Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 814 Applauding My Own Cleverness

Chapter 814: Chapter 814 Applauding My Own Cleverness

Zhulan had only exchanged a few words with her two sons before she sent them off to rest, the journey had been exhausting. Once the eldest and Chang Zhi had left, Zhulan asked Lady Zhao, "Chang Yi has been at the estate for two days now, hasn’t he?"

Lady Zhao replied, "It has been two days. The fields of the estate will take a few more days to harvest."

Zhulan lamented, "Chang Yi has had it hard. With the three estates outside the capital, and some farmland, he must have been overwhelmed these past two days. Now that the eldest is back, let him help Chang Yi tomorrow."

Lady Zhao felt sympathy for her husband. With the eldest brother away and Steward Ding also not present, the newly appointed steward of the estate was still green and couldn’t handle things on his own. She felt sorry for her husband, who had to personally oversee everything, but she couldn’t voice this outright, "Mother, the eldest brother has just returned home, and the journey was tiring. Let him rest for a couple more days. The husband can manage."

Zhulan wouldn’t take Lady Zhao’s words seriously and said with a smile, "Your elder brother can’t sit still, you’ll see. He’ll bring it up at dinner tonight. Alright, the accounts for the past few days have been reconciled. You should head back too."

Lady Zhao stood up, "Alright, mother, I’ll take my leave first then."

"Mm."

In the main house, Zhou Shuren entered the yard and felt a great sense of disparity. The courtyard was too quiet, and upon entering the house, his wife did not greet him enthusiastically. He coughed, "I’m back."

Lady Li was busy with her accounts and didn’t even lift her head, "I knew you’d arrived."

Zhou Shuren was displeased, "If you knew, why didn’t you greet me?"

Lady Li retorted, "Can’t you see I’m busy?"

"What could keep you so busy? I’ve been thinking of you the entire time."

Lady Li raised her head, "Honestly, I really don’t have the leisure to think about you. I’m truly busy. I’ve been helping mother reconcile your sister’s dowry lately. I’ll tell you, the dowry for our daughter is the real concern right now. You should stand aside."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shuren could let go of his disappointment, "I just heard about it from mother at the main house. I really didn’t expect so many things to happen while I was away."

Lady Li put down her abacus, "Indeed, with the marriage arrangement settled anew, I feel like it wasn’t just a dream. It’s even more fascinating than what’s written in plays. In the future, you might have Mr. Hou as a brother-in-law."

Zhou Shuren felt apprehensive, "In the future, when Rongchuan becomes Mr. Hou, you mustn’t act all high and mighty as his sister-in-law."

Lady Li replied, "You don’t need to tell me that. Snow Han hasn’t married yet, and even when I speak to Rongchuan, I consider my words carefully. I am well aware of this."

In the fourth branch, Su Xuan was enthusiastic, waiting at the door the whole time. When she saw Chang Zhi arrive, if not for the many maids and old women, she would have liked to give him a hug.

Chang Zhi held his wife’s hand, "Where are our son and daughter? I’ve been thinking of them, and I’m not even sure if they still recognize their father."

The smile on Su Xuan’s lips faded slightly, "Is that all you’ve been thinking about, the children?"

Chang Zhi coughed, "I’ve missed you too. Taking care of the two children while I was away must have been hard."

Su Xuan let go of his hand and circled her husband, "Listen to those words. Is this really my husband? Going out this once seems to have opened your mind quite a bit. I can hardly recognize you."

Chang Zhi motioned for the maids to leave, then pinched his wife’s nose, "Who would exaggerate as you say? But truly, my visit back home gave me a lot of insights, making me aware of many things I had neglected before. I now understand my father’s intentions."

Su Xuan sighed, appreciating her father-in-law’s painstaking efforts directed at her husband, "Hurry, let’s go see our daughter and son. These two little ones have grown so fast."

Chang Zhi indeed missed his children dearly, dreaming of the two little ones often while away. Seeing them asleep and contented filled his heart with immense satisfaction.

At the Hanlin Academy, Scholar Lv asked Chang Lian, "The day after tomorrow is our day off. Do you have any plans?"

Chang Lian had no plans indeed, "None."

Scholar Lv suggested, "There’s a new tea house that has just opened. A few of us were thinking of gathering on our day off, so we wanted to invite you. We were just uncertain if you would grace us with your presence."

