All the members are good people, only the host is a pervert

Xu Jinshu accompanied Lin Ruan for a walk until dusk before returning home.

After arriving at Haoyue Courtyard, Lin Ruan asked the servant to take the food boxes and said, "Send these two boxes of snacks to father."

Xu Jinshu took the food box and said softly, "My dear wife, let me take it."

After all, Lin Ruan is at home now, and considering that he still has to take care of his own daughter, the Duke's wife will not be too angry. If she delays him from taking care of his own precious daughter, he will suffer less.

Lin Ruan looked at Xu Jinshu who took the lunch box on his own initiative and felt a little surprised, but she didn't say much and nodded.

Xu Jinshu held the food box and walked cautiously towards the Duke's wife's courtyard.

When he reached the gate of the yard, he took a deep breath and walked in.

The Duke's wife was sitting in the main seat drinking tea. When she saw Xu Jinshu come in, she put down her teacup and said coldly, "You are quite impressive. You seduced the princess to play with you outside until so late."

Xu Jinshu quickly knelt, not daring to object. He said respectfully, "Father, please understand. I have absolutely no such intention. I only hope to serve the princess well and live up to her trust."

The Duke's wife stared at him for a long moment. "You're quite sweet. Did the princess send these snacks?"

Xu Jinshu said hurriedly, "Exactly. The princess said father loved it, so she specially sent the carriage to take a detour and sent her maid to wait in line for a long time before she finally bought it. When she came back, she hurriedly sent her son to deliver it, saying it was a filial gift to father."

The Duke's wife's expression eased slightly. "Alright, let it go. Tomorrow, after the princess leaves the house, stay by my side for an extra hour. This will be a small punishment but a big warning."

Xu Jinshu quickly agreed and said a few flattering words before leaving the yard.

Meanwhile, Lin Ruan was also thinking that after being well behaved for two days, it would be time to go to Nanfeng Pavilion again tomorrow.

She changed her mind and called her maid Wanyun in, whispering a few instructions to her.

Wan Yun struggled when she heard this, but she couldn't resist Lin Ruan's insistence, so she gritted her teeth and nodded in agreement.

The next day, Wanyun took a small frozen jade ornament to a cultural relics shop.

"Shopkeeper, how much do you think this ornament would cost?"

The shopkeeper took the frozen jade ornament, looked at it carefully, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Miss, this frozen jade has a warm texture and is exquisitely carved. It's a rare and valuable item. However, given the current market conditions, the most I'll offer is five hundred taels of silver."

Wan Yun's heart tightened. The princess had told her to sell it for at least eight hundred taels, which was a big difference.

"Shopkeeper, please give me a little more. This ornament has an extraordinary origin and is made in the highest quality."

The shopkeeper shook his head and said, "Miss, this is already a fair price. If you don't think it's suitable, you can go ask somewhere else."

Wanyun hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to change shops, when a gorgeously dressed woman walked into the shop. Wanyun took a closer look and found that it was Mo Miao, the niece of Concubine Ning and the second daughter of the Minister of Rites.

Seeing that Mo Miao didn't seem to recognize her, Wan Yun didn't bow to Mo Shuyun for the sake of her own reputation as a daughter of a noble family.

Mo Miao spotted the frozen jade ornament in Wan Yun's hand, his eyes lit up, and he walked over. "I want this ornament. How much is it?"

Wan Yun hurriedly replied, "My young lady asked me to give this to her. She wants eight hundred taels of silver."

"Songxiang, give me the silver." Mo Miao agreed without hesitation and ordered the maid beside him to hand the silver to Wanyun.

Wan Yun was secretly delighted. She didn't expect to meet Miss Mo and complete the task assigned by the princess in one go.

She put the silver away, hurriedly left the antique shop, and went back to report to Lin Ruan.

Mo Shumiao held the frozen jade ornament and a smile with an ambiguous meaning appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Mo Miao didn't recognize Wan Yun, after all, she was only a second-class maid serving Lin Ruan. But he recognized the frozen jade and smoke stone ornament.

