Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 555 Treasured_1

Zhou Shuren inwardly cursed his slow pace and paused before turning around, "Prince?"

He certainly wouldn’t ask if there was anything else!

Yao Zheyu fell silent for a moment; if he wanted to say something to Mr. Zhou, it was better to speak directly. Otherwise, Mr. Zhou would surely feign ignorance and muddle through. "Mr. Zhou, will you be returning to Jinzhou tomorrow?"

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, "Where did you hear that news?"

Only the people in his residence knew he was going back!

Yao Zheyu pointed at the gift box, "I guessed. Since you were buying gifts today, I thought maybe you were preparing to go back tomorrow."

Zhou Shuren breathed a sigh of relief; he had worried there were spies among the servants in his residence. Fortunately not, "Ah, I’m returning tomorrow."

Yao Zheyu’s teeth ached with frustration. Couldn’t you ask a bit more? "Mr. Zhou, do you think I could accompany you back?"

Zhou Shuren’s mind whirled with thoughts. Yao Zheyu was in a rush to leave the capital, which meant something must have happened. The only person capable of causing trouble was Marquis Yao. To take him or not?

Yao Zheyu was inwardly dejected. The Emperor had not granted him an audience, and he couldn’t leave the capital so easily. Staying in the capital wasn’t safe; open attacks were easy to dodge, but secret schemes were hard to guard against. The last return to the residence was just a probe; he couldn’t afford to lose the marriage engagement.

Just as he was trying to figure out what to do, he ran into Mr. Zhou. On reflection, ever since he had met Mr. Zhou, he had always been of help. It was just a pity that he had managed to ruin their good relationship.

After reflecting, Zhou Shuren decided it would be less troublesome to take him after all. But he didn’t want to enter the palace... That left him with only one option, to write a Zhezi. He stroked his chin, "I shall leave first then."

Yao Zheyu was startled. Did that mean he had agreed or not?

Having left the tavern, Zhou Shuren said, "Back to the residence."

Upon returning to his residence, Zhou Shuren wrote a Zhezi and sent it into the palace.

In the palace, the Emperor was initially startled by Zhou Shuren’s Zhezi, expecting something significant. Upon reading, his expression changed as he waded through paragraphs of flattery before reaching the key point: Zhou Shuren was planning to return to Jinzhou Residence tomorrow, and the Princely Heir wished to accompany him.

The Emperor scoffed coldly. He hadn’t expected Zhou Shuren to be so adept at flattery. Closing the Zhezi, he spoke to Eunuch Liu, "Store this carefully; I shall treasure this Zhezi."

He was considering writing a book, and this sycophantic essay would serve as great material. Zhou Shuren’s name would surely be remembered for it.

The Crown Prince stood by, knowing he was allowed to read if his father showed no objection. He hadn’t anticipated reading such flattery and heard his father’s comments — Mr. Zhou would surely regret having written this Zhezi!

The Emperor thought of Yao Zheyu. He had intentionally not summoned Yao Zheyu and ignored his achievements. Yao Wenqi couldn’t help but act due to his purposes, but indeed, Yao Zheyu’s remaining posed little use. He instructed Eunuch Liu to send word to Yao Zheyu.

The Emperor was in a rather good mood, "This time it should be a daughter, right?"

The Crown Prince was vexed, as predicting the gender of the baby was truly uncertain, "This son does not know."

The Emperor didn’t press further, considering it quite generous of him to have asked in the first place. If it were other sons’ concubines, he wouldn’t care who was pregnant.

The Crown Prince thought of Consort Ran. As for her temperament, he couldn’t say he was particularly fond of her, nor would he dislike her much. She wasn’t talkative, which he quite appreciated for the quietude. But giving birth to this child wouldn’t be easy. No sooner had the news spread than several plots unfolded against them.

At Jinzhou Residence, Zhulan and Dong Yiyi returned to the Zhou household. Dong Yiyi said, "Thank you for today, Aunt."

