Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 882: Balanced

Chapter 882: Chapter 882: Balanced

In the capital, at the Zhou family home, Zhulan was acutely aware of when her daughter was supposed to leave the residence, so when she saw her daughter return, she was momentarily stunned, "You’re back so early?"

She couldn’t believe Rongchuan hadn’t prepared other surprises; she had to admit, Rongchuan was becoming more and more romantic. This was what love was all about!

Unable to restrain herself, Xue Han burst out laughing—it seemed she had giggled all the way home, "Mother, Rongchuan and I ran into father, and he told me to come back."

Zhulan, "...That’s quite a coincidence."

Xue Han snorted with laughter, "So, Rongchuan will have to try especially hard to please father from now on. Mother, your daughter will head back first."

"Ah, alright."

Holding the glazed lamps, Xue Han walked away happily. The gifts Rongchuan gave her, she had carried them the whole way, not letting anyone else touch them. Her thoughts strayed to her wedding dress, of which she had already embroidered quite a lot; the fiery red gown was like her flushed cheeks at the moment, feeling sweet in her heart and light on her feet.

In Zhou family village, the twins were huddled together, both children with their heads tucked in, keeping each other warm, a little afraid of their parents. It was the first time their parents had hit them, had been so fierce with them.

Jiang Sheng held a wooden ruler in his hand, his face so dark it seemed it might drip ink, "You two, at such a young age, have already learned to lie. Not only skipping clan school but also running away from home. Put your hands out."

Jiang Sheng felt more like hitting himself; he had indulged them. He hadn’t set high standards for the twins, thinking they were just children who liked to play, brushing off their absence from clan school. Now he deeply regretted it. If he had been stricter with the boys from a young age, they would not have become so bold.

The twins were stubborn; the two children clung tightly together, intuitive to each other’s thoughts like twins tend to be... even without speaking they seemed to understand each other, tucking in their heads, staying silent.

This gesture infuriated Jiang Sheng, and without resorting to the ruler, he removed his shoe, separated the two sons, and held one down to spank on the bottom—each hit resonating sharply.

Xue Mei sat and watched from the side. She had calmed down now. After the impulse to hit the children had passed, their crying pulled at her heart—it was the first time the twins had cried like this.

Outside the house, the old Jiang couple were anxious, pacing in circles, hesitating to push open the door.

Old Master Jiang understood clearly that in this household, his son and daughter-in-law had the final say in educating the children. He couldn’t intervene, and he feared that if he did, and if the children went on to do wrong, the grandparents would be blamed. Turning to his wife he said, "It’s getting late. You should prepare dinner."

Xue Mei’s mother-in-law, wiping away tears, replied, "Alright."

Jiang Miu had been living independently from early on, and now, taking care of her younger brother, she felt worried despite having no other choice, and was scared. It was the first time she had seen their father so angry.

The following day at noon, Zhou Shuren met Rongchuan, "What brings you here, young man?"

Rongchuan observed his uncle carefully. Since his uncle hadn’t sent him away, his anger must have subsided. Grinning, he said, "Uncle, look what I have here. I’ve always heard you talking about this painting, and I found it."

He hadn’t expected to come across the painting his uncle had mentioned while going through his father’s things. It was an unexpected surprise.

Zhou Shuren suppressed his feelings, but as soon as he saw the painting being unfolded, he couldn’t help himself. He stretched out his hands cautiously to take it, scrutinizing it closely, unable to tear his eyes away, "Authentic, definitely authentic."

The last time he’d seen a fake, but this one was the real deal. He wanted to possess it, yet struggled to accept the bribe from the despicable youngster, but his hands simply wouldn’t let go.

Rongchuan was all smiles, and although his own father had been berating him last night and gave him a cold hum when he woke up this morning, his mind was now set on currying favor with his future father-in-law, "Uncle, I told my father, and he has given me the painting. Now, I am presenting it to you."

Zhou Shuren’s inner turmoil was real; he wanted to say he couldn’t be easily bought, yet he coveted the painting so much it could become a family heirloom. With a heavy heart, he thought about the abundant wealth of the Ning family and bowed his head to seriously roll up the painting.

Rongchuan grew up under Uncle’s care and knew him well. He was certain Uncle truly desired the painting, so when he had the good fortune to find this painting, he felt confident, "Uncle, if you don’t want it now, it can be your birthday present when the time comes."

The implication was clear: he simply wished to show filial piety.

Thinking to himself, Zhou Shuren considered that the child he had raised was indeed quite cunning, carefully rolling the painting, "Hmph, I’ll be taking leave in half a month. Come to my mansion then, and I will properly test you, young man."

Rongchuan’s mouth spread into a wide grin, "Alright."

Inside the Palace, Ning Xu rarely made the initiative to visit anymore, yet today was an exception, driven by a father’s jealousy, "Emperor, that painting could be a family treasure, and Rongchuan just gave it away to please his future father-in-law."

Even he, a man who knew nothing of paintings, recognized its value. The thought of Zhou Shuren’s character, one who tended to keep rather than give, made him cringe.

The Emperor was privy to the whole affair and felt a sour pang in his heart, yet more than that, he felt relieved. God knows how much he had wanted to punch Ning Xu whenever he saw the deep father-son affection between him and his son. Now, seeing Ning Xu frustrated and having suffered a significant financial blow brought just two words to mind: pure comfort.

With the Emperor’s apparent good mood, Ning Xu also felt lighter. Now that the Emperor was growing ever more inscrutable, Ning Xu did not want to linger in his mind every day, so despite the financial pain, his mind was still racing.

With a simple hmm, the Emperor said, "Zhang Jinghong’s injury has mostly healed; he should report to the Ministry of Revenue."

Upon hearing this, Ning Xu knew the Emperor had found the hidden official and was keen to settle Zhang Jinghong’s matter before the Fourth Prince’s return to the capital, "Your servant will go and tell my father."

In his heart, the Emperor was quite wary of his father-in-law, even if he felt guilt towards the Ning family. He had never trusted his father-in-law, yet he was relieved that the old man knew exactly what he wanted, evident even in the choice of wife for Ning Hui.

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye ten days had passed, with Zhang Jinghong, who had been the center of attention, finally reaching a conclusion.

In the court assembly, Zhou Shuren glanced at Mr. Qi, along with several high-ranking, influential figures, cough, not all of whom were keen to speak up in court—those not holding real power often served more as a backdrop.

Today, these usually silent figures had raised their voices to argue for clemency for Zhang Jinghong, enumerating the Emperor’s benevolence and broad-mindedness. Though they were few and often silent, their rebukes were formidable; initially, there were objections, but then dissenters were hushed into silence.

Zhou Shuren thought about the message received by the Ministry of Revenue: the convoy transporting the silver was about to reach the capital.

With today’s court outcome, Zhou Shuren had an idea of what to expect. He wasn’t concerned with that; what concerned him was the Emperor’s reward for him, two chests of treasures. He worried whether the Emperor would pettily pick the smallest chest; indeed, this preoccupied him these past few days.

After the court session, small groups of officials walked together. It was a rare occurrence for old Master Wang to come over—despite attending court sessions together, Master Wang and Zhou Shuren had never walked alongside each other before.

As Zhou Shuren observed the old master, Li Zhao, who intended to approach, halted his steps. It was common knowledge amongst the Zhou family’s in-laws that the Wang family was staunchly neutral, with old Master Wang never seeking Zhou Shuren out and merely offering greetings at most.

In his mind, Zhou Shuren figured the elder must have had something to discuss with him.