Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1167: Love from Grandma

Zhou residence, Zhulan signaled the maids to send Marquis Rong’s young servant out. She gathered her composure, but before Zhulan could erupt, Madam Zhao slapped the table, startling her.

Madam Zhao’s eyes brimmed with tears, and her hand trembled with pain. Nevertheless, she endured and apologized to her mother-in-law, "Mother, your daughter-in-law, your daughter-in-law couldn’t help it just now."

Zhulan did not blame Madam Zhao at all. Among the daughter-in-laws, Madam Zhao was the one who most wanted her son to succeed. There was only Ming Rui in the second wife’s room, and Madam Zhao was furious, "Be careful. Don’t upset the pregnancy."

Seeing that her mother-in-law was not blaming her, Madam Zhao felt relieved. Her palm still burned with pain, her other hand slowly relaxed the handkerchief. She was still carrying a child, "Mother, I will keep it in mind."

Zhulan looked at Madam Zhao’s angry demeanor and, in turn, lost her anger. When Ming Teng and Ming Rui returned, they were sure to be disciplined. It would be even worse for Ming Rui, as Zhou Shuren and Lady Li had not yet come home!

Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren finally found the reason for his sneezing, "This official thanks His Highness Prince Qi for being so busy and coming personally to tell me."

Prince Qi fanned himself, "Uncle is too polite. It’s just good intentions from me. The child is still young; it’s good for him to be disciplined more. That place is really not suitable for their age."

Zhou Shuren held back his anger. What good intentions? It was just to gloat and see him get angry, "His Highness Prince Qi is very busy, this official won’t see you out."

Prince Qi was not upset, even when Zhou Shuren mocked him, "Uncle, I’m quite idle. In the future, I’ll surely help to look after your children. I’m well-acquainted with those places."

Zhou Shuren, "...."

Ever since Prince Qi let himself go, he was even less discrete about his fondness for beautiful women.

Zhou residence, Zhulan was aware that Ming Teng and Ming Rui had come home but took no action, guessing that the two boys were not yet aware that someone had snitched on them, and out of guilt, they had first gone to Wu residence. Both Mingyun and Chang Zhong had returned as well.

Chang Zhong visited the main courtyard, called out "Mother" first, then sat down and spoke softly, "Mother, my eldest nephew looks particularly upset."

Zhulan inquired, "What happened?"

Chang Zhong, with a face full of disgust, "Ming Teng and Ming Rui both reek of heavy perfume and the scent of wine. The two of them might not notice from being used to it, but my eldest nephew and I can hardly avoid smelling it. When my eldest nephew asked them where they’d been, they said they went to the Academy. Tsk tsk, my son thinks Ming Teng is going to be beaten."

Zhulan, "....They’re quite dumb."

Chang Zhong laughed heartily, "They can’t even pretend. They look guilty as sin. My eldest nephew had a face so cold on the way home it could freeze."

He had never seen his eldest nephew so angry before. His eldest nephew was genuinely furious this time.

Then Chang Zhong noticed his mother still writing and realized something was off, "Mother, you knew?"

Zhulan laughed, "I knew, your Cousin Rong was right there on the boat, saw everything clearly. Your second sister-in-law was so angry she nearly harmed her pregnancy."

Chang Zhong, "....Such bad luck."

After a while, Old Madam Song came to report that Ming Teng and Ming Rui were being punished by kneeling!

Chang Zhong, touching his Jade Pendant, "The eldest nephew didn’t lay a hand on them, he’s waiting for my father to do it!"

And since it was just kneeling, the two would feel even more uneasy. If they were beaten, they could be more at peace, hoping dad and second brother’s anger would subside upon return. But the eldest nephew refrained from hitting, and the two lads were in for a worse ordeal.

Indeed, they were in for a hard time. Prince Qi was mean enough, not only did he personally tell Zhou Shuren, but he also sent word to Chang Yi vividly describing the two children’s fears. Instead, he mimicked the various national beauties they saw on the boat.

Chang Yi walked in and was about to start when Zhulan stopped him, "Let them eat their fill first so they won’t be hurt and unable to eat. A full meal can last them several days."

