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

After Shen Qinghe had been working in the post station for three days, Wang Haiquan finally vacated half of the courtyard of the governor's office.

He cleared out the entire east courtyard and moved to the west courtyard.

In just these three days, Shen Chengbai went out early and came back late every day, and he had almost figured out Wang Haiquan's background.

It turns out that although Wang Haiquan was nominally Su Xiang's man, he was actually more like the retired Huang Xiang's man.

He is the person who is apparently Su Xiang's political enemy, but in fact Su Xiang needs to seek his opinion on everything.

Eventually, it was discovered by Emperor Jing, who replaced Huang Xiang with the position of Crown Prince's wife, who retired due to illness.

As a result, the prince died before the wedding, leaving everything in tatters.

Huang Xiang was promoted by Wang Haiquan's father.

When Wang Haiquan's father was the county magistrate, Huang Xiang was the county magistrate.

When Wang Haiquan's father was the prefect, Huang Xiang was the co-prefect.

When Wang Haiquan's father was governor, Huang Xiang was the provincial governor.

This is because Wang Haiquan's father died early, otherwise his official position would be higher than it is now.

Wang Haiquan is the youngest son in the family, and Huang Xiang's daughter married him, so he can be said to be able to do whatever he wants in Shandong.

Although the previous governor, Lord Liu, was Su Xiang's man, Su Xiang was still under the rule of Huang Xiang.

Besides, how could Su Xiang’s subordinates be as important as Huang Xiang’s son-in-law?

So it wasn’t that Lord Liu didn’t want to live in the Governor’s Yamen before, it was just that he couldn’t move in.

It is only because Prime Minister Huang is not in office and Prime Minister Shen is in the limelight, otherwise Shen Qinghe would not have been able to enter the governor's office so easily.

What Wang Haiquan did before was just to test Shen Qinghe's temperament and see if he was easy to bully.

Wang Haiquan's wife is Huang Xiang's daughter, and she married him when Huang Xiang was still his father's subordinate.

Later, Huang Xiang was promoted step by step and became the prime minister of the dynasty.

In addition, Wang Haiquan also had a concubine, the daughter of the Governor of the Grand Canal.

In addition to one wife and one concubine, Wang Haiquan also took seventeen concubines.

Some of these concubines were taken in by him himself, and some were taken in by his wife and concubines for the sake of competition.

In short, Wang Haiquan's backyard was very lively, and the fighting between his wives and concubines never stopped.

What Wang Haiquan said about his having many children is not exaggerating. The Wang family now has a total of 32 living children, big and small.

Shen Chengbai even found out about Wang Haiquan's children and in-laws.

……

Madam Shen Er had just ordered the servants to clean up the main room, and before she had time to put out the exquisite ornaments and antique calligraphy and paintings in the boxes she brought, Wang Haiquan's wife Huang came with a girl who looked like Shen Chuning.

"You have all been in Jinan for several days. Look, I only found time to visit my sister today." Huang said as she walked in and took Yun Shuxuan's hand.

Yun Shuxuan asked the two to sit down and told the servants to serve tea and water.

Miss Wang Wu, Wang Ruolin, gently placed the food box on the table and said with a smile, "These are some snacks made by Ruolin herself. I hope Madam Shen won't dislike them."

Yun Shuxuan smiled and nodded, then took off a warm bracelet from his wrist and gently put it on Wang Ruolin's hand. He said softly, "Thank you for your help, Miss Wang. I wonder how old you are this year?"

Huang added, "Already fourteen."

A smile flashed in Yun Shuxuan's eyes. "She's about the same age as our An Ning. Our An Ning has been the only girl in her family since she was little, so she's very lonely. We'll both be living in the Governor's Office, so we'll be neighbors. Who knows, we might even become friends."

When Wang Ruolin heard that the Shen family only had one girl, an envious look appeared on her face.

Huang also took out an exquisite hairpin from her pocket and handed it to Shen Chuning as a greeting gift, and said enthusiastically: "Then let Ruolin take Miss Shen to have a good stroll around Jinan City some other day."

Shen Chuning took the hairpin with a smile and bowed to Huang, "Then I'll trouble you, Miss Wang."

Huang and Wang Ruolin didn't sit for long before they stood up and said goodbye, saying that they wanted Yun Shuxuan and the others to have a good rest and come back another day.

Not long after they left, Wang Haiquan's second wife, Mrs. Song, also came with her fourth daughter, Wang Ruolan, and seventh daughter, Wang Ruoju.

Yun Shuxuan and Shen Chuning exchanged a glance and whispered, "Can't we even get some rest? I'm afraid all of Wang Haiquan's concubines will be here soon. That's really rude."

As soon as Song entered the room, she looked around at the furnishings in the room, her eyes revealing an unconcealable look of disgust.

Before Yun Shuxuan could speak, Song sat down on the chair.

"I married to Shandong from the capital. How come I never met a person like Madam when I was in the capital?" Song lifted her hair, her tone revealing an endless sense of superiority.

Of course she knew that Yun Shuxuan came from a merchant family and did not live in the capital when she was young. She was married from Jinling.

"I wonder who you are?" Yun Shuxuan asked calmly.

"My mother is the daughter of Song Kun, the governor of the Grand Canal." Wang Ruolan answered before Song, her face full of pride.

Shen Chuning rolled her eyes in her heart. Just now, when Huang Xiang's daughter introduced herself, she didn't even mention her father's name. But this Wang Ruolan couldn't wait to show off her mother's identity.

Yun Shuxuan smiled, his eyes coldly looking at the one who was speaking, "The child is already this grown up, how come your husband is so insignificant? You don't even dare to mention his name?"

"You..." Wang Ruolan was about to speak again, but was stopped by Song.

She smiled and said to Yun Shuxuan, "My husband is Lord Wang Haiquan, the Governor of Shandong."

When Yun Shuxuan heard this answer, a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes. He feigned surprise and asked, "Huh? How could this be? I'm completely confused. Just now, a lady named Huang came and claimed to be Lord Wang's wife."

Song's face was a little embarrassed, and she explained, "I am Wang Haiquan's concubine."

Yun Shuxuan nodded in sudden realization, his lips curled up slightly as he said frivolously, "Oh, so she's a co-wife? Maybe I've been in the capital for too long and haven't heard of such a rule. Or are the rules in Shandong so different that a subordinate's concubine can actually approach the head mistress of the upper echelon?"

Song Shi heard the sarcasm in Yun Shuxuan's words, and her eyes widened in anger. She shouted, "Who are you calling a concubine?"

Yun Shuxuan smiled slightly, staring at Song with a sharp gaze, and sneered, "Although the children born to a concubine can be called legitimate sons and daughters, a concubine is ultimately just a concubine. The so-called 'concubine' is just like a concubine, isn't it?"

"My mother's status in the mansion is the same as Huang's, and she is even more favored than Huang." Wang Ruolan also retorted.

Shen Chuning frowned, "What happens to your mother in the mansion has nothing to do with us. We just know that it's against the rules for a concubine to visit."

Wang Ruolan looked Shen Chuning up and down. "Are you the poor wretch who was abandoned by his own parents and had to be adopted by his second uncle's family?"