Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

"You can go buy jewelry, so you don't need your uncle to pay for it." Shen Chengwu said.

"No need for jewelry. Girls always need money to go shopping and buy small things." Shen Chuning said guiltily.

"You are the only one in the Shen family. When you go out, you are accompanied by the servants from the accounting office. Why do you need to pay for it yourself?"

"Of course I don't need it. I also need to save some money myself. Today, my grandmother gave me five hundred taels of silver." Shen Chuning said this and quickly covered her mouth. "Fifth brother, you are not jealous that my grandmother only gave me the silver and didn't give you any."

Shen Chengwu patted Shen Chuning's head and said, "Your little money is not enough to make me jealous."

"Then Sixth Brother is still on guard against you like crazy." Shen Chuning muttered softly.

"You're such a grown-up girl, if you have anything to say, just say it openly, don't be so sneaky. I heard there was a disturbance at Wanbaoxuan today, and your girl got into a conflict with them?"

"That wasn't a conflict. It was the mother and daughter who were being unreasonable."

"Is following Uncle San related to this matter? Your girl even knocked someone else's hairpin off. People from the Shen Mansion shouldn't be so reckless when they leave."

"What could it have to do with it? No, no, the hairpin just fell off accidentally." Shen Chuning quickly denied.

"What do you think will happen if Xiaoliu helps you?"

Shen Chuning was unable to refute. In terms of ability, Shen Chengliu was far inferior to Shen Chengwu.

"Alas, the hairpin that woman is wearing on her head might be my mother's dowry."

"Is there any special mark on the hairpin? If it really belongs to Third Aunt, we can arrest the person and hand him over to the authorities. Why would you go to so much trouble?"

"Although there's no special mark on it, the hairpin is shaped like a peony flower."

"I don't quite understand. Are hairpins with this kind of flower pattern rare?" Shen Chengwu didn't understand why he could recognize whose hairpin it was just by the flower pattern.

"Although it's not common, it's not impossible." Shen Chuning twisted the handkerchief in her hand shyly. "Well, let me be frank. This is a family scandal. Fifth brother, you know my mother is a concubine, right?"

"Well, you continue."

"My grandmother was kind-hearted but kind-hearted. When my mother got married, to show her generosity, she prepared a dowry according to the share for a legitimate daughter, but the items inside were either old or broken."

"The furniture is old stuff discarded from the Duke of Qing's mansion. Some of it is infested with insects and ants. They were just painted over and brought here."

"The farm and shop are only nominally under my mother's name. The owner and the shopkeeper are still employees of the Duke of Qing's Mansion. They report losses every year, but in fact, all the money they earn goes back to the Duke of Qing's Mansion."

"Just talking about these gold and silver jewelry, they may look ordinary on the outside, but they are actually hollow inside."

"The hairpin Birui knocked off the other day had a hollow handle. If it weren't for a clear request, which shop would make jewelry like this?"

Shen Chuning finished speaking her mind, and it felt like a huge rock that had been pressing on her finally fell to the ground.

She let out a long breath and continued, "Beside that woman was a girl about my age, who called her mother."

Shen Chengwu frowned and said, "I understand. I'll send you back first. I'll help you find out about this matter."

"Thank you, Fifth Brother, but..."

"Don't worry, I won't let Third Uncle or anyone else know. Once we find out, you can decide what to do next."

When Shen Chengwu sent Shen Chuning back to Ningfengzhai, Shen Chengliu was already waiting in the yard.

He not only brought two indentures, but also a piece of Tianhuang stone for carving seals. The whole stone was yellow, with a dark color on the outside and gradually lighter on the inside. Fine radish-like lines were faintly visible on the surface, and the texture was fine, warm and smooth.

Shen Chuning held the stone and the two indentures in her hands, her eyes slightly red.

……

"Miss, someone from Wanbaoxuan came at noon and said that the mother and daughter you asked to follow you went into several jewelry shops after leaving Wanbaoxuan to sell your blueprints, but no one wanted them. When they returned to Wanbaoxuan, they heard that you had lowered the price to ten taels of silver, and then left again."

"Tell them that next time you come, the price will be reduced to five taels a month."

Birui asked worriedly, "Is this possible? They didn't even agree to ten taels of silver."

Shen Chuning patted the back of Birui's hand and said, "Don't worry, as long as she can come, she will agree."

"By the way, have you tracked the mother and daughter to their residence?" Shen Chuning suddenly thought that this was also a breakthrough.

"I think he stopped following me after I left Wanbaoxuan for the second time."

"Forget it, it's my fault for not explaining it clearly. Let's wait and see."

……

The first day of March.

In the early spring morning, the sky gradually turned pale, and the mist had not yet completely dissipated. Everyone in the Shen Mansion stood at the door, just to send Miss Shen Jiu into the palace.

"Wait a minute, I have something else to tell you."

Mrs. Shen was seen walking quickly towards the door with her skirt lifted up, and Zhenzhu was following behind her with a long object wrapped in moon-white silk in her arms.

Walking closer, Zhenzhu handed the thing in her hand to Birui. Birui didn't dare to reach out to take it. She turned her head to wait for Shen Chuning's instructions.

Shen Chuning also looked very confused and asked, "Second Aunt, what is this?"

"A zither. Bring it to Concubine Hui in the palace." Madam Shen answered nonchalantly.

"A zither? This can't be your Jiaowei zither?" Shen Chuning opened her mouth in surprise.

"Yes, that's the one."

"Second aunt, you cherish that zither very much. There's no need to do this for me. Besides, didn't you ask Sixth Brother to bring me a piece of Tianhuang stone?"

Shen Chuning hurriedly walked to Birui and pushed the piano back.

"You have a nice thought, but it's not for your own good. This zither originally belonged to Concubine Hui. I stole it from her when I was young and ignorant."

"Now that your third brother is old enough to get married, I should be busy too. How can I have the time to play the zither? Concubine Hui has been in the palace for so many years without any children. Bringing this zither to her can help her relieve her boredom and fulfill the affection we had in the past."

Shen Chuning asked suspiciously, "Second Auntie, is this really not for me?"

"No, no, I only brought it out today because I was afraid you'd overthink it." Madam Shen took the zither from Zhenzhu and placed it on the carriage. "Hurry up and get in. Your grandfather will be late for court soon."

After waving goodbye to everyone at the door, Shen Chuning boarded the carriage to the palace and sat side by side with Old Master Shen in the carriage.

The road in front of the Shen Mansion was lined with pink and white apricot blossoms. The early morning sunlight shone through the sparse petals, casting mottled shadows, and the air was filled with a faint floral fragrance.

The Shen Mansion's carriage slowly rolled across the cobblestone road, pulled by two dark horses. Their manes swayed gently in the breeze, and the sound of their hooves echoed through the quiet street, a crisp and pleasant "clack." The driver held the reins, occasionally shouting softly, directing the carriage forward toward the palace gate.