Watching the three sisters-in-law leave one after another, the eldest princess let out a long sigh and leaned tiredly on the couch.

Seeing this, Nanny Xu quickly stepped forward to massage her legs. "Doctor Yu said that Princess Yonghe has survived this time and her condition has stabilized. What else is there to worry about?"

"I'm not worried about Yonghe's illness, it's just..." Somehow she remembered what Shen Xinyan had said just now, and she straightened up and asked, "Has there been any unpleasant things said about the Shen family in the past few years?"

Madam Xu paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and then said, "It's not that bad. Your Highness knows that when women get together, they will inevitably compare themselves with each other. Some words may make people feel uncomfortable."

"What on earth are you talking about?!" the Grand Princess said impatiently.

Madam Xu lowered her eyes and said, "It's nothing more than the reputation of the prince and the fact that the first lady is in charge of the government. They can't say anything bad about anything else."

The eldest princess held her breath for a long time before she smiled bitterly, closing her eyes and muttering, "So that's how it is, it's actually like this..."

Just as Shen Xinyan said, she has been living a secluded life these years, and the occasional attendance were only at formal occasions in the palace. Naturally, no one with such shortsightedness dared to say anything behind her back, so over the years, she was completely unaware of the various strange looks and ridicules that Shen Xinyan had endured.

"Your Highness..." Nanny Xu wanted to comfort her, but the Grand Princess stopped her and said slowly, "If that's the case, then Shen has indeed been wronged over the years, and it's also because of my lack of consideration that the wife of the prince of our Duke's Mansion has been subjected to all kinds of gossip outside!"

No matter what, Shen was the wife of the Crown Prince, and she represented the dignity of the Duke's Mansion. If she was wronged, it was the Duke's Mansion that was wronged. She had always been responsible for maintaining the reputation of the Duke's Mansion for decades, but she didn't know that she...

In the other room, Wei Junhang left the Grand Princess's place and first called for a doctor. Then he returned to his room. He was about to call the servants to ask about what happened in the mansion today. The servants who had not yet left cleared their throats and said with some guilt: "My Lord, um, the Third Brother and I may have done something inappropriate today."

"What is it?"

"The third brother and I had just changed our clothes and were about to leave, but a young lady came to our house and told us to prepare long sticks and benches and be on standby. We couldn't find a suitable reason to refuse, but we heard that this girl was a popular maid of the Crown Prince's wife, so we thought that the Crown Prince's wife might have some instructions, so we..."

The man recounted in detail what had happened today.

Wei Junhang was speechless for a long time after hearing this.

Seeing that he remained silent, the man was about to leave quietly, but Wei Junhang suddenly said, "Go and find out what the wife of the Crown Prince is doing in the mother's courtyard."

The man looked as if he had seen a ghost: "My Lord, you want me to investigate the matter in the inner house?"

"Just go if I tell you to go. Why are you talking so much nonsense?" Wei Junhang glared at him impatiently.

The man touched his nose helplessly and left.

While waiting for his subordinates to report the news, he leaned back in his chair, his brows furrowed, his heart in turmoil, and he always felt that he might have neglected something very important over the years.

Until that person reported to him in detail every word that Shen Xinyan and her two sisters-in-law said in the Grand Princess's room.

The expression on his face suddenly became quite complicated.

It turned out that his wife had suffered so much injustice without his knowledge. This first injury must have been caused by him.

He had never regretted what he had done for his cousin the emperor over the years, but at this moment, he began to feel regretful.

As the saying goes, a husband's honor brings his wife honor, but all he brought her was the unworthy title of "Crown Prince's Wife".

I don't know how much time had passed, but he made a silent decision in his heart, stood up abruptly, brushed the corner of his robe and strode out the door.

***

"Are you telling the truth?" Emperor Yuanyou widened his eyes, simply unable to believe what he heard.

"Yes, it's absolutely true!" Wei Junhang met his complicated gaze and answered word by word.

"Do you know that if I really agree to your request, you will only be a duke who has accomplished nothing in this life, and you will never be able to get rid of the reputation of being a playboy. In this case, do you still want to insist?"

"I am a person without any ambition. What's wrong with being a rich and carefree duke? As for the reputation of a playboy... whether he is a real playboy or a fake one, what does it have to do with me. I have made up my mind, and I earnestly beg the emperor to grant my wish!" Wei Junhang said seriously.

Emperor Yuanyou sneered: "You are a kind father who is willing to sacrifice himself! You are so sure that your son is worthy of my attention, even if you exchange your own future for his. "

Wei Junhang laughed loudly: "My son Chenglin is both civil and military, and he values ​​friendship and loyalty. Although he is still young, he already has the heart to share the worries of the king and to plead for the people. I am willing to guarantee my son with my own life!"

Emperor Yuanyou stared at him for a long time, and finally, with an inaudible sigh, he stepped down from the throne and personally helped him up from his kneeling position.

"Cousin, what do you think? No matter how you look at this business, you won't suffer a loss. No matter what the future holds, as long as you can still use me, I will sacrifice my life for you..."

"Why are you saying those things in a nice way?! I have so many people under my command, is it your turn as a Duke to sacrifice his life for them?" Emperor Yuanyou glared at him.

Wei Junhang smiled, but his eyes were serious.

