Quick Transmigration: Reversing the Life of a Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character

"Caihe, there's something I'm not sure if I should say." Cui Yao hesitated, after all, it was just her guess.

"Now that things have come to this, is there anything worse? Princess, please speak freely." Wang Caihe smiled bitterly.

"Your Wang family is probably short of money. I don't know if it's the whole Wang family's situation or just your branch that's in trouble."

The original owner had personally seen Wang Caihe's dowry back then, which was a fairly standard dowry for a legitimate daughter of a prominent family. However, the way the Wang family father and son acted today, they first brought up the business of military supplies. Military supplies, in fact, do not have much profit; it's just a nice-sounding pretext to attract other businesses.

Wang Caihe was stunned for a moment. She had never thought about whether the family had enough money. Or rather, as a century-old family with a rich foundation, the Wang family would not know the income and expenditure situation unless it was necessary to sell the private property of the women in the inner quarters.

"My mother passed away the year after I got engaged to the Xiao family. She..." Wang Caihe paused abruptly when she spoke of her mother. Back then, her mother was already very ill, but she still insisted on dividing her private property in two, giving one part to her brother and the other part to herself. She even had the deeds signed and asked several of the most prestigious ladies in the prefectural city to witness the signing of her dowry list. Later, when she got married, her dowry was added based on this list.

At the time, she thought her mother was worried that her father's new wife might have some ulterior motives. Now that she thinks about it, her mother probably knew something and was worried that her dowry wouldn't look good after she died.

"Princess, are my father and brothers after my dowry?" Wang Caihe asked with difficulty. She had no children, and according to the law, if she died, her dowry would be taken back to the Wang family.

Cui Yao didn't want to think of people as so despicable, but the truth seemed to be about to be revealed.

"For the next few days, stall them and see what they're up to. Wait for the main branch of the Wang family to react."

"What if the head of the family thinks the same way?" Wang Caihe was distraught, feeling as if she had fallen into a net from which she could not escape.

Cui Yao took a deep breath: "Don't worry, if that's really the case, I won't let you go back to the Wang family. Our Cui family is a century-old clan with many branches. I'll go and beg my mother to give you a way out."

She felt awkward staying at the Xiao family's residence, and she didn't trust anyone else, but she trusted her own family and her mother, the Princess.

"Princess, do you know what I envy most about you? It's not your noble birth, nor your harmonious husband, but having a mother who can always protect you. Just like now, even though you know how illegitimate this is, you still take it for granted that Her Highness the Eldest Princess will take care of it."

Cui Yao: "..."

It seems that way. Whether it's the original owner's memories or her subconscious, she felt that the Eldest Princess would protect Cui Yao. In the original owner's life, when she was exiled from the Xiao family, under such unavoidable circumstances, the Eldest Princess was still able to withstand the pressure and keep the original owner, the matriarch of the Xiao family, in the capital.

Cui Yao felt that if the Xiao family hadn't been military generals guarding the frontier, but rather officials living in the capital, they wouldn't have ended up with their property confiscated and being exiled under the watchful eye of the Princess.

This reputation is built upon Her Highness the Eldest Princess's abilities and confidence.

"So don't worry, I won't abandon you."

For a moment, Wang Caihe didn't know whether she was lucky or unlucky. If she was lucky, her husband was arrogant and depraved, plunging her into the abyss. If she was unlucky, she had a powerful mother-in-law who did everything she could to plan for her.

Must a woman's fate be entirely dependent on others? Why? Why?

Despite her many grievances, Wang Caihe could swallow them down. Under the prevailing feudal ethics, she had few options.

To Cui Yao's surprise, the Wang family father and son actually chose to contact Xiao Qingzhi, and the three of them had a very pleasant conversation.

Granny Cui: "Madam, would you like it?"

"No need, we don't need to do anything. Xiao Qingzhi is free, and what the Wang family wants to do is none of our business. We can't stop them from making friends, can we? Let's keep an eye on things."

"Yes."

The main branch of the Wang family arrived faster than she had imagined. Calculating the time, it was even a day earlier than Wang Caihe's father and brothers. And the person who came was the head of the Wang family.

"Lord Earl, you have come from afar and must be tired from your journey. Why don't you rest for a while?" Cui Yao asked kindly. The Wang family had titles, and in this generation, they were already Earls.

"Princess, I am covered in dust and have offended your eyes. But I am very anxious after hearing about my cousin's actions."

"No rush. The Xiao family and the Wang family are related by marriage after all. Lord, please speak frankly."

The head of the Wang family didn't mince words, knowing this wasn't the time for beating around the bush: "Please, Princess..."

As he spoke, he glanced meaningfully at the servants inside the room.

Cui Yao glanced at Granny Cui and nodded slightly. In an instant, all the servants withdrew, and Granny Cui personally stood guard outside the door.

"Princess, the Wang family has suffered misfortune. The fifth branch has offended the Prince of Huai'an."

Cui Yao paused for a moment, then, realizing what was going on with the so-called Fifth Branch and the Prince of Huai'an, she flew into a rage, lowering her voice to ask, "What? Are you sure? Have they gone mad?"

Who is the Prince of Huai'an? Back then, he was a figure who was evenly matched with the current emperor in the struggle for the throne. He is ruthless and cunning. He was able to preserve his power after losing the struggle for the throne and retreat to the southwest. In recent years, the Prince of Huai'an has gradually eased his relationship with the emperor by claiming that he is getting old. I don't know what the current emperor is thinking, but he actually accepted the goodwill of his former rival.

The name of the Prince of Huai'an gradually appeared in the court. The Prince of Huai'an's heir even went to the capital and lived there for several years.

When Cui Yao returned to the capital, she met this Prince of Huai'an. The original owner only felt that he was gentle and refined, unlike his father who had a sinister undertone.

However, neither Her Highness the Eldest Princess nor Xiao Wujiang, who was still alive at the time, allowed the original owner to get too close to the Prince of Huai'an, saying that he was even more cunning than his father was back then. The original owner did not agree with their statement, but she could tell the difference between them and was also somewhat protective of her own. Since the two most important people in her life did not allow her to get close, and she did not live in the capital often, she never accepted the prince's advances again.

The head of the Wang family clenched his fist: "It's quite a coincidence. They contacted each other very secretly. This time, because the princess wrote to inquire about the Wang family head's opinion on his niece's future, I felt that the fifth branch's behavior was a bit too eager for quick success and instant benefits, so I sent someone to investigate whether they had picked up any bad habits."

"It just so happens that the person contacting the Prince of Huai'an had an accident and was seriously injured. I had someone interrogate him and that's how I found out."

Cui Yao asked skeptically, "Would someone capable of doing something like this just confess after you interrogated them?"

"Princess, our Wang family is a century-old family with some resources and methods. The injured one had great backbone and committed suicide. However, they couldn't possibly only contact the fifth branch of the family. Their trusted confidants would easily find out."