Elegant Garden, inside the main house.

The old lady, Madam You, closed her eyes to rest and fiddled with the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand. Behind her, Qian Muxue carefully massaged her shoulders and neck, while Madam Chen, the old lady's dowry maid, stood to the side.

On a chair not far away, Qian Sheng glanced at his mother with a worried expression, then looked at the obedient Qian Muxue. No matter how he looked at her, this daughter was more pleasing to the eye. She was stunningly beautiful and a renowned talent. She was proficient in all the arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—and most importantly, at only fourteen years old, she had already reached the second level of the Xuanwu Realm. Even among the sons of military families, few could compare.

Therefore, this second daughter was Qian Sheng's pride, and also the pride of the Prime Minister's mansion. As for Concubine Liu, although she was born out of wedlock, with her younger sister entering the palace and becoming Consort Liu, and her mother, Madam Zhou, already being the principal wife of the Liu family, Concubine Liu's status also rose accordingly.

However, over the years, Madam Su has not made any mistakes and has given him his only legitimate son. In addition, his mother has always favored Madam Su, leaving him with absolutely no way to deal with her.

But things are different now. The Emperor intends to select a consort for the Crown Prince. As long as the Crown Prince takes a liking to Mu Xue, for the sake of the Qian family's reputation, the mother will have no choice but to agree to elevate Consort Liu to the status of a secondary wife. You must know that Xuanwu is very concerned about the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children.

"Mother, what have you thought about what your son said?" he finally spoke after a long silence.

The old lady remained with her eyes closed, as if she hadn't heard anything. Only when she heard footsteps approaching did she slowly open her eyes.

"This concubine greets Madam!" Aunt Liu stepped forward and bowed slightly after entering the room, glancing back at Qian Yingxue, who had a cold face.

Qian Yingxue immediately resumed her seemingly innocent smile, took two steps forward and bowed slightly to her grandmother: "Granddaughter greets Grandmother, may Grandmother be well!"

kindness……

The old lady responded calmly, her gaze falling on Qian Youxue, who followed her in. Seeing Qian Youxue being supported by Lianxin, she wondered if she had been bullied again.

That useless Madam Su spends all her time chanting scriptures in the Buddhist hall and completely neglects the life and death of her precious granddaughter. Sometimes she really wants to agree to her son's wish and let Madam Su vacate the position of the principal wife. However, she then thinks that if Madam Su steps down, Youxue will lose even the status of a legitimate daughter, and she will have no way to survive in the Qian family.

"Youxue greets her grandmother, wishing her good health!" Qian Youxue walked gracefully to her grandmother and bowed slightly. Every time she saw her grandmother, she felt a warm feeling in her heart.

In her past life, she was an orphan. Even when she encountered the scoundrel Taoist priest in her dreams, it was still just a dream, and everything felt so illusory. Now, facing her caring grandmother, the longing for kinship made her cherish this stolen affection deeply.

"Alright, alright, come here and let Grandma take a look. Mu Xue, you should also step aside and rest!" the old lady said, reaching out to pull Ying Xue to sit down beside her.

Besides Aunt Liu, there were Aunt Meng and Aunt Lan in the room, as well as Qian Muxue, Qian Yingxue, and the fifth concubine's daughter, Qian Yuexue.

Aunt Meng was Aunt Liu's dowry maid. After Qian Sheng got drunk one time, she became a concubine and later gave birth to a daughter, Qian Yuexue. Given her status and her timid personality, she was naturally the lowest-ranking concubine in the family. Even her own daughter looked down on her and secretly called Aunt Liu "Mother." She was also very close to Qian Muxue and Qian Yingxue.

At this moment, Qian Yuexue felt jealous of this ugly woman and glared resentfully at Aunt Meng. If Aunt Meng's birth had been better, she wouldn't have had to live such a miserable life in the Qian family.