Consort Zhuang doesn't want palace intrigue; she just wants to raise her child and live a caref

Su Nuannuan was in Cuiwei Palace, directing a group of palace servants to work busily.

They were preparing to dry gourd strips, and a relaxed atmosphere permeated the entire palace.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion presented a completely different scene. It was bustling with activity, but this liveliness was different from what it used to be.

Inside the main hall of the mansion, people sat on chairs on both sides, their faces solemn, as if they were discussing something extremely important.

At this moment, the second elder of the clan slowly spoke up: "Lord Duke, the Su family is sending a young lady into the palace this time. This will only benefit Consort Zhuang and will absolutely not cause any harm." He looked earnestly at the Duke of Zhenguo sitting in the main seat.

However, the Duke of Zhenguo abruptly waved his hand, interrupting the two elders, and said sternly, "Second Grandfather, it's useless for you to say anything more now. In short, I will absolutely not agree to this matter. If you insist on sending that girl to the palace, then my branch will have no choice but to leave the clan. In the future, whether you enjoy wealth and honor or fall into poverty, it will have nothing to do with me."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a sarcastic male voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Lord Duke, you can't be so selfish, only thinking about your own promotion and wealth. Are you going to block the path of our clansmen to pursue fame and fortune?"

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Zhenguo's face grew even more gloomy. He abruptly stood up, his eyes wide with anger, and pointed at the speaker, roaring, "I have already made it clear that I will request to leave the clan. As for what you want to do, that's up to you. But stop spouting nonsense here. When has I ever hindered your path to promotion and wealth?" For a moment, the hall fell silent. Everyone looked at each other, unsure how to deal with the situation.

The clansmen's words were like a fire, instantly igniting the long-suppressed anger in the Duke of Zhenguo's heart. He was so angry that even his tone of voice changed. He had originally referred to himself as "I," but now he angrily changed his words to "This Duke of Zhenguo..." This was enough to show the extent of his anger at this moment.

Su Heng stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief, and loudly questioned, "Are you planning to rely on my younger sister to help your daughter win the emperor's favor?"

The Su family members' expressions changed drastically, clearly having been hit where it hurt by Su Heng's words. In fact, this was exactly what they were planning.

If they wanted their daughter to quickly gain the Emperor's favor, it would be virtually impossible without Consort Zhuang's help. However, no matter how hard they racked their brains and schemed, they never expected that the Duke would resolutely oppose their plan.

The Duke and the young Marquis Su Heng exchanged a glance, both inwardly letting out a cold snort. They felt utterly disgusted by the ugly faces of these clansmen.

At this moment, one of the clansmen, forcing himself to speak, said, "Lord Duke, have you considered Consort Zhuang in the palace when you acted this way?"

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Zhenguo's face darkened, and he coldly replied, "Hmph! This is a decree personally issued by Consort Zhuang. If the Su family insists on sending another woman into the palace, then I, the Duke, will have no choice but to request to leave the clan. This is because the Consort has no need for anyone else to help her consolidate her favor!"

"Hmph, my sister is naturally beautiful and gentle. Now that she has princes and princesses by her side, why would she need to rely on others to consolidate her favor?" The voice was cold and majestic, echoing in everyone's ears with an unquestionable aura.

The Duke looked at the elders and clansmen present with a gloomy expression, his eyes filled with impatience and anger.

He abruptly waved his hand and shouted, "Enough! That's enough for today. From this moment on, I, the Duke, have decided to relinquish the position of clan chief of the Su clan. From now on, you can decide for yourselves who will take over the position!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire hall erupted in uproar. The clan elders exchanged bewildered glances, their faces showing astonishment. However, the Duke gave them no chance to argue, and then announced loudly, "Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), we will meet at the Su Clan Ancestral Hall. At that time, I, the Duke, will personally bring out the ancestral tablets of my lineage and select a new site to build a new ancestral hall for their worship." With that, he ignored the dumbfounded clansmen and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Su Heng's lips curled up slightly, revealing a disdainful smile. He also extended his right hand to the elders without any politeness, making a "please" gesture, and said coldly, "Everyone, please! Don't waste any more time here."

The Duke strode away without looking back, leaving only a resolute silhouette. Clearly, after this argument, he understood that any kind words would be futile with these stubborn clansmen; only a forceful approach could resolve the problem.

Meanwhile, Su Nuannuan in the palace was completely unaware of this series of changes. At that moment, she was excitedly directing Li Quan to cut gourd strips.

"Your Majesty, look! It's finally done! It's done!" Li Quanshou shouted excitedly as he looked at the thin gourd strips that had been cut.

Suddenly, with a slight cracking sound, the slender gourd strip broke without warning! This unexpected situation startled everyone present.

"Uh..." Li Quan stared awkwardly at the broken gourd strip in his hand, not knowing how to deal with this embarrassing situation. His lips opened and closed slightly, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing this, Su Nuannuan smiled gently and comforted him softly, "It's okay. After all, this is your first time trying to peel gourd strips. It's normal to have no experience." Her gaze fell on Li Quanmian's flushed face, her eyes full of understanding and encouragement.

Then, Su Nuannuan turned to the palace servants who were watching the commotion and smiled as she instructed them, "You lot shouldn't just stand around watching. Once Li Quan has finished shaving these gourd strips, you need to quickly hang them on the rack over there to dry. Whether we can eat these gourd strips in winter depends on you."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" everyone responded in unison, their faces beaming with smiles. This was one of the advantages of working in Cuiwei Palace: as long as you completed your tasks on time, you had complete freedom to use the rest of your time. Moreover, unless you did something too outrageous or committed a serious mistake, your mistress, Su Nuannuan, always turned a blind eye and wouldn't be overly critical.

"Your Highness, the Duke is opening the ancestral hall tomorrow and has requested to leave the clan." Jinse carefully leaned close to Su Nuannuan's ear and whispered this startling news. Her voice was extremely low, as if she was afraid of being overheard.

"How did this message get in?"