Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

Yongshou Palace

Su Qianrou walked into the hall and saw Qin Zhenzhen there as well. She thought to herself, "As expected, I knew it would be like this." Then, she walked to the front, bowed, and said, "This humble woman, Su Qianrou, greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

"It's been a long time since I've seen Princess Ping Le. She's become even more beautiful. No wonder the Regent likes her so much."

Su Qianrou did not refute, but went along with her words: "It is my good fortune to be favored by the Regent."

"The princess must be laughing in her sleep now, finally becoming the regent's wife," Qin Zhenzhen said sarcastically.

“What Princess Min said is true. After all, not everyone can become the Regent’s wife. Some people have been longing for it for years, but they still haven’t been able to achieve their wish.”

"you……".

"Alright, Princess Ping Le, please get up first, lest you say later that I've been mistreating you."

"Your Majesty is too kind. Everyone knows that Your Majesty is the most approachable person," she said, standing up.

"Please sit down."

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager," Su Qianrou said without ceremony, sitting down opposite Qin Zhenzhen and asking, "I wonder what business Your Majesty has with me in the palace?"

"I know that Princess Ping Le is exceptionally talented and beautiful, but I have never met her. Now that the Regent wants to marry you, we will be sisters-in-law. Therefore, I am inviting you to the palace for a chat. I hope Princess Ping Le will not mind."

"Your Majesty is too kind. It is my honor."

"I heard that the Regent had a big fight with the Empress Dowager yesterday because of Princess Ping Le. I was worried that the Regent would be unhappy if he found out that I had summoned you to the palace. Since Princess Ping Le doesn't mind, I'm relieved."

"Your Majesty is joking. The Prince is not an unreasonable person. Furthermore, there was no conflict between the Prince and the Empress Dowager yesterday, nor was there any talk of the Prince causing a scene for the sake of my daughter. It seems that it is just gossip in the palace. Your Majesty should not believe it."

"Is that so? Then it seems I have misunderstood."

"These palace servants dare to talk nonsense and deceive the Empress Dowager. Next time I enter the palace, I will definitely speak to the Empress Dowager and ask her to reorganize the harem to prevent the Empress Dowager from being deceived again," Su Qianrou said angrily. Anyone who didn't know better would think that she was really thinking of Qin Yulan.

Qin Yulan's expression was not good. She suppressed her anger and said, "There's no need to trouble Mother with such a trivial matter."

"Yes," Su Qianrou said, knowing when to stop.

However, Qin Yulan and Qin Zhenzhen did not intend to let her off the hook. The two of them joined forces to ridicule her. However, they underestimated Su Qianrou.

Su Qianrou not only retaliated against them all, but also did so without leaving a trace, leaving the two of them feeling extremely aggrieved.

Finally, Qin Yulan really didn't want to cause herself any more trouble, so she let Su Qianrou and Qin Zhenzhen leave together.

The two left Yongshou Palace and walked along the road.

Qin Zhenzhen said, "You really are lucky. You always manage to dodge it. I hope you will continue to be so lucky in the future."

"I take advantage of Princess Min's auspicious words."

"Don't get too cocky. I don't believe you can always escape danger."

Whether or not one can turn misfortune into good fortune depends on human effort.

Qin Zhenzhen didn't refute, which puzzled Su Qianrou. She saw Qin Zhenzhen standing there, looking into the distance. Following her gaze, she saw Mu Jinchen striding over.

"Greetings, Your Highness," Qin Zhenzhen said, knowing full well that the prince disliked her, but she couldn't help feeling happy upon seeing him.

However, Mu Jinchen ignored her and walked up to Su Qianrou, asking, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, why are you here?"

"I'm here to pick you up."

"I can go back by myself, you don't need to make a special trip."

"No problem, I happen to have some free time."

Qin Zhenzhen never knew he had this side to him. She couldn't help but think of his attitude towards her. Sure enough, love and lack of love were very obvious. Therefore, she couldn't help but clench her fists in jealousy. Even when her nails dug into her flesh, she didn't feel any pain. Perhaps it was not as painful as the pain in her heart, so she ignored it.

Then, Mu Jinchen said, "Let's go."

"Alright... Princess Min, then I'll take my leave now," she said, and left with Mu Jinchen.

Qin Zhenzhen looked at them, filled with anger and hatred, and thought to himself, "I will make you taste my pain too."

Youlan Courtyard

A few days later, thinking that she hadn't paid her respects for a long time, she decided to have a meal with Lin Rong. So, Su Qianrou put down the storybook in her hand and said, "Let's go to Meilan Courtyard and have a meal with my mother." After saying that, she got up and was about to walk out.

Chunzhu hurriedly said, "Miss, Madam hasn't returned yet."

Su Qianrou stopped and looked at her, asking, "My mother went out."

"Yes, Madam has returned to the Marquis's residence."

"The Marquis's residence? What are you going to the Marquis's residence for?"

“The concubine’s wife has been feeling unwell lately, so the lady has gone back to take care of her.”

"Has my mother been going back every day these past few days?"

"Yes, we went back before dawn and didn't return until dark."

Su Qianrou pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's go back and take a look," and went inside.

Chunzhu quickly followed.

Then, she arrived at the Marquis's residence and headed straight for the Rainforest Garden. However, she never expected that as soon as she reached the door, she would hear her grandmother causing trouble.

"Are you trying to scald me to death? Pour me another cup."

"Mother, this is the third cup already."

"How dare you say that? You can't even pour a cup of tea properly. I really don't know what use you are."

“Since Grandmother dislikes me so much, why does she make my mother come to serve me every day?” Su Qianrou walked in.

"It is only natural for a daughter-in-law to serve her mother-in-law."

“Grandmother is no mother-in-law at all; she is merely a stepmother. If we’re talking about mother-in-law, then it should be the old lady.”

"You...you unfilial son, I think you're just here to anger me. Get out, I don't want to see you."

"Grandmother, you're joking. How could I have come here to upset you? I heard that you were sick, so I came back to see you. But you don't look sick at all. After all, how can a sick person be like you, with a rosy complexion and full of energy?"

"This is a mental illness."

"I wonder what is troubling my grandmother. Tell me, and I'll see if I can cure her."

After thinking for a moment, the old lady, considering her status, decided it was feasible and said, "I want to move in with you. Go and tell your grandfather."

"Grandmother is probably getting senile, talking nonsense."

“You all eat and drink well outside, leaving me alone in this mansion to suffer. I think your consciences have been eaten by dogs. And your father too, he's a complete ingrate. I raised him all these years, and he has no filial piety at all.”

“I wonder what suffering my grandmother has endured. Tell me in detail so I can go and talk to my aunt and grandfather.”

“Go and talk to your grandfather and ask him to allow me to leave the mansion. There’s no need to say anything else.”

"How can this be? No matter what, Grandmother is also Grandfather's concubine. How can someone mistreat you and make you suffer? Of course, you must ask Grandfather for justice."

“I told you, no need. You just need to talk to your grandfather and ask him to agree to let me leave the mansion.”

"Grandmother, don't even think about it. Grandfather and the old lady are still alive, and as a concubine, it's impossible for you to leave the mansion and live with us."

“Why can you do it but I can’t? I am your father’s own mother. Since he is going out to build his own mansion, he should take me with him.”

“We were kicked out. If Grandmother wants to leave, it’s not impossible. We can ask Grandfather to sever ties with us and remove his name from the family genealogy. Then we can take Grandmother out of the mansion and live with us. Of course, there is another way, which is to ask Grandfather to divorce you.”

"You...you...you scoundrel!" The old lady was so angry that she picked up a silk pillow and threw it at her.