Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1181: Holy Favor

At the early court session, the Emperor grounded the Crown Prince and flew into a rage—news of the incident spread quickly. Everyone had been waiting for the Emperor to abdicate, and this sudden turn of events caught them all off guard.

At the Ministry of Revenue, Xiao Qing, the Chief of Staff, had practically become a mascot of the Ministry. This was not a case of Zhou Shuren scheming for power; rather, Xiao Qing had handed it over to him.

When Xiao Qing returned, he didn’t speak; he just stared at Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren, "...My lord, why are you looking at me like that? Have I done something wrong?"

Xiao Qing, touching his teacup, "No, you’re doing very well."

"Does my lord wish to grant me a few days of rest?"

Xiao Qing, "...You wish."

Zhou Shuren just replied "Oh," knowing that Xiao Qing had sensed something but couldn’t say it, oh no!

Seeing Zhou Shuren still had the spirit to haggle and joke, Xiao Qing’s tension finally eased; he guessed something must be up with the Emperor today. He was truly fearful that, in the end, there would not be a satisfactory outcome, as he sincerely wished for only the Crown Prince to succeed the throne.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and Zhou Shuren could no longer sit still. "My lord, I have tasks to attend to. May I be excused?"

"Go on and get busy."

In the Qi Prince Residence, Prince Qi sent away the eunuch who had delivered the imperial edict, his face the color of overcooked greens. He strode towards the main courtyard where the Princess Consort resided and saw her sitting in a rocking chair, listening to a musical performance. One glance at the scene, and Prince Qi’s stomach began to hurt.

Prince Qi, with a darkened expression, "The Princess Consort is in high spirits, I see."

The woman playing the instrument—a rare beauty—on closer inspection, the maids in the Princess’ courtyard were all quite attractive. Previously, the Princess Consort had been very defensive towards him, with maids of lesser appearance by her side.

The Princess Consort was now quite carefree. How could she not be? Her family was well-placed, she had silver and properties in her hands, and had two legitimate sons; she didn’t need to plot and strategize, nor did she have to cater to Prince Qi. As long as he didn’t bring people into the residence to disgust her, she was happy to live her life.

The Princess Consort slightly lifted her eyelids, "Oh, it’s been days since I’ve seen you, my Prince. Why do you look so haggard? Look at me, talking too much. Do take care, my Prince, for there are many beauties, but once your health fails, that’s really the end of it."

A wave of bitterness rose in Prince Qi’s heart like blood to his throat. The Princess Consort knew about yesterday’s events. "Father Emperor has decreed that tomorrow I, along with brother number three and a few others, must attend the early court session. Today, Father Emperor had an outburst against the Crown Prince."

The Princess Qi put away her thorns, with a serious look in her eyes, "Father Emperor had an outburst against the Crown Prince? That shouldn’t be right. The Crown Prince is Father Emperor’s favorite, his treasure."

She had seen it clearly without the need to fight for it; people’s hearts are biased. Father Emperor favored his legitimate son, favored the Empress, and it was widely recognized that the Crown Prince was to succeed the throne. This sudden outburst was strange!

Prince Qi, who no longer wished to see any beauties, indicated for everyone to leave. "You go to the palace to see Mother and then accompany her to pay respects at the Empress’ palace."

The Emperor’s complexion was waxen, and Prince Qi felt incredibly uneasy. As for competing for power, he hadn’t even entertained the thought. He was quick to let go; his power was not enough to cause any upheaval, and without the support of his maternal grandfather, it was pointless.

The other brothers, however, fell silent. The one tightly controlled by the Crown Prince, brother number three, and the Crown Prince’s loyal enforcer, brother number four—compared to them, the other two were truly in a worse state.

Princess Qi lay back down, "I’m not going."

Go, she thought, as if! The correct move was to stay put. After all, it wasn’t her who had to attend the early court session tomorrow, and whatever punishments or scoldings that might come were none of her concern.

Prince Qi, furious, "This is not the time for temper tantrums."

"Have a good journey, I won’t see you out."

To think of her only when there was trouble, pah!

