After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Old Madam Lu clutched her chest, panting heavily, looking as if she was about to have a heart attack.

Lu Zhiyuan had taken her pulse and knew there was nothing wrong with her heart; she was just trying to use this to manipulate her mother. Fearing her mother would soften, she used the pretense of concern to secretly insert a silver needle into her acupoint for laughing.

Old Madam Lu laughed so hard she almost fell over, leaving everyone in the courtyard completely baffled.

Xie Chaoyun, unwilling to stay there, bowed and pulled Lu Zhiyuan towards Fangfei Courtyard. A letter arrived from Madam Ruan, saying that the Southern Chu people had begun their operation. With the enemy in the dark and us in the light, they could only start with the Xie family and the shops that accompanied the dowry. However, after several days of investigation, they found nothing.

According to Lu Zhiyuan, rather than passively and cluelessly investigating, it would be better to remain calm and wait for the right opportunity to arise.

They ran into Ji Wanwan, who looked confident and mocked Xie Chaoyun before she could speak, "I heard you went to the palace, sister? Look at your red eyes, did the Xie family get their property confiscated? Don't be sad, sister, you may lose your maternal family, but you still have your husband's family. Look at me, I forgot that you and Brother Huai divorced. I wonder if the Emperor will have you beheaded when he finds out."

Lu Zhiyuan stepped forward, blocking her mother's path: "In broad daylight, how could Aunt Ji be dreaming? Unfortunately, dreams are often the opposite of reality. My mother has been granted the title of Third-Rank Imperial Consort, and the imperial decree is still fresh in our minds."

Lu Zhiyuan smiled sweetly, with a hint of mischief, which made Ji Wanwan inexplicably a little angry.

"How could that be? What merit or ability does Xie Chaoyun possess? Is the Emperor senile?"

Ji Wanwan's expression changed as she stared at the imperial edict in her hand.

"Slap!" A slap landed on Ji Wanwan's face; it was Xie Chaoyun herself who delivered it. "Ji Wanwan, do you want to die? How dare you speak ill of the Emperor?"

Lu Zhiyuan smiled brightly, "Aunt Ji doesn't want to die, she wants to court death."

Ji Wanwan was furious! This shouldn't be happening! The Xie family should be executed, Xie Chaoyun should be rejected by the Marquis's mansion, and Lu Zhiyuan, that sickly little girl, should die in the stinking water dungeon... She lunged forward, grabbed Lu Zhiyuan by the neck, and said viciously, "It's you! It's all because of you!"

"It's me!" Lu Zhiyuan said with a half-smile, in a voice only they could hear, "You're allowed to frame Aunt Ji, but we're not allowed to play along?"

Even if Ji Wanwan were stupid, she could tell there was something fishy about those words. Just as she was about to exert force, her hand was stung by something, and she quickly jerked away. She looked at Lu Zhiyuan with disbelief.

There couldn't be anything wrong with the letter! She had confirmed its contents, enough to enrage the Emperor and bring ruin to the Xie family.

Lu Zhiyuan clicked her tongue twice: "Does Aunt Ji tacitly agree? It's good that we saw through it. Fighting poison with poison has actually benefited the Xie family."

Ji Wanwan gritted her teeth and vehemently denied it.

Falsely accusing a high-ranking official was a crime punishable by the confiscation of property and the extermination of one's entire family; only a madwoman would admit to such a thing. Xie Chaoyun was too lazy to argue with her, but kept this score in mind. As she closed the door, Liu Ying made a face at Ji Wanwan.

“Our eldest son has become an official, and our second son has been promoted to the second rank.” She clicked her tongue twice, mimicking Lu Zhiyuan. “It’s no wonder you’re jealous of our mistress; after all, you don’t have such a good family background. By the way, what about your younger brother? Is he hiding again after incurring gambling debts?”

Ji Wanwan felt a surge of unease, a deep sense of unease gripping her. She wanted to find Lu Huai, but upon arriving at Fulin Courtyard, she overheard the mother and daughter talking in the courtyard. The old lady, whom she had painstakingly managed to appease, was now siding with Xie Chaoyun, insisting that Lu Huai absolutely had to overturn the divorce papers.

