Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 894: Boldness

Chapter 894: Chapter 894: Boldness

All eyes were focused on Xue Mei as she continued, "We never said we were used to it, but our parents have always followed us, so naturally, they will come with us to the capital."

Her words were true; she had never thought of sending her in-laws away. They had gotten along well over the years, and she had no reason not to bring them along. Moreover, with filial piety being of utmost importance, it was better to bring them generously rather than leaving any grudges in anyone’s heart.

Jiang Sheng looked at his wife, feeling very content in his heart. Everything his wife did was for him. If it weren’t for the crowd, he would have wanted to hold her hand.

The other sons of the Jiang family were relieved. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to take care of their parents, but it was clear that the parents wanted to follow the youngest.

The old couple of the Jiang family’s days of worry were completely gone. With their sons, they felt uncertain, but their daughter-in-law was different; she truly intended to take them with her to the capital.

Xue Mei had too many belongings. She had given away quite a bit to the clan members and had specifically saved some for her sisters-in-law, including children’s clothing and some miscellaneous items.

After Xue Mei had seen off her brothers and sisters-in-law, Jiang Sheng stood at the entrance of the courtyard, "According to the days counted, the caravan that will fetch us should arrive soon."

Xue Mei felt somewhat uneasy. When she thought about leaving, she was just excited. But now that they were really about to leave, she felt strangely uncomfortable, having lived here for many years. "Hmm, I just hope we can make it to the capital before the New Year."

Jiang Sheng shook his head, "With the New Year only a dozen days away, we won’t make it in time."

Xue Mei looked at Jiang Sheng, understanding her husband, "You mean, we’ll leave after the New Year?"

Jiang Sheng held his wife’s hand, "Hmm, actually, that is also what the Clan Leader thinks. He’s just been considerate of you and therefore never brought it up. You know, there are a few people from the clan who need to go to the capital after the New Year."

Xue Mei thought for a moment, "Then we’ll leave after the New Year."

After all, they were members of the clan. Leaving together would mean they could look after each other, and the clan members would be more grateful to her father. Since they couldn’t make it to the capital for the New Year, it would be better to leave calmly after.

In the evening, after Zhou Shuren had dinner, his sons and daughters-in-law did not leave; even his grandchildren stayed by his side.

Chang Zhong was especially anxious, "Father, hurry up and unpack the boxes."

He had been anticipating this for a long time. How could his father still eat his meal!

Zhou Shuren tapped his son’s nose, "Your father has taught you, nothing should be rushed. Have you forgotten?"

Chang Zhong spread his hands, "I’m still young. That was what mother said."

Zhulan rolled her eyes internally, this rascal, always quick to shift the blame. She glared at her youngest son, saw him stick out his tongue, and chuckled, "Alright, stop teasing him."

Zhou Shuren hummed. He had wanted to open the boxes when he got home, but seeing the expressions on his sons’ and grandsons’ faces, he held back. He had a bit of a mischievous streak but more importantly, he wanted to educate his sons and grandsons. In the capital, one must always guard against hastiness no matter the situation.

Zhou Shuren glanced over his sons and grandsons. The oldest son was slow to understand. Chang Li and the others realized their father was teaching them a lesson.

Among the grandsons, Mingyun and Ming Rui reacted, but Ming Teng’s thoughts were still fixed on the boxes. He hadn’t truly listened to his grandfather’s words!

Zhou Shuren took note of Ming Teng’s reaction; as for the eldest, he had gotten used to that attitude.

Two boxes containing twenty thousand Silver Taels was not a small amount. Zhou Shuren wasn’t foolish enough to unpack the boxes himself, he called Mingyun and Ming Rui, pointedly not calling Ming Teng.

This made Ming Teng anxious, "Grandfather, let me help you too."

Zhou Shuren huffed, "You just stand there and behave."

Ming Teng was dumbfounded, he didn’t understand where he went wrong. Clearly, his grandfather intended to teach him a lesson. He looked at his father with confusion but quickly averted his gaze. His father was unreliable; it was his second and third uncles who were dependable.

