Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 699 Ning Er Ye_1

Zhou Shuren stretched his body, feeling much more comfortable, and took Zhulan’s hand. "You’ve worked hard."

Massaging is laborious work.

Zhulan, "Mine is nothing, you’re the one who’s had a tough day. Let’s go, the children are all waiting!"

"Mm."

At the dining table, Chang Lian and Rongchuan were chatting; both of them worked at the Hanlin Academy. It was inconvenient to talk much during the day, so they made up for it now that they were home without reservation.

When Zhou Shuren sat down, the two stopped their conversation. Seeing that his father looked in good spirits, Chang Lian said, "Father, we’ve prepared all your favorite dishes today."

Zhou Shuren looked at his daughter-in-law; it must have been her arrangement. "Yes, let’s eat."

Chang Lian really wanted to ask his father what the Emperor had discussed with him after spending nearly a full day in the Palace. He was excited and curious, itching to know, but his father would not tell him.

Zhou Shuren earnestly ate his meal. He had lunched at the Palace, and even though he had a thick skin, it was only polite to eat moderately, filling only seventy percent of his stomach. He was quite hungry now. He pretended not to notice Chang Lian’s occasional glances.

Zhou Shuren’s frequent visits to the Palace had already bolstered Chang Lian’s position in the capital. If he told Chang Lian what he was doing, the boy might get too cocky, which wouldn’t be good.

In the Palace, the Empress heard that the Emperor had kept Zhou Shuren for the day and mentioned that Zhou would be visiting the Palace more frequently. The Empress was startled, "Then I’ll wait to summon Mrs. Zhou to the Palace."

The Emperor pondered for a moment, "Yes, that’s good. It will be more fitting after the rewards are distributed for you to summon her."

The Empress didn’t ask further, realizing in her heart that Zhou Shuren must have done something to delight the Emperor immensely, warranting the rewards. It would also be a good opportunity for her to bestow some gifts, making Mrs. Zhou’s visit to the Palace to express gratitude all the more appropriate.

The Empress was already considering what to bestow. "Speaking of which, Rongchuan and Zhou Changlian do have a good relationship. You deliberately saved some pastries for Zhou Changlian when giving out rewards."

The Emperor had a favorable impression of Zhou Changlian, "This Third Prince is not given his title for nothing; he’s quite protective of Rongchuan."

Zhou Changlian was more polished than Rongchuan and had looked out for him often at the Hanlin Academy. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

The next day, Zhou Shuren went to the Palace as usual while Chang Lian and Rongchuan went to the Hanlin Academy, where the people they knew greeted them even more warmly than before.

Chang Lian and Rongchuan exchanged a glance. Chang Lian thought that although the capital was large, news spread incredibly fast. Everything was because his father had spent a day at the Palace, and if people knew his father was visiting the Palace again today—well, it might not have been low-key before, but now they were certainly the highest profile.

Upon arriving at the Palace, Zhou Shuren came at the appointed hour only to find that today’s class had several additional students. Hm?

The Emperor saw right through his sons’ intentions—they had heard the news and thus showed up.

With an inward scoff, the Emperor said, "All right, I understand what you’ve said. You may leave now."

The Second Prince, "...."

He had reported all the news he could withhold to have an excuse to stay. Now it felt like he had abandoned his child, er, thrown away a meat bun. No description felt quite right, and he certainly felt like he had lost big time!

The Third Prince wasn’t too disappointed; he was just here for the excitement. Staying would have been a pleasant surprise, but he wasn’t alone if he had to leave!

Prince Yuguang watched the Crown Prince, unable to suppress the sourness in his heart. Well, everything good always seemed to belong to the Crown Prince!

Zhang Jinghong was purely dragged along. Who dragged him? The Second Prince, and now he was nothing but a hanger-on behind the Second Prince!

