Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 1241: Saving Hair

Time passed, and the once scorching temperature, with the arrival of several rains, no longer felt hot. In fact, each rainfall seemed to carry away a portion of the warmth.

The garden, green and lush, had imperceptibly gained new hues, especially the maple trees that were now splendid in their fiery red garb. Travelers to and from the capital could spot the panoramic beauty just by drawing back their carriage curtains.

On the road out of the capital, Zhulan pulled back the curtain of her carriage, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She had almost forgotten the last time she left the city. She turned to look at her husband, lounging in the carriage, "You actually managed to take time off, and for a whole seven days at that."

Heaven knows, the surprise Zhou Shuren had given her the day before was tremendous.

Zhou Shuren lifted his hand to his hair, untethered by an official’s cap, "All the hair I saved up for a month from falling out wasn’t for nothing."

In pursuit of a vacation, ever since the palace upheaval, he had been pondering how to take leave, because he knew that after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he wouldn’t be able to request a long holiday for a year or two. It hadn’t been in vain, his schemes of so long.

Zhulan, "...I didn’t even notice you were saving your fallen hair!"

Zhou Shuren smiled smugly, "If I can keep it a secret from the Emperor and the Crown Prince, naturally, I wouldn’t let you in on it first."

Month by month, the truth was, he really did lose quite a bit of hair. Thankfully, his hair was still quite thick, otherwise, in these few years, he would have—no, he couldn’t even bear to think of it!

As for the Emperor later discovering it was a ruse, he wasn’t worried. After all, he never really expected to fool the Emperor or the Crown Prince. He just needed to beguile them temporarily. As long as he convinced the Emperor to grant him the leave, that would suffice.

Zhulan let down the carriage curtain, just having left the capital. The road was bustling with carriages, which, despite the improvements to the path, kicked up quite a bit of dust, "Leaving the city feels wonderful, and now that it’s no longer dangerous, when you’re busy, I can even go stay at the manor by myself."

Zhou Shuren, "...I don’t think it’s a good idea."

Zhulan’s eyes curved into a smile, "I think it’s quite nice. I’m going to thoroughly enjoy the days ahead."

These past years had indeed been too perilous!

Zhou Shuren snorted and decided not to entertain the idea of his plump old lady enjoying her own company, puffing up with anger as he picked up a book to cover his face.

Zhulan didn’t mind, this little old man was getting on in years and had developed a fondness for throwing little tantrums.

After a while, Zhou Shuren lifted a corner of the book, resigned to the fact that his wife had no intention of coddling him, "I’m angry."

"Oh."

"The consequences will be severe."

"Oh."

Zhou Shuren reached out to snatch the apple from his wife’s hand, not at all bothered that she had just bitten into it, crunching away with excellent teeth. Afterwards, whatever Zhulan wanted to eat, Zhou Shuren insisted on eating first, in an utterly childish manner.

The result was that Zhulan became enraged, unable to hold back, she bellowed, "Try stretching out your paw again."

Zhou Shuren’s twitching hand quickly withdrew, and seeing his wife’s glaring eyes, he instantly felt satisfied and burst into laughter.

Zhulan silently recited the Heart Sutra, taking a deep breath to remind herself, He’s your dear husband; if you kill him, he’s gone!

Under the ominous gaze of his wife, Zhou Shuren finally behaved himself!

Outside the carriage, the attentive servants, Shen Xing and Shen Xing, exchanged a look. In their eyes was resignation; lately, the master had been quite creative in challenging the mistress!

In the carriage following them, Chang Xhong comforted his niece Yu Yi, "Don’t worry, your mother just feels like hitting your father, that’s all."

Yu Yi’s eyes widened in disbelief. Grandma was going to hit Grandpa, and it wasn’t a big deal?

Chang Xhong, with a maturity uncharacteristic of his age, said softly, "According to mother, father has been particularly in need of a good thrashing lately."

Yu Yi, "...."

She thought her little uncle made a lot of sense, as Grandpa had been provoking Grandma quite a lot in recent days.

Inside the Palace, the Emperor cracked walnuts; he relished them so much that from time to time his gaze wandered to the busy Crown Prince, and his heart fluttered with many emotions. Once upon a time, he had been just like the Crown Prince, waking up earlier than the chickens, sleeping later than the dogs.

