The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Tong Huaqiong turned around, and in the dim candlelight, a well-maintained noblewoman leaned out of the carriage and gave her a disdainful smile.

"May I ask who you are?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

The noblewoman's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

"How dare you! Pay your respects to Princess Yu!" the maidservant beside the middle-aged beauty scolded.

Tong Huaqiong rolled her eyes at the maid and said, "No one introduced me, how would I know who Princess Yu is? What if she's an imposter?"

"Who in the entire capital would dare to impersonate Princess Yu?"

She really is a boorish businesswoman from the countryside.

Even though the princess condescended to stand before her, she still didn't bow.

If it weren't for the fact that the grandson was the grandmother of the common people, she would have been dragged away and beheaded long ago.

The maid was furious.

At the palace banquet, Old Madam Min did indeed point out the real Princess Yu to her. Under the Emperor's nose, Tong Huaqiong was too embarrassed to look closely, so in the dim lantern and candlelight outside the palace, she did not recognize the middle-aged beauty in front of her as Princess Yu.

Besides, she has already incurred the enmity of the Prince Yu's mansion, and whether she pays respects or not, it won't mend the relationship, so why should she pay respects?

Anyway, the emperor won't punish her.

"Never mind, never mind. It's normal that Lord Suifeng doesn't recognize me since he just arrived in Shengjing from the countryside."

Princess Yu's tone was full of contempt.

This remark was meant to satirize Tong Huaqiong's shallow understanding due to her rural background.

Tong Huaqiong readily agreed, saying, "Your Highness is right. I am just an ignorant woman from the countryside. Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way."

Princess Yu wanted to rub her forehead.

Another shrew who uses ignorance as an excuse to come from the countryside. Isn't that Old Mrs. Min? She's always cursing in the street.

Like a piece of meat that's been cut into pieces.

But the incident happened in the imperial palace, and the emperor was very lenient towards them.

"May I ask what business Your Highness has with me?" Tong Huaqiong asked.

Remembering the prince's instructions, the Yu Prince's Mansion needed to cultivate a good relationship with the Crown Prince in order to please the emperor. The Crown Prince was clearly not enthusiastic about Yu Prince, so the Yu Prince's Mansion planned to start by getting in touch with the Crown Prince's foster grandmother from the common people.

The Prince Yu's Mansion is willing to humble themselves and show goodwill, not caring that Tong Huaqiong has brought their secrets to the imperial court. If Tong Huaqiong is smart, she will take advantage of the situation.

Princess Yu's smile grew even warmer as she said with a beaming smile, "A few days ago, Xiyue offended someone because of a pastry chef. When I talked to the prince about it, it was all a misunderstanding. I'll invite Prince Suifeng to the palace for a drink another day to apologize."

A weasel visiting a chicken to wish it a Happy New Year is never a good thing.

Trying to win over Tong Huaqiong was definitely an attempt to win over the Crown Prince, but Tong Huaqiong was unwilling to be used as a pawn.

"There's no need for an apology drink," Tong Huaqiong said readily.

Princess Yu's smile froze on her face.

She hadn't expected that even after she had taken the initiative to bend down, Tong Huaqiong would refuse so decisively.

Since Princess Yu had come looking for her, Tong Huaqiong also wanted to expose Zhao Xiyue's entanglement with Gu Jingzhe.

“Princess Yu, you should really keep an eye on Princess Mingyue. I heard she even went to the Imperial Academy to block my son Jingzhe. Although my Jingzhe is handsome, he is already married and he and his wife are a perfect match. He certainly wouldn’t abandon his wife and children like Su Shihang did for his future. Princess Mingyue’s blatant blocking of my son will not only affect him, but it will also damage Princess Mingyue’s reputation.”

"Please, Your Highness, restrain the Princess properly for the sake of her reputation."

When Princess Yu heard that Princess Mingyue had gone to intercept Tong Huaqiong's son, a chill ran from her heels to her head, almost making it hard for her to breathe.

There are so many talented young men in Shengjing, is her princess crazy to fall for a country boy?
However, Princess Yu did not dare to confront Tong Huaqiong rashly, judging from the fact that Zhao Xiyue was capable of such an act, as evidenced by her going to the Imperial Academy to block people.

