Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 842: Emperor’s Thoughts

Chapter 842: Chapter 842: Emperor’s Thoughts

Shen Yang looked at the Crown Prince’s furrowed brows, his overheated mind sobered, even if he was truly the fifth Prince, having grown up outside the palace, he had no emotional ties with the Crown Prince, he clutched the corner of his clothes, "It’s, it’s nothing."

He mustn’t rush, he needed to remain calm, he still hadn’t returned to the imperial family, he had to stay calm.

The Crown Prince shifted his gaze away, unwilling to look at Shen Yang, the fake could never become real.

Shen Yang suddenly raised his head, only then realizing that he hadn’t seen the Empress. Upon his entry into the palace today, he had been in the government hall the whole time; the Empress hadn’t seen him, "Crown Prince Brother, Mother."

The rest of the words, "Do you not like me?", he dared not utter.

The Crown Prince twitched his lips, this halting way of speaking was exhausting his patience. Unwilling to look at Shen Yang, he turned his gaze away and said, "Mother needs some time to recover. It’s not that she doesn’t want to see you."

Shen Yang’s heart relaxed, "I understand, I understand."

The Crown Prince thought to himself, Mother just doesn’t want to see you, that’s why she feigned being struck by illness.

At the Zhou Residence after the evening meal, Chang Lian didn’t leave. While pouring tea for his father, he said, "Father, Zhang Jinghong’s imperial edict has been issued, so why is there no decree concerning Shen Yang?"

He had been pondering this matter all afternoon. There were decrees even for the fake fifth Prince, so why was there no stirring about Shen Yang? Shouldn’t it be proclaimed to the entire world?

Zhou Shuren thought to himself, because Shen Yang is also fake, the Emperor will not issue a clear decree, "You needn’t worry about Shen Yang. He will not return to the Hanlin Academy. Even if he causes you trouble later on, you need not fear. Just do your job well."

Chang Lian blinked, "Father, you seem to know quite a lot of things!"

"Do I?"

Chang Lian looked at his father, who was sipping tea with his head bowed, and thought to himself that this single sentence had revealed too much. He stood up, smiling, "Having your words gives me confidence, Father. I’m going back to my place."

Zhou Shuren waved his hand, "Mhm."

Chang Lian walked away with light steps, and Zhou Shuren’s eyes were filled with amusement, this boy was indeed becoming more and more like him, and he liked this feeling.

Zhulan waited until the room was empty and the maids had all left, then she sighed, "I truly did not expect Zhang Jinghong to have such a favorable outcome. Not only did he survive, but he also gained an official status."

Zhou Shuren put down his teacup, "Especially his name, his name wasn’t changed, nor was his surname."

Zhulan lowered her voice, "Could it be that Zhang Jinghong has some sort of identity? Like one of the Children of the Previous Dynasty or something. If that were the case, the Children of the Previous Dynasty being given the last name Zhang, should it come out later, it would not only highlight the Emperor’s magnanimity and win people’s hearts but also give the impression of supplanting the Emperor of the previous dynasty."

The previous dynasty, what of it? It still bears the name Zhang!

It’s not just the country changing its surname, but the descendants of the previous dynasty changing theirs as well!

Zhou Shuren had not considered this aspect, "Judging by the Emperor’s character, your guess is very likely the truth."

The more Zhulan thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, "Zhang Jinghong retaining his surname has too many advantages for the Emperor."

The Emperor’s mind is intricate like a beehive, incredible, so formidable.

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, "The Emperor has laid out another ploy, and Zhang Jinghong is still the bait."

Zhulan realized, "You mean, the Emperor is waiting for someone to trigger Zhang Jinghong’s identity, waiting for the commotion to become widely known. The bigger the uproar, the more people know, the better the effect."

"Yes, the bigger the stir, the more people who know, the more hearts he can win. The machinations of an Emperor, something I could never learn in a lifetime."

Standing in a different position yields a different view, the more he understood the Emperor, the more he admired the Emperor from the bottom of his heart.

Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren and sighed, "It’s getting late, go take a bath."

Zhou Shuren, "Why did you suddenly sigh?"

