Transmigrating into a book to save her best friend, her sickly husband vies for her affections every

Tingyao tasted all the pastries. "How do you plan to sell them?" It turned out that the delicious pastries she had at the shop last time were made by Ji Chunhe. This girl is quite capable.

Ji Chunhe was a little embarrassed by the praise, and the corners of her mouth slightly curved up. "Second Sister said that things are more valuable when they are rare, so she will give out a limited quantity first. That way, if someone really likes this pastry, they will come every day. Second Sister also asked if I would like to sell it while wearing her clothes, and she talked about many ways to do business partnerships. I don't understand any of them, so I came to ask my elder sister..."

"I didn't mean to drive a wedge between you and my second sister," Ji Chunhe hurriedly waved his hand, afraid that Tingyao would misunderstand something. He then took out a booklet. "These were all told to me by my second sister. There were some parts I didn't understand, and I was going to ask her about them, but she said she's been very busy lately..."

"She's very busy, the winter hunt is coming." Tingyao blinked, munching on a pastry. "This is the time of year when she earns the most money. Let's ask her to take us out to eat then!"

Ji Chunhe: "Third Sister said the same thing, which made me laugh."

After the two talked for a while, Tingyao gave her advice, and then Madam Yang sent someone to call Ji Chunhe back for dinner, and asked him to come along.

Tingyao couldn't refuse and could only be dragged over.

Mrs. Yang was very enthusiastic, and the table was full of Tingyao's favorite foods.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Madam Yang offered to escort Tingyao back home.

Tingyao knew that Madam Yang must have something to say to her.

"Has your second sister said anything to you lately? She seems fine, but she's probably scared." Madam Yang only has two daughters, and she truly dotes on her eldest daughter.

“That man wasn’t a good match to begin with, and besides, Second Sister is focused on making money right now,” Tingyao said with a smile. “Second Aunt, please don’t interfere. It’s good for her to distract herself at a time like this.”

It was already difficult for women to do business in this era, not only due to external pressures but also due to obstacles from their own families.

“Go ahead. If she can really be like your second sister, I’ll give her a shop too, and let her learn to be a business owner.” Madam Yang was very kind to her children. “I’ve almost finished dealing with things these past few days. Starting tomorrow, you can come and learn how to manage the household with me.”

Tingyao was taken aback.

Please, just let her be a useless person. She won't be able to do it for much longer anyway. Let her have some peace in her final days...

Madam Yang took her arm, genuinely wanting to plan more for this niece from another branch of the family. "You'll be the mistress of the house someday. We didn't learn before, but I'll teach you now. I'm quite good at managing the household, and I can even teach you to read!"

Yang felt truly sorry for Tingyao, especially after hearing what Old Madam Ji said, she was so heartbroken that tears welled up in her eyes.

If it weren't for this child speaking up for justice, she wouldn't have been able to gain control of the household.

Humans should know how to be grateful; otherwise, what difference is there between them and animals?

Tingyao had nothing to do anyway, or at least nothing serious at the moment, so she nodded, "As long as Second Aunt doesn't think I'll bother you."

She sighed inwardly, but decided to agree anyway. Otherwise, if Madam Yang came to her courtyard every day, she might discover something terrible.

“There’s one more thing,” said Madam Yang. “I think Dr. Zhong is quite good, and I heard he was wronged before. What do you think of him? I think he’s quite articulate.”

Tingyao felt a little dizzy.

She sensed something was off.

She hurriedly asked, "Second Aunt, please explain more clearly. I still don't quite understand."

"What do you think about having him become Chunhe's live-in son-in-law?" Madam Yang asked in a low voice.

Tingyao: !!!

My dear second aunt, do you want to hear what you're saying?

Yang knew that it was inappropriate to say it that way.

"Shh, I'll only tell you this much: I'm afraid your second sister will get bullied in the future because of her personality. She won't suffer any loss, and she's arrogant and brainless..."

"Hey, wouldn't it be great if we could find a son-in-law who comes to live with us, someone we know well, right under our noses?"

“I’m afraid even Mr. Zhong himself can’t make this decision,” Tingyao said seriously. “He’s one of the Ninth Prince’s men, so it probably only works if the Ninth Prince agrees. Our family has no connection with the Ninth Prince. If we have to say something, we can only say that our family has some influence. But wouldn’t that put the Ji family on the Ninth Prince’s side?”

The Ji family is currently observing from a distance.

Grandma Ji also warned her that she must never let the family members find out that she had a relationship with Zhao Siwei, otherwise they would definitely punish her.

Tingyao nodded at Madam Yang, "So, Second Aunt's idea stems from her love for her daughter, but if we look at it from Second Uncle's perspective, it needs to be carefully considered."

The Ji family has already offended the Crown Prince. If Zhao Siwei confronts Zhang Zhan today and really breaks off relations with him, the Ji family might have to wait and see, or even choose Zhang Zhan.

No, that won't do. We might as well take this opportunity to let Yang go back and ask her second uncle.

Yang was taken aback; she hadn't really thought that much about it.

