A grandmother and granddaughter swap souls, causing chaos throughout the entire court.

My second sister-in-law just said that the two good-for-nothings from the first wife's family have taken control of Songhetang.

Alright, then she'll go with the flow and pin this crime of betraying one's master and ancestors squarely on the eldest brother's head!

"Big brother!"

Zhao Lihua suddenly raised her voice, her originally gentle voice now filled with a heart-wrenching sorrow, which was particularly loud outside Songhe Hall.

"I know that you've been suffering from a leg ailment all these years, and you've harbored resentment towards your mother and the Marquis. But your mother is, after all, your own mother who carried you for ten months and gave birth to you!"

She held a handkerchief to her eyes, pressing away non-existent tears, and spoke words that pierced the heart.

"While the Marquis and I were away from the manor, what methods did you use to bewitch Mother?"

"They won't even let us, their own flesh and blood, see each other! Eldest brother, if you have anger towards our third branch of the family, come at me! Why do you have to kidnap Mother and commit such a heinous, unfilial, and disrespectful act!"

These words, barbed and veiled, instantly branded Zhong Tingyuan with the deadly charge of "blackmailing his birth mother and plotting something sinister."

Inside the west side room.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Zhong Tingyuan listened to Zhao Lihua's tearful accusations outside, his withered fingers suddenly clenching the thin blanket on his knees.

What a virtuous and kind matriarch!

What a sharp tongue that can twist the truth!

but.

When Zhong Tingyuan realized that only Zhao Lihua and Zhang Xuerong were shouting at him from outside, he relaxed a little.

As long as the third brother doesn't come back with him, there's still room for maneuver.

Although the third sister-in-law was vicious and ruthless, she was ultimately a woman who cared about her reputation and would never dare to do what her third brother did, relying on his status as a marquis to order people to smash down the door and force their way in.

drag!

We can only stall for time now!

Wait until Mother wakes up!

Zhong Tingyuan turned his head and glanced at his wife, who was still fast asleep on the bed, afraid that the noise outside would disturb her.

He waved to Granny Zhou, who was waiting in the corner.

"Master." Granny Zhou quickly stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"The two ladies are making a scene outside. If they keep arguing like this, I'm afraid they'll disturb the madam." Zhong Tingyuan's voice was hoarse and full of exhaustion. "I'll trouble you, Granny, to go out and persuade them."

Granny Zhou's heart skipped a beat, and her old face instantly turned as bitter as if she had swallowed a bitter pill.

This job is practically killing her!

Who is that, madam?

That's the absolute mistress of the Marquis's mansion!

As a servant, she dared to offend the mistress of the house. Once the old lady's recent wickedness subsided, it would be as easy for her to crush her as to crush an ant.

But now, the old man has spoken, and the old lady did give a strict order before she fell into a deep sleep. If she doesn't go, she'll probably be the first one punished when the old lady wakes up.

"Yes...this old servant will go right away."

Granny Zhou sighed inwardly and forced herself to leave.

When she arrived at the courtyard gate, Granny Zhou shrank her neck.

She dared not look up at the lady's cold and stern face, and respectfully performed a deep bow.

"Greetings to the Madam and Second Madam."

"Granny Zhou, you've come at the perfect time!"

Upon recognizing the old lady's trusted maid, Chunmei immediately stepped forward and ordered, "Quickly open the door and let Madam in to see the old lady! It will also let Madam know how those jinxes from the eldest son's household are plotting to harm her!"

Cold sweat trickled down Zhou Mama's forehead and down her cheeks. She swallowed hard and withstood the pressure.

"Reporting to Madam, it's not that we old servants are so audacious as to stop our mistress." Granny Zhou bowed even lower, her voice trembling, as she replied to Zhao Lihua, "It's just that... the old lady has just exhausted herself and has only just rested."

"Before going to sleep, the old lady repeatedly instructed that the eldest madam had been frightened and needed absolute peace and quiet. She told us old servants to guard this door and not allow anyone to enter and disturb her."

She paused, then said cautiously, "Madam, Second Madam, the Old Madam is surely aware of your filial piety... Why don't you go back to your courtyard to rest first? Once the Old Madam wakes up, this old servant will immediately send someone to invite you over to pay your respects. What do you think?"

The moment those words were spoken, the air outside the courtyard gate seemed to freeze instantly.

Zhao Lihua's knuckles turned white as she gripped the silk handkerchief, and a chilling murderous intent flashed deep in her eyes.

A lowly slave!

An old dog that serves people!

How dare they openly drive her away in front of so many servants?!

She is the esteemed Princess Anyi!

She is also the rightful mistress of the Yongning Marquis's mansion!

Zhao Lihua's chest heaved slightly with anger, but she always valued her reputation highly and would never act like a shrew and hurl insults at her servants.

Her dignified face still bore a worried expression, but her cold almond-shaped eyes swept over Zhang Xuerong beside her like a venomous snake.

The warning and urging in his eyes were undisguised.

Zhang Xuerong was watching the show from the back.

Suddenly, Zhao Lihua's sinister gaze swept over him, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

She secretly groaned inwardly. Her third sister-in-law had run into a snag but couldn't bring herself to retaliate. They were using her as a pawn to make her the one to take the lead!

But what could she do?

The second branch of the family was able to live relatively peacefully in the Marquis's mansion entirely by currying favor with the third branch.

If you offend her, your future days will be tough!

Zhang Xuerong gritted her teeth, steeled her resolve, and took a sudden step forward, pointing her finger at Granny Zhou's nose.

"You old, insolent servant who doesn't know his own limits! You eat the food of the Marquis's mansion, yet you dare to shit on your master's head!"

Zhang Xuerong deliberately adopted a sarcastic and harsh tone to reprimand him.

"Do you think you can just dismiss Madam like that? The old lady usually dotes on Third Master and Madam the most. Now that she's fallen ill so strangely, she must have been bewitched by those two jinxes from the eldest son's family!"

"You old dog, blocking my way like this, could it be that you've taken bribes from the eldest son's family and are plotting to murder the old lady?!"

When this accusation of murdering the mistress was pinned on her, Granny Zhou was so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost knelt on the ground.

Seeing that Granny Zhou was flustered, Zhang Xuerong instantly felt much more confident.

"You lowly servant, you wouldn't dare refuse the mistress of the Marquis's mansion entry even if you had ten lives!" Zhang Xuerong raised her already shrill voice, as if afraid the servants outside the courtyard wall wouldn't hear her. "Speak! Did your elder brother instruct you to do this?"

Zhang Xuerong's curses became more and more fluent, as she had just learned these words from observing her third sister-in-law's sarcastic and strange behavior.

Now, using it as a weapon to stab the first wife's family is simply the most convenient thing to do.

"I advise you, you old scoundrel, to get those watchdogs out of the way! Let us in to check on Mother's safety. If Mother is missing even a single hair, not only you, but that jinxed couple from your eldest branch will also be executed! Otherwise, we'll have to force our way in!"

This barrage of curses was like a bucket of dirty water mixed with ice crystals, poured over Granny Zhou's head.