Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1155: Younger Sister

Hou Residence, the bedroom of Yao Wenqi, where Zhe Yu had been keeping vigil. He didn’t look at his father who had taken his medicine and gone to sleep but gazed out of the window instead. Although spring had arrived and a hint of greenery was visible in the courtyard, his heart felt icy cold.

Zhe Yu finally understood why the Emperor had been ignoring him. It turned out that the root cause was his bloodline. As long as the blood of the Yao clan flowed in his veins, he would never be favored.

Yao Wenqi had been awake for some time. During the early court meeting, he had indeed felt a moment of darkness before his eyes but had not fainted; he merely went with the momentum, returned to the Residence, summoned a doctor, took the medicine, and slept until the afternoon.

With his eyes closed, Yao Wenqi knew that his future held nothing but a dead end. The way the Emperor looked at him was as if he saw a dead object. Yao Wenqi clenched his fists. The path he had been shrinking back into was no longer accessible. No, perhaps the Emperor had left him only one path to take.

Yao Wenqi coughed, realizing the Emperor was forcing him. The Emperor didn’t make the first move but pushed the Yao clan step by step.

Zhe Yu turned around, "You’re awake."

Yao Wenqi opened his eyes, "Water."

Zhe Yu poured some water and handed it over. After making sure there was no further request for water, he stood up, "Now that you’re awake, I’ll take my leave."

But Yao Wenqi suddenly spoke, "I know you hate me. I don’t know what you’ve found out, and I admit, I haven’t been kind to you. But don’t forget, as long as you have the blood of the Yao clan in you, you’ll never escape. Haha, you’ll never escape."

Zhe Yu left even more swiftly. He didn’t want to listen, even if he knew it was true.

After his eldest son left, Yao Wenqi squinted, thinking of his legitimate daughter. The thought of her bearing offspring for the Rong clan made him sick to his stomach. His ancestors would surely be jumping with rage if they knew. His eyes flashed red before slowly closing again.

That evening, Zhou Shuren returned home to a lively household. The servants, top to bottom, were full of joy, uttering all sorts of auspicious phrases.

Zhulan was exhausted, having been busy all day, "I need to enter the palace to give thanks tomorrow. I should go to sleep now."

Seeing his wife lie down cleanly and prepare to sleep, Zhou Shuren had to swallow all he wanted to say, feeling extremely uncomfortable, tossing and turning restlessly in bed.

Zhulan opened her eyes wide, "What are you doing?"

Zhou Shuren chuckled, "Not asleep yet?"

She did it on purpose, "With you flipping back and forth, how can I sleep?"

"I just wanted to talk for a bit. I always feel like the Emperor has outplayed me. The more I gain, the bigger the Emperor’s scheme seems."

Zhulan yawned, "You can’t change it."

Zhou Shuren, "...."

Zhulan patted her husband’s shoulder, "Stop overthinking it, go to sleep." freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Zhou Shuren lay stiffly, still turning things over in his mind, but after a while, he heard his wife’s even breathing and closed his eyes with a laugh.

The next day, Zhulan brought her two daughters-in-law to the palace to give thanks and also saw Yao Yao, who had several layers of powder on her face.

Yao Yao, upon seeing the lady, felt a sense of relief, "Lady."

Zhulan observed Yao Yao’s spirit was not high and patted her hand, "Don’t be nervous."

Yao Yao forced a smile; she did not want to enter the palace but had no choice. She could feel the lady’s kindness, "Thank you, lady."

Zhulan didn’t say much more; her relationship with Yao Yao wasn’t close enough to warrant further protection, and speaking up even once had already been challenging enough.

Madam Zhao and Su Xuan exchanged glances. Last night, they had a lengthy discussion with Yao Yao as the main topic, ah, and they got quite animated.

Now, seeing Yao Yao’s condition, both felt a tinge of guilt in their eyes and shifted their gazes away; their discussion yesterday had been rather excessive, and seeing the haggard Yao Yao made them feel somewhat uneasy.

Soon, they arrived at the Empress’s sleeping palace. Inside, the Empress was already waiting for them.

Zhulan could still hear a child’s laughter; it took her a moment to remember it was Zhang Yang’s son, a child raised within the palace.

The Empress frowned slightly but soon smoothed her expression. A Female Officer went down and took the child away.

Zhulan, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, rose to express their gratitude. The Empress kindly said, "Stand up, our families are relatives now, after all. The Emperor and I have discussed this, and he’s always hoped for a younger brother!"

Zhulan, "...."

That mention of a younger brother startled her!

Madam Zhao and Su Xuan dared not speak anymore, barely occupying a third of their seats as they sat down.

Then it was Yao Yao’s turn to express her gratitude. The Empress’s expression was indifferent as she gestured for Yao Yao to rise and then granted her a seat as well.

The difference in attitude was stark. Madam Zhao and Su Xuan tried even harder to minimize their presence, while Yao Yao felt as if a thorn was pressing into her back, having never met the Empress before and now clearly sensing her disfavor.

Yao Yao’s back was drenched with sweat as she sat motionlessly, afraid any slight misposture could cause an issue.

The Empress affectionately took Zhulan’s hand as the Female Officer brought in the rewards. Zhulan was slightly dazzled by a tray filled with colorful gemstones and various pieces of jewelry.

The Empress, with a smile, said, "I don’t have much to offer as a reward, but these are what I’ve acquired over the past couple of years. I’ve picked out some decent ones."

Zhulan dared not accept them, so precious were they; she quickly knelt down and said, "These are too valuable."

The Empress, while holding onto Madam Yang, said, "The Emperor wishes for a brother, and I for a sister-in-law. You’ve always pleased me, and now that you’re my sister-in-law, as your sister-in-law, I must show my support, take these, don’t worry about their value."

Zhulan felt like she had struck it rich overnight; she had mansions and all sorts of gemstones, but the Empress’s repeated reference to ’sister-in-law’ made her feel choked up.

The Empress, who understood the Emperor best, knew his intentions when he visited yesterday. It was most fitting for her to call out ’sister-in-law,’ since it was less appropriate for the Emperor to call Zhou Shuren ’cousin.’ She had fewer reservations.

Yao Yao also received her rewards, which were exquisite pieces of jewelry. Even if the Empress did not favor Yao Yao, the royal family had its dignity to maintain, and the Empress was not petty.

Zhulan returned to her carriage after leaving the palace and began inspecting the packaged rewards. She picked up a sapphire, amazed at seeing such a large one of such fine quality for the first time in years—such a gem would be treasured even in modern times.

Zhulan was a woman, after all, and she loved gemstones. She examined each one and said to Old Madam Song, "I could have saved up my entire life and not received as many rewards as I did today."

Old Madam Song was also dazzled, "Today’s rewards are too precious."

Remembering the Empress’s words, Zhulan recalled that the Empress said these were acquired in the past two years. With the Crown Prince handling state affairs and expected to succeed smoothly, it was only natural that the Empress was being courted with favors. It seemed she had received many fine things.

These rewards seemed to be not only the Empress’s but also the Emperor’s. After some thought, Zhulan understood that the Emperor, through the Empress’s rewards, was also signaling to Zhou Shuren, acknowledging the brotherhood!

Seeing her mistress’s relaxed expression, Old Madam Song asked, "Mistress, have you thought of something?"

Zhulan smiled but didn’t answer. She couldn’t say it, could she? That the Emperor was thinking of recognizing a brother?