Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1259 Goodwill

Zhulan returned home from the Qin Prince Residence, her head still buzzing, feeling extremely fatigued.

Yu Yi was a clever little girl and the eldest daughter of the third branch of the family. Mature beyond her years, she worriedly asked, "Grandma, what’s wrong?"

Zhulan picked up a teacup and poured herself some tea, the cool drink clearing her mind significantly, "Grandma is fine."

Yu Yi didn’t believe it, the little girl becoming a bit anxious, "If you’re not feeling well, you can’t just bear with it. I’ll go call a doctor right away."

Zhulan hugged Yu Yi, chuckling softly, "Grandma really is fine, just a bit tired."

Seeing that her grandma could still hold her, Yu Yi believed her, "Then, Grandma, take a rest for a while."

Zhulan indeed needed rest because she hadn’t cried, which made her stand out conspicuously, and then came the tragedy—everyone insisted on telling her how sad the story was, determined to make her cry too.

Instead of feeling sad, Zhulan felt like laughing, but as time went on, it turned into torture. They said they would find an even sadder tale to move her, and when she came back, the Empress Dowager was busy discussing stories with several consorts.

Zhulan, "!!"

Now, having heard too many tragedies, the Empress Dowager had evolved and started to create her own tragedies. The consorts even took her as an achievement, determined to make her cry—a truly indescribable feeling.

At the Ministry of Revenue, both the Retired Emperor and Zhou Shuren were very quiet. Since Zhulan’s textbook had arrived, the Retired Emperor was no longer teasing Zhou Shuren. Instead, he was cooped up in the Ministry studying. The previous book was easy; it was foundational, and the Retired Emperor had an easy time learning.

This new book was difficult. From time to time, the Retired Emperor furrowed his brows, lost in thought.

The Retired Emperor looked at Zhou Shuren, "Come here and take a look."

Zhou Shuren really didn’t want to go over. The easy material he could handle, but he had almost forgotten the difficult parts. Even with some recollection, he would need some time to mull it over, but unfortunately, he had to go.

The Retired Emperor was working on a problem, "I’ve calculated it twice, and it’s still not right. Shuren, do you understand?"

In his earlier years, the Retired Emperor played dumb, learning everything by himself. Eventually, he could learn in secret, focusing on power plays and calculations, a mix of various subjects. As Emperor, if there was time, he focused on balancing the intricacies of government. There wasn’t much he was truly proficient in, nor did he have the time to study. Now, with the rare chance to delve in deep, he was very committed.

Zhou Shuren picked up the book and let out a breath. Fortunately, he understood this problem. He looked carefully at the Retired Emperor’s problem and explained it patiently.

The Retired Emperor fell silent, "So that’s how it is, Shuren is quite formidable."

Zhou Shuren said, "I didn’t have time to study. What I know is from what my wife told me."

The Retired Emperor was silent again, humming in acknowledgment, then continued reading the textbook.

Zhou Shuren didn’t continue to speak. When he looked up from his busy work, the Retired Emperor had already set aside his daughter-in-law’s textbook and was poring over ancient famous mathematical works like "The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art" and "The Arithmetical Classic of the Gnomon and the Circular Paths of Heaven."

Zhou Shuren was not specialized in this field. He had studied the relevant parts for the imperial examinations, but it wasn’t something he was deeply passionate about. Now, seeing the Retired Emperor bring so many ancient texts, it seemed the Retired Emperor intended to study them thoroughly.

When leaving the government office, the Retired Emperor pointed to the books on the table, "Your wife is very talented. Since she has talent, she can’t just look at Western literature. Take all of these back with you; these are all the specialized works I could find."

The Retired Emperor paused, then continued, "I’ve seen your wife’s organization of knowledge, and it’s quite good. She should organize all of this too."

Zhou Shuren estimated the dozen or so books—none of them thin, many of which he had studied, containing many Chapters, "Your servant accepts the decree."

The Retired Emperor was in a good mood, "Hmm."

So when Zhulan saw the books on the table, her head buzzed, "Give me an explanation?"

Zhou Shuren cleared his throat, "I still understand the Retired Emperor well. He believes you are capable, so he gives you heavier tasks. Clearly, the Retired Emperor thinks highly of your abilities. Look, he’s assigned you a task."

