At this moment, the princess's face was also terribly gloomy. Jiang Yuwei had never mentioned these words to her before. She had no idea that Chen Guixiang treated her son and grandson so harshly. She couldn't help but clench the teacup in her hand.

She then slammed the teacup down heavily, startling everyone at the table, who all turned to look at her.

"Madam Sun, I never imagined you were such a vicious woman! How could a woman of your moral depravity be worthy of being the First Lady of the Prince's Mansion?!"

Hearing this, Xu Qianqian's eyes lit up. If the princess were to drive away this Sun woman, Chunlin would only have her as his concubine. If she worked harder, she might be able to become the first wife of the prince.

Xu Qianqian grew increasingly excited as she thought about it, and couldn't help but look at the princess and say:

"Your Highness, please don't be angry. I also spent quite a few days in Ningjia Village before, and I have heard about what Madam Jiang just said. However, there is a reason for this. I'm afraid the First Madam also has some difficulties."

As she spoke, Xu Qianqian nodded to Madam Sun in a comforting manner.

Sun, standing to the side, turned pale and then red, unsure how to explain herself. Upon hearing Xu Qianqian's words, she felt a wave of dizziness, as if the sky had fallen.

The princess snorted coldly:

“No matter what her reasons may be, she is an accomplice in these things. I absolutely cannot allow such a morally bankrupt person to become the first wife of the Prince’s mansion.”

Seeing that the princess was truly angry, Ning Chunlin quickly stood up and said:

“Mother, please don’t get angry. Your health is the most important thing. We can only handle this matter discreetly for now. The Empress’s birthday banquet is just around the corner. If this gets out, it will affect the reputation of our Prince’s Mansion.”

As Ning Chunlin spoke, he turned and glared at Madam Sun.

"I think it would be better to confine Madam Sun to her quarters first, and then fine her her allowance, so that she can repent properly. If she behaves well, giving her another chance would also show your magnanimity, Mother."

Madam Sun hadn't expected Ning Chunlin to speak up for her at this time, and she felt a mix of emotions. However, she didn't dare to think too much about it and immediately rose to bow to the Princess:

“Your Highness, I was ignorant in Ningjia Village before. I listened to Granny Chen’s words and didn’t pay much attention to the two children. Now I know I was wrong. I am willing to be confined to my quarters, hand over my allowance, and sincerely repent.”

Xu Qianqian was also surprised that Ning Chunlin would speak up for Sun Shi, and felt even more jealous. So she rolled her eyes and looked at Granny Chen, saying:

“Indeed, in our village, a mother-in-law’s word is law. This old woman Chen must have been the one who interfered, forcing Sun to treat the two children harshly according to her instructions.”

Upon hearing this, Granny Chen immediately stood up, pointed at Madam Sun, and cursed:

"You heartless little bastard, back then you always said that these two kids were freeloaders and a burden to us, and that I should just starve them to death to put my mind at ease. You also said that they would only steal Ningxin's things if they lived, and that they might as well be dead."

As Chen Guixiang spoke, she lowered her head and began to cry.

"These two children are my own grandchildren, how could I be heartless to them? It's because you've been nagging me every day that I finally believed your lies and started having wicked thoughts!"

The princess was furious that this old, vicious woman, Chen Guixiang, still had the nerve to cry and feign grievance in front of her.

"Since this is true, then you two should accept the punishment for your mistakes!"

As she spoke, the princess put down her teacup, looked coldly at the two of them, and said:

"From today onwards, your monthly allowance will be waived. You will only eat one meal a day, a bowl of porridge and a cornbread will suffice. You may eat meat once a month. All the maids and servants in the courtyard will be dismissed. You will be responsible for cleaning the courtyard every day and kneeling under the sun for an hour every day to repent properly."

Having said that, the princess stood up and casually added a sentence.

"These punishments will be lifted when we have shown sufficient sincerity."

The two were stunned by these words. Chen Guixiang slumped into her chair, staring blankly at the food on the table. She never imagined that this meal would be the best she would eat from this day forward.

Thinking this, Chen Guixiang wished she could stuff all the food into her mouth.

Standing to the side, Madam Sun, her face also deathly pale, spoke to the Princess:

"Your Highness, I will accept whatever punishment you give me, but Xin'er is still just a child, and this matter has nothing to do with her. Could you please let her..."

Upon hearing this, the princess glared fiercely at Madam Sun.

"Wan'er is a child too! Ning Xin is no exception, after all, you're her mother!"

After saying that, the princess flicked her sleeves and left.

Just as Jiang Yuwei was about to follow, she heard Sun's vicious voice.

"Jiang Yuwei, this is all your fault! You just wait, I won't let you get away with this!"

Jiang Yuwei turned to look at Madam Sun and sneered.

"I think you should repent properly first!"

After saying that, he turned and left.

Seeing that Jiang Yuwei had left, Ning Huaizhi naturally had no reason to stay, so he got up and took the two children back to Jinglan Pavilion.

Jiang Yuwei escorted the princess to Diancui Courtyard, and then checked her pulse. Seeing that her pulse was stable and there was no problem, she was relieved.

The princess smiled and looked at her.

"Don't worry, now that I've vented my anger, I feel much better. Did you see how ugly Sun Shi and Granny Chen looked just now?"

Jiang Yuwei smiled and nodded.

The princess took her hand, patted it, and said with tears in her eyes:

"Yuwei, I know you must have suffered a lot too. Thank you, thank you for protecting my two grandsons so much. If it weren't for you, they would probably have died in Ningjia Village long ago."

Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe away the princess's tears.

"Your Highness, don't be sad. The past is the past. Our family has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel."

The princess nodded.

"Don't worry, Yuwei, I won't let them off easily."

Jiang Yuwei massaged the princess for a while longer, and only after seeing that the princess had fallen asleep did she leave Diancui Courtyard and return to her own courtyard.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Ning Huaizhi practicing martial arts shirtless. His well-defined muscles made Jiang Yuwei momentarily stunned.

Have you seen enough?

Ning Huaizhi's lips curled slightly as he looked at Jiang Yuwei with amusement.

Jiang Yuwei then came to her senses and gave a few dry laughs.

"Hehe, why aren't you asleep yet? I'm going to go to bed first."

After saying that, Jiang Yuwei walked quickly forward. Right now, she just wanted to leave as soon as possible. This wasn't the first time she had seen Ning Huaizhi's body, and for some reason, her heart would race every time she saw it.

Just as Jiang Yuwei, blushing, passed by Ning Huaizhi, a large hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her down into Ning Huaizhi's arms.

Jiang Yuwei's body stiffened involuntarily, feeling as if his solid chest was firmly connected to her body like a stone, and goosebumps rose all over her body.