Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 902: No Mercy in Setting People Up

Chapter 902: Chapter 902: No Mercy in Setting People Up

Zhou Residence, although Zhulan wasn’t worried about Mingyun, Lady Li was extremely anxious. She tugged at her mother-in-law’s sleeve, "Mother, the Lau Residence has sent an invitation this time, can Mingyun really go by himself?"

When tugged, Zhulan stumbled slightly, but then she pulled her sleeve back from Lady Li’s grasp, "Mingyun is already thirteen this year, he’s a big kid now. You can relax, there’s nothing to worry about."

In Lady Li’s eyes, her eldest son was still a child, "He’s still young."

Zhulan just gave a noncommittal grunt and ignored Lady Li. She truly wasn’t worried about her eldest grandson. A grandson raised by Zhou Shuren since childhood, with the occasional guidance from her to cover any lapses, even if the Lau Residence had schemes, her grandson would be fine.

In the Lau Residence, Mingyun followed Lau Qi, going wherever he went.

Lau Qi’s mouth twitched, "Do you plan to keep following me the entire time?"

Mingyun straightened his sleeve, "If you’re going to trip me, who else would I follow if not you?"

Lau Qi spread his hands, "This isn’t what I intended. I’m just obeying my father, who has to listen to my grandfather. Everything is my grandfather’s idea."

Mingyun curled his lips, "Haven’t I told you before that my grandfather is especially protective?"

When Grandfather gets serious, even princes are part of his calculations. He truly didn’t believe the Lau family could withstand Grandfather’s scheming.

Lau Qi was also frustrated but helpless, "I want to become good friends with you, but I can’t help it, it’s my grandfather who’s the head of the family."

Mingyun had gathered quite a bit of information. The Lau family had close dealings with the Fourth Prince. The guests invited today included many youths from the Phang family clan; their intentions were too obvious, they wanted to rope him in.

Mingyun remained silent. The status of the Zhou family’s eldest grandson was indeed significant. He suddenly grabbed hold of Lau Qi’s Jade Pendant, "I think your jade pendant is quite nice, don’t you think?"

Considering that Lau Qi had not deceived him, he decided to be more magnanimous.

Lau Qi’s eyes rounded, tempted to curse, "This was given to me by my maternal grandfather!"

Of course, it was precious; there weren’t many pieces, and he was the only one among his maternal male cousins to receive one. Zhou Mingyun really had a dark heart.

Mingyun let go of the pendant, "My grandfather must be thinking about me at home. It’s getting late, I want to return to the mansion."

Lau Qi felt a twinge in his heart, "Are you intentionally trying to trap me?"

Mingyun snorted, "I considered you a brother, but you plotted against me first."

When he’d first arrived at the Lau Residence, everyone had been watching him. Had he not been quick-witted, he would have been surrounded by now; he had seen the wines laid out on the tables.

Enduring the heartache, Lau Qi knew he still had to attend the Academy. He didn’t want to ruin their relationship completely. His own grandfather liked to control everything, and his father, not yet the Family Head, had little say. Lau Qi removed the Jade Pendant, "Here, take good care of it."

Mingyun felt much more comfortable. Seeing someone coming to find them, he tugged at Lau Qi’s sleeve, all smiles, "Shall we go back together?"

Lau Qi clenched his teeth, "Sure."

At the Ning Duke Residence, Rongchuan sat off to the side, watching his father and his second uncle Ning Zhixiang bully Zhang Yang, while Grandfather laughed merrily.

Duke Ning passed some peeled sunflower seeds to Rongchuan, "Don’t just watch, have some seeds."

Rongchuan, "..."

Grandfather was pampering him like a child; all his cousins had to peel their own seeds!

Zhang Yang was already sweating profusely; it had been a financially draining year. Besides the thirtieth and first day of the new year, he barely stayed in the mansion. Starting from the second day, the rotation at Ning Zhixiang’s place didn’t end until they had won all of his silver coins.

