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

Zhao Siwei blocked his way, pointed at the cat in his arms, and reasoned with him, "Look at this cat, listen to its meow, it's not even as big as your two hands, it's probably the weakest cat in the litter, the mother cat doesn't want it."

"Even my own mother doesn't want me," Zhang Zhan said in a muffled voice.

Zhao Siwei was silenced by a single sentence and dared not utter another word.

Zhang Zhan said, "If I don't want to raise them, I don't want to raise them. I never thought you would agree!" He still had a little bit of backbone.

Zhao Siwei's attitude did indeed change suddenly. "Alright, alright, take care of it!" He called over a young eunuch and took the cat from Zhang Zhan's hands. "Take care of it, make sure it's well cared for, don't kill it!"

Zhang Zhan still pouted, staring at the cat-like figure, and saw that the little eunuch also looked bewildered.

He reached out and took it back, deciding to take it with him.

It's probably just another perfunctory excuse. Take it back and give it to the steward next to your grandparents; maybe he'll beg you to use it again.

Zhao Siwei also got anxious, "Aren't you going to study anymore?"

"I will not go today."

"The teacher will be testing us today!" As soon as Zhao Siwei finished speaking, Zhang Zhan pulled out a written document and handed it to him, the handwriting of which was exactly the same as his.

He still has a lot of professional ethics.

Zhang Zhan said in a muffled voice, "Let's go."

"It can live, it definitely can live." Zhao Siwei simply picked up the cat and grabbed Zhang Zhan, "I'll take you to the animal training center, the people there are the best at raising animals!"

This was also the first time Zhang Zhan had seen such a different view of the palace.

Zhao Siwei seemed a little afraid that he would cry, so she kept babbling to him about what this place was and what that place was.

And so, the cat was kept at the animal training center for a month before being returned to Zhao Siwei. It was exceptionally beautiful.

However, his grandparents still forbade him to raise a child, saying they were afraid he would become obsessed with playthings and neglect his studies. He was different from Zhao Siwei. As long as Zhao Siwei didn't do anything reckless, he would be rich and noble for life, but if he wanted to live a good life, the only way was to pass the imperial examinations.

He steeled himself and went to talk to Zhao Siwei about it again. He didn't say much, only mentioning one tael of silver a month for child support.

He still has a tael or two of silver.

He was exceptionally generous, counting out twelve taels of silver for Zhao Siwei, indicating that the payment would be settled annually thereafter.

When Zhang Zhan finished reminiscing, he saw the cat run up to him looking aggrieved, complaining that Zhao Siwei was ignoring it.

Zhang Zhan looked at Zhao Siwei who had walked up to him and said, "The cat hasn't offended you, why are you making trouble for it?"

Zhao Siwei sat down beside his bed.

Zhang Zhan sensed that he was about to say something important, and the hand that was stroking the cat's head gradually stopped moving.

Zhao Siwei was thinking about how to start the conversation.

In the end, he still used the most direct way he interacted with Zhang Zhan.

Speak your mind.

What would you do if I told you I was the older brother?

Zhang Zhan: ? ? ?

He looked at Zhao Siwei with a puzzled expression, then touched his forehead with the back of his hand.

Haven't you always been eager to be his father?

Zhao Siwei removed his hand, her expression extremely serious, "You are my younger brother."

Zhang Zhan: ? ? ?

His pupils even constricted, his face contorted with a complex expression, and he even shrank back slightly. "Should I call a doctor to check your brain? Or should I invite a Taoist master from a temple? What kind of evil spirit has possessed you?"

Zhang Zhan had even already lifted the covers.

What kind of crazy nonsense is this?

Zhao Siwei said slowly and deliberately, “You are not the heir of the Marquis of Pingyang’s mansion, but the tenth prince.”

"Are you crazy?" Zhang Zhan exclaimed, his tone becoming increasingly rude. "Are you sick in the head, Zhao Laojiu?"

Zhao Siwei spoke for himself.

"Your biological mother was a good friend of my mother's. Later, she accompanied my mother to the palace as a head maid. While my mother was pregnant with me, she slept with my father, refused to take the contraceptive medicine, and kept you. She then deliberately committed a crime and was punished by being sent to a separate residence. As for the rest, it doesn't matter..."

"What nonsense are you spouting! I, I—" Zhang Zhan couldn't find his voice and could only stare blankly at Zhao Siwei.

Are you crazy?

Zhao Siwei must be crazy.

How could he possibly be a prince?

But Zhao Siwei wouldn't risk his life by doing something like that.

Zhao Siwei looked at him and said, "This is why I'm distancing myself from you. Your own mother betrayed my mother, and you, no matter how my father viewed your mother back then, are far more outstanding than me now, so I'm wary of you."

"Wait a minute!" Zhang Zhan interrupted Zhao Siwei, putting a finger to his lips. "Shut up, shut up, let me sort this out."

Zhao Siwei hummed in agreement.

Let's go with it.

To be honest, it was much calmer for him to be the one to break things up than for Zhang Zhan to break things up in his previous life.

