Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 693: Surprise_1

Chang Lian and Rongchuan held their wine glasses, with Chang Lian speaking first, "Thank you, Mother."

Rongchuan followed, "Aunt, you have worked hard over these years."

Zhulan drank the wine in her glass happily, for tomorrow Rongchuan and Chang Lian were to take office. The alcohol content wasn’t high, so Zhulan drank several glasses without issue.

While the Zhou family in the capital ate joyfully, the Zhou family in Jinzhou Province, particularly the main branch, was far from happy.

Lady Li held a discipline ruler with one hand propping on the table, sweating profusely, "You little rascal, stop right there for your mother."

Ming Teng looked at the discipline ruler and gulped, "Mother, when did you have this ruler made? No, no, that’s not right. Aren’t you supposed to slap me? Why the change this time?"

He had gotten used to being slapped; he really wasn’t afraid. Ming Rui was right, just tough it out and it’d be over. But the discipline ruler was different; it would blossom on his butt—he would be a fool not to dodge.

Lady Li felt the ruler was particularly satisfying to hold, caressing it, "This discipline ruler was delivered by Jingyan at noon. At the time, I was puzzled, but it turns out you were the reason."

When she received the ruler, she was trembling, thinking the Family Head was dissatisfied with her. She reflected deeply, wondering if she had done anything outrageous, putting so much thought into it her head ached without coming to any conclusion. At this point, Lady Li became furious; couldn’t Jingyan have said just one more word, would that have killed him?

When she nervously asked him, Jingyan’s response was profound, telling her she would understand in the evening. Now that she thought about it, her heart ached—it was all Ming Teng’s fault!

In the second wife’s quarters, Ming Rui had finished dinner and took a bowl to fill with some braised pork, also picking some chicken meat—the bowl quickly filled up.

Lady Zhao was particularly familiar with her son’s actions, "Is that for Ming Teng?"

Ming Rui nodded, "Second aunt must have given only plain rice to Second Brother again."

Lady Zhao nearly laughed. The eldest sister-in-law’s tactic was very effective on Ming Teng, who could never have enough meat, but she couldn’t bear to see her son go hungry. Every time she gave only rice, Ming Rui would secretly bring meat to Ming Teng from the second wife’s quarters.

Yushuang chuckled, "Second Aunt must know you bring meat for Ming Teng."

Ming Rui hugged the bowl, "The second aunt may seem careless on the surface, but she knows what’s going on in her heart. Mother, I’m off to find Second Brother."

Lady Zhao, "Slow down running, it’s getting dark; don’t fall."

Ming Rui was already off, "Got it."

In the main courtyard, Chang Zhong was enjoying his small meatballs, "Dad, I want to eat small meatballs again tomorrow morning."

Zhou Shuren smiled warmly watching his son, his cheeks puffed while eating, thinking his son was so adorable, "Alright, whatever you want to eat, we will make it."

The little boy ate quite a lot, more than a bowlful, and drank all the soup. After eating, he grew lazy, "Dad, when is Mom coming back?"

Zhou Shuren wiped his son’s hands with a cloth, "It will still be a few days."

The little boy, mentioning his mother, no longer cried, "How many days is a few days? Yesterday you said a few days, and today is still a few days."

Zhou Shuren pinched his son’s little nose, "About six or seven days."

Chang Zhong counted on his fingers and then lifted both hands, "So many, many days?"

Zhou Shuren kissed his son’s cheek, too adorable, "Alright, Daddy will tell you a story."

He wouldn’t tell his son that if all went well, he could take him to the capital to see Mom. Surprises needed to look like surprises. He initially didn’t want to submit the Zhezi so soon; his plan was to wait. But clearly, he wouldn’t be able to stay put much longer—it was time to up the ante!

Old Lady Liu came to carry the washbasin out and could hear the Family Head’s gentle storytelling drifting from the room. She thought to herself, the Family Head was truly gentle with the young master. With the mistress away from home, the Family Head looked after the young master personally, leaving her no room to help.

In the capital, at the Duke Ning Residence, Ning Zhixiang couldn’t concentrate on the book in his hands. His mind kept dwelling on his third uncle’s attitude towards the Tanhua; the warmth in his tone was too much, even more than he ever showed him!

