Jiayin didn't know how to respond, because talking about Lu Zong would inevitably lead to mentioning the Third Princess, and mentioning the Third Princess would lead to the Emperor and the Crown Prince, and mentioning the Emperor and the Crown Prince would lead to talking about the Northern Expeditionary Army...

There are just so many things to deal with!

She hesitated for a moment, then decided to start from the beginning.

When the Northern Expeditionary Army set out, the eldest and sixth brothers went to their posts and entered the palace to accompany the princess.

The military rations were destroyed, the imperial concubine poisoned the emperor, and the crown prince returned to the palace.

The Empress's death was kept secret; the ceremony to appoint the Crown Prince; the farce of choosing a concubine; the Third Princess's marriage...

Grandma Li and Tao Hongying were utterly dumbfounded when they heard this.

You should know that the letters from home to them always said that everything was going smoothly.

They knew that their family would only report good news and not bad, but they never expected that the "worry" would be so terrible!

Grandma Li was the first to grasp the key point and pressed on, "Fu Niu'er, when your second uncle wrote to your eldest uncle, did he tell him everything? He only kept it from me and your mother and the rest of the family, didn't he?"

Jiayin nodded and began to plead for her eldest and second uncles.

"Quanzhou is too far from Xindu. In fact, by the time the news reached you, quite some time had passed, and the problem had been completely resolved. Your uncles didn't want you to worry unnecessarily!"

"Moreover, most of the things we do are just bystanders in our family. There's no need for us to get involved, and we can't afford to get involved anyway."

"When I was in the palace, I spent most of my time eating, living, and playing with the princess, and I never dared to say a word more than necessary."

"I'll just do what I can to find out and tell my second uncle and Mr. Wen, so that my family won't be dragged into this without knowing the truth."

Grandma Li sighed, patted her granddaughter's back, and felt very sorry for her.

Don't be fooled by how lightly the granddaughter speaks; the palace has always been a dangerous place, known for its ruthless and ruthless nature.

The little granddaughter not only has to ensure her own safety and protect the third princess, but also gather information for the family. How could it be easy or effortless?

The children don't say anything because they're sensible, but we can't just believe them like that.

Tao Hongying, however, was not easily fooled. She changed the subject and asked, "Just now, while we were chatting in the kitchen, I mentioned Young Master Lu and Young Master Jia, and your sister-in-law's expression was off. Do they have something to do with our family? Or...did they offend you?"

Jiayin bit her lip, truly in a dilemma.

Tao Hongying knew her daughter's habits all too well, and immediately became anxious.

"Fu Niu'er, did they really offend you? How did they bully you, or did they make you suffer?"

Old Madam Li pressed, "What exactly happened? Didn't Young Master Lu and the Jia family's son get along very well with your elder brother? Is there some misunderstanding?"

What a mess!

Jiayin tried her best to suppress her complicated emotions and explained to her mother and grandmother little by little.

"After my elder brother left, Prince Lu and Young Master Jia took good care of me and our family, especially Prince Lu. Later, the Third Princess fell in love with Prince Lu, and the Emperor issued an edict to grant them a marriage. I was happy for them."

"Occasionally, I would accompany the Third Princess to meet with Prince Lu and exchange a few words. Or, when the family had ripe fruit to distribute to other households, I would also take Prince Lu with me."

"But as time went on, I suddenly realized that Prince Lu... had different feelings for me!"

Different thoughts?!

Old Mrs. Li and Tao Hongying's expressions immediately changed. Old Mrs. Li blurted out, "Is he crazy? Don't you know how old he is? How old are you?!"

"He's already accepted the arranged marriage, how dare he have designs on you? Does he think we're all dead? How dare he bully you like this!" Tao Hongying was furious. She turned around and grabbed a weapon, wishing she could chop Lu Zong into eight pieces right away.

Jiayin quickly stopped her mother and grandmother, reassuring them, "Don't be anxious, let me finish!"

