The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Liu Zhixue sat down on the embroidered stool beside the old lady's bed, took her hand, and gently advised:

"Grandma, please don't be angry. You've only been back for one day; there's a long road ahead. This family still bears the Yun surname, and you are the matriarch of the Yun family. Who would dare to disrespect you?"

As she spoke, she sighed softly, her tone tinged with self-reproach.

"Speaking of which, today's events are also Zhixue's fault. Zhixue shouldn't have come. If Zhixue hadn't come uninvited, Madam wouldn't have been put in a difficult position, the old lady wouldn't have argued with Madam over Zhixue, and the county princess wouldn't have humiliated her in public."

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Yun immediately gripped her hand tightly and said angrily:

"Why should I blame you? I invited you back! What right does Chu Wanqing have to give you attitude? I'm not dead yet, she has no right to be in charge of this family!"

Liu Zhixue lowered her eyes, gently patted the old lady's hand, and didn't say anything, but a faint sense of grievance lingered between her brows.

Seeing her like this, Old Mrs. Yun felt even more annoyed and said again:

"That wretched girl, I don't know what tricks she used, but she actually caught His Majesty's eye and got him to grant her the title of County Princess. Look at her face today, pretending to be stupid, clearly doing this on purpose to embarrass Xiu'er and me! Today was supposed to be Xiu'er's good day, and she ruined it all!"

Liu Zhixue then spoke softly, her tone tinged with hesitation:

"Grandma, speaking of the county princess... Zhixue always feels that she can't see through her. You say she doesn't know the rules and is vulgar, but Zhixue thinks that every word she said and every thing she did today hit the nail on the head."

She didn't know the proper etiquette when receiving the imperial decree, yet this made Eunuch Fu think she was genuine; when the old lady said she wanted to remove her from the register, she didn't cry or make a fuss, but instead asked him if he would regret it, as if she had known all along that an imperial decree would come.

Grandma Yun's expression changed, and she sat up abruptly: "You mean...?"

"Zhixue dares not speculate." Liu Zhixue shook her head, lowering her voice even further. "But the old lady, although she comes from the countryside, is no simple character. How long has she lived in the manor? The madam was willing to turn against the clan for her sake, even mentioning the need to create a separate family genealogy. Now she has the title of county princess, and today Prince Yu even spoke up for her..."

She paused at this point, her tone carrying a profound meaning.

Grandma Yun's face grew increasingly grim. After a long while, she finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "How on earth did she find us? That face bears a striking resemblance to Lan Ying. If I had known this would happen, I should have..."

Upon hearing this, Dongxue's eyes darkened. The old lady really did know, and might even have been directly involved.

Why is the young lady's life so miserable? She wished she could rush in and kill the two of them.

But the young lady told her not to be impulsive, saying that killing someone is like destroying their spirit, and that it's better to move their heart than to use knives and guns.

She snapped out of her reverie and continued listening to the sounds coming from inside the house.

Liu Zhixue looked at the old lady and said softly, "Grandma, don't worry too much. No matter what, she's just an adopted daughter in our household. Who knows how she got that title? His Majesty has bestowed countless titles of county princess. Does he care about every single one of them?"

The eldest daughter, however, is different. After all, she is the legitimate eldest daughter of the Yun family, and the future wife of the Fifth Prince.

She paused, then suddenly leaned close to the old lady's ear, her voice so low that Dongxue could barely hear her, "Grandma, you don't know yet, do you? The eldest young lady is destined for greatness..."

After Liu Zhixue finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment.

Grandma Yun suddenly turned to look at her, her cloudy eyes flashing with a sharp light. She grabbed Liu Zhixue's wrist and demanded, "What did you say? Phoenix Fate?"

Liu Zhixue smiled slightly, a mysterious smile, before saying, "Grandma, you may not know this. A few days ago, Madam took the eldest young lady out and they happened to meet Master Yuxu on the street. Upon seeing the eldest young lady, he was immediately struck by her beauty and said on the spot that she had a noble destiny, that she was born with the fate of a phoenix."

Grandma Yun's eyes widened: "It's actually Daoist Yuxu? Could it be that elusive Daoist Yuxu, the one who appears and disappears like a dragon?"

"It is indeed this person!" Liu Zhixue nodded gently. "I have heard that Master Yuxu's Taoist skills are profound, and it is extremely difficult to meet him. It is truly an incredible opportunity for Miss to meet him."

Grandma Yun rubbed her hands together excitedly, her voice trembling as she said, "Great, wonderful! This is a blessing from God for the Yun family!"

After she finished laughing, she suddenly remembered something, frowned, and said, "Wait a minute, if Xiu'er is destined for greatness, shouldn't she marry His Majesty? Why is she marrying the Fifth Prince...?"

Her voice rose at the end, and her eyes were full of confusion.

Liu Zhixue smiled mysteriously and explained, "Grandma, you don't know this, but Master Yuxu said that the eldest young lady's destiny is linked to the Fifth Prince. In other words, she can only have her destiny as a phoenix if she marries the Fifth Prince!"

Grandma Yun's eyes widened: "You mean... if Xiu'er marries the Fifth Prince, she can..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but both of them understood what she meant.

Liu Zhixue nodded vigorously.

Grandma Yun suddenly stood up, knelt on the bed, clasped her hands together and bowed twice towards the sky, muttering incantations.

After she finished praying, she sat back down, the gloom on her face vanished, replaced by an almost fanatical excitement:

"I knew Xiu'er was destined for greatness! Once Xiu'er ascends to that position, our Yun family will be royalty. At that time, what will a mere Chu Wanqing or a Ninghai County Princess matter? The entire General's Mansion will be no match for us!"

Liu Zhixue sat to the side, watching the old lady's expression, a barely perceptible smile appearing on her lips. She then said gently, "Grandma, so please don't worry. You've only just returned; what does a moment of triumph matter? There's a long road ahead. When Xiu'er marries into the Fifth Prince's household and becomes Empress, won't they all have to kneel at your feet?!"

Grandma Yun was completely pleased with herself and nodded repeatedly, then snorted coldly, "Just wait until that day comes, then let's see if Chu Wanqing still dares to give me attitude! Isn't she just relying on her family background? Once Xiu'er becomes Empress, I'll see whether the Chu family's threshold is higher or my Yun family's!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhixue wore a gentle smile on her face, but inwardly she couldn't help but sneer.

She knows the old lady too well.

The thing this old woman could never let go of in her life was controlling Chu Wanqing.

However, Chu Wanqing came from a scholarly family, and the demeanor of a well-bred lady was ingrained in her very being, something that others could not imitate.

No matter how high the old lady tried to put on airs in front of her, she was actually quite insecure inside.

She always felt that Chu Wanqing looked down on her, so she wanted to show off her power in front of Chu Wanqing even more. But the more she showed off her power, the more she appeared to be tough on the outside but weak on the inside.

Chu Wanqing was really naive before. She only knew how to be a good wife and mother, thinking that being good to her husband and respecting and obeying her mother-in-law would bring harmony to the family.

Little did she know that some people in this world can't be warmed up.

That's why I took advantage of her. With a few sweet words, I coaxed her into looking down on Chu Wanqing even more, causing her to drift apart from Chu Wanqing.

Liu Zhixue lowered her eyes, concealing the hint of sarcasm in them.

Seeing that the old lady's mood had improved, she changed the subject and said in a somewhat troubled tone, "Grandma, Zhixue has another matter she would like to ask you for advice on."