Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 938

Chapter 938: 938

Zhulan felt that the days this year sped by particularly fast, as if she had just celebrated her little granddaughter’s first full month, and before she knew it, the child had already reached her hundredth day and summer had arrived, with Zhou Shuren’s birthday already past.

Even though the hottest period of summer had not yet arrived, the sun was intensely strong, dazzling enough to make one’s head spin in the morning.

Zhulan lay in her rocking chair, enjoying the breeze fanned by her maid, with fruits from the low table within easy reach of her hand, but it was a shame she couldn’t eat anything too cold. As she thought about it, she began to feel drowsy.

"Granny, Granny."

Zhulan’s sleepiness vanished as she opened her eyes to see two little girls running in. "You two are the most energetic in our family. Tell me, what are you up to now, seeking out Granny?"

Yu Die, the older sister with the biggest ideas, ran over to coax, "Granny, Mom didn’t take us with her when she went out, and I wanted to visit my future brother-in-law’s home."

Yu Yi nodded vigorously, indicating she wanted to go as well.

Zhulan pinched Yu Die’s nose, "Acting cute won’t work on me."

Last time they went, it nearly scared Zhao’s soul out of her body. With so few people in the Hu family’s spacious residence, even though Hu Xia had sent young servants and maids over, the Hu family’s courtyard remained eerily empty, with the exception of an abundance of animals, especially the snakes awakening from hibernation.

The two little girls couldn’t sit still on their last visit and ran all over the place, resulting in an encounter with a small snake. Yu Die wasn’t scared, but the accompanied maid was petrified. The old nurse grabbed the two girls and ran, which also frightened Zhao who was not far away, to the point where she almost fainted.

As a result, Zhao didn’t dare take Yu Die with her when she went out, and even less so, Yu Yi, for fear of having to explain to Chu Chu if something happened.

Yu Die didn’t want to stay in the mansion; she wanted to go out. "Granny, Granny."

Zhulan’s heart didn’t soften, "I’ve been too indulgent with the two of you. Since you’re so energetic, from tomorrow you’ll start learning manners and discipline."

Of course, these words were meant to scare the granddaughters. The children were still young and being able to count was already good; learning to read too early and studying manners was also premature.

Yu Die didn’t dare to make a sound. Her brother wrote characters every day and had taught her some simple ones, but she still couldn’t remember them. Shaking her head like a rattle, she grabbed Yu Yi and ran outside.

Zhulan, seeing that the two little girls had not fallen, turned to old nurse Song and said: "Yu Die has less of a young lady’s manner about her than Ming Hui; she’s even more mischievous."

Nurse Song also felt that Miss Yu Die was lively, "This shows that the young miss is healthy."

Zhulan said, "There are no shortage of girls in the household, and each one has her own temperament. Yu Wen is already talking, not at all like Su Xuan’s nimble tongue. This girl won’t speak unless absolutely necessary, and only in desperation will she spit out a word."

Speaking of this, Zhulan laughed herself. Her little grandson Ming Jia was very much like Su Xuan. Ever since he had started talking, even if he couldn’t speak clearly, his little mouth was never idle. Each time he would be reprimanded by Yu Wen, and if he talked too much, he would certainly receive a slap.

The fraternal twins were especially amusing at this age. Ming Jia could already explore around with support, while Yu Wen would lie down with absolute refusal to sit. Whenever Ming Jia got down on the ground, Yu Wen would just lie there and watch.

Inside the Palace, Zhou Shuren, who had visited the Palace too many times to count in the past six months, sat in his chair eating fruit quite comfortably.

The Emperor leaned back in his chair, with the windows open behind him, the airflow within the hall was good and it wasn’t hot, "This year has truly flown by."

Zhou Shuren, who had enough of the Emperor’s calm proclamations about getting old, replied with a heart that barely skipped a beat, "Indeed, time flies. Before one knows it, my little granddaughter is already a hundred days old."

The Emperor said with a smile, "In a few months, you’ll be marrying off your daughter."

Zhou Shuren thought to himself, just look at how happy you are, knowing that your youngest son is getting married, "Indeed, I am quite reluctant to let her go."

The Emperor, without a daughter himself, could not relate and said with a laugh, "It’s not like she’s moving far away, she’ll still be in the capital. What’s there to be reluctant about?"