Zhulan was conflicted; the teacher had been found, yet Dong Yiyi had no intention of leaving, and it was improper for Zhulan to mention when she would leave, "You’re welcome."

Dong Yiyi, "Aunt, please rest. I’ll be going back first."

Zhulan, "Alright."

Dong Yiyi walked toward the third room’s courtyard, her mind in disarray. She hadn’t expected that Mr. Zhou would find a solution so quickly. She didn’t want to leave the Zhou family; for the first time, she felt a clear aversion to the Jiang Residence. Counting the days in her head, another year-end was approaching, and the Jiang family clan would soon be arriving in droves to seek their autumn bounty.

Su Xuan heard her mother-in-law had returned and was looking for her to chat. Upon seeing the third sister-in-law’s sister, she said, "Ms. Dong has returned."

Dong Yiyi hastily paid her respects, "Magistrate Anhe."

Su Xuan asked with confusion, "Was the master you met with today not to your liking?"

Dong Yiyi quickly adjusted her attitude, fearing any misunderstanding, and said with a smile, "I was just thinking about things back home."

Su Xuan let out an "oh," followed by a light laugh, "I have to leave; I have other matters to attend to."

Dong Yiyi stiffened, "Alright."

She didn’t know if it was her sensitivity, but she always felt like the Magistrate Anhe could see right through her. Bowing her head, she walked away briskly.

In the central courtyard, Zhulan had just changed her clothed when Su Xuan came in, "Why have you come here?"

To be known, Su Xuan and her husband were inseparable, like glue; it was indeed rare for Su Xuan to come by herself today.

Su Xuan felt a bit embarrassed, her gaze drifting. Could she admit she was bored? "Mother, I missed you."

Zhulan, "Hehe."

Su Xuan, "..."

Well, because of the tasks assigned by the mother-in-law, Chang Zhi was overjoyed to the point of insanity, clutching his book and not letting go. It had been all morning, and he hadn’t paid any attention to her.

Liu Ya brought in some apples, which had been brought over from Pingzhou. Zhulan said, "These are freshly washed apples, have some."

The apples in winter were still a delicacy, and the Yang family had brought many, but most were to be reserved for the annual gift exchanges. There wasn’t much left for daily consumption, and each household had a limited quota.

Su Xuan didn’t hold back, picking up one and taking several bites, "It’s always more satisfying to eat at your place, Mother."

Zhulan watched, feeling her teeth ache. The texture of ancient apples couldn’t compare to modern ones; some were sweet, others a bit sour. At least the one she bit into was a little sour, and at her age in ancient times, it was old, even if she had good teeth, they couldn’t handle too much acidity, "Isn’t it sour?"

Su Xuan blinked, "I didn’t notice, I think it tastes quite good."

Zhulan silently put down the apple in her hand, it seemed she was just unlucky today, picking a sour one.

After a while, Zhulan felt something was off. There were a total of four apples on the plate, and Su Xuan had already eaten two and was picking up the third. It couldn’t be that they were all sweet, right? She signaled to Song Popo to bring a knife over. Zhulan cut a small piece from the section she hadn’t eaten, "Try this and see if it’s sour."

Su Xuan was taken aback but obediently tried it, "It’s quite good."

Zhulan’s gaze shifted to Su Xuan’s belly. Considering the time that had passed since the wedding, and with Chang Zhi never hiding his desire for children, Zhulan wasn’t surprised to feel the anticipation of becoming a grandmother again—adding to the family was a familiar expectation.

Su Xuan felt uneasy under the gaze, "Mother, why are you looking at me like that?"

Zhulan smiled, "Mother thinks that your ability to eat sour things might mean you are pregnant."

Su Xuan was dumbfounded, the apple in her hand falling to the ground as she stood up abruptly. Could it be? But indeed, it had been some days. Her eyes widened with surprise; a child connected by blood, "I, I’m going to tell Chang Zhi."

Zhulan gasped as the other woman suddenly dashed off. Zhulan grew anxious, "Quick, go after her! The ground is slippery from the fresh snow; don’t let her fall!"