feeling within. It had taken years for the Emperor to finally look past the Crown Prince, and now he hoped that the Crown Prince hadn’t uncovered anything. If the Crown Prince recovered his favor, they would have to tread carefully before making any moves.

Inside the Palace, Zhou Shuren had a stern expression as he drew charts. To make the data clearer and more visual, trend charts were most suitable. He really did not want to check each number individually, as it would give him a headache.

Zhou Shuren internally cursed the Salt Transport Department and wished to slap himself for mentioning demographics. Now he was stuck verifying population data to report to the Emperor, an absolute pitfall.

Eunuch Liu took the tea from a young eunuch’s hands, "Mr. Zhou, you haven’t had water for half the day. Have some tea."

Zhou Shuren did not dare to be served by Eunuch Liu, who was the Emperor’s personal servant. With the Emperor growing more suspicious these days, he had to be cautious. He busily took the tea, "Thank you for the trouble, Eunuch Liu."

Actually, Eunuch Liu had come on a mission. Looking at the charts on the table, he was stunned. What were these things?

After drinking the tea, Zhou Shuren continued his work. He was about to finish and looked forward to leaving the Palace.

The Emperor and Crown Prince were busy with Zhezi, as the Crown Prince had been absent from the Palace, and all the tasks fell to the Emperor. A backlog of Zhezi had built up, and the two were tirelessly occupied.

The Emperor rubbed his neck, "Has Zhou Shuren finished his calculations?"

Eunuch Liu replied, "Emperor, Mr. Zhou has not completed his calculations yet."

The Emperor hummed in acknowledgment and resumed his focus on the Zhezi. As time ticked by and after another period that could be measured by a cup of tea, Zhou Shuren came with two charts and without any superfluous words unfurled them, "Emperor, here are the trend charts I have drawn. The red line represents mortality, and the black line represents population growth. Since there are discrepancies in the removal of household registrations, the mortality figures are not completely accurate. However, these are sufficient to clearly see the demographic changes over the past few years."

The Emperor walked up to the blueprint propped up by several young eunuchs. This trend chart was more intuitive than numbers, especially since it was also marked with numbers. The Emperor saw everything clearly and understood, unlike before, when he had to remember numbers every time he looked at it. When there were too many numbers, he couldn’t remember them. The Emperor exclaimed, "Your brilliance is truly remarkable."

Zhou Shuren thought to himself that this wasn’t brilliance; such convenient trend charts were commonplace in the modern world.

The Crown Prince felt that Minister Zhou was like a treasure, occasionally giving you delightful surprises. He thought to himself that once he returned to the Ministry of Revenue, he must take good care of Minister Zhou’s health.

The Emperor felt that the estate he had rewarded was well deserved. Thinking of Zhou Shuren’s talents, he sighed in the end, "Better to keep him in the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry needs people too." Xiao Qing had been in the Ministry for too long. Before, there was no one else, and he trusted Xiao Qing, which is why Xiao Qing had been the Minister of Revenue for so long.

That evening, Zhou Shuren brought home the pastries rewarded by the Emperor. Zhulan helped Zhou Shuren change out of his official robe. "You mean you’ve been in the palace all this time and are only coming out now?"

Zhou Shuren felt exhausted. He thought he could leave after his report, but then the Emperor had the Crown Prince consult with him. He had to play the role of teacher until now. "Tonight, Mr. Qiu will not be able to sleep."

Zhulan laughed softly, "I think many people will find themselves sleepless tonight."

Zhou Shuren spoke in a hushed voice, "The roots in the Jianghuai area run deep. Although the Emperor didn’t say it explicitly, I can tell that he’s planning some major action."

Zhulan asked, "Has something happened?"

Zhou Shuren shared his findings, and Zhulan patted his shoulder. The man was still dreaming of early retirement, but that wish seemed impossible to fulfill now.

Zhou Shuren, "...."

He felt that his wife wasn’t exactly comforting him!

Zhulan, frowning, said, "Zhao Bo suddenly borrowed silver from us, remember? He didn’t specify why, so something must have happened. Just like you said, there have always been problems in the Jianghuai area. Ever since Zhao Bo was promoted, something went wrong. I can’t help feeling... Zhao Bo has gotten himself mixed up with thieves!"

Zhou Shuren spoke softly, "I’ve always been aware of the corruption in the salt tax. But I hadn’t realized, after more than a decade, we still haven’t found the root cause. I didn’t feel it before, but now, thinking about it sends a chill down my spine. Zhao Bo has indeed gotten himself mixed up with thieves. However, since he’s borrowing silver, I suspect someone has trapped him. If he were really colluding with them, there would be no need for Zhao Bo to borrow silver; he could’ve just compromised and smoothed things over."

Zhulan’s brow was knitted, "I hope he doesn’t get dragged into it."

Zhou Shuren hoped the same. Zhao Bo was his first friend in ancient times and the friend he had always kept in touch with.

Zhou Shuren continued, "The power dynamics in the Jianghuai area have always been complicated. Many families from the capital have some influence there. The entanglements are no less intricate than in the capital, and finding the root cause is not easy. However, this discovery is very important. These ledgers haven’t changed much over the years, which might lead us to some clues."

As Zhulan listened, her expression turned odd as she looked at Zhou Shuren, making him feel uncomfortable. "Wife, why are you looking at me like that?"

Zhulan burst into laughter, "Have you noticed that along the way, you’ve helped the Emperor uncover quite a few hidden dangers? Jinzhou Province, the Jianghuai area, all concealed for many years. It seems to me that you’ve been increasing the royal fortune all along."

She could imagine that without Zhou Shuren’s discoveries, even if the Emperor won his battles, he would have been weakened, affecting governance and directly impacting the people. Should any chaos occur, recovery would take many years.

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, "It seems it’s true."

Zhulan smiled, "I think it’s good. When the court is stable, the people can live in peace, and you’re accumulating good fortune."

Zhou Shuren tugged at the corner of his mouth, "So, one estate is too little. The Emperor should at least reward me with two, or perhaps exchange it with the estate he rewarded to the Crown Prince."

Zhulan paused, "What estate?"