Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

Upon hearing this, the eldest daughter cupped Shen Ruyin's face in her hands, examined her from all sides for a moment, and then laughed, "Oh my, our third daughter is actually willing to use her brain, that's rare indeed."

"big sister!"

Shen Ruyin was so angry that her earlobes turned pink. "I just don't like scheming, it's not like my brain is full of tofu dregs!"

“You agreed so quickly, it makes it difficult for me to ask Grandmother to make a decision for you,” the eldest daughter sighed, and then touched her hair. “It’s good this way. You have your own plans, so I don’t have to worry. After I’m gone, there will be no one to protect you.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Ruyin felt uneasy. Calculating the start time of the talent show, she felt a bit depressed, and this feeling was reflected on her face.

Although the final outcome was that the eldest daughter became the empress, every step in between was like dancing on the edge of a knife; one wrong step could have led to a completely different result.

Shen Ruyin opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but afraid that her older sister would think she was being nosy, she still said in the end, "Elder sister, you were raised by Grandmother, if you don't want to..."

The young woman placed her index finger on Shen Ruyin's lips, stopping her from saying anything more.

"I know my third sister means well, but this is something I'm happy to do myself," the eldest girl said, her expression still gentle, but she couldn't help but reveal a hint of ambition.

“I know you are sincere to me, so I am only saying this to you, Yin’er. I was raised by my grandmother since I was a child and received the upbringing of a legitimate daughter of a prominent family. But unfortunately, I am just a concubine’s daughter, born to be inferior to others.”

“I often felt resentful, so that square sky, though small, was an opportunity for me. It was a place that valued rules and status the most, yet also disregarded them the least, which suited me perfectly.”

Having lived in the Shen family for so many years, Shen Ruyin naturally understood how much her elder sister cared about her status as an illegitimate daughter. She could only sigh in her heart, "Since you have already made up your mind, I will not say anything discouraging. I only hope that you will be able to achieve your wish and enter the Phoenix Palace in the future."

The young woman smiled and said softly, "I only wish to receive your kind words, sister."

"If it's your older sister, then it's definitely possible."

These are Shen Ruyin's honest thoughts. It's not just because her older sister is the female lead, but also because of her intelligence, forbearance, and shrewdness. A person like that would succeed anywhere.

"Alright, alright, the talent show isn't until next spring. It's only summer now, so it's still a long way off. I came here today specifically to talk about you, so I can't let you change the subject again."

The young woman then asked, "Are you just going to eat this loss like this?"

"Of course I don't want to, but I also know that I am now being raised by the family and have my father here. At least in this mansion, I have no way to retaliate against her." Shen Ruyin didn't have much affection for the Earl of Zhongxin, and she didn't feel jealous when talking about his favoritism. After all, she never regarded the Earl of Zhongxin as her father.

"But I can't let this loss go unpunished. I want to get back all the grievances I suffered before, with interest. I hope you can help me, elder sister."

The young woman didn't readily agree, but instead said, "Tell me about it."

“I thought, if she wants a marriage exchange, then she might as well go all the way. When her aunt was arguing for her dowry, she said that since she was going to marry into a marquis’s family, she was afraid of being looked down upon, so she should bring a lot of dowry. She even said that I was marrying into a poor family, and two thousand taels of silver was enough for an ordinary family to live on for several generations.”

Shen Ruyin snorted lightly, "Now, it's her turn to marry into a poor family. According to her aunt, isn't her dowry already too much?"

A hint of a smile flashed in the young woman's eyes. "I understand. I'll mention it to my grandmother."

"Thank you, elder sister," Shen Ruyin said, getting up to massage the young lady's shoulders. "Don't worry, elder sister, once we get the things, I will definitely not keep them all to myself. We'll share them in half when we meet, one for you and one for me."

"Keep it for yourself. Once I enter the palace, my clan will send me a lot of money for expenses. Do you think they'll need your little bit?"

“They are theirs, and ours are ours. How can they be lumped together?”

Seeing that Shen Ruyin was about to be unhappy, the young lady was even happier. "Alright, alright, I will definitely accept what you gave me."

Seeing Shen Ruyin smile again, the young lady spoke to her for a few more minutes before getting up and leaving.

Once back in the courtyard, the young lady first opened her own money box, took out two large-denomination banknotes and put them away in a separate purse.

The maid, Bi Ran, asked with some confusion, "Miss, are you going to have someone take it out to exchange for flowers? Didn't Madam just send over her monthly allowance?"

The young woman turned around and locked the purse into one of her rarely used dressing cases, which contained a lot of old or unsuitable gold and silver jewelry for her age.

She stroked the box and smiled, "There's no need to take it out to exchange for other things. I just suddenly remembered it and put some in here, in case I forget things when it's almost time to do them."

Bi Ran seemed to understand but not quite, but she obeyed and carefully put the box back into the trunk.

Just as things were tidied up, a maid came in and said, "Miss, the old lady is about to have her meal."

The young woman nodded, tidied herself up in front of the bronze mirror, then smiled and walked out gracefully, following the proper etiquette.

When the old lady saw her come in, she didn't rush to call her. Instead, she kept a close eye on her demeanor and nodded in satisfaction when she saw that her graceful bow was full of charm. "Come to Grandmother's side."

The eldest daughter then stood up and sat down next to the old lady, her every move impeccable.

As the two masters took their seats, the servants filed in and laid out the food.

After the meal, the old lady asked about Shen Ruyin.

The eldest daughter recounted the information she had received from Shen Ruyin before sighing, "My second sister caused such a scene, yet she wasn't criticized at all. No wonder my third sister suspects that Father has already tacitly approved of this, and dares not fight for herself."

“This is utter nonsense,” the old lady frowned slightly. “Yun’er and Madam Xu have really gone too far this time.”

The eldest daughter didn't respond to that, but changed the subject. "When I went there, my third sister was worried. If she had married into the Liu family, her dowry would have been decent. But now that she's going to the Marquis of Anping's mansion, it's really not enough. It's a pity that Aunt Xu slandered her to Father, and my third sister's dowry is less than half of my second sister's."

The old lady glanced at her. "Did she ask you to be her mediator?"

“How could that be?” the eldest daughter immediately denied. “Grandmother knows perfectly well that Third Sister’s mind can’t work that fast. But seeing Third Sister like that, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for her.”

A hint of sadness appeared on her face. "If it weren't for my grandmother's kindness in raising me, I'm afraid I wouldn't be much better off than my third sister now. My father has always favored my second sister; how could he have ever paid any attention to me?"

Seeing that the old lady's expression was reassuring, the eldest daughter knew when to stop and changed the subject, but she kept pretending to be tired and went home to rest early.

Over the next two days, she also had people secretly keeping an eye on the old lady's movements.

She was trying to help her third sister, but wasn't she also trying to test how much value she had in the old lady's heart?