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

"You'd better forget about it. The Shen family doesn't think highly of you at all." Song said mercilessly.

When Wang Ruolan heard this, her face turned pale and tears instantly filled her eyes. She choked and said, "Mother, it's okay for others to look down on me, but why do you belittle me like this?"

Seeing Wang Ruolan's aggrieved look, Song's heart softened, but she still hardened her heart and said, "I don't mean to belittle you. I just said that the Shen family has a rule not to take concubines."

Song explained patiently, "Although you are nominally the legitimate daughter, mother is ultimately a concubine. The Shen family's status is higher than ours, so they definitely won't look down on us."

"Moreover, if we say that the Wang family is most likely to marry into the Shen family, it would be the two born to Huang."

"Whether Shen Chuning marries into the Wang family or Wang Ruolin marries into the Shen family, they are both from the Huang family."

"How can mother let her get such a big bargain for nothing?"

"You all saw that Wang Ruolin received a jade bracelet from Madam Shen that day."

Song sighed helplessly and explained the whole thing to her two daughters.

Wang Ruolan smiled disapprovingly. "It's just a jade bracelet. It's just a gift for the first meeting. It's no big deal. Didn't Auntie also give Shen Chuning a hairpin? Does giving a gift mean an engagement?"

"You're such a worry!" Song helplessly stretched out her finger and gently poked Wang Ruolan's forehead, her tone tinged with blame. "Think carefully, you two went to the East Courtyard together that day, but why didn't Madam Shen prepare a gift for you?"

Hearing this, Wang Ruolan was stunned for a moment, an expression of embarrassment appeared on her face, and she closed her mouth awkwardly.

After all, not only did she not receive a meeting gift that day, she was also slapped hard by Shen Chuning.

Song continued to explain, "Madam Shen comes from the capital, a place where people are eaten without leaving any bones. She is also very well-off. If she didn't prepare a gift for you, it means that she doesn't take you seriously at all. I'm afraid that in the entire Wang family, only the Huang family can catch her eye, right?"

Wang Ruoju snorted coldly after hearing this, and said disdainfully: "As if anyone cares about her esteem! When my sister and I enter the palace, we will make sure she looks good!"

Song sneered and said, "Let her suffer? You probably don't know that the Shen family has a grandmother who is the queen mother in the palace! Do you think anyone can afford to offend the Shen family?"

Wang Ruolan was so shocked when she heard this that her mouth opened wide. She said in disbelief, "Then...then how dare Dad treat Lord Shen like this?"

Song curled her lips and said with disdain, "For so many years, he raised his ego in Shandong. He thought that if he could control Prime Minister Huang's daughter, he could control Prime Minister Shen's son. Who knew that Lord Shen would start with three major actions upon taking office, and these three major actions would first burn out half of your father's confidants. He had no choice but to try to win him over."

After hearing this, Wang Ruolan frowned, a trace of resentment flashed in her eyes, and she gritted her teeth and said, "That won't do! We absolutely cannot let that little bitch Wang Ruolin get ahead! Mother, don't worry, your daughter will definitely find a way to prevent this from happening!"

Song nodded with satisfaction and said, "Well, very good. However, you must be careful and cautious in your actions and never let anyone catch you."

Wang Ruolan smiled confidently, "Don't worry, mother, I know what to do."

As she spoke, she touched her hair triumphantly, as if she had already seen Shen Chuning's unlucky look.

Song thought for a moment and continued, "And the little girl next to Shen Chuning is actually the granddaughter of the dean of Taishan Academy. I underestimated her."

Wang Ruoju curled her lips and said nonchalantly, "What does it matter whether I look down on her or not? She already said that there's no backdoor entry into Taishan Academy. My brother and I aren't good at studying, so we won't be able to get in even if we take the exam. Are we afraid of offending her?"

Song snorted coldly, a ruthless look flashed in her eyes, and she said coldly: "It's not that I'm afraid of offending her, but I'm afraid that I haven't offended her enough."

Wang Ruoju looked at her mother in some confusion when she heard this.

Song's face shone coldly, and she explained in a chilling tone, "Your brother and sister aren't good at studying, but there are people in this family who are."

Wang Ruolan's heart moved, and she asked tentatively, "Mom, are you talking about my eldest brother?"

Song nodded slightly in agreement, a sinister look flashing in her eyes. "We must not only block Wang Hong's chance of marrying Shen Chuning, but also his chance of passing the imperial examination. Then Taishan Academy can't be entered through the back door. It's easy to block someone from entering through the back door."

Wang Ruolan panicked upon hearing this and quickly advised, "Mom, no! Daddy values my older brothers' studies the most. If Daddy knew about this..."

However, Song Shi disagreed. She believed that she was doing all this for the good of her sons. As long as it could help them succeed, it wouldn't matter if her husband found out. After all, men always valued their sons more than their wives.

The corners of Song's mouth rose slightly, and there was a hint of pride in her eyes.

She whispered, "What are you afraid of? Your father is preoccupied with the concubines in the backyard all day long. How could he have the energy to take care of these trivial matters? Besides, the post of Shandong Governor must be filled by someone from our Wang family. If it's not Wang Hong, then it must be your brother! Don't you want to see your brother take this position?"

When Wang Ruolan heard this, a ripple appeared in her heart.

She knew very well that her father doted on the concubines in the harem and had no time to take care of family affairs.

And if her brother could become the governor of Shandong, then her family would be able to hold their heads high again.

So, after hesitating for a moment, she responded softly: "Daughter... Of course my daughter is willing..."

Song smiled with satisfaction and gently patted Wang Ruolan's hand, with a flicker of approval in her eyes: "You are indeed my good daughter. You understand things and know how to make choices."

Although Wang Ruolan was still struggling and hesitant in her heart, she finally nodded.

……

On this day, Shen Chuning was sitting quietly in the room, flipping through the account books of Zhenbaozhai.

Suddenly, Shen Qi, the butler beside Shen Qinghe, came to inform her that Shen Qinghe was waiting for her in the study.

Shen Chuning was confused and didn't know why her father wanted to see her.

However, she did not delay too much. She immediately stood up, tidied her clothes, and followed Shen Qi to the study.

When Shen Chuning walked into Shen Qinghe's study, a person she didn't expect appeared in front of her.

Although she was full of doubts, she still bowed politely.

"Dad. Brother Tuesday."