Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 531 Skilled in Calculation_1

Zhou Shuren mysteriously said, "Not only do I know, but I also know who it is." freewёbnoνel.com

In the past, Zhou Shuren couldn’t guess, but now, what he submitted to the Emperor, the Emperor would surely be happy to change it for a new consort for the fifth prince.

Zhulan watched as Zhou Shuren turned to leave for a meal, glaring at him; he didn’t plan to tell her at all!

Inside the Palace, the Crown Prince looked at the royal matchmaking decree in silence, recalling the counterfeit "Fifth Brother" he met in the afternoon, which nearly scared the daylights out of him.

The Emperor was very pleased with his own royal decree for marriage, "It’s getting late. You should head back as well."

The Crown Prince put down the decree, "Yes."

It seemed like the Emperor was in an exceptionally good mood; this was the first time in two months that he had let the Crown Prince leave so early. The Crown Prince couldn’t help but quicken his steps; he could still have dinner with his son, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, though he frequently visited when the little guy was asleep to watch over him.

The Crown Prince felt the pouch, where he had effortlessly obtained a jade pendant from the Emperor, which the little guy would surely like.

At the Zhou residence’s dinner, the first wife and the fourth wife ate together, while the second and third wives knew that the Magistrate had helped the first wife.

At the second wife’s dinner table, Lady Zhao held her fidgety little daughter, distractedly saying, "The Magistrate seems to prefer the eldest sister-in-law."

Chang Yi nodded; he had noticed this long ago. Even though he didn’t involve himself in the affairs of the women’s quarters, he still made sure to be informed. The Magistrate had never visited the second wife, and rarely even the third. After some thought, he realized that the Magistrate didn’t quite like the second or third wives.

Lady Zhao looked at Yushuang, who was dining, and was puzzled. Yushuang was better-looking than Yu Lu, but the Magistrate seemed to prefer Yu Lu. She didn’t ask the Magistrate to help the second house make money; her husband was capable of earning his own silver. All she hoped was that the Magistrate could spend more time with her daughter, to improve her daughter’s status.

Zhou Changzhi continued to eat, "Actually, the Magistrate has already helped us a lot outside."

At least he had been very considerate to him, the second uncle. He had been able to buy land at a base price, initially believing it was due to his father’s influence. Only later did he learn of the Magistrate’s help.

Lady Zhao was surprised, "Really? There is such a thing?"

Zhou Changzhi finished his meal, casually taking the little girl, who had grown sturdier and seemed to kick his leg with quite some strength. Zhou Changzhi smiled, "Yeah, in the future, just interact with the Magistrate naturally. Trying too hard might backfire."

Thinking about it, this fourth sister-in-law was already doing quite well. Initially, he was worried that with the Magistrate’s title, she wouldn’t take them seriously, but aside from the Magistrate choosing her company based on personal preferences, everything else was quite alright.

Lady Zhao fell silent; the more she tried to please the Magistrate, the further she seemed to push her away, "I understand."

In the third house, Lady Dong’s belly was already very big, and sitting for a while made her uncomfortable. She didn’t eat much and felt full quickly, soon putting down her chopsticks.

Chang Lian frowned, "Why aren’t you eating anymore? Are you upset because the Magistrate helped the first house?"

Lady Dong glared, "Am I such a petty person? I’ve long understood that everyone has their own fate. I don’t ask for that; it’s just the child in my belly that’s making a fuss. I truly can’t eat any more."

Chang Lian counted the days, "Hold on for just over two more months, and it will be better once the child is born."

He felt sorry for Lady Dong, who had been suffering from leg cramps every night for the past two months, too scared to move once they started. This pregnancy was truly difficult, especially since the child in her belly was so active.

Lady Dong couldn’t find a comfortable position to lie in at night. Now that winter had set in and she didn’t go out, her face had paled, making the circles under her eyes appear even darker.

Lady Dong patted her belly, "I used to think giving birth was easy, doesn’t every family have five or six children, and some as many as eight or nine? It’s only after getting pregnant myself that I’ve realized the hardship, and how difficult it is to be a mother."

Chang Lian also felt deeply, having not accompanied Lady Dong, he couldn’t fully grasp her hardships, "That’s why children must be filial to their mother."

