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

Shen Qingyuan frowned tightly, his face full of suspicion, and said, "I have never assigned anyone to the Shen family. Could you be mistaken?"

"Impossible!" Shen Chuning retorted without hesitation, "Ziyuan in Third Aunt's room said she was from Lingshan herself, and she has been with Third Aunt since I was five or six years old."

Hearing this, Shen Qingyuan nodded in sudden realization and said, "That must be the person I planted before I went to the island. Just tell me how stupid the people on Lingshan were before. They planted people in the Shen family and actually sent people to the third branch. No wonder I never received any news about the Shen family. So after a long time, I stopped paying attention to this matter. How about... I call her back now?"

Shen Chuning quickly shook her head and replied, "No need, I've already sent her to the Duke of Qing's mansion."

Shen Qingyuan smiled and reached out his hand, gently stroking Shen Chuning's hair. He comforted her, "That's all well and good. Fortunately, you've been successfully adopted into the Second House. All that happened in the Third House can be considered just a nightmare. The days ahead will surely be smooth sailing."

Shen Chuning nodded obediently to show her agreement.

However, at this moment, as if she suddenly remembered something, she asked again, "Fourth Uncle, there has been a large amount of silver deposited into the Hengfu Bank in Fuping recently. I wonder if it has anything to do with Lingshan?"

"It's related, wasn't it me who did it?" Shen Qingyuan's face was filled with smugness, as if he was expecting others to praise him.

Shen Chuning, who was standing aside, had a face full of confusion, looking like a capital question mark.

At this moment, Shen Qingyuan continued to speak incessantly, "Uncle, I know that Hengfu Bank is our little An Ning's property! And now, uncle has some people under his command who can make money. They can save their money anywhere, so naturally they have to give priority to taking care of little An Ning's business!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Chuning's eyes widened in shock. She even extended a slender jade finger and pointed it directly at herself. She asked in disbelief, "Fourth Uncle, you actually knew that Hengfu Bank was mine? Are your spies so powerful?"

However, Shen Qingyuan waved his hand nonchalantly and replied casually, "They're not that powerful! It's just that by chance one time, I ran into Shen Shi, the little beggar you kindly saved when you were a child."

As soon as the words came out, Shen Chuning's expression instantly turned ugly. Her eyebrows knitted tightly together, she bit her lips lightly, and murmured to herself, "I always thought I had concealed this matter perfectly, but I never expected that it would be discovered so easily..."

Seeing this, Shen Qingyuan hurriedly spoke to comfort her, "Don't worry, little An Ning. Remember, after you rescued him, you hurriedly sent him away instead of bringing him home. Besides, his appearance is completely different now. If I hadn't seen him before, ordinary people would never associate you two together. Some people tried to find out who his backers were, but Fourth Uncle has dealt with them all!"

After hearing this, Shen Chuning felt a little relieved. She said softly, "He has now changed his name to Cui Shi, not Shen Shi anymore."

Shen Qingyuan blinked and replied with a wicked smile, "Fourth Uncle knows that you don't want outsiders to know that you are helping the Third Prince handle affairs. After all, you need to avoid suspicion before getting married."

However, Shen Qingyuan's words once again made Shen Chuning feel confused. She asked with a puzzled look on her face, "Uncle, wait a moment, how come you are involved with Xiao Yuanlang again?"

At this moment, Shen Qingyuan gazed at Shen Chuning with a loving face, and said earnestly: "Oh, little Aning is actually shy again! When you were a child, you liked to run around behind the Third Prince; now that you have grown up, you are still silently supporting him behind him, and Fourth Uncle is moved. If the former Crown Prince were still alive, your grandmother would definitely not agree to this marriage between you and the Third Prince. But fortunately, there are only a few surviving princes now, and there is still hope for the Third Prince. Don't worry, child, Fourth Uncle will definitely do his best to help you two and make this a happy marriage."

As he spoke, Shen Qingyuan couldn't help but start to revel in himself, feeling that he was simply incomparably great.

Although his own marriage was not satisfactory, when he saw that his niece, whom he had loved since childhood, was having trouble in her marriage, he decided without hesitation to lend a hand.

Although deep down she looked down on the Third Prince, she had no choice but to support him reluctantly because her niece was in love with him.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter who sits in that position in the Xiao family, so it’s better to let his nephew-in-law do it.

Shen Chuning's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. "Fourth Uncle, what do you want to help me with?"

"Help the Third Prince ascend the throne. Once that's accomplished, your grandmother will definitely not oppose your marriage anymore. And this isn't just about showing off your loyalty. Once the Third Prince secures his throne, he'll definitely look upon you with new eyes and show you even more favor!"

Shen Qingyuan proudly took credit for the achievement, his face full of smugness.

Hearing this, Shen Chuning felt as if her temples were hit by a sledgehammer, and they were throbbing non-stop.

She widened her eyes and stared at the unreliable fourth uncle in front of her. "What on earth have you done until now?"

Shen Qingyuan spoke slowly, "Fourth Uncle is now considered a figure with some influence in Lingshan. Those who leave Lingshan are best at inciting people. These people go around the ministers' residences, saying a few words here and there. I believe there will always be some who will be persuaded and stand on the Third Prince's side."

After hearing this, Shen Chuning was almost furious.

She could no longer contain her anger, "Why didn't Grandmother kidnap you and send you directly to Princess Xuanhui?"

Shen Qingyuan was startled by her sudden roar and quickly took several steps back, only stopping after putting some distance between him and Shen Chuning.

He muttered with a look of grievance, "What a huge hatred and resentment! Could it be that you're dissatisfied with my slow pace? But my niece, you should also understand my difficulties. After all, it's not good to make things too obvious."

However, Shen Chuning simply couldn't listen to any of his explanations at this time.

She gritted her teeth and questioned word by word, "How did you know that I wanted Xiao Yuanlang to ascend the throne?"