Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

"Fu'er!" The young princess waved to Ying Yufu.

"Yao Yao!" Ying Yufu called out with a smile as she walked over.

The young princess glanced at her and said, "Fu'er, I told you long ago, Cang Mingze is no good."

Ying Yufu nodded repeatedly: "Yaoyao, you have good taste."

The young princess was immediately smug, then her eyes widened warily: "Fu'er, you're not still going to marry him, are you?"

Ying Yufu quickly shook her head: "No, no, he's all dirty."

"That's good, that's good. Fu'er, don't be sad. I'll introduce you to my Crown Prince brother later. My Crown Prince brother is a million times better than that Second Prince."

Ying Yufu's eyes lit up, then she shook her head repeatedly, "No, no, I heard that the Crown Prince... won't live much longer..."

"Grandma, someone from the Marquis of Chengen's residence has arrived. They say they want to see the Grand Princess."

The butler came to report.

Shangguan Tang's face darkened.

The old lady of the Duke of Zhenguo smiled and looked at the Grand Princess: "Hua Xi, this is for you."

Grand Princess Huaxi laughed and said, "If you can't even figure out who you should apologize to, there's no need for you to come in."

The ladies exchanged glances and laughed, saying, "The Grand Princess is right. There's no need for someone so clueless to come in."

The old lady of the Duke of Zhenguo did not mention anything more about the wife of the Earl of Chengen, and it seemed that everyone had forgotten about her.

Outside the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the wife of the Earl of Chengen and her eldest daughter stood by the carriage waiting.

But after waiting for a long time, the gates of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion showed no sign of opening again.

"Mother, what do they mean by this? Why have we been waiting for so long!" Xue Lingyi rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction.

Lady Chengen's expression turned serious; it seemed the Grand Princess was truly angry this time.

But who can be blamed for that?

Who would have thought that even though the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was on the verge of collapse, the Grand Princess and those ladies would still give them face at this critical juncture?

Who could have known that all it took was having that lowly concubine Fengxian perform the hairpin ceremony for Shangguan Tang's daughter, yet the Grand Princess harbored a grudge against the Cheng'en Earl's Mansion over this matter?

She glanced at her daughter and said, "Lingyi, mind your manners. You are the daughter of a scholarly family. Don't imitate the behavior of those vulgar and rude people."

Xue Lingyi admitted her mistake, then said, "But Mother, are they just going to make us wait like this? The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is already finished, how dare they be so arrogant?"

Lady Cheng'en said in a low voice, "Lingyi, be careful what you say."

"I can't say this, I can't say that..." Xue Lingyi was very dissatisfied.

If her mother hadn't told her that coming together would allow her to meet the Grand Princess and perhaps even befriend Princess Yaoguang, she wouldn't have come here to be turned away.

If Ying Hengzhi knew that she had come to Ying Yufu's coming-of-age banquet, she might misunderstand and think that she had come to support Ying Yufu.

"Princess Huaxi doesn't want to see us!" Lady Chengen said in a heavy tone.

Ying Yufu's coming-of-age ceremony has begun.

After taking another bath and changing her clothes, Ying Yufu, led by the old lady, went to the ancestral hall of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

"Fu'er, come, let's pay respects to our ancestors first."

No one spoke.

They all knew that even though Ying Yufu did not have the surname Shangguan, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion recognized her, so no one dared to question it.

"Fu'er not only wants to worship the ancestors of the Shangguan clan, but also my ancestors of the Mu clan."

He claimed to be paying homage to the ancestors of the Shangguan family, but in reality, the Duke of Zhenguo was a beggar who didn't even know who his parents were or where his ancestral home was.

How could they possibly know what ancestors they had?

During the conquest of the empire, the late emperor had already become a regional hegemon, and he had gained some status and fame.

He had heard that in the previous dynasty, there was a military general with the compound surname Shangguan who was extremely powerful and won battle after battle, and was known as the Ever-Victorious General.

