Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 525 Poisoning_1

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed, and the days had entered November.

Zhulan looked out at the snowscape beyond the door. It was the first snow of the year, and it was coming down heavily. In less than an hour, the ground was already covered.

Zhulan signaled Liu Ya to lower the curtain, and the room instantly darkened. It’s been years since Zhulan came to the ancient era, and she grew increasingly averse to gloomy weather. Whenever the skies were overcast, it felt like nighttime even during the day, necessitating the lighting of candles for more brightness.

This atmosphere could easily depress someone, and Zhulan missed glass windows.

Zhulan yawned, having just woken up not long ago, she already felt drowsy again. This weather was perfect for sleeping.

Zhulan had just stood up, intending to go back and snuggle with her son for a bit longer, when Xue Han came in wearing a cloak, and Liu Li behind her shook the snow off the umbrella. Liu Ya had already taken Xue Han’s cloak.

Zhulan looked at the account book in her daughter’s hands, paused, and beckoned, "Come over and warm up."

With flushed cheeks, Xue Han said, "Mother, it’s not cold outside."

Zhulan took the account book, flipping through it. The accounts for the previous month were recorded meticulously. She then put down the book. "It would be better if you had come after the snow stopped."

Xue Han replied, "The teacher took a day off today, and I couldn’t stay put at home, so I came over."

She really had nowhere to go. Wu Ning had the most schoolwork; even if the teacher took a day off, she had to keep busy with her studies. Yushuang and Yu Lu had to help take care of their younger siblings. As for her fourth sister-in-law, she truly was not welcomed by her fourth brother and didn’t want to visit only to be hurt; her fourth brother wouldn’t go easy on her just because she was his sister.

Seeing that, Zhulan knew there would be no going back to bed. "Today you’re free, so come with me to the storeroom to select some furs. It’s time to distribute them to the various households for winter."

Xue Han smiled and nodded, "Alright."

Furs in the storeroom needed to be sorted periodically. Zhulan always felt a sense of achievement every time she did this. She touched the pearly white fur fondly, "This one is for you."

Xue Han’s eyes sparkled. The white fur was rare. She and her fourth sister-in-law had seen some at the fur shop recently, but the quality was not as good as their own. "Thank you, Mother."

Zhulan pointed to the black mink fur. "This one is for Rongchuan. By the way, I haven’t seen Rongchuan these past few days. What has he been busy with?"

Sweetness filled Xue Han’s heart, "He has been helping Shi Qing copy paintings and calligraphy. After school, he’s been holed up in the study room."

Zhulan smiled, "Your father has been full of praise for that boy’s copying skills!"

A while ago, Zhou Shuren had asked Shi Qing to copy some correspondence, and upon his return, he couldn’t stop talking about how Rongchuan was a genius.

Xue Han stood up straighter, proud for Rongchuan, but humbly said, "He still has a lot to learn!"

Zhulan laughed, that girl, "Shi Qing must have given Rongchuan quite some blessings to copy his works."

Xue Han’s ears turned red, "Yes, thirty taels per piece of writing."

With not much recent schoolwork, Rongchuan had completed five or six pieces, saying it was a rare opportunity to save up for another shop – that would be her dowry.

Zhulan preferred to remain silent; her daughter was not a child anymore.

After selecting the furs quickly, Zhulan brought Xue Han back to the room. The mother and daughter chatted for a while before Xue Han went back.

In the afternoon, the snow finally stopped. Snowy days were perfect for hotpot. They would have hotpot for dinner.

Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren. No matter how well he masked it, she could see that there was a sense of unease pressing on his heart!

After dinner, Zhou Shuren was holding his son. The little guy refused to be held, but Zhou Shuren wouldn’t let go, which made the little one shout angrily, eventually breaking into an earth-shattering cry.

Zhulan took her son into her arms, and the little guy couldn’t have looked more aggrieved, "Okay, okay, mama says to papa, no more crying, alright?"

Zhulan noticed the finger marks on her child’s arm. She patted the pitiful little one, but her sideways glance remained on Zhou Shuren, who was staring into space. Something serious must have happened for Zhou Shuren to be so absent-minded.

Time ticked away slowly. The little one in Zhulan’s arms was holding onto her hair with one hand and clutching her clothes with the other, falling asleep quickly. Zhulan gently laid down the child, prying open his tiny hand bit by bit. The moment the hand was empty, the little guy nearly woke up, so Zhulan hastily stuffed her handkerchief into his hand and patted him for a while longer until he was sound asleep.

Zhou Shuren frowned, "When did this kid develop the habit of grabbing onto things?"

Zhulan sat up, "It’s been over a month now. It means he’s becoming shrewd; not so easily fooled anymore."

Zhou Shuren pressed his brow, realizing he had been busy. Recently, he had been coming home late and hadn’t paid much attention to his son. He reached out and touched his son’s chubby little face, "He’s the happiest in the family, without a care in the world."

Zhulan slipped under the covers, "It’s getting late, let’s go to sleep."

Zhou Shuren stood up and blew out the candle. After everyone lay down, Zhulan asked, "What happened?"

"I startled the snake by hitting the grass. The people I sent are all dead. Today at the government office, my bowl and chopsticks were poisoned."

Zhulan sat up abruptly, alarmed. Zhou Shuren pulled her back down, "There are people around me, nothing will happen." novelbuddy.cσ๓

Zhulan pursed her lips, "Even the most careful plans can have an oversight. How can you be so sure nothing will go wrong?"

Moreover, judging by what Zhou Shuren said, why hadn’t Old Lady Song told her about what happened at noon? Or was she hoping Zhou Shuren would tell her himself? That must be it; only when Zhou Shuren came back to tell her would the shock be minimized.

Zhulan was genuinely scared. Poisoning, something she had never encountered before, had now touched her life. She had thought that once they alerted their adversaries, there would be retaliation, but she didn’t expect it so soon.

Zhou Shuren was also a bit frightened because the poison was the type that sealed the throat upon contact with blood. They really thought highly of him. It seemed they now viewed him as a significant threat. In retrospect, if he had carried out the investigation slowly, he wouldn’t have startled the snake so quickly. It was because of the Emperor’s orders for a comprehensive investigation that he had become the first target of retaliation.

Fortunately, ever since he had entered officialdom, he had been on guard, gathering useful allies; he had been prepared for tactics such as poisoning. Even without the men sent by the Emperor, he had his own precautions in place.

His lapse was due to his worry for Zhulan and their child; their son, not yet a year old, was the most vulnerable.

Zhou Shuren patted Zhulan’s shoulder, "Don’t worry. I am truly prepared. However, you should keep a closer watch on the household recently."

Zhulan nodded, "I understand. I won’t let them go out recently."

Zhou Shuren hugged Zhulan, "Don’t worry about me. By daring to poison openly, they have directly challenged the Emperor. They won’t easily make a move on me in the future. Instead, I’m more concerned they might target you and the others."

Zhulan’s heart tightened because Zhou Shuren was right, "So, am I to understand that you’ve uncovered something critical?"

Zhou Shuren didn’t want Zhulan to dwell on this matter. Some things were better left unknown, "I can’t tell you about this."

Zhulan opened her mouth but swallowed her words, "I won’t ask anymore."

Zhou Shuren had been poisoned, and despite being in the government office where the news could be suppressed, it was impossible to keep it a secret.

The Emperor was soon informed. For the Emperor, Zhou Shuren was not only a lucky general but also a capable and trusted aide. Upon receiving the news, he immediately dispatched people to Jinzhou Province for protection.