Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1183 Leaving the Capital

In the blink of an eye, it had been nearly half a month since the Crown Prince was confined, and the Crown Prince’s mansion remained tightly shut. The Crown Prince had not shown his face once, and the Emperor had never mentioned it again, leaving the court officials of the capital exhausted by the Emperor’s ever-changing temper.

Zhou Shuren returned home exhausted, changed his clothes, and lay down, unwilling to move. "I’m dead tired."

Zhulan felt a pang of heartache. She took the teacup and fed her husband water, then set the cup down and said, "You might as well give up the idea of resting."

Zhou Shuren pressed his temple, "The Emperor has been causing even more trouble these past few days, having dismissed several officials, creating an atmosphere of unease. The efficiency of all departments has dropped significantly. I had long since given up the thought of resting. If the Ministry of Revenue isn’t stable, heh, the efficiency will be even worse."

He had missed the best time to rest, and now he truly had no desire for it.

Zhulan fanned Zhou Shuren with her fan and said, "The Emperor is also looking to take this opportunity to clean house one last time."

He had found relief in his actions, but then said, "Forget it, I’m not eating, I’m not very hungry."

He had been drinking the tea meant to sharpen the mind day after day, so much that his stomach was uncomfortably bloated.

Zhulan didn’t have much of an appetite either, "I’m not eating either."

"Trying to lose weight?"

Zhou Shuren’s eyes carried a hint of laughter as he teased, amused by Zhulan’s figure.

Zhulan was not pleased, "You’re one to talk with your great figure, all skin and bones, and yet you still have the nerve to make fun of me, hmph!"

Her body had been left empty after multiple childbirths, and then she had nourished herself to prolong her life. In the modern age, her figure was quite fine!

Zhou Shuren, "Hurting each other now, are we?"

"You started it."

Zhou Shuren chuckled softly, "Alright, alright, I was wrong, beautiful lady."

Zhulan rolled her eyes, not at all moved by the feigned endearment, and narrowed her eyes, "Just you wait, if we make it back alive, heh heh."

Pah, old man, still dreaming of marriage, she thought being neighbors was quite nice!

Zhou Shuren, "...."

Zhulan stopped fanning altogether and handed the fan to Zhou Shuren, "Fan yourself!"

Zhou Shuren held the fan handle and changed the subject awkwardly, "That, Chang Zhi joined the Hanlin Academy a while back and hasn’t entered the palace yet!"

Zhulan, "It’s good to keep a low profile."

At this time, it was best to stay low-key. Drawing attention wasn’t good; it could easily turn one into cannon fodder.

The next day, Xue Han returned with Lin Xi, the little girl growing up truly beautiful, fair and clean, and especially fond of laughter, endearing her to all. Zhulan held her beloved granddaughter and gave her two affectionate kisses, "Didn’t you just come back yesterday? Why are you back today with your luggage?"

Xue Han said, "Rongchuan has been deployed from the capital, and it’s dull for me to stay at the Hou Residence, so I thought I’d spend some days at my parents’ house."

Zhulan handed a piece of fruit to her granddaughter and turned her head to the side, "Deployed from the capital?"

Xue Han nodded, "This morning, a eunuch delivered the imperial decree. He left quite in a hurry, taking with him a good number of soldiers and officials."

She had barely exchanged a few words with Rongchuan before he told her to stay at her parents’ house, saying he would personally fetch them back home when he returned to the capital.

Zhulan pondered in her heart; it must be a significant event for Rongchuan to have been deployed from the capital, especially with soldiers in tow. "You and the child will stay in the main courtyard."

Xue Han smiled, "Okay."

Zhulan didn’t ask more, simply listening to her childhood tales of her granddaughter.

On the other side, as soon as Rongchuan left the capital, he emerged from the inside of the carriage. Within the carriage sat another person, dressed in Rongchuan’s clothes, his face identical to Rongchuan’s. Meanwhile, Rongchuan had changed into inconspicuous attire and dismounted the carriage to get on a horse, heading alone down a narrow path.

