Now it seems that the struggle in the Zhou Mansion has gradually become fierce. With the addition of Fang Birong in this life, I am afraid that the Wen family may not be a match, otherwise Zhou Wanning would not have been so nearly lost.

The son of the general's mansion and the Zhou family can be said to be a well-matched match. If the two families were to arrange a marriage, it would truly be the beginning of a beautiful story.

But...will it? She wasn't sure.

"Please ask the prince to come over. I have something to say to him." She ordered as she was still a little worried.

"The prince just left the house and is not here now." Soon, a servant came to report.

Leaving the house? Shen Xinyan didn't know why she felt a little worried.

"Did you say where you were going? Can Pingyan follow you and serve you?"

"That was not said, and the inkstone did not follow."

"Tell someone to keep an eye out. If the prince comes back, ask him to come see me immediately!" She could only give the order helplessly.

Wei Chenglin did not return until light time. When he heard that his mother was looking for him, he hurried to Funing Hospital.

"You... have you been to Zhou's residence today?" Shen Xinyan hesitated for a moment, but finally asked what was in her mind.

Wei Chenglin had not expected that she would ask him such a question. Although it was a surprise, he did not hide it from her and answered honestly, "Yes, I did go to Lord Zhou's house today."

"Is it because of the much-publicized story of a 'hero saving a beautiful woman'?"

Wei Chenglin nodded: "It is indeed for this matter."

"Do you want to interfere in the marriage between the Zhou and Murong families?" Shen Xinyan frowned.

"Mr. Zhou has no intention of marrying into the Murong family. Those rumors are just scheming by someone with ulterior motives. In fact, it was my child who saved Miss Zhou that day, not Murong Tao."

"Murong Tao has evil intentions and wants to use this incident to force the two governments to get married. How could Lord Zhou marry his daughter to such a cunning man?" Wei Chenglin explained.

Shen Xinyan said calmly, "First, the rumors outside only mentioned that Master Murong was a hero who saved the beauty. As for the time and place of the rescue, did he specify it? How did you know that he was referring to the last time Zhou Wanning fell into the water?"

"Secondly, as far as I know, Murong Tao and Zhou Wanning have known each other since childhood, and they have a close relationship with Lord Zhou Maozhou's family. If he really had evil intentions, how could Lord Zhou, with his shrewdness, allow him to come to his house every now and then?"

"Finally, I just want to ask you one question. How do you plan to resolve this matter if you intervene? Are you going to step forward and admit that you are the hero who saved Mei?"

Wei Chenglin was speechless. Facing Shen Xinyan's expression which was so calm that there was not a hint of abnormality in it, he was unable to say anything.

"Mother knows that you are a responsible person. You firmly believe that those words refer to the fact that you saved Miss Zhou last time. You feel guilty, but you cannot bear to see Mr. Murong resort to such means, so you plan to stand up yourself. Am I right, mother?" Shen Xinyan did not force him any further, and continued slowly.

Wei Chenglin pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and nodded slightly: "My child does have this plan."

"Then have you ever thought about this? A hero saving a beauty is a beautiful story, but if there are two heroes, how much more material will it give outsiders to talk about? And what kind of situation will the person being rescued be in?" Shen Xinyan asked patiently.

"I have considered what my mother said, and I have not been able to make up my mind."

This is also what makes Murong Tao so hateful. When those rumors are spread, it is not right for him to stand up and clarify them, and it is not right for him not to stand up. He is completely caught in a dilemma.

"In fact, the best way to resolve this matter is for the General's Mansion of Zhenguo and the Zhou Mansion to arrange a marriage for their children. Although Lord Zhou is now upset with Master Murong, if Master Murong is willing to marry her, and apologizes, and honestly expresses his admiration for Miss Zhou, Lord Zhou and Madam Zhou may agree."

"In fact, from the moment Master Murong said those words, you have been completely out of the matter. If you get involved again, wouldn't that just make people laugh?"

Wei Chenglin looked a little ugly. Every word Shen Xinyan said was like a heavy hammer hitting his heart, bringing a dull pain.

"Besides, Lord Zhou and his family haven't made any statement so far, maybe they are waiting for Master Murong's attitude. And your attitude has been made clear when you came here today. Lord Zhou will never blame you no matter what. Therefore, don't interfere in this matter anymore, and I won't allow you to interfere!" At the end, Shen Xinyan's expression was quite serious.

Wei Chenglin opened his mouth to say something, but found that his throat seemed to be blocked and he couldn't utter a word.

Only he himself knows that what he did today was actually selfish.

Selfishly, he didn't want to see Murong Tao marry Zhou Wanning.

"Lin'er, your grandfather has placed high hopes on you since you were young, hoping that you would bring honor to the family. Your grandmother, father, and mother are the same. Your mother only hopes that you will always keep your relatives in mind in your future actions, and don't let them down for their expectations of you over the years, and don't let down your grandfather's careful cultivation of you over the years."

