The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

The old lady knew what Shen was thinking, but she wasn't annoyed. "Our eleventh princess loves to join in the fun. Who knows, she might even go to the plum blossom viewing banquet at the Jiang residence."

"When Sixth Sister comes to serve the little princess, who wouldn't look up to our Marquis's mansion then?"

Madam Shen thought to herself, "They're just overestimating Sixth Sister, trying to glorify the Marquis's mansion."

But then Madam Shen's eyes lit up, and she had an idea. "Wouldn't it be even better if the Eleventh Princess went? Sixth Girl can just follow the Eleventh Princess; she'll surely be welcomed as an honored guest by the Jiang family!"

We did as Mother said. That day, I took my fourth, fifth, and seventh daughters with me, and Rong-jie took her second, third, and eighth daughters with her.

Sixth Miss will go and follow our esteemed little princess, and all the maids in the manor will be taken along—perfect!

Ignoring the old lady's gloomy face, Madam Shen flattered her as she left, "Mother's arrangements are truly excellent. I've never eaten as much rice as you've eaten salt. Your arrangements are simply too perfect."

"I'm going to Qingwu Courtyard right now to discuss this with my niece."

Ever since Madam Shen discovered that the old lady favored Marquis He and Concubine Shui, she had only shown superficial respect for the old lady.

No amount of respect was given.

Qingwuyuan

Hua Sirong was in an unusually good mood when she found out that her aunt had come to see her today.

She didn't ask why; a good mood always made things more harmonious between them.

Madam Shen looked Hua Sirong over for a while and then asked with concern, "I heard you've been taking medicine these past few days. Are you still able to attend the plum blossom viewing banquet at the Jiang residence?"

Of course, in the eyes of Madam Shen and the old lady, Hua Sirong would never refuse such an opportunity to show her face in front of the noble ladies of the capital, unless she was too sick to get up.

She only asked the question because she thought Hua Sirong seemed to be in good spirits, and it was just a polite remark.

Hua Sirong coughed twice, covering her mouth with her handkerchief. "I feel much better these past two days. After resting for a couple more days, I definitely won't be late for the plum blossom viewing banquet at the Jiang residence."

Hua Sirong initially thought that Madam Shen was going to take the invitation from her and give it to the other young ladies in the mansion.

After all, the Marquis's residence had only received two invitations in total. If Hua Sirong herself did not go, the number of people in the residence would be just enough.

A matriarch brought seven girls with him.

To prevent Shen from blocking her chance to go to the Jiang residence, Hua Sirong directly stated her decision to attend the banquet.

Madam Shen nodded and smiled, "That's good. I'll have to trouble you to bring along the second, third, and eighth young ladies of the household."

Hua Sirong quickly realized that this was a deliberate omission of the Sixth Sister.

However, as long as it doesn't affect her personally, she's happy to do a favor. "Okay, I'll stay with my aunt that day."

Upon hearing this, Madam Shen laughed heartily, "Alright, I'll have someone send you your banquet attire tomorrow. If anything is amiss, you can have the seamstress alter it in advance."

Hua Sirong stood up and bowed, "Thank you for your concern, Aunt."

After Shen left Qingwu Courtyard, she went to see the Seventh Miss.

On the surface, He Zhizhu followed Granny Li to learn the manners of aristocratic families, but secretly she asked Granny Li to teach her how to deal with the monsters and demons in the palace.

At first, Granny Li was puzzled, but it was only after Madam Shen subtly reminded her that Granny Li realized that they were intentionally sending the Seventh Miss to the palace.

Granny Li originally intended to leave the palace to live a life of luxury, thinking that by following the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's mansion, she could simply enjoy a life of ease.

Little did they know, the legitimate daughter harbored great ambitions.

However, having seen all sorts of people in the palace, Granny Li adapted well and began to diligently teach the Seventh Miss.

When Madam Shen entered the room, Granny Li was telling He Zhizhu a story about how a concubine who had fallen out of favor in the Cold Palace made a comeback.

When He Zhizhu saw her mother arrive, Granny Li discreetly stepped aside.

Madam Shen held He Zhizhu's hand and said, "My son has lost a lot of weight, is it because he's been studying too hard?"

He Zhizhu didn't want to tell the truth. She was frightened by the scheming and intrigue that Li Mama had told her. She often had nightmares at night, and she also had tragic memories of her past life. The combination of these two factors made her look particularly haggard.

"If you suffer now, you can enjoy happiness later."

I think you've lost some weight. But it's almost Chinese New Year, so it's a good time to eat whatever you want.

Thinking about how He Zhizhu would touch her rounder belly and act coquettishly every year after the New Year, Shen found it amusing to think of a child clamoring to lose weight.

Hearing He Zhizhu say this now, they didn't have too many doubts.

"Zhuzhu has grown up and understands the principle of 'no pain, no gain'."

As parents, we wish we could suffer all the hardships for you, so you could live a life of luxury.

Moved, He Zhizhu stepped forward and hugged Madam Shen, saying, "I know my mother loves me."

Then, she changed the subject, "I heard that my cousin accepted an invitation from the Jiang family, is that true?"

Shen, without suspecting anything, pointed out that she had come from Qingwu Courtyard.

He Zhizhu let go of Shen Shi's hand and paced anxiously around the room. "Mother, don't you know what my brother and I are planning?"

Why did you agree to let my cousin attend the banquet at the Jiang residence?

"Isn't my cousin very sick in the winter? Isn't she afraid of going out and passing on her illness to others?"

Even if she recovers completely, her health is still poor. Going out to a banquet in the cold would be terrible; catching a cold would be another ordeal.

"Why didn't Mother persuade my cousin more?" He Zhizhu couldn't help but complain.

At first, Madam Shen was very happy to see that her daughter had made progress under the guidance of Granny Li.

Only then did she realize, "Zhuzhu, you're still worried that Rongjie will block your way, aren't you?"

He Zhizhu nodded without hesitation, "Yes, I'm just afraid that the position I worked so hard to secure will suddenly become a stepping stone for my cousin."

Seeing He Zhizhu's ferocious expression and pained eyes, Shen couldn't help but shed tears.

This child was raised to be innocent and adorable in her past life, but later suffered so much hardship.

Although she has the chance to start over in this life, upon closer reflection, she is still just a child, yet she has to shoulder the responsibility of the family's rise and fall.

To be honest, it was her, as the mother, who had let her down. She should have clearly told Zhuzhu her stance on Hua Sirong.

"Zhuzhu, remember this: no matter what, your brother and I will always be on your side."

He Zhizhu clearly didn't believe it. "Really? Then why didn't you stop my cousin from going to the banquet?"

What if the Second Prince also goes to the Jiang residence that day?

What if the two of them meet beforehand and start hooking up?

Although I misled my cousin in front of her, making her believe that the person who finally ascended the throne in her previous life was not the second prince.

But what if? What if?

He Zhizhu dared not even think about it; she was afraid that all her efforts would be in vain once again.

Shen had only heard He Zhizhu recount some things from her past life, but she could not empathize with her or understand the source of He Zhizhu's fear.