Zhou Shuren was at a loss for words—easy for you to say when you’re not the one standing in my shoes, he thought but managed to reply, "What Your Majesty says is true."

The Emperor’s thoughts drifted once again. For the first time in many years, he wasn’t worried about money; with a surplus in the national treasury, even a large expenditure still left him feeling at ease. Aside from the headache caused by several of his sons, affairs of state were relatively stress-free. "Your accomplishments at the Ministry of Revenue are all remembered by Us."

A thought struck Zhou Shuren. Was he about to get promoted? Then he dismissed the idea. It couldn’t be—it would be too fast. "It is all part of this minister’s duty," he responded.

The Emperor chuckled, "I truly do like your disposition."

Zhou Shuren thought for a moment before saying, "I am also fond of my own character."

He now spoke more freely than before, but he felt that the Emperor should reward him. In the past few months, he had kept the Emperor company in conversation and alleviated much of His Majesty’s stress!

As Zhou Shuren reflected on this, he recalled that each time he entered the Palace, both the Crown Prince and Eunuch Liu were exceptionally warm to him. He secretly thought, even though the Emperor remained quite rational, his advancing age meant that he sometimes showed signs of weariness and his emotions were more readily apparent.

That’s why the Emperor rarely met alone with any minister and even the princes seldom saw him; it was said that he didn’t even visit the harem anymore.

The Emperor asked again, "Your second son has been gone for half a year. Don’t you worry about him?"

Zhou Shuren replied, "I do worry. The sea is ever-changing. Sometimes I have nightmares; either the ship has capsized, or Chang Yi has run into trouble abroad. It was only after Chang Yi sent a letter back a few days ago that I felt somewhat at ease."

He wasn’t lying—he really did have nightmares, and it took several days to recover. Thankfully, a letter had arrived, but this rascal didn’t come back with the Xu family’s fleet; he stayed abroad, planning to return at the end of the year.

The Emperor thought of foreign lands, many places being scarcely populated. Then he thought about the flourishing maritime trade—how more and more daring people were venturing out, some striking gold, others returning home bankrupt. "Over the past two years, the number of foreigners settling down has increased. Pinggang even has a district now populated mostly by foreigners."

Zhou Shuren’s mouth twitched. He felt this was not good; simply buying a residence shouldn’t entitle one to stay. Plus, he thought too much Silver Coin had leaked into the national treasury—he was, after all, the one in charge of the money!

The Emperor might have appeared nonchalant, but his eyes never left Zhou Shuren. Internally he cursed the sly old fox. He had long noticed that unless he actively prodded, the old fox preferred to remain inert in his comfort zone. "Speak frankly, your thoughts," the Emperor said, "there are only the two of us here, sovereign and minister."

Zhou Shuren thought, easy for you to say! The issue was quite complicated, and he had long considered keeping silent. But meeting the Emperor’s gaze, and silently cursing him, he realized he had let his guard down too much. The Emperor must have been intentionally lowering it over the past few months—definitely on purpose; just look at the Emperor, never letting his guard down even for a moment, "I indeed have some thoughts."

The Emperor hummed affirmatively, and his posture shifted, "Speak."

Zhou Shuren organized his thoughts before saying, "With the development of maritime trade, foreigners will become aware of our continent’s riches. The increase in gold-diggers and settlers from afar over the past two years is evidence of this. Although the Imperial court has control over the number of settlers, many still come in secret. Even with surveillance, there will be oversights, compelling me to consider the possibility of issuing residence permits to these foreigners. Having permits with different levels where they would pay different amounts of Silver each year, and their rights to purchase houses and shops would also be controlled by the level of their permits. As for land, I believe it should not be available for purchase—only for lease, and just on a yearly basis."

Zhou Shuren paused before continuing, "There should also be laws targeting foreigners, or at the very least clear requirements upon issuing residence permits that they must abide by our laws. For foreign merchants, we should also implement a system of merchant permits that require a guarantee; this would help prevent some foreigners from scamming Silver and fleeing."

During his time in Jinzhou Province, there had been several incidences of foreigners posing as merchants, defrauding goods, and fleeing. There really were a lot of swindlers out there.