She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Jiang Ruining pinched his face: "Keep a little distance, and the relationship will last longer."

Xiao Che held him tightly in his arms: "After we become husband and wife, are you not going to let me into the house?"

Jiang Ruining thought about it carefully and said seriously, "It's a good idea!"

Xiao Che: "..."

Back at the Jiang residence.

Everyone, from top to bottom, was there to greet her at the main gate. The collateral branches of the family in Beijing and the Liu family also came, all with smiles on their faces.

Jiang Ruining's trip has truly brought good fortune to the Jiang family's ancestral graves.

How could these people not be happy!

Jiang Huai looked his daughter over carefully several times to make sure she was safe and sound. His heart, which had been pounding for over a year, finally settled down: "It's good that you're back!"

Jiang Ruining gave him a polite smile, after all, her adoptive father had been actively coordinating the distribution of rice and grain to support Qing Province during those months, whether for her sake or for the sake of the people, she remembered it all: "Father, you've worked hard."

Grandpa Liu clasped his hands in a respectful bow: "Your humble servant, along with the entire Liu family, respectfully welcomes the Regent and the Eldest Princess."

Jiang Ruining was still smiling, but there was no small talk or overt intimacy. She simply said, "Next time you welcome me, remember to put me first. I like being the center of attention!"

Grandpa Liu was taken aback.

He chuckled, his expression one of an elder's affection for a younger generation, but his tone clearly carried the air of an uncle: "Your Highness, please don't be offended. Ningning has been pampered since childhood, so her temper is understandable..."

Xiao Che: "What can I do? Does Lord Liu think I'm dead, or that Jiang Huai is gone? When did it become your place, an outsider, to judge the Princess's character?!"

The regent was furious.

The Liu family's hearts were pounding in their throats!

Master Liu quickly stepped in to smooth things over, first bowing to Jiang Ruining and saying, "Princess, please forgive me!" Then he apologized to the Regent, "Your Highness, please forgive me. My elder brother simply doesn't understand your temperament and dotes on the younger generation. He was afraid that the Princess's words might displease you, and he didn't mean to offend you!"

Jiang Ruining looked at Master Liu and recalled the plot of the book.

Dissatisfied with her elder brother's foolishness, she vied for the position of family head, gathering all the resources and connections that Old Master Liu had during his lifetime. With the help of the male lead, she quickly gained a foothold in the Liu family and later became another pillar of support for the female lead.

Since you have the ability, then put it to use!

"It's been so many years, how is Uncle doing?"

Liu Qiye could clearly sense her kindness towards him, and was somewhat surprised, after all, they had only met twice in their lives, both times when she was a child: "Thank you for your concern, Princess. I am doing well."

Jiang Ruining thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, you dismissed the prefect of Yangzhou. Do you think my uncle is capable? His performance in previous years has been outstanding!"

Xiao Che trusted her judgment of character, and since she had brought it up, the other party must be a capable person: "The Ministry of Personnel will issue the transfer order tomorrow, Uncle, please go and take up your post as soon as possible!"

A pie fell from the sky, and Master Liu was a little dizzy from being hit. You have to know that he was only a sixth-rank clerk before!

He was promoted to a fourth-rank prefect all at once?

He will remember his niece's kindness and will never let her down!

"Thank you for your guidance, Princess! Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness!"

Jiang Ruining led the Regent inside, saying, "Uncle, you're too polite. We're all family; just address me by my name!"

Since his niece had said so, Master Liu changed his tune and said, "Ningning is right."

As she watched her granddaughter and young son chatting and laughing, Old Madam Liu's grip on her cane tightened and loosened repeatedly.

Finally, they made up their minds to focus all of the Liu family's resources on the seventh son!

Grandpa Liu, left standing there, turned ashen-faced: "Mother! What does the Jiang family mean by this? I'm, after all, her..."

"Shut up!" Old Madam Liu glanced at her with shrewd eyes. "Ningning is of noble status and has made great contributions. Instead of taking this opportunity to improve your relationship with her, what are you putting on airs for? What are you thinking!"

Grandpa Liu was furious and sneered, "Listen to what she just said! A woman, trying to be superior to a man, she's utterly insane!"

"It's only a matter of time before she falls out of favor. We should send our daughter to the Regent's palace as soon as possible so she can bear him a child. That way, the relationship between the Liu family and the Regent will be secure! Even if she is divorced by the Regent later, it won't affect us!"

Old Madam Liu squeezed her eyes shut!

She put the most effort into her eldest son, but ended up raising the dumbest one!

His sharp gaze swept over the eldest son and his wife: "Don't let me hear your nonsense again. The Regent looks down on your daughter, and I won't allow you to cause Ningning any more trouble!"

