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

The moon was bright and the stars were few. Lidong arrived after receiving the news, holding the contents of a message sent by carrier pigeon.

"Just say it," Tingyao said coldly, not wanting to see anything at all.

Consort Xian, only Consort Xian can help her leave the palace.

Is the system punishing her?

Did she prevent Zhao Siwei and Zhang Zhan from becoming enemies on the day she was punished?

So you want to kill her grandmother?

This is the person she cares about most here. Whether he lives or dies doesn't affect anything at all. Why is that? Why is that?

Lidong: "His Highness the Ninth Prince is on his way back. Old Madam Ji has passed away."

Tingyao closed her eyes tightly, refused to be helped to stand up, looked at the sky that was about to dawn, and made a sound towards the closed palace gate.

"Yu Xian, do you want the two of us to resolve this ourselves, or do you want your son to come and resolve it?"

Yu Xian was the maiden name of Consort Xian.

"I'll give you fifteen minutes. If this door isn't opened, no one can stop me from doing whatever I want."

Fifteen minutes later, the door remained closed.

In Consort Xian's eyes, she is nothing now.

Tingyao had guessed it too. She turned around and looked at the people who were about to come. "No one is coming over except for Shishi Ruyi, including you, Jingzhe."

Jingzhe: "Your Majesty..."

If she could find a way to open the palace gates, she would definitely help Tingyao get out. Tingyao had been so good to her these past few days.

Zhenniang directly advised, "Your Majesty, you should go back and change your clothes now to pay your respects to His Majesty and the Empress."

These are the rules. If the rules are broken, at best you will be punished according to palace regulations, and at worst you will become a courtier who did not submit to Zhao Siwei, and be used as a weapon to impeach him.

Absolutely not.

Serniang knelt on the ground, "It won't be long before I pay my respects to Your Majesty, I must at least do so once. I can't be so unruly on my first day as a royal wife."

It's a formal greeting to His Majesty and Empress Yan, not a casual greeting between a common family to their in-laws.

Tingyao pretended not to hear and walked alone on the palace road.

Even though Zhao Fucang and Empress Yan have both passed away, it cannot stop her from going back to see her grandmother.

The last time we saw each other, when Old Mrs. Ji was struggling in bed last night, she must have been thinking of her.

"Tingyao!"

Tingyao looked up when she heard Zhao Siwei's voice.

Zhao Siwei was wearing armor stained with blood, it was unclear whether it was his or someone else's, and he looked at Tingyao with distress in his eyes.

Tingyao stepped forward, staring at him with a coldness she had never shown in either her past or present life. "My grandmother's death was your mother's doing. What are you going to do about it?"

Zhao Siwei was truly busy all night, even mobilizing the private soldiers of the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion. Zhao Fu'er even helped him forge an imperial edict. He had to handle all of these matters, and now there was the matter of Tingyao's grandmother...

This scene was all too familiar, except that it was Tingyao who was now questioning Zhang Zhan.

He had no idea what had happened, and he couldn't spare a single thought for the Yan family.

It happened so suddenly, on his wedding night. It was truly a cruel twist of fate.

"Don't tell me it has nothing to do with your mother. As long as my grandmother is dead, I will be a jinx. Everyone knows that my grandmother was against this marriage. She refused to accept my farewell."

"As long as my grandmother dies, I will definitely find a way to get out. Whether I can get out or not, I will have disgraced the royal family and will not be worthy of being your principal wife. My grandmother's death, whether it was done by your mother or not, will definitely be an aid to her!"

Her tone was full of resentment, and Tingyao's eyes were bloodshot.

“I want to leave the palace to see my grandmother one last time, but your mother refuses to give me the pass to leave the palace.”

"I will find out the truth."

"Now, what do you plan to do with me?" Tingyao looked at him. "I protected Zhang Zhan for you, now, how do you intend to repay me?"

She even lowered her voice, walked up to Zhao Siwei, stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, "I wasn't the one in the past life, and you're dead too. Now I want your mother's life. Will you give it to me?"

After Tingyao finished speaking, she laughed, and a few tears rolled down her cheeks. "Your mother deserves to die. In both this life and the last, she is the one who deserves to die the most."

She always knew that Consort Xian was no good, but all her actions were for Zhao Siwei's sake. Therefore, in her previous life, she did not take any action against Consort Xian. Sometimes she was really angry, but there were always bigger important matters for her to deal with.

After saying that, Tingyao passed by her and said to Shishi Ruyi, "Let's go back to see Grandmother."

Tingyao changed into plain clothes and didn't wear any hairpins or flowers. No one dared to accompany her out of the palace.

Many palace servants were looking around.

Tingyao wasn't lost; she took the persimmon and headed out of the palace.

