Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 785: Crown Prince, Please Leave Quickly_1

The princes had their speculations, too. Despite being out of the capital and residing in Pinggang, the Second Prince paid great attention to any news concerning the Crown Prince, especially since he had just suffered a loss at the hands of the Crown Prince at the Ministry of Revenue.

Zhang Jingyang thought of the Ning family. Duke Ning, though low-profile, couldn’t change the fact that he was the Crown Prince’s maternal grandfather. With the Crown Prince unable to enter the palace and he and the Third Prince being heavily relied upon by their father, could the Duke Ning Residence truly be in no hurry?

Zhang Jingyang believed that Mr. Hou’s actions must have been instigated by Duke Ning, and as for Mr. Hou’s intentions, as long as he kept a close watch, he would eventually figure them out.

In the Third Prince’s residence, Zhang Jingshi paid extra attention upon hearing the news. Mr. Hou was the Crown Prince’s maternal uncle, but why would he choose to pull the Zhou family closer through Zhang Rongchuan rather than directly courting Zhou Changlian? This was something he couldn’t figure out.

However, he absolutely couldn’t allow the Crown Prince to win over Lord Zhou. Lord Zhou was highly regarded by the Emperor, and even the Crown Prince treated him politely. If Lord Zhou truly spoke up for the Crown Prince, the Emperor would probably listen. Right, the Crown Prince was still in the Ministry of Revenue, it might be that Mr. Hou was just a smokescreen, and the Crown Prince was personally courting Lord Zhou.

The more Third Prince Zhang Jingshi thought about it, the more he felt it was so. The Crown Prince was truly cunning; he was almost deceived by him again.

In the residence of the Fourth Prince, Zhang Jingxi also suspected the Crown Prince, but more so, he was thinking about how to secure a position for himself. Both his second and third brothers had duties that allowed them to rally support, while he was left without any.

Zhang Jingxi, green with envy over his brothers, pondered on creating trouble for them and usurping their tasks. As for matters related to the Crown Prince, he’d rather not deal with them for the time being, lest his joyful contention with the Crown Prince ended up benefiting his brothers.

Within the palace, the Emperor felt sour, "Qingran, why does this fruit taste sour to me?"

The Empress rolled her eyes, "I didn’t feel sour even when our son got a new mother, yet this fruit tastes quite sweet to me."

The Emperor put down the fruit, "You’re just being stubborn." fгeewebnovёl.com

"Seeing through but not telling, Your Majesty."

If it weren’t for the Emperor’s supreme authority, she really would have driven someone out with a beating.

The Emperor silently hummed to himself, "I’ve only just realized how many schemes your third brother has. This fast horse brought the freshest fruit from Jiangnan, surely your third brother didn’t just think of this on a whim. He’s well-prepared to be a father and to bond with Rongchuan."

Such effort to please his son! Surely, the son must be deeply moved.

The Empress looked at the Emperor. The Ning family’s intentions, no, it should be her father’s and Ning Xu’s intentions, how could the Emperor not guess them? But since it’s for the sake of their son, in the end, he endured, and the Emperor was just mildly sour about it, "Look, we benefit from it too. See, your third brother didn’t forget to send some to the palace."

The Emperor fell silent and sighed quietly to himself, resigning to the situation.

The next day, Scholar Deng arrived early. Zhulan asked, "Have you found a decent estate so quickly?"

Scholar Deng was also quite surprised, "Just yesterday afternoon there were no estates up for sale, and this morning we suddenly have two. One is seventy acres, and the other includes a hill, nearly ninety acres."

Zhulan did not believe in such coincidences. She was well aware of how difficult it was to buy an estate near the capital, which is why she had asked Scholar Deng to take a look first. It wasn’t just about having insufficient silver; it was also because estates were hard to find.

The fact that two estates had suddenly become available suggested to her that regardless of their location or condition, both must be quite desirable.

Scholar Deng was very anxious, "It’s rare for two estates to come on the market simultaneously, so as soon as I received the news, I hurried over. What do you think? Should I go and take a look?"

Zhulan weighed all the factors, ignoring that the Ning Duke Residence and the palace were covering for the Zhou family’s shortfall. But the Zhou family currently lacked silver, and this was somewhat disconcerting, "How much for the two estates?"

Scholar Deng remembered clearly and replied, "The seventy-acre estate costs five thousand taels, as it has just been renovated a few years ago and there’s a spring on the property. The ninety-acre one costs six thousand taels. Its location is particularly good. I’ve heard about it before; the size of the estate is quite considerable too. Frankly, the prices for these two estates seem a bit low."

