Shuse Jinjia

Duan Ning remained silent.

After a long silence, she shook her head: "Madam Huo, my uncles are my family, but the Crown Prince is also my elder brother. I'm only alive now because he protected me... My mother wasn't innocent back then either... When will this cycle of revenge end? So, don't call me selfish, I just want to live a good life!"

Consort Zhao caused the Empress's child to miscarry; this was a royal secret, which Duan You only mentioned briefly.

Upon hearing Duan Ning's words, Xie Zhaotang concluded that Consort Zhao was also at fault.

The Empress's revenge against the Zhao family was not wrong!

Seeing that Duan Ning had no intention of seeking revenge, Xie Zhaotang didn't press the matter further. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Since there's no one left in your hometown, and you don't like interacting with people, there's no need for you to leave the capital!"

"Which suburban town do you like? Buy a farm and live a pastoral life! You can write stories and sell them!"

Duan Ning looked up at Xie Zhaotang: "Who would I sell them to? Does anyone actually want to buy my storybooks?"

Xie Zhaotang laughed and said, "Of course! Our paper mill plans to open a publishing house in the future. As long as your storybooks are well-written, we'll buy them and guarantee you a reasonable price!"

Xie Zhaotang wasn't lying to Duan Ning; the paper mill had received permission from the Emperor to produce paper for writing.

Many students in the capital were stranded before the imperial examinations, and even with the emperor's subsidies, they were struggling to make ends meet.

Duan Chengyu had discussed this matter with Xie Zhaotang, and in order to prevent them from causing trouble, he wanted to find them something to do.

Xie Zhaotang then thought of opening a publishing house to provide these students with a livelihood, and perhaps even cultivate a group of literary figures.

It can both make money and benefit the people.

"Sister Ning, it's better for you to go to a place where you don't know anyone than to have Prince Duan and us in the capital."

Xie Zhaotang patiently said, "If you want to change your identity, it's easy. Just fake your death and trick the Zheng family again. After that, no one except the Empress will dare to make things difficult for you!"

How can faking your death be used to frame the Zheng family?

Duan Ning stared intently at Xie Zhaotang.

Xie Zhaotang bluntly asked, "How has the Zheng family tormented you all these years?"

Duan Ning lowered his eyes, looking embarrassed, and said, "They didn't dare to hit me, they just punished me by making me kneel in the ancestral hall, copy scriptures... and go hungry..."

Duan You, who was listening nearby, was dumbfounded and hurriedly asked, "How many meals will you be allowed to go hungry?"

Duan Ning whispered like a mosquito: "The longest time she said I disobeyed my mother-in-law was when she starved me... for five days!"

Duan You was so angry that she trembled all over. A princess, starved for five days by the Zheng family. She couldn't imagine how miserable Duan Ning must have been at that time.

"Why didn't you tell me!" Duan You exclaimed angrily.

Xie Zhaotang tugged at her, and she understood.

The Zheng family dared to do this not only because the Empress supported them, but also because they were acting on ethical grounds. Even the Emperor couldn't interfere when his own mother-in-law was disciplining her daughter-in-law.

Moreover, as long as Duan Ning continues to live in the Zheng family, the Zheng family can find all sorts of ways to torment her.

How many times can Duan You help?

If this gets to the Emperor, he'll only find it annoying.

"Sister Ning, how badly do you intend to punish the Zheng family?" Xie Zhaotang asked.

A look of hatred flashed in Duan Ning's eyes: "There isn't a single good person in the Zheng family. If I could, I would make them all die!"

"Madam Huo, two of my dowry maids were taken as concubines by Zheng Feng's brothers. They dare not beat me, but they have no scruples about my maids. One of the maids couldn't bear the torment and hanged herself!"

"Another one died in childbirth at the age of fourteen... The other maids were sold off somewhere under some pretext!"

"My personal maid was beaten to death right in front of me while trying to protect me..."

