Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1139: The Palace Examination

Zhulan had already pulled down Zhou Shuren’s pants and, seeing his still swollen leg, tears plopped down ceaselessly, "Is this what you call ’being all right’?"

The swelling was still alarmingly high—how long had he knelt for!

Zhou Shuren felt a chill on his leg and, before he realized it, his pants were gone; fortunately, no one else was in the room. Seeing his wife in tears, his heart ached, "You’ve been frightened, it’s okay, don’t cry anymore, don’t cry, I’m truly okay. Despite the swelling, it hasn’t hurt the bone."

Zhulan’s voice carried a sob, "Why were you punished? Haven’t you been doing your job well? The Ministry of Revenue has been managed so well, how much silver have you brought in for the imperial court over the years? Without your suggestions, would the impact of maritime trade on the market be so minimal? What about all those good policies?"

Yet Zhou Shuren just laughed, ah, for sure his true love, look how worried she was for him, "All right, the kneeling went well actually, solved a big problem."

Zhulan’s thoughts were diverted, "What big problem?"

Zhou Shuren smiled, "The Emperor will no longer expect me to be the Imperial Grandson’s mentor."

Zhulan was still pleasantly surprised, but looking at her husband’s leg, "You’ve also suffered greatly."

Zhou Shuren looked at his wife; he also had to tell her about reverence. Like him, his wife enjoyed watching other people’s dramas, so he relayed Minister Xiao’s words, "If you meet the Empress or the Crown Princess Consort in the future, be cautious as well."

Zhulan fell silent; indeed, they were people from a later time, without the era of imperial power—equality for all was ingrained in their very bones, "I’ll remember that."

Zhou Shuren said, "Quickly give me my pants; I need to change clothes. The kids are waiting for us to have dinner. Who knows what wild guesses they’ve made seeing me come back with difficulty walking."

Indeed, upon Zhou Shuren’s return home with impaired mobility, Chang Yi and the others had already inquired through Jingyan’s mouth, then speculated wildly.

Chang Yi pondered carefully about his father’s job, "With Dad being so cautious, it should not be a mistake related to his duties, right?"

Chang Zhi frowned, the second brother couldn’t guess; he was even more at a loss. Glancing at the anxious eldest brother, forget it, the eldest was even more clueless, "Dad’s complexion wasn’t bad when he came back; it should be nothing serious, right?"

Chang Yi was somewhat unsure, "It should be fine."

Chang Li, the eldest Zhou brother, looked at his two younger siblings and chose to keep silent. He had never come into contact with any matters regarding the imperial court.

After changing his clothes, Zhou Shuren emerged, still smelling faintly of medicine. Thankfully, the scent was not too strong inside the Palace. Facing his sons’ inquiries, he assured them he was quite fine.

Chang Yi felt reassured only after ensuring his father was not merely brushing them off.

The following morning, Zhulan rose early to check on Zhou Shuren’s leg and, seeing it had gone down significantly, finally felt completely relieved—it hadn’t been in vain that she had spent so long massaging it the previous night.

Zhou Shuren felt his wife’s hand and opened his eyes, "You’ve gotten up too early."

"I was worried about your leg. You’re not getting any younger, and I fear a lingering ailment that could trouble you in the years to come."

In recent years, to avoid the torment of cold-induced leg pains, Zhou Shuren had wrapped himself up like a ball every winter, fearing the suffering of old age.

Looking at his own legs by the candlelight, Zhou Shuren remarked, "The Palace ointment really is effective; my leg’s much better after just one night."

"Do a little movement. Does it still hurt?"

Zhou Shuren moved his knee and said with a smile, "Much better now, don’t worry."

Zhulan, seeing it was still early, hummed affirmatively and lay on her side, "Now there’s no turning back, all we can do is keep moving forward, step by step."

Zhou Shuren hugged his wife, "Whether it’s ancient or modern times, there are times when one has no choice but to adapt. Not everything can go as desired, but now things are already very good. At least beyond imperial authority, there are very few who can bully us."

