Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 972: Ran Lei

Chapter 972: Chapter 972: Ran Lei

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye a month had passed. The case of the assassination attempt was closed, and being shrewd, they found a scapegoat. The Emperor took the opportunity to clean house.

Originally, these matters had no connection to the Zhou family, who were very cautious, yet they somehow got entangled with the marriage arrangement set by the Zhou family.

Ran Zheng’s youngest son was arrested, accused of seizing farmers’ good land and accepting bribes, among other charges.

Zhulan handed Lady Qi a handkerchief, waiting for her to calm down. Zhulan’s first reaction upon hearing the news was disbelief; Ran Zheng’s teachings would never allow his son to do such things. After the shock, she was filled with dismay. Even the Ran family, who kept such a low profile, could not avoid trouble.

Lady Qi’s emotions stabilized after a while, and she stopped crying. Her throat was blistered from crying all night. She had only two sons, the eldest often away from home, while the youngest was the apple of her eye, "He’s been wronged, Ran Lei has never taken bribes, nor has he ever seized any good land. The land was purchased."

Zhulan asked, "Can the broker who handled the land purchase at the time, or anyone involved, still be found?"

As soon as she spoke, she realized how foolish the question was. How could they possibly be found?

Lady Qi, wiping away tears, said, "No broker was involved in the land purchase at that time; it was bought directly from a merchant. Who knew that it would turn into the seizure of farmers’ land, and even someone died."

Zhulan’s eyes widened. She hadn’t heard about someone dying in the incident from yesterday, "Who introduced that merchant?"

"Gone, they’re already gone."

Zhulan frowned, "This is a trap that was set for you to fall into!"

Lady Qi cried out again, "The land wasn’t even the merchant’s to begin with. We should never have looked for a bargain. That merchant gathering silver for a sea voyage, all were lies."

Zhulan too felt a chill hearing this. After the pirates were wiped out, the nearby seas had been calm, and even the distant sea pirates were laying low. This allowed more merchants in the capital to gather silver for sea voyages. In the past month, the Zhou family had also taken advantage of the situation to acquire some land.

Fortunately, the Zhou family was cautious and had Scholar Deng as a gatekeeper, verifying each transaction before proceeding.

The Ran family’s lack of caution allowed others to take advantage.

Zhulan inquired, "What did Mr. Ran say?"

Lady Qi, dabbing at her tears, replied, "The old master went to seek advice from friends. He has already greased palms yesterday, but with such concrete evidence, the old master can only try his best to find a solution."

She had gone to the Crown Prince’s residence immediately after the incident. She had even thought of returning to her parental home, but her husband forbade it. After finally breaking away from her family, she saw her daughter, who said she would speak to the Crown Prince about it. There was no news this morning, and so she thought of the Zhou family.

Zhulan frowned. If even Ran Zheng spoke so, it indicated the difficulty of the situation, especially with the evidence. Now, with not a single key person to be found, escaping the situation would be hard, "Don’t worry for now. Wait for Zhou Shuren to come back; I’ll ask him."

This was the very reassurance Lady Qi sought. Her husband did not want to ask the Zhou family for help, and she had come secretly. Mrs. Yang did not push her away, and for that Lady Qi was moved, "Thank you, truly, thank you. I really had no other choice."

Zhulan had never seen Lady Qi so destitute and comforted her, "You also need to stay strong. The Ran family’s inner courtyard is relying on you to hold it together, and Ran Lei’s wife must be in a state of panic right now!"

Lady Qi’s throat hurt from speaking, "She went back to her family for help, but the Liu family has no significant influence in the capital and can’t provide much assistance."

Initially, Mr. Ran had chosen wives for his two sons; the eldest son’s wife came from a respectable family, while the youngest son’s wife came from a significantly lower standing.

Zhulan wanted to ask about Ran Wan, whom her family had betrothed their eldest grandchild, but in the end, she couldn’t help it. Lady Qi’s thoughts were all on her son and had not yet thought of the family ties between them. Bringing it up would only upset her further.

After Lady Qi left, Lady Li came in with the news, "Mother, is Ran Wan’s father really in trouble?"

Zhulan, "Stop worrying."

Lady Li was very nervous, "Mother, given that Ran Wan and Mingyun have set the engagement, how can I not worry?"

