Chapter 231 What are you doing!

The Grand Princess, however, thought differently.

Zhou Zhining is a child of the Wang family, how could she worship the ancestors of the Duke's mansion?

Moreover, Zhou Zhining was a government slave and didn't even qualify to be a concubine.

Her child has no right to step into the Duke's mansion.

The Grand Princess felt nauseous and wanted to vomit whenever she thought about Zhou Zhining's child calling her "Grandma".

"The most hateful one is Zhou Zhining. Is she going to ruin my son's life?" The Grand Princess gritted her teeth. "The Prince of Xin and the Tao family are protecting her. Otherwise, she would have died long ago."

Prince Xin is her nephew, and as a member of the royal family, he calls her aunt; although the Tao family is not as prominent as it used to be, it is still a Duke's mansion.

With these two forces joining forces, the Grand Princess could only force Zhou Zhining to reveal herself from behind the scenes, but she was unable to take her life.

Previously, the Grand Princess had considered that Yao Qingling was merely a tool she had used to lure Zhan Xingzhuo into staying in the Duke's mansion. Since Yao Qingling insisted on leaving, then so be it. With Zhan Xingzhuo's qualities, finding him an even better wife wouldn't be difficult.

However, after observing for more than half a year, the Grand Princess thought it over and over and decided that Yao Qingling was the best choice.

If it were any other woman, she really wouldn't be able to beat Zhou Zhining.

The Grand Princess shook her head: "No. Don't be fooled by Xing Zhuo's infatuation with Zhou Zhining. Just think of that maid named Hongying, her eyes; and also, on the first night Xing Zhuo returned to the capital, he went to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence instead of returning to his new residence. That shows that Xing Zhuo has feelings for Yao Qingling."

"No one knows a son better than his mother. Xingzhuo just hasn't figured out which woman is more important to him. Zhou Zhining is good at bewitching people, and Xingzhuo can't let go of that past incident, so he thinks that Zhou Zhining is more important to him."

Rong Mama lowered her head slightly and took a step back: "What the princess says is true. This old servant does not see as far as the princess does."

The Grand Princess suddenly sighed deeply: "What's the use of my far-sightedness? Xingzhuo always considers Yao Qingling to be one of my people. No matter how much he likes her, he still harbors prejudice and arrogance towards her, and he's prickly towards her. Do you think they can reconcile like this?"

"What I'm worried about now is that Xingzhuo thinks he's done something worthwhile and wants to overturn the Zhou family's case. In doing so, he'll ruin his own future."

The Zhou family's power has waned, and their remaining interests have long been divided up. Zhan Xingzhuo's single-minded efforts to overturn the Zhou family's case will inevitably offend some people.

No matter how powerful the Duke's mansion is, it can't just care about the second son and ignore the eldest son, can it?

With the position of heir apparent already secured, the Grand Princess had gone to great lengths for Zhan Xingzhuo, wanting to make amends to him, but she couldn't simply ignore the interests of the Duke's mansion.

Both are my children, it's so hard...

She seemed exhausted, sitting slumped over, her eyes vacant and blank as she stared ahead, muttering to herself, "Actually, I can understand Xing Zhuo's obsession with Zhou Zhining..."

It wasn't just the bond they had since their youth, but also the fact that Zhou Zhining had protected him during those humiliating days.

It was because of this that Zhou Zhining was able to bind Zhan Xingzhuo with their past relationship.

However, understanding does not mean giving in.

Zhou Zhining is too scheming. She doesn't truly love Zhan Xingzhuo; she's mostly using him.

If Zhan Xingzhuo hadn't been the second son of the Duke's mansion, and if he hadn't been her son from Deyang, would she have paid any attention to him back then?

Absolutely not!

Zhan Xingzhuo was too sentimental, which is why he was blinded without realizing it.

Granny Jia said, "Then how can we make the Second Master see Zhou Zhining's true colors?"

