Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 890: The Method

Chapter 890: Chapter 890: The Method

Zhou Shuren was a bit baffled, "My dear, are you giving me Twenty thousand taels?"

Although he wasn’t concerned about his family’s wealth, he still knew that most of the Silver Coin sent by Ning Residence was meant as a dowry for the daughter, and his wife had two large batches of Silver Coin in hand, one from selling the shops and the other from selling grain from the family estate.

Because they had acquired the grain at a good time, selling it had been hugely advantageous for the family.

Yet he also knew that as the year-end approached, numerous social obligations and gift-giving had cost a lot of Silver, and now his wife had at most a little more than thirty thousand taels. To take out twenty thousand all at once was a staggering sum.

Zhulan then said, "Didn’t you mention the Emperor wished to sell antiques for a good price?"

Zhou Shuren nodded, "Yes, do you have any good ideas?"

Zhulan’s eyes curved with a smile, "How about a guess-the-box, a blind guess? For instance, we put a few antiques, books, paintings, and such in each box. Although each box contains the same quantity of items, the value varies. If one chooses a box with valuable items, they’ve made a profit. If they choose one with less valuable items for the same amount of Silver, then it’s bad luck."

Zhou Shuren had ideas too, and he thought of selling them as a bundle, but he found his wife’s idea better. Some people always look to gain an advantage, or believe they are extremely lucky. Even if they didn’t intend to buy, they might be tempted to try their luck.

This idea had great appeal; not to mention Jiangnan, they could sell a large batch just in the capital.

Zhulan continued, "Moreover, we must price it right. You need to first estimate the total value of all these antiques, then calculate an average. That would ensure the Emperor’s request is honored while also achieving that feeling you mentioned of spending ten thousand taels and getting the value of thirty thousand in return."

There was great potential for profitability here, and while Zhulan might not be able to guarantee a profit for others, with Zhou Shuren it was different—their family patriarch would undoubtedly have a way.

Zhou Shuren was now brimming with ideas, having already thought of various combinations, and, cough cough, some behind-the-scenes manipulation, "This is a good plan."

Zhulan thought it was great too, "Using Twenty thousand taels of silver to buy them, we keep the heirlooms and sell the rest. We won’t deal in Jiangnan this time; the search and seizure caused too big a stir. Right now, Jiangnan is probably eager for bargains, so I think the northern region is quite good."

Although Jiangnan had many wealthy merchants, the northern upstarts were plentiful too, and they were willing to spend Silver to enhance their sophistication.

Zhou Shuren fell silent. Qiu Yan was from the south, and each time the Ministry of Revenue dealt with ancient artifacts and calligraphy, they would be sent to Jiangnan; he had never paid much attention to the northern region.

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, "Wait a couple of days, and I will write a detailed proposal to the Grand Master of Writing."

Zhulan was quite excited, "With this transaction, we could make a tidy profit. I can finally get my hands on that big estate in Jiangnan I’ve been dreaming of."

Zhou Shuren couldn’t help but laugh, "I think it’s best to buy and unpack them at home, don’t you think?"

Zhulan showed a wide grin, "Right, indeed. The surprise comes when unboxing at home."

Zhou Shuren’s mind was whirring with calculations. He planned not to hide the operation from the Emperor, and at the right time, the Emperor would likely allow it. The only pity was that he couldn’t involve the sons from various branches of the family—too many Zhou family members participating would be excessive.

At the Jiang family, Jiang Sheng watched as his wife dug out all the family’s silver notes and packed the jewelry, a little helpless, "The messengers sent by my father-in-law haven’t arrived yet; you’re packing too early."

Xue Mei, "I just want to leave sooner. I can’t stand being here another moment."

Firstly, there truly were no close blood relatives around; if it weren’t for her husband, she would have preferred staying with her parents. Secondly, she already felt this place was no longer safe.

Jiang Sheng, having read his father-in-law’s letter, felt more at ease and had contemplated a lot these past days. He had never really upheld the household; he felt guilty and only followed his own wishes, "What should we do with the family’s land?"