Chang Yi couldn’t help but chuckle and whispered something into Ming Teng’s ear. Ming Teng shrank his neck, whimpering, fearing that his grandfather’s memory of this incident signaled the end of his good days.

The chests were quickly opened. Since the lower-grade chests wouldn’t be overly extravagant even if they were hit, even if they all turned out to be hits, it wouldn’t be too stimulating.

Zhou Shuren wasn’t foolish. Just because the Emperor didn’t stop him didn’t mean he was going to court death. He truly wouldn’t risk putting only unique items.

Zhou Shuren and Zhulan were well aware, but Zhou’s family sons were caught off guard.

Aside from Chang Zhong being too young to understand, the rest stared at Father, dumbstruck. They were genuinely shocked. Father, this was a rigged operation and so blatantly at that!

Chang Lian’s teacup dropped onto the table, his hand shaking slightly, "Father, isn’t this going too far?"

It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen much. He was truly shocked!

Chang Zhi swallowed hard. The old man was indeed one who, if silent, is silent but shocks the world with a thunderous sound when he speaks. This was too astonishing; no one would naively think it was just good luck. It was clearly premeditated!

Zhou Shuren looked disdainfully at Chang Lian, "You have spent many days in the Hanlin Academy and even entered the palace recently. Did the Emperor say anything?"

Chang Lian recalled carefully, "No, nothing."

Zhou Shuren, "Well, there you have it. Do you think you could hide everything from the Emperor? If he truly wanted to warn me, your father, he would have sent a message through you long ago."

Chang Lian swallowed hard, genuinely frightened, "The Emperor knows?"

Zhou Shuren said somberly: "In this capital, the Emperor knows everything he wants to. I, your father, have my limits. Moreover, the Emperor is very pleased with this round of blind bidding. These chests can be considered a reward for me."

He had accrued many achievements in the past six months. Constant rewards from the Emperor wouldn’t look good; first, it would attract too much jealousy, and second, the Emperor also fears that there will eventually be no more rewards to give.

These he did not tell his sons. It was, after all, a tacit understanding between monarch and subject. Of course, it mainly stemmed from Zhou Shuren’s understanding that if he did not take measures himself, the Emperor truly wouldn’t reward him.

After hearing his father’s explanation, Chang Lian was finally at ease. His father was a sly old fox—ahem, one shouldn’t speak of father that way. With his mind now set at ease, he was in the mood to look at the antiques and paintings being unpacked from the chests.

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, calculating the Silver amount for each item. Excitement shone in his eyes. Excluding the items kept for family inheritance, there were still over thirty thousand Silver Taels to deal with. By this turnover, he not only gained items but also earned an extra ten thousand Taels.

This was because he hadn’t been completely heartless. Otherwise, he would have earned even more—a feeling akin to spending twenty thousand Taels and gaining the worth of sixty thousand, though it was closer to fifty thousand this time.

Zhou Shuren didn’t disclose the exact figures to his sons. He had the young servant tidy up the chests, which were to be reused. That’s right, even after buying the chests and unpacking them, they needed to be sent back to the Ministry of Revenue.

This form of blind bidding would definitely continue in the future, hence the necessity for recycling. He was a very thrifty person, after all.

Once the antique paintings that were unpacked were sealed and stored properly, Zhulan kissed Zhou Shuren, "This time the Silver came quickly; it’s just a pity it was a one-off deal."

Zhou Shuren chuckled, "We’ve already taken a huge advantage. Minister Xiao dared to join in because he has truly worked hard and earned his keep over the years. As long as he’s not greedy, the Emperor will turn a blind eye, but if he gets greedy, the Emperor won’t be merciful."

Zhulan naturally understood, "Just watch, the New Year is approaching, and some merchants will definitely launch a blind bidding. Nevertheless, it’s still better to exercise some control, such as allowing only those with approval to operate, to prevent chaos from arising. Some rewards and punishments also need to be perfected to prevent unscrupulous merchants from coveting the common people’s Silver."

Zhou Shuren kissed his wife’s somewhat chubby face, "I’ve already thought about that and have written a Zhezi to submit."

Zhulan smiled, "That’s good."