After becoming pregnant, the cold-hearted nobles all went mad.

Shen Tingjiao entered and bowed gracefully, "Grandmother, the nanny said you were looking for your granddaughter."

The old lady nodded in satisfaction and beckoned her over, saying, "Jiaojiao has always been well-mannered. She truly lives up to her reputation as the eldest daughter of my General's Mansion, befitting an elder sister."

"Come to your grandmother's place. I need to ask you carefully about what happened last night. Your sister said you also came home late. Come and tell her yourself if this is true."

"grandmother!"

Shen Tingjiao exclaimed in panic, "My daughter is still unmarried, how could she do such a dissolute thing!"

Jiang was so angry that her face turned red. The grandmother and grandson talked back and forth as if Shen Lingyi had gone out to cheat on her last night.

The people of the Great Wei Dynasty were open-minded, but many still valued a woman's reputation.

They're trying to ruin Shen Lingyi by saying that.

If even one outsider or servant were to spread this story today, her already bad reputation would only worsen.

Shen Lingyi was implied to be promiscuous by her own sister, but she was not angry at all:

"Yes, I didn't come home all night last night, I can't deny that. But usually at this time, my sister would already be serving tea and water to our grandmother. Why are you so late today?"

"Don't drag Jiaojiao into this."

The old lady sneered, "Your dissolute behavior isn't just what we think; everyone in the capital knows it. Jiaojiao has been raised by me since she was little, and I know her temperament best. She's well-behaved and respectful..."

Shen Lingyi listened to the old lady scolding her.

But he started to drift off into thought.

In fact, Madam Jiang was not biased. She had always treated the two sisters equally until one time when she and Shen Tingjiao accidentally broke the old lady's favorite porcelain vase.

The old lady punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall.

Shen Lingyi knelt all night, feeling dizzy and weak from hunger, and came out to find Shen Tingjiao playing the zither unharmed.

Jiang applied the medicine to Shen Tingjiao while crying, and afterwards she became indifferent to her.

Shen Lingyi suddenly interrupted the old lady: "If that's the case, then why did my maid see Linlang disguised as Shen Tingjiao?"

Shen Tingjiao panicked. Seeing everyone stunned, tears welled up in her eyes: "Sister..."

Why are you framing me like this?

The old lady finally realized what was happening and her anger flared. "This is absurd! Are you implying that Jiaojiao is like you? Why would she do such a thing..."

"It's very simple."

Shen Lingyi raised her eyebrows. "She wants to be the Crown Princess, and Grandmother has always had high hopes for her, hasn't she?"

"That's enough!"

Once she started, she didn't intend to stop. "Why can't I speak? I didn't come home all night, and Grandmother wanted to punish me without saying a word, but my sister made a mistake and it was glossed over. Is it Mother who is biased, or Grandmother?"

Shen Tingjiao pulled the furious old lady aside: "Grandmother, let it go, forgive my sister this time. I believe she knows she was wrong and will never talk back to you again."

"The Great Wei Dynasty doesn't have a rule against women returning home, it's just that it sounds bad if word gets out."

"As long as our family protects my sister, what if she causes trouble? We still have our parents to back her up. I don't want the sisters to have too much of a falling out, otherwise His Highness the Crown Prince might have a bad impression of our family if he finds out."

"How can we allow her to act so presumptuously!"

After Shen Tingjiao's actions of deliberately provoking hatred, the old lady's anger soared.

Shen Lingyi was right about one thing: the old lady had been grooming Shen Tingjiao so that she would become the Crown Princess. And between two sisters, if the younger sister's reputation was ruined, the older sister would definitely be affected as well.

The old lady immediately made up her mind that she could no longer let Shen Lingyi act willfully and recklessly.

A servant rushed in and said, "Madam, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."

The old lady frowned, but relaxed when she saw Shen Tingjiao: "She must be here to see Jiaojiao. Go quickly, don't keep His Highness the Crown Prince waiting."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lingyi looked up and saw Shen Tingjiao blushing shyly. The old lady, who had just been making a big deal out of her reputation, was now silent.

Staying out all night is not allowed, but staying with His Highness the Crown Prince is.

This is also a benefit of status, which is why so many people flock to it.

Shen Tingjiao was getting ready to meet someone.

To his surprise, the servant looked around and said, extremely embarrassed, "His Highness the Crown Prince wants to see the Second Miss."

In an instant, the atmosphere became quiet.

Shen Tingjiao's face turned deathly pale.

Shen Lingyi calmly patted her skirt and stood up. "Then, Grandmother, Sister, I'll take my leave to see His Highness."

The old lady's face turned pale and then red.

When did Shen Lingyi become involved with His Highness the Crown Prince?

Shen Tingjiao bit her lower lip so hard it almost bled, but she was completely oblivious.

She was definitely with Xu Yanqing last night!

Although nothing was done...

But he promised to marry only her!

Boom!

As Shen Lingyi walked, something accidentally fell off her person.

She squatted down and picked it up.

"Wait, what are you holding in your hand...?" The old lady's expression changed drastically, clearly recognizing the object.

"this?"

Shen Lingyi flipped the blue jade in her hand over casually, completely unaware of the old lady's rapid breathing. "I found it by chance, didn't I?"

The old lady hesitated, looking at the jade pendant, but ultimately let her go.

Jiang gave a perfunctory bow: "My daughter-in-law has also left."

The mother and daughter left one after the other. Granny Feng, still resentful, approached the old lady and said, "Old Madam, you're just letting the Second Miss go like that…?"

The old lady shook her head and looked at Shen Tingjiao beside her.

"Jiaojiao, you should go back too."

"...Yes, Grandmother."

Shen Tingjiao pursed her lips, wondering why the old lady had suddenly stopped helping her, but she didn't dare to ask any more questions, and walked out of Ning Shou Hall with resentment.

"What a tragedy! How did that thing end up in her hands?" The old lady rested her forehead on her hand, utterly bewildered.

Why are His Majesty's possessions in Shen Tingjiao's hands?

That's right, that jade pendant belongs to Pei Heng.

The old lady knew,

Because she was a titled lady, she had to enter the palace to offer congratulations every year at the end of the year. She had seen the young emperor several times, and he wore an inconspicuous jade pendant on his waist.

When this was told to Granny Feng, her eyes widened in surprise. "She has such good fortune?"

The old lady shook her head: "I'm afraid she won't say a word about where she went last night or who she was with. Because of this, things become complicated when it comes to matters involving the palace."

Just like the assassination attempt at the palace banquet, Pei Heng ordered his mouths to be sealed.

Naturally, no one dared to mention it. Even if they did, it had to be at home; otherwise, they would have to pretend to be fools.

The old lady sighed and said, "His Majesty cherishes this item. I wonder what she did to make His Majesty give it to her."

"Fine, let her come to Ning Shou Tang less often in the future."

Granny Feng reluctantly shut her mouth.

Shen Lingyi claimed she found it, but no one believed her. How could she so easily find something that the emperor always carried with him?

The only possibility is that this was His Majesty's personal protection.