Granny Rong said, "I heard that Young Master Tao is very attentive to Zhou Zhining, searching everywhere for rare and interesting things to please her. Such a woman is clearly fickle. Second Master even thought that Young Master Tao was taking such good care of her because of his instructions."

"Second Master is too naive. Otherwise, this old servant would have just explained it to him directly, saying that Zhou Zhining had been flirting with several men while he was away from the capital. We would have set a trap and made him see it for himself."

Princess Deyang's eyes twitched slightly; that was indeed feasible.

Didn't Zhan Xingzhuo think that Zhou Zhining couldn't live without him?

Granny Jia had some concerns: "I'm afraid that this will only make Zhou Zhining seem more sought-after, and the Second Master will cherish her even more."

Princess Deyang slowly shook her head: "No, Xingzhuo hates being betrayed the most, and he is just a backup. Rong Mama, go and do it."

If Zhan Xingzhuo were to see Zhou Zhining's true colors now, his feelings for her would be clouded, and he would miss the days he spent with Yao Qingling even more.

...

Ever since Yao Qingling was the first person Zhan Xingzhuo visited upon returning to the capital, her thoughts have been entirely focused on Zhan Xingzhuo.

Doesn't Zhan Xingzhuo think that Yao Qingling can't let go of him because she gave birth to his son?

She found her an old prince and made her his second wife.

But then, a fake medicine scandal broke out in the palace, and everyone was on edge.

Zhou Zhining is no exception.

Jin Mantang was not clean, yet she was able to speak with the Tang King and casually mention to him that Yao Qingling should become his concubine. She had established this connection by presenting several tributes.

She dared not tell anyone, neither Prince Xin nor Zhan Xingzhuo.

Especially Prince Xin.

Zhou Zhining has been so nervous these past few days that she's been completely distracted.

He couldn't care less about Yao Qingling anymore.

Tao Weixian came to see Zhou Zhining. Seeing her in a daze, he bent down slightly and blew a breath on her face.

Zhou Zhining's face was covered in the smell of alcohol. When she came to her senses, she frowned but didn't say anything.

"What's wrong? Something on your mind?" Tao Weixian sat down in the chair next to her. "Brother Xingzhuo is back, and you're still thinking about him? I think you need to eat him up before you can be completely at ease."

His tone was somewhat sarcastic.

He gave her so many treasures, but they only managed to make her smile. Just when she was starting to take the bait, she heard that Zhan Xingzhuo was coming back. So she gave up living in the beautiful Hengwu Villa and went to the new mansion instead.

Tao Weixian felt somewhat regretful and annoyed, but he couldn't force her to stay.

Firstly, he and Zhan Xingzhuo were brothers, and secondly, Zhan Xingzhuo was already a vice minister and a favorite of the emperor, so there was no need for him to turn against him for a woman.

He wasn't a sore loser, especially since Zhou Zhining was a divorced, gossipy, and sinful woman.

Zhou Zhining didn't know what Tao Weixian was thinking, but when she thought of how he used to try so hard to please her... Zhou Zhining clutched her handkerchief and suddenly sobbed a few times.

Tao Weixian instinctively reached across half the table and grasped her hand: "Why are you crying all of a sudden?"

—Back when they lived in Hengwu Villa, under the flowers and the moon, with precious treasures shimmering before their eyes, the two of them would often put their arms around each other's waists and shoulders, admiring the flowers, the moon, and the treasures.

Zhou Zhining did not pull her hand away, and Tao Weixian glanced at her and gripped it even tighter.

The smooth, creamy feel of his skin was far superior to that of the concubines he kept in his courtyard.

Some people really can't be compared. They're both raising the same precious things, but Zhou Zhining is the only one who's managed to raise them to this level.

I felt that this was the only thing worthy of the phrase "warm and fragrant jade".

"Don't just cry, it hurts my heart to see you cry like that," Tao Weixian said, grabbing Zhou Zhining's hand and touching his chest.

He had been drinking and had become somewhat carried away, as if he had returned to Hengwu Villa.

"What are you doing!" A furious shout suddenly rang out.