He thought it would be Meng** waiting for him, but it turned out to be Zhang Zhan.

Zhang Zhan cupped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Ninth Imperial Consort."

Tingyao didn't have time to banter with him. "What do you want to say?"

“Actually, the Ninth Princess should go back and dress up to pay her respects to His Majesty and the Empress.” Zhang Zhan did not mention Consort Xian. “You should apologize properly to His Majesty first, and then go and beg Consort Xian. If Consort Xian does not open the door, His Majesty will forgive you, and the Empress will also allow you to leave the palace. Then I will take you back to the Ji family for the funeral.”

The words "attending a funeral" brought tears to Tingyao's eyes again. Rules, the rules of kneeling, the cannibalistic palace... "Young Master Zhang speaks so lightly. If it were that night, I would also say why enter the palace in the middle of the night? It should be during the day—"

Zhang Zhan raised his hand to shush, "Please, I'll take you back."

On that snowy night, he rushed out of the Marquis's mansion with one thought in mind: to kill his way to the palace and perish together with Consort Xian. Indeed, someone came out to block his way.

At the time, he didn't even think about who was stopping him. Later, when he came to his senses, he realized it was Tingyao.

They just told him to wait until dawn, giving him an option to go or back. At that point, the thought of retreat was completely out of his mind; all he wanted was to die, and take a few people down with him.

Killing one Consort Xian would be a good deal for him; killing two more would make them servants for his grandparents.

Zhang Zhan's eyes held a hint of mockery. "Aren't you afraid of offending Zhao Siwei?" He pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to her, telling her to wipe her tears.

Tingyao refused, turned her head and touched her face, sniffed, "Isn't it because you're not afraid of offending Zhao Siwei? He probably knows that I can't see my grandmother one last time because her mother won't help me. If it were Xu Tutu, the principal wife, she would probably have personally escorted her to the palace gate."

"Have I offended him enough?" He paused, then stuffed the handkerchief directly into Tingyao's hand. "As long as it can annoy Consort Xian, I'm happy to do so. You and I don't need to be too careful about avoiding suspicion. Zhao Jiu trusts me."

Knowing that Zhang Zhan wanted to provoke her and compose herself, Tingyao was too exhausted to continue. "Thanks," she said, walking towards the carriage.

"It's best to find out the truth. At most, Consort Xian is an accomplice. You should be able to figure out who the mastermind is. As for how to find evidence, I'm happy to help you. We can discuss the conditions later."

After saying this, Zhang Zhan looked at the palace gate, shook his sleeves, put his hands on his waist, took a deep breath, and strode inside.

As soon as Tingyao got into the carriage, she was embraced by a familiar embrace, and she immediately returned the embrace.

"**..."

Meng hugged her even tighter, stroking her back back and forth, feeling her trembling gently in his arms, his heart aching with tenderness.

“I’ve always been here. Zhang Zhan said that the darkness helped me hide when I was performing my shamanistic rituals at the palace gate. But when it gets light, I have to think about my family. He told me to get in the car and wait for you. What did he say to you?”

Do you know who did it?

Tingyao rubbed her chin against Meng**'s shoulder, tears welling up in her eyes. "Consort Xian was definitely involved, but I have no idea who the mastermind is."

Meng** didn't understand. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Does your head still hurt?"

Tingyao felt that the announcements were too soft; they didn't even compare to the pain in her heart.

Zhao Siwei was feeling terrible, but wasn't she feeling terrible too?

"Okay, okay, don't think about anything for now, just lean on me and sleep for a bit."

"Oh, right, Zhang Zhan also prepared some herbal soup, saying it's for treating colds. Two bowls, one for you and one for me."

Tingyao said she didn't want to drink; she was very agitated and full of anger. She was held in Meng**'s arms and closed her eyes briefly.

When they arrived at the Ji family's house, the entrance was already covered with white cloth and white lanterns. Yesterday was clearly a day of joy, but in the blink of an eye it turned into sorrow.

When Lady Yang came out to greet her, she was truly in tears. "Your Majesty, how could you really be back? This...this is not in accordance with the rules..."

Heavens, earth, ancestors, why did you treat Tingyao like this? She was clearly a wonderful girl, but her mother died, and now her grandmother is dead too.

Her maternal grandparents' entire family was fighting at the front, and the battlefield was teeming with casualties. If they could return victorious, Tingyao would have a powerful backer. But if they were all lost, how would this child survive in the deep palace? She couldn't even get in...

Yang's eyes were brimming with tears.

“You shouldn’t have come back now.” She thought she would come back at noon or in the afternoon, but she was still afraid that Tingyao would come early in the morning, and she was right.

