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

"Who wrote the letter?" Shen Chuning frowned slightly and asked in confusion.

Yun Shuxuan reached out and picked up the letter on the table, saying sternly, "Your grandmother wrote this."

After saying that, he handed the letter to Shen Chuning.

Shen Chuning hurriedly took the letter and thought to herself, "What kind of urgent matter could there be in the capital? Isn't Dad always in Jinan?"

Logically speaking, if there was really something that needed to be dealt with, I should have gone to find my father. Why would I be waiting for my mother to come back?

Full of suspicion, Shen Chuning quickly unfolded the letter and scanned the words on it at a glance.

However, just a moment later, her face suddenly darkened.

Without saying a word, she lit the letter with the faint flickering candlelight on the table.

The flames licked the letter greedily, and soon consumed most of it.

When the letter was almost burned out, Shen Chuning threw the remaining ashes into the inconspicuous little jar on the ground.

After doing all this, she seemed relieved. She patted the dust off her sleeves a few times and said firmly, "Just pretend you never received this letter. We should still do what we need to do."

At this moment, Zhenzhu, who had been standing silently nearby, suddenly interrupted and said quietly, "Miss, the old lady specially sent her maid to deliver a letter, and she is still waiting at the mansion."

Hearing this, Shen Chuning couldn't help but laugh out loud, and responded sarcastically, "Grandmother is really willing to spend a lot of money! There are only four maids left in her room now, and she actually sent one to deliver the letter."

Yun Shuxuan stood there, his chest heaving, clearly furious. "In fact, not long after we arrived in Jinan, a letter arrived from the capital, saying we had to return home quickly! Mother wrote back at the time, saying it wasn't quite right for your father to have no women to take care of the household chores. But not long after, a second letter arrived, saying they couldn't bear to see you suffer in Shandong and insisted on sending you back to the capital. Mother knew you didn't want to go back, so she simply ignored that letter. Now, she's sent someone right here."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chuning's eyebrows immediately raised, her eyes widened, and she said angrily, "Are you worried that I'll suffer in Shandong? How dare Grandma say such a thing!"

Seeing this, Yun Shuxuan quickly reached out and grabbed Shen Chuning, forcing her to sit on a chair. He gently comforted her, "Don't worry. Even if your grandmother sent someone, would she dare to forcibly abduct you back? We just need to provide her with good food and drink and ignore her."

Shen Chuning calmed down a bit, turned to look at Zhenzhu beside her and asked, "Does Daddy know about this?"

Zhenzhu quickly replied respectfully, "Because the letter clearly states that Madam must open it personally, Master only knows that a letter has arrived from the capital, but he doesn't know the specific contents."

After hearing Zhenzhu's reply, Yun Shuxuan thought for a moment before instructing her, "Zhenzhu, go find the master right now and tell him that the old lady wants to take the young lady back to Beijing to hold her coming-of-age ceremony, and I want her to be held in Jinan. Let the master make the final decision."

Pearl responded and turned away in a hurry.

After Zhenzhu left, Yun Shuxuan asked softly, "A Ning, what exactly do you think about this matter?"

Shen Chuning frowned slightly, lowered her head and pondered for a long time before she slowly said, "Although I also want to hold it in Jinan, I'm also worried that my mother and grandmother will be unhappy because of me. But if I say I want to go back to Beijing, I'm afraid that after the coming-of-age ceremony, I won't have the chance to come out again!"

Girls can start talking about marriage after they reach the age of 15, and Shen Chuning knew very well that if she really returned to the capital this time, there was no telling what kind of trouble Old Madam Shen would cause.

By then, her father will not be around, and with the heavy burden of filial piety weighing on her mother, she will most likely be controlled by Old Madam Shen.

Yun Shuxuan immediately understood the concern in Shen Chuning's words, so she quickly tried to comfort her, "If you really don't want to go back, then don't go back. Even if you stay in Jinan, your mother will definitely make your coming-of-age ceremony a grand occasion."

However, Shen Chuning still looked worried. "But grandma said in the letter that even the invitations have been sent out. When the guests arrive, they will find that I, the main person, am not there. That will not only make grandma lose face."

As she spoke, Shen Chuning became more and more anxious.

Seeing this, Yun Shuxuan gently reached out and tucked the strands of hair that had fallen by Shen Chuning's ears behind her. He softly comforted her, "These aren't things you should worry about. Since your grandmother sent the post without consulting anyone, she naturally has to bear the consequences. Not to mention your grandfather's current position in the court, even if those people are dissatisfied, they wouldn't dare to openly mock our Shen family. Even if some people gossip about us behind our backs, we're not in the capital, so we can't see or hear them. Why bother with all that gossip? Besides, so many things happen in the capital every day. By the time we return in a few years, everyone will probably have forgotten all about this matter."

"What if Dad doesn't agree?" Shen Chuning bit her lower lip lightly, frowning slightly.

Yun Shuxuan, standing aside, responded with great arrogance: "Shandong can't accommodate us mother and daughter, so let's go back to Jinling!

Hearing this, Shen Chuning couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Her laughter was as clear and sweet as a silver bell, echoing in the room.

Then, she tilted her head and leaned on Yun Shuxuan's shoulder like a docile kitten, acting coquettishly.

Just then, Shen Qinghe pushed the door open and walked in.

When he saw his wife and daughter laughing and lying together, a warm feeling suddenly surged in his heart, and a satisfied smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

He stood quietly at the door, admiring this warm and beautiful scene, and in an instant he felt that his life was worth it.

"What makes you so happy?" Shen Qinghe asked with a smile, his voice gentle and kind.

However, when Yun Shuxuan saw her husband come in, her expression immediately turned cold, and she replied unhappily, "Don't try to persuade us. We don't understand the importance of the overall situation. We're not going back anyway!"

After saying that, she turned her head away in anger and no longer looked at Shen Qinghe.