Duan Ning was trembling all over: "That time I tried to run away and report to the authorities, they locked me in the ancestral hall and starved me for five days... After that, I was surrounded by their people. If I made any unusual moves, either I would be punished or my maid would be beaten..."

Duan Ning pointed outside the door: "This maid helped me this time because she didn't want to die in vain like the other maids..."

Xie Zhaotang said, "If you want them dead, that's easy... but you're doing this..."

Xie Zhaotang leaned closer to her and whispered a few words in her ear.

Duan Ning's eyes lit up: "Okay, I'll do it that way!"

Xie Zhaotang then pulled Duan You aside and gave her a few instructions.

Duan You nodded excitedly: "Okay, I will definitely cooperate... If I don't let the entire Zheng family be executed this time, I'll take their surname!"

After discussing it, the three of them returned to their residence.

Xie Zhaotang went back to Xie Yiming and asked him to buy a house in Baohua Village, saying that a cousin from her family was coming to stay.

Xie Yiming didn't ask any questions. He found a secluded house with a good environment as Xie Zhaotang requested and had it repaired as soon as possible.

Xie Zhaotang then asked Aunt Xia to buy a maid and a cook from the human brokers, and then waited for Duan Ning and the others to succeed.

Four days later, another heavy snow fell, covering the entire capital city.

Xie Zhaotang looked at the thick snow and didn't want to go out. He asked Chun'er to bring a charcoal brazier to the study and then stayed there to read.

Seeing that the snow was falling even harder outside the window, she began to worry about Huo Beiyu.

I wonder if it snowed so heavily at the border, and whether Huo Beiyu was short of food there.

Duan Chengyu said that some mountain roads at the border were covered by snow, and several messenger soldiers were lost, so no letters had been delivered to the border in the past two days.

In this freezing weather, I can't even stand it indoors. I wonder how many soldiers stationed at the border have frozen to death.

Not to mention the impoverished people!

Xie Zhaotang thought for a moment, then picked up the imperial gazette and began to read it.

The Great Zhou Dynasty already had cotton, but it was not widely cultivated, and only the wealthy could afford to buy it.

Xie Zhaotang remembered that it was Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty who forcibly promoted planting, which led to the peak of the cotton weaving industry.

When Xie Zhaotang first transmigrated, she only thought about finding a way to survive. Now she wants to take root in the Great Zhou Dynasty. She hopes that the Great Zhou Dynasty will be prosperous and strong, and that she will also have a good life when the people live well.

It's too late for this this year. Next year, we'll have Duan Chengyu and the Emperor mention it and promote cotton planting.

She copied down the number of people who froze to death from the official gazette and searched for suitable places to grow cotton.

Just as he was thinking, Huo Ling rushed in.

"Sister-in-law, something terrible has happened, something earth-shattering..."

Xie Zhaotang's eyes lit up. Had Duan Ning's plan succeeded?

She didn't tell Huo Ling about this, but instead asked, feigning curiosity, "What serious thing happened?"

Huo Ling said excitedly, "Do you know the Third Princess? She married into the Zheng family. After Zheng Feng died, she became a widow and lived a secluded life. No one expected the Zheng family to be so audacious as to dare to mistreat the Third Princess!"

"This time, they actually starved the Third Princess to death..."

"Sister-in-law, it was Sister Youyou who wanted to invite the Third Princess to admire the plum blossoms today because of the snow. But when she arrived at the Zheng family, she found out that the Zheng family had punished the Third Princess by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for three days without food, and they starved and froze her to death..."

Before Huo Ling could finish speaking, Huo Lan also ran over. Hearing what Huo Ling said next, she also shouted.

"Sister-in-law, that's not all! I heard that the Zheng family initially wouldn't let Sister Youyou in, but Sister Youyou sensed something was wrong and forced her way in, only to find out..."

"Now even the Prefect of the Capital has rushed to the Zheng family. This is a momentous event, a groundbreaking event for the Great Zhou Dynasty. Even Prince Chen has been alerted and summoned to the palace..."