Shuse Jinjia

"Fourth Miss, Aunt Shen was beaten and wasn't fully recovered. Now her internal organs have been damaged, so she can only be slowly nursed back to health..."

When Doctor Zhang was invited by Dong'er, Aunt Shen had already woken up. He took Aunt Shen's pulse and wrote a prescription.

Xie Zhaotang herself is highly skilled in medicine, but since the original owner of this body was not skilled in medicine, her medical skills cannot be revealed.

She looked at the prescription written by Doctor Zhang. The prescription was standard, but it was still suitable for Aunt Shen's current situation.

Let's use this prescription for now, and find an excuse to change the prescription for Aunt Shen another day.

She asked the maid Chun'er, who had brought the news, to collect the consultation fee, get the medicine, and brew it.

Aunt Shen was injured and unable to take care of herself, so Xie Zhaotang asked Chun'er to coax Xie Tiantian to her own courtyard.

Aunt Shen lay weakly, watching Xie Zhaotang make orderly arrangements, silently shedding tears.

Once the room quieted down, she cried as she spoke to Xie Zhaotang.

"Tangtang, your aunt is useless; she can't persuade Master to change his mind..."

Xie Zhaotang sighed inwardly and took a handkerchief to wipe away Aunt Shen's tears.

She needed to devise a plan to find another way out for herself. If things went wrong and the Xie family found out before it was done, it would implicate Aunt Shen and Tian Tian...

Aunt Shen's health couldn't be aggravated any further, and Xie Zhaotang couldn't let anything happen to Tian Tian. After thinking for a moment, she spoke up.

"Auntie, if you really want to help me, just do one thing for me... Would you be willing, Auntie?"

Aunt Shen grasped Xie Zhaotang's hand and said sorrowfully, "Tangtang, aren't your words hitting my heart? I don't ask for wealth and glory for you, I only hope that you will be safe and sound, marry into a good family, and not die a tragic death like your second sister. That would be enough for me!"

"Don't even mention one thing, I'd be willing to die in your place!"

Seeing that Aunt Shen was willing to cooperate, Xie Zhaotang lowered his head and moved closer to her.

"Then, Auntie, you should recover from your injuries first. Once you're healed and able to get out of bed, go find the Old Madam and tell her that you've done something wrong and are willing to go to Baohua Temple to eat vegetarian food and copy scriptures to pray for the Xie family's well-being for a year..."

Aunt Shen shook her head frantically: "No, no... you'll be of marriageable age in three months, I can't leave now..."

Xie Zhaotang grasped Aunt Shen's hand.

"Auntie, I know you're worried I'll be given to Lord Gong, but I already have a way to avoid it... Auntie, please take Tian Tian away to avoid trouble, so I can do my job without any worries!"

Xie Zhaotang already had a rough plan in mind, but it still needed to be refined.

She spoke frankly, "Auntie, aren't those ten strokes of the cane and that kick to my heart today enough to show you how heartless Father is? What good will it do you to stay? He will never change his mind!"

"If you can't help me, then listen to me and let me fight for myself!"

Aunt Shen stared at Xie Zhaotang with suspicion and uncertainty, and asked in a trembling voice, "Tangtang, what...what do you want to do? Please don't do anything foolish!"

Xie Zhaotang pursed her lips.

Indeed, aside from eating, the original owner of this body couldn't do anything as she pleased, and in Aunt Shen's eyes, she was just a child who hadn't grown up!

How could I possibly convince Aunt Shen to suddenly utter such a risky suggestion?

The door creaked open...

Xie Zhaotang caught a glimpse of his younger brother, Xie Yan, walking in out of the corner of his eye.

Her heart stirred. This younger brother was small but clever. Didn't he see through the Xie family's cold-heartedness by saying those words yesterday?

Xie Zhaotang lowered his eyes and held Aunt Shen's hand.

"Auntie, what Yan-ge said yesterday made me think for a long time. I kept having dreams that my second sister's wounds were festering and she was dying in excruciating pain with no one caring. Suddenly, I realized..."

Xie Zhaotang thought that since she was not the original owner of this body, her personality and behavior would definitely differ from the original owner's in the future.

To devise a way out, we needed the cooperation of Aunt Shen and Xie Yan, so we decided to talk it out all at once to avoid any suspicion between them.