Ming Teng, "...."

Ming Rui, "...."

They had thought that grandma was going to save them, but they never expected this!

Not only did the two boys not anticipate this, but no one in the family did. They thought the old lady had softened her heart because of her affection for her grandsons. Chang Yi had even prepared to plead with his mother but had to swallow his words in silence.

With a smile, Zhulan said, "One beating will teach them a lesson. Don’t do it behind people’s backs; do it in the main courtyard while I count."

Zhou Shuren, ".... Don’t say everything, leave some room for me to play a part."

Chang Yi, "...."

Suddenly, he wasn’t angry at all, but rather, he looked at his frightened son with sympathy!

Then during dinner, Zhulan had the two boys sit beside her, continuously serving them dishes while smilingly watching them eat. They had to swallow the food, tortured mentally, and with a cry in their hearts but no tears, they despised Ran Xun.

After dinner, the punishment came true. Zhulan and Zhou Shuren didn’t care whether the boys had been tricked, but they knew the boys were certainly wild and daring. They weren’t fools; couldn’t they have noticed something amiss on their way to the trap? Would they have dared to do this in the past? Of course not. A beating was a lesson learned, a tightening of their hides.

Chang Yi and Mingyun were the ones to land the blows, which were real and strict. In ancient times, filial piety was often the result of punishment; much more so than in modern times. Mingyun was angry with his brother and insisted on setting things straight. Not only was he upset that his brother had been easily tricked by Ran Xun, but he was even more furious that his brother had dared to lie to him.

After the spanking, as everyone watched the boys get punished and they cried without stopping their tears, Zhou Shuren was pleased with the boys’ toughness and said, "Tomorrow I will go to the Academy to ask for leave. Whenever you’re healed, you can return to the Academy. In the meantime, while you can only lie down at home, you’ll be punished by memorizing books and texts. When you can stand again, I’ll tell you the rest of your punishment."

Ming Teng’s heart sank; he knew the books and texts his grandfather asked to be recited would be no easy feat.

Zhou Shuren told Chang Zhi, "You watch over them at home. If they recite something wrong, take note of it. Once they’re fully recovered, they’ll be punished by writing. For every mistake, they must write the full text again."

Chang Yi shivered and swallowed hard; the old man was truly angry.

In the Marquis Rong’s Residence, Rong Enqing had already looked at the collected evidence and slightly curled his lips. The evidence was detailed, and he did not believe it was gathered without help. He had his suspicions about who would help but asked, "Are you really planning to use a scorched earth strategy to break away from the Hou Residence?"

Yao Yao opened her eyes, brimming with tears, "No matter how my mother treated her stepchildren or anyone else, she only had maternal love for us. My mother was wronged in her death, and my brother became a monk to ensure that I would not have any worries. This is the best solution I could think of."

She had carefully considered it; she couldn’t act personally, but everyone in the capital was cunning. The fact she had not been included in the family records further strengthened her resolve. Not being in the family records meant the impact on her offspring would not be as severe.

Holding her husband’s hand, Yao Yao said, "The only thing is that this might tarnish your reputation and lead you to be suspected."

Rong Enqing sighed, "I am a Rong, it won’t affect me much; on the other hand, your reputation will be completely gone."

Yao Yao smiled, "As long as you don’t divorce me and I maintain the title of Mrs. Hou, I don’t care."

Rong Enqing gripped his wife’s hand tightly, "First, you need to focus on your pregnancy, don’t rush."

Yao Yao nodded, "I have it all planned out."

The next day, the Qi Clan arrived with an embarrassed demeanor. They had visited Zhou’s Residence the night before to find out what had happened and learned that the two boys had been beaten severely. "Last night, Ran Xun came back and said nothing; we truly didn’t know. At dinner, we could tell the boy was off, which is when Master made him confess. We blame Ran Xun for yesterday’s incident. He didn’t behave and dragged Ming Teng along. Master punished them harshly; we failed to educate them properly."

After getting the news, they sent people to Zhou’s Residence to inquire and found out about the boys’ punishment and how severe it was, regretting that they had come too late.