"Good boy, you really reminded me."

Tingyao: "However, for the sake of Chunhe, it would be good to ask Second Uncle. Mr. Zhong was summoned by the Ninth Prince, probably to treat His Majesty and Consort Xian. If we can really try to persuade him, that would be good too."

The fact that they went there indicates that the Ji family has this idea.

To put it bluntly, Zhong Youling is now on the same level as Zhao Siwei.

Zhang Zhan, you should consider your own status and identity, but Zhong Youling is different. As long as you feel you are capable, you can go and meet him.

Ms. Yang nodded, agreeing.

The main thing is that she is really good.

Good-looking, eloquent, and well-mannered.

"And you too, I'm having my nephew from my side of the family come over this year, so you can come and see him."

Tingyao: ...

She knew this was going to happen.

In her previous life, Yang had done the same thing. She didn't have any intention of using her to curry favor with anyone; she just wanted to repay Old Madam Ji. However, Old Madam Ji was already nearing her end at that time, so she wanted to arrange her marriage before then to avoid delaying the three-year mourning period.

Madam Yang: "Don't overthink it. If he likes it, that's his good fortune. If he doesn't, just treat it as a friendly greeting between relatives, okay?"

She genuinely wanted to find good marriages for all the girls in the Ji family.

Tingyao did not respond.

According to Yang's idea, if she chose a man of low social status and gave him some benefits, she could make him treat the girls in her family well.

But in reality, no. These men will only use it as something to show off at the dinner table, they won't cherish it, they'll just think it's because he's capable.

"It's snowing," Madam Yang suddenly said. "This year, the snow came too early."

Tingyao blinked and raised her hand to look at the tiny snowflakes that turned into water as they fell.

There was also a snow disaster this year.

Zhang Zhan's greatest achievement was disaster relief, after which he was reinstated.

These days are really going to get lively.

Madam Yang: "When the plum blossoms in the suburbs bloom, I'll take you sisters to play there."

Tingyao nodded. "Okay."

"We'll invite ** along then too."

Tingyao hummed in agreement.

***

Pingyang Houfu.

After Zhang Zhan was assassinated and sent back, he was able to open his eyes. The imperial court dispatched officials from the Northern Garrison to assist in the investigation of the case.

But Zhang Zhan's reply was always the same: he shook his head and said he couldn't see the person clearly.

Even with a knife to his neck, that was all he said.

"Young Master Zhang, how could you not have seen the person clearly? Please try to recall carefully, and even just telling us whether it was a man or a woman would be helpful."

Zhang Zhan leaned against the pillow and tried again to recall, but still shook his head.

Actually, he really wanted to say that he was still half-dead and asked if he could wait two days before asking. Anyway, the person who dared to stab him in the back must have thought it through, and even if the truth came out, he probably wouldn't be in any danger.

"I was in a bad mood at the time, so I walked towards the outside of the palace. Then my cat suddenly meowed. I turned around and felt a pain here. When I looked down, I fainted."

Zhang Zhan touched his wound, "You all saw how heavy the rain was, right?"

The interrogator knew, of course, that the weather was terrible and visibility was extremely low when the incident happened, but he was still not giving up. “Young Master Zhang, there’s something you’re hiding in your words. You’re very clever, but we’re not fools either.”

We need to get Zhang Zhan to say something, otherwise how will we explain ourselves when we get back?

This is something that His Majesty and Consort Xian both instructed us to investigate thoroughly.

There was a sound coming from outside the door.

"He's afraid you'll find your way into my palace."

It was Zhao Siwei's voice.

"The cat meowed and turned around, probably thinking that I had sent someone to look for him. As for his wound, it was more like he was injured by a flying knife. The cat just has a more sensitive hearing and is timid, so it was the first to react."

Seeing Zhao Siwei standing at the door with his arms crossed, the official in charge of the interrogation hurriedly bowed and greeted him, "Greetings, Your Highness. In that case, this humble official will take his leave."

Zhao Siwei looked at him and said, "Someone must have seen the person that day, but they didn't see clearly and were afraid of being interrogated by you."

Zhao Sicong and Xu Tutu were both killed by Zhang Zhan, but Zhang Zhan's injuries were definitely inflicted by someone else.

The prime suspects are none other than Empress Yan and the Duke of Xu's mansion; the former is more likely to have made a move than the latter.

The person in charge of the interrogation seemed to have an idea, "I would appreciate Your Highness's guidance."

Once the person left, Zhang Zhan waved for his servant to lead all the other servants out.

The cat, huddled inside the bed, looked at Zhao Siwei and meowed as it reached out its paw at him.

Zhang Zhan stared at the cat, a complex emotion in his eyes.

Zhang Zhan found this cat outside when he was a child.

His grandparents told him he should study hard and coaxed him to hand the cat over to the servants to take care of it, but he knew that if he handed it over, it would surely die.

For the first time in his life, he disobeyed his grandparents and wanted to have the kitten.

He had no choice but to ask Zhao Siwei for help.