He didn’t think much of it, only assuming someone was going to gift a manor to the Zhou family. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be such a coincidence that right when the Zhou family’s standing had grown, someone was trying to curry favor. He wasn’t surprised but still, he wanted to find out whose estate it was to avoid any trouble.

Zhulan thought to herself that it was not just lowered, "Let’s go and see the estate together."

She had no silver but her son and daughter-in-law did, and now was the time to show the benefits of having many children. Borrowing a little from each would solve the silver issue. If it hadn’t been for such a large amount of silver needed and her reluctance to sell her possessions, she wouldn’t have considered borrowing from her son’s family.

The price of the estate is so low because it’s unclear how much silver the Zhou family currently has. Once Rongchuan is recognized by the bloodline and the thanks gift from the Ning Duke Residence arrives, the price of the estate will surely not stay this cheap.

Not buying now would be a huge loss.

Zhulan went to see the estate not just by herself but brought along her eldest grandson. It coincided with the academy’s day off, a good opportunity for him to broaden his experiences.

As for the women of the family, she brought along Lady Li and Lady Zhao. They went for the sake of increasing their knowledge.

In the Duke Residence, Lady Du and the children had all seated themselves, "I’ve called you here today because there’s something I need to tell you."

In the main branch of the family, Ning Zhiqi had heard a few words from his daughter Ning Ting yesterday. He might not be the brightest but was not foolish, and he speculated that it had to do with the Zhou family, "Mother, please speak, we are listening."

Ning Zhiqi’s wife, Lady Song, pondered in her heart and glanced at her sister-in-law Lady Yu with a corner of her eye. In recent days, her mother-in-law had been more affectionate towards her and less so towards Lady Yu. Seeing Lady Yu lean forward, Lady Song understood that Lady Yu cared more about the Zhou family’s matters. After all, the fervent gift of fruits to Zhang Rongchuan by her younger brother-in-law was known to the Duke Ning Residence as well.

Lady Du said concisely, "Your uncle has a son, and yes, it’s Zhang Rongchuan."

Lady Song was stunned by the news, which took her by surprise. Ning Zhiqi came back to his senses, "Mother, are you saying that Zhou Residence’s Zhang Rongchuan is uncle’s son?"

Ning Zhixiang had made some guesses because of his uncle’s actions, and now that it was confirmed, he felt a hollow feeling inside.

Lady Yu couldn’t believe it, "Mother, Zhang Rongchuan doesn’t resemble uncle. Could there be a mistake?"

Lady Du looked at her second daughter-in-law, who deeply cared about her younger brother-in-law’s title and estate, "Indeed, Rongchuan doesn’t look like your uncle but rather closely resembles your deceased eldest uncle. Your father said that they share an eight or nine-point resemblance. If Rongchuan kept silent, it would seem as if your eldest uncle had come back to life."

Ning Zhixiang had seen Rongchuan, "He also looks like grandfather and father, but since they’ve aged, the resemblance isn’t as striking."

Ning Zhiqi widened his eyes, "Is the resemblance really that strong?"

Lady Du, "What your father said must be true. It concerns the lineage of the Ning Duke Residence. Your father instructed me to tell you all after everything had been thoroughly investigated. I just wanted to impress upon you that in a few days, the kinship will be recognized officially; afterward, be courteous to the Zhou family."

Lady Song thought of her yet-to-be-married cousin at her maternal home and quickly asked, "Mother, what about Rongchuan’s marital arrangements?"

Lady Du gave a snort, "Don’t get any ideas. Not to mention the great debt Zhou Residence owes to the Ning family, but even considering your uncle, he dislikes anyone meddling in the affairs of the Ning Duke Residence. Moreover, the warm jade bracelet belonging to your grandmother has already been sent. For this marriage, both your grandfather and uncle are very satisfied. I warn you, be courteous to Miss Zhou. Don’t act as future sisters-in-law; you’re merely cousins-in-law."

Lady Song’s face burned with shame. The thought had just crossed her mind, and she was rebuked unceremoniously by her mother-in-law. She couldn’t stay in the room any longer.

Lady Yu pursed her lips. She had entertained the same thought, but it seemed that the entire Ning family placed great importance on Zhang Rongchuan!

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren gazed into his cup of health-preserving tea, his face expressionless. When is the Crown Prince leaving?