The Old Madam of Marquis Yining, feeling a twinge of jealousy over the parrot her husband was raising, changed the subject and asked, “Has Ahuan gained weight? Can she sit steadily now?”

Jiang Si smiled and replied, “She’s already crawling.”

The Old Madam of Marquis Yining was startled, “Isn’t Ahuan not even eight months old? She’s already crawling?”

It’s often said that babies roll over at three months, sit at six, crawl at seven, and walk at eight. However, this usually applies to robust infants. In wealthy families, pampered children often develop more slowly. This is simply because, with more people tending to them, there’s a greater fear of the little masters getting bumps and bruises, so they get less practice and naturally progress more slowly.

“Yes, she can crawl quite far now,” Jiang Si’s eyes were full of joy as she spoke of her daughter.

It wasn’t surprising that Ahuan had started crawling early. Once, Jiang Si had witnessed Erniu using his big mouth to nudge Ahuan forward. When Ahuan didn’t want to move, the dog even tried to intimidate her.

Thinking of her daughter struggling to crawl forward while being chased by the big dog, Jiang Si couldn’t help but find it amusing.

The Old Madam of Marquis Yining was also delighted, “That’s wonderful. A sturdy child is better than anything else. You weren’t like Ahuan when you were little; you were as delicate as a kitten.”

The Old Madam’s eyes flickered as if recalling something.

Jiang Si gently pursed her lips, seeming to hesitate.

Noticing something amiss, the Old Madam asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Grandmother, I feel that the Empress Dowager doesn’t like me very much—”

The Old Madam paused, her hand tightening around her teacup.

Knowing that just mentioning this wouldn’t be enough, Jiang Si continued after a brief pause, “Ajin becoming the Empress’s adopted son, I don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse…”

The Old Madam’s hand trembled slightly, and she fell into a deeper silence.

Jiang Si reached out to hold her grandmother’s arm and said softly, “Grandmother, does Empress Dowager dislike me because of what happened between my mother and Princess Rongyang?”

The Old Madam gave Jiang Si a deep look, her mood sinking.

“Grandmother—”

The Old Madam raised her hand to stroke Jiang Si’s head, as if she were still a child, her voice hoarse, “Perhaps you’re overthinking it. How could the Empress Dowager dislike you? The rift between your mother and Princess Rongyang was because of General Cui. It wasn’t your mother’s fault. The Empress Dowager is a sensible person; she wouldn’t dislike you because of that—”

Jiang Si blinked, her eyes glinting with cunning, “So you’re saying there’s another reason why the Empress Dowager doesn’t like me?”

The Old Madam faltered, then shook her head with a smile, “You silly girl, why are you so convinced that the Empress Dowager doesn’t like you?”

Jiang Si felt somewhat disappointed.

Her grandmother hadn’t revealed anything. It seemed she would leave empty-handed again today.

She had been prepared for this, though. She smiled wryly, “You can always sense whether someone likes you or not. If it were anyone else, it wouldn’t matter, but it’s the Empress Dowager. I’m afraid this might cause trouble in the future…”

Knowing she wouldn’t get any more information from her grandmother, now, Jiang Si changed the subject. The Old Madam, meanwhile, appeared somewhat distracted.

After Jiang Si bid farewell and left, the Old Madam sat alone in the room for a long time, looking deeply troubled.

The old Marquis Yining walked in carrying a birdcage. Seeing his wife’s state, he was taken aback, “What’s wrong?”

The Old Madam snapped out of her thoughts, “Nothing.”

The old Marquis hung up the birdcage and walked over, “Si’er’s visit should be a happy occasion, but you look worried.”

The Old Madam looked up at her husband and sighed, “I just feel that Si’er has grown up and has many of her thoughts now.”

The old Marquis chuckled dismissively, “Si’er is a mother now, of course, she’s grown up. Besides, look at where Si’er has married into. The royal family isn’t exactly comfortable, and now that the Prince of Yan has become the Empress’s son, it’s even more like walking on thin ice…”

The Old Madam fell silent for a moment before speaking, “Today, Si’er said the Empress Dowager doesn’t like her—”

The old Marquis’s eyes darkened, “Huh? There’s such a thing?”

The Old Madam nodded.

The old Marquis slammed the table in anger, “This is too much! Back then, Princess Rongyang stole Ake’s husband, and her eventual retribution was well-deserved. If the Empress Dowager holds a grudge against Si’er because of this, it’s simply shameless!”

The Old Madam murmured, “I’m afraid it’s not because of that—”

“What did you say?”

The Old Madam caught herself and shook her head, “Nothing.”

But the old Marquis remembered something and frowned, “I recall that when you were young, you were very close to the Empress Dowager. Why did you stop associating with her later?”

Back then, before the Empress Dowager was married, she used to visit the Marquis Yining’s mansion often. Later, for some unknown reason, they stopped associating. Whenever he brought it up, his wife would glare at him. After asking twice, he stopped inquiring.

“We were close when we were young, but as we grew up and developed our ideas, we couldn’t get along anymore,” the Old Madam said flatly, but her eyes were as cold as frost, completely detached.

The old Marquis knew there must be something behind this, but if his wife wouldn’t say, there was nothing he could do. So he unhooked the birdcage and sighed, “No matter how you two fell out, if it’s affecting Si’er, you’d better give the child some advice. Don’t let Si’er fall into someone’s schemes without knowing anything… I’m going out.”

As the old Marquis was walking out with the birdcage, another voice echoed, “I’m going out.”

The old Marquis stopped in his tracks and looked down.

The parrot in the cage looked up innocently.

The old Marquis suddenly became excited, pointing at the birdcage, “Old woman, did you hear that? This parrot can talk!”

The Old Madam looked curiously at the parrot with its blank expression.

“Come on, say it again!”

The parrot tilted its head but remained silent.

The old Marquis thought for a moment and tried, “I’m going out.”

“I’m going out,” the parrot responded.

The old Marquis was grinning from ear to ear, “This parrot is really smart. It was worth the three hundred taels of silver I paid for it—”

“Hmm? Three hundred taels?” The curiosity on the Old Madam’s face vanished, replaced by a murderous look.

The old Marquis’s smile froze.

Oh no, he had let it slip.

“Ah, I have urgent matters to attend to. We’ll talk when I get back.”

The old Marquis fled with the parrot, leaving the Old Madam trembling with anger.

She was already worried enough about Si’er’s situation, and now the old man was wasting money!

Thinking about this, the Old Madam felt an urge to spill all her secrets in frustration.

Although Jiang Si hadn’t learned anything from the Old Madam of Marquis Yining, she wasn’t discouraged. She secretly planned to make another visit in a few days. With persistent effort, her grandmother might eventually let something slip.

Time passed quickly, and the Empress Dowager’s birthday was approaching.

On this day, Prince Qi invited Prince Xiang to his mansion for tea.

“Grandmother’s birthday is coming up. Eighth Brother, have you prepared your gift?”

Prince Xiang smiled, “It’ll be about the same as last year. Whatever I give, it’s all the same anyway.”

Thinking about how he had missed the chance to become the Empress’s son, Prince Xiang hadn’t been in a good mood these days. He had no energy to worry about the Empress Dowager’s birthday gift.