The cannon fodder heiress trembled with fear after being recognized as a member of her family.

Ripples spread across the icy pool as the ice coffin gradually floated to the surface.

"Did you tell your grandmother what I told you the other day?"

A chilling question came from inside the ice coffin, pulling Luo Jingqian back to reality.

Fortunately, outsiders are not allowed to come here, otherwise they would probably be terrified if they saw this scene.

Luo Jingqian casually replied, "Oh, it was just something I mentioned unintentionally. It was my maternal grandmother who brought it up first."

“I didn’t mean to bring it up, but I think you did it on purpose. Your maternal grandmother left me to go to the estate, and her return date is uncertain.” Geng Rui seemed a little aggrieved, and continued, “Before, she only came over on the fifteenth of each month. This time, she finally got to stay for a longer period of time, and you still interfered.”

“Grandfather, my mother just got divorced and is in a bad mood, so it’s normal for my grandmother to be worried.”

Luo Jingqian quickly changed the subject, otherwise there would be no peace and quiet tonight, as there was no one in the villa who could keep his maternal grandfather in check.

A moment of silence fell. After a brief pause, Geng Rui said, "I know what happened to your mother. Once I'm better, I'll settle accounts with those who bullied her."

"No, my mother doesn't want to have any more entanglements with those people. Let it be. You should get better quickly and spend time with your grandmother. The court is in turmoil, and your grandmother is also having an uneasy time."

Princess Jinghe, as the regent princess, helped Emperor Chuyuan consolidate his throne. So many years have passed, the kindness remains but the people seem to have changed.

As the four princes grew up, they were about to face another round of competition.

“Those princes each have their own strengths. It’s best for your maternal grandmother to stay out of it and not get involved anymore. Once I’m better, she and I will move to the top of the right side to make room for you.”

Geng Rui's ramblings became increasingly nonsensical, and Luo Jingqian began to get a headache.

"That girl has sealed her five senses while cultivating there. If you're interested, you can cultivate in the other half of the cave. That dark energy in your body will cause trouble if you don't deal with it soon; it'll take even longer. And if anything dangerous happens, you'll be the one holding them back."

Luo Jingqian: "......"

Geng Rui did most of the talking, and they only parted ways when the moon was high in the sky.

Let's talk about the village at the foot of Qingshuang Mountain.

The eldest prince's courtyard in the imperial estate was still not peaceful. After learning that he had been betrothed, he was reprimanded by Emperor Chu Yuan in a secret decree. The eldest prince threw a tantrum and drank all day.

The second and third princes stayed together all night and did not return home.

The fourth prince has already returned to the palace.

Now, only two masters remain in the imperial estate: the eldest prince and Princess Wenmin.

The palace servants around the eldest prince were worried that something might happen to him, so they all came to Princess Wenmin and asked her to persuade him.

“Father needs a way to vent his unhappiness. If you people are really worried, you can just hide the wine. Father is an elder, how can I make decisions for him? Or... Granny Wang, you can go. You were Father's nanny when he was young, there's still some bond between you two.”

The young princess suddenly assigned someone, and the woman called Granny Wang was still standing there in a daze, thinking she had misheard.

It wasn't until she was supported by the palace servants around the eldest prince that she realized what had happened and burst into tears, crying, "Princess, this old servant will never dare to do it again!"

The other palace maids all bowed their heads and knelt down to beg for forgiveness, "Please forgive us, Your Highness. We were only able to commit such a foolish act because we were instigated by Miss Lin."

The kowtows continued uninterrupted.

The young princess merely glanced at them, avoided them, and returned to her room.

She's going back to the palace tomorrow; what do these people's lives or deaths have to do with her?

These people showed no regard for the bond between master and servant when they attacked her.

The young princess stuffed cotton balls into her ears and let the eldest prince beat and scold those people. She was unaffected and slept soundly.

The next day.

Before dawn, the young princess returned to the capital in a carriage, taking only the coachman and no palace servants with her.

When those people were about to help the young princess get up and dress, they discovered that she was gone.

The imperial estate was bustling with activity again until someone said that the young princess had returned to the capital, and they breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully she hadn't gone missing.

Before they could catch their breath, they realized that their master had abandoned them and left. What would they do now?

Remembering the Crown Prince's outburst last night, everyone had injuries of varying degrees, especially Granny Wang, whose face was swollen like a pig's head.

Now, some people regret that they should have served Princess Wenmin better back then and not been so perfunctory.

Throughout the journey, Princess Wenmin held her breath and went to the Empress's place after returning to the palace.

"Grandmother, you must do justice for me!"

Princess Wenmin is the only granddaughter of the emperor. Although she is not a grandson of the emperor, she is the only one of her generation and is deeply loved.

However, in the past two years, after the Crown Prince's wife passed away, the child stopped trying to get close to the Emperor and Empress and became much more distant.

"Wen Min is here! She's here to the Empress Dowager!"

The Empress glanced at it and then exchanged a look with the palace maid beside her.

After the palace servants left, the Empress helped the young princess up and noticed the different skin tones on her wrists when she looked down.

"This dress is so short, and no one below made any arrangements? I clearly bestowed plenty of fine fabrics, yet no one asked the palace maids in the embroidery workshop to take your measurements?"

The Empress immediately recognized that Princess Wenmin's dress was a style from two years ago, and even the fabric was from two years ago.

A short while later, the palace servant who had gone out returned and shook his head at the Empress.

"Wenmin, your grandmother asks you, why didn't any of your palace servants come in with you?" The Empress asked gently, glancing towards the screen.

The young princess hadn't noticed anything. After the Empress asked, she burst into tears, "Grandmother, those people bullied me, and Father didn't stand up for me! Waaah~"

The Empress wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and gently coaxed her, "Don't cry, tell your grandmother what happened."

The young princess recounted the events of that day as they fell into the water. Despite her young age, her speech was clear, and she recounted the events of that day in just a quarter of an hour.

Upon hearing this, the Empress cursed the eldest prince in her heart, saying he was a heartless scoundrel who treated his own flesh and blood this way.

"Wenmin, you may stay in the Empress Dowager's palace for now. Someone, take the princess to rest."

"Grandmother, Wenmin wants the palace maids who used to serve my mother, but my father refuses. I beg you—"

"Alright, Grandmother, I understand. I will send someone to handle it."

The Empress summoned her palace servants to take Princess Wenmin away.

Then, a corner of a bright yellow robe appeared behind the screen, and Emperor Chuyuan emerged from behind.

"This is the good son you praised so much before; he's just like this in private."

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty," Emperor Chu Yuan said before hurriedly leaving.

Two days later, two imperial edicts were issued, causing a great uproar.

The second and third princes from the imperial estate hurriedly returned to the capital.

The reason was simple: the two of them had been granted the title of king and were returning to the capital to receive their rewards.

As for the other two princes, the eldest prince was confined to his palace for a month, while the fourth prince was still laughing and joking around the emperor and empress, entertaining them with colorful clothes.