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

Aunt Lian, the birth mother of Master Zhou, has been in the Zhou household for over twenty years and still holds a place in Master Zhou's heart. This shows that she is no ordinary woman. It's normal for people to love youthful beauty, but for a man to keep her in his heart for over twenty years in a society with many wives and concubines, that must be affection. And affection is the most taboo thing for every mistress of a household. A man can take her in and pamper her, but he cannot love her. Once love develops, he will see her as wronged in every way and will want to give her practical compensation, which will reduce the property and affect the interests of the legitimate children.

Lu Zhiyao suddenly thought of a problem. Zhou Boheng didn't live off his monthly allowance. He had his own income and his grandfather's private property. Should she ask about the money in his possession? Given her health condition, it was only a matter of time before he took a concubine and had children. She wasn't short of money and had no interest in Zhou Boheng's wealth. However, she wanted to ensure that most of it belonged to Zining.

With a month to go before the birthday banquet, the Fourth Madam began to make a big fuss about it. First, she checked the utensils and confirmed the menu. She had expected that the servants would not cooperate, but as the mistress, she could use both kindness and severity to manage a few servants.

When Lu Zhiyao went to pay her respects again, she had just sat down when she noticed the Fourth Madam across from her wearing a pair of gold-threaded peony hairpins inlaid with pearls, which were very eye-catching.

"What are you looking at, Fifth Sister-in-law?" Zhao asked with a smile.

"Oh, Fourth Sister-in-law's hairpin is quite nice."

Madam Zhao raised her hand and touched the hairpin: "This? A few days ago, when I was packing my trunks, I found a pair of these in my dowry, so I took them out and put them on."

"It suits Fourth Sister-in-law very well."

"Haha, I don't usually take care of my appearance. I just wear whatever I can find, unlike my third sister-in-law who knows how to dress up."

Third Madam: "..."

"Fourth sister-in-law, you flatter me. I was just tinkering around when I had nothing better to do."

Then Zhao turned to Lu Zhiyao and said, "If Fifth Sister-in-law is the youngest, why is she dressed so plainly?"

"Hehe, I don't like wearing heavy things," Lu Zhiyao said good-naturedly.

The third wife secretly rolled her eyes. The fourth son's family wasn't exactly a rural household, so how could they be so ignorant? Plain? In this room, even the old lady who hadn't come out wore clothes that weren't as luxurious as Lu Zhiyao's.

Sometimes, extreme nobility is synonymous with elegance. The wooden and jade hairpin worn by the fifth sister-in-law was made of fairy wood, which grows only on specific mountains and is produced in very small quantities. It is said that women who wear it can calm their minds, soothe their nerves, and stimulate their appetite. The bracelet on her wrist was also made of the same material. She also wore a velvet flower and pink pearl hairpin in her hair, which was both light and elegant. These items were not just expensive; more importantly, they were all tributes, clearly bestowed by the palace.

Not to mention the embroidery on the clothes, which was all done with the hidden needle technique, without a single loose thread. It is said that the Empress felt sorry for her fifth sister-in-law's delicate skin and specially bestowed her with a court embroiderer.

Lu Zhiyao was too lazy to explain these things. Besides, these were her everyday clothes. Her makeup box was full of these things. She knew they weren't common items, but she hadn't looked into them in detail. It was too much trouble to explain.

Her physical condition meant that she rarely spoke, except to certain people.

Unaware of her own predicament, Zhao pretended to be generous: "If Fifth Sister-in-law likes it, why not give it to you? Let's exchange hairpins. The wooden hairpin in your hair looks light and convenient. I've been busy these days, so it'll be more convenient for me to wear something lighter."

Lu Zhiyao sighed inwardly. Why did you have to provoke me in the first place?

"Fourth Sister-in-law, it's not that I'm stingy, it's just that the headdress I'm wearing was bestowed upon me by Her Majesty the Empress, and I can't take it away."

Zhao Shi had already lifted her buttocks off the chair when she heard this, and exclaimed in surprise: "Your Majesty, a wooden hairpin?"

The First Madam whispered a rebuke: "Fourth Sister-in-law, watch your words."

Making irresponsible remarks about the royal family, do you think you're living too comfortably?

The old lady came out from inside, her expression serious. She glanced at Lu Zhiyao's attire and said in a deep voice, "Fourth son's wife, although our Zhou family is not a family with a history of hundreds of years, we still have a title. Your ignorance will only bring shame to the Zhou family when you go out."

Zhao was completely bewildered, not understanding why simply exchanging hairpins between sisters-in-law involved knowledge and experience. She understood her sister-in-law's scolding; the tone of her words about the Empress was inappropriate, but what did it have to do with knowledge and experience?

The Third Madam didn't want to get involved, but given the situation, she had to speak up: "Fourth Sister-in-law, what Fifth Sister-in-law is wearing are tribute items, especially the wooden hairpin you mentioned. Women can wear it to improve their health. It can only grow on a small part of the Immortal Spirit Mountain, and it grows slowly, only being presented to the emperor once every ten years. Only a few noble people can wear it."

Only a few concubines and princesses in the palace could get a few pieces to wear.

Zhao stared dumbfounded at the top of Lu Zhiyao's head. Such a precious thing, and she just brazenly wore it on her head when she went out.

Lu Zhiyao touched the bracelet with her hand. The plot of the transmission wouldn't explain the details of jewelry in such a way. The original owner's memories were complicated, and she hadn't paid much attention to what she wore. This thing was light and she had been wearing it ever since the servants put it on her. She never expected it to be so precious.

The atmosphere at the scene was somewhat tense. After the old lady came out, she didn't even drink a sip of tea and told everyone to go back, leaving only the first lady behind.

After leaving the old lady's courtyard, the second and third wives left together. Lu Zhiyao pretended not to notice the fourth wife's frequent glances at her and slowly left with her servants.

Zhao looked on with envy. It was good to be rich. Lu Zhiyao always had more people serving her than she could handle, but she was rich. She had seven or eight cooks to take care of her meals.

"Madam, let's go back," the maidservant beside her whispered.

"Hmm, Ying'er, tell me, how much is the velvet flower in Lu's hair worth?" In Zhao's opinion, all kinds of wood and beads are precious things, so surely she could at least dream of owning a velvet flower?

"Madam, didn't the Third Madam say that velvet flowers are also tribute items? You can't buy them even if you have money."

Madam Zhao sighed, "How can she be so lucky? Her family dotes on her, and she also has the Empress's favor."

"Madam, she's not in good health, unlike you, who never gets sick in any season," the maid said cautiously, glancing around carefully.

"That's true. Oh dear, let's hurry back and think about the birthday banquet." After her initial sigh, the Fourth Madam's enthusiasm returned.

Ying'er, who was beside her, hesitated to speak. She had served the Fourth Madam since she was a child. The Fourth Madam's birth mother died early, and she and Xique were sent to the Fourth Madam's side when they were very young. Xique was a servant born into a family, and her mother worked in the mistress's courtyard. From a young age, she was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Fourth Madam. The mistress of the Zhao family was ruthless. In her hands, the concubine's daughters were just for show. On the surface, they seemed to have learned everything, but in reality, they were only taught a little bit.