Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1255: Opportunity

The Retired Emperor couldn’t do anything now, but it was Zhou Shuren who brought him peace of mind, and upon seeing the heavy snow, he instead said, "Auspicious snow heralds a bountiful year; next year will surely be a good sign."

Zhou Shuren tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Hmm."

Inside the palace, the Empress watched as the palace maid brought back some soup, falling silent. It was the Emperor’s favorite soup. The Empress looked out the window, the heavy snow obscuring her vision, just as she found it increasingly difficult to see through the Emperor.

The Female Officer spoke, "Your Majesty, it’s cold outside, better close the window."

The Empress stepped back, waiting for the palace maid to close the window, unable to resist thinking of her father’s message — her son must be the Crown Prince. If not the Crown Prince, how would her legitimate son survive in the future?

The Empress felt distressed. How had the gap between herself and the Emperor grown so deep? If it was still like before, she would not be suffering so much now.

The Empress fell into deep thought, and by the time she returned to her senses, everyone in the hall had left. She didn’t know when the Emperor had arrived; he was sitting by the window, watching the snowy scene.

The Empress collected herself, "Greetings to the Emperor. When did you arrive? Why didn’t you call for me?"

The Emperor’s eyes were complex. He had been married to the Empress for many years and had never seen her so perplexed. He hadn’t even heard the greeting of the palace maid when he came in.

The Emperor waved his hand, "Come, sit here."

The Empress walked over, gazing at her husband. The most beautiful moments in a man’s life, and yet she was no longer young. The thought frightened her, and the idea of continuously emerging new flowers in the palace made her heart sour, bitterness unconsciously appearing in her eyes.

The Emperor sighed. Why hadn’t he communicated with the Empress? He was disappointed in his wife; she did not trust him.

The Emperor took the Empress’s hand, noticing the scars on her hands that were from personally making soup, "You are my Empress, my wife, the only one who can accompany me to the grave."

No other words followed from the Emperor. This was his wife. He had been disappointed, but he had also reflected on himself.

The unrest and fear in the Empress’s heart, the direction she had struggled to find, finally settled with the Emperor’s words. She finally faced her own identity, "Me."

The Emperor raised his hand to stop her from saying more; some words were better left unsaid.

Tears blurred the Empress’s eyes; this was an opportunity given by the Emperor.

In the blink of an eye, five days had passed. The heavy snow from five days ago hadn’t lasted, and although the snow had melted, it took the warmth with it, the temperature dropping significantly these few days.

Zhulan went to Qin Prince Residence, and today coincidentally was Rongchuan’s day off.

Rongchuan and Xue Han personally welcomed her at the entrance. Zhulan said, "There’s no need for you to welcome me each time."

Xue Han helped her mother off the carriage, "You are our mother."

Moved by these words, Zhulan felt herself becoming more sentimental, "Good, good, I am your mother."

Xue Han grinned, "It’s really great that you could come, Mother. You’ve also saved daughter!"

Zhulan understood; her daughter had also received the card.

When Zhulan met with the Empress Dowager, there were many portraits on the table in front of the Empress Dowager. Zhulan glanced at them briefly and averted her gaze to pay her respects.

The Empress Dowager said, "Come here. These past few days, from what Xue Han told me about the stories you have shared, I’ve realized your stories are better compared to the storybooks."

Zhulan was amused. Naturally, she had modern thoughts.

The Empress Dowager looked at the portraits on the table, mumbling, "These people, sending portraits to the Qin Prince Residence as if they think the Prince Qin is to take a concubine!"

Zhulan understood. These portraits were all for the Emperor. Glancing through them, there were indeed many.

The Empress Dowager observed the expression of Mrs. Yang. The Zhou family was all about monogamy. She mentioned Prince Qin and Mrs. Yang didn’t react, becoming all the more mysterious the more one knew her. Indeed, keeping such a tight grip on Zhou Shuren, she couldn’t possibly be simple.

Empress Dowager continued, "I don’t even interfere with the Qin Prince Residence, so why would I meddle in the affairs of the harem? I certainly don’t want to be a disliked mother-in-law."

Zhulan knew that this was the Empress Dowager giving her a hint, evidently the Empress Dowager liked Xue Han very much, "You have always been a good mother-in-law."

Empress Dowager was pleased; if her eldest son hadn’t been the Crown Prince, she would have been even less inclined to interfere, how nice it would be for everyone to be at ease, "Do you have any new stories? If so, tell me one."

Zhulan thought the Empress Dowager was quite adorable at that moment, "Do you want one with a happy ending, or a sad one?"

Empress Dowager, having seen many stories with happy endings, said, "A sad one."

Then, when Zhulan was leaving, Empress Dowager’s eyes were red from crying, and Zhulan, facing the Retired Emperor who had returned earlier, walked straight without diverting her gaze.

At night, Zhulan talked with her husband about the matter of the portrait, "The job of Empress is really too difficult."

Zhou Shuren said, "That’s just your opinion."

Zhulan hummed and added, "I heard from our daughter that lately the Empress has changed a lot, paying more attention to her son and the Emperor."

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, "That’s good, I actually hope the Empress can continue being smart like this."

Zhulan continued, "Let’s hope. By the way, I plan to buy two properties about the same size as the one we currently live in."

"You make the decision; it’s just that real estate in the capital is limited, and it’s not easy to buy property there now."

Zhulan naturally knew that the capital was the political center, and in recent years the influx of people had peaked, resulting in a shortage of properties and a steep rise in prices.

Zhulan said, "My friend, Mrs. Liu, Ning Zhiqi’s mother-in-law, her family wants to sell their property, and I want to buy it."

Zhou Shuren was surprised, "The Liu family, huh? I didn’t hear of any trouble; why are they selling the property?"

Zhulan explained, "Every family has its own difficulties. The property is Mrs. Liu’s mother’s dowry, and with many sons in the family, the daughters-in-law all have their scheming minds, all wanting the property from the old lady. Annoyed by their nagging, the old lady decided to sell the property to stop them from coveting it further."

Zhou Shuren said, "Then buy it; our family isn’t afraid of trouble."

Zhulan responded, "Hmm."

In the following days, Empress Dowager visited the Zhou residence very often, each time leaving with red eyes. Zhulan wanted to switch to lighter reading material, but the Empress Dowager was not willing, soaking countless handkerchiefs with her tears, still favoring the tragedies.

Zhou Shuren then had to face the Retired Emperor’s hesitant gaze.

Zhou Shuren asked, "Why are you looking at me like this, Your Majesty?"

The Retired Emperor stared at Zhou Shuren, "Is your wife truly happy?"

"Happy, of course!"

Retired Emperor laughed, "Can happiness really involve so many sad stories?"

Every time his wife returned, she would reflect alone, tortured yet still longing to hear more, and he couldn’t persuade her otherwise. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Zhou Shuren said, "...My wife does have many cheerful stories too."

Retired Emperor thought Zhou Shuren’s brain was quite peculiar, and regarding Zhou Shuren, who treasured his wife like a jewel, Retired Emperor realized, Zhou Shuren was not a normal person either!

Zhou Shuren, "..."

No, what did you understand, Retired Emperor? He felt a bit panicked.

Leaving the government office, Zhou Shuren still recalled the Retired Emperor’s meaningful laughter, feeling it boded ill, and then he met Ran Zheng.

Ran Zheng said, "Shall we have a drink together?"