Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 827: Fangs

Chapter 827: Chapter 827: Fangs

The capital, Second Prince Zhang Jingyang stared at the booklet the Crown Prince had handed over, "What do you mean by this?"

The Crown Prince, seeing that Zhang Jingyang had no intention of accepting it, casually placed it on the side of the table, "You’ll know what it means once you look at it."

Prince Zhang Jingyang did not want to look at it, for nothing good could be on that booklet. Although he had been cooperating with the Crown Prince these past days, and their efficiency had been high, it did not mean he was willing to bow his head in submission in the future.

The Crown Prince, drinking his tea nonchalantly, thought to himself that his brother really did have Silver Coin. The tea was even better than what was served in his own residence. He reminded, "This is something Father Emperor asked me to bring to you. You have to look at it whether you want to or not."

Zhang Jingyang’s fingertips stirred, knowing the Crown Prince would not dare to deceive using the Emperor’s name. He picked up the booklet and as he opened it, his face turned darker and darker. The booklet listed his income from the Ministry of Justice over the years. Although it was not entirely complete, it included most of the large amounts. After browsing through it, he stared at the final total with wide eyes—there were actually more than six hundred thousand Silver Tael.

Having finished his tea and delivered the message, the Crown Prince stood up and said, "Father Emperor’s exact words: ’Spit out as much as you’ve swallowed. You have two days, no mercy will be shown after the deadline. Make sure you handle it properly.’

Zhang Jingyang’s heart thumped wildly. He had to cough up more than six hundred thousand Silver Tael, an enormous sum. Had he not recently collected a significant amount of silver in Pinggang, he really would not have been able to produce such a large sum of Silver.

Even so, withdrawing all the Silver Coin collected from Pinggang at once would still severely strain his resources.

Coming back to his senses, Zhang Jingyang noticed the Crown Prince was gone—he had already left!

At the Zhou family estate, Zhou Shuren had received a reply from Wu Ming, delivered swiftly by courier. Wu Ming expressed gratitude in his letter and incidentally asked the Zhou family to help purchase a residence. Zhou Shuren could sense the excitement between the lines, something Wu Ming himself might not have noticed. Wu Ming’s emotions must have been quite turbulent, for the last stroke of each character was the heaviest.

Zhulan said, "Scholar Deng has just left, I’ll have Steward Ding send someone to chase after him and relay the message."

"Good, the residence doesn’t need to be too big, anywhere in the south or north of the city will do, just a small courtyard house."

It wouldn’t be suitable for Wu Ming to make a high-profile entrance into the capital; being low-key would be preferable.

Zhulan responded, "Alright, I’ve noted it."

Just as Zhulan instructed Steward Ding, she saw her daughter coming with her two granddaughters, "Let me see how you’re dressed. Are you going out?"

Xue Han nodded with a smile, "We’ve put on our coarse clothes and plan to pick some beautiful leaves in the nearby woods."

Zhulan asked, "Picking leaves?"

Yushuang joined in the conversation, "Yes, we’ve seen some pretty leaves with Aunt, and we want to collect them."

Zhulan had no intention of stopping them; it was rare for the young girls to venture out without the cumbersome rules. Since the area was all their own property and they were accompanied by young servants, there wouldn’t be any danger. Nevertheless, she still cautioned, "The snakes haven’t hibernated yet, so you must be careful when you go out."

At the mention of snakes, she felt uneasy. She had seen them in the morning while going up the mountain and again when coming down—there really were a lot of them.

Xue Han said, "We won’t go into the deep bushes, just around the perimeter."

"Alright then, go ahead."

Life at the Zhou family estate remained serene as ever. After her daughter left, Zhulan, in a good mood, turned the estate’s fruits into wine. With some guidance, Zhulan had picked up the process quickly—it wasn’t particularly difficult.

Zhulan sealed a few jars along with Zhou Shuren, "They will be ready to drink next year."

Zhou Shuren looked forward to it, "I think the taste should be quite good."

Zhulan was quite looking forward to it. This was her first attempt, and she found it very interesting. She discovered a joy in it and thought she could make more fruit wine in the future.