Zhulan’s face was impassive, "Oh."

Zhou Shuren knew his daughter-in-law would react this way. "This is all the wisdom of our ancient ancestors."

Zhulan took a deep breath, extended her hand, then retracted it. She indeed was interested in organizing it, but, "I don’t want to look at it today."

Zhou Shuren stretched out his hand to massage his wife’s shoulders, "My wife has been working hard."

To want to organize, she must have learned thoroughly. Tsk tsk, the retired Emperor doesn’t hold back at all.

Time passed quickly, and the following days saw Zhulan leading a very busy life, devoting herself entirely to learning, thankfully protecting her eyesight ever since she arrived in the ancient era, which remained quite good.

Zhulan not only studied herself but also pulled Chang Zhong, who had been staying at home recently, into her studies. She, as their mother, couldn’t compete with her youngest son in classical texts anymore.

Zhulan, taking Chang Zhong along, was planning to bring Ming Hui and Ming Jia as well. And when Ming Jia was playing with Ming Hui, it turned out, when more people gathered, the study atmosphere was indeed very nice.

The result was that when Ming Hui returned to the main house, he would say, "Grandma is especially amazing, she knows so much, and she can answer all my questions."

Lady Li was quite proud, "And you think she’s the mother-in-law of who?"

Zhou Shuren, "? ? ?"

That doesn’t seem to have any relation, does it?

While Zhulan was studying at home, a craze for watching plays swept through the circle of the powerful and rich in the capital, and it was particularly loved by the women. Every day, people were invited to perform plays in the household, and then the audience left with tears in their eyes.

When Zhulan found out, it was Mrs. Tao who came to see her, "I knew you hadn’t seen it, the performance is really good."

Zhulan, "..."

No, she had not only seen it, but she was the original author. It’s just that the Empress had polished it to make it fit better with ancient times. But it had actually been spread around?

Mrs. Tao reminisced as she spoke, "This story is more realistic than the stories of the Story-telling Lady, and it’s the realism that makes people empathize."

Zhulan didn’t want to speak. That was because she had the right values, and okay, also because she was cautious. It was a story told to the Empress Dowager, after all, so it had to conform to the rules and convey the correct outlook on life, or else the Retired Emperor would have silenced her long ago.

Mrs. Tao said a lot, and Zhulan just listened quietly, thinking over who could have leaked the story. It seemed the Empress Dowager wouldn’t have allowed it to be spread, and no one would dare to against her wishes. Later, she asked Mrs. Tao if she knew who wrote the story, and Mrs. Tao shook her head saying she didn’t know, which relieved Zhulan.

Fortunately, the excitement died down after a while, and the focus returned to the matter of the Crown Prince.

After the morning court, Zhou Shuren walked with Li Zhao, and the Minister of Personnel caught up to them, "Minister Zhou, the assessment of officials has ended this year."

Zhou Shuren was of course aware, "It’s been hard on all the gentlemen of the Ministry of Personnel."

The Minister of Personnel came not simply for small talk, "Your sons all received an ’excellent’ rating."

Zhou Shuren said, "They’ll need to work hard to maintain that next year."

The Minister of Personnel had an indifferent face. Zhou Shuren was indeed confident. Afterwards, he felt a bit spiteful because the new Emperor had taken the throne, and this year’s assessments were especially stringent. Zhou Shuren’s sons had actual accomplishments this year, and even Zhou Changzhi, who participated in the written exam in the capital, was truly worthy of being the second-place scholar.

Listening to a bunch of nonsense, Li Zhao knew the Minister of Personnel had something to discuss with Zhou Shuren and briskly walked ahead.

The Minister of Personnel then said, "The eldest son of the Ran family received an ’excellent’ rating on his assessment. I expect he will be able to return to the capital next year."

Zhou Shuren understood; the Minister was hinting the reassignment was already a done deal. "That is indeed good news."

The Minister of Personnel smiled, "Yes, it’s a joyous occasion."

Being the Minister of Personnel, he was all too aware of the demons lurking within his jurisdiction. So, Zhou Shuren not acting wouldn’t make much of a difference, but once he did act, it was with lethal intent. Giving an advance notice as a gesture of goodwill was quite nice.