Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

After lunch, it would soon be time for a midday rest, but today, none of the family members felt sleepy.

The group chased away the servants, and Zhan Zheng slowly told his most trusted mother and sister about the bitterness and hardship he had endured over the years.

After saying this, the dark cloud that had been pressing down on Zhan Zheng's brows seemed to suddenly dissipate, and he looked quite much like the man who had once captivated the hearts of countless young ladies back in Yingzhou.

Yu Miaoqi cried again, feeling even more heartbroken for her son's hardships.

The group stayed at Zhan Zheng's house until the sun was setting before setting off for the residence.

Before leaving, Yinyin lifted the curtain and looked at the gate of the house, asking Zhanzheng, "I've wanted to ask this for a long time, why don't you give your house a more elegant name? Everyone else has names like Huiyuan or Qinsiyuan, but your house has an empty name."

"Originally, we planned to wait until you all came to Beijing, then the whole family would get one and hang it up. But since none of us are living here now, we'll just leave it empty for now."

Zhan Zheng looked at his mother and sister: "How about we discuss a good name together sometime?"

"We'll have to think about it carefully," Yin Yin turned to Yu Miao Qi. "Mother needs to think it over too. Let's choose the best one; we'll definitely need it when the time comes!"

Yu Miaoqi readily agreed, as this was the home her son had originally envisioned, and she couldn't afford to take it lightly.

Thinking of this, Yu Miaoqi felt a little annoyed. If she hadn't stayed at the Zhan residence when she came to the capital, but had come to this house instead, would her son have been happier?

Now that so much time has passed, looking at her children chatting away, Yu Miaoqi couldn't help but smile gently. The past cannot be changed, but there will always be opportunities in the future.

Upon returning to the Zhan residence, Yu Miaoqi and the others first went to see the old master and others before returning to the Dongchang Courtyard.

Now, when they see Wang Yingman waiting in the Dongchang Courtyard with a cold expression, Yin Yin and Yu Miaoqi no longer feel the desire to treat her as family or to get along with her.

After exchanging greetings, Yu Miaoqi said, "Mrs. Wang, you've had a hard time these past few days."

Wang Yingman looked puzzled. Yu Miaoqi would never have used such a distant form of address as "Wang Shi" before.

Wang Mama, who was standing behind her, also changed her expression slightly. Seeing Wang Yingman in a daze, she quickly nudged her from behind.

Wang Yingman then realized what was happening and said it wasn't hard work.

Yu Miaoqi nodded casually: "Just have someone hand over the account books to Hongfu later."

Wang Yingman responded and left as usual.

Granny Wang hurriedly followed her out. Once they were outside Dongchang Courtyard, she couldn't help but speak up, "Young Madam, Madam and Miss have just returned. You should be showing them more concern right now, how can you just come out like this? And the account books, how can you just have someone deliver them directly? You..."

“Granny Wang,” Wang Yingman said, “they’ve just come back from outside, they must be tired. What’s the point of me staying here as an outsider? As for the accounts, all the expenditures are handled according to the old practices, there’s nothing to say about it.”

“How can you be an outsider?” Granny Wang said anxiously. “You are the young master’s wife.”

Wang Yingman's expression changed, and she gave Wang Mama a cold look: "Someone like him who only cares about profit and power can fool his parents, but he can't fool me. Husband and wife? Hmph, not even in the next life!"

After Wang Yingman finished speaking, she left quickly, and Granny Wang had no choice but to follow her.

Behind the artificial hill, Zhan Zheng's servant emerged. He glanced in their direction and continued towards the Dongchang Courtyard.

When the servant came to report to Zhan Zheng, Yin Yin had just settled Yu Miao Qi down. The two siblings walked together for a while, and Zhan Zheng told the servant to speak plainly.

After listening to a couple of sentences, Yin Yin frowned and told all the servants to move away.

"Big brother, did you do something to impress her that Wang Yingman would say that about you?"

Zhan Zheng was not surprised by his sister's ability to grasp the key points and readily admitted, "I just put on an act in front of her to make her think that I am the kind of person she hates the most."

Yin Yin's mind wasn't slow, and she quickly realized his purpose—to prevent Wang Yingman from falling in love with him, but why?

Faced with Yin Yin's doubts, Zhan Zheng closed his fan and gently tapped her head twice: "Why do you have to dig so deep? You'll be afraid of me when you find out what I'm up to."

“No way,” Yin Yin said. “You’re my brother. I used to want to get along with Wang Yingman because she was your wife, the person you would spend your life with. Now that’s gone, why should I tolerate her? Does her future matter?”

Zhan Zheng smiled with satisfaction: "As expected, my sister treats me well."

Zhan Zheng turned his head to look into the shadows: "Besides using her status to try to get me to bring up the matter of breaking off the engagement with Prime Minister Wang on my own behalf, she also did a lot of dirty tricks with her lover in private. She even specially found a woman from the music hall to set a trap for me."

"What?" Yin Yin said with difficulty, "Is this the upbringing of a Wang family girl? Then why did you marry her, brother? Shouldn't you stay far away from her as soon as possible?"

“Silly girl, that’s not up to me,” Zhan Zheng corrected, “it wasn’t up to me back then.”

"Do you really think that if I say Wang Xiang didn't know, he would be completely unaware?"

“Yinyin,” Zhan Zheng paused, “I have a good surname and a good maternal family, and I am also talented, but I am not on good terms with the Zhan family, and even the many crises around me come from them. Someone like me is very easy to manipulate.”

Yinyin already understood, but she still said, "But didn't you say, brother..."

"My future is bright, and Prime Minister Wang won't easily offend me?" Zhan Zheng looked at her. "Yinyin, what was I like when I first arrived in the capital?"

"Would Wang Xiang care about offending me? Even now, I am still not qualified to be compared with Wang Xiang."

“So,” Yin Yin said after a moment of silence, “you knew about and acquiesced to your marriage with Wang Yingman, brother.”

"Of course I didn't know at first. However, Prime Minister Wang helped me suppress the Zhan family, which is why the old master has truly taken notice of me and listened to me in these few short years. Otherwise, a mere Hanlin official, even if he is a Jinshi graduate, would not be able to do anything."

"Prime Minister Wang also gave me the opportunity to become the Crown Prince's tutor, giving me the possibility of getting close to the Crown Prince and becoming his confidant."

"To be fair, I am still grateful to Prime Minister Wang. Although I won the Crown Prince's friendship through my own abilities, without the initial opportunity, where would the results have come from?" Zhan Zheng laughed again. "However, I never mix gratitude with disgust."

“Wang Xiang is Wang Xiang, and Wang Yingman is Wang Yingman. If Wang Yingman hadn’t schemed against me, I would have been willing to continue living with her, but she and her mistress’s family have done so many things together, how could I not retaliate?”

"As for Prime Minister Wang, as long as I am the Wang family's son-in-law and I am useful, do you think he will see me as a daughter who only wants to abandon the Wang family's reputation and live happily ever after with a merchant, or as someone who can help the Wang family?"

Zhan Zheng looked at Yin Yin: "Yin Yin, are you starting to fear me like this?"