He knew that once he went to the capital, it was unlikely that he would come back easily.

Xue Mei paused, her family had saved quite a bit of land over the years, "I plan to sell it, what do you think?"

"Sell it, sell it all."

The smile at the corner of Xue Mei’s mouth deepened; her husband not having any aversion to it was truly wonderful, "Mm."

Jiang Sheng saw his wife’s gentle smile again, his heart content; he understood even more that nothing was more important than the happiness of his wife and children.

The next day, Zhou Shuren went to court and heard someone calling him, a voice he hadn’t heard in a long time, he turned around, "I’ve seen Your Highness, the Fourth Prince."

Zhang Jingxi held a very positive impression of Zhou Shuren, not for any other reason but for the great merits this time; he thought Zhou Shuren was lucky, "I haven’t seen Grand Master Zhou for a long time, how have you been recently?"

Zhou Shuren was somewhat unused to such warmth from the Fourth Prince, but he maintained his composure, "This official has always been quite well, thank you for Your Highness’s concern."

Zhang Jingxi didn’t intend to engage in a long conversation, as this was a favorite official of his father, the Emperor; he didn’t dare to openly curry favor but simply wanted to talk a bit more.

Zhou Shuren was very calm, okay, let’s chat, as long as we don’t discuss state affairs, anything else is fine. The current Fourth Prince was indeed rising like the sun in the sky. Just look at the Second Prince and Third Prince walking ahead — the Third Prince must be wishing he could tear the Fourth Prince apart, considering several members of the Qi family clan were on the list this time for the cleanse.

As for the Second Prince, he must be under great pressure. With the Crown Prince pressing down from above, now with the Fourth Prince becoming the favorite, it was all official business.

At the morning court, the Emperor first promoted the mother and consort of the Fourth Prince, apart from the Empress, the harem was all filled with consorts, and now, things got better, there was an addition of an Imperial Noble Consort. The Fourth Prince had handled the Jianghuai affair exactly to the Emperor’s liking, winning glory for his mother.

Afterward, the Fourth Prince was also rewarded with a residence and more, but the topic of awarding the princehood was not addressed.

Zhou Shuren saw clearly that the Fourth Prince was disappointed, thinking he would be the first to be conferred a prince. Zhou Shuren mused to himself that the Emperor would not do such a thing; if the Fourth Prince were to be made prince first, the balance among his brothers would be completely disrupted.

Zhou Shuren glanced from the corner of his eye at the Crown Prince, whose expression hadn’t changed at all. This person was the kind to act only on important matters, already being vigilant about the Fourth Prince’s maternal family. If the Fourth Prince didn’t hold back, the Crown Prince would surely have noted it all in his small account book.

After the court session, the princes walked together. Today’s reward was something that both the Second Prince and Third Prince could accept; their faces were no longer stern, and they could even congratulate the Fourth Prince.

The Second Prince, Zhang Jingyang, said, "Congratulations to my fourth brother, Feng mother consort, no, it should be the Imperial Noble Consort now, truly making your second brother envious!"

The Third Prince, Zhang Jingshi, his gaze somewhat gloomy, the Fourth Prince’s ruthless actions had severely hurt the Qi family. Lately, he had been overwhelmed; the Emperor had tossed Zhezi at him several times, and his silver in Jianghuai was gone too.

The Fourth Prince, Zhang Jingxi, said, "Third Brother, won’t you congratulate your younger brother?"

The Third Prince gritted his teeth, "This brother here congratulates you, younger brother."

The Fourth Prince felt very pleased, he had never hesitated in Jianghuai, "Then, I’ll take my leave first; my mother must be waiting for me."

At the Zhou family, Zhulan received an invitation from the Liu family. It was an invitation to a wedding banquet; the Liu family’s eldest son had been engaged early and was now at the age to get married — in three days would be his wedding.

Zhulan said to Granny Song, "Go and ask the eldest son’s wife to come over."

Granny Song responded, "Yes."