Chang Lian was intrigued, "Sure, tell me the address and I’ll be sure to attend."

Scholar Lv smiled, "Good."

In the Ministry of Justice, Zhou Shuren was browsing through the official list provided by the Crown Prince — it really was detailed, not only listing the names of the personnel, but also marking if they had any familial relations.

Zhou Shuren thought to himself that he had been teaching the Crown Prince quite a lot these days, and the Crown Prince had started paying more attention to the finer details. Stroking his beard, he wondered if he was teaching his apprentice in a way that would starve the master.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince slammed his hand on the table, causing Zhou Shuren’s heart to skip a beat. This was the first time he had seen the Crown Prince lose his temper, and it was an overt display of emotion — the Crown Prince was usually so adept at concealing things!

Zhou Shuren was curious about what the Crown Prince had found out, but he couldn’t ask. Knowing too much about certain things was not good.

The Crown Prince, holding back his anger and with a face as dark as could be, thought about the Ministry of Justice’s substantial under-the-table income. The figures he saw and those he investigated differed greatly, and the Second Prince had gone a bit too far. He scoffed inwardly, truly wanting to see the Second Prince’s face change — even the people beside him were problematic.

As time trickled by, the sun soon set, and it was time to close the government office for the day.

The Minister of Justice arrived with a nervous heart, "Your Highness, it is getting late."

The Crown Prince acknowledged with a grunt, then folded and tucked away the paper he had written on in front of the Minister of Justice, "Tomorrow, I would like to review the records from the past few years. Please trouble Minister Sun with this task."

The corners of the Minister of Justice’s mouth stiffened. His position in the Ministry of Justice was genuinely difficult to hold. In The Six Ministries, the other five ministers had barely changed, but in the Ministry of Justice, it was different — the Minister’s position would change every three years. Frequent changes aside, quite a few people had fallen from this position.

The Minister of Justice believed that there had been no significant issues during his tenure, and the minor problems were just him not wanting to offend others, turning a blind eye. But looking at the Crown Prince’s expression, he felt unsettled. He was supposed to be transferred out next year, and he hoped that nothing would go wrong, "Yes, I will bring them all."

The Crown Prince walked up to Minister Sun, patted him on the shoulder, "I understand your difficulties."

Minister Sun felt like crying. His position was not easy, and before he could be moved by the Crown Prince’s understanding, he heard the Crown Prince say, "I recall that Minister Sun is due for a transfer next year. Whether you can leave in peace will depend on yourself."

Zhou Shuren watched Minister Sun sympathetically, wishing him a good journey.

Minister Sun, "...."

He nearly choked and felt like he was going to suffocate.

Zhou Shuren’s harvest that afternoon was not small either; he had written down several officials’ names.

The Crown Prince smiled with a meaningful expression, "Minister Sun certainly understands my meaning."

Minister Sun did not want to understand, "I, I understand."

Zhou Shuren thought to himself, at this moment, the Crown Prince truly resembled the Emperor. However, he didn’t sympathize with Minister Sun. The minister might lack any notable achievements, but he surely had the skill to feign ignorance.

Upon leaving the doors of the Ministry of Justice, Zhou Shuren saw a carriage parked at the entrance. The level of luxury of the carriage ... well, no need to guess, the Second Prince had already disembarked.

The Crown Prince laughed, "I have just arrived at the Ministry of Justice, and my younger brother has already returned to the capital. If I’m not mistaken, the expansion project has not yet been completed."

Zhang Jingyang, "Brother Crown Prince, please don’t misunderstand. I have returned to the capital to report to our father the Emperor. He summoned me back. Ah, yes, since Brother Crown Prince rarely visits the palace, it is natural you wouldn’t know this news. It’s not too late for me to inform you now."

Zhou Shuren silently stepped back, "I have seen the Second Prince."

Then he said, "It is getting late, I shall take my leave first."

Zhang Jingshi watched Zhou Shuren, "Minister Zhou, don’t rush off. This prince has not seen Minister Zhou for a while and has been thinking of you. Let’s have dinner together."

Zhou Shuren sneezed, then coughed twice, "I am grateful for the Second Prince’s remembrance, but I caught a cold yesterday, cough cough, and I’m afraid I must decline Your Highness’s kind offer."

Praising his own quick thinking!