Waiting on the path was a group of people, led by the Crown Prince’s guards, who promptly departed at a gallop.

In fact, the Crown Prince’s guards were baffled, not understanding why it was Ning Rongchuan who had left the capital, but orders from the Crown Prince had to be followed.

Rongchuan could feel the military token hanging around his neck, one that could mobilize the prefecture city’s defensive forces. He never imagined that the Emperor would trust him this much, to give him such an item.

That evening, Zhulan asked Zhou Shuren, "What mission did Rongchuan leave on from the capital?"

Zhou Shuren replied, "Rongchuan went to Pinggang. There’s a case of illness among the foreign slaves in Pinggang, and since Rongchuan is not part of the Medical Department, he is there to oversee the situation."

Zhulan’s eyes widened. Although she was not familiar with history, she knew of some historical epidemics that led to widespread deaths and was understandably anxious, "Not, it couldn’t be."

Zhou Shuren lowered his voice, "Don’t worry, you should know how strictly we manage our ports. These foreign slaves are not allowed to roam freely, and they are required to bathe with medicinal herbs and disinfect upon disembarkation. Rest assured."

It wasn’t always this strict, but it was after talking with Rongchuan that he suggested they tighten measures more. Being cautious is better than losing lives, especially in ancient times.

He heard Rongchuan mention that the medicine department at the Imperial Hospital had effective medicinal herbs for disinfection.

Zhulan asked, "What is Rongchuan actually there for?"

At this point, Zhulan had limited exposure to such matters and truly couldn’t guess.

Zhou Shuren’s voice dropped even lower, "I heard the Emperor say that Gu Ren had asked Rong Enqing to pay special attention to several trade convoys. To pay attention, of course, requires due diligence. So, using this pretext, they’re conducting inspections in the port, delaying proceedings, keeping the Zhang family clan preoccupied and focused on Pinggang."

Zhulan understood, "These convoys must be very important to the Zhang family clan!"

"I presume so. Gu Ren didn’t register these convoys with the Ministry of Commerce initially; it was only after Rong Enqing deceived his way into trust that he revealed them, highlighting their significance."

Zhulan remarked, "So all this is under the Emperor’s control!"

Zhou Shuren thought to himself there must be some elements not under the Emperor’s control, otherwise, with the Emperor’s nature, he would have dealt with it cleanly and decisively by now.

The reason for Rongchuan’s departure from the capital seemed valid, and very few people took notice.

However, Prince Qi and Prince Chu both felt something was amiss. As parties privy to the truth, they had a sinking feeling that there was more to Rongchuan’s exit from the capital than met the eye.

The next day, Prince Qi left the capital and ventured into the fields to meet Mr. Chen. Using a fan to shield himself from the sun, he found his grandfather laboring in the field in such hot weather, "Grandfather."

Mr. Chen, with a hoe in hand, asked, "What brings Your Highness Prince Qi here?"

His tone was full of disdain, evidently, the old man was not eager to meet this particular grandson. He had done his part and longed for peaceful days.

Prince Qi blatantly ignored his grandfather’s cold demeanor, feeling slightly wronged in his heart. His grandfather ignored him, and so did the Princess Consort, but thankfully, he was internally strong and the emotional moment was fleeting, "Grandfather, are you aware of the recent events in the capital?"

He had been scolded by the Emperor and had not dared to leave the capital, but now he couldn’t hold back any longer.

Mr. Chen’s gaze deepened, well aware of the situation, and he picked up his hoe again, "What I know is that the Emperor is a man of formidable resolve. How could such a person be quick to anger?"

Prince Qi certainly knew, admiring his father deeply, "Yet, recently, Father has indeed been behaving oddly."

Mr. Chen let out a scoff, "It seems everyone has forgotten how the Emperor used to feign madness and act the fool in his youth. Didn’t you tell me that Ning Rongchuan is truly the fifth Prince? Now that Rongchuan has left the capital, don’t you understand?"