"Since you were a child, once you make a decision, no matter what others say, you will not change it. You came to me today, I think you must have the intention to achieve your goal. Junhang, although you and I are cousins ​​in name, we are actually like brothers. If there is anyone in this world who will never betray me, I only believe that person is you."

"You should know that with your current position, in just a few years, when the overall situation of the court is settled, I will definitely bring you out of the dark and let everyone in the world see clearly that the most outstanding son of the Duke of Ying's Mansion is not the deceased Wei Junting, but you, Wei Junhang!"

"But now, you want to give up this honor to someone else, even if that person is your son, are you really willing to do that?"

Wei Junhang shook his head and said sincerely, "I know that my cousin has always treated me very well, but I have also thought about this matter carefully. If you don't believe in Junhang's vision, just let time prove it, prove that my son is definitely better than me."

Seeing that he still insisted, Emperor Yuanyou sighed, looked at him deeply, and then said slowly: "Okay, if Wei Chenglin is indeed a rare talent, I promise you, as long as he does not commit unforgivable crimes, I will use him as long as I am in power!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wei Junhang was overjoyed.

The Madam has always valued Lin'er the most. Because of her, she had endured ten years of gossip. Now, he will give her a son with a bright future, so that those who made fun of her because she had a "playboy husband" will have to flatter her from now on.

The most important people in a woman's life are her husband and her son. If her husband brings shame to her, then let her son bring her glory.

Yes, with his current status, coupled with his long-term friendship with Your Majesty, once the overall situation is settled, although he may not necessarily become a high-ranking official, he will at least be an important figure in the court.

But in this case, no matter how outstanding his Lin Ge'er is, he will never be able to stand out in this life.

If he could accompany his wife till the end of her life, he would try his best to give her a lifetime of glory. But if he died before her, and Lin Ge'er could not make a breakthrough, wouldn't that make her suffer the same grievances again?

In this case, it would be better if Lin Ge'er gave her this honor from the beginning, and he only needed to stay by her side for the rest of his life.

Shen Xinyan didn't know that her husband had already taken great care of her affairs in her old age without her knowing. After leaving the Grand Princess, she returned to Funing Courtyard and watched her daughter talking to Shen Huiran affectionately, while Lingfu moved Zhang Xiudun to sit beside her, occasionally picking up a piece of snack and putting it in her mouth, watching her eat it in one bite, then taking another piece and eating it in small bites, feeling the sweet taste in her mouth, and squinting her eyes happily.

She couldn't help but smile.

This silly boy can quickly forget any unpleasant things as long as there is something delicious.

"Aunt!" It was Shen Huiran who first noticed her, and she quickly stood up and called out timidly.

"Mom!" Xiao Yingzhi immediately rushed over and rubbed her waist.

"Madam!" Lin Fu quickly wiped the snack residue from the corner of his mouth and called with a faint smile.

Shen Xinyan pinched her daughter's cheeks, then looked carefully at the injuries on Lingfu's face. Seeing that the redness and swelling had faded a lot, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned her gaze to Shen Huiran.

"Hui'er, don't be so polite. Just treat it as your own home. If you want to eat something, tell Zhu'er. If you want to go somewhere, tell Zhu'er."

"No need to tell Zhu'er, just tell me! Mother, cousin Hui said she wanted to eat red bean cake." Xiao Yingzhi said in a crisp voice with bright eyes.

Shen Xin was amused and pinched her with some force: "Does your cousin Hui want to eat it, or does your little greedy cat want to eat it?"

The little girl covered her face which was a little painful from her mother's pinch, and looked at her with wet eyes.

As early as when Xiao Yingzhi mentioned red bean cake, Linfu's eyes became brighter and he looked at Shen Xinyan expectantly.

Being stared at by two pairs of big eyes filled with anticipation, Shen Xinyan felt a little overwhelmed and wanted to say something. Shen Huiran said timidly: "Aunt, it's what I want to eat..."

As soon as he finished speaking, his face turned red.

Shen Xinyan sighed, feeling very troubled by her cowardly behavior.

"Chun Liu, go ask the kitchen to make some red bean cake!"

Chunliu left immediately.

"Why has Miss Hui's personality changed so much?" Xia He asked in a low voice outside the house.

Qiu Tang shook her head. Witnessing her mother's fate must have left a shadow in the little girl's heart. Maybe Liang said something to her before she left, so that when she faced her second aunt, whom she always liked, she was no longer as close and natural as before.

Of course, with Liang's "intelligence", she would not say anything that would make her daughter resentful towards the lady. She would probably ask her to get closer to the second aunt and not to make her angry.

However, the closeness of children is to follow their wishes. If it is deliberate and half-understood, it will lose the original intention, which is a bit of a loss. Liang was thinking about her children wholeheartedly, and even after the divorce, she took great pains to think about her children. But Qiutang had to say that she made a wrong move.

Although Miss Hui is pitiable now, she is not as likable as she was before.

Especially her fear of the lady. Although she tried hard to hide it, how could a child hide it? Instead, her fear became more obvious. Didn't she see how helpless the lady was when facing her?

"I heard that Lingfu was injured. How is he now?" Wei Chenglin, with sweat stains on his forehead, hurried over and asked repeatedly when he saw the two people outside the house.

"Don't worry, young master. It's okay. Linfu is in the house right now!" Qiutang comforted him when she saw that he looked worried.

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a flash before his eyes and Wei Chenglin was gone.