Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

Go see your brother-in-law by yourself? Aside from the imperial court or government offices, there's no way you can see him on your own.

Although Gu Anzhi did not move, he managed to hold out until nightfall.

On the day of her return visit after three days, Yin Yin got up early to dress up and, together with Gu Anzhi, boarded a carriage to the Zhan residence.

Outside the Zhan residence, Zhan Zheng's servants had come out early to wait. Upon seeing their carriage, they quickly sent someone back to report, while Zhan Zheng himself stepped forward to pay his respects and then began to serve them.

Before Yinyin and her husband had even taken a few steps inside, the entire Zhan family came out to greet them.

After exchanging brief pleasantries with Old Master Zhan and the others, Yin Yin followed Yu Miaoqi and Wang Yingqing back to Dongchang Courtyard.

"aunt!"

Having not seen Yin Yin for several days, the two little ones immediately rushed over. The children, not even two years old yet, couldn't even speak in full sentences, but all they knew was to hold Yin Yin tightly and say affectionately that they missed her.

Wang Yingqing quickly called the wet nurse to take the baby: "How can your aunt walk like this?"

Yu Miaoqi said to Yinyin with a gentle expression, "I haven't seen you for the past few days. The two children ask me where I am every day. They often play at the gate of the courtyard, just waiting to see when you will come back."

Hearing this, Yin Yin felt a pang of tenderness in her heart and bent down to pick up her nephew and niece.

The two children who had been hiding from their wet nurse suddenly burst into laughter. "If you kiss your aunt, I have to kiss her back. If the two sides aren't asymmetrical, we'll have to start over."

Yinyin quickly backed away, saying, "Auntie has makeup on her face. Let's play together again after Auntie washes her face, okay?"

The two children always listened to her and obediently clung to her shoulders, no longer moving around.

Wang Yingqing smiled and said, "Quickly put them down and let the wet nurse hold them. It's too heavy to hold two babies."

“It’s just a few steps, I can manage,” Yin Yin said as she carried her two children into the room. She sat down next to Yu Miaoqi as usual, while the two children ate snacks next to her, sharing one with her and the other with her. They looked adorable.

Seeing that Yin Yin's face was rosy and her smile was cheerful, Yu Miaoqi knew that she was alright, but she still asked a few more questions about the main things on the surface.

Yinyin answered them one by one.

When the two children got sleepy, Wang Yingqing took them back to settle them in. Only then did Yinyin tell her about Gu Anzhi giving her a facial at the mansion.

Yu Miaoqi breathed a sigh of relief: "The fact that His Highness has this attitude is better than anything else."

After the two talked for a while, Zhan Zheng also came looking for them.

Yu Miaoqi asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why did you come back by yourself?"

Zhan Zheng's eyes flickered for a moment before he said matter-of-factly, "When Your Highness comes to the manor, the old master and the others will naturally keep you company and have a good talk with you. How can we let Your Highness leave his elders behind and come to Dongchang Courtyard with me?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Yin burst out laughing and turned to persuade her mother, who was about to scold Zhan Zheng, "Mother, what my elder brother said makes sense. Let's go out earlier later."

Yu Miaoqi was calmed down, but Zhan Zheng was still unhappy. He could only add, "I have someone watching over him. They will go and invite the Prince over in a quarter of an hour."

Zhan Zheng wasn't intentionally trying to sow discord between Yin Yin and Gu Anzhi, so he knew his limits. He came back early simply to ask his sister how she was doing.

Yinyin knew what he was thinking. After comforting her mother, she coaxed her brother, and the two of them ended up talking about matters in the court.

Since the end of the reign of the late emperor, when the Tatas failed to marry the princess, they were driven back. At that time, it was during the transition between the old and new dynasties, and everyone thought that the Tatas would take advantage of the fact that the new emperor had just ascended the throne and his position was unstable before launching another attack. Unexpectedly, the Tatas made no move at all, leaving the defenses set up by the new emperor on the border completely useless.

"Why are you suddenly bringing up Tata?" Yu Miaoqi asked. "Didn't we say that we won and beat Tata into submission back then?"

“The place where Tata lives is not rich in resources, and they will not really submit to us in order to survive,” Yin Yin explained to her. “When His Majesty first ascended the throne, Tata may have received the news, but they did not take any action. Perhaps it was because they also had internal problems and could not tolerate them taking action against others.”

Zhan Zheng nodded: "Yinyin is right."

"We received news that the old Khan of the Tata also died of illness that winter, and his sons ruled their own territories, none of them submitting to the others."

“It wasn’t until the end of last year, when the old Khan’s fourth son killed several of his brothers and unified the Tata tribe, that he became the new overlord.”

"This man has always enjoyed studying our knowledge and is also very skilled in military strategy. I'm afraid war is about to break out on the border again."

Gu Anzhi had just reached the door when he heard Zhan Zheng say this. He waited a moment before coming in.

Upon seeing him enter, Zhan Zheng did not change the subject, but continued, "His Majesty's intention is probably to wait and see, and to assess Tata's current strength before making a decision."

Yinyin looked at the worry on Zhan Zheng's face and almost immediately understood what he was thinking.

To the emperor, the Tatas' past capabilities were undeniable. As long as the border guards faced them head-on, they could fight them to a standstill and even gain a slight advantage. Even though he knew the new Tata king was a clever man, he still didn't truly grasp the Tatas' progress and naturally wasn't very wary.

But Zhan Zheng felt that with a new king in charge and so much time to accumulate strength, this winter would be tough for Tata, and he should be on high alert.

The fact that Zhan Zheng brought this up with her now is probably because the emperor listened to his advice but didn't take it to heart.

Yin Yin thought of the time when Zhan Zheng and Gu Anzhi went to the border to lead troops in the drama, and after glancing at the thoughtful Gu Anzhi, she said, "Brother, why don't you collect more information about the Tatas and submit it to His Majesty again?"

"I think that King Tata must be brave and resourceful to have been able to defeat all his other brothers."

"With such a leader in charge, and given Tata's huge demand for supplies, I think you're not just worrying unnecessarily, brother."

With his sister's support, Zhan Zheng's brows relaxed a bit.

When his ideas were presented to the court, while some agreed, very few did. Most felt that the Tata tribe might cause some minor trouble, but posed no significant threat. Only his sister, who shared his views, could truly understand his concerns back home.

Gu Anzhi, who had been listening for a while, said, "Brother-in-law, when you are going to submit your memorial, please let me know. I will go with you to see His Majesty and I will be able to help you."

Zhan Zheng thought for a moment and agreed, but also said to him, "When I submitted my memorial earlier, Prime Minister Wang strongly disagreed with my idea. If you are going to meet His Majesty with me, you should be prepared."