Therefore, the Duke of Zhenguo thought this ever-victorious general was quite good, so he moved the general's memorial tablet back to his own home and recognized him as his ancestor. From then on, the general also had a name.

In that sense, he could be considered a descendant of a military family.

The Mu family, however, was different.

The Mu family has been engaged in commerce in Jiangnan for generations since the previous dynasty, and they do indeed have an ancestral hall.

The real Mu Clan Ancestral Hall is located in the old Mu Clan residence in Jiangnan.

The Zhenguo Duke's Mansion only enshrines the ancestral tablets of the first generation of the Mu family and the parents of the old lady.

Ying Yufu took out the family head's seal and thumb ring, and paid homage to the Mu family ancestor.

Upon seeing this, the ladies and young women couldn't help but show surprise.

"She actually passed the position of head of the family to Fu'er!" The old lady of Chang Le Gong gasped.

Princess Huaxi was also taken aback, but not particularly surprised.

Beside her, the young princess also stared wide-eyed with curiosity, "Mother, has Fu'er become the head of the Mu family?"

The Grand Princess glanced at her daughter and smiled, "That's right, but this matter cannot be discussed with outsiders for the time being."

The young princess nodded, "Yes, yes, we can't say, we can't say! If word gets out, Cang Mingze will definitely cling to Fu'er and never let go, that greedy fellow!"

The Grand Princess's lips twitched. Was that what she meant?

She felt that Fu'er was too young, and if the news got out, it might cause trouble for the Mu family. She thought that Fu'er should take control of the businesses outside of Jiangnan first.

However, upon closer reflection, she realized that Yao Yao's words made sense; Cang Mingze was truly unworthy of her.

What kind of good thing could someone be involved with his fiancée's sisters?

After paying respects to the ancestors, the next step is the hairpin-adding ceremony.

A large crowd of onlookers had gathered outside the Zhenguo Duke's mansion.

These people had enjoyed the spectacle outside the Marquis of Weiyuan's gate, and now they've moved on to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Many people were laughing at Lady Chengen.

Even the Earl of Chengen himself came, and he felt that his colleagues were looking at him with strange eyes.

He was a scholar who prided himself on his refined taste, and his face flushed as he was stared at like that.

He stepped forward and glared fiercely at Lady Cheng'en. "What are you doing standing here? Knock on the door! Are you waiting for the Grand Princess to come out and greet you?"

Lady Chengen looked displeased. She glared at the Earl of Chengen and went forward to knock on the door again.

The gatekeeper opened the door and saw that it was the Earl of Chengen and his wife. The gatekeeper said indifferently, "We have something to attend to at home right now and did not invite the Earl of Chengen's family. We apologize that we cannot entertain you."

After saying that, the doorman slammed the door shut.

Chengren Enbo and his wife were rebuffed.

Both of them showed intense anger and embarrassment.

In particular, the Earl of Chengen's face turned even uglier when faced with the mocking looks of the crowd.

He gritted his teeth and went to knock on the door again.

As soon as the gatekeeper opened the door, the Earl of Chengen announced loudly, "Please announce that I have come to pay my respects to Grand Princess Huaxi."

He snorted inwardly, surely the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion wouldn't stop him anymore?

He came to pay his respects to the Grand Princess.

Sure enough, this time the doorman didn't close the door immediately. Instead, with a cold face, he looked him up and down with his one intact eye.

The Marquis of Chengen straightened his chest. "If you dare to stop me, and the Grand Princess finds out, she will definitely..."

"Get out! The Grand Princess has no time for you!"

The doorman's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and a murderous aura emanated from his entire body. He then slammed the door shut again with a bang.

"Emperor Chengen, you won't be able to get in like this," someone in the crowd joked with a laugh.

The Earl of Chengen angrily exclaimed, "This Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is far too arrogant!"

No one responded to him; instead, they gave him a subtle look.

"Earl Chengen, I think you're quite arrogant too. Otherwise, how would you dare to spout such nonsense outside the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion?"

A voice came from over.

The Earl of Chengen's expression immediately changed, and he looked at the person who had spoken.

