Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

Yin Yin and Yu Miaoqi stayed outside the city for several days before returning to the Zhan residence.

Yu Miaoqi glanced around and frowned slightly: "Where is Wang Shi?"

The maids who were left behind in the room looked at each other, none of them daring to speak. It was Zhan Zheng who came in from outside and said, "Wang Shi has caught a cold. I was afraid that she would pass on her illness to Mother and Sister, so I didn't call her over."

Yu Miaoqi nodded: "Has a doctor been consulted?"

"I've already asked, Mother, don't worry," Zhan Zheng casually mentioned before changing the subject, "How have you been these past two days, Mother?"

“With Yinyin by my side, how could things not go well?” Yu Miaoqi said. “Yinyin has also painted several pictures. They’ll be framed tomorrow, and I’ll let you pick one out.”

"Why do you only let me choose after it's framed?" Zhan Zheng asked, somewhat puzzled. "Don't you usually just bring it to me for me to look at?"

Yu Miaoqi couldn't help but laugh: "When she comes over later, you can ask her yourself."

With this question in mind, Yin Yin quickly washed up at her place and went to the main room, where Zhan Zheng asked her directly.

Yinyin cleared her throat: "I'm almost out of paint, and I wanted to trade some of my framed paintings with you, brother."

Zhan Zheng remained silent for a moment, then said helplessly, "Just tell me directly, do you think I would refuse to give it to you?"

"Of course I'll give it to you, but bartering sounds nicer," Yin Yin said with a smile as she sat down on the other side of Yu Miaoqi. "It just so happens that Mother and my eldest brother are here today, and there's something I haven't told you yet."

When Yu Miaoqi and Zhan Zheng both looked at her, Yin Yin told them everything about how the Sixth Prince had come to see her.

Zhan Zheng was initially in high spirits, but after hearing Yin Yin's words, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot: "I knew he didn't have any good intentions!"

Yu Miaoqi wasn't as angry as him, but gently asked Yin Yin, "What do you think?"

“As for me,” Yin Yin looked at her, “just as I replied to him, I will only be a legal wife.”

"As for whose wife I will be, I have not agreed to anything."

Yinyin winked mischievously, making Yu Miaoqi burst out laughing, and even Zhan Zheng's gloomy expression brightened.

“Yes, yes, that’s how we should respond to him,” Zhan Zheng twirled the fan in his hand, “telling him he had ill intentions.”

However, Zhan Zheng then asked, "What if he really gets His Majesty's approval and asks you to marry him as a principal wife?"

“Then why not agree to him?” Yin Yin said in a voice that only the three of them could hear. “To put it bluntly, His Majesty is getting old, the Crown Prince’s position is secure, and the Sixth Prince, as the Crown Prince’s trusted and close younger brother, will obviously be given important responsibilities in the future as long as he doesn’t do something reckless.”

“If I become his queen, I won’t need my elder brother to protect me all the time. I can even help my mother and elder brother in return.”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Zhan Zheng said. “Your safety and happiness are more important than anything else.”

Yu Miaoqi shared the same sentiment: "I'll listen to your older brother."

Yinyin smiled and nodded: "I was just saying. If the Sixth Prince can't do it, all of this will forever remain just a hypothetical scenario."

“Then let him figure it out himself. I’ll stick to the original plan and find a few more suitable people,” Zhan Zheng said reluctantly after a moment of silence. “If he can really do it, I…”

“Then we still need to examine him further, brother,” Yin Yin said, her eyes still calm. “Only what is obtained through hardship will be cherished; what is obtained too easily will be discarded like trash.”

Zhan Zheng understood her meaning and didn't see anything wrong with his younger sister trying to manipulate the Sixth Prince. Yu Miaoqi also nodded in agreement. Compared to the Sixth Prince, their daughter's well-being was of course more important; they had to carefully distinguish between close and distant relatives.

“By the way,” Yin Yin looked at Zhan Zheng, “Big brother often goes to the palace and has more contact with the Sixth Prince than I do. Please help me find out why the Sixth Prince is so persistent about me.”

"I always felt that someone like the Sixth Prince, who grew up being ignored in the palace and whose situation only improved after catching the Crown Prince's eye, shouldn't be so infatuated with me now. But I can't see any flaws in his words and actions."

Does a love-obsessed sixth prince really exist?

Yinyin added, "I don't want to hear the reason 'love at first sight' anymore. If he says that, then you don't need to tell me anymore, brother."

After witnessing the plagiarist's actions, the entire Zhan family became wary of those four words. Therefore, Zhan Zheng understood Yin Yin's thoughts and immediately promised her that he would take the matter to heart.

Yu Miaoqi felt both gratified and worried as her two children openly plotted in front of her.

She was pleased that her children didn't hide anything from her, but worried that Yin Yin, at only fifteen or sixteen years old, had such a clear understanding of the ways of the world, and had no expectations for her future marriage or husband. In fact, she valued gains and losses more than anything else.

Yu Miaoqi thought for a moment, but didn't say anything on the spot. She only asked, "Then, Yinyin, what kind of answer do you want?"

“Don’t overthink what I’m about to tell you, Mother,” Yin Yin said, waiting for her to nod before continuing, “I’m more interested in what value or benefit I can bring to him, and what he wants from me.”

"I only believe that the bond between our family members can last long enough. As for romantic love... it may be intense for a while, but the novelty comes and goes quickly."

"Instead of gambling on a man's feelings or on whether he will always love me, I'd rather have something in common to keep him in check."

"When the cost of betrayal is high enough, I believe that smart people will know how to pull back from the brink without anyone saying anything."

As Yin Yin spoke, Zhan Zheng felt a pang of guilt, realizing that every word she uttered struck him hard. Could it be that Yin Yin's current behavior was partly due to his own actions?

If Yinyin could read minds and know what he was thinking, she might tell him, "This has nothing to do with you, brother. It's just that I've read a lot of books and experienced too much."

Unfortunately, Yin Yin didn't have such a cheat code, leaving Zhan Zheng feeling guilty and speechless.

Yu Miaoqi didn't connect it to her own son, and could only sigh, "Extreme intelligence is bound to bring harm, and deep affection is not long-lasting. I am happy that you, Yinyin, are so intelligent, but I am also worried that you are too intelligent."

Yinyin reached out and smoothed the furrowed brows between her eyebrows: "I won't be easily deceived by some stinky man outside. Mother shouldn't just be happy for me, right?"