Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 586: Seeking Help_1

Qi Clan’s eyes curved into a smile, "I’m content now."

For the first time, she felt grateful that her father had chosen her husband for her. It had taken her most of her life to realize that her husband was the most clear-headed. Now her son and daughter were living good lives, and she no longer harbored hopes for her daughter to bring more benefits. She was truly tired of all the constant scheming and strife.

Two days later, Zhulan learned the name of Ran Yan’s daughter—it was the Emperor who bestowed the name during the washing ceremony, Zhang Zhenyue.

Zhulan speculated that the princes must have felt unbalanced. Even the daughter of the Crown Prince’s side consort received a name from the Emperor himself; the princes must have been envious.

At the Crown Prince’s residence, the Crown Prince, who did not go to the palace that day, looked at his four younger brothers, who had all arrived. He was keenly aware of their envious gazes, which filled him with satisfaction. "If I’m not mistaken, each of you has duties to attend to. Yet, today, you all found time to visit the Crown Prince’s residence. While I’m touched, neglecting your duties is not good. It seems I need to speak to Father and suggest changing your assignments, wouldn’t that be better?"

The Second Prince, "...."

He shouldn’t have visited the Crown Prince’s residence out of jealousy—look at the lethal force as soon as he spoke!

Seeing that the Second Prince remained silent, the Third Prince felt it was unwise to become the target, and he cast a sidelong glance at the Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince was cursing inwardly. If his two older brothers would just shut up, they were dreaming if they thought he’d speak up. He reached out and tugged at the Fifth Prince’s sleeve.

The Fifth Prince, Zhang Jinghong, felt his sleeve tug but remained immovable as a mountain. He was not that foolish.

The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you’ve come to my place but don’t speak. Then I’ll have to speak for you."

No sooner had he finished his words than the Crown Prince called someone out, "Jingyang, you’re in charge of an investigation, and it’s been several days with not a word of progress? I’ve been holding off Father’s inquiries for you. Seeing how idle you are, my assistance seems unnecessary. Tomorrow, I must bring up the matter of the investigation with Father."

The Second Prince stood up abruptly, "Look at my memory, I have other matters to attend to. Crown Prince, please excuse me."

With that, he hurried off. Pah, acting as if he was going to plead on his behalf. He’d be lucky not to be sabotaged!

The Third Prince, seeing the Crown Prince was about to speak, "Second Brother, hey, wait for me!"

The Fourth Prince, "Third Brother, that’s my fan you’ve taken. Give it back to me."

The Fifth Prince, Zhang Jinghong, watched as his brothers ran off, stunned. He had been dragged along by his three elder brothers, who had now abandoned him, "Eldest Brother, I’ll be leaving as well."

The Crown Prince heaved a deep sigh. He intended to praise the Third Prince, but the Third Prince had run off before listening!

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was mid-June. Zhou Shuren’s birthday was approaching, and preparations at the Zhou residence were nearly complete. Zhulan had entrusted all banquet preparations, including the menu, to Xue Han and Wu Ning.

She was checking the invitations with Su Xuan as Su Xuan was more familiar with the grudges and favors among the families of Jinzhou Province, and had arranged the seating for each table.

Xue Han handed over the final draft of the menu to her mother, "Mother, is there anything else that needs to be changed?"

Zhulan quickly scanned the document, "No issues."

Xue Han took the menu with curiosity, "Mother, it’s Father’s first big birthday celebration. What gift have you prepared for him?"

Zhulan, "It’s a secret. What gift have you prepared?"

Xue Han didn’t have any secrets, "I made a suit of clothes for Father."

Zhulan smiled, "That’s thoughtful."

Zhulan waited for Xue Han to leave before taking out the gift she had prepared. She had been preparing this gift since the year began. It was a set of paintings, seven in total, each representing a scene from the past year. The first painting depicted the scene of Zhou Shuren returning from Jiangnan, the second a scene of his success in the Scholar examinations. Each piece had been carefully selected by her.