Zhou Shuren thought to himself that fortunately, the students had not changed. If there were more princes, he wouldn’t have felt much pressure; he was just worried that in the future, the Second, Third, and Fourth Princes might take advantage and he would have to expend energy dealing with them!

Despite how the princes seem to be rather detached in their bickering, that’s because the Emperor’s health is robust, an apparent sign of longevity. For now, they naturally keep to themselves, with the presence of the fake Fifth Prince reminding them of the unclear forces at play—a common enemy, albeit an ununited one, that’s barely manageable.

But later, when the time comes to act, they will certainly show no mercy.

Zhou Shuren felt weary in his heart. Now that he had arrived at the capital, he knew he couldn’t avoid involvement. Maybe he could delay it day by day; fortunately, the Emperor did not wish to drag him into the fray. He felt that, in part, he owed this to Rongchuan’s influence.

The Second Prince and some others left the government hall.

The Third Prince came up to the Second Prince, "Second Brother, you should be smiling. This is the Palace, after all. Are you displeased with Father Emperor, or with the Crown Prince?"

Zhang Jingyang stopped in his tracks, "You’re wrong about everything. I’m displeased with you. Now take this word and ’scram’!"

The Third Prince was stunned; it was the first time he had been scolded so directly, and his face immediately turned ashen.

The Fourth Prince was still grinning, "Third Brother, it’s all fun and games when it’s time to be cheeky, but when it’s not, you’re truly asking for it. You’d better learn your lesson!"

With that, the Fourth Prince swiftly walked away.

Zhang Jinghong, trying to make himself inconspicuous, also quickly departed. He knew that the news repressed by the Second Prince, if delivered alone, would surely bring a reward. Although he missed out on the reward this time, he didn’t linger.

Furthermore, Zhang Jinghong was well aware that the Second Prince’s anger stemmed from the Emperor using this incident to chastise his sons, with the Crown Prince still firmly in his position. The Second Prince was unwilling to accept this. Of course, he had been resentful himself when he was a Prince—why should the Crown Prince be the Crown Prince!

Zhang Jingyang was extraordinarily furious. Lately, the Emperor only visited the empress consort’s chambers when he went to the harem, and his mother had not seen the Emperor for a long time. He couldn’t dwell on it and quickly strode away.

In the afternoon, Chang Lian and Rongchuan left the Hanlin Academy. Chang Lian said, "Let’s not go home yet. I’ve ordered a book that has arrived. We’ll detour to pick up the book before we head home."

Rongchuan had no objections, "Alright, I want to see if there are any books I need as well."

At this hour, the bookstore was not crowded. Chang Lian received the book he had ordered—a restock due to high demand. After examining the book and seeing no issues, he paid the remaining Silver Coin.

Chang Lian approached Rongchuan with his book, "Did you pick a travelogue?"

Rongchuan nodded, "Yes, I find it quite interesting and wanted to read more."

Chang Lian casually picked up a book next to him. It was also a travelogue, but he had no interest in these and put it back after a glance.

Rongchuan quickly made his selection and paid with Silver, "Third Brother, let’s go!"

"Alright."

After they left the bookstore, Chang Lian got into the carriage first. Rongchuan handed his book to Chang Lian but dropped it. He bent down to pick it up, then climbed into the carriage.

Ning Xu saw everything clearly and froze. When he snapped back to reality, the carriage in front had already turned the corner, "Hurry, follow them!"

Ning Xu had been drinking and was resting with his eyes closed when he heard his second brother shout. Startled and suddenly sober, he asked, "Second Brother, what happened?"

Beyond caring to explain to his younger brother, Ning Xu urgently peered through the carriage curtain, but due to the crowded streets, catching up was difficult. By the time they reached the crossroads, there were too many carriages, and the coachman was confused, "Second Master, which carriage should we pursue?"

Ning Xu had only paid attention to faces and not to the carriage itself; he was at a loss.

Twitching at the corner of his mouth, Ning Xu snapped, "Second Brother, who exactly are you trying to chase?"