It once appeared on the desk of the princess, but later disappeared. The seventh princess' cousin was very unhappy about it. It is said that the princess of the Duke's Mansion took a fancy to it, so the princess gave it to her.

Now, she was asked to sell it for eight hundred taels.

After returning home, Mo Miao reported the matter to his mother.

The next morning, before Lin Ruan had finished her meal, a servant came in and saluted, saying, "My Lady, the Crown Princess invites you to the East Palace."

Lin Ruan knew that it was done.

"I know you're messing around. It's only eight hundred taels of silver. You could tell me, tell your uncle, even your great-uncle favors you. But you insisted on selling this ornament, which everyone knew I gave you, in the marketplace, making it known to everyone."

The princess looked at her cousin who was sitting in the chair improperly and wanted to slap her to death.

"Your Highness, cousin, please calm down, calm down."

Seeing the princess's face growing darker, Lin Ruan quickly walked up behind her, gently pinching her shoulders, and whispered in her ear, "Cousin, you know that His Majesty is now wary of you and our Duke's Mansion. But I've been a playboy for so many years, and I haven't found a way out."

"You know I'm weak and can't lead troops in battle. I deliberately had this ornament sold."

"On the one hand, you can use this as an excuse to rebuke the Duke's Mansion. You know, my two illegitimate aunts have been scheming for a long time. It would be better to separate them early to avoid bringing trouble to the Duke's Mansion in the future and implicating you and your uncle."

"Secondly, I want you to order me to be sent back to my hometown in Jinling. It's far away, and there's less surveillance and prying eyes. Then I can take the imperial examination and enter the court with a legitimate identity."

"Hahaha, can you do it?" The princess looked at Lin Ruan suspiciously.

Although my cousin's words proved that she was not a fool and had some plans in mind, I did not hold out any hope for her knowledge.

"Cousin, how could you think of me like that?" Lin Ruan immediately became angry, but she still lowered her voice and said, "You, my uncle and grandfather, have been trembling in fear in the palace for so many years. My mother is not good enough and doesn't know how to feel sorry for you. Am I not good enough too?"

"For all these years, you have never stood up for me." The princess spoke the truth.

"Oh, cousin, that's all appearance. I admit that I was ignorant when I was young, but I have grown up. I have also worked hard in private in the past two years. Just believe me this time."

"You drove me to Nanjing. Given how much my mother and father love me, everyone must have thought that there was a rift between you and our Duke's Mansion. You would feel more relaxed, wouldn't you?"

The emperor became more suspicious as he grew older. It wasn't that Lin Ruan couldn't kill her, but that he didn't have enough time.

After the new emperor takes the throne, there will definitely be a major purge of the court. Although they are members of the royal family, they have only held an idle position since the beginning of the Duke's reign. If Lin Ruan can no longer seize this opportunity to redistribute the benefits, the Duke's Mansion will really be thrown out of the vortex of power.

She has to enter the court first before she can divide the cake.

The princess was silent for a long time after hearing Lin Ruan's words. She knew that the court was in a complicated situation and the emperor was very suspicious. The Duke's Mansion really needed to find a new way out.

Looking at Lin Ruan's determined eyes, the princess felt something in her heart, perhaps this really was an opportunity.

"Never mind, I'll trust you just this once," the princess finally said. "I'll issue an order to have you banished back to your hometown in Jinling. If you can perform well in the imperial examinations, you'll bring honor to the Duke's Mansion. If you dare slack off, don't blame me for being rude."

Lin Ruan was overjoyed and bowed quickly, saying, "Don't worry, cousin. I will do my best. Please talk to my uncle and grandfather on my behalf and don't let them worry about me. I will also tell my grandfather and father when I get home. As for mother, hehe, let's keep it a secret from her for now. She can't keep things secret."

The princess was amused by Lin Ruan, tapped her forehead and said, "You are truly a good daughter to your mother."