In the capital, people were in a state of panic. The Ministry of Justice had arrested many of its officials, with irrefutable evidence. They had no chance to defend themselves. Although the highest-ranking official arrested was below the fourth grade, the number of arrests was significant, and all had been working in the Ministry of Justice for many years, which led to much speculation in the capital.

This time, the Crown Prince personally led the arrests with decisive and swift actions, which allowed the officials in the capital to see the Crown Prince’s fangs for the first time. The officials in the government hall realized that the Crown Prince was no longer just a shadow following the Emperor, but had grown into a fierce tiger.

For his first show of fangs, he had arrested a significant number of officials, demonstrating no small amount of boldness.

After making the arrests, the Crown Prince returned to the palace to report to the Emperor. As he walked towards the government hall, he noticed that the palace maids, eunuchs, and the officials he encountered along the way

were now more fearful of him.

The Crown Prince curled his lips, pleased. This action was not only about eliminating internal threats but also an opportunity to establish his authority. In the past, as Crown Prince, all respect and fear towards him were due to his position. Now, they were afraid of him as a person, which he found very satisfying.

At the Hou Residence, Yao Wenqi dropped his cup upon hearing the news, shattering it on the ground. After confirming the list of the arrested again, he felt a chill in his heart. He knew the Crown Prince was investigating the Ministry of Justice and had prepared for the discovery of a few individuals. He hadn’t anticipated, however, the Crown Prince’s capability to wipe out his decade-long efforts in one fell swoop.

It took time and silver taels to nurture these people, with time being the most difficult factor. He no longer had another decade to covertly lay out his plans.

Cultivating allies is not an easy task. The number of officials selected through the imperial examination is limited, and he didn’t have the vast resources to gather everyone under his control. The loss of the valuable pieces he and his partners had cultivated over many years left him feeling dizzy.

Suppressing his anger, he needed to stay calm. Those arrested knew too much. And even though he had dirt on them, ensuring they wouldn’t talk, accidents could still happen. He was no longer confident, and he also realized that what used to be a wide road was becoming narrower. He now felt like he was walking on thin ice, too fearful to make any missteps.

Lady Bai stood outside the door, covering her mouth, her pupils constricted. She could sense that the master’s ambitions were profound; she never imagined they would be so immense, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

The next day, the capital remained unsettled, with everyone feeling like they were in danger, especially the officials from the Ministry of Justice who were extra cautious.

In the royal court, the evidence was revealed to all the officials. The Crown Prince sternly said, "Those who arranged this are guilty at heart. I request the Emperor’s permission for a thorough investigation."

If it weren’t for the inappropriateness of the setting, the officials in the court would have burst into discussions about the enormity of the situation. The positioning of so many pawns indicated grand schemes.

The Emperor’s gaze swept over the officials standing in the royal court. The more he cleaned up, the harder it was to find the remaining hidden threats, but he was patient, "The thorough investigation will be entrusted to the Crown Prince."

Second Prince, Zhang Jingyang, had come to the court with a silver note. Upon hearing this, he said, "Father, your son..."

But he was cut off before he could finish. The Emperor interjected, "I have another task for you to attend to."

Zhang Jingyang dared not speak further.

Third Prince, Zhang Jingshi, with his fingers hooked, noted that no matter how well he and his second brother executed their tasks, the Crown Prince always overshadowed them. He grew increasingly wary of the Crown Prince. The tasks usually considered easy at The Six Ministries turned out to yield so much when investigated by the Crown Prince. Thinking of the problematic people around him, the Third Prince’s complexion grew even worse.

Time flew by swiftly, and before long, Zhou Shuren’s eldest and second brothers arrived at the Jingnan estate with Chang Zhong and Ming Hui.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren had kept their visit a secret to surprise their son, and thus their son was stunned upon alighting from the carriage and seeing his parents.

Zhulan stepped forward and embraced her son, "Mother is a bit sad. Doesn’t Chang Zhong want to see mother?"

Chang Zhong came to his senses and saw that it was indeed his mother and said, "Mother, son has missed, missed you very much. Mother, how did you and father come to the estate?"

Zhou Shuren’s eldest and second brothers were considerably shocked; why wasn’t their father in the capital? Well, due to Zhulan and Zhou Shuren’s relationship, nobody had informed Zhou Shuren’s eldest and second brothers.