"No, have you been fooled by someone?" Zhang Zhan found it unbelievable. "If I were your father's son, or your mother's friend's son, wouldn't they recognize me?"

He touched his own face.

Although he is quite humble in public, he's not exactly ugly.

Zhao Siwei would not miss any opportunity to strike at Zhang Zhan, saying, "Compared to your own mother, you've grown up to be ugly, the kind that's really ugly."

He had seen that portrait in his previous life.

Consort Xian also said that the portrait at most captured five-tenths of the beauty, but as for her spirit, it didn't capture a single bit.

Zhang Zhan didn't mince words, "That's because your dad is too ugly, which affects me."

Zhao Siwei: ...

My dad isn't your dad.

"It's alright if you don't believe me. Maybe soon we'll be able to see each other every day in the palace," Zhao Siwei said, looking at him.

Zhang Zhan blinked, no longer refuting the falsehood of the news, and instead said, "Then let's go with your version. If I really am your brother, then aren't we in a winning hand?"

Zhao Siwei simply looked at him indifferently.

He had thought the same thing in his past life, which is why he missed opportunities many times.

Zhang Zhan rarely smiled with his teeth showing, but at this moment even his eyes were curved.

“Look, I can pretend to break off relations with you first, let us fight like dogs a few times, and I won’t get close to the Crown Prince. In this way, the Crown Prince will definitely sit back and watch the fight unfold.”

"While he sits on the sidelines watching the tigers fight, we will secretly split up to recruit his forces. You will recruit those you failed to recruit when you were the Crown Prince, and I will recruit those who had previously considered defecting to the Crown Prince but were hesitant."

"Between the two of us, if we have the same power, I am definitely more capable than you. So, let's put on a good show for the Crown Prince and make him think that I have truly cut ties with you forever."

"At this time, the Crown Prince will definitely come to recruit me. Then, whatever you do is fine. Let's kill the Crown Prince first, and then I'll send you to the throne. Or if you think it's too much trouble, I'll just take care of everything and let you come and get it ready!"

After Zhang Zhan finished speaking, he looked at Zhao Siwei very seriously and asked, "How was it? Wasn't it perfect?"

Zhao Siwei scrutinized him. "Zhang Zhan, I don't understand you, but I know you understand me very well, which is why I've trusted you countless times. But this time—"

"Why don't you believe me?" Zhang Zhan felt extremely wronged and asked the same question again, "Why do you think I'm going to betray you? Are you brainless, or has someone bewitched your brain?"

"We've known each other for so many years, have I ever done anything to make you uncomfortable? No, right?"

Zhang Zhan felt it was unnecessary to dwell on Zhao Siwei's shocked words; the crux of the matter was that Zhao Siwei didn't believe him.

"What did Ji Tingyao tell you? Why is she trying to sow discord between us? Whether she likes you or me, we're brothers—no, isn't she one of the Crown Prince's people?"

"The Crown Prince wants to take her second sister to the Eastern Palace. Did the Ji family secretly choose the Crown Prince?"

"Are you so blinded by Ji Tingyao that you've lost your mind?"

"Why are you dragging her into this?" Zhao Siwei stood up. "Believe it or not, it's up to you."

Zhang Zhan glanced at him, certain that Ji Tingyao was toxic. "I believe everything you say, but I'm definitely helping you!" He looked at the person walking out and angrily threw off the covers.

"Zhao Siwei!"

Zhang Zhan saw that he was really leaving, and wondered why he was leaving before he had even finished speaking.

Zhao Siwei frowned and turned around, when suddenly a basin of water was splashed on his face.

Zhao Siwei was completely dumbfounded.

"Wake up and use your brain!"

"You've lived this long, so I should also acknowledge my hard work and contributions!"

"I don't care who spread those rumors! I said I wouldn't betray you, and I won't!"

"If I really wanted to kill you, would you still be alive today!"

"If I want to kill you, it has nothing to do with who I am!"

"If I want to help you, it has nothing to do with who I am!"

"Did you understand?"

"How long have you known Ji Tingyao? How long have I known you?"

“I read the same books as you and walk the same path. It’s fine if you believe Ji Tingyao, but if she tries to instigate you to kill me, I’ll take her down with me even if I die!”

Zhang Zhan smashed the basin on the ground and called to the cat, "Little Nine!"

The cat meowed guiltily and shrank back against the wall.

Zhang Zhan picked up the cat and shoved it into Zhao Siwei's arms. "Get out of here with the cat! Let me tell you, if you dare to doubt me for no reason again, I'll make you regret ever knowing me!"

Zhao Siwei was pushed out the door.

The door slammed shut.

The cat nestled in Zhao Siwei's arms, as if afraid that neither the person inside nor the person outside would want it.

Zhao Siwei was still in a daze when a bold servant boy came in from outside the courtyard and called out twice, "Your Highness, Ninth Prince."

"Your Highness, would you like to change your clothes, or would you like to stay here tonight?"

Zhao Siwei touched his face, finally realizing he'd been insulted and splashed with water. "Zhang Zhan, are you crazy?! Killing you right now would be as easy as turning my hand!"

"Get out of here!"

A roar came from inside the house.

