"Brother, I understand."
Seeing that her younger sister seemed to have made up her mind, Zhou Shuqing was taken aback for a moment, but seeing that her sister had cheered up and was no longer listless, she was finally relieved.
"Actually, it's good this way. At least we can learn rules and etiquette. With the nannies and maids from the palace teaching us, we'll definitely be able to find no fault with us in the future."
"Little sister, what do you want to do?"
Zhou Ying smiled sweetly: "Brother, what do you think of me marrying a prince in the future?"
Zhou Shuqing's expression changed: "Why did you suddenly think that?"
"Because only when I become a member of the royal family can Song Xia stop controlling us. And if the prince we choose ascends the throne in the future..."
She looked at Zhou Shuqing and smiled faintly: "Brother, even if Song Xia doesn't die, and we make our concubine the official wife, no one will dare to say anything."
"But how easy are the royals to get along with? And His Majesty has so many princes, how can we know which one will succeed to the throne?"
"Then I'll have to find out, brother. It's not enough for you to just be the top scholar. What position do you need to reach to be unafraid of the power of the Prince Cheng's mansion? And by then it will be too late."
Zhou Shuqing remained silent for a long time before finally meeting Zhou Ying's gaze and nodding solemnly.
His sister's idea was indeed more feasible and could achieve the goal more quickly.
"I can't leave the manor, so I'll trouble you, brother, to try and persuade Mother. As long as she takes care of her health, anything is possible. Didn't Song Xia and the others win because Zhou Yuqing's health kept improving?"
"Don't worry, I'll definitely pass on this message to Mother. What about Father?"
"Leaving aside Father's side for now, wasn't it because Father acted too impulsively that Mother suffered such a terrible fate?"
Zhou Shuqing was completely impressed with her younger sister; she never expected that her sister would be so thoughtful after she cheered up.
After his initial worry, he felt relieved. His younger sister had grown up, and once he went to the academy, he would no longer need to worry about her situation.
"I'll take care of everything outside. You must be careful in the manor."
"It's alright. She loves to use rules to restrain and punish us. I've followed all the rules properly, so what reason does she have to do it?"
"What reason does the mistress need to punish her illegitimate daughter? As long as she shows any dissatisfaction, the maids and servants in this mansion will make your life difficult."
Zhou Ying pursed her lips: "I'll be eleven after the New Year, brother. No matter how much she torments me, it'll only last three or four years. I can endure it."
Zhou Shuqing felt heartbroken. If he had known things would turn out this way, he should have advised his aunt and sister to keep a low profile.
However, the situation has already been set in stone, and there's no use in regretting it now. His most urgent task is to determine who is the most likely successor to the throne. Only by fulfilling his duty to the emperor can he resolve their current predicament.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Song Xia took Yu Qing back to the Prince's Mansion. She heard that Zhou Yongli had entered Aunt Gao's courtyard that night.
"What's been going on in your household lately? I heard there's been quite a commotion." Inside the Prince's residence, as people drank and chatted, Ye Wanrou and Song Xia, both somewhat drunk, went to a side room to talk about recent events.
Song Xia scoffed: "What else could it be? They won't let my Yuqing go, so naturally I can't give them a friendly look."
“I told you before that you were too lenient with Zhou Yongli and the others. You married down, and Liu Fangniang was a concubine. The old lady wasn’t even a proper mother-in-law. Only you could prevent them from being so arrogant. Now you finally have some of the dignity of a county princess.”
"It's all because of pride. They thought they would be grateful if I married Zhou Yongli. Who would have thought that they acted so well before the marriage, but after the marriage they thought I ruined his marriage with his cousin."
"Sabotage?" Ye Wanrou sneered. "If he had truly wanted to marry his cousin back then, he wouldn't have kept Liu Fangniang's existence so well hidden when our Prince's Mansion sent people to inquire about his marriage."
"So after Liu Fangniang entered the mansion, I gave up on him and disdained to compete with a concubine. I only focused on cultivating Yuqing, but unexpectedly I walked into another dead end and almost caused Yuqing to get into trouble."
Thinking back, Ye Wanrou sighed. They had all tried to persuade her then, but her sister-in-law's mind was like a knot in the sand. She was determined to make Yuqing surpass Zhou Shuqing, as if that was the only way to prove something.
In fact, if an eldest son of the principal wife were to actively compete with a son of a concubine, he would already be at a disadvantage, and there would be no need for him to do so at all.
Fortunately, I've come to a realization now and no longer force Yuqing to reach any particular level; taking good care of her health is the most important thing.
If we really push them into something bad, wouldn't that be exactly what those people want?
"They should have been punished long ago. Didn't those two illegitimate sons and daughters cause any trouble?"
"If even Zhou Yongli can't do anything, what kind of trouble can they possibly cause?"
"We still can't let our guard down. Do you know about the Feng family? Such a powerful family was destroyed in one day by a discarded pawn. Who could have imagined that? Although there are many dirty and unsavory things in the Feng family, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. It's still hard to believe that it collapsed in an instant."
"Sister-in-law, don't worry, I will keep an eye on Zhou Shuqing and Zhou Ying."
Song Xia's expression was gloomy. Let bygones be bygones; now it was her turn to take over this world, and she had never been one to take things lightly.
Zhou Shuqing and Zhou Ying have been unusually well-behaved lately. Even Liu Fangniang at the estate has stopped making a fuss, making it hard for her not to suspect that they might have other plans.
She would not allow any more accidents to happen, and Zhou Shuqing and Zhou Ying would never be able to outdo her and Yuqing again in this lifetime.
Ye Wanrou was also afraid that her sister-in-law was too arrogant, so she ignored these potential threats. Seeing that her sister-in-law had become clear-headed after suffering the previous hardships, she stopped saying anything.
"My elder brother told me he wants to take Yuqing to Jiangnan after the first month of the lunar calendar. What do you think?"
"Alright, young man, you should broaden your horizons."
"Yuqing has only just recovered a little, aren't you worried?"
"The water in Jiangnan is nourishing; perhaps it would be even better to go to Jiangnan."
Yuqing only needs to take the medicine she redeemed from the system once a month. She can have someone deliver it to her every month. Yuqing is an obedient child and will take it obediently.
As the two were talking, laughter and commotion came from outside. It turned out that Bao Ning had lost a drinking game and was cheating by making Song Runsheng drink for her.
Ye Wanrou and Song Xia exchanged a glance: "Let's go take a look too?"
Actually, the two of them had come to the side room to hide from the alcohol, but now that they were a bit more sober, they were tempted again.
Song Xia smiled. Whenever she came to the Prince's Mansion, she always felt relaxed. The Zhou Mansion was lifeless and there was no point in staying there.
After Yuqing goes to Jiangnan, she will go to live in the manor to avoid having to face Zhou Yongli's deadpan face all the time.
Tsk, he claims to have deep feelings for Liu Fangniang, yet he still ended up in the new bride's courtyard. Although alcohol might have played a part, if a man truly doesn't want to, who can force him?
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