Now, watching the Crown Prince following in his footsteps, he couldn’t help but feel utterly content!

The Crown Prince, hearing the sound of the cracking walnuts, maintained a stoic expression on his face, but inside he was grinding his teeth. The Emperor indulged in a different delicacy every day, and the once slightly lean Emperor had put on quite a bit of weight.

After the Emperor had his fill, he felt a bit thirsty and drank the iced fruit juice that Eunuch Liu had brought over, "Refreshing."

The Crown Prince, "..."

This was his dear father, and even after abdicating, he would still be the Retired Emperor. Just looking at his father’s current lifestyle, he was convinced that the Emperor would surely live a long life.

Suddenly, the Emperor said, "Zhou Shuren must have left the capital by now."

The Crown Prince, recalling Zhou Shuren’s behavior of clutching at his hair the day before to ask for leave, responded stiffly, "Mm, he went back home and packed his bags last night."

Officially, he was going to Hot Spring Manor to recuperate.

The Emperor clicked his tongue twice, "That poor fellow, losing all that hair."

Initially, he also thought it was falling out, which frightened him so much that he immediately approved the leave request. Then, in a rush, he summoned the Imperial Physician. However, seeing the physician’s troubled face, the Emperor realized what was really going on.

Pity that he had already granted the leave. It was tough on Zhou Shuren to come up with this ruse. If he hadn’t considered that Zhou Shuren truly had been working hard these past years, he would have dragged him back long ago.

The Crown Prince smiled lightly, "Indeed, Minister Zhou has worked hard. It is only right for him to take some time off."

The Emperor regarded his eldest son with puzzlement, seeing his son’s smile. He became somewhat anxious about Zhou Shuren – today’s leave would surely be made up for in the future.

The Emperor stood up, dusting off some walnut crumbs from himself, "I’ve been feeling extremely weary lately. Attend to the affairs of the Palace and the court on my behalf. Your mother and I will stay at the manor for some time. Right, we’ll go to your Hot Spring Manor, which is the one closest to the Zhou family estate."

The Crown Prince, "...."

His father, who delighted in different foods in front of him every day and never let go of his travel book, claimed to be exhausted. If that made him weary, then the Crown Prince might as well be dead!

And why did he feel like his Hot Spring Manor was no longer secure? Being the closest manor to the Zhou family estate, it was the one he had painstakingly renovated and wouldn’t trade even for the Royal manor!

After speaking, the Emperor briskly walked out with Eunuch Liu, leaving just an easy-going silhouette for the Crown Prince. The latter chuckled softly, causing the eunuchs in the study to shudder in fear!

At the Zhou family’s Hot Spring Manor, Zhulan arrived without feeling the slightest bit weary. After changing clothes, she eagerly pulled Zhou Shuren along for a stroll through the fields.

The rice was ready for harvest, and the stream beside the paddy field was clear, with groups of finger-length fish visible.

Zhulan squatted down to take a closer look and spotted quite a few river shrimps. They were abundant enough to catch with her hand, and she was delighted, "Look, I caught this one."

Zhou Shuren looked at her with beaming eyes, "Impressive."

Zhulan regretted not having the tools, for she really wanted to catch some, "I want to eat river shrimps at noon."

Behind her, Qing Xue heard and had already signaled another maid to inform the kitchen.

Zhou Shuren agreed with a nod, then gazed at the rice field. It had been a year of good weather patterns. Their own manor’s fields were fertile, yet looking at the rice in the paddies, the yield was still not high.

Zhou Shuren and Zhulan hadn’t enjoyed such leisurely moments in a long time. They gestured for the maids and Shen Xing to keep their distance, following the path without a specific destination, going wherever it took them.

At the Ministry of Revenue, Qiu Yan only found out today that Minister Zhou had taken leave – and for a whole seven days!

Xiao Qing, watching Zhou Shuren leave, knew he was now in charge of the duties. Zhou Shuren’s exit seemed too carefree for a while. How could the Emperor agree to his leave of absence?

In the afternoon, Zhou Shuren and his wife woke up from their nap. The manor was free from endless official duties, allowing Zhou Shuren to rest particularly well.

But after waking up two hours later, Zhou Shuren felt utterly awful.