Yun Zhihong is very good at using abacuses.
To ensure success, he would marry Yun Jinxiu to Yuan Feng, the crown prince he favored, and then marry Yun Yan to Yuan Bai. This way, he could keep track of Yuan Bai's movements and increase Yuan Feng's chances of winning.
Just in the worst-case scenario, if Yuanfeng were to lose, he would still be the emperor's father-in-law, able to attack or defend as he pleased, with no risks whatsoever.
When Yunyan was told that she had to marry Yuanbai, she was completely stunned.
Regardless of whether the man is handsome or not, the fact that he is the emperor's son means that she is definitely not someone she can aspire to.
Although she also shares the surname Yun, she is self-aware enough to know that such a good thing could never be hers, unless it's a trap from the start.
Yunyan knelt on the ground. Sitting in the hall were her father, the prime minister, his wife, and her nominal brothers and sisters.
"Your name is Yunyan, right? How can you be so petty? How did your mother raise you? You're a disgrace to the Prime Minister's mansion."
Looking at the timid Yunyan, Yun Zhihong frowned and said with dissatisfaction.
As expected of a servant's daughter, she has such a petty and narrow-minded air about her, a world apart from Jinxiu.
Yunyan rolled her eyes inwardly. What a dog! Calling this old bastard a dog is an insult to dogs.
She honestly replied, "Your Excellency, please forgive me, this servant deserves to die." After saying that, she lowered her head even further.
After finding fault with me, Yun Zhihong said in a condescending manner, "You are also my daughter, a young lady of the Prime Minister's mansion. From now on, you can call me Father, just like Jinxiu."
Madam Han glared at Yunyan with disgust and said reluctantly, "Get up. Don't refer to yourself as a servant anymore, or you'll embarrass yourself if word gets out."
Then Yun Zhihong told her that he wanted her to marry Yuan Bai, which shocked Yunyan so much that she almost jumped up.
"Marry a prince? Me?"
Her first thought was that this old man was trying to harm her.
Yun Jinxiu said smugly, "Two princes came to propose to me at the same time, but I can only marry one of them. Otherwise, do you think you would have such a great fortune?"
Madam Han then reprimanded her: "Don't forget your surname. Even after you get married, remember that the Prime Minister's mansion is your only support, and you must keep an eye on it at all times..."
Without a second thought, Yunyan said, "Yunyan is crude and ignorant, unworthy of Your Highness, and would only bring shame to the Prime Minister's residence. Let's leave this good fortune to someone else."
"You little bitch..." Han was so angry that she stood up and was about to hit her.
Yun Zhihong waved his hand to stop him, staring intently at Yunyan with a deep gaze: "I am informing you, not discussing with you. Think about your mother first, then answer me."
Yun Zhihong used Cai Die's life to blackmail Yun Yan, who had no choice but to agree first, and then thought about how to escape with her mother as soon as possible.
However, something went wrong before it could be implemented.
Two days later, Yuan Bai visited Yun Jinxiu alone, wanting to confess to her that he was the boy he had saved years ago.
He wanted to tell Yun Jinxiu that if she married him, he would treat her well for the rest of his life and make her the most honorable woman.
He sent a servant to deliver a message while he waited in the guest room. Somehow, he fell asleep, and when he woke up, Yunyan, disheveled, was lying next to him.
At this point, Yunyan gritted her teeth.
“That beast Yun Zhihong knew that Yuan Bai wouldn’t agree to the replacement, so he knocked me unconscious and orchestrated that whole thing. Then he told Yuan Bai that I was also a concubine’s daughter of the Prime Minister’s family, and that I had no choice but to marry him since I had lost my chastity.”
In Yun Jinxiu's embellished account afterward, Yuan Bai concluded that Yun Yan wanted to climb up to him, which is why she offered herself up to him.
He hated Yunyan so much that she ruined his chance to marry the woman he loved.
But he was very shrewd and swallowed this loss without making a sound. He agreed to make Yunyan his concubine, but he would only leave the position of the principal wife to Yun Jinxiu.
Anyway, Yunyan is nominally Yun Zhihong's daughter, so at least to outsiders, he and Yuanfeng are related to the Prime Minister by marriage.
Another reason is that this shameless woman actually looks somewhat similar to Jinxiu, so she's not bad as a temporary substitute.
Within half a month, Yunyan entered the Prince's mansion and became a concubine.