Zhulan smiled mischievously, "Because, you can’t escape from the Emperor’s grasp, so you might as well obediently behave and recuperate for the sake of the royal family!"

Thinking of leaving, huh, don’t even think about it.

Zhou Shuren, "...."

You’ve hit where it hurts, wife!

In the Duke Residence, Duke Ning asked his youngest son, "Are you saying the Crown Prince brought Shen Yang back to his residence?"

Ning Xu nodded, "Yes, he’s already there now. Father, what does the Emperor mean by this?"

He rarely visited the palace now, not just because he didn’t want to provoke the Emperor due to Rongchuan, but also because the Emperor did not summon him. It wasn’t that the Emperor was being petty, but that the Emperor had his own considerations.

Now he had thoroughly settled for a quiet life in the capital; even the last bit of influence he had was gradually being taken over by Shi Qing.

Ning Xu’s thoughts began to drift. Shi Qing and the Zhou family had some connections too. As long as the future generations of the Zhou family didn’t ruin themselves, they would be able to enjoy wealth and status for a long time.

Duke Ning laughed, "I see, bringing him to live at the Crown Prince Residence, even without a formal decree, everyone will think Shen Yang is indeed the fifth Prince, and the Emperor has acknowledged him."

Ning Xu continued, "Once Shen Yang moves into the Residence of the Prince, it will further solidify the misconception. Later on, whatever the Emperor says will suffice, since he never issued a formal decree anyway."

Duke Ning nodded, "However, our Duke Residence still has to play its part in this charade."

Ning Xu replied, "Father, we understand what to do."

Duke Ning trusted his youngest son, and he also trusted his second son but didn’t have much confidence in his second daughter-in-law. Before, when his youngest son wasn’t back and Rongchuan wasn’t there, he didn’t really worry, but now that Rongchuan was around, his daughter-in-law felt threatened, and that only complicated matters.

Lady Du often came to the main courtyard for no reason at all, thinking she hid her intentions well. His elderly couple didn’t expose her out of respect for their second son’s dignity.

Duke Ning thought for a moment and said, "Hui’er, go and warn Lady Du not to interfere with Shen Yang’s matter."

Ning Hui felt awkward. He was aware of his wife’s schemes, and he had spoken to her, but couldn’t scold her. They had been husband and wife for many years. Publicly humiliating his wife would be humiliating himself. "Father, I understand."

In Zhou Village, after washing up, Xue Mei returned and said, "Don’t read books this late at night, it’s bad for your eyes."

Jiang Sheng rubbed his forehead, "I’m not reading books. I’m looking at the essays written by the students of our clan school. I was busy this afternoon and didn’t get to it, only two essays left to go over, I’ll be done soon."

Xue Mei saw that their youngest son was sleeping soundly, waited a while for her husband to clear the table, then whispered, "According to the days, our son should have arrived at the capital."

Jiang Sheng was also thinking about their son, it being the first time he left his parents as he had grown up, "Jiang Zhu is not young anymore, he can take care of himself."

Xue Mei said, "I’m not worried about his daily life, your parents will take good care of him. I’m worried about his temperament, he is somewhat reserved, I don’t know if he can adapt to the capital."

Jiang Sheng confidently stated, "Father-in-law and mother-in-law are very good at guiding children, you need not worry."

Xue Mei thought, if her son had a temperament more like hers instead of his father, she wouldn’t be so worried. Their twin sons were extroverted, but they looked so alike it was troublesome, "Can you believe how after all these years, the twins have become even more identical?"

She had hoped to easily differentiate between them as they grew older, but now the twin sons especially enjoyed impersonating each other; sometimes when they caused trouble, she wouldn’t be able to tell who did it if she wasn’t their mother.

To Jiang Sheng, thinking about his twin sons was also a headache. His eldest son was too obedient, his daughter was sensible, but the twins were exceptionally mischievous.

The next day in the capital, Shen Yang’s move into the Crown Prince’s Residence had spread like wildfire.

At the Zhou Residence, Xue Han felt her mother was especially happy today, "Mother, why are you so happy? Did elder sister send a letter?"