After leaving Madam Zhou's courtyard, Yuan Zhao thought for a moment and then called Wen Feng over to do a few things for her.

Just as Yuan Zhao had expected, that evening Old Madam Zhou summoned the people from the second and third branches of the family to her courtyard alone. She thought she had done it discreetly, but little did she know that Yuan Zhao had already sent a message to Zhou's father and Zhou Shiyuan.

The relationship between Zhou and his son has been strained these past two days, but now they have no choice but to meet and discuss things.

What does your grandmother mean by this?

Zhou's father began by saying:

Why did she seek out your second and third uncles separately?

He didn't think that Old Madam Zhou would favor her two younger brothers. After all, he was the eldest son and had always been the pillar of the household. It was always Old Madam Zhou who favored him.

However, he felt uncomfortable when he heard his mother secretly call the people from the second and third wives' families to the courtyard, while avoiding the eldest son's family.

It's one thing to avoid Yuan Zhao, but why do you have to avoid them at all?

Thinking of this, the father and son exchanged a glance and gave a few instructions to the people around them.

Meanwhile, in Madam Zhou's courtyard, she was analyzing the pros and cons with the second and third branches of the family.

"You are all aware of what has happened in the manor recently."

"It was all Yuan Zhao's doing. She was wronged, so naturally she wouldn't let the eldest son's family off the hook."

Are you sure you want to continue like this?

Upon hearing this, the second and third wives hesitated for a moment.

Some things shouldn't be said too bluntly. She made a few remarks and then asked the second and third wives to leave. She felt that as long as they had any sense, they should know what to do.

After the second and third wives left Madam Zhou's courtyard, the second wife glanced at her sister-in-law and couldn't help but say:

Do you think what the old lady said is true?

"You can't say for sure!"

The third wife was always more composed than the second wife. After thinking for a moment, she spoke:

"It's hard to say."

The old lady thought what she said made a lot of sense, but she always favored the eldest son's family. Suddenly remembering them, she didn't quite believe it.

The second wife felt the same way. The old lady in the mansion had always favored the eldest son's family, so this sudden turn of events made everyone suspect something was amiss.

If Old Madam Zhou knew what they were thinking at this moment, she would probably be so angry that she would spit out blood.

She worked tirelessly to plan for the preservation of the Marquis's mansion, but no one appreciated her efforts.

What she didn't know was that the events of tonight had already reached the ears of the Zhou family father and son.

Neither Zhou nor his son had a pleasant expression, especially Zhou's father.

The thought that his own mother wanted to abandon them made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Zhou Shiyuan's expression grew increasingly grim, and he gave a cold laugh as he said:

"Grandmother certainly has a good plan."

Originally, he thought it didn't matter whether the family split up or not, but now he feels that the family absolutely cannot be split up.

With less than a month until the imperial examinations, he was determined to humiliate them, especially to show that old woman if he was truly on his way to success.

Only then will he propose dividing the family property and kick them out hard.

At this moment, Yuan Zhao already knew about the reactions from both sides, and she smiled slightly.

She had anticipated that Old Madam Zhou would speak to the second and third branches of the family separately, so she asked Wenfeng to make arrangements and deliberately let the Zhou father and son know about it.

What followed was perfectly logical.

Unfortunately, no one understood Madam Zhou's good intentions.

With the mother and son growing apart, Zhou's father would no longer listen to Zhou's mother as before. And since Zhou's mother had favored the eldest son's family for so many years, how could the second and third sons not have any resentment?

Old Madam Zhou's actions were completely thankless and exhausting.

Just as she was about to give the situation a push, the door to the room was suddenly flung open, and Qingzhu rushed in with a cold expression.

"Miss Yuan, please come with me."