Granny Wang continued, "Miss, what the eldest mistress said makes a lot of sense. When we go to the Marquis's mansion next door tomorrow, we should cry when we need to cry, and make a scene when we need to make a scene. At this time, we must not care about saving face. Once we let those people know how powerful we are, they will have to think twice before trying to harm us again."

As Zheng Yuanyuan lay in bed, she was still thinking that she would definitely cause a scene at the Marquis's mansion next door the next day. However, the next day, after breakfast, when Xu Zhi took her and a pile of gifts to the old lady's courtyard next door, the old lady held Zheng Yuanyuan's hand and said earnestly, "Yuanyuan, when your uncle and aunt come later, cry to your uncle. We can't just let things go after being bullied. Your great-aunt knows that you're trying to keep things quiet to avoid making me angry, but you have to sort this out properly. We can ignore the trivial matters and not bother with others, but this matter is not a trivial one. Yuanyuan, if Lord Xu hadn't ridden over on horseback, their trap would have been complete. Would you have been in a better position then?"

Zheng Yuanyuan nodded repeatedly with tears in her eyes, while Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Grandma, with you here, how could we let people bully us like this? Come, come, look at the gifts that Boyuan and I prepared for you. These are all things we brought from Luzhou especially for you."

Xu Zhi just wanted to change the atmosphere in the room, but then the Marquis of Pingxi came over and saw a Zheng Yuanyuan with a wronged look on her face and an old lady with an unhappy look on her face.

Madam Zheng sighed inwardly. These were all such good children, yet her son insisted on giving them away for adoption. With the Pingxi Marquis's mansion lacking talent, how could it continue the glory of its ancestors? Madam Zheng felt that the future glory of the Zheng family would rest on the shoulders of these children.

Marquis Pingxi and Madam Chen arrived one after the other. In the past few days, Madam Chen had been throwing tantrums at Marquis Pingxi over Zheng Yunyun's marriage, even taking the matter to his study. Marquis Pingxi was thoroughly exasperated by Madam Chen. As Madam Chen grew older, Marquis Pingxi, who was fond of novelty, had lost interest in her. Furthermore, because Madam Chen had lowered her pride and made a scene over the marriage of their two children, the gentle and considerate Madam Chen of the past was gone. Marquis Pingxi even frequently stayed out overnight to avoid Madam Chen. He had a small estate in the suburbs where he kept several concubines.

He returned to the Marquis's residence because the year-end was approaching and there were many family matters to attend to, some of which required his personal attention. He had to suppress his impatience to return. The steward had already informed the Marquis of Pingxi that Xu Zhi and Zheng Yuanyuan were coming to visit their elders. The Marquis of Pingxi also wanted to inquire about the situation in Luzhou from Xu Zhi. Although the events in the palace that day hadn't spread much outside, the Marquis of Pingxi had gone to the palace that night to celebrate Emperor Liang Cheng's birthday, so he naturally knew about the palace coup. Unfortunately, Emperor Liang Cheng had anticipated it and used a clever plan to arrest Wang Xiuyuan and her son, who were plotting a rebellion. These days, people were secretly discussing the Emperor's punishment of the Wang family, but Emperor Liang Cheng hadn't made any move.

Marquis Pingxi and Marquis Yongning were quite close, as their families were related by marriage. He knew that Marquis Yongning had played a role in the palace coup. Thinking back to the garrison of Lüzhou that had defeated the Great Yan, which was led by his own son, Marquis Pingxi realized at this moment that giving his eldest son away as an adopted son might have been a mistake. But now, it was a done deal, and there was no use in regretting it.

When Marquis Pingxi entered, Xu Zhi and Zheng Yuanyuan quickly bowed. Marquis Pingxi asked the two to sit down and briefly inquired about the situation in Lüzhou from Xu Zhi. Before Xu Zhi could finish speaking, Madam Chen came over.

Madam Chen has been sleeping poorly these past few days and looks haggard. She has had several more meetings with the Seventh Prince's people, but unfortunately, her abilities are limited, and she has failed to accomplish any of the tasks arranged by the Seventh Prince. Zheng Yunyun's promise to become a concubine in the Seventh Prince's residence cannot be fulfilled. Madam Chen is now truly at her wits' end.