The newcomer was a bearded foreign merchant, accompanied only by two attendants.

The Earl of Chengen looked disdainful. How dare a mere foreign merchant be so rude to him?

Before he could even open his mouth to rebuke her, Xue Lingyi, standing to the side, snapped angrily in a shrill voice, "Shut up, you lowly barbarian merchant! How dare you be disrespectful to my father?"

The Earl of Chengen and his wife did not seem to object.

"How dare you insult our master as lowly?" The two attendants behind Hu Shang were furious.

"So what if I call you lowly? You are lowly to begin with!" Xue Lingyi cursed with a look of satisfaction, her expression becoming increasingly arrogant.

Lady Chengen gently reprimanded, "Lingyi, you are the daughter of the Earl's family. Why bother talking to this kind of person? It only lowers your status."

What seemed like words of advice actually revealed utter contempt and disdain.

The Earl of Chengen also reprimanded the foreign merchant, saying, "You foreign merchant are so rude! These are all officials from the capital. How dare you, a mere foreign merchant, barge in? If you don't want to offend these important people, leave immediately!"

He considered himself a scholar and valued politeness.

What I thought was a gentle form of advice.

Hu Shang's eyes gleamed with the excitement of having gotten his hands on some good gossip.

He said with great interest, "I never expected this! The Earl of Chengen, who was groveling at the Second Prince's feet last night, barking like a dog and speaking ill of the Crown Prince with a fawning expression, actually has such a majestic side!"

What?

The eyes of the onlookers lit up instantly.

The Earl of Chengen's face turned completely green.

"You, you're talking nonsense!" He was so angry he almost jumped up, but he was also panicking inside.

Damn it, how could this foreign merchant know what he did yesterday?

His eyes flashed, a murderous intent rising within him. Once this matter was settled, he would kill the foreign merchant to silence him.

Just then, another commotion broke out in the crowd.

Upon closer inspection, everyone realized that it was the old lady of the Marquis of Weiyuan's mansion, along with the eldest daughter and her husband.

The expressions on everyone's faces immediately became excited again.

There's going to be some excitement!

"Sister Ying!" Xue Lingyi ran over excitedly as soon as she saw Ying Hengzhi.

Ying Hengzhi grasped her hand and asked, "Lingyi, what are you doing here?"

Xue Lingyi quickly explained, "I came with my mother to apologize to the Grand Princess."

Ying Hengzhi's eyes flickered, and she smiled, "I see."

Xue Lingyi continued to ramble on, angrily saying, "Sister Ying, you are being unreasonable. We have already said that we are going to pay our respects to the Grand Princess, but the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has closed its gates and is blocking us from entering."

The old lady of the Marquis of Weiyuan's mansion stared at the tightly closed door, slammed her cane down heavily, and roared, "Outrageous!"

She looked at the two head maids beside her, "Chunxi, go knock on the door! I want to see if they're going to turn their in-law out too!"

The maid Chunxi went to knock on the door, and the one-eyed doorman opened it again. This time, it wasn't anyone from the Chengen Earl's Mansion, but someone even more annoying had arrived.

The doorman immediately laughed.

Instead of closing the door, he left it wide open.

The old lady of the Marquis of Weiyuan's mansion immediately looked smug. She said that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion dared to keep her, their in-law, out of the door.

She looked at the Lady of Chengen beside her and said, "Let's go in together."

Lady Cheng'en immediately beamed and repeatedly replied, "Good, good!"

The group made a move to walk inside.

Seeing this, the one-eyed gatekeeper drew his long sword from behind him and held it in front of everyone.

The knife gleamed silvery-white in the sunlight, its sharpness stinging the eyes.

The old lady of the Marquis of Weiyuan and the lady of the Earl of Chengen were both startled, and Xue Lingyi and Ying Hengzhi behind them turned pale.

The knife seemed to exude a strong, bloody aura.

The one-eyed guard stood ramrod straight, sword at his side, his eyes radiating the chilling aura of someone who had seen countless battles.

