Princess Menglang is hard to change, the whole capital is embarrassed for her

"Old General? My father?" Fang Yao asked doubtfully, "Did he go to visit my father?"

Zhu Yi nodded. "Yes, he asked where the cousin was when he arrived. After finding the cousin, the two of them went to the old general. I saw that he was very kind to the cousin, and the old general must have noticed it too. I dare not do anything to him. What if I become the cousin-in-law of the general's mansion in the future? I will have to please him."

Fang Yao glared at him, "What nonsense are you talking about? What son-in-law? He doesn't deserve it."

After saying that, he turned around angrily. He wanted to ask his father what he meant and why he treated that kid so specially. Didn’t he say that he would not participate in the struggles in the court and would only serve the emperor wholeheartedly?

Arriving at his parents' yard, Fang Yao straightened his clothes, dusted himself off, and walked in at a slow pace.

Old Master Fang was sitting with the old lady drinking tea. The expressions on their faces were complicated, half looking angry, and half looking relieved.

Upon seeing Fang Yao, the old man pointed to the chair below and said to him, "I just happened to have something to talk to you about. Please sit down and talk slowly."

Fang Yao sat down and looked at his parents.

Then the old master said, "You've been busy with the emperor's affairs these days, so your family didn't tell you to avoid causing trouble. Two days ago, your mother heard from the maids that people outside were saying that Shen Zhaojiang's second wife, Zhao, was arranging to betroth Li'er to a Dali Temple official whose first wife had died..."

Fangyan narrowed his eyes.

Dali Temple Cheng?

Shen Zhaojiang is itching for trouble again from this sinecure of the sixth rank, right?

"Your mother didn't tell anyone about it. I went out yesterday and found out what happened. That Zhao family spread rumors that the Fang family was going to be in trouble. If the Fang family was in trouble, Shen Li would have no one to support her, and the marriage would naturally have to be handled by her parents. It is said that the Dali Temple Minister had a violent temper, and his original wife committed suicide because she could not bear the beatings."

"I didn't expect that Zhao Shi, who had suffered so much at Li'er's hands, wouldn't give up. Now that she doesn't dare to use force against Li'er openly, she's actually using these empty tricks to plot against her. Your mother and I think that instead of constantly being on her mind, it would be better to choose a husband for Li'er early. We were just thinking about this when the eldest prince asked Li'er to lead the way to visit him. We noticed that the eldest prince seemed to be interested in Li'er. What do you think we should do about this?"

Fang Yao reached into his sleeve and pulled out a letter. He placed it on the table next to his father and said, "This is the letter that Zhao placed with the dowry for Duke Chongguo. Duke Chongguo was afraid that the letter might be wrong after so long, so he took advantage of this opportunity to have someone switch it. I kept the letter while he was interrogating the person. Father, take a look."

The old man picked up the letter and looked at him in surprise, "Is the Zhao family helping Duke Chongguo to slander you?"

Fang Yao said, "Yes, Li'er accidentally learned about this and sent someone to inform you. In fact, my son asked Lan to take the letter and give it to the Second Madam of the Shen Mansion. The letter in your hand was copied by my son."

The old lady had been sitting nearby without saying anything. Upon hearing this, she couldn't help but ask, "Why is there something about the Second Madam of the Shen Mansion involved here?"

Fang Yao said, "Mother knows that these bottles and jars were my sister's dowry, and that they were paid for by the old lady of the Shen family and the Second Madam Shen. Zhao hid the letter colluding with the enemy in them to frame us. Whether it succeeds or not, the Second Madam Shen can't escape responsibility. They are sisters-in-law who don't get along, and she wants to kill two birds with one stone."

"What will the Second Madam say when she learns of this?"

"Second Madam Shen took advantage of the Shen Mansion's banquet to secretly hide the letter under the Second Prince's carriage."

"Ah?" The old lady was so frightened when she heard this that she stood up and covered her chest with her hands. "Is this appropriate? She is so brave."

"What's inappropriate about that?" the old man slammed the letter down on the table after reading it, his face darkening. "Look at this letter. Duke Chongguo wants to destroy my family and bring us to ruin. There's no name on it anyway, so whoever gets the letter is a spy collaborating with the enemy. The Second Prince is his grandson, so what's inappropriate about putting it in his grandson's hands? Whoever commits the evil will have their descendants suffer the consequences. It's only natural."

The old lady slowly sat down on the table, her heart pounding. She asked worriedly, "The Zhao family actually helped Duke Chongguo to frame us. What did they say?"

"What else can I say? Isn't it because she didn't get any advantage from Li'er, and neither did her children, that she's extremely resentful?" The old man said disdainfully, "She also thinks Li'er only has the confidence because of our Fang family as her backer. Furthermore, after our daughter died, she occupied the tablet of the Shen family's legitimate wife. Naturally, she wants to cut off the source of the problem. She won't stop confronting Li'er and instead directly kill us all. Then, won't Li'er's life be miserable too?"

These words made not only the old lady, but even the waiting Nanny Gao was furious. She said bitterly, "How could the old prime minister have such a daughter? It really ruined his good reputation."

Fang Yao stepped forward, put the letter away, and put it in his sleeve pocket. He said to his parents, "Regarding the eldest prince's desire for Li'er, I remember that you said that all daughters of the Fang family should stay away from the royal family. We can't break the rules and let her marry into the royal family just because someone like Zhao is plotting against Li'er's marriage, can we?"

The old master and the old lady were both silent. After a while, the old master said, "Originally, we had no connection with the royal family, but that was when our Fang family had never been involved with any faction. Since Li'er came back, her status as the eldest daughter of the Shen family has been attributed to the Second Prince's faction because of Shen Zhaojiang. But our family has always been on good terms with the Chu family and at odds with the Queen and the Yao family. Naturally, it is impossible for us to help the Second Prince."

"At this time, if we want to draw a clear line, we must choose a family that can compete with the Yao family and the Second Prince. Think about it, who else in the world could it be besides the Chu family? Your mother and I were originally worried that the First Prince would be incompetent and that Li'er would be wronged, but guess what? Qiluo Qili, the one you sent to Li'er, came over specifically to say that the First Prince's true self is completely different from what he appears to be, and that his reputation outside is all fake."

"If that's the case, I guess he wants to paralyze everyone and make them ignore him so that he can quietly do his own big things. If that's the case, I really dare to marry Li'er to him. After all, he is not the straw bag we think he is. After all, he is the son of Queen Chu and worthy of the blood of the Chu family."

"In today's situation, it's impossible for the Fang family to remain unscathed. Since we have to intervene, let's choose the one who is most willing to help and the one who deserves our help. The eldest prince is the best candidate. As a father, let's choose him."

After hearing what the old man said, Fang Yao rubbed his forehead and thought hard, but he couldn't imagine Xiao Chenze's calm and cold appearance.

Is this guy's carefree and domineering demeanor just an act? Is that true?

He stood up and touched the letter in his sleeve pocket. "Let me think about this matter carefully. I will also observe whether he is really capable. It is not too late to make a decision later. Now I have to go to the Prime Minister's Mansion. His daughter was involved in the murder of my general's mansion. He must give us an explanation for this matter. Parents, please rest for a while. I will be on my way."

The old man nodded and said slowly, "Go ahead, we have to look for him. He has two daughters. One daughter harmed Li'er, and the other daughter also harmed Li'er. He, as a father, can't teach his daughters well, so we, the Fang family, will teach them for him!"