Being married for many years, Lady Nangong naturally understood that her husband wanted her to give up the idea of recognizing Yang Mengchen as her adopted daughter. After all, the ancestral teachings of the Nangong family forbid taking part in royal family strife, and any discerning person could see that Prince Chen cared a great deal about Yang Mengchen, even to the point of possessiveness.

If they were to adopt her, outsiders would certainly see the Nangong family as aligned with Prince Chen's faction. In that case, the Nangong family would inevitably be forced to involve themselves in the disputes of the royal family, with consequences easy to imagine. Thus, even though she was very fond of Yang Mengchen, she had no choice but to give up on her.

Sensing his parents' thoughts, Nangong Lingfei's eyes dimmed slightly. It was unclear what he was thinking, but suddenly his eyes shone brightly.

Lady Hua's gaze shifted between Long Xuanmo and Yang Mengchen, her face showing worry and distress.

She was also fond of Ms. Yang, and considering Ms. Yang's life-saving grace toward Yuyu, along with her intelligence, capability, and modesty, she had been eager to betroth Ms. Yang to Yuyu as his wife. As for the family background, neither she nor her husband had ever cared about that.

However, to her consternation, Xuan Mo had taken the initiative. Even Sister Jin, who served beside the Empress Dowager, had been arranged to attend to Ms. Yang. Yuyu and Xuan Mo shared a deep bond as brothers; if Yuyu knew of Xuan Mo's fondness for Ms. Yang, he would likely step aside to facilitate things, and she would lose the daughter-in-law she wanted—naturally, she was troubled.

What she worried about was that with Xuan Mo's noble status, even if the Emperor agreed, Ms. Yang, due to her background, could only enter the household as a concubine, not even as a consort. Ms. Yang, kind-hearted and compassionate as she was, would surely be bullied once Xuan Mo married other noblewomen into the family.

No! She couldn't just watch Ms. Yang wither away in Xuan Mo's inner court. It seemed she would have to find a way to prevent this from happening!

The others had various expressions but smartly remained silent.

Receiving the tea passed by Long Xuanmo, Yang Mengchen sipped it lightly and let out a quiet sigh of relief after a stealthy glance at Nangong Yelin and his wife.

She had parents who loved her and didn't wish to have adoptive parents, but it was also inappropriate to fall out with the Nangong family. Long Xuanmo's actions were a good solution to her dilemma, which was why she hadn't refused.

Long Xuanmo maintained an expressionless face, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.

He had deliberately used this opportunity to tell everyone that Ah Jiu was his, solely his, and no one was to even dream of competing with him for any reason!

However, since Ah Jiu did not refute him, he was delighted.

Nangong Lingyan was very dissatisfied that Long Xuanmo had taken Yang Mengchen away from her, but just as she was about to lash out, she heard Long Xuanmo's words and felt a rush of heartache. Quickly she moved to stand behind Yang Mengchen, reaching out to rub her shoulders, "Jiu mei, you're tired. Let me give you a massage. Don't worry, I'm skilled at this and won't make you uncomfortable."

"Thank you, Sister Lingyan." Yang Mengchen initially wanted to decline, but upon seeing Nangong Lingyan's persistent and worried eyes, she felt a surge of warmth and allowed her to continue. Indeed, Nangong Lingyan had quite the skill, making her feel very comfortable.

Nangong Lingyan had snatched his pleasure, so naturally, Long Xuanmo was displeased. He glanced at her, his expression hard to read.

Unfortunately, the thick-skinned Nangong Lingyan didn't notice a thing, only pleased that Jiu mei was growing closer to her, becoming even more attentive in helping Jiu mei relax.

After the others had exchanged greetings, each found a seat to settle in, either tasting tea or whispering conversations, the atmosphere harmonious yet tinged with something sinister.

Meanwhile, Nangong Lingyao returned to her previous seat, still fiddling with her handkerchief, occasionally sneaking glances at Yang Mengchen.

Every time Yang Mengchen felt Nangong Lingyao's gaze on her, she would respond with a slight smile. Nangong Lingyao, like a frightened bunny, would hurriedly lower her head, but after a moment, she would raise her eyes to sneak looks again at Yang Mengchen, repeating several times, amusing yet puzzling Yang Mengchen.

Just then, the door to the room opened, and Long Jingxi, Min Luozhan, and the Eight Brothers of the Yang family entered the elegant chamber, following Leng Xiao.

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