Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1254 Clever

Zhou Residence, Zhulan was teaching her granddaughter how to paint, but when she heard the steward’s words, she hurriedly put down her brush and rushed to the front courtyard.

Before she reached the front courtyard, Xue Han and the Empress Dowager had arrived at the back courtyard. Zhulan quickly performed the formalities, "This humble wife pays respect to the Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager wore simple and elegant clothes. She wore no superfluous jewelry, but her demeanor, cultivated over nearly a lifetime, remained regal, even in her understated attire.

The Empress Dowager extended a hand to assist her, "I have left the palace, and there will be fewer formalities in the future. Today, I am merely visiting relatives casually."

Zhulan smiled; the Empress Dowager’s self-reference had changed, showing her enjoyment of these simpler days, "This way, please."

The Empress Dowager stayed at the Qin Prince Residence and had long wanted to go out of the Prince’s residence. In her youth, she was a lively girl and longed for the outside world after leaving the palace.

But since her husband had not left the residence before, she could only stay and play with her granddaughter. Now that her husband had left, she too wished to live the life of an ordinary old lady.

So here she was, visiting her relatives. She had a favorable impression of Mrs. Yang, and found Mrs. Yang’s conversations quite interesting.

As for not returning to her parental home first, the Empress Dowager had her reservations, for her father was still in good health, and she did not wish to visit.

Upon reaching the main courtyard, the painting papers had already been tidied away, and Yu Yi and Yu Die were sitting there quietly and gracefully. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Looking at the two little girls, each with a distinct personality, the Empress Dowager laughed, "Your residence really has no shortage of delicate flowers!"

Zhulan, "Indeed, daughters are wonderful, with such meticulous and filial thoughts."

The Empress Dowager expressed regret, "I regret not having such filial daughters. You are fortunate, both your girls are good."

Especially the older daughter of the Zhou family, whose character is truly commendable.

Zhulan’s lips curved up; her daughters were indeed wonderful.

The Empress Dowager looked at the two little girls and felt even more regretful. If only Rongchuan hadn’t been lost, she might still have had a chance for such daughters, but alas, there were no ’ifs.’

Yu Yi and Yu Die promptly performed their salutations. Yu Die had always been bold, speaking crisply, whereas Yu Yi, who had returned recently, had become much more confident, but due to her inherent nature, Yu Yi’s voice was softer.

The Empress Dowager was accustomed to giving gifts, but today she hadn’t brought a Female Officer nor carried extra jewelry; she looked sideways at her daughter-in-law.

Understanding the gesture, Xue Han briskly pulled off a pair of bracelets and handed them to the Empress Dowager, who then gave them to the two little girls.

The little girls paused momentarily, then accepted the gifts.

Zhulan hadn’t let her granddaughters leave for two reasons; firstly, for the granddaughters’ sake, as the Empress Dowager was not someone they could easily meet, and secondly, for sparking more conversation. It turned out to be the right decision as discussing children provided many topics.

That evening, Zhulan could tell at a glance that her husband had returned home angry, "Let me see, what’s wrong? Who has upset Chief of Staff Zhou?"

Zhou Shuren ground his teeth, "Who else could it be but the Retired Emperor? Let me tell you..."

Zhulan, "...."

If it were her, she would be enraged too!

Zhou Shuren huffed, "Do you call this reasonable?"

Zhulan handed the clothes to Zhou Shuren, who was glad to keep his voice down, "No."

Zhou Shuren was indeed angry. The day had been excruciating. The Emperor ate while he watched, and when the Emperor dozed off in his rocking chair, he could do nothing but watch—utterly exhausting.

When it came time to eat, Zhou Shuren’s complexion was poor, and the atmosphere was excessively silent, with Chang Yi and Chang Zhi finding their food hard to swallow, feeling that misfortune loomed.

After dinner, Zhou Shuren took his two sons to the study and returned later, evidently in a much better mood.

Upon returning, Zhou Shuren saw his wife tidying up educational materials, "What is this?"

Zhulan said, "I’ve sorted out some simple and convenient ones, can they be printed and sent to private schools?"

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, "The idea is good, but we mustn’t rush."

"I have a sense of it, our family should keep a low profile right now, and besides, I haven’t finished sorting them out. Once I’m done, I only plan to send them back to the Zhou family’s clan school, no rush for the rest."

Zhou Shuren then said, "Today, the court is discussing the Crown Prince."

Zhulan, "No surprise."

Zhou Shuren hummed, "The new Emperor is not one to be influenced by others. In fishing for people’s true sides, he outdoes the teacher. Watch, appointing the Crown Prince will not be concluded easily."

Zhulan had already cleaned her brush and sneered, "It’s just mutual testing now. The new Emperor has just taken the throne, some are testing for their own benefits, some want to test the Emperor’s bottom line along the tide, and the Emperor himself has his own calculations. Talking about appointing the Crown Prince now is just a game between the ministers and the Emperor."

Zhou Shuren, "Indeed."

Zhulan thought of the harem, knowing it was a game yet still people would jump in, like the faction represented by the Empress, like Consort Liu.

The next day, Zhulan received invitations, from both the Wen family and the Liu family, one after the other, quite in sync indeed.

Su Xuan picked up the invitation, "Mother, are you going?"

Zhulan rolled her eyes inwardly, "Both families chose the same day, their intentions are too obvious, I won’t go."

Su Xuan dropped the invitation, "Then we need a reason, both are from Duke Coleman’s Residence."

Zhulan, "Exactly why I also sent out an invitation to the Qin Prince Residence, I plan to visit the Empress Dowager in five days."

Su Xuan was surprised, "Mother, you foresee things like a god!"

"Not foreseeing like a god, you weren’t here when I just wrote the invitation."

Zhulan now realized, benefits of the Empress Dowager leaving the palace were indeed not small!

Ministry of Rites, Chang Yi, upon hearing that Duke Enqing had come to see him, went out puzzled, "Duke, is there something you need?"

Duke Enqing had recently been very relaxed, still holding a birdcage, looking exceptionally spirited.

Duke Enqing said, "I’ve been idle lately, so I thought about learning Western studies, and I’d like to ask for some of your manuscripts on Western studies."

Chang Yi thought it was something else, "Alright, I have many manuscripts, all bound well, I’ll have someone send them to you after I leave the government office tonight."

Duke Enqing hummed, "Alright, then I’m off to the horse grounds."

Chang Yi, "You really are at leisure."

Duke Enqing whispered, "You think I want to go out every day? You don’t know my pain, if I’m in the Hou Residence, ha, there are so many who come to visit, I want nothing to do with it, so I can only wander around."

He truly was distressed, even though he was already a retired Duke, because he had the bloodline of the main Rong family, the invitations at home piled up, knowing he was at home, even blocking the door.

Chang Yi understood, it was still the trouble of appointing the Crown Prince, "You really have it tough."

Duke Enqing waved his hand, signaling he was leaving first.

At noon, under the gloomy sky, snowflakes began to fall, marking the first snow of the year. It started as moderate snow but slowly turned into heavy snow as time passed.

Zhou Shuren watched the heavy snow outside the window, "This heavy snow is quite sudden."

Knowing it might snow today, he hadn’t expected it to be such heavy snow, and it wasn’t even the season for snowfall, this snow wouldn’t last.

The Retired Emperor stroked his beard, he used to be very afraid of heavy snow, not just heavy snow, but also heavy rain and droughts. It could be said that whenever he heard of heavy snow or rain, his heart would be uneasy.