He still couldn’t leave the house without silver. The silver he earned last time was running out, and if it weren’t for the New Year’s bonus, the days after would have been difficult.

Ning Xu glanced at the silver on the table, all of which would go to his son soon.

Zhou Family Village was bustling early in the morning, as today there was a big feast to treat the villagers to a meal, marking the official farewell day.

Xue Mei didn’t need to exert much effort, with many helping hands, and she also received blessings.

In the afternoon, after seeing off the villagers, Xue Mei stood motionless in the now clean and quiet courtyard, unlike her younger sister who saw and learned more during their family’s rise to prominence and still did well even in the capital, Xue Mei was different.

She married early, with modest desires, and was always feel grateful and content with her parents’ impartial love. She preferred the simplicity of life in the village.

Jiang Sheng personally escorted the Clan Leader back home and found his wife standing at the gate. Snowflakes drifted from the sky; she had been standing there for who knows how long, her clothes covered in snow, her face showing hints of frostbite. He hurried over, "Why aren’t you inside the house?"

Xue Mei smiled faintly, "I want to take a longer look at Zhou Family Village."

She was born in Zhou Family Village, grew up here, and had lived here for many years after getting married. She wanted to look as much as she could.

Jiang Sheng held his wife’s hand, "We’ll be back."

Xue Mei smiled and shook her head, "Mother and father mean it will be years before this storm passes. By then, Jiang Zhu will be sitting for the imperial examinations, and after that, getting married. We won’t be able to leave."

Jiang Sheng fell silent, knowing his wife was right. Holding her hand, he thought maybe he was not ambitious enough, only wanting to live a peaceful life, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Xue Mei changed the subject, "We sold the land and houses, and with the savings over the years, we have a considerable amount of silver. What do you think about buying some land when we get to the capital?"

It wasn’t her dowry; it was the savings accumulated over the years by the couple, made possible largely due to her father’s own success. This time she had been able to deal with everything that could be dealt with.

Jiang Sheng said, "We’ll do as you say at home."

After a pause, he added, "I’ll work hard to become a Graduate, and then I’ll try for the imperial service examination."

Xue Mei smiled, "Hmm."

In the capital, at the Zhou household, as soon as Mingyun returned, he went straight to making complaints. Zhou Shuren gestured for his grandson to rest and said to Zhulan, "The Fourth Prince has achieved great merit in Jianghuai, bringing many who were secretly allying themselves to openly take sides."

Zhulan asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Zhou Shuren said, "I’ll talk to Sir Lau. Sir Lau won’t be too concerned either. Now that everyone is openly taking sides, it’s a gamble that only allows for winning. The bet is laid on the Fourth Prince, and with the year over, it’s time to consider his ennoblement to king."

Zhulan was quite worried, "After the ennoblement, even more people will take sides. We need to pay extra attention to Mingyun’s betrothal to the Ran family."

She quite liked Ran Wan and certainly didn’t want the marriage arrangement to fail.

Zhou Shuren said, "I will talk more with Mingyun. Fortunately, the lad is only thirteen, not too old yet."

Zhulan did not say that her grandson should avoid receiving future invitations. That was not realistic. Her grandson was bound to face these situations sooner or later. It was better for him to gain experience while still young, in preparation for the future.

In the main house, Lady Li, seeing her eldest son return with a flush on his face, patted his back, "How much did you drink? Why can’t you be more careful? Can you drink outside carelessly?"

Mingyun inhaled sharply, the pain evident, "Mother, my face is flushed from the cold, honestly, I didn’t drink too much."

Lady Li awkwardly reached out to touch her son’s face, which was indeed very cold, "Then I also smell alcohol, so you did drink."

Mingyun removed his cloak to find his father pouring tea for him, looking up at the sky in resignation. In their main house, in front of him, his father acted less and less like a father. He quickly took the cup and poured it for himself, not daring to drink the tea poured by his father, "Father, I can do it