The two did not see the Emperor until they left the palace. Lin Jinlou was filled with resentment in Cixi Palace and wished he could leave the palace and go back home as soon as possible.

However, the Empress Dowager had no intention of letting him off so easily. She introduced him to Song Yi, the heir of the Duke of Wen, and Yin Chen, the heir of the Duke of Wei, saying, "Both of them are older than you, so you should call them cousins."

Lin Jinlou obediently followed the Empress Dowager's instructions and called her cousin. The Empress Dowager chuckled and raised her voice slightly, "Our family has never produced any merchants, only generals or commanders. Jia Yuan is my only daughter and the legitimate daughter of the Empress. I can't bear to see her suffer even the slightest hardship. Your two cousins ​​are usually outside the palace. If you have nothing to do, go and visit them often. Don't let the family become so distant."

Lady Wei, upon hearing this, couldn't help but sneer inwardly. The Empress Dowager was probably trying to get both families to help promote the Imperial Son-in-Law.

But Tianzhong has a law that the imperial son-in-law cannot lead troops. Her own son and Song Yi are both military officers. Is the Empress Dowager confused?

Yin Zhao didn't want the Empress Dowager to continue on this topic, so he chuckled and changed the subject, talking about another happy event.

"I heard that my sister-in-law's niece is getting married after the Spring Equinox. It will be another happy occasion after the New Year!"

Lady Jiang Yuezhu, wife of the Duke of Wei, had a niece who had just become engaged to the Shi family, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, and the wedding date had already been set. However, Lady Jiang Yuezhu was not happy about this. When Yin Zhao brought up the matter, she just chuckled twice and did not intend to continue talking about it.

When Yin Zhao saw his sister-in-law's smile, a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes, and Jiang Yuezhu was naturally not happy.

With a Duchess of the State emerging from the Jiang family, a title of no higher than the first rank, how could they possibly look up to the eldest son of the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies? They were hoping to produce another Duchess of the State!

Thinking of the expression on Jiang Yuezhu's face when she asked about her son Song Yi's marriage, Yin Zhao felt quite uncomfortable. The Jiang family was now barely able to maintain its position in the second-rate aristocratic circles thanks to Jiang Yuezhu's occasional financial assistance. Her son, Song Yi, was the pride of the Song family and the future Duke of Wen. Even if he couldn't become the Duke of Wen, with his current abilities, he could easily become a general. Why should he marry Jiang Yulian to save face for the Jiang family?

She naturally refused, but to her surprise, her sister-in-law got angry with her over it, making it seem as if she was the one who was wrong.

Thinking about it, she couldn't help but want to disgust Jiang Yuezhu. She coughed twice, looked at the handsome and dashing Wei Chen beside her, and asked with a smile, "Sister-in-law, Brother Chen is of marriageable age. I see that you have many daughters in your family. Why not make it easier for relatives to marry?"

Jiang Yuezhu's face immediately turned cold, and she looked at Yin Zhao with eyes like knives, "It's good for relatives to get along, but the children also need to get along well."

Yin Zhao covered her mouth and laughed, then looked at the Empress Dowager and said, "Everyone says that marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers, yet you're worried about that, sister-in-law..."

He then burst into laughter, but no one found it particularly funny. The awkward atmosphere in Cixi Palace dissipated, and gradually everyone quieted down, with no one intending to continue the conversation.

Song Yi and Wei Chen, the two people being used as pawns by the two duchesses, sat calmly in their seats, neither of them affected by Yin Zhao's words.

Yin Zhao's original intention was just to annoy her sister-in-law and teach her not to do to others what she wouldn't want done to herself. Her own son wasn't even married yet, and she couldn't use someone else's precious son as a stepping stone. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so polite.

Lin Jinlou sat beside Princess Jiayuan with his eyes downcast and his mind at ease, but he felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, and his whole body was uncomfortable.

After finally getting out of the palace, Lin Jinlou sent Princess Jiayuan back to her residence, then said he had to go home, leaving Princess Jiayuan behind, and returned to the Lin family.

Madam Lin has been very upset these past few days. She had thought that with a princess in the family, her daughter Miaoqiu's marriage should be no problem. But now the Lin family is deserted, and the matchmakers are only introducing her to some low-class families, which she looks down on.

Just then, Mrs. Lin came over, and she immediately began to pour out her troubles to her daughter.

Madam Shen was also feeling troubled.

Aunt Liu was about to give birth, and the thought of adding a concubine's child to the family made her anxious. She wanted to come to her mother to discuss whether there was any way to help, but before she could even open her mouth, her mother was already full of bitterness waiting to pour out her heart.

"Tell me, what should we do about your sister's marriage?"

Seeing her mother's headache, Lin said without blinking, "Let's separate the family. Let the eldest brother's family live separately. That way, people won't have to worry about us having a powerful figure in our family."

Separation of the family?!

Mrs. Lin was so surprised she almost cried out.

"How can this be!"

Lin could tell at a glance that her mother was both reluctant to sever ties with the royal family and annoyed by the trouble that would result.

But what could Madam Lin do? She herself had a lot of troubles waiting for her. "You can't keep everything good to yourself. If you insist on doing this, then I'll have to let your sister marry down."

Upon hearing this, Lin Miaoqiu, who had been eavesdropping behind the screen, immediately ran out.

"I don't want to marry down. Those ugly and deformed men are just annoying to look at!"

Madam Lin was surprised to find her younger sister hiding behind the screen. She glanced at her mother, Madam Wan, and felt a little uncomfortable. "Miaoqiu, you're all grown up now. How can you still act so tactlessly? If you want to listen, just listen openly. Hiding behind the screen to eavesdrop shows you have no manners at all."

But she forgot that she had been eavesdropping on her mother-in-law's conversation. When Wan saw her scolding Lin Miaoqiu, she quickly said, "I told her to hide inside. You are also the older sister. Aren't you worried about your younger sister's marriage at all?"

Madam Lin couldn't help but glare at her mother. "I would like to stand up for her, but unfortunately, Mother doesn't approve of her. If our family doesn't marry our daughter to a member of the royal family, will Mother be satisfied?"

Hearing this, Wan felt uncomfortable. "What do you mean by that? I think you've become a member of the Shen family now, and you're all in cahoots with them!" She then turned her face away angrily. "What brings you back?"

Seeing that her mother and sister didn't understand her, Lin lost all desire to stay any longer. She got up and walked outside, saying, "Nothing else, I'm going back."

Wan was so angry that she gritted her teeth and didn't try to keep her.

Lin Miaoqiu asked with some concern, "Is my sister angry? Mother, you shouldn't have said that to her. She seems to be in a bad mood. I'm afraid something happened to her."

Madam Wan was upset and didn't want to deal with these things. "She's upset too. She asked for money, and your father and I have never been stingy. We gave her thousands of taels whenever she asked. And she still comes home and gives me attitude. I think she's spoiled!"