Grandma Li and Tao Hongying grabbed her arms as if some demons or monsters were trying to grab her.

Jiayin was both amused and exasperated, but she continued speaking.

"I haven't seen him since I discovered his feelings. After all, it would be embarrassing if I guessed wrong."

"But later, the first batch of military rations was destroyed. Brother Mu's investigation revealed that there was a mole at the military camp dock, and that he also had a background with the Southwest Border Garrison Army."

"My second uncle and Mr. Wen tried every means to transport military rations to Jiangbei, but during the transport, they were intercepted and killed by unidentified men."

"Fortunately, Brother Mu was disguised as a guard in the group, and my father also led men to provide timely support, which prevented that group from succeeding."

"Brother Mu clearly heard a southwestern accent among that group of people, which almost certainly means that it was Prince Lu plotting behind the scenes, but there is no evidence."

"My second uncle and the Wen family also knew that Prince Lu was after me, so they never let him visit our door again. They should have also told my brothers to be more careful."

Jiayin felt a bit better after saying so much in one go, so she decided not to keep anything from her anymore.

She continued, "Later, the emperor arranged for Prince Lu and the Third Princess to marry. Prince Lu pretended to be sick, saying that he had injured his... middle leg and was afraid that he would be unable to have sex in the future, so the wedding was postponed."

The Third Princess often visited me. Once, she borrowed my carriage, which Prince Lu mistook for me coming to visit...

"The Third Princess saw through his intentions and was heartbroken, leading to an argument with me. Fortunately, we talked things out and didn't damage our relationship. But a few days after she returned to the palace, the Empress passed away. For the sake of the greater good, the Emperor chose to keep the news a secret..."

"In short, the Third Princess took the initiative to propose getting married as soon as possible. I think she's going to do something foolish, but I can't stop her."

Jiayin collapsed into her grandmother's arms, utterly exhausted. She whispered, "Grandma, I didn't do anything wrong, but I feel so guilty towards the Third Princess. I feel like I've let her down. And our family and the Northern Expeditionary Army, because of me, were framed by Prince Lu..."

"Silly girl! This has nothing to do with you. It's all other people's fault. Why are you blaming yourself?" Old Mrs. Li's tears flowed with heartache.

At that moment, she was incredibly grateful that she had managed to make it back.

Otherwise, who will the granddaughter talk to about these things? How painful it must be for her to keep them bottled up inside!

Tao Hongying was heartbroken and paced around on the ground. Finally, unable to contain her anger, she tapped her daughter's forehead and scolded her.

"Are you out of your mind? What does this have to do with you? What's there to be sad about?"

"That beast from the Lu family has been harboring these wicked thoughts for so long. If he had just openly proposed to us, whether we agreed or not, it wouldn't have been his fault."

"But he agreed to the arranged marriage, and he still has feelings for you. He deserves to be struck by lightning!"

"And the Third Princess, since she knows that the beasts of the Lu family don't like her, she still wants to marry into the family. She has already weighed the pros and cons and decided that marrying into the Lu family is the most advantageous thing for her! This is her own choice, what does it have to do with you!"

"Let alone princesses, even girls from ordinary families, how many of them get married because they love each other? Almost all of them marry because of social status and because they need to be well-fed and clothed."

"Look at other wives, they're threatening to kill themselves just because their husbands don't like them! But they still live their lives just fine, don't they? Why are you feeling sorry for them, why are you feeling guilty? Mind your own business!"

"Besides, the Northern Expeditionary Army is about to recover Jiangbei, a tremendous achievement. I wonder how many people are envious and are thinking of secretly tripping them up!"

"Does that mean everyone will stop just because that little beast from the Lu family doesn't make a move? Even if it's not him, there are still others!"

"Even if your father is a bit slow, with the Marquis around, even if that little beast from the Lu family is exhausted, the Northern Expeditionary Army won't lose a single hair!"

Jiayin was a little confused, but the pent-up frustration in her heart was like a balloon that was popped by her mother's scolding and beating.