Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1135 Being Targeted

In the evening, within the Palace, the Emperor held two register books, "Do you suspect these two merchant families are related to the Zhang family?"

Shi Qing replied, "Last time, Minister Zhou’s grandson caught a woman, and when we investigated, the merchant had disappeared. I have been keeping track; the businesses operated by the merchants, their business dealings, and where they are registered, I remember everything clearly. These two registered merchants operate similar businesses, and the similarities are too coincidental, I believe it warrants further investigation."

Shi Qing knew the Emperor was anxious to find the missing Zhang family, even though it was openly being looked into by Prince Qi, in secret, it still relied on spies.

The Emperor was very pleased with Shi Qing, "Send someone to investigate."

Shi Qing accepted the order and took the register books back, "Yes, your servant will surely find out everything."

The Emperor waited for Shi Qing to leave, then fell into deep thought; last time Zhou Shuren’s grandson accidentally discovered traces of the Zhang family, he had considered whether the Zhang family might have turned into merchants, and now, with Shi Qing’s findings, it was very likely.

A cold look appeared in the Emperor’s eyes; he truly admired their dedication. Indeed, the Zhang family was not like the Rong family and other noble families, which have pride and integrity.

The Emperor saw the Crown Prince approaching, and he hid the cold look in his eyes, asking, "Did you say the other day that both your Crown Princess Consort and your Concubine have relatives participating in this year’s imperial examination?"

The Crown Prince replied, "Yes, the brother of the Crown Princess Consort, who did not pass last time, is participating again this year. The brother of Consort Lau is participating for the first time this year, and the nephew of Lady Ran is also participating."

The Crown Prince also paid attention to the affairs of the inner court. If they were capable, he would naturally use them; otherwise, he would not promote them. However, the brother of Consort Lau was indeed good.

The Emperor hummed in acknowledgment, "The competition is quite fierce this year. I have seen the roster from each state, and I wonder if Minister Zhou’s fourth son will be as competitive as his brothers."

The Crown Prince chuckled, "We will know once the results are out."

The Emperor hummed again, thinking of Yu Dang, whom he had intentionally met several times after the new year; each time Yu Dang mentioned his descendants. The Emperor knew Yu Dang’s intentions; Yu Dang was moved by the flourishing descendants of Zhou Shuren, thus he had thoughts of adoption.

Only Zhou Shuren’s son, Zhou Shuren, would not adopt them out, even if he was a commoner without rank—the eldest son, that is. Adopting out the eldest son, after years of hard grooming, would mean giving away someone else’s heir. Yu Dang also understood this, having mentioned Zhou Shuren’s second grandson multiple times.

At the Zhou residence, Zhou Shuren did not yet know his grandson was being coveted, and after a long day, he was enjoying a scalp massage from his wife.

Zhulan first discussed matters from their residence, then mentioned, "The Duke’s health has been failing since after the new year, he’s barely hanging on with his vitality."

Zhou Shuren deeply sighed; who could have predicted that in just two years, the Duke Residence would turn out this way? "The Old Duke wants to hold on until the Crown Prince ascends the throne."

"But there’s loss and gain; now that the Duke Residence seems to be on a decline, it nonetheless reassures both the Emperor and the Crown Prince."

Zhou Shuren agreed; the Crown Prince was as suspicious as the Emperor, and now with the Duke Residence being weak, the Crown Prince would keep thinking about it, it’d be better once the next generation comes along.

But Zhou Shuren paused briefly; the next generation would coincide with the Crown Prince’s sons growing up.

Zhulan also said, "My daughter told me upon returning from the Palace that the Empress wants Ning Zhiqi’s second son, Ning Yang, to serve as study companion to the Crown Prince’s eldest legitimate son, but the Duke pushed it away."

Zhou Shuren replied, "That’s good that he pushed it away; the Empress is thinking of the Duke Residence, and the Duke does not want to get involved."

Zhulan laughed, "Xue Han said that the Old Duke has been closely tutoring the great-grandchildren these days."

Zhou Shuren thought to himself it was far-sighted of the Old Duke not to get involved; being a study companion is not an easy role, "The Emperor is also considered long-lived, and I see that the Crown Prince also has a long life ahead. The Crown Prince’s eldest son and the Crown Prince are different; the Emperor married late, so the Crown Prince is not very old, but the Crown Prince’s eldest son is already eight years old, no, it’s past New Year’s, he’s now nine. If the Crown Prince lives long..."

