The daughter of the first wife grew up in the countryside and was extremely powerful

"That's because I ate your bird's nest, Grandma. That's why my little mouth is as sweet as honey!"

Gu Fanchu was not polite to the old lady at all and just agreed with what she said.

As expected, when the old lady heard this, the smile on her face deepened a little.

"Alright, alright, stop standing outside and come inside with me. The scorching sun outside will surely turn my darling granddaughter into a little black cat."

As the old lady spoke, she took Gu Fanchu's hand and walked into the house together.

After entering the house, the old lady slowly walked to the chair and sat down, her eyes fixed on the cute and lovely girl in front of her, and a trace of melancholy welled up in her heart.

After a moment of silence, the old lady finally spoke slowly:

"Today, your aunt came to see me at home and told me some things that happened in the palace. Especially about the Empress... Chu'er, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

In fact, the old lady had never thought that her own Chu'er would be involved in such complicated palace affairs.

After all, the open and secret struggles among the princes have always been extremely fierce. If Chu'er really married His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, then the entire General's Mansion would probably be forced to take a clear stand in this power struggle and choose to support the Crown Prince.

If the prince can ascend the throne smoothly, then everything will be fine;

However, if the prince ultimately fails to sit on the supreme throne as he wishes...

Thinking of this, the old lady's heart tightened.

Gu Fanchu looked worried and asked his grandmother softly:

"Chu'er really doesn't know how to deal with this situation. Grandma, have you come up with any good ideas?"

At this moment, Gu Fanchu frowned slightly, and his beautiful eyes were full of worry. It was obvious that he really couldn't think of a proper plan for the time being.

Hearing her granddaughter's question, the old lady sighed slightly and said slowly:

"Grandmother, I do have an idea, but after careful consideration, I've decided it's not a good idea. Just today, Madam Xiao sent over many gifts... Grandmother, I think Madam Xiao must be very pleased with you. If you can find a marriage, the Empress will no longer be able to pressure you."

After saying that, the old lady sighed again, with a look of embarrassment on her face.

In fact, Gu Fanchu already understood what the old lady was thinking. Her grandmother wanted him to get married as soon as possible, so that she could use this as an excuse to reject the Queen's arrangement.

After all, once the engagement is made, even if the Queen has other ideas, it would be difficult for her to force the issue too much.

Speaking of this marriage, what the old lady was worried about was the Xiao family.

It is rumored that Lord Xiao has successfully requested that his only son be named the Crown Prince. In other words, if Gu Fanchu marries into the Xiao family, she will become the Crown Prince's wife.

This should have been something to be envied, but unfortunately, that Prince Xiao's health had always been poor...

Gu Fanchu couldn't help but frown slightly, thinking secretly in his heart.

In fact, this idea is a good one.

After all, for her, marrying someone is just a matter of weighing interests.

As for matters of the heart, that is a matter for later, so let’s leave it aside for now.

If both parties are attracted to each other, then it is not a bad idea to slowly develop feelings after marriage; if they are not attracted to each other, they can still get along by maintaining a respectful relationship.

"Grandma, how about you arrange a meeting for me with this Prince Xiao? I'll wait for your granddaughter to go and observe for a while, and then we can decide what to do."

The old lady knew in her heart that Gu Fanchu's move was a concession, and she was obviously unwilling to marry into the Eastern Palace and become the Crown Princess.

The old lady sighed softly, and finally agreed:

"Okay, Grandmother will send someone to deliver the letter. You can go and see him first. If you feel it's not suitable, we won't force it."

"Thank you, Grandma. Don't worry, Chu'er will never let herself suffer any injustice."

Gu Fanchu hurriedly spoke to comfort him.

At this time, Biluo had already walked in with a bowl of steaming bird's nest. Gu Fanchu took the bird's nest and tasted it in small mouthfuls. At the same time, he kept saying some witty and flattering words, which made the old lady laugh.

The grandfather and grandson chatted happily for a long time, and only after a long time did Gu Fanchu get up and say goodbye.

However, just as Gu Fanchu turned to leave, the old lady's face, which was originally full of smiles, suddenly turned gloomy.

The bright smile from before seemed to be blown away by a violent storm, and was replaced by a deep look of worry, like a haze covering the heart.

The nanny standing by saw all of this. She knew exactly what the old lady was thinking and quickly whispered to comfort her:

"Madam, there's no need to worry so much. Our young lady has always been very intelligent and clever. I'm sure she won't let herself be wronged in the slightest."

The old lady sighed lightly, shook her head slightly, and said slowly:

"Of course I know Chu'er has her share of cleverness, but this matter concerns her lifelong happiness after all! When I think of this, my heart feels like a huge stone weighing on it, so heavy... I really can't bear to see her sad and upset about this in the future..."

At this point, the old lady's eyes could not help but turn red and her voice trembled slightly.

As the matter was urgent, the old lady couldn't wait to send someone to deliver the message early the next morning.

Not long after, a letter came back, and Prince Xiao invited Gu Fanchu to come to the teahouse for a chat the next day.

In addition, in order to avoid attracting other people's attention and considering that Gu Fanchu might feel shy, he specially invited Master Gu Xunzhou to accompany him.

At the same time, in a secluded palace deep in the imperial palace, Shi Jinyan also received a mysterious invitation.

He sneaked into the palace without being seen and had a secret meeting with the prince.

When the two met, the eunuch who was waiting beside them hurried forward to fill their cups with fragrant tea, and then very tactfully retreated to a place not far away, standing quietly, always alert to prevent any strangers from suddenly breaking in and disturbing them.

"Prince, why are you coming to me in such a hurry?"

Shi Jinyan lowered his head slightly, his eyes falling on the exquisite teacup in his hand. He slowly lifted the cup, brought it to his lips, and took a sip of tea.

However, from beginning to end, he never raised his eyes to look at the person opposite him, and his face was expressionless, making it difficult to discern his true emotions.

Pei Qiyu, who was sitting beside him, looked solemn and spoke slowly:

"The woman who was previously banished to the cold palace is probably no longer able to hold on. However, she is quite clever and actually sent someone to tell me that she knows the truth about what happened back then."