Princess, she is the one who facilitated the extradition.

The old lady of the Duke of Yue was unaware that she was being watched; she was having dinner with her son.

"I heard the Crown Prince has fainted again?"

The old lady personally served food to her son while chatting idly.

The Duke of Yue, holding his bowl, reached for his mother's chopsticks and nodded. "The news spread so quickly?"

When the Crown Prince fainted in the morning, there were many people present, but since he was the heir apparent, who dared to speak recklessly?

Unexpectedly, even her mother in the inner quarters knew about it, and the news spread quickly.

The old lady said lovingly, "Raising a child is a lifelong worry, even for a hundred years. It's not easy for you to be an official, so how can your mother not pay more attention to you?"

It turned out that his mother had been paying special attention to it, and the Duke of Yue was deeply moved.

"From a young age, my mother has always planned for her son's future. Now that I am over forty, I still have to worry about my mother. I am truly ashamed."

He ladled a bowl of shark fin and minced meat soup for the old lady, saying it was easy to digest.

"Mother, your son is currently following the Duke of Zhenguo and things are going well, so you don't need to worry. Just be happy."

"With such a filial son as you, Mother is happy every day."

The old lady took the bowl, took a bite, and looked somewhat forlorn.

"Just remove the people from my courtyard. I'm old, and if word gets out, it won't be good for your reputation, and it might also affect the children."

The Duke of Yue immediately became serious. "Is someone gossiping about me to Mother? Is it Lady Wang?"

Wang is his wife.

Don't overthink it.

The old lady put down her bowl and spoon. "She's a wonderful daughter-in-law. Everything she does is for the children. What mother wouldn't think of her children?"

The Duke of Yue's face darkened.

If the mother said that, then the wife must have given her mother a hard time.

Seeing him like this, the old lady patted his hand and said, "Wang has borne your children and managed the family business; it hasn't been easy for her. You mustn't lose your temper with her, do you hear me?"

"it is good."

The Duke of Yue agreed to his mother's request, but as soon as he finished eating, he went to his wife's courtyard and started hitting her.

"My mother raised me and suffered a lot. As her son, I should repay her."

You are my wife, so you should be of one mind with me. Don't say unnecessary things to my mother.

Wang had just finished her dinner and was sitting under the lamp reviewing the accounts when she heard this, looking bewildered. "What do you mean, sir? I haven't said anything to my mother."

The Duke of Yue thought she was pretending, so he simply said, "The people in Mother's courtyard were sent by me."

This is not something you, as a daughter-in-law, can interfere with. The children's marriages and futures are my responsibility as their father. Disrespect for elders is what truly affects them.

Upon hearing this, Wang's face flushed red. "Sir, I am truly innocent."

The old woman was so old and still so immoral. The man in the room was only in his early twenties, about the same age as her grandson. The mother-in-law was shameless in doing it, but she was too embarrassed to say anything.

How did this come down to her?

The Duke of Yue snorted.

His wife had previously told him that his mother's situation was inappropriate and that if it got out, it would affect their children's future.

But how could she know how much suffering her mother had endured?

Before his marriage, his father bought a slender woman and doted on her until his death. Poor mother, she was widowed after her wedding night.

Fortunately, she was pregnant with him; otherwise, her mother might have been bullied to the point that she couldn't even keep her position as the mistress of the house.

But how difficult it was for a mother to protect her son as he grew up in a situation where her husband was heartless and her concubines were arrogant and spoiled.

Now that he has inherited the title and is the head of the household, why can't he make it up to his mother and give her a companion in her old age?

He had heard the rumors circulating outside, but he didn't care.

He endured humiliation and hardship to obtain the title, wasn't it all for his mother's sake?

But his wife couldn't say anything, as that would hurt her mother's feelings, and even if she did, she wouldn't admit it.

Out of consideration for his mother's words, he decided not to argue with her this time.

But, "Such a thing must never happen again, otherwise, even if your mother forgives you, I will not forgive you either."

He left with a cold, frosty expression, uttering those words.

Wang was inexplicably criticized and, feeling wronged, threw down the account book in her hand.

"I serve my parents-in-law and raise my children every day. I take great care of the household for him and am always busy."

I don't get a moment's rest all year round, and in the end, he still says, "What kind of miserable life am I..."

The servants comforted her, "Madam, please don't say that. You are the Duchess of the State, and your sons and daughters are very filial to you. You are very fortunate."

"The Duke must have misunderstood today's events. He'll understand once the Madam explains."

"There's no misunderstanding..."

Wang's eyes reddened, and she lay face down on the pillow, filled with grievances.

His mother-in-law must have said something to him to make him so agitated and angry.

"On these last few banquets, those ladies gathered together and laughed at what happened in my household. I was so embarrassed to listen."

