The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

He Zhizhu was filled with longing, and her face showed a blush. "I've already made up my mind. Sixth Sister will definitely marry the Fourth Prince as a concubine."

Cousin, you have a close relationship with the Jiang family, so we've also gotten in touch with the Second Prince. As for me, I'll be of marriageable age in three years.

A few years later, after that nobleman dies, His Highness the Prince will suddenly lose his wife and children and will surely be heartbroken. Why don't I seize this opportunity to wholeheartedly comfort him?

In that case, he'll surely treat me differently.

In his past life, when that prince was mourning his deceased wife and young children, he unintentionally received a few words of comfort from Hua Sirong, who was already married, in a tavern, and he kept them in his heart.

For reasons unknown, the prince later arranged for his servants to secretly follow Hua Sirong.

This led to the later incident where Hua Sirong encountered trouble and was able to come to her aid in time.

Finally, after the new emperor ascended the throne, he went so far as to defy public opinion and take her into his harem, showering her with unparalleled favor.

When He Zhizhu was first reborn, all she thought about was clinging to her cousin's powerful backer.

But now she has changed her mind. If Hua Sirong can take advantage of someone's weakness, why can't He Zhizhu do it too!

She decided that she would seize the initiative at that time.

Hua Sirong was unaware of He Zhizhu's plans. She smiled and said, "Then I wish my cousin all the best in advance."

He Zhizhu: "Thank you for your kind words, cousin."

Setting down her teacup, He Zhizhu asked again, "With Master Jiang as your powerful backer, cousin, are you really not considering taking this opportunity to get on the Second Prince's good side?"

"In my opinion, if the Marquis's mansion is really on the verge of collapse, and if my cousin becomes the Second Prince's woman, the downfall of our Marquis's mansion will definitely not affect my cousin's future life."

Hua Sirong thought they had already explained the issue clearly, but unexpectedly He Zhizhu asked it again.

Seeing Hua Sirong's astonished look, He Zhizhu said coquettishly, "Cousin, do you think I'm so heartless? Although I hope the Marquis's mansion will prosper, no one can predict what will happen in the future."

Rather than marrying a scholar of questionable character, my cousin would be better off marrying into the royal family. At least then she'd have some security. I was genuinely thinking of her best interests, but she doesn't believe me.

Hua Sirong couldn't tell if it was true or false for a moment, but she sincerely thanked her, "I appreciate your kindness. I chose this person myself. Whether things turn out well or badly, I definitely won't blame the Marquis's mansion. You can rest assured."

At this moment, He Zhizhu awkwardly stepped forward and took Hua Sirong's hand, "Alright, alright, I understand now. My cousin is determined to become your wife. I will never mention the word 'concubine' in front of you again."

Hua Sirong tapped her forehead. "Then you'd better be more careful and remember this."

He Zhizhu covered her head and said, "I'll remember, I'll remember. I'm not only going to remember it myself, I'm going to tell my mother about it, so she won't keep trying to take advantage of you."

After saying that, he rushed out of the house like a gust of wind, called the maidservants serving in the courtyard, and left Qingwu Courtyard.

Before Wang's mother could even utter a word of farewell, the person had vanished.

She turned her head and saw her young mistress standing under the eaves. She hurriedly went up to her and said, "Didn't Seventh Miss say she was going to stay in our courtyard for a few days? Why is she leaving so soon?" She really couldn't understand it.

Hua Sirong looked at the bamboo grove in the courtyard. "My cousin immediately said she wanted to stay for a while, but look at the maid she brought, she's carrying a bundle!"

These days, He Zhizhu has been living in the main courtyard, and all her belongings are in Yimei Garden. Moving to Qingwu Courtyard would only require a few more maids and servants to help her.

Is Yimei Garden short of people?

As she pondered, Hua Sirong suddenly laughed. She hadn't even sorted out the few things in this life, and now she was getting involved in a lawsuit from her past life. The days ahead were truly going to be exciting.

Are there hidden secrets everywhere? Or perhaps murderous intent?

Yimei Garden

Madam Shen: "Why are you back? Weren't you going to stay at Qingwu Courtyard for a few days?" Did the two sisters have a falling out?

He Zhizhu chased away the irrelevant people in the room. "Mother, I'm here to tell you that I've tested my cousin several times, and she has no intention of marrying someone to become a concubine."

Lady Shen: "You won't even be a concubine to the princes?"

He Zhizhu replied firmly, "No."

Madam Shen pressed on, "Did you mention that, thanks to the Jiang family's connections, your cousin might become a concubine of the Second Prince?"

This is different from an ordinary concubine; she can be listed in the imperial genealogy, raise her children by her side, and attend royal banquets.

He Zhizhu nodded, "Of course I did, but my cousin still says she wants to marry a poor scholar with no future."

Shen was not as optimistic as He Zhizhu. "But people's thoughts can change. She thinks it's good to marry a scholar now, but after she gets married, she might change her mind again."

He Zhizhu: "But who knows, by then, I might already have his heart firmly in my grasp."

Madam Shen disagreed, “Sincere? Didn’t you say that he was deeply in love with his first wife? How could he so quickly fall in love with someone else and favor Rong’er, who had been married before?”

If you hadn't spoken so convincingly to me before, I would never have believed your nonsense about living two lifetimes. Tell me, are you just getting older but not smarter?!

What does a man's sincerity matter? What matters most is the power you hold in your own hands.

"When the time comes, as long as you win his heart, seize the opportunity to become the Princess Consort, and then secure your position as Empress, give birth to a legitimate son as soon as possible, and with the support of our Marquis's mansion, it doesn't matter who he favors in the future."

He Zhizhu loved the wrong person in her past life, but she only felt that she was unlucky. In this life, she still wants to find a man who will cherish her.

Just like her ghost in her past life, lingering outside the palace, constantly listening to rumors about how favored Consort Hua was. She even fantasized about why she couldn't be the one in question?

As a woman who has also been married, she also longs for this kind of preferential treatment.

So she said, "But Mother, wouldn't it be better for me to be a queen favored by the king?"

Looking at her daughter's longing eyes, Madam Shen couldn't bear it, but she had no choice but to tell the cruel truth, "No! The position of Empress is to be the mother of the nation, a model for all women."

Because of your position, you are destined not to have your husband all to yourself; he is destined to have many concubines and children.

If you get caught up in petty romances, you'll only hurt yourself and your children. So, you can't expect the emperor's favor; you just need to earn his respect.

Without his doting affection, you wouldn't fall into the illusory love he wove, you wouldn't be jealous of the other women in the harem, and you would be able to treat his children with other women kindly.

This will solidify your position as empress and give your eldest son a better chance of becoming the next crown prince.

Instead of having a mother who is always a burden.