Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 542 Profoundly Skilled_1

In the main courtyard, Zhulan was helping her son learn to walk when Xue Han returned. Zhulan asked, "Why didn’t you stay with the young guests from the Jiang Residence?"

Xue Han casually took her younger brother into her arms. "Mother, I’m their elder. Although we’re not that many years apart, being around the children from the Jiang family was too formal, so I found an excuse to leave," she replied.

Zhulan trusted her daughter’s judgment of character. "You have met these two children too. What do you think of them after this encounter?"

Xue Han kissed her brother on the cheek. "They’ve changed a lot. They used to speak with arrogance, but now they restrain themselves, especially Mumu, who speaks very cautiously. The capital really is a place that knocks people down; Mumu must have been bullied."

In the capital, without a powerful family background, being good-looking just makes one a target for bullying.

Zhulan had noticed it too. When the Jiang family had just returned to the capital, those two children always held their heads high. "What about Muchen? What do you think of him?"

Xue Han wasn’t stupid and caught on quickly. "Did the Jiang family come because of Yushuang?"

Zhulan smiled. Her daughter’s thoughts matched her own; she too suspected it was because of Yushuang. Not to mention that despite the eldest and the second being similar, they were still different. The main branch had an outstanding eldest grandson and two other sons. There were more eyes on Yushuang, "Tell me what you observed."

This involved her niece, so Xue Han recalled carefully, "He has good manners, talks and chats appropriately, and has an eye for adjusting the atmosphere. He takes good care of Mumu. As for the rest, I didn’t interact enough to see anything else. Speaking of which, there are quite a few people asking me about Yushuang and Yu Lu."

Her status as the legitimate daughter of the Zhou Residence was of no use. Everyone’s attention had shifted to her two nieces.

Zhulan fell silent, "There are even more asking about Mingyun."

Xue Han murmured, "....In the blink of an eye, they’ve all grown up."

Then she blushed. If her nephew and niece were to be betrothed, it would be her turn to marry soon. With a flushed face, she remembered that Rongchuan had bought another shop.

Zhulan pinched her daughter’s cheek. The girl was surely thinking of Rongchuan. Speaking of Rongchuan, he and Shi Qing were now best of friends. Shi Qing was resourceful and could never stay idle. In Jinzhou Province for a year, he made many acquaintances using his collection; he didn’t want to give away the real valuables, but the imitations he copied were also superb. Rongchuan was the one doing this business, and Shi Qing was his very own God of Wealth!

In the evening after dinner, Chang Lian brought Muchen to see Zhou Shuren because of something Zhulan said. Zhou Shuren took them to the study and gave them a special kind of instruction.

After Zhou Shuren returned, Zhulan eagerly inquired, "How was it?"

Zhou Shuren snorted, "An ambitious boy, but still acceptable."

Zhulan understood, "The capital is the center of power; having ambition is normal. Let’s continue to observe him."

Zhou Shuren grunted in agreement. The boy from the Jiang family was one of the candidates, but unfortunately, none of the great houses he approved of had an age-appropriate daughter. However, there was no rush.

In the capital at the residence of the Fifth Prince, from the Second Prince to the Fourth Prince, no one left even though it was late at night; they all lingered in the Fifth Prince’s bedroom.

The Fifth Prince, Zhang Jinghong, was ill, frightened, and having continuous nightmares. He sat propped up against the pillow, his face was deathly pale, as he dealt with his onlooking brothers.

The Second Prince brought up what should not have been mentioned, "Brother, I heard that your report was sent back for a rewrite?" ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

He was bewildered when he heard the news. How dissatisfied must the Emperor be with the Fifth Brother? The Fifth Brother was already scared, and now he was even being asked to rewrite his report!

Under the covers, the Fifth Prince, Zhang Jinghong’s hands clenched into fists, and his stomach couldn’t help but churn. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Is Second Brother very idle?"

The Second Prince, Zhang Jingyang, moved his hand, missing the comfort of his fan. He glared at the Third Prince and said with a smile, "Quite idle indeed, so starting tomorrow, Big Brother will come to keep Little Brother company often."

The Third Prince held back from making a retort, thinking to himself that it was lucky the Crown Prince hadn’t come along. Otherwise, they would have been scolded again. However, "The Fifth has been frightened and has fallen ill. The Crown Prince, his blood brother, seems to have never visited once!"

The Fourth Prince stroked his chin, "Nor has he sent anyone to ask after him."

