After getting married, she spent every night alone in her room; when she asked for a divorce, he kne

Staring at the scar, the old lady's eyes flickered, and then she silently tightened her grip on Liu Yuansheng's hand.

"Your hands are so cold. Have you been busy with the wedding preparations these past few days and worn yourself out?"

Before Liu Yuansheng could reply, the old lady immediately ordered, "Someone, go and fetch those two ginseng roots that were sent from the palace, and also my Crimson Blood Bracelet."

The maid agreed, and soon placed two century-old ginseng roots and a blood-red, translucent bracelet in front of Liu Yuansheng.

The old lady picked up the bracelet, looked at it, and said, "This bracelet was part of my dowry. It took the brunt of my misfortune and is quite spiritual. I'm giving it to you in the hope that you will live a peaceful and safe life, free from illness and disaster, and that you and Jinghan will have a smooth and uneventful existence."

After saying that, she slowly put the Crimson Blood Bracelet on Liu Yuansheng's left wrist, which just covered the scar.

The old lady gently grasped Liu Yuansheng's cold fingertips and said again, "Good child, don't worry. Since you are my chosen granddaughter-in-law, no one in this mansion can bully you, not even that wretched child. In the future, if he or anyone else in the mansion bullies you, just tell me, and I will definitely stand up for you."

Liu Yuansheng nodded slightly, her gaze unfocused and absent-minded, it was unclear whether she had taken in the old lady's words.

"Alright, you've been busy all day yesterday, and you came to pay your respects again this morning. You must be tired. Go back and rest."

Liu Yuansheng nodded gently again, stood up, bowed to the old lady, and withdrew.

Seeing Liu Yuansheng leave, Xiao Jinghan, who had been restless for a long time, stood up and was about to leave.

Unexpectedly, the old lady called out to him, "Jinghan, you stay."

Xiao Jinghan stopped and turned to look at the old lady. "Does Grandmother have any further instructions?"

The old lady snorted. "You've had a long face ever since you stepped into my door. What? Still holding a grudge about me for forcing you to marry Liu Yuansheng?"

"I wouldn't dare. If I were to anger my grandmother to the point of starvation, I would have no face to meet my grandfather in the afterlife," Xiao Jinghan said.

The old lady was so angry she almost twisted her nose. Her face contorted with rage, she snapped, "You don't dare? If you don't dare, why didn't you go into the bridal chamber last night, and then you hit me after you did?"

Xiao Jinghan chuckled lightly: "Grandmother sent someone to eavesdrop on her grandson?"

"Yes!" The old lady said matter-of-factly, pointing her finger at Xiao Jinghan's nose and warning him, "I'm telling you, this kind of thing is not allowed to happen again! I got you a wife so that you could live a good life with her, not so that she could be your punching bag."

Xiao Jinghan lowered his eyes, his lips pressed together, and remained silent.

Seeing that he remained silent and looked defiant, the old man softened his tone and said, "Han'er, don't blame your grandmother for being heartless. With your tarnished reputation, do you really think you can marry a princess or noblewoman? Go out and ask around, among all the aristocratic families in the capital, which one would take in a child of unknown origin and raise it by their side?"

Xiao Jinghan remained unmoved, his eyes fixed on his nose and his mind.

The old lady could only try to persuade her again: "The marriage is already done, what's done is done, you have to accept it whether you want to or not. If you ask me, since it was arranged by God, it must be fate between the two of you. Unrelated people won't suddenly appear in your life."

"Grandma has lived most of her life. What kind of storms hasn't she weathered? What kind of people hasn't she seen? I can tell at a glance whether someone is a human or a ghost. She's a child with a tragic fate, just like you. Don't believe what others say and miss out on a good man."

The banana leaves outside the window swayed in the wind, obscuring the figures of the grandfather and grandson facing each other from afar.

Inside the Agarwood Courtyard, servants were tidying up the rooms and organizing belongings. Ying'er rolled up the twelve flower goddess portraits that Xie Qinghe had sent and placed them in a red sandalwood box. She then said with great interest to Liu Yuansheng, who was sitting by the window in a daze, "Miss, you don't need to pay attention to that Madam Yuan. I've found out everything these past few days. Although Madam Yuan is the second daughter of Grand Tutor Yuan and the second wife of the Duke, her relationship with the Duke is shallow. They are neither loving nor have any children. They are just a couple in name only."

"Actually, this is for the best. As long as Miss maintains good relations with the Old Madam and the Eldest Young Mistress, she can gain a foothold in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!"

Ying'er told Liu Yuansheng all her plans, but Liu Yuansheng didn't care at all. He just stared at a spot in the courtyard with his ethereal eyes.

She didn't respond, and Ying'er wasn't in a hurry, continuing to mutter to herself: "I've also heard that the young master was brought back from Changning by the young master. Apart from the young master himself, no one knows who the young master's birth mother is. I think that the young master's birth mother is at most a mistress kept by the young master outside, which won't affect you, Miss. You can rest assured."

As soon as Ying'er finished speaking, Sui'er came over and said, "Miss's dowry has been inventoried and stored. For your homecoming the day after tomorrow, has Miss decided what gift to bring?"

Liu Yuansheng looked listless, showing no interest in the homecoming arrangements at all. "You all can make your own preparations; there's no need to consult me."

Ying'er, standing to the side, pouted, "Most of the dowry that Madam left for Miss was snatched away by the Fourth Miss. The two young masters don't treat Miss well either, so why bring them any gifts!"

After she finished speaking, a series of intermittent sobs drifted into the bedroom.

Ying'er glanced quickly at Liu Yuansheng and muttered, "Miss didn't rest well last night, and she can't even sleep during the day. The young master keeps crying."

Liu Yuansheng continued to stare out the window until the crying grew louder and louder, at which point she realized that the wet nurse, Li, had brought the child to her.

She stared blankly at the infant who had suddenly appeared before her, then looked at the wet nurse, Li, with some surprise. The wet nurse said with a pained expression, "Please forgive me, Third Young Madam. I originally intended to take the young master out, but when we passed Third Young Madam's bedroom, the young master cried exceptionally hard. Judging from his expression, it seemed he wanted to come in and find Third Young Madam."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuansheng was not angry. She reached out and touched the top of the young master's head.

The young master gradually stopped crying and stared at Liu Yuansheng with a pitiful expression.

The wet nurse, Li, pressed her advantage, saying, "Young Madam, please hold the young master. He really likes you very much."

After saying that, without waiting for Liu Yuansheng's consent, he directly stuffed the young master into Liu Yuansheng's arms.

Having learned her lesson last time, this time Liu Yuansheng held the young master firmly. Perhaps it was the Crimson Blood Bracelet that the old lady had given her, which contained boundless energy, but she actually felt that the bones and flesh of her left wrist had reconnected, and the wound no longer hurt at all.

"Look, the young master has stopped crying!" Seeing the young master smiling in Liu Yuansheng's arms and babbling happily, Nanny Li was overjoyed. "I told you the young master really likes the third young mistress! The bond between the third young mistress and the young master is incredibly deep!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

The warm atmosphere in the bedroom was abruptly shattered. Xiao Jinghan, exuding a chilling aura, flung aside the beaded curtain and strode in with a cold expression.