He wasn't actually very familiar with Zhao Siwei at the time; it would be more accurate to say they were complete strangers.

Zhao Siwei resented his ingratitude and found him easy to bully and manipulate. He was also quite literate. Zhao Siwei needed a page to write for him, so he named him.

His grandparents felt this was his chance; being able to have the emperor's most beloved youngest prince as his study companion would improve his life.

Only he himself knew that he was getting two fewer hours of sleep each day, had to do two sets of homework, and in order to avoid being discovered by his teacher, he also had to learn Zhao Siwei's handwriting, which was completely different from his own.

Zhao Siwei completely ignored him, sometimes not speaking to him for an entire day. While other princes who accompanied their children to study in the palace received escorts when leaving, he had to walk alone...

So when he nervously took the cat out of his bag, Zhao Siwei, who was drinking milk, immediately spat it out, spraying it all over the table.

Zhang Zhan had never been so afraid in his life.

He wasn't afraid even when his younger siblings beat him up, since they were just teasing him and wouldn't dare kill him.

Zhao Siwei would not hit him, scold him, or starve him, but if he was unhappy, he could make his grandparents kneel down.

He panicked and put the cat on the table. "I, I..." He stammered for a long time, but couldn't come up with anything.

As a child, he was rather introverted and didn't like to initiate conversations with people.

The cat was probably hungry and went to drink milk. Zhao Siwei was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out. He stood up abruptly, not even having time to wipe the milk off his chin, and pointed at the cat, "Zhang Zhan, get it away!"

He stammered terribly, and if crying really helped, he definitely would have cried. "I...I...can you help me take care of it? Your yard is so big, just give it a little space. I can pay you, I'll give you my entire monthly allowance."

Zhang Zhan pulled out several crumpled silver notes from his pocket.

This was all the money he had. His younger siblings beat him because they wanted to steal his money to buy food.

Zhao Siwei looked like he'd encountered a ghost. "Do you think I care about your money? My rice bowl alone could probably make you a year's worth of monthly income!"

Fearing that his entire year's allowance wouldn't be enough to buy the bowl, Zhang Zhan immediately said, "Then, then I'll do your homework for you. What else could you possibly need from me—"

"All I want is for you to do my homework. You're only useful to me for that. What can a little prince like you do for me? You can't even lift a finger. I'm a prince, what don't I need?" Zhao Siwei wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and slammed it on the table. "Take it away."

Zhang Zhan had considered this possibility, so he said "oh," and carried the cat in his arms with its head drooping as he walked outside.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

"People say you're impatient, but if you raise him to adulthood and he survives, and you raise him well, then that rumor will be dispelled."

Zhao Siwei spat at him, "That trick won't work on me, I won't fall for it!"

If you don't fall for it, then fall for it again.

Zhang Zhan said, "Then I'll go and write the Crown Prince's lessons. He praised me for being so capable."

"Go ahead, you think you're so great. I'd look down on you if you didn't go. Wow, tsk tsk, you've got some skills. You can't even figure out the ways of the palace, and you're already looking for a bigger backer?"

Zhang Zhan didn't think Zhao Siwei wanted to be his patron. Wouldn't a patron mean having everything he wanted? Looking back at him, he said, "The Crown Prince even asked me if I wanted to be his study companion!"

Doing homework and being a reading companion are two different things.

Moreover, Empress Yan did indeed have this intention, and the Crown Prince also liked Zhang Zhan's obedience.

"You all think I've been well-behaved lately, haven't I been causing trouble? I'll kill this cat right now!" Zhao Siwei said coldly, trying to snatch the cat from his hand, showing a strong determination to strangle it.

Zhang Zhan hugged the cat and shrank his neck, "I was just kidding... don't get angry..."

Seeing Zhang Zhan's stubborn look, Zhao Siwei, unusually mature for his age, said to his younger brother, who was a few months younger than him, "This cat is too small and won't survive. There's no need to waste time. You'll just end up crying. It's not worth it."

Zhang Zhan remained silent, looking down at the dirty cat in his arms.

“I have no reason to lie to you about something like this,” Zhao Siwei repeated.

Zhang Zhan pursed his lips and retorted to Zhao Siwei, "I think it's fine, it will definitely survive. Ninth Prince, you can help me raise it. When I grow up, I will definitely be loyal to you."

"Are you big?" Zhao Siwei asked bluntly.

Zhang Zhan's face stiffened. He glanced at Zhao Siwei, then turned and left.

His stepmother disliked him simply because he held the title of heir apparent.

I just wish he would die soon.

That way, her son could take over.

Fortunately, he was able to live to this age thanks to the protection of his grandparents.

The stepmother wished her grandparents would die soon too.

He looked down at the cat in his arms.

He probably felt that the cat resembled himself, which is why he wanted to keep it.

He's still too weak. He can't even protect himself, so what can he protect?

Zhao Siwei is right. He might not be able to grow up. He's already in dire straits himself, how could he possibly protect this cat?

"Zhang Zhan, it's a joke, I was just joking."

Zhang Zhan looked at the people catching up and walked forward with a pout.