Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 529 Not Suitable_1

Zhou Shuren sighed, "From what’s happened with the Lin Residence, I’m stumped."

Zhulan was just curious, but there was a bit of schadenfreude in her tone as she said, "I bet the fifth prince is anxious to get back to the capital now!"

Zhou Shuren lowered his voice, "It’s strange, the Emperor treats all his sons well, yet he was particularly harsh on the fifth prince. First, he put the fifth prince on the hot seat, and now he’s even brought back an imposter to the capital. It’s so odd. You know, for the fifth prince to try to return to the capital now would be too difficult, the other princes would not allow it."

Who knows, there might already be a net thrown around near the capital.

Zhulan, "I’ve been wondering, you see, the Emperor treats the Crown Prince the best, which reflects his feelings for the Empress. So the difference in treatment between sons of the same mother is too great."

She couldn’t detect any particular affection for the fifth prince from the actions of the Emperor.

Zhou Shuren took Zhulan’s hand and wrote the character for ’false’ in her palm. Zhulan widened her eyes, "No way, that’s too mysterious, how could the Emperor, such a powerful figure, possibly...?"

Zhou Shuren, after a moment of silence, continued, "Don’t forget, when the dynasty was first established, the Palace was the weakest point. Even if the harem was purged, some fish always slipped through the net."

Zhulan hissed, once a person adopts a notion, their mind becomes biased. The more she thought about it, the more probable it seemed, "If it’s true, then what about the real one?"

Zhou Shuren whispered, "If I were the mastermind behind it all, I’d make sure he was dead."

He would not leave a seed of trouble, a very much alive fifth prince would be damning evidence. Truly ruthless people would snuff out the source; death without proof is most secure.

Zhulan’s mind was in disarray. After calming down for a while, she drew the blanket over them, "Let’s rest for now. This has nothing much to do with us. It’s for the Emperor to worry about."

Zhou Shuren smiled, "Quite so. The more chaotic, the better. It would ease my situation significantly."

After hearing this, Zhulan felt slightly relieved, "Mm."

Zhou Shuren, embracing Zhulan, closed his eyes. He didn’t tell her that he felt a grand trap was revealing itself, corner by corner. Ha, he always felt that what he investigated was related to the fifth prince. The Emperor bringing an imposter back confirmed his suspicions.

Zhou Shuren’s blood boiled with excitement. It was truly thrilling; he just didn’t know if the Hou Residence would fall into the trap the Emperor had set. Now it all depended on the actions of the Hou Residence.

Right, and there was the Lin Residence, which he no longer needed to probe into. Since his investigation had hit a dead end ever since he startedle the grass and scared the snake’, the Lin Residence might just be his breakthrough. He was truly looking forward to it.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren, having settled their minds, fell into a deep sleep, soon both were sleeping soundly.

But as the night deepened, others found their sleep less peaceful.

At the Hou Residence, Marquis Yao sat alone in his study, where the shards of numerous vases lay scattered around—remnants of his venting anger, the broken porcelain spread across the floor.

In the Princely Heir’s Residence, the second daughter of Marquis Yao, Yao Yao, was startled awake just as she was falling asleep. From outside the window, a dagger was thrown in, sticking into the bedpost, with a note tied to it. Patting her chest to calm down, it took Yao Yao a while to muster the courage to pull out the dagger and finally look at the message with a grimace.

Yao Yao clenched the letter tightly. Hah, was this the fifth prince’s way of asking for help? As if he was doing her a favor. Sure, she wasn’t particularly beautiful, and the fifth prince, having seen his fair share of beauties, wouldn’t spare her a second glance. She had been to Jinzhou City, and he must have despised her even more. Tossing the dagger as if she no longer held any value, as if she had nothing to fear, expecting her to help was a dream.

The next day at noon, Zhulan learned from Nanny Song that the second Miss Yao had already left the city, and it was the Princely Heir himself who escorted her back to the capital.

Xue Han’s needlework paused, "Mother, something isn’t right. Why would the Princely Heir escort Yao Yao back to the capital?"

And to personally escort her—was he not at ease? She was somewhat worried for Miss Yao.

Zhulan looked approvingly at her daughter, who was quick to react, and then glanced at Wu Ning, who continued to embroider with her head down. Zhulan shook her head inwardly; the more she interacted with Wu Ning, the more she realized that even if there were no obstacles between Wu Ning and Shi Qing, the two were not suited for each other. Shi Qing needed a wife who would share in his life’s journey, one who could entrust her back to him.

Wu Ning’s personality was destined to not be suitable, even with further teaching, as one’s nature cannot be changed.

Nanny Song, seeing her mistress looking at her, said in a low voice, "The Princely Heir just happened to be returning to the capital to meet his fiancée."

Xue Han became even more convinced that there was something amiss. After her mind raced for a moment, her eyes widened—The Princely Heir was on guard against someone at the same time he wanted to protect Miss Yao.

Zhulan’s lips curled, "Not to be discussed, not to be discussed."

There was a gleam of amusement in Nanny Song’s eyes. Sometimes, the mistress protected the young lady too much, while at other times she was ruthlessly training her to be stronger. In her view, the young lady had been educated excellently: knowing little but able to grasp the essentials was a sign of having a big-picture perspective.

Wu Ning paused, then continued embroidering her handkerchief. She was somewhat distracted; in just a few days, the frustration in her heart had dispersed and she hadn’t thought about Young Master Shi in days. Wu Ning pursed her lips—Was it as Nanny Wei said? Did she feel empathy for Young Master Shi because of his background and thus saw him as a refuge?

Zhulan pulled Wu Ning’s hand, "Daydreaming? You need to change this habit."

Wu Ning lowered her head and nearly pricked herself. She laughed and said, "Indeed, I should."

Xue Han leaned against her mother, "The teachers have a holiday, and it’s been a while since I’ve felt this relaxed. My bones have gotten lazy."

Always busy like a spinning top, she wasn’t quite used to having free time now.

Wu Ning laughed softly, "Indeed, today we all got up late."

The lot of young ladies isn’t easy—they strive for the face of their families and to avoid becoming a joke. Even Yu Lu, the one who loves to sleep in the most in the Zhou family, gets up on time every day.

Xue Han felt a bit embarrassed; she had overslept during the rare opportunity to rest. She slapped her cheeks and said, "I will indulge myself for today and be stricter with myself in the future."

Her mother had said that her current hardships would be the blessings of the future.

Wu Ning was taken aback, then smiled. This was the difference between her and Xue Han. In her eyes, Xue Han was dazzling. Among the officials’ daughters, Xue Han was one of the youngest, yet she had never seen Xue Han at a disadvantage, even if she was mocked, Xue Han would just smile it off. In Xue Han’s words, getting angry about someone you don’t care about wasn’t worth it.

She couldn’t do that; she was too easily influenced by external factors. Sneaking a glance at her aunt, she then lowered her head. She truly envied those with a father and mother, but at least she had three brothers.

In the afternoon, at the Yao Residence in the capital, after Yao Yao had sent the servant who called her big brother to the study away, she pulled on her brother’s clothes, "Big brother, you don’t have to take on these worries for me."

Yao Zheyu said, "Don’t worry, I’m doing this as a matter of convenience, and I really do need to see Magistrate Shen."