He immediately felt guilty after speaking. His mother had told him there was no need to pay respects, but he truly hadn’t visited many times; each visit was because there was some matter to attend to. It was quite improper of him.

The main house had just finished eating. Su Xuan grabbed a wine cup to pour herself a drink, but was stopped by Chang Zhi, "You can’t drink wine now."

Su Xuan, "Why not?"

Chang Zhi hadn’t become foolish enough to reveal the true reason, as this wasn’t his own courtyard, "You still have five characters left to write."

Su Xuan felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her ears buzzed, and she gripped her chopsticks tightly. She really wanted to slap Zhou Changzhi to death; even at this time, he mentioned writing character!

Lady Li wanted to advise her younger brother but immediately shut her mouth. She was truly afraid of her fourth brother now; if he could be so ruthless to his own wife, he wouldn’t be polite to her as his elder sister. She didn’t want to end up writing as well.

Elder Brother Zhou shrank his neck, chuckling, "Then none of us will drink."

Chang Zhi’s eyes twinkled with amusement, "It’s quite good if none of us drink."

Elder Brother Zhou swallowed, yearning for a drink. Inside the wine jug was a twenty-year-old aged brew, always kept by Lady Li, and he had hoped to take advantage of the occasion to drink some. Now, there was no chance.

After the meal, Su Xuan left the courtyard of the main house, reached out, and twisted Chang Zhi’s ear, "Let’s have a good talk about writing characters when we get back."

Chang Zhi hissed in pain. He felt that his skin had thickened to a certain extent; he wasn’t even afraid of the servants’ gazes anymore, "Let go, or we will both be embarrassed."

Su Xuan, fuming, "Let’s be embarrassed then. I’m not afraid of you."

Chang Zhi’s ear no longer hurt, "You said it, so I will tell. Mother said that a woman who is pregnant must not drink alcohol."

Su Xuan was stunned, foolishly letting go of his ear. She quickly calculated the dates. No way. Her face instantly darkened; she had just had her period half a month ago, "Zhou Changzhi."

Chang Zhi leaned into Su Xuan’s ear, "You’ve been working so diligently these days, I believe it’s happened."

Su Xuan’s face turned red then black, and black then red. She wondered why Zhou Changzhi had squandered away all her stored wine, giving it to others. It turned out he had been waiting for her here!

Chang Zhi straightened up, smiling. He could remember that pregnant women shouldn’t drink alcohol; he had found out when his sister-in-law in Lizhou Province was pregnant.

The next day, the government officer who had read the royal decree of the arranged marriage returned to the capital from the Lin Residence. This was when Zhulan got the news. What truly surprised Zhulan, though, was that Miss Lin and the officer had entered the capital together.

Because the Emperor had decreed it; once the royal marriage decree was issued, Miss Lin immediately entered the capital to care for the fifth Prince. The newly appointed future consort of the fifth Prince didn’t even have time to pack; she hastily took a wet nurse and two maids and boarded the carriage for the capital.

Zhulan’s lips twitched, wanting to convulse. The Emperor must have done it on purpose; the real fifth Prince was right in the Lin Residence. Miss Lin and the fifth Prince must have had an affair, and the Emperor still asked Miss Lin to take care of the pretend one. How disgusting—it was the fifth Prince who was being duped.

In the Government Office, Magistrate Wang was dumbfounded, "How could it be the Lin Residence?"

Mr. Lin was only a fifth-rank official. How could he have his daughter become the fifth Prince’s Consort?

Magistrate Wang looked at Zhou Shuren, who was tasting tea, and asked tentatively, "Did you know about this all along, sir?"

Zhou Shuren played dumb, "How could I know? Do you really think I’m some kind of spirit, heavens, some kind of fortune-telling immortal?"

Magistrate Wang’s expression briefly turned strange. Zhou Shuren was aware he was shrewd. Shaking his head, he stared intently at Zhou Shuren, soon looking disappointed. He found Zhou Shuren increasingly inscrutable. Many of Zhou Shuren’s subtle movements had disappeared. Speaking of which, he truly admired Zhou Shuren. Some habits couldn’t just be changed on a whim, but Zhou Shuren utilized his intelligence to do just that.