Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

Jiang Qian's voice was aged yet steady. His forehead touched the cold brick surface with a light touch, his posture one of extreme humility. The two clansmen behind him knelt down as well, not daring to breathe.

According to the etiquette of the Dayong Dynasty, the princess should be the one to kneel before the subject. Even if it is his own grandfather, the law of the land outweighs personal feelings. However, if the princess were to voluntarily request an exemption from the official ceremony, Jiang Qian would not be required to kneel.

After all, we're at home, not outside.

However, Jiang Sese just watched coldly without coming forward to help him or say a few words to soften his stance. Jiang Qian immediately understood what was going on, and his heart sank slightly as he sighed.

But you can't blame her for that.

When she first arrived in the capital alone, not a single member of the Jiang family offered to take care of her.

Now that she has risen to prominence and become a phoenix, no matter what ideas the Jiang family may have, they can no longer reach her.

Jiang Sese paused slightly, a barely perceptible look of surprise crossing her face.

She knew Jiang Qian would be respectful.

When people came from the capital last time, Jiang Sese already knew that the Jiang family had lowered their stance considerably, but she didn't expect Jiang Qian to kneel so readily.

She was a princess, and her rank was obvious, so it was perfectly reasonable for him to kneel.

But he was an old man in his seventies, and in Jiang Qian's eyes, he was her own grandfather.

This act of kneeling superseded blood ties by placing superiority over rank.

"Please rise, sir." Jiang Sese spoke in a flat tone, revealing no emotion, and simply smiled: "You are so old, and you still give me such a grand gesture. Sese cannot accept it."

Jiang Qian kowtowed again with a heavy expression before being helped to stand up by his clansmen. Seeing that Jiang Sese did not let them sit down, the three of them did not dare to sit down either, but stood there with their hands hanging down, bowing slightly.

She looked reserved and pitiful.

The three of them cautiously raised their eyes and glanced at each other.

The young woman seated there was stunningly beautiful, her beauty dazzling like a pearl radiating light.

Her skin was as white and smooth as fine cream, and her eyes were clear and bright, possessing both gentleness and a subtle, almost imperceptible sharpness.

Despite her stunning beauty, her expression remained calm and serene. Beneath her beauty lay a layer of aloofness, making people hesitant to approach her.

All three were secretly shocked; none of them had expected that Jiang Qing's daughter would grow up to be so breathtaking.

Jiang Qian quickly lowered his head again, speaking humbly and ingratiatingly: "The entire Jiang family is deeply grateful for the Princess's kindness in returning to her hometown to sweep her graves. We should have come to welcome her earlier, but we were afraid of disturbing the peace of the Princess and her old residence, so we waited until today."

He wanted to call this granddaughter, but the other party had to acknowledge her.

Jiang Qian never mentioned the word "granddaughter" in his speech, only referring to her as "princess," thus keeping himself humble.

Jiang Sese sat down in the main seat, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and looked him over the rim of the cup.

Jiang Sese smiled and slowly said, "Grandpa Jiang is too kind. I originally thought Grandpa Jiang wouldn't come. As expected, old ginger is spicier, and shamelessness is invincible."

Jiang Sese said this with a faint smile on her lips, but there was no warmth in that smile.

Xie Jue, who was standing next to her, glanced at her discreetly while holding his teacup, without saying a word.

Jiang Qian's respectful smile froze slightly, and his face turned bright red.

He had lived most of his life, and had been proud for most of his life, but no one had ever dared to embarrass him like this.

This person is his own granddaughter.

But Jiang Qian did not defend himself. He simply lowered his head even further and said, "I am guilty. The clan did not take good care of the princess back then, and it was all my fault."

Jiang Sese put down her teacup, tilted her head to look at him, and spoke in the same indifferent tone.

"I wouldn't call it a crime, it's just that people are cold-hearted. You don't think that just because I didn't kick you when you were down, I owe you something, do you? No way, no way, otherwise how could you have the nerve to come here?"

Jiang Sese clicked her tongue again.

The disdain in his tone was obvious.

The Jiang family did try their best to make amends, and she accepted their compensation, but one thing is one thing.

Just because she received compensation for emotional distress doesn't mean she can just smile and pretend nothing happened.

The Jiang family's compensation wasn't for her sake, but for her status as a princess. Since that's the case, she felt even less burdened. These were things the Jiang family was simply supposed to do.

Jiang Mao and Jiang Xing, who were behind Jiang Qian, had been keeping their heads down and trying to maintain a respectful posture, but after hearing Jiang Sese's sarcastic words, they could no longer control themselves. Their bodies stiffened abruptly, and their faces flushed instantly.

Jiang Mao, with his impatient nature, swallowed hard, almost blurting out, "You...!"

They never expected this!

Jiang Qing was a well-known gentle and kind person in the clan. He was kind and benevolent in his dealings with others and never argued with anyone.

How could his daughter be so... so mean, so cold-hearted, so utterly ill-mannered?!

How dare he utter such hurtful words to his own grandfather?

This is absolutely outrageous!

But at that moment, Jiang Qian suddenly turned around and glared fiercely at Jiang Mao, his lips moving silently as if to say: Shut up! Do you want to die?!

Even if she were just a county magistrate, let alone a princess, the Jiang family wouldn't dare offend her.

The poor cannot contend with the rich, and the lowly cannot compete with the noble.

Both of them were stunned by the undisguised sternness in Jiang Qian's eyes, as if they had been doused with a bucket of ice water. Their feelings of shame and resentment were instantly extinguished, leaving only a bone-chilling cold.

The two realized what had happened and quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look at Jiang Sese again.

Jiang Sese was instantly pleased, and a smile appeared on her face: "Seeing you all swallowing your pride, but still having to bow your heads and try to please me for the sake of power and wealth, makes me really happy."

She did speak harshly, but the Jiang family wasn't exactly known for their pleasantries.

However, if the Sun family were in this situation today, they might not have the same ability to be flexible and adaptable.

No wonder the Jiang family's business is so big.

But such a large family forced the young girl to go to the capital alone to seek refuge with relatives, which is truly heartbreaking.

Jiang Sese was dazzlingly beautiful, but her eyes were icy cold.

Jiang Mao and Jiang Xing were so angry at Jiang Sese's words that they almost fainted. They wished they could get up and fight her. How cute this girl would be if she didn't have a mouth!

Only Jiang Qian's face paled, turning ashen, and his lips trembled as he weakly lowered his head: "Princess... do you still resent the Jiang family?"