After transmigrating into the book, I replaced the innocent-looking girl and became the Crown Prince

"Ranran, tell your sister if you want to leave the He family."

Although he is already five years old, due to years of malnutrition, he has developed to the size of a three-year-old.

The little child glanced timidly at Li Shi, and saw that Li Shi's face immediately turned pale upon hearing these words.

Although she spoke toughly, Li was actually quite frightened after saying those harsh words.

You should know that your husband, who walks the streets and alleys every day, and sells purses and small trinkets on behalf of others, earns at most two taels of silver a month, which is barely enough to cover the expenses of their family of five in the suburbs of Beijing.

The family of five relied mostly on Wu Weiwei's monthly allowance and the occasional embroidery she would have her husband sell to make ends meet in the capital.

If she really takes her brother away, I'm afraid their family's life will be in turmoil...

"Ranran, your aunt was wrong. Your aunt apologizes to you here."

Tell your sister that you'll still be staying with Auntie, and that Auntie promises she won't beat or scold you anymore, okay?

I blame myself for being too hasty. I thought that if I used my usual methods, Wu Weiwei would not pursue the matter as before.

Looking back now, if I had lost the 1.6 taels of silver that Wu Weiwei gave me every month, I'm afraid life wouldn't have been easy.

Wu Weiwei glanced at her, then turned to look at the soft, cuddly person in her arms.

"Ranran, tell your older sister, do you still want to stay in the He family?"

The boy looked at Li Shi and then turned back to look at his older sister.

He had a vague feeling that his older sister was different.

But if you ask him to point out what's different, he's feeling dizzy right now, his mind is full of stars spinning around and around, and suddenly the little guy falls headfirst into Wu Weiwei's arms.

"Ran Ran……"

Wu Weiwei caught him.

He looked coldly at Li, who was standing there stunned.

"Why aren't you hurrying to fetch a doctor?"

……

After a flurry of activity, the doctor finished examining the younger brother, prescribed medicine, and gave Wu Weiwei some instructions before leaving.

Perhaps feeling guilty, Li obediently took out her brother's medical fees this time, looking at Wu Weiwei's gloomy face.

Li said tremblingly, "Wei girl, it's so late, you should go home first!"

However, I will take care of this.

I promise I'll take good care of him...

She knew that wealthy families had curfews, and if Wu Weiwei didn't go back, her monthly income would be...

Wu Weiwei looked at her with impatience.

"We'll talk about it after Ran'er wakes up."

Don't think she doesn't know what Li is thinking.

She was just afraid that if she was punished, she would lose her monthly allowance and have no money to receive.

But Ranran has a high fever and has fainted. How can she be at ease?

Moreover, this Li family...

Who could believe that she would genuinely care for her younger brother?

Seeing that she couldn't persuade Wu Weiwei, Li had no choice but to go to the inner room to sleep.

The next morning.

Ranran finally woke up.

"elder sister……"

Looking at Wu Weiwei, who was sleeping by the bedside, the little girl called out softly.

Wu Weiwei was awakened by a slight noise.

I opened my eyes and saw big, round eyes staring at me.

She looked at the little figure craning its slender neck to look at her, and Wu Weiwei smiled, pursing her lips:

"Ranran, tell your sister, does your head still hurt?"

The little girl looked at her bloodshot eyes.

He shook his head and said timidly, "Sister, I'm all better now."

You'd better go back to the Marquis's residence! Otherwise, you'll be beaten and scolded by the steward again..."

Looking at her younger brother's sensible appearance, Wu Weiwei patted his head.

To be honest, she's conflicted right now.

She longed to bring her younger brother back to the Marquis's residence to take care of him.

But now she herself is in dire straits.

How could someone who has signed a contract of servitude with the Marquis's mansion and lost his freedom possibly take care of a young child?

Secondly, the young master's temper is unpredictable. If she were to lose her life in the Marquis's mansion one day, it's hard to guarantee that it wouldn't implicate the original owner's younger brother.

"Ranran, are you able to take care of yourself all by yourself here?"

The little boy looked at her for a while before nodding.

"Ranran, your sister is currently facing difficulties and can only leave you here for the time being."

Once things settle down on my sister's side, we'll bring you over.

Remember this: if Li Shi dares to beat or scold you again, don't take it. You must learn to fight back. If all else fails, go to the Marquis's mansion to find your sister, understand?

The little one carefully remembered what she said.

After a while, Wu Heran nodded to her, believing he had remembered what his sister had said.

Seeing this, Wu Weiwei finally felt relieved.

Before leaving, Wu Weiwei gave Li a final plea.

Wu Weiwei only left the Li family after she swore that she would take good care of her younger brother.

Ugh!

The original owner's personality was too weak, and Li Shi had her weakness exploited, which is why Li Shi took advantage of her.

This family gives the He family most of their money every month, yet their own brother is bullied like this. This is intolerable!

All she can do now is intimidate that Li family member.

If she hadn't said that, Ranran might have been tortured to death by Li Shi before she even got to pick her up.

