With legs weak, the sickly stable boy became a mad regent.

The next morning, the Shen family sat around the dinner table.

Shen Nannan sat at the dining table, holding a rabbit in her arms, slowly feeding it half a carrot between her fingers.

The little guy was round and chubby, his three-lobed mouth moving as he happily nibbled on something, occasionally rubbing his fluffy head against her palm.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." Shen Nannan poked the rabbit's ear and whispered, "If you keep eating, you'll really turn into a ball, and then he'll slaughter you and eat your meat."

The rabbit seemed to understand, and kicked its short legs in dissatisfaction, holding the carrot even tighter.

"Darling, what are you daydreaming about? Drink your porridge, it won't taste good when it gets cold." Mother Shen smiled and put a fresh meat bun in her bowl. "Your father specially asked the kitchen to make it this morning, it's your favorite."

"Thank you, Mother." Shen Nannan put down the carrot, picked up the bun, took a bite, and squinted at the delicious soup.

At the dinner table, Shen Ce, dressed in casual clothes, looked at his daughter with a gentle expression. Sigh! His daughter has grown up so much. It seems he needs to hurry up with his resignation. With the Crown Prince under house arrest, judging from his military instincts, a bloody storm is likely about to break out in the court.

Shen Run sat opposite him, wolfing down his steamed buns. His father watched him with disdain, "Can't you eat a little slower? Nobody's going to take it from you, you're eating like a starving ghost. You're nothing like your sister!"

Shen Run looked aggrieved. "Dad, was I adopted? I've only been back for two days, and I've already been scolded eight hundred times..."

"Even eating can't shut you up." Shen Ce put down his bowl of porridge, wiped his mouth, and looked at Shen Nannan, his tone softening slightly.

"My dear, your mother told me yesterday that you want to call off the engagement with the Pei family?"

Shen Nannan paused in her bite of the steamed bun, nodded, and said firmly, "Yes, Dad, I don't want to marry Pei Ran."

"Why?" Shen Ce frowned. "You two were betrothed since childhood. Didn't you like Pei Ran when you were little? You used to follow him around calling him 'Brother Pei' all the time."

Shen Nannan felt nauseous and was about to speak when...

"puff--"

Shen Run nearly spat out his porridge, coughed twice, and slapped the table while laughing loudly, "Dad! That's an old almanac from so many years ago! My sister was too young then, what did she know!"

"You think you know everything! You think you know everything!" Shen Ce glared at him, picked up his chopsticks, and hit him on the head.

"That's true!" Shen Run muttered, rubbing his head. "Besides, that Pei Ran is a real jerk! You'd better go and cancel the engagement as soon as possible!"

Shen Ce glanced at him: "What?"

Shen Run put down his chopsticks, furious. "Father, you don't know how awful the rumors are going around the capital lately! They're saying my sister is unfaithful, having an affair with some unknown guard in the manor, and that she broke off her engagement with the Pei family because of that guard!"

Shen Nannan's fingers paused for a moment, her heart racing.

Shen Ce's face darkened: "Who spread the rumor?"

"Who else could it be? That bastard Pei Ran!" Shen Run became angrier as he spoke. "I beat up those gossipers, and they confessed, saying that it was people from the Pei family who spread the rumors."

"Snapped!"

Shen Ce slammed his hand on the table, making the bowls and chopsticks jump. The rabbit trembled in fright and burrowed into Shen Nannan's arms.

"What's the point of just attacking those people?!"

He stood up, his eyes wide like saucers. "Let's go! Go and drag that brat Pei Ran out right now and beat him up! Then get that old bastard Pei Wenyuan to call off Nannan's engagement! I want to see who dares to gossip about my daughter again!"

He grabbed Shen Run by the back of his collar and dragged him outside.

Shen Run coughed as he was being strangled: "Father! Father, please be gentle! I can walk by myself!"

"Hurry up!"

