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

"Sister Wan, there is only one large manor with a spring in the suburbs of Beijing, but there are actually many such manors in farther places." Shen Chuning advised gently.

"A place farther away? Then what are you doing here? Are you going to exile criminals?" Shen Jingwan asked angrily.

"Wan'er! Don't be rude!" Old Madam Shen scolded sternly.

However, Shen Jingwan ignored Madam Shen's words. Instead, she shouted at Shen Chuning even more angrily, "Did you know there was something wrong with this manor a long time ago, so you brought it up on purpose, just to give me hope and then let me down?"

Shen Chuning sneered in her heart and replied silently, "Yes, I did it on purpose. It's your fault for being so stupid to fall into my trap so easily."

But on the surface, she looked very aggrieved, her brows slightly furrowed, her eyes moist, and she whispered, "How could Sister Wan think so much of me? I just happened to know that there's a manor on Shizun Mountain that really suits your needs, so I couldn't wait to come and tell you this good news. I didn't expect you to misunderstand my good intentions..."

As she spoke, tears were about to burst out of her eyes, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

When Old Lady Shen saw Shen Chuning's aggrieved expression, her heart couldn't help but soften. After all, this was her granddaughter whom she had loved for more than ten years!

She was so angry that she threw the Buddhist beads in her hand fiercely on the table and said angrily: "Shen Jingwan, don't be ungrateful! Only a few old people in the capital know about the matter of that manor. How could your sister do it on purpose?"

"Then why can't grandma tell Wan'er?" Shen Jingwan asked relentlessly.

However, Mrs. Shen didn't seem willing to talk about it anymore and just shook her head helplessly.

At this time, Shen Chuning whispered to the side: "Grandma, don't be angry. Just let my sister think that An Ning did it on purpose. It's okay for An Ning to suffer a little injustice."

Old Madam Shen looked at her sensible granddaughter in front of her, her heart filled with sighs.

"In fact, that manor belonged to the late King Rui, and now, Concubine Duan Jing lives there." Old Lady Shen said slowly.

Hearing this, Shen Jingwan asked with a puzzled look on her face: "A deceased prince and a concubine who lost her son, what do we have to be afraid of? Grandfather is your majesty's uncle and the prime minister of the dynasty. Do we still need to be wary of them?"

Shen Chuning's face was filled with shock, and she blurted out, "Sister Wan, please don't say such nonsense! Concubine Duan Jing is the elder of the current emperor, how can we talk about her so easily? If it gets out, I'm afraid it will bring disaster to our Shen family!"

Shen Jingwan curled her lips and muttered, "I'm just telling the truth..."

Madam Shen shook her head helplessly and continued to explain, "Back then, Prince Rui was a man of outstanding talent and a skilled warrior, earning the late Emperor's attention. There were even rumors that the late Emperor intended to appoint him Crown Prince. However, sadly, Prince Rui passed away suddenly, and the cause of death remains unknown. The Dowager Consort, missing her son excessively, became increasingly ill-healthy, and the late Emperor, feeling sorry for her, pardoned her from the palace and allowed her to live at Prince Rui's estate. Now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, whether genuinely or not, he shows the most respect for the Dowager Consort. Do you think your grandfather, with all his guts, would dare to touch the Dowager Consort Duanjing?"

Shen Jingwan was still a little unconvinced, but when she heard the last sentence, she couldn't help but shudder.

She was well aware of the importance of her grandfather, and she also understood that if this matter was not handled properly, the consequences would be disastrous.

However, she was still unwilling to give up, and always felt that as long as the price was right, there was nothing she couldn't buy.

Seeing Shen Jingwan's unconvinced look, Old Madam Shen glared at her and sternly warned her, "Let's just drop this matter and don't mention it again!"

Although Shen Jingwan was dissatisfied, she didn't dare to say anything more.

She decided to ask the third prince for help to see if she could find other solutions.

Shen Chuning was thinking silently. From what Mrs. Shen had just said, she realized that if she wanted to search the manor on Shizun Mountain, she must have solid evidence.

But the evidence they have at the moment is just a few ambiguous words from Sisi, which do not clearly point to that Zhuangzi.

Shen Chuning waited at home for two days and finally waited for Fuzi to come and report the news.

It turned out that Shen Jingwan had gone to find the Third Prince and asked for the manor at the foot of the Shizun Mountain.

However, the third prince refused without even thinking.

Surprisingly, the reason why the Third Prince refused was not because the concubine lived in the manor as Madam Shen said, but because he claimed that the manor was used for other purposes.

Now, Shen Chuning was almost certain that the people Sisi mentioned were hiding in the manor at the foot of Shizun Mountain.

The person behind the scenes was Xiao Yuanlang.

But the problem is that she originally planned to first find the problematic Zhuangzi, obtain evidence, and then look for the connection between Zhuangzi and Xiao Yuanlang, but this path is obviously no longer feasible.

If we start from other aspects, we will face the problem of being unable to achieve any results.

As Zhou Lin said, she didn't have much interaction with the prince and had no right to investigate his affairs.

Just when she was feeling a headache, Concubine Hui ordered her to enter the palace.

The reason turned out to be that the method of using wooden boards to dry salt that she proposed not only successfully reduced costs, but also greatly increased production, bringing huge profits to the Mohist school.

When Shen Chuning arrived at Chunxi Palace, Concubine Hui had already prepared various snacks that Shen Chuning liked to eat.

As soon as she saw Shen Chuning walk in, Concubine Hui quickly stood up and enthusiastically pulled Shen Chuning to sit next to her.

"It's been a long time since you came here. I think you have grown a lot taller!" Concubine Hui looked at Shen Chuning carefully and said with a smile.

"Yes, I have indeed grown taller. This winter, my mother even asked the embroiderer to make a few more sets of clothes for me." Shen Chuning answered generously.

"By the way, my mother specifically asked me to bring you some of Mr. Ze's new storybooks." Shen Chuning said as she gently placed the storybooks in her hand on the table.

"Ah? Didn't I hear that Mr. Ze had stopped writing? How come he suddenly published a new storybook?" Concubine Hui asked puzzledly as she flipped through the storybook on the table curiously.

"Originally, Mr. Ze stopped writing because he intended to concentrate on the imperial examinations, but he didn't expect that this year's imperial examinations would be cancelled due to the solar eclipse, so Mr. Ze started writing storybooks again." Shen Chuning patiently explained to Concubine Hui.

Concubine Hui sighed helplessly and said with emotion: "Alas, the solar eclipse is considered an ominous sign. His Majesty's decision to cancel the imperial examination is understandable..."

Shen Chuning nodded, "Yes, even the prince's wedding has been postponed."

When the prince was mentioned, Concubine Hui's face suddenly turned ugly.

"Empress Hui, what happened?" Shen Chuning asked cautiously.

"The prince is ill and hasn't come to the palace to pay his respects for a long time. His Majesty also doesn't allow me to visit him in the Eastern Palace. I don't know how the child is doing now." Concubine Hui said worriedly.

Shen Chuning covered her mouth in surprise, "So the rumors are actually true?"