Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

Madam Xie invited Shen Ruyin over under the pretext of jewelry. After finishing her business, she would naturally give her a few gifts to smooth things over.

Because Madam Xie was very satisfied with Shen Ruyin's attitude and responses today, she carefully selected several exquisite pieces of jewelry that were very impressive and gave them to Shen Ruyin.

As for the curtains in the inner room, they were naturally tied up by Madam Xie herself after Shen Ruyin left.

"Has the master heard everything he wanted to know?" Madam Xie glanced at the silent Lord Shen, thinking of the disrespectful behavior of the second daughter, Shen Ruyun, and her aunt, Madam Xu, and sighed. "If you ask me, the second daughter is the master's child, and Yin'er was not picked up from outside. The thing you promised the second daughter today was really ill-considered."

Seeing that Lord Zhongxin remained silent, but with a hint of worry on his face, Madam Xie guessed that he was already somewhat regretful, but he was unwilling to say it outright. "Yin'er has always been a good girl, and there is nothing to criticize about her character. This time, I have to speak up for her. This obedient child can't always suffer losses, can she?"

"Besides, Yin'er's worries are not unfounded. At the very last minute before the marriage proposal, the elder sister was suddenly replaced by the younger sister. Who wouldn't have some doubts? If they bring this up later, we'll be in the wrong. How can we, as the maternal family, stand up for our daughter? This marriage with the Marquis of Anping's family..."

“Alright, I understand,” said the Earl of Zhongxin. “The marriage with the Marquis of Anping’s family has already been arranged and will not be changed. This time it was Er Ya’s fault for being unreasonable. Let’s increase San Ya’s dowry as compensation.”

Mentioning the dowry, Madam Xie's eyelids twitched. "Why make it more elaborate? Why not just change the dowries of Second Sister and Third Sister?"

"The manor prepared such a generous dowry for the second daughter so that she would have a voice after marrying into the Marquis of Anping's manor and bring some benefits to the family. Now that all these things have been given to the second daughter, it's probably a waste."

The Earl of Zhongxin couldn't help but retort, "How can that be considered?"

"Why not?"

The more the Earl of Zhongxin defended the Second Miss, the more Madam Xie recalled Aunt Xu's disrespect towards her. "The Liu family is so lucky to marry a daughter of a noble family. If they don't treat the Second Miss well, how can they possibly mistreat her? The Second Miss is about to fall into a life of luxury, but the Third Miss has to endure people's cold words in the Marquis's mansion. Aren't you afraid that Aunt Bai will come to you in your dreams and complain?"

Aunt Bai was Shen Ruyin's biological mother, and she used to be extremely favored. However, because she treated Madam Xie with respect, and with Aunt Xu as a contrast, Madam Xie didn't harbor as much ill will towards her. Besides, now that she's gone, there's nothing left to hide.

When it came to Aunt Bai, Marquis Zhongxin hesitated for a moment, but still did not make a decision. "Didn't Third Sister say she wanted to ask Marquis Anping's third son? Let's get this matter settled first."

Seeing that the Earl of Zhongxin had left and headed to the front yard, Madam Xie no longer tried to hide her feelings. She rolled her eyes, summoned someone to give her some instructions, and then went back to rest.

Shen Ruyin was unaware of Madam Xie's divine intervention. The reason she was so confident about exchanging dowries was because the plot had mentioned that the second daughter's dowry was not as good as the other two sisters'.

Shen Ruyin led Qingluo back to the house and closed the door before she smiled, reopened the box, and carefully admired the hairpins and rings inside.

Qingzhi and the other girl moved closer, unable to stop praising them.

"Madam is truly generous. This hairpin is made with filigree and inlaid with such round pearls. You probably wouldn't even see one for less than tens or hundreds of taels of silver."

"And this one, the butterfly and flower hairpin, is so exquisitely made. You can't find a single flaw in the butterfly's antennae or the flower's stamen. The gemstones set in it are of perfect color and high clarity. It's a rare treasure. Not only can a young lady wear it on a daily basis, but it's also something she can proudly wear when she gets married and goes out to visit others."

The few pieces of jewelry in this box alone were worth almost half of Shen Ruyin's dowry. The two maids looked at them again and again, and unanimously thought, "Miss has turned misfortune into blessing."

Looking at their behavior, Shen Ruyin couldn't help but agree with the saying, "Like master, like servant."

Nowadays, young ladies of noble birth, though they all learn to manage accounts while still in their chambers, rarely value their possessions as much as they do. Even the Shen family has only produced one outlier, Shen Ruyin, who believes in the principle that "the economic base determines the superstructure."

Fortunately, she knew how to conceal it, so she didn't stand out too much.

After she closed the box and put the items away, she heard a noise outside.

Qingzhi went out to take a look, then hurriedly returned to report, "Miss, it's the eldest young lady who's here."

Shen Ruyin quickly stood up to greet the female lead.

This is the source of her livelihood, ensuring she can live a peaceful life from now on. If she wants to survive until the end, her relationship with this person cannot be bad.

“It’s so hot today, why did you come over at this hour, eldest sister?” Shen Ruyin took her eldest sister Shen Ruyuan’s hand and led her inside. “I had someone put an ice chest in the room, eldest sister, come in quickly to cool off.”

The eldest daughter entered the room and sat down. After Qingluo and the others brought her teacups, she sent them all out, saying, "Let me have a good talk with my third sister."

Although the sun was already setting, it was still hot outside. The eldest young lady didn't care about her maids, but Shen Ruyin did. So she instructed Qingluo, "You two take the eldest sister's people to the side room for tea."

After the maids had all left, the eldest young lady tapped her forehead with a hint of exasperation, "I told you not to be so kind and to show off your own power, but you never listened. Now that people are taking advantage of you, why don't you change your ways?"

“Qingluo and Qingzhi serve me with all their heart, unlike others who are heartless. They can’t be confused,” Shen Ruyin said. She had been close to her older sister since childhood, so she never took minor losses to heart. Over time, she gained this sister’s genuine protection.

Although the eldest daughter's birth mother was not favored, she came from the old lady's side. Therefore, this girl, who was raised by the old lady from a young age, was of the same birth as everyone else, except for not having the status of a legitimate daughter. So she alone received the support of the family's resources to enter the palace for the imperial concubine selection.

"You know, I heard from the old lady that Shen Ruyun went to ask Father to arrange a marriage exchange, and you've already agreed?"

“I did agree,” Shen Ruyin moved closer to her older sister. “If Father didn’t want to agree, why did he have to go to Mother’s place in broad daylight today, and why did Shen Ruyun have to make such a big fuss about it?”

"If it weren't for Father's support, how would Shen Ruyun have dared to show off in the main courtyard and spread the news of the arranged marriage throughout the entire mansion without any scruples?"

"Who are you trying to fool?"