It's pitiful that I still have a daughter who isn't engaged yet. How can she not think about the child? She's her grandchild too.

I didn't say anything, but she falsely accused me in front of the master. In the twenty years since I married into this family, I have kept the master's words in mind and treated her better than my own mother. How come she can't warm my heart? Waaah..."

"lady."

The servants rushed to help Wang Shi, saying, "Grandma has arrived."

A white-clad figure gracefully entered through the doorway. "Sister-in-law."

Upon hearing her sister-in-law's voice, Wang quickly got out of bed, turned her face away, wiped it, and forced a smile. "What brings you here, Wan-mei?"

Shen Feiwan, the younger sister of the Duke of Yue, sat down next to Wang Shi and took out a handkerchief to wipe away Wang Shi's tears.

"I was taking a walk in the yard to digest my food when I noticed that you didn't look well, so I came to check on you. Did you lose your temper with your wife?"

Wang felt wronged, but she couldn't say anything bad about her mother-in-law and husband in front of her sister-in-law.

The eldest and second aunts were born to concubines, but this third aunt was the Duke's own sister, born of the same mother.

She shook her head hastily, "It has nothing to do with your brother, I just miss my mother."

Although it was an excuse, it wasn't entirely false; Wang's mother had passed away two years ago.

According to the customs of Dasheng, on the day before the Ghost Festival, married daughters should return to their parents' home to burn paper money and make offerings to their deceased mothers.

However, her family was not in the capital, and she had a lot of things to do at home, so she could not return home.

Upon hearing this, Shen Feiwan grasped her hand, "Then sister-in-law, why don't you take the children back to visit them in the next few days?"

Wang sighed, her voice still choked with emotion.

"The journey here and back will take several days, and I can't possibly leave this whole family."

Your older brother wouldn't agree either. If I leave, who will take care of your meddlesome mother?

"Sister-in-law."

Shen Feiwan replied, "I'll take care of everything else. Just tell me, do you want to go back?"

Of the daughters who have married out of the country, how many don't want to return home?

Besides, her father's health had been poor for the past two years, and she was always worried about him.

But the Duke would not agree.

On the Ghost Festival of the year her mother passed away, her carriage had just left the city when the guards of the mansion gave chase.

Her mother-in-law was ill and needed her to take care of her.

She rushed back in a hurry and saw her mother-in-law enjoying a massage from a young man with a rosy complexion. She knew that her mother-in-law was pretending to be sick because she didn't want her to go back to her parents' home.

But the Duke was a filial son. He believed every word his mother said, criticized her for not taking good care of her mother-in-law, and forbade her from leaving home at will again.

Before her sister-in-law got married, they had a good relationship. She was a reasonable person, but unfortunately, she wasn't well-liked by her mother-in-law.

It might not really help her, so why hold onto hope? You'll only feel bad when you're disappointed.

Wang shook her head. "Wanmei, thank you for your kindness."

"You haven't been home for several years, and it's a rare treat to be back now, so stay home and enjoy your stay for a while. If you need anything, just tell your sister-in-law."

Seeing her say this, Shen Feiwan only sighed slightly, "Sister-in-law, don't be sad. I will definitely make your wish come true this year. Just prepare the things to take back to your parents' home."

Wang thought the woman was just trying to comfort her, but she didn't dare to take it seriously. No one knew her husband's blind filial piety and her mother-in-law's sweet words but bitter heart better than she did.

Shen Feiwan didn't say anything more at this moment, but chatted casually with Wang Shi, praising Wang Shi's children in every word.

After hearing her sister-in-law's words, Wang felt much less bitter.

After her sister-in-law left, she picked up the account book again, thinking to herself, "Fortunately, my son and daughter are all sensible."

She'll just have to endure it until her children are all grown up and have their own families, then she won't have to put up with her husband and mother-in-law's attitude anymore.

Gui Yao and the old woman, who was a ghost, stood in the shadows, watching Wang Shi, who was still burning the midnight oil to check the account books.

He couldn't help but ask the old lady suspiciously, "Weren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on the old lady of the Yue State Duke's household? Why have you been watching her for so long?"

They came with the Duke of Yue, and thus witnessed the Duke of Yue reprimanding his wife, as well as Shen Feiwan's arrival.

The old lady smiled, "Doesn't the princess think this Lady Wang is exceptionally good?"

Gui Yao nodded; it seemed to be working well for now.

"I just like seeing good people; it makes me feel good."

After saying that, she held Gui Yao's hand again, her face still showing a loving expression.

"The princess is a good person, so tonight we won't go to see that old lady's filth. I'll accompany the princess to scare the second master of the Zhang family and Madam Bai, how about that?"