I've Got This Cannon Fodder Trope Covered!

Chapter 3

Wei Hanzhang stayed at the separate estate with her two cousins for only a few days before being urged to return home. As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, Nanny Li, who served Old Madam Jiang, had been waiting for some time.

She hurriedly approached, "You're finally back. Old Madam has sent people to ask several times. Ninth Miss, please come with me quickly."

Wei Hanzhang was the ninth in her family, and the Jiang family called her by her rank as well. Nanny Li was the most capable maidservant by Madam Jiang's side, always handling matters with propriety. Her rare urgency worried Wei Hanzhang.

As she walked in, she asked, "What happened?"

Jiang Zhixue and Jiang Zhiqin, thinking something had happened to their grandmother, followed closely behind.

Nanny Li said, "The eldest lady from the capital has sent a letter. After reading it, the Old Madam sent for you. It seems there is news she needs to tell you."

The eldest lady from the capital was Wei Hanzhang's biological mother, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family's previous generation. Twenty years ago, she married the legitimate second son of the Marquis of Zhongyong and had two daughters and a son.

Wei Hanzhang, raised by her maternal grandparents, was the youngest daughter. Over the years, letters from the capital had been frequent. If it were an ordinary matter, her grandmother wouldn't have urgently summoned her, and Nanny Li wouldn't have been so anxious.

Wei Hanzhang's heart tightened as she hurried inside.

Jiang Zhixue and Jiang Zhiqin, the legitimate daughters of the Jiang family, were left waiting in the outer room by Nanny Li.

Entering the room, Wei Hanzhang saw Old Madam Jiang, Zhao Shi, leaning on the couch. Usually lively, the elderly lady looked pale. Seeing her enter, Zhao Shi put down the letter and waved her over.

Wei Hanzhang hurriedly walked over, concerned, "Grandmother, you don't look well. Have you seen the doctor?"

"The doctor just left. Don't worry, my dear. Grandmother is fine." Zhao Shi patted her hand, tears shimmering in her cloudy eyes. "My dear Ranran, your mother has written. Look at this."

Old Madam Jiang's demeanor gave Wei Hanzhang a sense of foreboding. She took the tear-stained letter and began reading, her expression gradually becoming solemn.

Her mother's letter mentioned a few things:

Firstly, her elder sister, Fifth Miss of the Marquis of Zhongyong, Wei Hanyue, a popular candidate for the Crown Princess, was kidnapped by bandits on her way to burn incense at Zhaohua Temple outside the city before the New Year. She was found after a day and a night, her reputation was damaged.

Secondly, due to this calamity, her grandfather, the Marquis of Zhongyong, ordered his granddaughter to drink poison to prove her innocence to the imperial family. Only the pleas of his son and daughter-in-law stopped him, and Wei Hanyue was sent to a family temple to live out her days.

Thirdly, the incident with the eldest daughter caused her mother, Jiang Shi, to faint from crying several times, and her health deteriorated. She hoped to see Wei Hanzhang, who had left her side before the age of one, perhaps for the last time.

Wei Hanzhang gripped the letter tightly, reading it page by page, then started over again, her mind in a whirl.

The capital, the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence, the second legitimate son, the eldest daughter kidnapped and disgraced...

Her eyes widened as she suddenly recalled a distant memory.

Each piece of information matched perfectly with a book she had read in her previous life!

Seeing her granddaughter's tear-filled eyes and anxious expression, Zhao Shi embraced her and comforted, "Ranran, don't worry. It takes at least half a month for news to travel from the capital. Your mother's health may have improved by now. She is still young, and even if she was momentarily distressed, it shouldn't have caused lasting harm."

"You are her youngest child, and she has missed you all these years. My dear Ranran is so wonderful; just seeing you could lift your mother's spirits and help her recover from any ailment."

Zhao Shi continued to console and persuade her, while Wei Hanzhang leaned lightly against her, her mind buzzing.

What was the name of that book again...

"The Concubine Shen Yue"

The male lead was the second son of the Marquis of Zhongyong, Wei Heng—her father?

She had transmigrated into a book, one where a concubine rises to the position of the main wife. The concubine of her father is the female lead, destined to become the main wife in the near future.

So, her mother is the tragic supporting character who exits early?

Her sister is the cannon fodder who loses her reputation at the beginning?

Her memory was hazy, and the plot details were unclear, but she vaguely recalled that the male lead and his original wife only had one son and one daughter. There was no youngest daughter fostered by her maternal grandparents!

Wei Hanzhang thought back to her frail body when she first transmigrated...

A sudden realization hit her—did she never survive in the original plot?

"Ranran..." Zhao Shi, seeing her granddaughter's dazed look, thought she was overwhelmed by the sudden news of returning to her parents, and continued to comfort her gently:

"Back then, the wandering monk who advised your parents to send you here said you could return after coming of age. Calculating the days, it's not that long now, just a few months early. Are you anxious because you don't know what to expect in the capital?"

Zhao Shi patted her shoulder soothingly, "The capital is different from Xuzhou, and the Marquis of Zhongyong's household is large, with six branches. Don't worry about remembering everyone just yet; knowing your father is the second legitimate son is enough. Once you arrive in the capital and meet everyone, you'll get to know them."

"You are the youngest legitimate daughter, and though you've been away since childhood, your family will care for and protect you. It's your home, no need to be afraid."

Zhao Shi's gentle voice gradually calmed Wei Hanzhang's turbulent emotions. She leaned softly against her grandmother's shoulder, "Grandmother, I don't want to leave you."

"I don't want you to leave either, but you've been with me for fifteen years. Your parents miss you dearly; why not go and see them this time?" Zhao Shi said soothingly.

This was the first time the elders mentioned her marriage to Gu Yunran openly. Wei Hanzhang was not shy about discussing lifelong matters; she hugged Zhao Shi and softly agreed, "I want to stay in Xuzhou, with you and Grandfather."

Gu Yunran, her childhood sweetheart whom she had painstakingly guided for over ten years, was hers to claim—no way would she let anyone else have him.

Xuzhou was her hometown, and she preferred the misty Jiangnan scenery over the unfamiliar capital.

As for the rumors she heard a few days ago, she didn't believe them. The young man who followed her around and always obeyed her knew her boundaries.

Having seen her three aunts manage household affairs and exhaust themselves overseeing concubines, Wei Hanzhang repeatedly emphasized her marriage requirements to her childhood sweetheart: she would absolutely not tolerate any other women in their marriage.

Not a single one. That was her bottom line.