Lady Chengren suddenly gasped, for she had just realized that the doorman was not only one-eyed, but also one-armed.

His other sleeve was completely empty.

Some say that even the servants of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, including a single household servant, had all been on the battlefield and fought their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Unexpectedly, it was true.

Lady Chengen swallowed hard and couldn't help but look at the old lady of Marquis Weiyuan.

Indeed, the gatekeeper standing there looked like a living god of death, which was truly frightening.

The old Marquis of Weiyuan felt his authority had been challenged, and he shouted at the gatekeeper, "How dare you! Do you know who I am? How dare you, a mere servant, stop me?"

The doorman gave a cold, forced smile. A gentle breeze ruffled his half-white hair, but he remained motionless.

"So what if I stop you? The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion didn't invite you!"

"you!"

The old lady of the Marquis of Weiyuan was truly furious. She turned around and looked at the onlookers.

"Gentlemen, this Duke Zhenguo's mansion is outrageous! Not only did they refuse to let me, their in-law, enter, but my daughter-in-law and granddaughter also show no respect for me, their mother-in-law and grandmother!"

The onlookers burst into laughter.

The bearded merchant from the Hu family raised his voice and said, "Madam of Marquis Weiyuan, you smashed up their private treasury and stole their dowry, and they haven't bothered you yet because they're too busy to deal with you. Do you really think you're something special?"

The old lady of the Marquis of Weiyuan's eyes widened. "You, where did you come from? How dare you spout nonsense here?"

Ying Hengzhi stared at the bearded foreign merchant, a hint of murderous intent flashing in her eyes.

This merchant from the Hu region has opposed them more than once. Since he's so arrogant, don't blame her for being ruthless.

The Earl of Chengen immediately said, "Madam, you don't know, this foreign merchant is a real troublemaker. He's always stirring up trouble, and it's obvious that he has ulterior motives."

Xue Lingyi said, "I've heard that none of these merchants are good people. This foreign merchant is speaking so favorably of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Could it be that he has something to do with the Mu family?"

As the wealthiest family in Jiangnan, it's quite possible that the Hu merchants had business dealings with the Mu family.

"I see!"

The old lady of the Marquis of Weiyuan's mansion glared at the foreign merchant and sneered, "Guards, seize this man!"

Immediately, several of Marquis Weiyuan's servants rushed towards the foreign merchant.

A smile appeared in Cheng Enbo's eyes. Today, no matter what, this foreign merchant will not be able to leave alive.

"You dare!"

The two attendants of the Hu merchant kicked away several servants from the Weiyuan Marquis's residence, their eyes filled with murderous intent as they stared at the old lady of the Weiyuan Marquis.

One of the attendants ripped off his large beard, revealing a young and handsome face.

Everyone: ?

Upon seeing this, another attendant also ripped off his hat and beard.

Onlookers:…………

So you're not real barbarians, you're imposters!

How incredibly bored must someone be to impersonate a foreign merchant?

Someone whispered, "Why do I feel like I've seen those two people before?"

"I also think it looks familiar," someone else chimed in.

Just then, the bearded merchant saw that his two attendants had removed their disguises, so he also tore off his own beard.

He then ripped off his hat and took off his foreign-style outer robe.

Then, a handsome young man appeared before everyone.

He chuckled, enjoying the fascinating expressions on everyone's faces, and said, "We're all acquaintances, hahaha!"

The onlookers, the officials: ?

ahhh-

The officials were inwardly screaming, "Familiar my ass! You're a real dog!"

Who else but the current crown prince could be capable of doing such a thing?

The crowd instantly knelt down.

The Crown Prince turned to look at the old lady of the Marquis of Weiyuan: "The Marquis of Weiyuan's mansion is quite arrogant. Are they going to take me down?"

The old man, Marquis Weiyuan, staggered, but fortunately Liu Xueyan supported him so he wouldn't fall.

Meanwhile, the Earl of Chengen knelt down with a thud.

"Your Highness...Your Highness, please forgive me!"