Shen Nannan sat there, looking at her father's furious expression, feeling both warm and amused.

This is her father. He's always been like this, fiercely protective of his own. If anyone bullies his daughter, he'll rush over without saying a word.

Shen's mother shook her head helplessly and took a sip of tea.

Shen Ce walked to the door, then suddenly stopped.

Shen Run was pulled along and almost fell over: "Dad? What's wrong?"

Shen Ce ignored him, slowly turned around, and stared at Shen Nannan.

"Wait a minute... guards? What guards? The guards of the manor? Who are they? I don't know them."

Shen Nannan's hand trembled, and the chopsticks fell to the ground with a "clatter".

'I...I...' Her face flushed red.

It’s over.

How could I have forgotten about this?

Ah Chao's identity cannot be revealed yet. If his father finds out, given his temper, he'll definitely arrest Ah Chao and interrogate him thoroughly. At that point, forget about proposing marriage; even letting Ah Chao into the family will be a problem.

"No, there are no guards... It's just the Pei family spreading rumors, Father, don't listen to their nonsense..."

"Rumors?" Shen Ce clearly didn't believe it. He took two steps forward and looked at her sharply. "If it were a rumor, why were you so flustered? You even dropped your chopsticks."

"I...I just slipped!" Shen Nannan said, forcing herself to speak, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes, not daring to lift her head.

Just then, Shen's mother hurried over, grabbed Shen Ce's arm, and scolded, "What are you doing? I've already said it's the Pei family spreading rumors. Why are you interrogating our daughter like a criminal? You're scaring the child!"

"I……"

"What do you mean, 'what are you talking about'?" Shen's mother interrupted him. "The Pei family is spreading rumors, and instead of going to settle accounts with them, you're interrogating your own daughter? What kind of father are you?"

Shen Ce opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Shen's mother turned around and took Shen Nannan's hand, her voice softening: "Nannan, don't be afraid. Your mother is here."

Shen Nannan looked up at her mother, glanced at her father, and snuggled into her mother's arms.

"Mother...Father scolded me..."

"I...I didn't..." The usually decisive and ruthless general now wrung his hands like a child who had made a mistake.

Shen's mother stroked her daughter's head. "It's alright. Your father is just stubborn as a mule, don't mind him."

Shen Ce stood at the door, unsure whether to go in or back, feeling utterly embarrassed.

"I...I was just worried about her, wasn't I?"

"If you're worried, just talk it out. Who wouldn't be afraid of you yelling like that?"

Shen's mother rolled her eyes at him and added, "Besides, she's not marrying into the Pei family anymore. What do you care who she likes? As long as she's a good person and good to your daughter, isn't that enough?"

Shen Ce was speechless, and let out a snort.

Shen's mother continued, "And what's more, you rushed off to break off the engagement. Did you bring the marriage certificate? Did you bring the jade pendant that was a token of your engagement? You didn't prepare anything. You went there, had a fight with them, and came back?"

Shen Ce paused for a moment, scratched the back of his head, and softened his tone: "Oh right, the marriage certificate...where was the marriage certificate again?"

"The second drawer on the left in the study." Mrs. Shen sighed. "You remember everything clearly when you're fighting, but you're so forgetful about things at home."

Shen Ce hurried to the study.

"What's the rush?" Mrs. Shen grabbed his arm. "It's not too late to go after breakfast. The Pei family isn't going to run away, are they?"

Just then, steady footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by the butler's respectful voice: "General Shen, Captain Yun has arrived and is waiting at the gate!"

Everyone looked up at the same time.

A young man dressed in a dark, close-fitting outfit strode in. He was tall and straight, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He had a heroic look in his eyes and a high nose, and his skin was a healthy wheat color from years of working on the frontier.

His face still bore the marks of travel, but his eyes were bright and sharp, and he exuded the heroic spirit unique to soldiers.

It was Yun Mo, the youngest captain under Shen Ce.