Songyin was very curious about Jiang Tan’er’s original world.
Jiang Tan’er’s impressive skills and insights were all gifts from her original world. However, Jiang Tan’er wasn’t particularly clever, and it seemed she only had a superficial understanding of many things. Yet, even so, she had climbed to an unparalleled position by relying on those “otherworldly things.”
[Host can exchange for one peeking opportunity. Time limit: one hour.] The system said without fluctuation.
Songyin was somewhat curious and immediately had everyone in the courtyard leave, closing the door and entering the room.
According to the servants, this courtyard was originally used by Xie Jiling to entertain guests, so it was quite clean. Songyin didn’t know how the peeking would work, so she could only find a comfortable position to sit down.
“Confirm peeking,” she thought to herself.
[This is the host’s first time peeking. The system will set the time to one hour before the female protagonist Jiang Tan’er’s transmigration.]
Suddenly, Songyin felt many unfamiliar images flood her mind.
In the images was an unfamiliar face, somewhat similar to Jiang Tan’er’s but with poorer skin and older age.
This “Jiang Tan’er” seemed tired and unhappy. She held a strange object in her hand, swiping it up and down. Songyin could see that the small device had realistic images and many words—words she had seen before.
Jiang Tan’er only wrote such characters.
Jiang Tan’er claimed her family was poor and that she secretly listened to the teacher’s lectures. Unable to understand many things, she imitated what she saw and created this simple, easy-to-write script…
When Songyin studied medicine as a child, she progressed rapidly, and her master praised her intelligence. But after hearing Jiang Tan’er’s explanation, she felt she still fell short…
Now she knew what she lacked—not talent, but shamelessness.
Having spent a long time with Jiang Tan’er, Songyin recognized some of these characters and quickly understood what was written on the small device.
In her original world, Jiang Tan’er seemed to be a widely known figure, but her reputation was poor. The lines of text were similar to the comments she saw at the time of her death—all criticizing the person. People in the original world were insulting Jiang Tan’er, accusing her of pretending to be pitiful to gain sympathy, using a script to turn fiction into reality, and causing someone named “Xiao Hua” to be disfigured.
“Ugh! What do these people know? They just curse online! It was that scheming woman who seduced Sheng Yingdi. I just wanted to teach her a lesson. Who knew she’d get hurt?” Jiang Tan’er said pitifully.
Songyin saw her use the small device to display an image.
It was… the Seventh Prince wearing strange clothing.
Yet Jiang Tan’er called that image her “male god”…
The hour passed quickly. Jiang Tan’er spent the entire time doing meaningless things until Songyin’s consciousness withdrew. Just then, she saw Jiang Tan’er stumbling down the stairs, losing her footing, and being flung out…
Songyin returned to reality.
She suddenly understood why Jiang Tan’er had such an expression when she brought the man back—why she trusted the Seventh Prince so much despite meeting him for the first time. It turned out the Seventh Prince looked exactly like Jiang Tan’er’s “male god” from her original world!
But what surprised Songyin even more was that, based on Jiang Tan’er’s age in her original world, she should have long been married and had children. Yet she hadn’t.
Jiang Tan’er was not particularly special in that world…
The women there could speak and act freely, and criticize as they wished.
Recalling the furnishings in Jiang Tan’er’s bedroom, although there were no expensive gold, silver, or porcelain decorations, one could still sense a kind of “luxury.” It seemed many things were not found in this Pseudo World—it was a rich and wondrous place.
Songyin grew increasingly interested. The system was right; she couldn’t simply poison Jiang Tan’er to death.
Her usefulness was far too great!
She had been sitting for a full two hours, and Songyin’s body felt somewhat stiff. Fortunately, her mind wasn’t tired. The state she was in while peering into that world felt more like sleeping.
Soon, it was noon, and the sturdy servants Songyin had requested had all arrived.
Xie Jiling didn’t know what she intended to do and dared not let her act recklessly, so he also appeared before Songyin, clearly planning to follow her at all times to prevent her from doing anything harmful to the Xie family.
Songyin looked at her own full-blooded elder brother, her eyes showing admiration but even more so, regret.
“The Xie family has been enfeoffed as marquises for fifteen years now, and you were taught by renowned masters since childhood. In all these fifteen years, you haven’t even managed to cultivate a single trusted confidant?” Songyin was genuinely surprised. “In this regard, you are far inferior to Jiang Tan’er.”
Jiang Tan’er was very skilled at commanding people.
“Our Xie family is merely a minor noble house. We have no ambitions to consolidate power or seize high positions. The household stewards are reliable enough, so we don’t need the kind of capable confidant you speak of,” Xie Jiling retorted coldly and distantly.
“Your way of addressing me isn’t quite appropriate,” Songyin reminded him. “Call me A-Yin, or call me younger sister—either is fine. Also, if you want to be a qualified elder brother, you should first ask me how I’ve been all these years. After listening to my tragic past, you should weep bitterly and promise to make it up to me from now on, instead of mocking and ridiculing me as you are now. Even if it’s just an act, you should make it convincing. That’s the best way to win someone’s loyalty.”
“…” Xie Jiling twitched the corner of his mouth.
Weep bitterly? For an impostor, it seemed unnecessary.
Call her A-Yin or younger sister? He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“What do you want my Xie family’s people to do?” Xie Jiling didn’t continue arguing with her and instead asked.
Songyin glanced at him but didn’t answer. Instead, she led the group out the door.
The Xie family didn’t actually have many sturdy servants. Songyin had only selected twenty. A carriage was already prepared at the entrance. Songyin said straightforwardly, “We’re going to snatch someone.”
Xie Jiling frowned slightly, unsure of Songyin’s intentions.
The carriage traveled a long distance, arriving at a remote alley. Songyin had a clear target. She led the group directly to an ordinary courtyard, knocked on the door a few times, and as soon as the gate opened, she walked right in.
It had the air of someone throwing their weight around. Xie Jiling wanted to stop her but couldn’t.
Inside the courtyard were a grandmother and her grandson. The elderly grandmother was quite old, with graying hair and an especially frail appearance. She was sitting under the eaves, dozing off with her eyes closed. Perhaps due to her age, even such a commotion failed to wake her.
The younger one was a man around twenty years old. Seeing the crowd swarming in, his face showed alarm.
“Who are you? What are you doing in my home?” the grandson said.
Songyin smiled mockingly, looking at the person before her. “How strange. Has the debt of a life-saving grace been forgotten in just a month?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the grandson’s eyes grew dazed for a moment. He looked carefully at Songyin’s face, lost in thought for a while before stammering, “You… you’re the maid by Miss Jiang’s side… that maid?”
“……” Songyin’s expression darkened.
“Thank you for saving my life that day, you and your master. May I ask if there’s something important that brings you here?” The grandson immediately became polite, his face showing curiosity.
Songyin wasn’t angry—she wasn’t angry at all.
She was used to it!