The eldest daughter, Liu Ruojing, was proud of her beauty and talent. Hearing her grandmother's words, she was greatly shocked and ran away crying!

Old Madam Liu slammed her cane on the ground: "With her temperament, if she enters the Prince's mansion, she'll probably give the Regent a hard time! By putting a troublemaker in the Regent's mansion, I think you're the ones who want the Liu family to be finished sooner!"

Grandpa Liu was indignant and wanted to say something more.

But the old lady was too lazy to listen anymore and had already entered the Jiang family's gate.

Grandpa Liu gritted his teeth so hard they made a grinding sound.

He wasn't shrewd enough, but he wasn't stupid. He could tell that his mother had given up on him and should go and support the seventh child!

The words of resentment stuck in his throat: "I am the eldest son, and the Liu family's resources should belong to me alone! Nobody can take them from me!"

Jiang Huai kept his presence to himself, standing aside and observing coldly.

Tearing each other apart is not his style; he still has to put on a show: "Brother and sister-in-law, please come in! We've prepared a feast, let's have a drink together and catch up."

In the house.

Madam Liu found Jiang Ruining, who was strolling in the courtyard with the Regent: "Ningning, your grandmother has something to say to you privately."

Jiang Ruining: "If it's just to bring Madam Jiang back to the mansion, then Grandmother doesn't need to say anything. My marriage doesn't require her involvement."

What Old Madam Liu cares about most right now is the future of the Liu family. Since she doesn't like the person who can bring benefits to the Liu family, she will wisely refrain from mentioning her again: "Grandmother, is it alright if you don't mention her?"

Jiang Ruining shook the Regent's hand: "Go and talk to Father and the others. I'll be there in a bit." She paused, then added, "Be polite, don't be cold and intimidating."

Even if the relationship is good now, there's no guarantee for the future.

If you need to win over a powerful backer, you should still try to win them over!

Xiao Che hummed in agreement and squeezed her palm: "If you don't want to listen, you don't have to."

Jiang Ruining smiled and said, "I know."

Old Madam Liu was shocked to see this.

After all, she was well aware of the Regent's reputation as a living devil, and she had personally witnessed his ruthless and uncompromising methods of confiscating property!

He's so...obedient in front of his granddaughter?

After the regent had gone far away.

She finally spoke: "Your relationship with the prince is very good."

Jiang Ruining entered the pavilion in the garden and sat down by herself: "It's alright."

Madam Liu could tell that she was not willing to be close to her. It must be because of the last time she came, Madam Liu asked her to agree to take her second daughter back, which made her unhappy!

"Your mother is still my own daughter. She made mistakes, and my maternal grandmother scolded, beat, and even threatened to expel her from the clan, but nothing worked! In the end, it's all my fault as her mother for not raising her properly. I have to plead for her!"

"But your grandmother knows about your grievances and wants to make it up to you."

Jiang Ruining rested her chin on her hand, listening to her speak in the same posture she used when watching a play at the theater: "To shove the knife that almost killed me back into my side as compensation? That's quite a unique way for my grandmother to compensate people!"

Old Madam Liu sighed like an autumn wind: "I've already pleaded for her, and as a mother, I've done everything I could. Don't worry, your grandmother won't mention it again!"

Jiang Ruining smiled, seemingly pleased that she had come to her senses.

But in reality...

She was just being sarcastic.

The plea was originally intended to maintain the relationship between the Jiang and Liu families, so that the Liu family could make connections with powerful figures in the capital through marriage with the Jiang family. However, in her words, it became her mother's self-blame.

Now that he has seen the situation clearly, he knows that currying favor with her is the most effective thing to do. He no longer acts like an elder, he no longer makes threatening remarks, and he no longer wants his daughter!

How selfish and hypocritical!

Actually, Madam Jiang should be considered a lower-budget version of Old Madam Liu!

Selfishness and wickedness are just a facade; the person in front of you is simply not as good as you are!

"Grandmother, as promised, I don't want to hear anything about Madam Jiang. If you have nothing else to say, I'll be leaving now."

Old Madam Liu said wearily, "Your uncle is capable, but your maternal grandmother was too stubborn in the past, always wanting to support Zhang Zilai and never giving him any good resources. For the sake of our family ties, please help your uncle out more."

Jiang Ruining understood that her shrewd calculations stemmed from her husband's early death and her son's incompetence, but she would not soften her heart because of the exhaustion the other party deliberately revealed!

Because this is also part of the other party's shrewd calculation, isn't it?

What she hates most are insincere people who always have to calculate every word they say when asking for help!