Reborn Princess

"My granddaughter is being raised very well in the palace." Shen Lilan said with a smile.

The old Duke's wife then looked up at Zhou Cechen.

Zhou Cechen nodded to the old Duke's wife, "Grandmother."

A royal bloodline who is usually stern and silent but holds a high position in an official position is now paying respects to the elders present in a very polite manner.

The old Duke's wife nodded coldly in response to his greeting.

The lively atmosphere in the living room suddenly quieted down.

The younger generation didn't dare to speak, and the aunts and uncles in the middle generation didn't know what the old lady's attitude was so they didn't dare to interrupt. The old Duke's wife had a calm expression and it was impossible to tell whether she was happy or angry.

"The prince treats his granddaughter very well in the palace." Shen Xilan immediately spoke up to help Zhou Cechen.

"Okay, Fu Fu is okay." said the old Duke's wife.

Zhou Cechen's raping of Shen Xilan might be a rumor among the people, but it is almost true in the eyes of the Shen family and the Li family. Otherwise, Shen Xilan would never marry Zhou Cechen, but would look for someone she loves to spend the rest of her life with.

"Lan'er, take Jinzhi to the back garden for a walk. I think he hasn't been back to the Duke's Mansion for a while." Li Helai said.

Li Yishu was a little surprised that her sister Li Hetao was protecting the son-in-law whom she once hated.

"What? You want to leave without drinking the tea? Grandmother won't allow it. Sit down and chat with grandma." The old lady of the Duke held Shen Xilan's hand with her aged hands.

Shen Lilan glanced at Zhou Cechen, who actually sat down without being humble or arrogant.

Seeing that he was still calm, as if he didn't take the words and actions of everyone present to heart, Shen Lilan sat down next to the old Duke's wife somewhat helplessly.

She coaxed the Duchess, "Grandma, you don't know how much your granddaughter misses you. Your grandson-in-law has specially prepared many things to come and see you today."

As he spoke, Shen Xilan signaled the butler to bring the things up.

The Duke's wife: "No need, drink your tea first, or it will get cold."

Seeing the Duke's wife like this, everyone in the living room didn't know what to do for a moment.

Zhou Cechen was like a giant Buddha, and the people who were originally laughing and talking happily suddenly became restrained.

After taking a sip of tea, Shen Xilan looked at Zhou Cechen again. The two looked at each other, and Zhou Cechen gestured for her to be at ease.

"Madam, the Duke heard that Prince Ding'an had arrived, and asked the prince to go to the study."

The Duchy Lady glanced at Zhou Cechen and said, "You go, Lan'er stay here and talk to me."

Shen Lilan looked at Zhou Cechen worriedly, and Zhou Cechen said to her, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

But Shen Xilan refused to do so. She was afraid that he would not be able to adapt to the Duke's Mansion when he came there for the first time.

She could ignore those Wang Ciyuan and the second and third wives of the Shen family who were traitors and only thought about how to make profits in the general's mansion and seek revenge in her previous life. But this was the Duke's mansion, and the people here were the ones who loved and protected her for many years, so she couldn't disrespect them.

"Well, although the Duke's Mansion cannot compare to those palaces or royal palaces, it can still protect you. Prince Ding'an should go and come back quickly."

Zhou Cechen said to Shen Lilan: "Don't worry when I come back."

Shen Lilan stared at Zhou Cechen's departing back until he disappeared at the end. Then she turned around and found that everyone in the room was staring at her.

"When he leaves, your soul leaves with him." The old Duke's wife tapped Shen Lilan's forehead.

Shen Lilan lowered her eyes and smiled, "Grandma, you always tease me."

The old Duke's wife shook her head and asked, "Are you really having a good time in the palace?"

Shen Lilan nodded. "That's great. He never neglects me."

The wife of the old Duke said: "Of course he can't neglect you. Although you are not a royal relative, the status of the Shen and Li families is here. What dare he do something out of the ordinary?"

Li Yishu held the handkerchief and smiled, "What your grandmother meant was whether the housekeeper Quan had been caught by her?"

"And how many times a month does he go to your yard?"

Li Yishu cleared his throat and whispered, "I am asking you this because my family is here. If there were others, I would definitely not ask."

"He has many concubines in his house. Does he pay too much attention to them?"

Shen Lilan was so confused by all these questions that he didn't know which one to respond to first.

But these problems never seemed to her like a problem, because there were not so many rules in the palace.

"Let her think about it slowly before telling you. She hasn't even had a few sips of tea yet and she has so many questions that she can't answer them." said my aunt with a smile.

Shen Yanlan swallowed and said, "The prince gave me the power of housekeeper on our wedding night. At first, I was in my own courtyard and he came to look for me every day, and then..."

Shen Lilan glanced at the group of people who were listening to her with great interest and had no choice but to continue, "Later, I found it troublesome and moved into his yard."

"What?" Li Shuyi asked.

"His yard is his private property. Wouldn't he be annoyed by your doing this?"

Shen Lilan felt that Zhou Cechen looked very happy.

"He has no concubines in his house, and the only two people who serve him are men."

This sentence surprised everyone present. Zhou Cechen was a prince with the surname Zhou, but he had no concubines around him. This was not reasonable.

The old Duke's wife nodded, "You have feelings for him?"

It was this question again. Shen Lilan looked at his mother who was drinking tea leisurely. It was worthy of them being a family and asking the same question.

"Yes," she replied.

This word "yes" surprised everyone except Li Heluo.

Everyone present knew that the two were actually in an arranged marriage. There were many arranged marriages in the capital, but how many of them were truly happy?

"Wait a minute and let your aunt think about it carefully." Li Yishu couldn't digest so much information at once.

The old Duke's wife asked her, "How much love do you have?"

Shen Lilan pursed her lips and said, "With all my heart."

"You know that if one of them has feelings for the other in a marriage, it will not be easy for the other." The old Duke's wife patted Shen Xilan's hand.

Shen Lilan shook her head. "Grandma, it's not one-sided. It's mutual affection."

It was not until Shen Lilan said this that everyone felt that Shen Lilan was different. How could she have been so bold and passionate in expressing her love before?

The old Duke's wife nodded silently.

……

In the study, the Duke wrote the word "谲" on the rice paper.

Shen Jiyuan stared at it for a long time without saying anything.

"What do you think?" The Duke's voice was strong and powerful despite his head full of white hair.

When Zhou Cechen was called, he said calmly, "The situation is treacherous."

The Duke put down his pen and nodded, seeming to be quite satisfied with Zhou Cechen's answer.

"It's going to change."

After hearing this, Shen Jiyuan almost went up to cover the Duke's mouth. If the Emperor was furious, he would kill all the members of the Li family if he said such treasonous words in front of the prince.

"Although there are undercurrents, our dynasty's talented people can always turn things around, so the Duke doesn't need to worry."

The Duke chuckled and said, "It's not my turn to worry about these fluctuations. You guys will handle them."