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

"Hehe," Lin Ruan laughed softly, playfully stepped back a few steps, clutching her chest, pretending to be incredulous, and shouted loudly: "Cousin, just for such a small matter, you think I've embarrassed you and want to kick me out of the capital??"

The princess looked at her quietly without responding immediately.

This silence made Lin Ruan feel a little uncomfortable. She frowned slightly and secretly glanced at the princess. Seeing her rubbing her brow helplessly, she said in a deep voice: "If you have time to yell at me, why not go see your father? He is worried about you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruan's eyes immediately turned red. She excitedly shouted at the princess, "I! No! Go! You won't let me stay in the capital anymore. I'm going back now to pack my bags and stay away from you!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she ran out of the East Palace in a hurry.

Halfway through the journey, Lin Ruan was running out of breath and almost couldn't catch his breath, so he slowed down his pace with a gloomy face.

She stomped her feet hard on the ground with every step she took, as if she wanted to vent all the dissatisfaction in her heart.

However, after a while, she felt her feet go numb again, and her steps became light and floating, as if she was stepping on cotton.

The spies who were secretly monitoring her couldn't help but shake their heads when they saw her like this, thinking that it was a waste of their talents to let such talented people monitor Lin Ruan, who looked like a fool.

As soon as Lin Ruan returned to the Duke's Mansion, he hurriedly called her to his study. He comforted her for a long time, calling her "my dearest darling."

However, before Lin Ruan could respond, the servant beside the old Duke's wife came over and respectfully invited Lin Ruan to go to Rongning Hall, saying that the old lady was waiting for her there.

"Mother, I'll go pay my respects to grandfather." Lin Ruan said obediently, and then followed the attendant to Rongning Hall.

The old lady sat upright in the main seat, with a serious expression and a majestic air without even getting angry.

The Duke's wife sat on a chair nearby, her face revealing deep concern for Lin Ruan.

"Kneel down!" The old lady suddenly shouted. Lin Ruan's heart tightened. He did not dare to be negligent and knelt on the ground obediently.

"You're quite capable! You've offended Her Highness the Princess and are about to be banished to Jinling." The old lady glared at him, her tone stern. "Tell me, what exactly do you want to do? Where do you want the Duke's Mansion to put its reputation?"

Seeing this, the Duke's wife hurriedly tried to defend Lin Ruan, "Father, Ruan'er didn't do it on purpose. I will submit a sign to the palace tomorrow to request an audience..."

However, before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the old lady's angry voice, "Shut up!"

The old lady looked at the Duke's wife angrily and said in a deep voice, "It's all because of you two that Ruan Jie'er has been spoiled! You dare to sell the things given by the Crown Princess privately? It's simply lawless!"

Seeing the Duke's wife about to kneel down and apologize, Lin Ruan's heart tightened. She quickly stood up and approached the old lady. She lowered her head and said softly, "Grandfather, your granddaughter has no choice but to do this. Can you let my father go down first and I can talk to you alone?"

The old lady frowned, looking at Lin Ruan's aggrieved and helpless look, and finally waved her hand, signaling the Duke's wife to leave first.

After the Duke's wife left, the old lady looked at Lin Ruan coldly, "Tell me, what's your reason?"

Her tone was cold, and she was obviously very disappointed with Lin Ruan's behavior.

Lin Ruan raised his head, his expression had changed——

Her eyes were filled with tears of grievance, and her voice trembled slightly, as if she was suppressing her inner emotions: "Could it be that in my grandfather's eyes, I am a lawless bastard? If there was no unspeakable hidden cause, who would do such a thing and let everyone know about it?"

Seeing Lin Ruan like this, the old lady had already regretted it in her heart. Not to mention that her granddaughter seemed to be in some kind of pain, so she had to do this.

The Duke's wife's expression softened slightly, but she still said in a deep voice, "Even if you have a hidden reason, you shouldn't sell off your reward privately. This is extremely disrespectful to the princess."

Lin Ruan lowered her head, her voice choking with sobs. "My granddaughter knows I was wrong, but the situation at court is complicated now, and the Emperor is suspicious of the Duke's Mansion. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I didn't have time to think about it."

The old lady didn't understand Lin Ruan's words and asked doubtfully, "What opportunity?"

Lin Ruan quickly explained, "I knew Mo Miao was going to that store that day, so I deliberately let her know. I wanted to take this opportunity to go to Jinling, avoid the surveillance of the capital, and take the imperial examination. This would help our Duke's Mansion and also help me find a way out."

After listening to Lin Ruan's explanation, the old lady's expression eased a little.

She examined Lin Ruan with a look that was not only questioning but also thoughtful. She asked, "Are you really determined? Are you really tired of me taking care of you too much and want to go back to Jinling to live your own carefree life?"

Hearing this, Lin Ruan cried out in grievance, "Oh, Grandfather, I was ignorant and playful before. Do you really think I'm attracted to that courtesan? Isn't it just to hide it from others? You know how many spies are surrounding our Duke's Mansion, afraid that I will become successful one day."

Seeing that the old lady still seemed a little unconvinced, Lin Ruan could only use his ultimate move and said bluntly: "My cousin, the princess, also knows about this. She sent me to Jinling just for this. If you don't believe me, you have to believe my cousin, right?"

When the old lady heard that the princess also knew about this, her expression finally changed completely, and there was a bit of scrutiny and thought in her eyes.

"Does the princess know about this?" she asked slowly.

Lin Ruan quickly nodded in confirmation, "Grandfather, it's absolutely true. If it weren't for this, why would I have to sell that frozen stone ornament? Even if I really had no money left, what could I pawn from the treasury that wouldn't be worth more than that ornament?"

This is indeed the truth.

The old lady was silent for a long time before she slowly spoke, "Since the princess has made such arrangements, then I will do as you wish. However, if you do not take the imperial examinations diligently in Nanjing and bring disgrace to the Duke's Mansion, don't blame me for not forgiving you."

Although Lin Ruan was not afraid at all, she still agreed obediently, "Grandfather, your granddaughter will definitely live up to your expectations."

Although the old Duke's wife looks serious, she always talks a lot but does little when dealing with Lin Ruan.

Every time the original owner did something wrong, the punishment was either severe criticism for half a day or house arrest for ten days or half a month.

Therefore, Lin Ruan was not afraid of the old lady's threats, but instead felt a sense of intimacy and warmth.

"Only the two of us know about this matter of grandfather. We must not let mother and father know. The princess said that they are shallow-minded and cannot hide things." Lin Ruan whispered in the old lady's ear.

The old lady glared at her and feigned anger, saying, "Your Highness has been a well-mannered person since childhood. This statement must have come from a monkey like you. If you don't study hard, don't blame me for telling your mother about this. You can see whether she will punish you or not."

Although his tone was stern, his eyes revealed his doting and helplessness towards Lin Ruan.

Lin Ruan continued to joke and laugh for a while, and finally the old lady's expression softened completely. The old lady hugged Lin Ruan and called him "her sweetheart", saying "I knew that if you were like your grandmother, you would have a great future."

After spending some time with the old lady, Lin Ruan finally looked up and said, "Oh, Grandfather, the princess wants us to separate our two concubine aunts. Father only holds a fifth-rank official position, while our two concubine aunts have reached fourth and third ranks respectively. Their abilities have grown, and their hearts have become wild. The princess's words imply that our two concubine aunts are supporting other princes."

"Is this really true?" The old lady's face turned gloomy, and then she said, "Don't worry, Sister Ruan, I will have someone investigate the authenticity of this matter privately. If it is true, the tree has branches and branches, and your grandmother is gone, so let them take their families out of the house and go their own way."