The little look in her eyes remained etched in Princess Consort NanAn’s mind.

Nie Yao remained unconscious, and Mrs. Qian chuckled, "Should we send someone to announce the good news to Marquis Yangnan and the Prince?"

The Prince NanAn Mansion had few heirs; the Prince and Princess Consort had been striving for many years and only had the Commandery Prince NanAn as their child. Now, with a grandson, Prince NanAn must be more delighted than anyone.

And Marquis Yangnan...

The matter of Nie Yao’s pregnancy was kept under strict secrecy. For these few months, she hadn’t left the inner courtyard, and only trusted maids served her closely.

Although everyone knew the child belonged to the Commandery Prince NanAn, she hadn’t married yet, so it was inappropriate to let it be widely known.

It wasn’t until the Princess Consort NanAn arrived that the maids and old servants in the outer courtyard learned about the eldest young lady’s pregnancy, and their surprise was beyond words.

It felt like a dream that it only took two days from knowing the pregnancy to delivering the baby.

Such a big event, the steward of Nanyang Marquis Mansion definitely needed to send a letter to Marquis Yangnan. But Nie Yao was about to give birth, and Princess Consort NanAn had specially rushed from the Capital City, showing how much they valued their eldest young lady and little young master.

The letter likely hadn’t even reached Old Marquis Yangnan when their eldest young lady gifted him with a great-grandson.

Now that the child was born, the steward of Nanyang Marquis Mansion hurriedly wrote a letter, sending a trusted servant on a fast horse to deliver it to Yu State.

That’s right, Marquis Yangnan wasn’t at the border but in Yu State.

Prince Qi raised arms in rebellion, and Old Duke Chong led the troops to attack him. However, Old Duke Chong had been bedridden for three years—no, almost four years—and had just recovered. Marquis Dongxiang and Old Prince were all worried about him.

When the news of Prince Qi conspiring rebellion with food storehouses reached the border, Marquis Yangnan set off immediately to join forces with Old Duke Chong.

Wherever Old Duke Chong fought, Marquis Yangnan followed.

Yu State was only four or five days’ journey from Yinzhou. If the servant hastened, he could reach there in three days.

Nie Yao awoke after an hour, stirred by the baby’s cries.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Princess Consort NanAn soothing her grandson.

The baby’s cries melted her heart; it had been too long since she’d comforted a child, almost forgetting how to do it.

Nie Yao wanted to get up, and Princess Consort NanAn brought the child to her side.

Nie Yao’s cheeks flushed with a bit of shyness, and Princess Consort NanAn laughed, "Mother knows you’ve been wronged, but when Fengfeng returns, I’ll have him make it up to you."

"If you want to vent on him, Mother will hand you a stick."

"...."

The maids and old servants stifled their laughter.

Mrs. Qian had a dark line on her face; what kind of Princess Consort encourages her daughter-in-law to hit her own son?

Even if the Commandery Prince doesn’t hold a high status in the house, you can’t disregard him now that there’s a grandson.

Nie Yao shook her head.

She knew Princess Consort NanAn treated her very well.

She wasn’t wronged.

For the past few months, she hoped more than anyone that the child would be born soon.

Princess Consort NanAn enjoyed sweet moments with her grandson, occasionally pulling her son out for a scold, relishing her good mood.

But the Commandery Prince NanAn wasn’t having a good time. He sneezed without warning, so much that Chu Shun and the others told him to stay away while speaking, so as not to shower them with saliva.

Three days later.

Yu State Prefecture.

Old Duke Chong was pulling Marquis Yangnan along to drink with him.

Marquis Yangnan advised, "You’re not fully recovered, it’s not suitable to drink."

"I’m already fully recovered, and I’m in high spirits today," Old Duke Chong poured wine for Marquis Yangnan.

For one reason only.

Princess Fu Yun had given birth to a son.

Su Chong was Old Duke Chong’s legitimate grandson, and Princess Fu Yun had given him a great-grandson.

The only dissatisfaction was that the news arrived a bit late.