At the Zhou Residence, Xue Han returned holding Lin Xi, and Zhulan upon seeing her asked, "What do you want to ask?"

This stemmed from the early morning session yesterday, when Shuren once again accompanied the Emperor. Thus, others came to seek news from him.

Xue Han set down her daughter and spread her hands, "It wasn’t my intention to come back and ask, but after my elder sister-in-law went to the Hou Residence to find me, my father also said that I should return, so I came back holding my child."

Her heart was clear on this matter, knowing that if anything serious had occurred, her parents would certainly have sent a message to her and Rongchuan; since no message came yesterday, there was no need for worry.

Zhulan said, "Actually, the Ning family can inquire with the Crown Prince."

"Mother, someone was sent, but the Crown Prince’s residence was tightly shut, no one to be seen, nor were the doors opened."

Zhulan remarked, "I am guessing there won’t be a shortage of people looking for me for information."

Seeing that her mother didn’t comment, Xue Han laughed; she didn’t have to ask, for her mother’s silence was the best reply, "They are all afraid." ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

Zhulan expressed understanding, "Just live your life in peace."

As for Rongchuan, Rongchuan was anxious too, but after someone slipped him a note, he calmly burnt the note. Nevertheless, he was somewhat shaken inside; the Emperor’s personal note to him signified that he held a high place in the Emperor’s heart indeed!

Rongchuan curled his fingertips; it was imminent, the news from the Emperor meant he was soon to return to the royal family.

The following day, during the early morning session, the Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen in the court, but several Princes including Zhang Yang were present, making today’s court especially quiet.

It started off smoothly, with matters being handled well, but a single yawn disrupted the tranquility.

Princes like Prince Qi were self-disciplined from a young age; even though they did not attend court, they would rise early to practice martial arts, so attending the early morning session wasn’t hard. Zhang Yang, on the other hand, used to rise early for studies. But after becoming a Prince, despite the effort put into his ambitions, he now slept until naturally waking, resulting in the yawn.

The Emperor’s icy gaze pierced Zhang Yang’s form, causing Zhang Yang’s heart to shrink as he quickly knelt to confess his fault, "This son acknowledges his error."

The disdain in the Emperor’s eyes was palpable, his gaze landing on Zhang Yang’s excessive flesh, which provoked further disgust, "You know your mistake? I think you know nothing at all. Look at you now, a useless and incompetent waste."

Prince Qi and Prince Chu knew the truth and felt nothing in particular, since it was someone else being scolded.

However, Prince Chu, Yuguang, was taken aback as he glanced at Prince Liang; wasn’t he unaware? Yet, Prince Liang’s face was calm. Did he really not know?

Zhang Yang’s hands wanted to claw at the ground, yet he dared not. The term ’useless waste’ reddened his eyes – he was a waste indeed, with his lineage cut off, a pawn from the very start, "This son, acknowledges his error."

The Emperor squinted, holding back a torrent of venomous words he wished to unleash, but refrained; Zhang Yang still represented the royal household, and he did not wish to reprimand Zhang Yang and inadvertently reproach himself, "From today, you will shed all the flesh off your body, for I do not wish to see it."

The Emperor then turned his ire to Prince Chu, "Prince Chu, do you wish to join the fifth as well?"

Prince Chu was filled with regret. If only he had known better than to look, "This son is not overweight."

The Emperor said, "... then you will diet together."

Prince Chu, "..."

Was the Emperor actually listening to his reply? Among all his brothers, he was the thinnest. Dieting, where was there fat to lose?

Zhou Shuren felt that this was only the beginning. Zhang Yang’s days would be tremendously difficult in the future; only the other Princes, being the Emperor’s own sons, would suffer a lighter hand.

The Princes such as Prince Qi did not feel the same. Where was the lighter hand?

In the subsequent two days, the Emperor became much calmer, making ministers tremble with apprehension.

On the contrary, it was Rong Enqing who suddenly received royal favor, being summoned into the palace repeatedly, and his appointment to the Maritime Affairs Administration was also officially confirmed.