Zhulan softly hummed in agreement, "Let’s sleep a little more."

"Alright."

Two days later, Zhou Shuren’s leg was completely healed. Those familiar with Zhou Shuren could feel the change in him; Lord Xiao was relieved.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the imperial examinations. Zhou Shuren personally escorted his son and the younger members of his clan to the palace gates. After the palace gates closed, Zhou Shuren left.

For Chang Zhi, it was his first time entering the palace. Even though his father and second brother had described the layout of the palace, Chang Zhi couldn’t help but look around everywhere. This was the palace, after all.

Chang Zhi stood in the third position; when it came to sitting down in the hall, he was right at the front.

Both the Crown Prince and the Emperor were present. Chang Zhi steadied his mind, as he was not unfamiliar with the Emperor, and felt much more at ease than the two in front of him.

The Emperor looked down at the candidates below. This time, the Emperor didn’t wish to walk among them. His gaze passed over Lau Song, who was of concern to the Crown Prince and represented the face of the Crown Prince’s estate. Lau Song coming first was pleasing to the Crown Prince.

The Emperor twirled the string of pearls in his hand, signifying that, indeed, the Crown Prince held Consort Lau in high regard. The Emperor’s hand paused, and he turned his head to observe Zhou Shuren’s fourth son.

This one was proud and indeed had the capital to be proud. The Emperor had personally reviewed his examination papers from the preliminary exams. The boy had read too much and had tried to show off too much, which meant his focus was not profound enough. The Emperor hoped he would perform better today.

The Emperor continued watching, giving a few extra glances at Ran Zheng’s grandson. Oh, the grandson of Ran Zheng, the Emperor sighed. However, it seemed that the families of the wives and concubines in the Crown Prince’s harem were all quite decent. Even the family of the Crown Princess Consort had made the list, although they were ranked towards the end.

The Crown Prince hoped that Lau Song would do well. If it weren’t for the fear of putting too much pressure on him, he would have really liked to watch him write.

As time ticked away, Chang Zhi’s writing flowed divinely. His father had not skimped on giving him private tutoring these past days, focusing on his weaknesses with many problems, and the results were not bad.

At the Zhou residence, Zhulan was talking with her daughter, "You said the Crown Princess Consort invited you over a few days ago?"

Xue Han nodded, "Mhm, she wasn’t as enthusiastic as last time. I also saw Consort Lau and sister Ran. They were talking about today’s imperial exams. Consort Lau was the happiest and very proud."

Zhulan thought to herself, it seemed like the Crown Prince must have talked to the Crown Princess Consort about it. She wondered if the Crown Princess Consort harbored any reservations. But then again, with the Emperor’s support, even if she was uncomfortable, she likely wouldn’t take it out on the Zhou family. Fortunately, the last time Shuren was punished to kneel, the Emperor had given him permission.

Xue Han spoke softly, "Consort Lau was very polite to me."

Zhulan patted her daughter’s hand, "You mustn’t get involved."

Xue Han said, "I’m not foolish. I’ll just smile at everyone."

The Crown Prince was set to ascend the throne, and everyone wanted to curry favor with his maternal family. Grandfather had even prohibited Ning Yang from serving as a reading companion. Her heart was very clear on this—The Ning family had to be careful. It was best not to get involved in anything; siding with the Emperor’s party was the most stable option.

Xue Han, somewhat dazed, realized how much she had grown without noticing and how much closer she was getting to imperial power.

Zhulan was confident in the daughter she had raised. In the Hou Residence, there was no mother-in-law, and the Duchess had passed away. Her daughter was exposed to more and was growing rapidly.

Xue Han asked, "Mother, I heard from my second sister-in-law that her family has all come over?"

Zhulan nodded, "After the holidays, your second sister-in-law left some people at the country estate. Now that the rest have come over after the new year, they’ve all been placed at the country estates. It was your second brother’s idea."

Xue Han understood, "Second brother wants to keep them under control, huh? That’s good."