After Princess Fu Yun had given birth, Mrs. Tang and the Duchess of Chong’s Mansion, engrossed in their joy, thought each had informed Old Duke Chong, but it took a few days to realize they were too happy to mention it.

And so, the child was nearly a month old by the time the news reached Old Duke Chong.

Old Duke Chong was moved to tears, only regretting that he wasn’t in the Capital to see and hold his great-grandson personally.

Coinciding with a happy occasion and without other concerns, Old Duke Chong wanted to have a good drink.

Though Marquis Yangnan rejoiced for him, he firmly disallowed drinking, "Once you’re fully recovered, I’ll surely join you for a drink."

Drinking alone lacked meaning, especially for such a joyous affair; Old Duke Chong said, "Just one jar."

Marquis Yangnan resolutely disagreed.

Old Duke Chong just looked at him when suddenly a servant came running in, "Old Marquis, there’s a family letter from Yinzhou."

"Quick, present it," said Marquis Yangnan.

The servant handed the letter to Marquis Yangnan.

Seeing the handwriting wasn’t Nie Yao’s but the steward’s, Marquis Yangnan felt a sinking in his heart.

He knew his granddaughter wouldn’t report worry, only joy, and he had instructed the steward to write if anything happened.

Could it be something happened to Yaoyao?

Eagerly, Marquis Yangnan opened the letter.

Scanning the letter quickly, he was stunned.

Yaoyao had given him a great-grandson?!

Afraid his eyes deceived him, Marquis Yangnan read it several times, his smile almost overflowing, though he kept it in check.

He handed the letter to Old Duke Chong, "Help me see what this letter says."

Old Duke Chong was worried that Marquis Yangnan’s eyesight might be failing, given his age.

After reading the letter, Old Duke Chong was equally taken aback.

There hadn’t been any word of the eldest young lady of Nanyang Marquis Mansion being pregnant, so how was it that she had given birth?

Patting Marquis Yangnan on the shoulder, Old Duke Chong laughed, "I’ve gained a grandson, and you’ve gained a great-grandson; it’s a double blessing. Now, you have no reason not to have a good drink with me, do you?"

Marquis Yangnan turned to the servant, "Bring a few more jars of wine."

By the time the message reached Old Duke Chong, the child was nearly a month old. By the time it reached Marquis Dongxiang and Su Chong, Marquis Dongxiang Mansion was already holding a full-month banquet.

Marquis Dongxiang was both delighted and furious because he had only just descended from the city tower when he received the news.

Marquis Dongxiang was thrilled to have gained a grandson, yet furious at Nanliang’s invasion, for otherwise, he could have seen his grandson himself.

Su Chong, now a father, was naturally overjoyed.

However, that joy was short-lived, as it turned to irritation when people started coveting his son.

And it wasn’t just one person.

As soon as Commandery Prince NanAn heard the news, he immediately put an arm around his neck, and said to Chu Shun and the others, "Don’t fight over it; I’ve reserved this son-in-law first."

Su Chong, "...."

Although Commandery Prince NanAn was the first to speak up, could Chu Shun and the others agree?

Absolutely not.

"You haven’t even secured a wife; what are you fighting over? Step aside," Chu Shun said dismissively.

He wrapped an arm around Su Chong’s shoulder, "Brother Su should naturally become my in-law."

The Eldest Young Master of Duke Dingguo Mansion also disagreed.

In the end, everyone erupted into a quarrel, and finally, Commandery Prince NanAn said, "Let’s not argue; it’s too damaging to our camaraderie."

"We’re brothers here; we shouldn’t hurt our relationships over vying for a son-in-law."

"Here’s what we’ll do: whoever’s daughter wins him gets him."

"...."

What kind of ridiculous idea is that?

Does that really prevent strife?

Su Chong had a dark line on his face.

The troubling part was—

This proposal met with unanimous agreement from Chu Shun and the others.

Isn’t a sister-in-law just snatched right off the street?

Su Chong, "...."