The Fifth Prince, who was under the watchful scrutiny of these three unscrupulous brothers, frowned darkly, "Is it because you brothers have nowhere else to place your crowds?"

Playing with a string of pearls in his hand, the Second Prince replied, "Who could have expected it? All of us brothers have taken a new interest in our Fifth Brother. He has indeed made a splash!"

Zhang Jinghong fell silent. A few people were staring at him, and his future days were not looking good.

The Third Prince was fuming inside. He was still bearing the brunt because of the fifth brother, "Speaking of which, how come I haven’t seen Miss Lin taking care of the fifth brother? Ah, the fifth brother wouldn’t be holding a grudge, would he?"

The Fourth Prince suppressed a smile at the corner of his lips, "Although she took care of another man, she was still wearing her undergarments, wasn’t she? Look at me, now I can’t speak properly."

Zhang Jinghong, "...."

He closed his eyes and ignored the bastards, truly wishing he could take a knife and chop those three.

Within the Palace, the Emperor gazed at the Crown Prince with a heart full of complexities. This young fellow indeed inherited his astuteness; he hadn’t even considered asking for a reassessment,

After the Crown Prince read it, he not only pinpointed the problematic sentences but also annotated the questionable parts. When he handed it back, he was astounded!

The Crown Prince rubbed his neck, "Why is Father Emporer looking at his son like that?"

The Emperor remained silent for a moment, "You’ve guessed it all?"

"It’s too obvious. It would be problematic if your son couldn’t guess."

The Emperor curled up the corners of his mouth, "The second and the others haven’t guessed it yet."

The Crown Prince thought to himself, the second brother and the others were in the midst of it, and weren’t familiar with the Empress Dowager. Plus, they were misled by their father, the Emperor. Naturally, they wouldn’t guess in this direction. He, on the other hand, could guess because he had more contact with his father and it involved his own brother.

It seemed that the Emperor had always been inscrutable in the second and others’ minds. Even with hints, they wouldn’t dare to speculate!

The Emperor waved his hand, "It’s getting late; you should head back too. There’ll be plenty to keep you busy in the coming days."

The Crown Prince felt a stir in his heart; the Emperor was planning something big.

The day after the meal, Lady Dadong came to chat with Zhulan. Lady Dadong said, "You only realize that being a Fourth-rank Official means nothing once you’re in the capital."

In Pingzhou, she was the one people fawned over. In the capital, she had to be cautious with those who held a lower office than her husband. Every banquet she attended left her utterly drained, and her children suffered many grievances.

Zhulan ruminated, "There are indeed too many powerful figures in the capital."

Lady Dadong thought to herself that the situation for the Zhou family upon entering the capital had to be different. Being close to the Emperor, regardless of the size of their official position, they were figures to be ingratiated with. In plain terms, whether an official’s family faced grievances depends on the head of the family, "Yes, far too many."

Zhulan thought to herself that not only were there many officials and nobles in the capital, but also many relatives of these nobles. Many unremarkable people might turn out to be someone’s relatives!

Lady Dadong said, "Speaking of which, I thought auntie would have gone back to stay in the capital at least once. I assumed you would have wanted to visit the residence gifted by the Emperor!"

Zhulan truly had no desire to return. She felt that the people the Emperor bestowed to watch the place were quite reliable, and she was very at ease. Furthermore, returning to the capital would be troublesome; she did not want to go back. After all, wherever Zhou Shuren was, she would be there too.

Zhulan smiled, "When it’s time to go back, I will."

Lady Dadong knew that Yang Shi didn’t want to discuss it further and responded with a smile, still envious in her heart. The residence gifted by the Emperor was different; no one dared to be reckless when entertaining guests. That was truly a sign of standing.

Afterward, Zhulan and Lady Dadong discussed the family tutor and inquired whether Lady Dadong had found a suitable one for Mulan. Unfortunately, tutors were even harder to come by in the capital, and they had not yet found one that met their standards.

Time flew by quickly. In the blink of an eye, five days had passed, and the Princely Heir Yao had returned. He didn’t come back alone; he brought back quite a number of people with him. Like the precursor to a storm, the skies were overcast, and the whole Jinzhou Province was suffocatingly oppressive.

Zhou Shuren spoke to Zhulan before going to bed, "This operation will close tomorrow."

Zhulan leaned on Zhou Shuren’s shoulder, "Mhm."

Zhou Shuren held Zhulan tighter. Tomorrow’s action would encompass Jinzhou and several nearby provinces. Many lives would be lost this time.