The final portrait was of their family of three.

Zhulan’s fingertips caressed the painting, which must be preserved well. She was preparing them for her burial when she passed away. Her fingers lingered on the deliberately left blank space, where Zhou Shuren was to write a poem.

Granny Song stood behind her, moved by the affection between the mother and the Family Head.

Zhulan carefully rolled the painting back up and stored it away meticulously.

Steward Ding came in, his forehead dotted with fine sweat, "Madam, the steward from Mr. Jiang’s residence in the capital has arrived, saying there’s an emergency and asking for help."

Zhulan, however, felt a sense of finality. It was better to face trouble sooner rather than later. The later troubles occurred, the larger they grew and the more likely they would implicate the Zhou family, and lead to the Jiang family’s complete undoing, "Let them in."

Steward Ding quickly went out, and not long after, the steward from the Jiang Residence came in and fell to his knees, "Mrs. Zhou, our Madam sent me to ask for Lord Zhou’s help to save our master."

Zhulan asked, "What’s happened to your master?"

The steward from the Jiang Residence choked up, stammering, but the Zhou residence was their only hope. If the Jiang Residence fell, all the servants would be doomed too, "Our master has been framed for accepting bribes, and he was arrested this morning."

Zhulan fell silent, lacking the confidence to reply, which indicated the truth of the matter, "Is everything else in your residence alright?"

The steward from the Jiang Residence felt a heavy heart. Lady Zhou was in no rush at all, shivering, what if Lord Zhou didn’t save the master? This thought spun in his mind, sapping the strength from his kneeling stance, stuttering back, "The, the residence is somewhat in chaos."

Zhulan instructed Steward Ding, "Take him away first."

The steward from the Jiang Residence, "The Jiang Residence can’t wait, please Madame, save the Jiang Residence."

Steward Ding, pulling the man out with all his might and lowering his voice, "Stop shouting, what’s the use of that? The madam has to talk it over with the master first."

The steward from the Jiang Residence stopped shouting, panic setting in as he muttered to himself, "The Zhou family and Jiang family are relatives, they will surely help."

Steward Ding curled his lip, this kinship was maintained by the third wife. Mr. Jiang was not the Zhou family’s son-in-law, such kinship was not reliable. Moreover, he remembered that not long ago, their residence had refused to see someone recommended by Mr. Jiang!

Zhulan sent a young servant to the government office to inform Zhou Shuren about Jiang Ming. Zhulan felt that even if she didn’t say anything, Zhou Shuren would know about it, and she believed even more so that Jiang Ming’s troubles were likely to have been pushed along by Zhou Shuren himself.

After the young servant departed, Lady Dong, hearing the news, came over frantically, "Mother, did something really happen to the Jiang Residence?"

Seeing Lady Dong’s pale complexion, Zhulan said, "Don’t panic. The Jiang Residence isn’t sealed, only Jiang Ming was arrested, it’s not the worst-case scenario."

Lady Dong’s legs went weak, and she sat down on a chair to collect herself. Seeing her mother-in-law’s calm demeanor, she felt an inexplicable sense of relief. She couldn’t help thinking that, as long as her brother-in-law didn’t lose his life, losing his official position was better than implicating her sister and the children in the future.

Lady Dong was stunned; she actually thought it was better that trouble came sooner.

In the Government Office, Zhou Shuren had received the news yesterday, and as it turned out, he was waiting for the results today. After hearing the young servant’s message, Zhou Shuren said, "Go back and tell the madam, I’ve got it under control."

The young servant, "Yes."

In the Zhou Residence, Zhulan, after listening to the young servant’s response, that did it, indeed, it was Zhou Shuren’s handiwork behind the scenes. She gestured for the young servant to leave and told Lady Dong, "Your father knows what he’s doing, don’t worry about it anymore."

Lady Dong felt assured; her father-in-law’s image towered high in the Zhou Residence. Her tone became much lighter, "Thank you, mother."

Zhulan, "Your child must be looking for you by now, go back."

"Okay."