Ignoring the Princess Consort Yu's unpleasant expression, Tong Huaqiong bowed and boarded her own carriage.

Inside the Su family's carriage.

Su Shihang closed his eyes.

After leaving the banquet, the father took the initiative to speak to his son. The son gave him a cold look and threatened him that if he dared to interfere in his marriage, he would make the Su family pay.

"You traitor." Su Shihang cursed.

He is, after all, the father of his unfilial son. He has no right to interfere in his son's marriage. Who does?
In Manshengjing, who else but him would bow down to his son?

Su Shihang felt that the reason his son did not acknowledge him as his father was because he had been spoiled by the Min family.

He somewhat regretted letting Su Chengmin continue to be raised in the Min family.

He didn't seem to realize that back then, his heart was biased towards the youngest son born to Madam Lu. After Min Baozhen passed away, the Min family was happy to take Su Chengmin in and raise him, since the Su family had no shortage of sons anyway.

When Su Chengmin was implicated in the Crown Prince's rebellion, he severed ties with Su Chengmin. Now that his son has become the leader of the Imperial Guard, and given that his younger son has been incompetent for so many years, he has begun to show his deep fatherly affection. How can Su Chengmin possibly appreciate this?
It was Madam Lu who suggested using marriage to control Su Chengmin, ideally having him marry her niece from her maternal family, so that Su Chengmin would truly become one with the Su family.

Su Shihang thought Lu's idea was good.

Given Su Chengmin's current standing in the emperor's heart, coupled with the powerful General as his backer, many aristocratic families have begun to inquire about his marriage prospects.

If Su Chengmin marries a woman from a prominent family and gains their support, it will not only be of no help to the Su family, but will also further solidify the position of the mighty general.

This is something Su Shihang doesn't want to see.

The rebellious son is biased towards the Min family. No matter how much he tries to win them over, Su Chengmin refuses to acknowledge him as his father. He has no choice but to take a risky move and publicly ask the emperor to grant him a marriage.

The arranged marriage failed, and the thought of his son drifting further and further away from him filled Su Shihang with irritation.

“Master, Chengmin is still your son. There’s no such thing as a grudge between father and son that lasts overnight. He’s been away from home all this time, so he naturally doesn’t understand your good intentions. Please be patient and talk to him properly. He will naturally understand that the Su family is one with him.” Madam Lu said, trying to figure out Su Shihang’s thoughts.

These words not only pointed out that Su Chengmin disregarded the father-son relationship, but also incited the Min family to brainwash Su Chengmin.

The words that Old Madam Min said to her in the palace today will spread throughout Shengjing tomorrow.

Having suffered such a great embarrassment, she certainly wouldn't let the Min family be pleased with themselves.

Su Shihang opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Go and inquire among the women of each family about which family Cheng Min has taken a fancy to. If that girl is willing to acknowledge the Su family and not the Min family, I wouldn't mind having this marriage."

He only wanted to control his son and didn't care whether his wife was Lu Yin'er or another girl. If she could bring benefits to the Su family and make Su Chengmin acknowledge the Su family, he would acknowledge that girl as his daughter-in-law.

“Master, is this Chengmin’s excuse? I see he’s always busy with official duties, how could he have time to be interested in any girl? He’s got a grudge against us now, so he’s bringing it up with Yin’er too. They say enemies are destined to meet, let Yin’er spend more time with him, maybe he’ll be willing to marry her,” said Madam Lu.

Lu Yin'er smiled gently at just the right moment.

Su Shihang sneered and said, "No one knows a son better than his father. He must be telling the truth when he says he has a girl he likes. You'd better go and find out. If I force him to marry Yin'er, that would be severing our father-son relationship."

"After all, he has always harbored resentment towards his mother, and the best way to eliminate that resentment is to respect his wishes."

"Sir, you can leave this matter to me."

When Madam Lu heard Su Shihang mention Min Baozhen, her heart tightened. On the surface, she respectfully agreed that she would inquire about it when she got back.

No matter which family the girl comes from, it's all in vain.

Su Chengmin's wife can only be Lu Yin'er. (End of Chapter)