Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1190: Where the Silver Note Went

Emperor, "Give it to him as a calming gift after the scare."

The Crown Prince with an indescribable tone, "Son believes Minister Zhou was not frightened."

On the contrary, the way Minister Zhou cherishes his life resembles none less than His Majesty’s own care.

The Emperor, very pleased, "Even so, give it to him. Those silver notes are his due, but don’t waste the poisoned ones either, you know what to do."

The Crown Prince smiled, "Yes, Father understands."

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren asked Jingyan, "You say the silver notes are poisoned?"

Jingyan, "Yes, they will take effect in three months, initially rendering the person unconscious and resulting in silent, undetectable death after half a month. The poison belongs to a range of secret medicines."

Zhou Shuren stroking his beard, "Secret medicine, seems I’m indeed worth the investment!"

Another bout of fear, if he hadn’t known Gu Ren was from the Zhang family and harboring a grudge against him, he might have fallen victim, and the silver notes he would have given to his wife would have poisoned her too!

Zhou Shuren paused, "If I hadn’t been cautious, I would already be poisoned."

Jingyan said, "Sir, even if you were poisoned, there is a cure."

Zhou Shuren hummed, "A cure? But you mentioned it was a secret medicine?"

Has the secret medicine become so easily curable?

Jingyan glanced at Qing Feng, who explained, "We have made some headway with certain secret medicines; there is an antidote for this one."

He had just heard from his superior that the Emperor had uncovered antidotes for many secret medicines, and this slow-acting poison was among them. Thus, he felt fortunate for Minister Zhou, who would be safe whether poisoned or not.

Zhou Shuren blinked, thinking, this is the advantage of having people from the Emperor near you, being privy to some non-vital secrets, "Then I am relieved."

Then focusing his attention on a stack of silver notes, "Are these safe?"

Qing Feng nodded, "Yes, these are safe. The corrupted notes were useful, so they were replaced with these reliable ones. Please be at ease."

Zhou Shuren joyfully accepted the silver notes, casually asking, "Is this poison common?"

Qing Feng unsure, pondered, "Probably not numerous, as secret medicines are challenging to concoct, even with the recipe, some ingredients are rare."

Zhou Shuren felt relieved, thinking, if secret medicines were easy to make, they wouldn’t be secret anymore.

At Marquis Rong’s Residence, Rong Enqing looked at the delivered case containing one hundred thousand taels in silver notes. The Zhang family indeed wished Zhou Shuren dead. Today, Zhou Shuren boldly demanded too much, pushing Gu Ren too far.

The steward entered, "Mr. Hou, Gu Ren has arrived."

"Let him in."

Gu Ren was in good spirits, this morning he had seen Zhou Shuren’s caution, so he purposefully switched the case, no matter if Zhou didn’t accept it, he assumed Zhou wouldn’t suspect the silver notes. There had been no opportunity to kill Zhou before, and although involving Zhou Shuren was problematic now, the chance to silently eliminate him was still welcomed, an opportunity Zhou had unknowingly provided himself.

Gu Ren, relieved after envisaging Zhou Shuren’s removal, asked, "My lord, is there something you tasked me with?"

Rong Enqing pushed the case toward Gu Ren, "This morning I saw you distressed; here is one hundred thousand taels to temporarily ease your troubles."

Gu Ren was somewhat dazed. Rong Enqing lent him silver?

Rong Enqing continued, "I had intended to lend you more, but as you know, I too have a caravan, and I had previously given all the silver to the caravan. Now, there’s not much left in my hands."

Gu Ren took the box without any courtesies; he indeed needed silver, as this time he had been swindled by Zhou Shuren and was short of silver, "This humble one thanks Mr. Hou and will surely repay double in the future."

Rong Enqing lowered his voice, "If you really want to repay me, just bring more ointment. Lately, the Emperor’s spirits have been getting worse; he doesn’t even attend the morning court anymore. Think of more solutions."

Gu Ren counted the days. The Emperor had aged, and the initial large doses naturally accelerated the decline of his body. If it hadn’t been for the caravan being detained in Pinggang, everything would have nearly been arranged. However, he needed to hurry now; he feared the Emperor couldn’t hold on, "Alright, this humble one will bring it to Mr. Hou as soon as possible."

Rong Enqing’s peripheral vision quickly swept over the box, the corners of his mouth slightly curving up. This substance would take three months to take effect; the Crown Prince giving this to Gu Ren now meant that everything should be over in three months, right?

At the Zhou family residence, Zhulan watched the little girl by Tao’s side, "Who is this little girl?"

Tao Ran stroked the little girl’s hair, "This girl is my grandniece. She came to the capital with her father and is now staying to keep me company for some days."

Zhulan, "What’s her name?"

Tao Ran smiled, "Tao Ran. She’s six years old this year."

Zhulan nodded. When the Tao family left the capital years ago, Tao Ran hadn’t kept any of the Tao children behind. Time could blur many things and could also intensify faded familial love. Clearly, Tao Ran still wanted to help her family, otherwise, she would not have kept the little girl nor brought her here.

Zhulan signaled to Granny Song, who soon returned from a trip outside. Zhulan held some jewelry, "These are newly ordered jewels, selected a few for Tao Ran."

Tao Ran nudged Tao Ran forward; the little girl was somewhat shy but approached as soon as she saw the kindly smile of her grandmother, "Thank you, Granny Yang."

The little girl spoke softly; Zhulan smiled, "The girls in our family have never spoken so softly."

Tao Ran sighed, "You know the situation with my family. Once we left the capital, the days were not as before. The great change affected the children’s upbringing."

Otherwise, she really wouldn’t want to deal with her family, but there was no choice, being of the same surname after all.

Yu Die, dressed in red and holding a pinwheel, dashed in energetically, "Grandma, grandma, look at the pinwheel I made."

Zhulan’s smile widened upon seeing Yu Die’s face, taking a handkerchief to wipe her granddaughter’s sweat, "You never stay put. Who else’s little girl is like you?"

Yu Die, having been spoiled as she grew up, grinned, "Grandma, look at the pinwheel your granddaughter made for you."

Only then did Zhulan notice the pinwheel, which was beautifully made, "Oh, my Yu Die is indeed a clever girl."

The little girl was extremely proud, holding her head high, "Granddaughter can make an even better one if only my mother would give me gemstones; she’s very stingy."

Zhulan tapped the little girl’s forehead. The second wife’s family was the second richest in the family, holding foreign properties that brought in a significant amount of silver each year. The little girl, pampered from a young age, saw many valuable items and no longer found gemstones that precious.

Zhulan pulled Yu Die along, "Your Granny Tao is here, aren’t you going to greet her?"

Only then did Yu Die notice the others in the room. She climbed out from her grandmother’s embrace. The little girl’s manners were impeccable, her greeting posture quite formal, "Yu Die greets Granny Tao and Miss."

Tao Ran smiled, "Good, good."

Then she said to Zhulan, "Your Yu Die is getting prettier."

Zhulan knew it was just politeness; Yu Die was barely considered pretty, but what was most captivating was her vivaciousness, which made it hard to look away.