Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 990: Rong Family

Chapter 990: Chapter 990: Rong Family

The Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren tiredly looked at the Silver requested by the Ministry of Works. In the past, he was the most eager to invest Silver in the Ministry of Works, but now his heart was bleeding. "If I recall correctly, this would be the third request this month, wouldn’t it?"

Zhang Jinghong, seeing the amount, also felt his heart leap. The Ministry of Works was indeed burning through Silver. "Yes, it’s the third time already."

Zhou Shuren felt his heart couldn’t take it. Ever since the Emperor had given his approval, the Ministry of Works had been using all its strength, and as a result, the Silver in the national treasury was dwindling bit by bit. "What does the Chief of Staff say?"

Zhang Jinghong bowed his head, "If the Chief of Staff had anything to say, it wouldn’t have been presented to your lordship."

Zhou Shuren fell silent. Out of sight, out of mind for the Chief of Staff, who didn’t want to write any report and left it to him. "The Ministry of Works can’t just keep burning through Silver."

He was genuinely troubled now. Before, he could still chat and drink tea with Mr. Fang, but now he avoided Mr. Fang.

Every month as Zhang Jinghong tallied the outflow of Silver, his heart and liver ached—a pain only understood by those who serve in the Ministry of Revenue.

Zhou Shuren pressed down on the application. "Fine, leave it with me. I shall write a Zhezi shortly."

Zhang Jinghong continued, "My lord, the levy for the temporary residence certificates collected from foreigners will be brought into the capital in two days."

Zhou Shuren acknowledged with a grunt, his heartache not the slightest bit eased. This policy change caused some foreigners to protest and leave, so the collected Silver didn’t really solve anything.

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard. He thought more detailed classifications and taxes on various goods might work, but the current Maritime Affairs Administration wasn’t up to the task. A couple of specialized tax departments within the Ministry of Revenue could be established.

However, his enthusiasm quickly faded. For now, it was best to just keep a low profile, he had already put forward many ideas, so he should hold back. Chang Lian was still growing too slowly; if he had progressed faster, his previous accomplishment that was yielded to the Emperor could have instead been credited to Chang Lian.

Plucking at his beard, Zhou Shuren grew anxious. It would be after the next year’s assessments before Chang Lian would leave the capital. He winced, plucking several hairs from his beard!

In the Palace, the Emperor, after a long pause, eventually spoke. "I have always asked your great-grandmother why I couldn’t see him, and later I thought I would meet him when he was ill. But instead of seeing him, I just earned your great-grandmother’s sympathy and never laid eyes on him. As I grew older, I learned to play the fool."

Especially after his mother’s death, as people around him vanished one by one, he forced himself to feign ignorance, for only by living could there be a future.

The Crown Prince knew of whom his father was speaking–his grandfather, who his father refused to address. In former days, when his father rebelled, the reigning Emperor was enraged and even used the threat of the Zhang family from the capital to coerce his father, who paid no heed, ultimately leading to the extermination of the Zhang family by the reigning Emperor.

All of this, he knew from his mother’s recounting. His mother had told him how his father had taken revenge with the aid of the former Emperor and constructed a dynasty of his own. Later, he especially built a tomb solely for his great-grandmother.

The Emperor looked at the Crown Prince. "Back then, there were battles everywhere. You were quite mischievous in your youth, and frequently ill. I also stayed with you all night once, and I thought, you would be glad to see me when you awoke. Indeed, the moment you did, you dove straight into my arms."

The Crown Prince’s memory was blurry; his father was probably referring to when he was two or three years old. The Crown Prince, thinking of how his own son reacted when ill, felt tenderness in his eyes.

The Emperor lamented, "In just a blink, so many years have passed. I’ve been the Emperor for almost twenty years. As one grows old, one yearns for the people in their memories. Your great-grandmother was a woman of great wisdom. In those days, she left me with so many contingencies that I’ve been able to reach where I am today."

Seeing his father willing to talk, the Crown Prince grew curious, "Father, what kind of person was my great-grandmother?"

The Emperor’s smile deepened. "Back in the day, your great-grandmother was in an arranged marriage with the Zhang family. At that time, the Rong family’s patriarch, your maternal uncle, had perished, and your great-grandmother had just conceived me. She knew something was amiss and began making secret preparations, sending people out of the royal residence under various pretenses."

The Emperor’s smile disappeared, as he continued, "The main branch of the Rong family met with one misfortune after another, and in the end, a great fire consumed the Rong home. Now, the empty space in the capital is where the Rong family used to be, a place your imperial grandmother cannot leave behind."

The Emperor closed his mouth, not wanting to continue. How his mother had died, he didn’t know, he only knew that after he had left for a short while and returned, his mother had passed away, her eyes unshut in death. He still remembered receiving the letter written in blood, which his mother had prepared for him long before. By the time he received it, the blood on the letter had changed color, but he could still feel his mother’s hatred.

Seeing the Emperor close his eyes and fall silent for real, the Crown Prince reflected on the Rong family—his knowledge of them was limited. The decade of war had shrouded much, and as noble families rose and fell, the Rong family had become a thing of the past, even if they had left a deep mark in history.

In the evening, Chang Lian was frustrated, "Father, where did I go wrong?"

Zhou Shuren hummed, "You are maturing too slowly."

So slowly that he felt constrained, as if bound and uncomfortable.

Chang Zhi wished he could lower his head into his rice bowl. His eldest brother was already impressive enough and known throughout the capital, but if even his third brother was being criticized by their father, then he must be even more disapproved of. The more he thought, the lower his head dipped.

Zhou Shuren’s gaze swept over to Chang Zhi, "Luckily your rice bowl isn’t big, otherwise, would you have dunked your whole head in it?"

Chang Zhi quickly lifted his head and then sat up straight to eat.

Zhou Laoda shrank his neck; his father had just glanced at him and had said nothing, which pleased him.

Luckily for Zhou Laoda, he didn’t realize that his father had no expectations of him at all!

Zhou Shuren stared at Chang Zhi until he was too afraid to move, and then he spoke, "Next year you must take part in the provincial examination, and if all goes well, you should be in the capital to participate in the metropolitan examination at the beginning of the following year."

Chang Zhi was still confident, "Father, I am ready."

Zhou Shuren said, "I remember you promised to earn the top scorer title for our family, I haven’t remembered wrong, have I?"

Chang Zhi remained silent, as Chang Xhong interjected, "Father, that was me. I said I would become the top scorer."

Zhou Shuren tapped his youngest son on the forehead, "You always have something to say."

Chang Zhi looked with envy at his younger brother, whom their father treated kindly, "Father, it was me who said that."

Zhou Shuren uttered a sound of affirmation, "Then I shall wait for you to return as the top scorer."

Chang Lian cast a sympathetic look at Chang Zhi. His own examination year had not been particularly competitive, but this year, if he counted: the Ran family’s eldest grandson Ran Xun, his father’s disciple Meng Jie, Wu Ning’s husband He Shu—these were just the known ones, not to mention the children of aristocratic families in the capital whom he was less familiar with.

Adding in those from Jiangnan, this year’s examination would be deadly competitive. He felt it was unwise to hold too high of hopes.

As they prepared for bed at night, Zhulan asked, "What’s wrong with you today?"

"I’m just frustrated. The Ministry of Revenue is short of silver, very short. I have ideas but can’t speak of them. I can only worry about the treasury, where each Silver Coin is being split in half to spend. So I thought, if my two sons could help, the credit would go to them, which should fast-track their futures and help me solve some of the financial issues."