Seeing Xu Lanyin's nervous expression, Princess Nanyang laughed and said, "Monkey, look how scared you are. I have always remembered your kindness. Otherwise, wouldn't I be as conscienceless as Chai Zhengguan and Old Shen?"

She shook her head, sighed deeply, and continued, "Our family has never had many children. I only gave birth to one son, Chai Rong. Chai Rong had many women, but only his wife gave birth to Jun'er and Jingjing. Jun'er's wife gave birth to a boy and then became infertile, and his other women never got pregnant. Little Shen did get pregnant, but I didn't want that evil woman's flesh, so I just beat her.

"Years ago, the Prince Consort asked me to adopt a girl from the second or third house to entertain him. I looked at a few and wasn't particularly satisfied, so I gave up the idea. Later, Qin Huiniang brought your mother back to the capital. I really liked the girl Yan... Oh, she's married now and has three children. I can't call her that anymore. I have to call her Qingyan. I like Qingyan. She's beautiful, gentle, and not accidental. But the Prince Consort disagreed, saying that Qin Huiniang's dowry was more than the entire second house's property, and adopting Qingyan would easily cause misunderstandings...

Twenty years have passed in a flash, and Qingyan gave birth to you, a little devil. And you and Xiaoge have so many connections. How rare! This is God's blessing. I thought back to my earlier thoughts and thought of adopting Qingyan as my daughter. That way, she would have the surname Chai and still be a daughter of the Chai family, but she would become the eldest daughter instead of the second daughter.

Xu Lanyin hadn't expected the princess to come up with such a brilliant idea; it undoubtedly solved many of Qin's problems. With this connection, Beiyang and Wang Yi didn't dare to go too far. She excitedly stood up, knelt before the princess, and kowtowed, saying, "Lanyin thanks Grandmother."

She was afraid that the eldest princess would change her mind, so she kowtowed and acknowledged her relationship with her.

The princess smiled and said, "Good child, get up." She then took her hand and said, "Qingyan's identity has not been made public. She is the adopted daughter of me and my husband. When her identity is made public, she will be officially adopted by me and my husband. There is a cause for every effect. Qingyan was able to escape to the countryside in the past, so she gave birth to a daughter like this. And you saved Xiao Ge'er, so that we can recognize each other this day."

She thought to herself that it was just a small gesture, but it could save Chai Qingyan's life and her family's future. This way, she could repay Xiao Ge'er's kindness and also repay Qin Hui Niang's kindness for giving her the Ruyu Shengji Cream. With the kindness she owed, her descendants should be safe...

Of course Xu Lanyin heard the eldest princess's thoughts again.

It turns out she felt that Chai Zixiao's misfortune might be due to her failure to fully fulfill her original promise, which coincidentally allowed Chai Qingyan's descendants to rescue Xiao Ge'er. She took this opportunity to repay her debt, thus restoring the safety of her descendants. Although her recognition and adoption were mixed with other factors, her kindness and help to their family were genuine.

Xu Lanyin thanked the eldest princess for her kindness and goodwill on behalf of her mother.

As the two were talking, Madam Chai came to pay her respects.

Her face was filled with worry and panic. Before dawn today, her trusted servant was arrested by the guards from the outer courtyard, who said it was on the orders of the Prince Consort.

She calculated that the eldest princess had finished breakfast, so she rushed over to greet her.

The princess pointed at Xu Lanyin and said, "This child is the girl Yin who saved Xiao'er. When Xiao'er was in their home, she was taken care of by her mother and her. I have already adopted her mother as my adopted daughter, so from now on, she will be my granddaughter."

Xu Lanyin kowtowed to Madam Chai again and called out, "Auntie."

Madam Chai had heard that Miss Xu, who had saved Xiao'er, was staying with the eldest princess. She hadn't expected the eldest princess to actually adopt her mother as her adopted daughter. Logically, since it was Miss Xu who had saved Xiao'er, and since she happened to be here, it made sense that she should adopt Miss Xu as her adopted daughter.

Madam Chai thought so, but she didn't show it on her face. She smiled and said, "Good children, thank you for saving Xiao'er. Since we are relatives from now on, you can stay in the mansion for a while. If you need anything, just tell your aunt directly."

As she spoke, she took off a golden hairpin with a phoenix-shaped pearl from her head and gave it to Xu Lanyin as a gift.

After a few words, Xu Lanyin realized that Madam Chai had something to say to the princess alone, so she made an excuse and left.

As she left the house, she saw a maid hurried in and report, "Princess, Madam, I heard that the constables from Jingzhao Prefecture went to the second house to arrest the second old lady. The second old lady had actually, actually hanged herself. When she was taken down, her body was already cold. The coroner said that it was Chou Zichu who hanged her..."

Xu Lanyin didn't listen any further and walked to the pond in the yard.

Thus ended Old Shen's sinful life. With her death, it seemed as if she had taken all of Chai Zhengguan's sins with her to another world...

She was staring at the koi in a daze when she heard a soft voice, "Are you Xu Lanyin?"

Xu Lanyin looked up and saw a girl standing in front of her. She was about fifteen or sixteen years old, bright and beautiful, dressed in gorgeous clothes, with a medium figure, and a condescending look in her eyes.

This must be Chai Jun's younger sister, Chai Jingjing. She was the only daughter in the Princess's household for four generations, and the entire family doted on her. It was said that she was also very favored by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, having been granted the title of Princess of Qingyang County at the age of five.

Xu Lanyin nodded and said with a smile, "You must be Miss Chai, right? I've heard of your name in Ningzhou Prefecture."

Chai Jingjing raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

Xu Lanyin added, "Miss Chai, one of the four beauties in the capital, is not only beautiful and a good chess player, but she also plays the flute very well."

Xu Lanyin's words undoubtedly delighted Chai Jingjing. She should have been so proud. She said, "It's spread so far. Thank you for saving my nephew. I'll remember your kindness." She looked Xu Lanyin up and down several times and said, "Although she's quite good-looking, she's not as good-looking as Xiao Ge'er said. However, she knows her weaknesses and plays to her strengths, presenting herself as a beautiful woman. She's both fresh and elegant, while also effectively concealing her petty airs. I'll go in and pay my respects to my grandmother and mother. We'll play chess later. I heard you're good at chess and that your teahouse is mainly dedicated to it. I've been wanting to meet you for a long time." With that, she stepped into the upper room.

She is a strong-willed girl. She is outgoing and has a strong sense of superiority. She is hostile to him, perhaps because of Chai Zixiao.

Being flamboyant and competitive is not scary. What gives Xu Lanyin the most trouble is girls who are mean and competitive, such as the third girl in the Zhou family.

Xu Lanyin still didn't follow in. She felt that something big had happened in the second branch of the Chai family, and since it involved Chai Zixiao, the family must have something to discuss. Whether her mother was adopted or a goddaughter, she was not considered an "inner" and it was not appropriate for her to get involved in their family affairs.