After Uncle came back to life, he seemed to treat me and my elder brother the same, yet I could feel it, Uncle favored my elder brother more!

Lady Yu carried in some fruit, "You’re still thinking about Uncle?"

With a deep sigh, Ning Zhixiang replied, "Yeah."

Lady Yu felt anxious inside. With the elder brother inheriting the Ning Residence’s title and even if it was demoted by one rank, it would still be a Marquis. Meanwhile, their second wife’s family would have nothing. "You should speak with Father about this. Uncle must have an heir too, right?"

Ning Zhixiang waved his hand, "Let’s wait."

What concerned him more now was the position of Third-rank Scholar. He was afraid of antagonizing Uncle!

Inside the Palace, the Emperor was in a particularly good mood. He would get to see his son tomorrow. It had been days since they’d met, and the Emperor was constantly thinking about him.

The Emperor arrived at the Empress’s chambers and looked at the meal laid out on the table, "What’s the celebration for today?"

This was a meal personally cooked by the Empress herself.

The Empress’s eyes curved as she smiled, taking a handkerchief to wipe the Emperor’s hands, "Third Brother met Rongchuan and the Zhou family’s young Miss today. Third Brother said the Zhou family’s young Miss appears better than described in the papers and also mentioned that she is very well-suited for our son. Yes, Third Brother commented that she’s even more beautiful than her portrait."

The Emperor took the Empress’s hand and sat down, "Zhou Shuren’s daughter is indeed quite impressive."

He knew more, as the Empress only focused on their son, while he looked at the bigger picture. He knew about the cloth shop incident.

He liked the young lady’s composed and calm demeanor. However, his opinion of Ning Zhixiang had dropped quite a bit since seeing how his wife looked at her husband. No wonder the Empress had never liked Lady Yu or wished to summon her. He previously thought it was just an issue of personal chemistry, but now he realized that a woman’s intuition was incredibly accurate. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

The Empress picked up some food for the Emperor, "I’m thinking of finding a chance to meet with Zhou Shuren’s wife and daughter after Rongchuan settles into his official duties."

The only issue was finding a proper pretext; Zhou Shuren’s rank was somewhat low, and she, as the Empress, couldn’t just casually summon the families of officials. Her every action could impact the former dynasty; too many concerns were at play.

The Emperor recalled the Zhezi submitted by Zhou Shuren regarding the planning of Prefecture City. The Zhezi was very detailed, showing Zhou Shuren had conducted extensive research, even noting the exact number of idle laborers during the summer and tracking changes in commodity prices. The Emperor found it quite satisfactory, as a well-planned Prefecture City would facilitate development and prevent many problems.

The Emperor smiled, "Zhou Shuren has sent a Zhezi; I plan to summon him to the capital for a detailed discussion."

The Empress was delighted, "That would be wonderful indeed."

The Emperor wouldn’t summon someone to the capital without good reason; it only implied that Zhou Shuren’s suggestions had struck a chord with the Emperor. She wouldn’t need to puzzle over how to meet with Lady Zhou and her daughter anymore.

Early the next morning, Chang Lian and Rongchuan dressed in their official robes, and Zhulan felt a wave of emotion. The imperial robes of the current dynasty were truly beautiful.

Lady Dong and Yushuang bid the officers farewell at the gate, returning home chatting and laughing together.

Lady Dong walked with a certain briskness; although she didn’t have an imperial command just yet, she was confident it would come soon. She had faith in her husband, "Mother, my husband has left."

Yet Lady Dong also expressed her concern, "Mother, do you think my husband will be bullied?"

Zhulan didn’t know if he would be bullied, but she was aware that with Rongchuan around, they would likely benefit, "Don’t worry so much; you’ll know when he comes back."

Lady Dong, "Mother, I’ll get back to my duties then."

But the worry in her heart lingered, and as she looked up at the sky, it seemed as though time was moving slowly.

In the Hanlin Academy, Chang Lian and Rongchuan dismounted from their carriage. Chang Lian tried to boost his own spirits; this was where his career would begin, "Let’s go, we should head inside."

Rongchuan, with a solemn expression, replied, "Hmm."