The old lady stared intently at Marquis Yongning. Marquis Yongning thought that in the end, he couldn't stop the old lady from finding out about this matter herself, so he simply told her the truth.

After hearing this, the old lady remained silent with a sullen face, and the atmosphere in the room was very heavy. Sweat gradually appeared on the forehead of the Marquis of Yongning. He wanted to take out a handkerchief to wipe it, but fearing the old lady's anger, he dared not move.

After a long silence, the old lady sneered twice and said, "If she knew that what she had given her life for was this world, I wonder if she would still be so happy."

This seemingly nonsensical statement puzzled the Marquis of Yongning. However, Granny Shen, who was standing beside him, turned pale and looked anxiously at the Old Madam. The Old Madam waved her hand and said, "Guizhi, you can go down first. The Marquis and I, mother and daughter, need to have a good talk."

Granny Shen didn't go far after leaving. Instead, she stood at the doorway. She had served the old lady since she was a child, and she knew her temperament very well. There was a place in the old lady's heart that no one else could touch, and that was her biological mother, the eldest princess.

The Great Liang Dynasty did not only have one eldest princess, the Grand Madam. After all, the emperor had many children, and the first daughter was the eldest princess of the dynasty. However, when it comes to the eldest princess of the Great Liang Dynasty, many people know that they are referring to the Grand Madam's mother, the eldest daughter of the founding emperor of the dynasty, and the elder sister of the second emperor.

Mentioning the Eldest Princess would provoke the Old Madam's temper, and she would say many outrageous things. Granny Shen couldn't trust anyone, so she felt more at ease standing guard at the door herself.

After Granny Shen left, the Marquis said softly, "His Majesty meant well. He mentioned it some time ago, saying he wanted to come and see you. He also said that the Eldest Princess made many contributions to the Great Liang back then."

Upon hearing Marquis Yongning's words, the Old Madam chuckled coldly and said, "Good intentions? What do you mean by good intentions? For the sake of their Xiao family's foundation, they not only have to work themselves to the bone and risk their lives, but they also have to drag our Shen family into this mess. I'm the only girl left in our Shen family. Is that what you call good intentions? I can't stand the Xiao family the most. Why do they have to come near me? Did I even invite them? They even said they dreamed of the Princess. The Princess passed away before he was even born. That's a ridiculous excuse."

The Marquis dared not speak. His mother had not been this angry in many years. He was afraid that when the Emperor came tomorrow, his mother's firm attitude would embarrass him.

The old lady remained stern and said to the Marquis, "I've lived for almost eighty years. What haven't I seen? The royal family is the most shameless of all."

Upon hearing this, the Marquis turned pale with fright and quickly cried out, "Mother!"

The old lady chuckled dismissively, saying, "I'm almost eighty, what's there to be afraid of? My lord, there are many things I don't want to talk about back then, and some things I can't say. I thought that since they were all people from the past, there was no need to bring up the past. But now I understand. Their children are children, but aren't our children children too? They love their own children, but don't I, as an elder, love my own children?"

Many things actually originated in the capital. Although Emperor Liang Cheng suppressed his several troublesome princes, he never resorted to drastic measures. Perhaps these were common tactics used by emperors. Using his own brothers as whetstones, the emperor's ruthlessness was cultivated through mutual slaughter.

The Marquis quickly said, "Mother, I know you love the children at home, but there are some things we should not say, lest others overhear and cause unnecessary trouble."

The old lady nodded and said, "Yes, there are more troubles, but where do these troubles come from? None of us know the answer. Over the years, we've just watched those good-for-nothings stir up these troubles."

The Marquis quickly stood up from his chair, took two steps to the kang (a heated brick bed), took the old lady's hand, and said anxiously, "Mother, I know you are upset, but it's best if we don't talk about these things. These are turbulent times, and it's better to avoid trouble."

The old lady stared at the Marquis for a long time before turning her head and saying, "Fine, I won't say anything, okay? You can arrange things as you see fit, Marquis. I'm old now, hard of hearing and eyesight, I can't see clearly. Don't worry, I won't say anything inappropriate in front of the Emperor tomorrow."

The Marquis was finally relieved. However, thinking about the situation in Yun'an County, he felt somewhat agitated. Not only was Chen Zhaoci present, but Xu Zhi and her brother, and even Chen Yuyuan, were probably there as well. The Marquis wished he could set off now to personally visit Yun'an County.

Seeing the Marquis's restless state, the old lady waved him away. After the Marquis left, Granny Shen approached the old lady and whispered, "Old lady, why did you say those things to the Marquis? You frightened him."

The old lady smiled nonchalantly, and after a long pause, said, "Guizhi, tell me, why should I keep those things to myself? No matter what, she is still my mother, the one who brought me into this world. Although I didn't spend much time with her, I respect her as a loyal and patriotic person, but..."

The old lady seemed to be thinking about something, and after a moment of silence, her eyes reddened.

Granny Shen quickly found her a handkerchief and said, "Madam, that happened so many years ago. There's no need for you to be sad anymore."

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