It's all ruined, who cares about the chastity arch

After she finished speaking, she gently closed the curtains, turned around and went into the inner room, leaving Madam Zheng with a bewildered look on her face.

Although she was disturbed by Liu'er's words, time was pressing, so Madam Zheng did not dare to delay and quickly quickened her pace and headed straight for the Ding Mansion.

As night fell, the gate of the Ding Mansion was closed, making it look particularly solemn and deserted.

Madam Zheng banged on the door anxiously, calling out at the top of her lungs: "Second brother, open the door quickly, it's me, elder sister! Second brother, are you there?"

I called out several times, but no one answered. I could only hear the night wind blowing through the alley, echoing.

Madam Zheng frowned and knocked a few more times without giving up.

After waiting for a long time, a servant came lazily to answer the door.

"Oh, it's Madam Zheng. Our master has gone to bed. You should come visit again another day."

Madam Zheng frowned when she heard this: "Doesn't he want to see me anymore?"

After that, she waved her hand and said firmly: "Since the master is resting, it's okay to let your master come out to see me."

The servant looked embarrassed and explained awkwardly: "Our master is busy with official business and has no time to spare. I am really sorry."

Madam Zheng looked displeased and wanted to argue, but the servant had lost his patience and slammed the door shut, locking her out.

Mrs. Zheng was unwilling to be treated coldly, and was about to knock on the door again, but the door suddenly opened, and a cloth bag was thrown out and fell heavily to the ground.

She hurriedly picked up the cloth bag, opened it, and saw that it was full of cold, hard buns. It was obvious that she was being treated like a beggar.

Old Madam Zheng was so angry that she rubbed her forehead, threw the steamed bun back into the door, turned around and left angrily.

Just as she was about to leave, the door quietly opened again, and a maid stuck her head out and said nonchalantly, "Don't pay attention to her, let's concentrate on thinking about the gift for the princess. The master said that everyone must contribute an idea. What should we prepare for the newly returned princess at the Hundred Flowers Banquet in a few days?"

When Madam Zheng heard this, she froze in her tracks and asked hastily, "Which princess? As far as I can remember, Your Majesty has no children yet!"

The maid seemed a little impatient and frowned as she said, "It's not your Majesty's child, it's your Majesty's long-lost sister who has just been found and brought back to the palace."

The servant at the side also poked his head out curiously, and was about to add something, but was suddenly pulled back by the maid. The door slammed shut with a sound, leaving only a cold remark: "Why am I telling you this? Close the door quickly and don't get involved with those ominous auras."

Madam Zheng stood there in a daze, staring at the closed door, feeling mixed emotions and filled with indescribable shock and astonishment.

The door closed dully once again with a loud bang that echoed in the empty hall, as if even the air was frozen.

Madam Zheng, despite her advanced age and occasional confusion, was extremely clear-headed about the upcoming Hundred Flowers Banquet.

The Hundred Flowers Banquet, a grand event held every two years, appears to be an appreciation of flowers on the surface, but in fact it hides an opportunity for the children of the capital's dignitaries to socialize, like a carefully planned spring feast.

She secretly thought that this might be a good opportunity for the Zheng family to reverse its fate.

Therefore, she decided to push her two granddaughters who had not yet reached the age of marriage to the forefront, fantasizing that they could stand out from the crowd of beauties. If they were lucky enough to be favored by a prominent young man, the Zheng family might be able to get rid of the haze and revive its reputation.

However, Mrs. Zheng's idea was too naive. Her granddaughters were still young, and their minds and talents were unhoned. Putting them in such a complicated and competitive social occasion would undoubtedly push them to the forefront where they might be ridiculed and despised.

But even so, the old man's obsession did not waver.

After returning home, Madam Zheng, full of longing for the future, strode briskly into the inner room. However, she unexpectedly ran into Zheng Chengyan with a gloomy expression. He was like a lifeless fish, with his whole body buried in the quilt, curled up into a ball, and even his breathing seemed particularly heavy.

People who don't know the inside story might mistakenly think that it is just a soulless body lying there.

Faced with this situation, Madam Zheng's eyes flashed with displeasure. She walked heavily behind Zheng Chengyan, her voice full of sternness and disappointment: "Enough! How long do you plan to be so negative? Get up, clean yourself up, and come with me to the Hundred Flowers Banquet in a few days."

Hearing this, Zheng Chengyan's fingers trembled slightly, and the inner struggle and pain seemed to turn into a faint tremor, but he still did not move at all, just lying there quietly, as if everything had nothing to do with him.

The old lady frowned, and an uncontrollable anger rose from the bottom of her heart. She suddenly reached out and roughly pulled the quilt covering Zheng Chengyan aside, her voice full of unquestionable determination: "Did you hear what I said clearly?"

Zheng Chengyan still had his back to her, and responded weakly, "Grandma, my father is still in prison, why are you still thinking about the Hundred Flowers Banquet?"

His tone was full of confusion and bewilderment.

Upon hearing this, Madam Zheng's expression suddenly became serious: "It is precisely because my father is still in prison that we should go to the Hundred Flowers Banquet. I just came back from the Cheng family, and I heard that the emperor's newly found princess will also attend the banquet. You must be prepared and go with me. Perhaps you can win the princess's appreciation and bring a turnaround to our Zheng family."

Zheng Chengyan suddenly opened his eyes, bloodshot in them, and the wound in his heart seemed to be torn apart by invisible hands, causing unbearable pain.

Faced with his grandmother's earnest expectations, he failed to respond for a long time.

Seeing this, the old lady scolded him impatiently: "Do you want to bury your whole life in this desolate courtyard? Zheng Chengyan, you are familiar with the books of sages, how can you be willing to be stepped on by others for the rest of your life?"

"I did this all for the future of the Zheng family. Just imagine, if you can please the princess at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, even if you can't become a consort, even if you can only be a close attendant of the princess, the emperor will give our family some face, your father's exile may end, and you will still have the opportunity to participate in the imperial examination and bring honor to your family."

"As long as we seize the opportunity, our Zheng family will eventually make a comeback."

Zheng Chengyan's face became even gloomier after listening to these words.

Close attendant?

It was undoubtedly a huge irony for him that he, who was once so proud and arrogant, now had to plan to become a woman's attendant.

He bit his lips subconsciously, until he tasted a hint of blood and bitterness in his mouth, then he realized that he had bitten the tender lips with his teeth.

Old Madam Zheng was still immersed in her plan. Without waiting for Zheng Chengyan's response, she turned and walked into the inner room and woke up her two young granddaughters.