It wasn't that she didn't want to accept the offer, but that she didn't have a single penny on hand.

Moreover, leaving the Marquis's residence is not easy, and she could not find a suitable foster family for the time being.

Wu Weiwei had just returned to her room, taken a sip of water, and was about to close her eyes for a while when she heard a series of footsteps approaching from afar.

Soon, Granny Mei's voice rang out from outside her room.

"Wu Weiwei, Madam Hou wants you to go to Qiushui Pavilion after breakfast."

The Lady Hou is looking for me?

This Lady Hou is the Lady Hou of Dingguo Mansion. Hasn't she already given up on the original owner of this Qizi?

What, does she think she has a chance because the young master punished Xiangju for her yesterday?

"understood."

After receiving her words, the footsteps outside finally stopped.

Hearing Mei Gu leave, Wu Weiwei knew that Mimi was definitely not going to make it.

Fortunately, Granny Mei did not pursue the matter of her staying out overnight and not returning home last night.

It must be out of sympathy for the original owner's terrible situation!

After having breakfast and tidying up briefly, Wu Weiwei headed towards Qiushui Pavilion.

The Marquis of Dingguo's family is a military family that earned its title through battles, and the title of Marquis can be inherited for three generations.

Now, the old Marquis has died on the frontier, and the old lady of the Marquis's mansion is already seventy years old.

As the second-generation Marquis, the old man accomplished nothing except for fathering an outstanding heir.

He indulged in pleasure in his daily life, taking one beautiful concubine after another into his household.

Although Lady Dingguo was the principal wife, she spent her life observing vegetarianism and worshipping Buddha, and did not concern herself with worldly affairs.

If it weren't for the incident where the heir caused a ghost marriage for his cousin, the Lady of the Marquis would still be chanting sutras and reciting Buddhist prayers at Hongfa Temple.

Therefore, the person in charge of the household affairs of the Marquis of Dingguo's mansion is now Consort Ping, who manages all the affairs of the mansion.

Soon Wu Weiwei arrived at Qiushui Pavilion, where Lady Hou lived.

"coming."

Liu looked at the newcomer and saw that she had slender shoulders and a narrow waist, cheeks like fresh lychees, and a nose like goose fat.

Judging from his expression and demeanor, he bore a striking resemblance to that young lady.

Her beauty even surpassed that of Lady He; she was truly a stunning beauty.

The reason why Liu chose her as Ting'er's personal maid was because of this.

"Greetings, Lady Hou!"

Wu Weiwei stepped forward and bowed to Liu.

"Get up!"

Although this woman was physically frail and looked delicate, she possessed a certain charm and elegance that rivaled that of the cousin.

Could it be that she misjudged him that day?

"I heard that a maid named Xiangju in Qingsong Courtyard was beaten to death by Ting'er yesterday. Is that true?"

"Yes, Madam Hou."

"But because of you?"

Liu asked this question with a hint of sharpness.

Wu Weiwei was startled, but she remained calm and said, "Madam, although Xiangju was beaten to death because of me, I think she must have offended the young master, which is why she suffered this misfortune."

She would never admit that this was directly related to her; after all, she wasn't the one who killed her.

"You have quite the silver tongue; I underestimated you before."

Liu said coldly.

Wu Weiwei quickly knelt down and said, "I am terrified that I have angered the Lady of the Marquis!"

He does have some self-awareness.

Liu twirled the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

After a long while, she said to the old woman next to her, "Granny Qiu, give her the things."

Then Granny Qiu handed her a booklet.

"This contains records of the Rose Pavilion's daily preferences, including its food, clothing, and lodging... Take it back and read it as a pastime!"

Wu Weiwei looked up in surprise.

Seeing Liu staring at her, Wu Weiwei immediately lowered her head again.

Is Liu really trying to make herself a stand-in for the female lead?

"What? Aren't you going to ask me why I did this?"

Wu Weiwei replied respectfully, "Since Madam asked me to take a look, then it must be for my own good."

"This servant has nothing to ask. I will definitely study the contents of this booklet carefully when I get back!"

Indeed, talking to smart people is much easier.

After leaving Qiushui Pavilion, Wu Weiwei exhaled a breath of stale air and felt much lighter as she walked.

Looking at the small booklet in her hand, it seems that the Lady of the Marquis truly cares about the Heir Apparent.

Indeed, he's my only son, how could I not care?

In this light, it seems that the young lady's "fake death" was likely orchestrated by the Lady of the Marquis.

Is she afraid that the female lead will eventually be found by the prince, so she made preparations in advance?

However, this move suited her perfectly.

She was worried about how to win the prince's favor. Given her current situation, without external help, it would be difficult to gain the prince's attention. Liu Shi had given her a helping hand.

What's wrong with being someone else's stand-in?

Rather than leaving the manor to find a way out after she escaped her slave status, it would be better to win the favor of the prince and rise from slavery to a position of power. Wouldn't that be a hundred times better than her struggling to make a living with her younger brother?

Since the female lead has no interest in being the Marquis's favored concubine, she doesn't mind replacing her.