"I don't want to be a concubine, I don't want to die a tragic death like my second sister..."

Xie Zhaotang held Aunt Shen's hand against her face and said firmly, "My looks are no less than Xie Linzhu's. Why can she be the principal wife, while I, just because I'm an illegitimate daughter, can only be someone's concubine?"

"Aunt, I want to take a gamble and find myself a marriage to be a legitimate wife... preferably from a powerful and influential family. Even if I become a second wife, as long as it's slightly better than the Xie family, I can make my own decisions after marrying into it, and I can protect Yan-ge'er and Tian-tian in the future!"

Aunt Shen was stunned.

This daughter, who used to only know how to eat, has become wise after suffering such a great calamity, which should be a good thing. But who would have thought that she would develop such a huge ambition!

"Tangtang is far superior to the Xie family, a noble and wealthy clan. How could we possibly be worthy of her? Don't even dream about it..."

Aunt Shen was extremely anxious and wanted to persuade Xie Zhaotang.

Xie Zhaotang replied firmly, "Aunt, how will you know you can't reach my level if you don't even try?"

"We've succeeded! I won't have to suffer anymore, and Tian Tian won't have to follow the old path of becoming someone's concubine! Yan Ge'er can also take the imperial examinations all the way, instead of being like Second Brother, who clearly has more talent than Eldest Brother, but had his career path cut off by Madam and is now stuck in the Xie family as a steward!"

The Xie family members, both male and female, are classified according to their generation.

The second brother Xie Zhaotang mentioned, Xie Jun, was the son of Aunt Ding. He was also a son born out of wedlock and ranked second among the male descendants.

He was only one year younger than Xie Chengsi, the eldest son of Madam Xie. After starting his education, he studied with Xie Chengsi and passed the imperial examination as a child scholar on his first attempt.

Xie Chengsi, on the other hand, took the imperial examination for the first degree for three years.

Madam Xie, unwilling for Xie Jun to overshadow Xie Chengsi, found an excuse to cut off Xie Jun's path to education...

At this point, Xie Zhaotang turned to Xie Yan.

"Yan-ge'er, I heard from your aunt that you are a diligent student. Would you like to take the imperial examination? Or would you like to be like your second brother and become a steward in the future?"

Xie Zhaotang's words also drew Xie Yan, who was listening in, into the conversation.

In the Xie family, illegitimate sons and daughters are all stepping stones for the family. Xie Yan is intelligent, and he studies so hard in the hope of getting ahead.

He's smart; how could he possibly be content to spend his whole life as a steward, living at the mercy of the Xie family?

Aunt Shen looked up and also looked at Xie Yan.

"Yan-ge'er, what do you think? Do you think your sister's idea is feasible?"

Xie Yan walked over and said coldly.

"Fourth sister, don't worry about my thoughts! I just want to ask you, do you know what it's like to marry into a wealthy family? Not only do you have to manage the household like a mistress, be filial to your parents-in-law, but you also have to socialize with other mistresses..."

Xie Zhaotang stared blankly at Xie Yan.

She was not yet thirty when she died, and had been the daughter-in-law of the Jiang family for six years, and was also in charge of the Jiang family's pharmacy business.

This boy, whom she saw as still clueless and only knowing how to chase chickens and dogs, was actually teaching her about marriage and managing a household?

Xie Zhaotang wasn't offended, but her nose inexplicably felt sore.

In her past life, she lived in an orphanage. To gain a foothold, she quickly learned to read people's expressions. After struggling and working her way up, she gradually rose to prominence and became someone no one dared to underestimate.

Born into a family like the Xie family, Xie Yan couldn't rely on Aunt Shen, and the original owner of this body was also unreliable. He was forced to grow up quickly, just like himself.

He said these things to warn her that she might act rashly or have unrealistic ideas in the heat of the moment.

Xie Zhaotang did not fully understand the customs of this era, nor did he dare to say too much, thus widening the gap between himself and the original owner.

She humbly said, "Brother Yan, I was so thoughtless before, I didn't understand that your advice was for my own good!"

"After what I've been through, it won't happen again! I'll listen to your advice, and I'll try my best to learn anything I don't understand. I'll never let you and my aunt worry about me again!"

Xie Yan looked at Xie Zhaotang in silence, his gaze scrutinizing her...