Zhao Siwei was about to kick down the door when a servant pulled him back, saying, "Your Highness, my young master is still ill!"

Inside the room, Zhang Zhan was already kneeling on the ground, clutching his bleeding wound.

A prince? How could he possibly be a prince?

How much God must love him! He's both a prince and a crown prince!

Who exactly told Zhao Siwei this?

Zhang Zhan was in so much pain that sweat beaded on his forehead.

But gradually, some of her father's words began to surface in her mind.

"You're the most beautiful child in our family."

"You should look more like your mother, but you are even better looking than your mother."

His younger siblings stood with him, and if he didn't say so, no one would believe they were from the same family. His younger siblings all had some unrelated similarities, but he alone stood out from the crowd.

He never thought that having a good appearance was of any use. If being good-looking were useful, he wouldn't have had such a miserable life before he met Zhao Siwei.

He touched his face, his heart pounding.

Zhao Siwei outside the door was still trying to kick the door down.

Zhang Zhan felt the wound was getting more and more painful.

Why Zhao Siwei was afraid of him is a very important point.

Even if Zhao Siwei was telling the truth today, it was as if he was very dissatisfied with his answer.

It's as if there's another Zhang Zhan who did something to wrong him.

This must be investigated; this matter absolutely must be investigated.

"Zhao Siwei, get your ass in here!"

"You fucking open the door!"

"kick!"

Zhao Siwei pushed aside the servants who were trying to shove him and kicked the door open.

The door was broken open.

"Are you crazy?! Why are you throwing things at me like that?!"

"Get out, all of you," Zhang Zhan said to the servant.

Zhao Siwei looked at Zhang Zhan, who had gotten up and was sitting down in a chair.

Zhang Zhan endured the pain and said, "I was indeed born in the other courtyard, but my mother died after I was a month old. So, I'll tell you a few people, and you can investigate."

“You know about this, and others will gradually find out too. So, instead of investigating these people, we should bring them back into our hands to prevent others from taking the initiative.”

“I don’t care who told you, but if you can’t completely subdue this person, kill them, otherwise there will be endless trouble, understand?”

Zhang Zhan's lips turned pale. "The person who hurt me might be the one who knows. Killing me is like killing your right-hand man. I really don't understand you. You should treat me like a god right now!"

Zhao Siwei thought to himself, "Didn't I treat you like an ancestor before? Even the princes' monthly allowances and rewards were spent by themselves, while he still had to think about Zhang Zhan, this follower who had nothing."

"I'm really looking forward to seeing how you turn out in the face later." He smiled. "I'll find it funny when I think back on it."

Zhang Zhan had a headache. "Can we talk about something else?"

Zhao Siwei then asked, "Xu Tutu, what do you think?"

He sat up, then thought of something, "If I were really a prince, even if you don't marry me, I'll marry you anyway."

Zhao Siwei's face turned completely cold.

See? They still have the same idea.

Zhang Zhan blinked, as if he thought it made a lot of sense.

"In this way, Duke Xu's military power is still in our hands."

After saying this, Zhang Zhan even felt that he was a little clever, and said again: "Yes, if it is really as you say, and I am your younger brother, then I will marry Xu Tutu. In this way, the power of the Duke of Xu's mansion will still be in our hands."

Zhao Siwei was shocked; something seemed to explode in his mind.

Zhang Zhan looked at him, already thinking about the next steps as he had suggested.

"If I really am your brother, why do you still doubt me?"

"If that's really the case, we might as well put on a show, break off all ties, and then defect to the Crown Prince's side..."

“No, no.” Zhang Zhan shook his head, feeling that this approach wouldn’t work. He hadn’t been fully conscious just now. “The Crown Prince will definitely become suspicious, and he probably believed me when I poisoned him.”

The royal family did not punish him, not because they trusted him, but to give Zhao Siwei face and to save face for Zhao Sicong.

"Your father knew perfectly well that I was related to you, yet he kept me by the Crown Prince's side under the guise of studying. Wasn't that just to keep you in check?"

"Your father wasn't any better."

He had never actually liked this emperor.

He was incompetent and let his younger sister handle state affairs. If he was truly protecting her, why would people say that Zhao Fu'er was like a rooster crowing at dawn?

Zhao Sicong could clearly be pushed to succeed, and while it seems like he's being indulged in everything, it's actually suppressing him.

As for Zhao Siwei, he was simply spoiled and pampered; clearly, Zhao Siwei was no less capable.

"Zhang Zhan!" Zhao Siwei said in a deep voice, "Be careful with your words and actions!"

Zhang Zhan wasn't afraid at all. If Zhao Siwei bought him, he would just help count the money. It was no big deal.

"There's no one else here, so why can't you say it? Can't you sense that your father has been indulging you all along, but in reality, he's testing your limits?"

"You just don't want to compete, but in the Crown Prince's eyes, you are too favored by the Emperor, which is why he sees you as a thorn in his side. If you don't plan ahead, something bad will really happen in the future."

Zhao Siwei was already quite annoyed by these words.

"Go if you like. I think if you had the chance to go, you would definitely do better than me."