"You've been busy outside for so long and you must be tired. Go back and rest!"

Wei Chenglin left Funing Hospital in a daze. He didn't know if it was his illusion, but he felt that every word his mother said to him seemed to contain deep meaning, especially the last words. Perhaps he was overly sensitive, and he actually felt a hint of disappointment from them.

Did he disappoint his mother?

However, what surprised Shen Xinyan was that Murong Tao had never come to Zhou's house to apologize!

She pondered over it but couldn't find the answer.

How could this be? With Murong Tao's infatuation, he was only one step away from marrying the beauty, so why would he give up at this most critical moment? Wouldn't this be a waste of all his previous efforts?

In the end, it was the news brought by Wei Yingzhi that solved her doubts.

"I also heard it from Murong Wenqi. It turns out that her 'hero' brother was locked up by Madam Murong." Wei Yingzhi casually talked about the gossip she heard.

Shen Xinyan suddenly understood.

So that's how it is. No wonder, I was just one step away from success, but was pulled back by my own mother, and I have not been able to get out until now.

But this put Zhou Wanning in an awkward situation.

She could already imagine how difficult it would be for Zhou Mao and his wife as they waited for Murong Tao to come.

However, if the protagonist is Zhou Wanning, she believes that she will be able to get through it safely.

As expected, a few days later, a guard of the Crown Prince suddenly married Zhou Wanning's personal maid. Originally, a guard marrying a maid was nothing to attract attention, but recently many people in the capital had their eyes on the Zhou Mansion, waiting to see when the official media from the Zhenguo General's Mansion would come to the door. Who would have thought that after waiting for so long, they would only wait for such a marriage.

After asking around with connections, it was discovered that it was not the son of the general who saved the girl from the Zhou mansion, but the guards around the prince who saved the girl's maid.

For a moment, many people were disappointed. After watching such a long and lively event, it turned out to be just a farce?

Of course, there were people who did not believe it, but those who were involved with the prince did not dare to say anything no matter how many doubts they had.

Shen Xinyan was not surprised by this result, but she was surprised that Zhou Mao was able to ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to come forward to restore his daughter's reputation.

At this time in the East Palace, Wei Chenglin bowed to the Crown Prince with gratitude: "Thank you, Your Highness!"

"Your way of thanking me is strange this time. I helped Zhou Mao, so why are you the one thanking me?" the prince asked with a smile.

"After all, this matter was caused by Chenglin. How can we just sit there and watch Miss Zhou get caught up in the rumors? Moreover, Your Highness showed mercy and helped the Zhou family out of their predicament. With Lord Zhou's love for his daughter, he will surely be grateful to His Highness the Crown Prince. From now on, Your Highness will have a capable helper in the court."

The prince smiled and said, "You do have a point. Zhou Mao is indeed a capable minister, and it would be even better if he could pull the strings."

"But Miss Zhou is indeed a rare beauty. If you like her, you can still consider this marriage." The prince continued meaningfully.

Wei Chenglin forced a smile and didn't respond, but he felt a little bitter in his heart.

He was not a fool, and he could naturally sense from his mother's attitude that she did not like Miss Zhou and would certainly not be willing for the Wei and Zhou families to become in-laws.

When he was leaving the palace, he suddenly felt a chill on his back. When he turned around, he saw Murong Tao's angry face.

Murong Tao sneered at him, jumped onto the horse without saying a word, and soon disappeared from his sight.

***

In the palace, Concubine Rui Gui lovingly held Ping Fu's hand and said, "It's okay if you don't like Miss Sun. Miss Murong from the General's Mansion..."

"Aunt, my nephew already has a girl in his heart. Whether it's the girl from the Sun family or the girl from the Murong family, neither of them is what my nephew wants." Pingfu interrupted her and said frankly.

Concubine Rui Gui was surprised: "You have a girl you like? Whose girl is she? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Pingfu scratched his ears a little embarrassedly and said in a low voice: "My aunt also recognized her..."

Concubine Rui was even more surprised. She wanted to ask more questions, but suddenly an idea flashed in her mind. She paused for a moment and asked tentatively, "Could it be Ying'er?"

Lingfu's handsome face flushed, but he didn't deny it. He just said "hmm" a little awkwardly.

Concubine Rui was silent for a moment.

She should have thought of it a long time ago...

After not seeing her respond for a long time, Lin Fu called out uneasily, "Aunt?"

"You love Yueying'er, but what about her? Does she have you in her heart?" Concubine Rui asked softly.

Lin Fu's face immediately fell, and he said in a disappointed tone: "She always treats me like a younger brother. I don't know what's going on recently. Every time I go there, I can't find her."

Concubine Rui secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but she didn't show it at all on her face.

Although the relationship between aunt and nephew has become closer in recent years, she is also clear that in her nephew's heart, there has always been a place for those people in the Duke of England's Mansion, especially the Duke of England's Wei Junhang's family.

Therefore, she still needs to think carefully about the fact that her nephew is fond of Wei Yingzhi.