Chapter 739

Since Zheng wouldn't let him into the main house, he could only rest in the side room.

——

The two returned to their respective rooms, and a figure followed an inconspicuous shadow back to the South Courtyard.

Knowing that everything was alright in the North Courtyard, Shen Rang and Huo Zhao both breathed a sigh of relief.

By then, the late-night snack was ready, and Huo Zhao could finally eat in peace.

While eating, Huo Zhao didn't forget to ask, "Why do I feel that Mother and Grandmother don't get along?"

Logically speaking, while it's rare for a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in ordinary families to have a truly harmonious relationship, they would at least put on a good show for the sake of harmony. But in the Hou family, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are too lazy to even pretend.

Especially since Zheng's personality wasn't particularly strong to begin with, she was actually forced to this point.

Shen Rang shook his head.

His memory of this grandmother was actually very faint.

Le'an knew: "I heard the maids around Madam talk about it before. They said that when Madam first married into the family, the old lady arranged for the Marquis to have many concubines. At first, Madam was exhausted just dealing with those concubines. Later, after she finally managed to suppress the concubines, her own maid took advantage of Madam's inattention to the Marquis and rose to power. That maid was the former Concubine Chen."

Speaking of Consort Chen, Jixiang gritted her teeth in hatred: "When the young mistress gave birth, it was Consort Chen who instigated the Marquis to seal off the Marquis's mansion! If I hadn't reacted quickly and gone to the back gate, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to get a doctor!"

"By the way, speaking of the back gate, how is Granny Liu doing?"

Since returning to Luoyang, Huo Zhao has not seen Granny Liu and her daughter.

Le'an smiled and said, "She's doing great! She's no longer a slave and lives with Doukou. She can even help Doukou manage the shop. I went to see her last time, and Doukou said she wanted to find some time to pay her respects to the young mistress and meet her!"

Hearing that the mother and daughter were both well, Huo Zhao was relieved: "Then let's find some time to go out and see them."

Ji Xiang Le An nodded.

The topic returned to Madam Zheng: "Actually, our Madam is quite capable, but Aunt Chen has the support of the Old Madam. Madam was tired of fighting back and forth. At that time, she was pregnant with the Heir Apparent and knew that she could not fight Aunt Chen no matter what. So she could only watch helplessly as Aunt Chen became more powerful and put all her energy into protecting her pregnancy."

If Aunt Chen could use such methods against Huo Zhao, who knows how many more tricks she would use against Madam Zheng.

Thinking about it now, Huo Zhao is still a little scared.

The same applies to Shen Rang.

He only knew that his mother was the mistress of the Marquis's mansion, but he did not know that before he was born, Zheng had gone through such difficult times.

Le'an continued, "Anyway, this old lady was helping the Marquis take in concubines and supporting his concubines. Even if the madam had a good temper, she couldn't stand it. So after giving birth to the heir, she tried to get the old lady to go back."

Huo Zhao was surprised: "The old lady can be so obedient?"

“Of course not,” Le’an said. “I heard that back then, the lady had someone invite a Taoist master from the temple, who said that if the old lady stayed in Luoyang, she would be unlucky and everything would go wrong, and it would also implicate the Marquis’s family. That’s why the old lady was sent away! She was sent away for so many years. I never expected that the old lady would come back.”

In the end, Le'an couldn't help but shake his head.

Now that the old lady is back, it might not be so easy to send her away.

Seeing that Shen Rang's face was tense, Huo Zhao took his hand.

Meeting Huo Zhao's concerned gaze, Shen Rang shook his head and said, "Judging from Mother's current state, she doesn't want to pretend with Grandmother anymore. As for you, Grandmother can't easily control Mother, and she might take action against you. If I'm not around, you have to protect yourself."

After a pause, Shen Rang added, "The princess's status isn't just for show; it should be put to good use."