Yun Jinxiu and Yuan Feng got engaged in a grand ceremony, with their official wedding date set for six months later.
Yunyan thought that she would be retaliated against by Yuan Bai after entering the Prince's Mansion, but she did not expect him to treat her so well.
Not only did she get back her mother's indenture, but she also got Yun Zhihong to grant her mother the status of a concubine.
At least they no longer have to do hard labor or worry about food and clothing, and they even have their own courtyard and servants.
Yunyan was grateful and carefully explained what had happened that day to him. Yuanbai said he believed her.
"I already know about your situation in the Prime Minister's residence. We are both pitiful people in the same boat. From now on, let's live a good life together. I will treat you well."
He was incredibly good to Yunyan; apart from her mother, no one had ever treated her so well—it was practically spoiling her.
Although Yunyan didn't fall in love with him immediately, she gradually developed some affection for him and tried to accept her current life.
What she didn't know was that every time Yuan Bai turned around with a smile, his eyes were filled with disgust and murderous intent.
Five months have passed in the blink of an eye, and preparations for Yun Jinxiu and Yuan Feng's wedding have begun.
During this period, Yuan Feng unleashed his full power against Yuan Bai, eliminating a large portion of his forces.
It's obvious to everyone that Yuan Bai is going to lose, and Yuan Feng will be the ultimate winner.
Every day, the area in front of Prince Feng's mansion is filled with carriages, all of which are princes and ministers who come in advance to show their loyalty.
But to become emperor, besides ability, you also need a bit of luck.
A terrible epidemic suddenly swept through the capital. It was highly contagious, and those infected had a persistent high fever and could not live more than seven days.
The plague doesn't discriminate; it treats everyone equally, whether you're a noble or a commoner.
Yuanfeng unfortunately became one of the first to be infected. The Empress sent all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital to Prince Feng's residence, but they were all helpless and could only keep him alive.
As for Yuan Bai, perhaps because Yunyan often prepared medicinal meals for him, he was perfectly fine.
News came from the Prime Minister's residence that Cai Die had also contracted the plague and was ordered by Yun Zhihong to be confined to the courtyard, with no one allowed to approach her, to fend for herself.
I heard that as soon as she breathed her last, they burned down the entire courtyard to prevent any future trouble.
Upon hearing the news, Yunyan was extremely anxious.
She had been fascinated by medicine since childhood. After learning about the symptoms of this plague, she suddenly realized that they were somewhat similar to the symptoms she had read about in a tattered old book.
To save Cai Die, Yun Yan gritted her teeth and racked her brains to research, and in the end, she actually figured it out by accident.
Yuan Bai sent someone to give the medicine she had prepared to a sick person. The person's high fever subsided that night, and by daybreak, they were able to walk again.
The dying butterfly was finally saved, but Yuanfeng was not so lucky.
He was the first to fall ill, and by the end, he was practically burning up, and he died before he could even take the medicine.
He eliminated all his rivals, and the throne seemed within his grasp, but he was brought down by a plague. It can only be said that he was not destined for it.
Yuan Bai presented the prescription for treating the epidemic to the old emperor, and the epidemic was finally brought under control. Yuan Bai became the greatest contributor and was in the limelight.
Although the prescription was created by Yunyan, she was Yuanbai's woman, and in an era where men were respected, the credit belonged to Yuanbai.
Now that Yuanfeng has also passed away, and with the help of this epidemic, Yuanbai naturally became the crown prince.
Yuan Bai held Yunyan affectionately and said to her, "Yan'er, you are truly my lucky star. I am where I am today because of you. When I rule the world, I will definitely make you my empress."
Three months later, the old emperor died from consuming the elixir, and Yuan Bai ascended the throne as the new emperor.
On the day the new emperor ascended the throne, a ceremony to crown the empress was held concurrently with the coronation ceremony.
The Empress was Yun Jinxiu, the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family.
Yunyan was met with a cup of poisoned wine.
At this time, she was already pregnant with Yuan Bai's child, but he didn't want any of them.
Upon learning of Yunyan's death, Caidie hanged herself in her room with a white silk ribbon, following her daughter in death.
"And then?" Fugui asked curiously, "You were reborn?"
Yunyan nodded: "That's right, a woman dressed very strangely. She claimed to be a quick transmigration mission taker and said she could help me be reborn and take revenge."
"As a result..." Yunyan said with a bitter smile, "I might as well have just reincarnated back then, so I wouldn't have been driven to death by anger again."
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