My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

General Chu hesitated, his eyes filled with guilt as he looked at Wen Shuyao.

Wen Shuyao knew why he was silent—because the person General Chu had entrusted to take care of her was her maternal aunt, Madam Chen.

However, over the years, all the things that were entrusted to Chen to bring to him have been secretly kept by Chen.

She had heard this secret from Madam Chen in her previous life, but by then, General Chu and his wife had already died on the battlefield in the war against the Northern Barbarians, so even if she wanted to investigate, it would be pointless.

Wen Shuyao spoke today to remind General Chu.

Chen is a narrow-minded and selfish person. The fact that she has been able to remain indifferent to her situation in the Duke of Wen's mansion for the past ten years shows that she is no good.

It was because of Chen that the Chu family suffered a crushing defeat in the battle against the Northern Di, with no adult male from the Chu family surviving.

She didn't want to see such a scene again, and she didn't want to cherish her own family members because that fool Chen had ruined their lives.

General Chu's face was terribly gloomy. He gripped the reins tightly and used great self-control to suppress his anger.

"I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter."

When General Chu looked at Wen Shuyao, his expression softened again.

“Your mother was the youngest child of your maternal grandmother and me. We cherished her and raised her with love. She was our most beloved daughter,” General Chu said in a low voice. “No matter what mistakes she made, she was still our daughter.”

“And you are the continuation of her bloodline in this world, how could we abandon you?” He looked at Wen Shuyao solemnly. “Shuyao, we have not forgotten you, but we have a heavier burden on our shoulders, and we have to guard the border.”

“However, such a thing will never happen again.” He assured Wen Shuyao, “We will never let you suffer such injustice again. Tomorrow, when you enter the palace, I will ask His Majesty for permission to stay in the capital.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao's expression froze.

Her eyes were filled with surprise: "But you..."

No matter what, General Chu always puts the protection of his country first, but he said he wanted to stay in the capital.

"I'm getting old," General Chu said with a smile, waving his hand. "I can't afford to be stubborn anymore. Some things should be handed over to the younger generation."

Seeing that Wen Shuyao hesitated, he stopped talking and said, "Go home first, your grandmother is still waiting for you."

Wen Shuyao nodded, but her heart was still full of doubts.

However, General Chu did not say much about the matter and rode his horse to bring Wen Shuyao to the Chu family.

Compared to the Duke of Wen's mansion, the Chu family's mansion was closer to the capital and larger.

The Chu family owned a lake with flowing water, connected to the city moat, and even a racecourse. In the capital city, where land was incredibly valuable and powerful families were everywhere, owning such a residence was enough to demonstrate the Chu family's strength and their status in the emperor's eyes.

—This house was bestowed upon us by the emperor.

Upon arriving at the Chu family's residence, they were greeted by an elderly woman with white hair.

Upon seeing Wen Shuyao's face, which bore faint traces of familiarity, the old woman burst into tears as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Shuyao." With the help of the servants, she walked quickly to Wen Shuyao, grasped Wen Shuyao's wrists tightly, and looked her up and down several times.

Even in Wen Shuyao's memory, she had never met her maternal grandmother, Old Madam Chu.

But the moment she met the old woman's gaze, she seemed to have a telepathic connection and softly called out, "Grandmother."

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Chu's tears fell even more fiercely.

She kept nodding, but when she tried to say something, only choked sobs came out.

Upon seeing this, General Chu, who was standing nearby, hurriedly said, "Hurry inside. What will it look like if outsiders see you crying at the door?"

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Chu glared at him.

But soon, Old Madam Chu cheered up, took Wen Shuyao's hand, and led her step by step into the Chu family home.

When I arrived at the Chu family mansion in my previous life, all the men of the Chu family had died on the battlefield, and the family was on the verge of defeat.

At that time, the entire Chu family mansion seemed to be shrouded in a dark cloud, gray and desolate.

However, the Chu family is still a favorite of the emperor, and the servants in the mansion, from top to bottom, exude a high-spirited energy, just like General Chu.

When Wen Shuyao saw this, her eyes welled up with tears.

She still loved the Chu family as it was. She held Old Madam Chu's hand tightly and secretly made a vow in her heart.

This time, she is determined to protect the people she cherishes.

The servants of the Chu family were well-trained. Even though they saw Wen Shuyao's unfamiliar face, they quickly lowered their heads and dared not look at her any longer.

Only when the three generations of the family had walked far away did they dare to raise their heads and start talking to each other.

"This must be... Miss Wen!"

"Is she Miss's daughter?"

"Shh! How dare you mention those two words in the manor? You're asking for trouble!"

Since Chu Wanqing's passing, her existence has been a taboo in the Chu family.

No one dared to discuss it anymore, but the news of Wen Shuyao's arrival, along with these rumors, reached the ears of those who were interested.

"Wen Shuyao is here?"

"how is this possible?"

Upon hearing this news, the woman who was carefully applying her nail polish suddenly stood up, a look of extreme shock appearing on her well-maintained face.

Her face was extremely pale. She wanted to say something, but considering that there were other people around, she ultimately kept quiet.

"Go and ask around more."

The woman kept a stern face and exchanged a glance with her personal maid.

The maid understood and left with the messenger.

Inside the room, her invited sister-in-law waved her hand and said with a smile, "Mother and Father have been talking about her for so many years. Now that she has finally returned to the capital, we naturally have to invite her to stay for a while."

"You know better than anyone how much love your mother and father have given her over the years."

Upon hearing this, the woman smiled, but her heart sank.

The woman is none other than the matriarch of the Chu family's main branch—Madam Chen.

Just then, footsteps sounded again.

Chen looked towards the door instinctively, assuming it was just a maid returning.

But what I saw was someone else entirely.

Upon seeing this person, Li, the head of the second wife's household, who had been lazily lying on the step, stood up.

"Granny Yun, what brings you here?"

The person who came was Granny Yun, a trusted confidante of Old Madam Chu.

The fact that Granny Yun has personally come must mean something big.

Unaware of the details, Li asked with concern, "Has something happened?"

Granny Yun smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. However, since it's the young lady's first time visiting the manor, the old lady is worried that she's too old to talk to her properly, so she thought of inviting the two ladies over."

As she spoke, she glanced at Chen.

No matter how well Chen Shi cultivated her composure, in Granny Yun's eyes, it was still full of flaws.