She knew quite a lot; if Ran Wan’s father were to be convicted, Mingyun being the eldest grandchild of the Zhou family, the marriage would become problematic.

Zhulan was also troubled now. For Mingyun’s sake, Ran Lei really couldn’t get into trouble. The Zhou family was very satisfied with this marriage, not to mention the Crown Prince was involved.

Zhulan took a deep breath, "Worrying is useless, you should take care of yourself instead to prevent giving me concerns—that’s stronger than anything."

Lady Li could tell her mother-in-law was growing impatient and obediently closed her mouth, yet her heart remained restless.

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren had arranged for Mr. Lei, an official from the Ministry of Justice, to meet. He wanted to inquire in detail about Ran Lei’s case.

Wong Ju, due to the marriage alliance between the Zhou and Ran families, paid extra attention, "My father said Ran Lei isn’t the main target, it’s aimed at Ran Zheng."

Zhou Shuren was aware too, "Recently, several official positions have become vacant at court, hence there have been rumors that Ran Zheng will be appointed to an official post. Such unfounded speculations have already prompted some to take actions."

Wong Ju whispered, "It’s indeed quite precise; they’ve directly targeted Ran Zheng’s legitimate and eldest son, aiming not just to disrupt the marriage alliance with your family but also impede Ran Zheng’s official appointment. If Ran Lei is convicted, Ran Zheng will surely be implicated."

Zhou Shuren knew Wong Ju had more to say but kept silent because it involved the Crown Prince. If Ran Zheng was assigned an official post, it would undoubtedly increase the Crown Prince’s power. Having severed ties with the Qi family, Prince Chu was unwilling to see Ran Zheng appointed.

Wong Ju inquired, "Is the news about Ran Zheng’s appointment accurate?"

Zhou Shuren twitched his mouth, "It’s completely unfounded. Right now, Ran Zheng only wants to live quietly, yet a mere rumor has pushed the Ran family to the edge of a cliff."

Wong Ju trusted Zhou Shuren’s words, pulling a wry smile, "Ran Zheng really is wronged."

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, "Not really wronged, though. His daughter is the Crown Prince’s side consort, and that alone is enough."

He believed Ran Zheng had always been careful and cautious, always waiting for the right opportunity, yet an oversight had occurred despite myriad precautions.

Wong Ju was aware that Zhou Shuren had scheduled a meal with an official from the Ministry of Justice, preparing to offer help. He did not tell Zhou Shuren not to get involved. Ran Zheng had not sought help, yet Zhou Shuren was willing to offer it; Wong Ju found assurance in that. At least it indicated that should the Wong family encounter trouble in the future, Zhou Shuren would also lend a hand.

However, the Wong family would not assist Ran Zheng. With Ran Zheng involved with the Crown Prince and also connected to Prince Chu, the Wong family could not afford to muddle the waters, "I can only support you in spirit; I can’t help with anything else."

Zhou Shuren nodded, "I have my own clarity."

At the Crown Prince’s residence, Ran Yan had already cried the day before. As the legitimate elder sister, her age difference with her eldest brother was significant, so she did not have a particularly close relationship with him. Her second brother was more outgoing, and despite the age gap, he was willing to include her in his games, making their relationship the closest.

Last night, she had pleaded with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince had not made any promises but said he would investigate thoroughly and would not finalize the case rashly.

Without a definite assurance, she had not sent a reply to her mother, and could only anxiously await news.

Entering the room, the Crown Princess Consort saw Ran Yan’s swollen eyes. Ran Yan was tactful, so they got along well. With the Ran family in trouble, the Crown Princess Consort thought of her own brothers, who had almost been schemed against themselves on several occasions. She empathized with the Ran family’s plight, "Stop crying now, I won’t put you in a position to sympathize with the Crown Prince’s difficulties. Rest assured, the Crown Prince values Mr. Ran greatly. As long as your brother’s case is not settled, there’s room for maneuver."

Ran Yan wiped her tears. Had the Crown Princess Consort spoken hollow words, Ran Yan would have resented it. But as the Crown Princess Consort spoke the truth, Ran Yan felt grateful, "Thank you for your concern, Crown Princess Consort."

The Crown Princess Consort felt a heavy heart. The assassination attempt was a settled matter, but the struggle for power was becoming increasingly tense.