Hearing the word "old lady", Fuling was so frightened that she lowered her head and bent her body, moving back to avoid her young lady.

Hua Yuanzhao smiled slightly and said, "Okay, I understand."

I thought about it carefully and then I remembered what kind of person this old lady was.

The old lady Hua has always been tyrannical and authoritarian. She is the one who has the final say in the Hua family and she cares most about the family's reputation.

When Prime Minister Hua redeemed Aunt Su a few years ago, this man said that filthy people were not allowed to step on innocent land and almost beat Aunt Su to death in public.

Later, after Prime Minister Hua repeatedly pleaded for her, Old Lady Hua reluctantly allowed her to enter the house. However, after entering the house, she ordered people to soak Aunt Su in grapefruit water for a day and a night in the name of getting rid of bad luck...

Also because of this old lady Hua, no matter how favored Aunt Su was in public, she was still not made the legal wife.

The original body's biological mother was not much better. Although she was not tortured as much as Aunt Su, she was also not liked.

Even in the late stages of pregnancy, regular visits to the mother in the morning and evening are essential. If you torture yourself into going into labor before the due date, it will cause serious damage to your health during delivery.

She did not get pregnant again in the following years and died of illness early.

After that, Mrs. Hua went to her private residence, invited Bodhisattvas and eminent monks to her home, ate vegetarian food and chanted Buddhist scriptures all day long, and rarely cared about the affairs of the Hua Mansion.

Hua Yuanzhao shuddered, and the fear of being dominated in her childhood instantly flooded into her mind.

She quickly changed into a gray-blue long dress embroidered with lily of the valley, tied an emerald silk sash around her waist, hung a sachet embroidered with a ruyi, and wore pearl pendants.

She also asked Fuling to comb her hair into a bun and inserted a silver lily of the valley hairpin in her hair. Her look was even more formal and exquisite than the one she had worn at the previous spring banquet.

As soon as Hua Yuanzhao stepped into the main hall, he felt a chill rising up along the soles of his feet.

She looked up and saw a fat old lady sitting right above her, with Prime Minister Hua and Hua Yuanshan sitting on either side.

Aunt Su changed into plain clothes and wore only a few silver hairpins on her head. She stood properly behind Hua Yuanshan.

Old Madam Hua sat on the armchair, looking dignified and heavy-hearted, with a gleam in her cloudy eyes.

"Zhao'er greets grandmother and father." Huayuan Zhaofu bowed and saluted, looking respectful.

"My eldest sister is so arrogant. She has to be urged and invited many times before she is willing to come." Hua Yuanshan chuckled and said in a sarcastic tone.

"Even grandma and dad have to wait!" she said.

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Hua glared at Hua Yuanshan fiercely, and Hua Yuanshan was so scared that she shut up.

Aunt Su quietly tugged at Hua Yuanshan's clothes, signaling her to stop talking nonsense.

This old lady Hua had never liked the mother and daughter. She had always used the difference between legitimate and illegitimate daughters to make a fuss about it, and she even said that thirty years ago, illegitimate daughters were destined to be maids for legitimate daughters!

If it weren't for the master's favor, Hua Yuanshan wouldn't even have the qualifications to sit here.

Old Madam Hua retracted her gaze and looked coldly at Hua Yuanzhao, with a strong hint of disgust in her eyes.

This girl has grown up and become so powerful that she doesn't even take me seriously! Why did she have to wait so long to come here?

What will happen if this continues?

Thinking of this, Old Madam Hua suddenly grabbed the cup and threw it at Hua Yuanzhao's feet.

The porcelain cup hit the ground with a loud bang, and the scalding hot tea spilled all over the floor.

Hua Yuanzhao was so frightened that he involuntarily took a half step back and suddenly looked up at the old lady with a frown on her face.

The moment their eyes met, Madam Hua shouted coldly, "Kneel down!"

Hua Yuanzhao's eyelids twitched, and he thought, where should I kneel? On the hot water or on the tiles?

Seeing that she didn't move, Madam Hua angrily slammed the table and scolded, "You rude thing! Have you lost the manners I taught you since you were a child? You can't even bow to your grandmother?"

Hua Yuanzhao hesitated for a moment, then took two steps back, knelt on the clean ground, and bowed again.

"Zhao'er has met his grandmother."

Madam Hua snorted and did not ask her to stand up. She just lectured arrogantly: "Our family is a family of scholars and we are the most polite and courteous. As the daughter of the Prime Minister, you are the face of the Prime Minister's Mansion. You cannot make mistakes in your words and deeds..."

Hua Yuanshan covered her lips and smiled secretly, feeling secretly proud.

What's the point of being a legitimate daughter? Isn't she still not favored by her grandmother? She can only kneel on the ground!

She quietly stood up and left, and when she came back she had a cup of tea in her hand.

Hua Yuanshan walked to the side of Mrs. Hua, put down the teacup earnestly, smiled sweetly and said, "Grandma, you must be thirsty after talking for so long. I made you your favorite rock sugar and snow pear tea."

"Your father holds a high position, and there are so many eyes watching him--" Old Madam Hua stopped talking abruptly. She glared at Hua Yuanshan unhappily and hummed in a depressed tone.

What an unruly thing! Can't you see she is giving you a lecture?

Madam Hua took a sip of the sweet water, and her brows relaxed a little. She looked down at Hua Yuanzhao who was kneeling on the ground and said impatiently, "Get up."

"Thank you, grandma." Hua Yuanzhao felt relieved and quickly pulled his wandering thoughts back to his original place.

"Let me ask you, what is the matter with the breaking off of the engagement with the Third Prince?" The old lady sipped her tea and acted as if she was going to accuse someone.

"Mother, this matter..." Prime Minister Hua began to speak carefully.

"I'm asking her!" The old lady raised her eyes and glared at him.

Prime Minister Hua stopped talking awkwardly and picked up the teacup to drink tea again to hide his embarrassment.

Old Madam Hua looked Hua Yuanzhao up and down, and the disgust in her eyes became more and more intense.

"The way I look now really doesn't please the Third Prince..." Hua Yuanzhao tactfully shifted the blame: "The Third Prince tortured and made things difficult for me just to cancel the engagement..."

She paused, then added, "I really can't stand it anymore. I don't like the Third Prince either. If we force a marriage, we might end up being resentful of each other."

"Marrying a virtuous wife is about family power! What does it have to do with your own feelings?" Old Madam Hua shook her head in disappointment, not taking her words seriously at all.

Her son is the prime minister of the dynasty and one of the biggest bargaining chips on the third prince's ship. He will definitely help the third prince ascend to the supreme position!

Therefore, the daughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion will become the consort of the Third Prince, the Crown Princess, or even the future Queen!

In-law relationship is the best bond. With this relationship, the Third Prince can be completely assured of the Hua family, and the Hua family's status will become more and more stable.