Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

The family didn't linger and soon arrived near the main courtyard.

“Sister-in-law,” the fifth wife said, emerging from a side path and walking up to them.

Yu Miaoqi nodded and replied, "Fifth brother, fifth sister-in-law."

Fifth Master smiled as he watched Zhan Zheng and Yin Yin bow to him, then said meaningfully, "I heard that Second Brother and Third Brother arrived early, Sister-in-law, we are late."

Yin Yin's fingertips twitched slightly. Why did Fifth Master suddenly think of showing goodwill to the eldest son's family?

That's right, Yin Yin didn't think it was a coincidence at all. How could it be such a coincidence that they just happened to arrive here and the Fifth Branch came out from the side path? It was just that they were waiting for each other. Besides, he also brought news to the First Branch that the Second and Third Branches had arrived.

The second and third wives have already moved into the main courtyard, and if the fifth wife also arrives early, then only the eldest wife, who arrives late, will remain. Even if they are not late, in the eyes of outsiders, they are still considered inferior.

However, if the fifth branch of the family were a little slower and waited to enter the house together with the first branch, the outcome would be different.

Although she didn't know the Fifth Branch's purpose, Yu Miaoqi felt indebted to them and feigned surprise, saying, "Are we late?"

"How could I be late?" Fifth Master feigned regret. "My second and third brothers left much earlier. I still can't match their filial piety!"

After saying this, the two looked at each other and went into the main courtyard together.

In the main courtyard, the Second Master and Third Master and their wives were sitting quietly. Zhan Shuer and Zhan Huier were sitting on one side of the Old Madam according to their relationship with her. The other side was originally the Old Master's seat, but since he was not there, no one dared not leave it for him.

Yinyin glanced at him, then finished her greeting and sat down directly below Zhan Zheng.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Zhan Shuer tugged at the old lady's clothes: "Grandmother."

The old lady then asked, "Yinyin, I heard that Shu'er and Hui'er personally invited you to attend the literary gathering, but you refused. Is that true?"

"It's true."

Upon hearing Yin Yin's answer, Shu'er seemed to have won a victory, proudly raising her chin and revealing a smug smile.

The old lady, however, became dissatisfied: "Your two older sisters are willing to take you out for a walk and let you meet some other girls. How can you let them down? I'll make the decision that the three of you sisters will go together. Put everything else aside for later."

“I’m not going,” Yin Yin said stubbornly, refusing in a cold and hard tone.

She glanced at the two women and decided to expose their scheme directly, "For the sake of a literary gathering, they first threatened me, then complained to my elder brother, and then specially asked the old lady to intervene. I don't know what they're up to."

The old lady's eyes flashed, but before she could say anything, the second lady beside her said unhappily, "What are you saying, niece? Shu'er kindly invited you to go out and see the prosperity of the capital and get to know the noble ladies of various families. How did it become that she was plotting against you in your mouth?"

The third madam also chimed in, unusually agreeing, "Yes, Shu'er and Hui'er were just not very happy when they came back. We asked them what happened, and that's when they told us. How did it come out in your mouth as asking the old lady to intervene and forcing you to go out? Your two sisters are being wronged!"

The two women exchanged a glance, then turned away unhappily, but began to try and exonerate the two Zhan sisters' actions.

Yinyin chuckled, watching them as if she were watching amusement: "Then I won't go either. First, the two elder sisters plotted and schemed, then they asked the old lady to intervene, and then the second and third madams also put in such effort. Oh dear, I really don't know if this is well-intentioned or a scheme by someone with ulterior motives against our eldest branch."

She deliberately used a high-pitched voice and said, "Mother, elder brother, I'm so scared. In this house, there's no room for me to even speak. We have to obey whatever the elders force us to do. If I insist on not listening, will they say I'm unfilial and disrespectful? I can't bear such a serious charge."

The Fifth Madam, who hadn't spoken until now, raised an eyebrow in surprise. Under the cover of her teacup, she whispered to the Fifth Master, "My niece Yinyin truly lives up to her reputation as my sister-in-law's daughter; she has surpassed her mother."

They are equally unafraid to speak.

The third wife frowned and glanced at her thoughtfully, while the second wife persisted: "Your sister is willing to get along with you, but you refuse. You even suspect your sister of trying to harm you. You disobey your grandmother's orders and even bite others with your sharp tongue. If we don't say you are unfilial and disrespectful, who else can we say you are?"

As she spoke, the second wife turned her attention to Yu Miaoqi: "I knew from the beginning that it was unreliable for you, sister-in-law, to take in someone else's daughter as your goddaughter. Look at what kind of thing you've raised! She spouts nonsense in front of the elders. She's rotten to the core. And now you want this kind of rotten thing to get married under the name of our Zhan family's daughter. This... oh dear!"

The second wife covered her face, looking at Yu Miaoqi in disbelief: "You, you hit me!"

“Didn’t the old master say that the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother? My second sister-in-law is full of foul language and distorts the truth. Can’t I discipline her?” Yu Miaoqi wiped her hands with a handkerchief. “It’s still my fault. How could I hit you with my own hands? Look, they’re all red.”

"you you!"

The second wife was furious, and the second master also realized what was happening. He stood up and pulled his wife behind him, saying, "Sister-in-law, what do you mean by this?!"

“I’ve already said I should discipline my second sister-in-law,” Yu Miaoqi smiled slightly. “My second brother was just sitting there drinking tea, not even saying a word to stop me. As his eldest sister-in-law, I can only discipline him on his behalf.”

The second master was furious and stepped forward, but Zhan Zheng immediately blocked his mother's path, looking at him with a half-smile.

The second master was startled by his gaze, and he couldn't lift his hand at all.

Seeing that her parents were at a disadvantage, Zhan Shu'er quickly turned to the old lady for help: "Grandmother, you're still here, why is my aunt hitting my mother!"

The old lady lowered her eyes and looked at Yu Miaoqi, but did not speak as Zhan Shuer had hoped.

Yu Miaoqi smiled lightly: "What my niece said makes no sense. If you hadn't been stirring up trouble inside, how could I have disciplined your mother at such an old age?"

"To be honest, you're the real culprit, my niece."

"You're talking nonsense!" Given Zhan Shu'er's temper, she would definitely argue with her, but at this moment, neither her parents dared to confront the eldest branch of the family, and even her grandmother, on whom she had placed high hopes, was not speaking up for her. So she could only be like a tiger with its teeth pulled, opening her mouth but unable to bite anything.

Yu Miaoqi glanced at Zhan Shuer, who was both angry and scared, and Zhan Huier, who turned her face away and hid quietly, and said directly, "There is no sisterly affection between us. You can save yourself the trouble of trying to build a relationship with Yinyin in the future."

Her gaze then fell on the second and third wives: "Just like us, if we don't interfere with each other, everyone can live in peace. Don't you think so, second brother and third brother?"