The old man is a fence-sitter. Seeing that the Xie family is doing even better than before, he decided to continue trying to win over Xie Chaoyun.

Ji Wanwan looked at Lu Huai, who remained silent. Old Madam Lu poked him with a finger and said with exasperation, "I know you like that girl Wanwan, but what else can she do besides flatter men? In terms of family background, she's worlds apart from Xie Chaoyun. In terms of ability, Xie Chaoyun can help the Marquis's mansion make money and manage your affairs outside. As for her, she's lucky if she doesn't pester you for money."

Ji Wanwan wrung out the handkerchief and continued to eavesdrop on the mother and son's conversation.

"Don't bring up the divorce or taking a concubine again. Xie Chaoyun is still angry; don't let a small matter cause a bigger problem. Let Wanwan live in the Lu family's old house, just like she did in Weinan, as a mistress. Jinyao is already on the family register; she can't make a fuss. At worst, we can just add Zhiyuan's name. Jingyuan will adopt her as previously agreed. She'll get two children for free; what could she possibly want?"

Ji Wanwan listened, her teeth practically grinding to powder. After all that effort, she was still just a mistress, someone who couldn't be brought into the light of day.

No, it would have been better to stay in Weinan, where she wouldn't even be able to protect her two children.

The mother and daughter continued their conversation in the courtyard.

"These women are all stubborn but weak-willed. If you put in more effort and make her comfortable, she might even start clamoring for a divorce. Women are just like that, always fighting and scrambling, all they're after is that little bit of what a man has."

Ji Wanwan stomped her feet in anger, cursing Old Madam Lu in her heart. She didn't care whether the Xie family was finished or not; as long as Lu Huai and Xie Chaoyun divorced, she would become the mistress of the Pingnan Marquis's mansion.

Just as he was about to walk into the courtyard, his sleeve was tugged. He turned around and saw his daughter, Lu Jinyao. In the few days since he last saw her, she had grown taller and her temperament was different from before, seemingly more composed.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be learning etiquette from that palace maid at this time?" Ji Wanwan looked Lu Jinyao up and down. "You need to pay more attention to His Highness Prince Yue. Even if you can't see him, you should send someone over from time to time to try and win his heart. It's still five or six years before you enter the Prince's residence. Who knows how many women like you will appear around His Highness Prince Yue? You're not a proper princess, so don't end up not even being able to enter the Prince's residence."

Ji Wanwan's words made Lu Jinyao feel uncomfortable.

Her mother used to speak to her in the same way, and she never thought there was anything wrong with it. Perhaps it was when she arrived in the capital, or perhaps it was when she saw how Xie Chaoyun and Lu Zhiyuan got along, or perhaps it was when she learned the rules of the palace from the nanny, that she suddenly felt that her biological mother was really vulgar and unworthy of her.

Before she even reached marriageable age, her mother would constantly refer to her as a woman just like herself, as if she came from some filthy place.

Suppressing her displeasure, she said softly, "Today is the last day of learning etiquette, and the nanny has returned to the palace."

Ji Wanwan raised her hand and slapped her: "Then what are you still standing there for? Hurry up and go find His Highness Prince Yue, tell him your troubles, and let him feel sorry for you."

Lu Jinyao didn't want to argue with her, so she nodded in agreement and advised, "Mother, it's better not to go in, lest you anger the Marquis and the Old Madam. There are some things you have to endure, and that's what Mother taught Jinyao."

Before her mother could get angry, she grasped her hand and said, "Mother, don't worry. The Marquis and the Old Madam won't kick you out. You are Jin Yao's mother, and Jin Yao is the person the Empress assigned to Prince Yue. As long as you continue to coax the Marquis as before and make him at odds with Xie Chaoyun, the Marquis will inevitably rely on you, Jin Yao, to get close to Prince Yue, and to get close to the Crown Prince and the Empress."

Lu Jinyao continued, "No matter how powerful the Xie family is, they cannot compare to the Empress. Even if the Emperor values ​​the Xie family, he is already in his twilight years. The one who will rule the country in the future is the one in the Eastern Palace. A new emperor brings a new court. Rather than clinging to the old master, it is better to side with the new emperor."

The speaker meant something, and the listener took it to heart; Ji Wanwan suddenly felt enlightened.