Tingyao: "Originally, the royal family married me so that my maternal family could work harder on the front lines. As long as my maternal family is needed at the front, the royal family will not really punish me."

"But..." Madam Yang said, "You've just gotten married, what about His Highness the Ninth Prince..."

Tingyao said, "Your Highness married me because His Majesty hinted at it, have you forgotten? Did he put on an act yesterday and make you believe it?"

"The old lady said before she died that Your Highness was not allowed to pay respects at the memorial service!"

Sun's voice rang out.

She glanced at Tingyao, thinking that this person was really about to rise to prominence and come to put her down. Unexpectedly, God was still on her side. With Old Madam Ji dead, her good days were about to begin.

She is now the most powerful matriarch of the eldest branch of the family.

"Your Majesty, please return. Now that you have been granted a branch of a noble family, you should do your best to serve your family in the royal court. If you displease the royal family, it will implicate your entire family."

Before Tingyao could speak, Meng** stepped forward and slapped her across the face. "How dare you! Who do you think you are, speaking to the Ninth Princess like that!"

"Ninth Imperial Consort, I am her mother."

"Mother? Just a stepmother. What you've done to the Ninth Princess all these years, not many in the capital know, but I know every little detail! Madam Sun, get out of here!"

Mrs. Sun covered her face, "You, you—"

Madam Yang took a deep breath, determined to support Tingyao. She had never had the chance to repay the kindness that Old Madam Ji had shown her, and she would repay it all to Tingyao in the future. "Madam, I am now in charge of the household. The Ninth Princess was raised by my grandmother, so she must be allowed to go in and offer incense."

With a single glance from Madam Sun, the old woman beside her stepped forward to stop her, "Second sister-in-law, you'd better shut up. She's now a royal wife, and she can only return to her parents' home in three days. Do you know what the rules are if you let her in now? It's bringing bad luck to the royal family!"

"I'd like to see who dares to stop my sister from going in!" Ji Anzhi ran out, followed by Ji Chunhe and Ji Chenbi.

"Why say so much? Pull those people away! Anyone who dares to stop my sister from going to pay her respects, I'll send her to be buried with my grandmother. My sisters are easy to talk to, but Aunt, you know my temper. I'm educated, but too educated. I'm very domineering!"

Ji Fuguang grabbed a broom and swung it at the person blocking the door, yelling, "Anyone who dares to bully my sisters will have to step over my dead bodies!"

"Aunt, Grandmother has only been gone for less than a day, and you dare to bully her most beloved granddaughter? Aren't you afraid she'll drag you down with her? If she doesn't drag you down today, she can scare you to death when you return home on the seventh day!"

"Have you all forgotten what the old lady said last night? Who allowed Ji Tingyao to go in and pay her respects—"

Ji Fuguang immediately covered Sun's mouth with his hand, "Big sister, go inside quickly!"

Meng** pulled Tingyao along, "Let's go."

Ji Anzhi: "Sister, please don't thank me. You are now in a position of honor."

Tingyao straightened her bent knees and walked inside.

The coffin in the mourning hall had not yet been closed. Tingyao went forward to look, and Ji Boxue stroked his beard and said, "Young Master Zhang has conveyed the Ninth Prince's message, saying that the old lady's death was too suspicious and that a thorough investigation is needed. He also told us not to seal the coffin."

Logically speaking, Zhao Siwei shouldn't have interfered, but now that he's become the Ji family's son-in-law, he really can manage things.

"What did the doctor say?" Tingyao asked.

“It’s strange,” Ji Baixue said, noting that there was no one else in the mourning hall. “Last night, your father, your second uncle, and I went to see the old lady. We coaxed her to eat some rice porridge, but suddenly she grabbed it, then started having trouble breathing, and then…”

As he spoke, Ji Boxue's eyes showed more confusion than sadness.

“Impossible,” Tingyao said.

Are you implying that Grandma Ji choked to death?

Absolutely impossible. The discovery was made very quickly, and the perpetrator had three uncles who were officials in the family.

Putting aside family ties, just to avoid the three-year mourning period for themselves, they would do anything, even if it meant sacrificing ten years of their own lifespan to ensure Old Madam Ji's safety, they would agree immediately.

The person who least wanted Old Madam Ji to die was present and would certainly try every means to rescue her.

“I know some poisons won’t be detected immediately after application. Let’s wait and see,” Tingyao said. “Then, we’re worried that people might spread rumors that Grandmother died from poisoning. We’re investigating now. Uncle San is very astute. Is there anyone who suspects this?”

Ji Baixue shook his head, and Tingyao said, "I have someone I suspect, my stepmother. I would like to ask Uncle San to help me investigate and monitor the people around her to see who is acting strangely. I am not at ease with my father. This matter is fine between you and me."