Ever since being titled Sir, Wu Xueqin had always held herself in high regard, but at this moment, she lowered herself to try to forge relationships, only to find she was not taken seriously; how could she not be angry?

Lin Youning couldn’t help but laugh after getting on the carriage, "She must not be happy. Rarely does she lower herself, only for this to happen."

"Though talented, she is ultimately a woman, and most people will not accept her." Gu Yifeng gently stroked her belly, "You ate quite a bit today; once we return to the mansion, you should move around a bit more."

"Brother, don’t you have to return to the Marquis Mansion?" Lin Youning, seeing it was already afternoon, worried about her big brother leaving.

Gu Yifeng smiled and said, "I’m not leaving tonight."

"Will Aunt agree with that? Besides, if you stay here all the time, Aunt might be unhappy, right?" Lin Youning couldn’t help but worry.

"Don’t worry. Today’s events will certainly reach Mother; she won’t say more." Gu Yifeng was not concerned, "All the noble families in the Capital are trying to align themselves with the Crown Prince. Today, with the Crown Prince and Prince Shou appearing together, it will surely give them much to think about."

Lin Youning nodded, her mind at ease. Even if she knew this wasn’t good, she didn’t want to be apart from her big brother even for a moment.

As they talked, upon returning to the mansion, they saw Zhao Housheng standing at the door with an unpleasant expression. Lin Youning was puzzled, but before asking, Zhao Housheng spoke, "Mr. Gu and Princess Yuanhua have arrived; they’ve been waiting for you all morning."

"Why have they come?" Lin Youning’s expression darkened.

"Princess Yuanhua claims to be our aunt. There were many misunderstandings due to not knowing this relationship before, and they’ve come to mend relations this time."

"I still don’t know what their intentions are." Lin Youning pouted.

By the mansion gate, there was no point in avoiding them now. As they walked inside, Lin Youning complained to her brother, "Big Brother didn’t just send them away. If they’re here to fix the relationship, it doesn’t matter whether they talk to you or me. Why insist on seeing me?"

"I heard from your sister-in-law, so I didn’t enter the mansion; I waited outside for you." Zhao Housheng said this part without feeling embarrassed.

Lin Youning frowned, looking at her brother discontentedly. Zhao Housheng felt he wasn’t at fault, "You’re a woman; it’s more convenient for you to interact with her. You know your temper."

"So what if we offend someone? We weren’t afraid to offend her before, and now we’re even less afraid." Lin Youning didn’t mention that her biggest dislike was Gu Er’s presence. Talking about Gu Er made her sneak a glance at her big brother, seeing him silent, she bit her lip and tugged at her brother’s hand.

Gu Yifeng looked down at her, "What’s wrong?"

"I might have eaten too much; my stomach feels uncomfortable, and I want to lie down for a while." Lin Youning pouted.

"Then go rest first." Gu Yifeng didn’t say much more.

But he found it amusing; she had been fine earlier, but now she said she was uncomfortable. Clearly, she didn’t want to meet those people, and Gu Yifeng also had to admit that Sister Ning’s reluctance to meet Gu Er made him feel quite pleased.

Earlier, upon hearing that Gu Er had come to the mansion, Gu Yifeng felt a bit uneasy. After all, Sister Ning had been betrothed to Gu Er first. Despite knowing now that Sister Ning’s affection was for him, the thought of them meeting still left Gu Yifeng feeling jealous.

Now that Sister Ning actively chose not to meet them, it settled Gu Yifeng’s heart. He supported Sister Ning’s waist and said to Zhao Housheng, "I’ll take Sister Ning to the back courtyard first; you go greet them in the front courtyard."

Zhao Housheng felt choked, standing there momentarily unsure of what to say, only able to watch the Marquis lead Sister Ning away, and when they were out of sight, Zhao Housheng pressed his hand to his head and let out a low cry.

He had waited outside for so long, only for Sister Ning to claim discomfort, pushing the matter back onto him. Wasn’t his afternoon wasted from loitering outside?

Knowing it was useless to say anything now, Zhao Housheng could only stride into the front hall. Seeing someone arrive, Gu Er and Princess Yuanhua looked up, only to find Zhao Housheng entering alone, with no one following. Gu Er’s brow furrowed tightly, while Princess Yuanhua appeared relieved.

Of course, Princess Yuanhua didn’t want to come here; she had once looked down upon Lin Youning. Now Lin Youning was a Commandery Princess, and their second brother was disliked by the father. With both her mother and second brother pressuring her to do something, she had no choice but to start with Lin Youning.

Liang Hui, seeing only her husband return, smiled and greeted him, "Mr. Gu and Princess Yuanhua have been waiting for quite some time."

Zhao Housheng nodded, striding directly to sit in the chair by the square hall, "Mr. Gu came unexpectedly for what reason?"

"I asked Second Young Master to accompany me." Princess Yuanhua stood, "Before, I didn’t know Brother Sheng was Big Brother’s child, so many misunderstandings occurred. Now that we know each other’s identities and that we’re relatives, I think we should interact more often."

Princess Yuanhua smiled warmly, "We were out traveling, and upon returning, we heard of this matter and came directly to the mansion. We brought nothing in preparation, but brought many special items back from the estate as gifts for the mansion. You should try them; it’s winter now, but the estate has hot springs and rare vegetables and fruits."

"How can we accept this? Please, Princess, don’t trouble yourself." Zhao Housheng declined.

Though Princess Yuanhua was demoted, everyone still called her Princess, merely for the sake of the Holy Emperor and Consort Zhou.

Princess Yuanhua wasn’t embarrassed by Zhao Housheng’s reaction, only smiling, "No need to call me from so far; just call me Aunt. When your father was in the palace, I was small, but we would meet often. Your father favored dark robes; I know a tailor shop with excellent craftsmanship, famous in the Capital."

While Princess Yuanhua was speaking happily, Zhao Housheng didn’t respond further; another person would have felt embarrassed already. Liang Hui kept her head down, clearly showing they didn’t like hosting Princess Yuanhua, and couldn’t even be bothered with superficial politeness.

Gu Er, seeing Sister Ning not appearing, maintained a gloomy expression and paid no attention to Princess Yuanhua’s words. Learning that Sister Ning was Prince Shou’s daughter, Gu Er felt as if his heart had plunged.

If Big Brother hadn’t intertwined with Sister Ning, he should have been the one to marry the Commandery Princess.