Chapter 6: Her Younger Sister Will Be Empress
Chapter 1 of 3
A system!
Yun Zhaozhao was overjoyed.
As expected, she really was Heaven’s own darling.
Her golden finger had arrived late, but it had arrived all the same.
But who was this Madam Yun?
Was there anyone else in this room with the surname Yun?
And as for electric shock punishment, absolutely not!
Not only had that dog of a system bound itself to her without her consent, it had even drafted an unequal contract. It had to be abolished!
Otherwise, she would rather sever the binding than…
What? There’s punishment too? System, you never said before that there would be punishment for failing to complete the task!
A girl’s angry voice rang out in her mind.
Yun Zhaozhao froze.
She was completely dumbfounded.
So this golden finger wasn’t hers?
Then what the hell was it doing in her head?
Was she just part of their little play?
Damn Heaven!
What happened to being the beloved daughter?
Host, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Where there is reward, there is naturally punishment. The countdown has begun. Please complete the task diligently.
Sixth Aunt, your sachet is quite exquisite. May I exchange the gift for that instead?
Sixth Aunt? Sachet?
Yun Zhaozhao looked down and indeed saw an old sachet hanging at her waist, its stitching crooked and uneven.
As for the pattern on it, it was less a cloud than a tangled little loop.
This sachet was the first piece embroidered by Yun Chuchu after she had just begun learning needlework as a child. Though Yun Zhaozhao occasionally teased it as the little girl’s black history, she had treasured it dearly and worn it for years without ever changing it.
Good grief. Not only was this golden finger tempting her, it was also coveting her sister’s very first embroidery.
Who gave her that audacity?
So having a golden finger made one remarkable, did it?
Yun Zhaozhao seethed with sour resentment, gloom hanging over her entirely.
She lifted the sachet from her waist and bared her teeth in a smug grin. “Pretty nice, isn’t it?”
A flash of contempt crossed Sheng Hongfei’s eyes, but she nodded against her conscience. “Very… special.”
“My younger sister embroidered it.”
Sheng Hongfei looked at her, puzzled.
Yun Zhaozhao pointed at the girls behind her, each with a different expression. “If you want one, have your sisters embroider one for you too!”
Hmph. So what if she had a golden finger?
The sachet my sister embroidered is something even your golden finger can never have!
Chapter 2 of 3
It was not until they left the main courtyard that the stifling annoyance in Yun Zhaozhao’s chest still had nowhere to go.
The moment Sheng Xingye saw that she was unhappy, he instantly became pleased with himself.
He leaned in, gleeful and gloating. “Yun Zhaozhao, you’re finished!”
“My mother is the most rule-bound person there is. As a new wife who’s only just entered the family, you’ve offended your mother-in-law to death. Just wait for her to make you establish rules every single day from now on, hahaha!”
“Really?”
Yun Zhaozhao put on a troubled look. “But I’ve already offended her. What should I do?”
“What should you do? Just endure it!”
Sheng Xingye said smugly, “A daughter-in-law talking back to her mother-in-law is downright unfilial. Spit alone could drown you!”
His grin was so large it was annoying.
“Oh,” Yun Zhaozhao said with a slight smile. “Have you heard that a mother’s debts are repaid by the son?”
Sheng Xingye immediately recoiled on reflex, his whole face wary. “What are you trying to do?”
“Of course I’m… collecting a little interest first!”
As she spoke, Yun Zhaozhao swung her fist straight at his face.
Sheng Xingye failed to dodge in time and hurriedly covered his face while crouching down.
Unexpectedly, he managed to escape disaster by sheer luck.
That made him even more smug.
“Ha, you missed!”
Yun Zhaozhao: ...
It was no wonder her hands itched every time she saw him.
Who told this brat to ruin such a handsome face and turn it into something begging to be beaten?
Just as she was about to kick him, Sheng Hongfei’s voice rang again in her mind.
System, are you sure that shabby sachet is the key to Yun Chuchu’s future rise to the throne?
That’s right. Yun Chuchu once saved the Fourth Prince when they were young. At the time, the Fourth Prince was in trouble and running a high fever, so he never saw her face clearly. That sachet is the only token of proof.
Yun Zhaozhao froze on the spot.
Her sister was going to become empress in the future?
Then who would be emperor?