The rest of Zhou Shuren’s sentence remained unsaid, but he made his point clear; even if the Crown Prince’s eldest son is appointed Crown Prince, his circumstances would be very different from those of the Crown Prince; their situations are different, and so will be their futures.

Now, the Crown Prince can ascend the throne smoothly, largely due to several factors, with the most important being that the Emperor married late and the Crown Prince is still young. If the Emperor had married earlier and the Crown Prince was older, he likely couldn’t maintain his current state of mind.

Zhulan paused her hand movement, "Moreover, the Crown Prince has many offspring, the future is really unpredictable; I remember you said that the Crown Prince is more ambitious than the Emperor."

The current Emperor is already a wise ruler, but the Crown Prince has great ambition and wants to surpass him. Things are fine now, but who can say about the future? Power is too tempting.

Zhou Shuren held his wife’s hand, "I can feel that the Crown Prince has his eye on me. He believes that I can help him fulfill his ambitions, and furthermore, the Crown Prince intends for me to tutor his eldest legitimate son."

This was what he feared most. If he truly tutored the Crown Prince’s eldest legitimate son, he would be the Crown Prince’s eldest son’s mentor. Although he doubted he would see which of the Crown Prince’s sons would succeed the throne, he was afraid. Afraid that by tutoring, his descendants would become part of the eldest legitimate son’s faction.

The Emperor’s grace can be given and also taken away. He feared retribution. If the eldest legitimate son succeeded to the throne smoothly, all would be well, and the Zhou family would enjoy wealth and glory. But if he didn’t succeed, and once the eldest son made mistakes, it would be his fault as the mentor for not tutoring well. The Zhou family would certainly be doomed!

Zhulan was startled, "Did the Crown Prince tell you this?"

Zhou Shuren shook his head, "He didn’t say it, but I can feel it. Earlier this year when our daughter visited the Crown Prince’s residence, didn’t the Crown Princess Consort mention me? And with Consort Lau’s actions, I had some thoughts."

What Zhou Shuren could think of, Zhulan could also think of. Emperors are heartless, and their most used skill is assigning blame, "You need to think of a solution."

Now that the Emperor has not yet abdicated, he has no intention of doing so. What if the Crown Prince directly orders it after he ascends to the throne?

Zhou Shuren pressed his brow, "I think having frequent headaches in the future might be a good thing. What do you think?"

Zhulan, "... You come up with the oddest ideas."

Zhou Shuren spoke somberly, "I had thought that with the transition of imperial power, along with my achievements and my considerable distance from the Emperor, I had secured victory. Only now do I realize everywhere lies a trap."

Zhulan pursed her lips, "You’ve worked hard."

Zhou Shuren smiled, "It’s okay, not too hard."

He still had his own sons to protect as they grew up. For his sons, he also needed to strive.

The imperial examination soon ended. Zhulan personally went to pick up Chang Zhi. Zhulan was inside the carriage, while Su Xuan couldn’t wait and got down from the carriage. freewēbnoveℓ.com

The gate opened, and the first thing seen was the young members of the Zhou family coming out one after another, followed by Chang Zhi.

Seeing her husband’s haggard appearance, Su Xuan felt unbearably heartbroken and hurried forward to support him, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Chang Zhi exhaled, "I’m okay, just really hungry and sleepy now."

Su Xuan, "Your mom is also here; let’s go home and rest."

On hearing that his mom had come, Chang Zhi said, "Let’s hurry, don’t keep mom waiting."

Zhulan had already spoken with a few young men and knew they were all right. She hurriedly had them get into the carriage to rest.

As Chang Zhi got into the carriage, Zhulan handed him some hot tea, "Have some hot tea to warm up."

Having licked his lips, Chang Zhi drank the hot tea and after a moment said, "Sorry to have worried you, mom."

Zhulan, "Seeing you’re alright makes mom happy."

Their luck was good, having finished the examination safely. She knew that this year, some had to be carried out midway.

After thinking for a bit, Chang Zhi said, "Mom, next to me sat Consort Lau’s brother from the Crown Prince’s residence."

Now, whenever Zhulan heard anything about the Crown Prince’s residence, her heart clenched, "Was there any issue?"

Chang Zhi shook his head, "No issues, but I have heard of him; he’s one of this year’s popular candidates."