Princess An He didn’t want her son to be bullied by Mingzhu, but seeing him get teased by Zishan, she found it somewhat amusing.

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly without leaving a trace.

She thought to herself, Zishan is clever, articulate, but just a bit too quiet usually.

Only in front of his parents does he show such an innocent and adorable side.

With others, he is very serious.

His little face always tense, like a little adult.

Both adorable and amusing.

This temperament is a bit like Ah Zhen, and a bit like Mingzhu.

Xie Yunzhen flicked Zishan on the forehead, "If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll kick you out of the house, and even your mother can’t protect you."

This threat didn’t work on Zishan.

Holding his forehead, he said, "I’ll go find Uncle Xi Yu, or go find Uncle Chang An!"

Zishan’s eyes gleamed with pride.

He had plenty of places he could go!

Yuan Changan and Mingzhu had been engaged, which wasn’t a secret.

Princess An He frowned, "Why are you still in contact with Yuan Changan?"

Everyone knew he was getting on in age and still unmarried, holding some intentions.

In this situation, failing to avoid suspicion, those unaware might think Mingzhu and Yuan Changan have an unclear relationship.

If this spreads, how would Zimu, Zishan, and Ah Zhen carry themselves?

Seeing his grandmother’s dislike of Uncle Chang An, Zishan immediately explained, "Uncle Chang An is a good person, he won’t bully us."

"Right, Dad?"

He turned to look at the man sitting beside him.

Xie Yunzhen didn’t want Mingzhu to be misunderstood by his mother, and was ready to help smooth things over.

But that didn’t mean he was pleased to be set up by his son.

Isn’t this forcing him to admit the rival is a good person?

With a forced smile, he said, "He’s a weak scholar, couldn’t lift anything with his hands, couldn’t carry anything on his shoulders, who could he possibly bully?"

Even at this time, he couldn’t resist badmouthing Yuan Changan. Mingzhu rolled her eyes in exasperation.

She said to Princess An He, "Yuan Changan is a benefactor of our family. In that matter back then, he too was a victim. We conducted ourselves properly, why should we distance ourselves from him?"

Unless Yuan Changan chose to distance himself, she wouldn’t cut ties like that.

From start to finish, Yuan Changan acted gracefully.

Distancing themselves would be an insult to him.

Mingzhu’s attitude never changed; whether to interact with them or not was Yuan Changan’s choice.

Princess An He felt guilty, but didn’t want to bow her head in front of Mingzhu.

"Rumors are deadly knives, I never said to cut ties with Yuan Changan completely, but there should be boundaries not to be crossed."

Mingzhu earnestly asked, "What counts as crossing the line?"

Princess An He couldn’t present facts, her confidence faltering, "I’m just reminding you, why so aggressive?"

Mingzhu didn’t want to clash with Princess An He, especially since the children were present.

Holding her son, she said nothing.

The atmosphere was a bit off. Zishan, though young, noticed the subtle tension.

Instinctively, he hugged Mingzhu’s arm, wanting to protect her.

Xie Yunzhen awkwardly rubbed his nose, "Zishan is right, Yuan Changan is a decent person."

Otherwise, back when he went on campaign, he wouldn’t have entrusted Yuan Changan to look after Mingzhu.

Though he often complained about Yuan Changan’s unending interest in his wife, he never really intended to cut ties completely.

As Mingzhu said, they were clean and clear, why do something so ungrateful?

Having just returned to the capital, Princess An He didn’t want to have conflicts with Mingzhu.

Otherwise, Mingzhu might move out of the Duke Mansion, and by then, Ah Zhen and the two children would follow her out.

She smoothly conceded, "Children’s intuition is sharp. If Zishan says Yuan Changan is good, then surely he is good."

The remark was somewhat perfunctory.

Mingzhu didn’t respond.

Xie Yunzhen and Zishan, one big and one small, had identical expressions, both quite serious.

Neither spoke a word.

Princess An He felt inexplicably awkward.

She became increasingly aware that only by getting along with Mingzhu could the family stay harmonious.

Feeling she had already lowered her stance, asking her to apologize was beyond her.

All she could do was sit there awkwardly.

When Zimu arrived, he sensed the atmosphere was strange, unaware of what had happened.

He squeezed next to Mingzhu, whispering with Zishan.

Zishan didn’t understand the twists and turns between adults, only knowing that Uncle Chang An was mentioned.

And that his grandmother seemingly didn’t like their interaction with Uncle Chang An.

He whispered a few words to Zimu, and then loudly declared, "I like Uncle Chang An! He’s a good person!"

Mingzhu was instantly amused by him.

She patted the little one’s head, "Then study well, next time you see Uncle Chang An, you can show him your progress, and he can help you with your homework."

Zishan nodded vigorously, "Okay, I’ll listen to Mom."

Zimu, somewhat confused, also didn’t want to fall behind, "I’ll listen to Mom too, I’ll study well."

Mingzhu, coaxed by the siblings, soon felt her displeasure fade away, returning to normal.

Xie Yunzhen, though naturally jealous, knew the boundaries.

Appropriate jealousy could be charming.

Too much, and he’d become a resentful husband, which would only make Mingzhu annoyed.

Clearing his throat, he said to Princess An He, "Yuan Changan is a dear friend of Mingzhu and me, a person of integrity and loyalty. We are fortunate to have such a friend, please don’t overthink it."

"Who’s overthinking? Any normal person would guess that way!"

Princess An He felt a bit wronged.

It’s a fact that Mingzhu was once engaged to Yuan Changan, so whenever they were together, people would think of that.

If they maintained contact, people would speculate if Yuan Changan hadn’t let go of Mingzhu.

Or if Mingzhu was stringing him along, keeping him from marrying despite his age.

She only wanted to prevent rumors, was she wrong?

In the past, Princess An He would have stormed off.

But times had changed; if she left in a huff, she’d miss the chance to reunite with her son, grandson, and granddaughter.

Seeing Mingzhu looking so calm, Princess An He seethed inside.

Why should she be the only one sulking?

Pressing a hand to her temple, she controlled her emotions.

Calling over the maid, she said, "Set the table, Zimu and Zishan must be hungry."

Mingzhu glanced at Xie Yunzhen.

She thought to herself, "Princess An He has changed a lot, she’s not ranting or yelling."

The former Princess An He was arrogant and dismissive of others.

Compared to the past, she was almost a different person!

Since they had just returned to the capital, and the other side wasn’t being relentless, Mingzhu didn’t want to be the villain.

Taking the hands of the two children, she stood up, "Go sit next to your grandmother. Your father and I will take it easy."

Upon hearing that, Princess An He’s mood soared.

As long as Mingzhu didn’t interfere with her bonding with the grandchildren, she wouldn’t hold on to any unpleasantness.

Raising her chin proudly, she said, "Ah Zhen and Zishan are right. A genuine friend is hard to come by. Whoever dares to speak nonsense, I’ll slap their mouth!"

Xie Yunzhen pinched his brow.

"Please, don’t say things like that. You don’t want the little ones to pick up on it."

Princess An He saw nothing wrong with it.

"I’m not telling them to bully anyone, so what’s the issue? I say a girl should be strong, otherwise when she’s married, won’t she be bullied by her husband’s family?"

In their powerful family, being a little bold was fine.

As long as the Duke Mansion stood firm, it was the children’s confidence!