The Fourth Prince?
The current emperor had seven sons.
The eldest prince was twenty years old and born to the former princess consort.
The former princess consort had died before the emperor ascended the throne, and after he took the throne, she was not posthumously granted the title of empress.
Thus, although the eldest prince was born of the legitimate principal wife, his position was somewhat awkward.
On top of that, his maternal family was not prominent, and his abilities were mediocre, so his presence was not strong.
The second prince was seventeen and born to Noble Consort Shu.
Noble Consort Shu came from the Marquisate of Qingguo and enjoyed considerable imperial favor.
Moreover, the Marquis of Qingguo oversaw the Ministry of Personnel and commanded great prestige among the civil officials.
Chapter 3 of 3
Thus, the second prince was also one of the strongest contenders for crown prince at present.
The third prince was the same age as the second prince and was born to Noble Consort Hui.
Noble Consort Hui came from the Marquisate of Anyuan and was also the maternal family of the current empress dowager.
The Marquisate of Anyuan had declined during the former emperor’s reign, but after the current emperor ascended the throne by chance, his maternal family naturally rose with the tide and revived their fortunes, controlling much of the Ministry of Revenue, the great treasury of the Great Jin.
The fourth prince was fifteen. His birth mother had been consigned to the Cold Palace because she was implicated in the death of the fifth prince, and her maternal family had likewise been demoted.
The fifth prince was the son of Empress Xue, who died young.
The Xue family, unlike her father’s newly risen clan, had guarded the frontier for generations and now commanded two hundred thousand troops in the northwest.
Without that, the position of empress would surely have fallen to Noble Consort Shu or Noble Consort Hui.
Although the sixth prince was only ten, he could not be underestimated.
His birth mother, Noble Consort Li, also came from an aristocratic house, and her maternal influence lay mainly in the Ministry of War.
As for the seventh prince, he was still very young, only three years old.
So, with the Fourth Prince’s utterly hellish starting conditions, his eventual rise to the throne was probably something that existed only in novels, wasn’t it?
Yun Zhaozhao’s thoughts were in complete disarray, and before she could make sense of them, Sheng Hongfei had already come up to greet her.
“Sixth Aunt, did Sixth Uncle upset you again?”
Yun Zhaozhao had no time to care about Sheng Xingye, who had seized the opportunity to flee from under her feet, and instead studied Sheng Hongfei carefully.
Sheng Hongfei was the legitimate daughter of the heir Sheng Ronghao, Sheng Xingye’s elder brother of the same mother.
Though only thirteen or fourteen years old, there was no innocence in her eyes that should have belonged to her age. Instead, they were full of calculation and schemes.
“Why is Sixth Aunt looking at me like that?”
Under Yun Zhaozhao’s gaze, Sheng Hongfei felt uneasy and lowered her head in feigned shyness.
“You’re pretty,” Yun Zhaozhao said perfunctorily.
“Sixth Aunt, don’t tease me. In our residence, every younger sister is more beautiful than the last. Fei’er is only the most ordinary one.”
Sheng Hongfei had meant to be modest, but Yun Zhaozhao actually nodded in all seriousness. “Mm, you really aren’t as lively-looking as those little ones. But ordinary is fine too. Less trouble.”
Sheng Hongfei’s face stiffened, so angry she nearly ground her silver teeth to dust.
Still, remembering her purpose, she quickly adjusted her expression.
“Sixth Aunt, to be honest, I really like that cloud-patterned sachet.”
“However, a gentleman does not take what others love. Why don’t you lend it to me first so I can copy it? Rest assured, I’ll certainly return it to its original owner afterward, unchanged.”
Meeting the other girl’s expectant gaze, Yun Zhaozhao looked genuinely astonished. “So, with all those younger sisters of yours, not one was willing to embroider you a sachet?”
“I…”
“Niece, I hate to say it, but you’ve really failed at being a person. If one sister is unwilling, that might be her problem. But if none of your sisters are willing, you ought to reflect more on yourself. Have you perhaps been too greedy or too irritating in the way you carry yourself…”
Sheng Hongfei’s face flushed crimson.
Humiliated!
She grabbed Yun Zhaozhao’s arm and said aggrievedly, “No, I didn’t…”
A distant, unidentified energy connection is being established...