Chapter 79 Xiao Qingyuan's Attitude Change

Shen Wantang followed the princess back to the palace.

This trip to the palace was thrilling but ultimately safe, and we made it through without any major incidents.

She didn't know what Gu Qianhan was thinking, but the medical knowledge and skills she now knew were not learned when she was in the Shen family, but rather during the ten years after she got married in her previous life.

She accompanied the princess back to the main courtyard, and as soon as they entered, they saw Xiao Qingyuan sitting inside.

Upon seeing them return, Xiao Qingyuan immediately stood up: "Mother, are you... alright?"

Princess Ning had been mistreated in the palace, and she didn't give her son a friendly look either. With a cold face, she ignored him and, supported by Shen Wantang, went into the house.

Xiao Qingyuan followed him inside: "Mother, how is Gu Qianhan? Is he still kneeling?"

Princess Ning finally turned to look at him: "You at least know to ask how the second young master of the Gu family is doing? When you hit someone, why didn't you think about the consequences? When you took that Chu Yanluo to Qingyun Tower to spread rumors about him humiliating a weak woman, why didn't you ask if the second young master of the Gu family would be alright?!"

"I……"

Princess Ning looked utterly disappointed: "Gu Qianhan grew up with you since childhood. Don't you know what kind of person he is? You've ruined his reputation and caused him to be punished by the Emperor and kneel all night. The Gu family will never let this go! Yuan'er, is it really worth it to gamble the entire palace and your future on a woman of questionable character?"

Xiao Qingyuan's face turned somewhat pale: "Mother, things aren't as serious as you say. I'll go to the Gu family to apologize to Gu Qianhan later. Our Ningwang Mansion isn't afraid of the Gu family. How could I have gambled the entire mansion on this?"

"Stubborn to the end!"

Princess Ning was furious with him. The Gu family was now at the height of their power, so great that even the emperor had to be wary of them. He was so eager to provoke the Gu family; he had absolutely no brains!

She pointed at her son's nose and said, "You get that Chu Yanluo out of here right now! I don't care where you put her, she's absolutely not allowed to set foot in the Prince's mansion again!"

“Mother, please calm down. I can’t send Yanluo away, otherwise she will really have no way to survive. I promised her that I would protect her for the rest of my life. Even if she did something wrong, it doesn’t deserve to die. Please let her stay in the Prince’s mansion!”

Princess Ning was both angry and furious: "So you knew she had done something wrong? Then why were you still so good to her?"

Xiao Qingyuan sighed: "In the end, it was because I failed to protect her. I let the wolf into the house, which led to this terrible mistake."

Princess Ning was at a loss for words, unsure whether to be angry or amused. From a young age, she had taught her son to be upright and kind, not to bully others at will because of his status, and to constantly reflect on himself, summarize his mistakes, and correct them in time.

However, she didn't make her son reflect on himself in such an indiscriminate way, without distinguishing right from wrong!

Was it because her previous methods of raising her son were incorrect?

Princess Ning slumped into a chair: "I'm old, I can't control you anymore. Now you won't listen to anything I say. You won't even listen to people who are disreputable. I've arranged for you to marry a proper daughter from an official family to be your heir, but you won't even touch her. What are you thinking? How can that Chu Yanluo compare to the heir? Isn't the heir more dignified and elegant? Isn't she more suitable for marriage?"

Xiao Qingyuan turned to look at Shen Wantang. Her expression was as calm as ever, as if her mother hadn't been talking about her.

No matter how much he liked Chu Yanluo, he had to admit that Shen Wantang was more suitable to be the mistress of the royal mansion than Chu Yanluo. She was emotionally stable, organized, and fair in rewarding and punishing her servants, so no one under her command disobeyed her.

Moreover, since she entered the mansion, his tense relationship with his mother has been greatly eased.

But he found it hard to say anything praising Shen Wantang in front of him.

However, Shen Wantang seemed to see his embarrassment and took the initiative to help him out: "Mother, although I have not been married into the Prince's Mansion for long, I can see that the young master is a kind and righteous person. Hitting the second young master Gu was probably just a momentary impulse, and the young master is willing to go to the Gu family to apologize. When that time comes, we will prepare generous gifts, and the Gu family should not make things too difficult for the young master."

She downplayed the issue, only mentioning Gu Qianhan's matter and omitting Chu Yanluo's, because she knew in her heart that Xiao Qingyuan would not compromise on Chu Yanluo's matter, as it was an irreconcilable conflict.

The Princess Consort of Ning was comforted, and her expression softened a little: "Yuan'er, did you hear that? You treated the Crown Princess so coldly, and she still spoke up for you. That's what a true virtuous wife is. Let me tell you, I can turn a blind eye to other outrageous things you do, but from now on, you must truly treat Tang'er as your Crown Princess, as the mistress of our Ning Prince's Mansion, and you will never be allowed to embarrass her!"

This time, Xiao Qingyuan did not hesitate and said directly, "Mother is right, I will remember it."

He finally went from rejecting and disliking Shen Wantang to acknowledging and respecting her, and he accepted her status as the Crown Prince's consort.

"Alright, I'm tired. You can all leave now! Remember to go to the storeroom and pick out some valuable gifts to send to the Gu family."

Shen Wantang and Xiao Qingyuan agreed in unison, and then left the princess's room together.

On the way to the storeroom, Xiao Qingyuan turned to look at Shen Wantang. After hesitating for a while, he finally said, "Thank you for what you said earlier. If you hadn't spoken up for me, I don't know how long my mother would have scolded me."

Shen Wantang walked alongside him, but there was an arm's length between them. Even when he thanked her, she showed no intention of getting any closer.

"Your Highness is too kind. I was just doing what a daughter-in-law should do. My mother treats me well, so I wanted to be more filial to her and make her feel a little better. Besides, my mother actually loves you very much, which is why she let you go after I gave her a few words of advice."

Xiao Qingyuan discovered one of her strengths: no matter what she did, she never took credit. No matter how much she helped, she would always gloss over it with a nonchalant remark.

This is actually a very rare and excellent quality, one that many people do not possess.

This made Xiao Qingyuan respect her even more.

So after entering the warehouse, when it came time to choose an apology gift for Gu Qianhan, he didn't offer much of an opinion. He listened to Shen Wantang's suggestions and took whichever one she recommended.

Shen Wantang also noticed the change in Xiao Qingyuan's attitude. If he could continue to listen to her like this in the future, life would be much smoother!

Although she and Liao Youhe were never truly husband and wife in their previous life, after Liao Youhe learned of her talents, he was completely obedient to her. At home, she was the only one who had the final say, and Liao Youhe handed over his entire salary to her. She was in charge of all household expenses, and she could buy whatever she wanted. Sometimes, when she was in a good mood, she would ask someone to make a few clothes for Liao Youhe, and he would be incredibly moved, calling her the best virtuous wife in the world.

So she actually had a pretty comfortable life in her past life.

Shen Wantang hopes to live such a comfortable life in this lifetime.