Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 831 Contradiction

Chapter 831: Chapter 831 Contradiction

Lady Yu’s face turned pale when she heard this, and not just Lady Yu, even Ning Hui was stunned, "Grandmother, are you saying that there are the Emperor’s people in the Zhou Residence?"

The Duchess of Duke Ning snorted, "What have you and your spouse been paying attention to? When Lord Zhou was in Lizhou Province, the Emperor openly assigned someone to him, and now that person has always been in the Zhou Residence, that being the old maid Song by Lady Yang’s side."

Lady Yu grew even paler, the old maid Song had been by Lady Yang’s side all day, so her intentions must have been seen crystal clear. The Empress already disliked her, and this time she must abhor her even more.

Ning Zhixiang thought deeper. Lord Zhou had always been by the side of the Crown Prince before he took his rest, and shortly after Lord Zhou started resting, the Ministry of Justice ran into trouble. He remembered something his father mentioned before; Lord Zhou must have helped the Crown Prince discover something and took leave to avoid getting involved.

Ning Zhixiang thought of his aunt as well, who must have been cautioning Lady Yu not to offend the Zhou family for the sake of the Crown Prince.

The Duchess of Duke Ning said with a cold face, "Now you know to be afraid."

She knew her own daughter better than anyone. Lady Yu’s hostility towards the Zhou family and Rongchuan was akin to stabbing her own daughter in the heart. Her daughter must have been furious, otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent a Female Officer directly to the Duke Residence but would have sent a private message instead.

The Duchess of Duke Ning turned to leave. Lady Yu’s heart had grown too bold, and Lady Du could not be free of the blame. If she couldn’t discipline Ning Hui properly, she could still teach Lady Du a lesson.

After Lady Du learned of the Female Officer’s purpose, she realized that the Duchess would surely seek her out, cursing in her heart at how foolish Lady Yu was. Not aware of her own family’s situation, she went to knock on the door of the Zhou family, knowing full well that the eldest granddaughter of the Zhou family wouldn’t marry into the Yu family even if she couldn’t marry anyone else.

The news that the Empress had punished Ning Hui’s daughter-in-law, Lady Yu, spread quickly. Zhao of the Yu Residence had been waiting to file a complaint with her lord when he returned, but upon hearing the news, she gave up the thought.

As for visiting Lady Yu, Zhao didn’t dare. At this time, she knew the Duke Ning Residence would certainly not welcome her.

In the Zhou Residence, Zhulan calmed down upon receiving the news and, in a good mood, asked Steward Ding, "Have you cleaned up the courtyard I asked you to prepare?"

Steward Ding replied, "It’s all been tidied up properly, arranged according to the tastes of the young master."

Zhulan stood up, "I will go and take a look myself."

She had received a letter while at the manor; Jiang Zhu had already set out on his journey and should be more than halfway there by now. She had been thinking about cleaning up the courtyard for her grandson to stay in ever since she returned.

There were people in every large courtyard of the Zhou Residence, leaving only a few small ones unoccupied, and she chose one that was closest to the study.

The small courtyard wasn’t very large, but it was in a good location and quiet, perfect for Jiang Zhu to concentrate on his studies.

Zhulan looked over the arrangements again; her understanding of her grandson’s preferences came from letters from her eldest daughter, "I don’t even know if he’ll like how I’ve arranged this," she wondered.

The old maid Song reassured her, "As long as it’s arranged by you, young master will surely love it."

Thinking of Jiang Zhu’s character, Zhulan knew he was a particularly filial child. She then thought of her grandson’s admiration for Zhou Shuren and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. A fan of Zhou Shuren was en route.

Seeing the lady of the house finally happy, the old maid Song breathed a sigh of relief. When the lady was not happy, neither was the lord, and the servants did not dare to even breathe too loudly.

In Hou Residence, Yao Yao knelt until she felt uncomfortable in her belly, turning pale. Shen Yile noticed and quickly helped her up, "Yao Yao, take a rest. Don’t forget, you’re not alone now."

With the weather cooling down and temperatures dropping quickly, even daytime clothing felt insufficiently warm, let alone when one kept kneeling. Even with cushions, the cold would seep in over time.

Indeed, Yao Yao’s belly was terribly uncomfortable, and fine sweat appeared on her forehead, "Thank you, sister-in-law."

Shen Yile asked, "Where is your husband?"

Wiping her sweat with a handkerchief, Yao Yao replied, "He has some urgent matters and will be able to come over later."

Shen Yile’s gaze lingered on Yao Yao’s pale face, wondering if it was just her imagination, but she felt that there seemed to be tension between her brother-in-law and Yao Yao.

Shen Yile was happy about the death of her mother-in-law because, without her above, the concubines did not dare to intervene with the legitimate sons and no one could boldly bring in more concubines to suppress her. The mountain that had been pressing down on her was finally gone.

Yao Yao, lost in thought, couldn’t help but touch her belly. There was already a knot between her and her husband because of the child. Being sensitive as most pregnant women are, she felt that her husband was not looking forward to the child and clenched the handkerchief in her hand more tightly.

With her head lowered, as intelligent as she was, Yao Yao hadn’t noticed anything at first. But as time passed, she realized that her husband was not merely a Scholar at the Hanlin Academy. A woman’s intuition was often accurate, and thinking of how her husband was always talking about wanting a daughter, Yao Yao felt her belly ache even more.

In the afternoon, when the Academy let out, Gu Liufeng boarded the Zhou family’s carriage. Sitting in the carriage, Gu Liufeng was very restrained, "Is it really okay for me to go without bringing anything?"

Mingyun put his book aside, "It’s also my fault for inviting you on such short notice. But after today, my grandfather will be busy again. Don’t worry, he doesn’t mind."

He had mentioned inviting Gu Liufeng to his grandfather that morning, and after receiving his grandfather’s approval, he told Gu Liufeng directly.

Gu Liufeng felt the silver in his purse; it wasn’t much, just over two taels, which was the leftovers from the five taels his uncle gave him for his birthday, after spending some on stationery.

Sitting by the window of the carriage, Gu Liufeng saw a pastry shop and immediately asked the driver to stop. Mingyun knew that Gu Liufeng didn’t have much Silver Coin, and whatever he had he would need to spend on ink and paper as their teachers at the Academy loved to assign homework, mostly for recitation, which meant they went through ink and paper even faster.