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

"The deed to the yard where the mother and daughter lived was in my grandmother's name."

Shen Chuning's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly remembered what Shen Jingwan said in her previous life: that their grandmother had contributed to their return to the Shen Mansion.

Shen Chuning sniffed. "Our Shen family's rule has always been that a man can only take a concubine if he is forty and has no children. But that woman's child is clearly about the same age as me, and they live in the courtyard that belongs to my grandmother."

Seeing Shen Chuning's gloomy face, Shen Chengwu comforted her, "Perhaps that courtyard was subsidized by grandma to Third Uncle privately. Grandma may not know that Third Uncle has a concubine."

After saying this, even Shen Chengwu himself didn't believe it. If he wanted to subsidize, why wouldn't he subsidize the profitable shops and the fruitful farms, but instead subsidize a seemingly useless yard.

"Don't overthink it, Xiaojiu. The whole family has seen how good Grandmother is to you. Fifth Brother thinks now isn't the time for you to be sad. Third Aunt should be the one who's most upset after hearing this news. It's up to you to decide whether or not to tell her."

Shen Chuning said carefully, "Actually, when I came back from Wanbaoxuan last time, I asked my mother what she thought about concubines and concubines' children."

Shen Chengwu raised his eyebrows, "What did Third Aunt say?"

Shen Chuning said helplessly, "Fifth brother, you also know that my mother was born out of wedlock and has always wanted a son. She said that every family has three wives and four concubines, and women should not be jealous. If the concubine is discovered, she will be taken back directly. At most, she will be given the status of a concubine. If a son is born, it can be registered under the mistress's name. The mistress will have someone to serve her and a son at the same time. It's a win-win situation."

Shen Chengwu tutted, "Third Aunt is really open-minded. What do you think?"

Shen Chuning seemed to have made a great decision, "Fifth Brother, is there any way to kill these two people quietly?"

Shen Chengwu thought for a moment, "Of course I can. If you really want to, Fifth Brother will find a way to help you. But after all, it's two lives, one of which might be your sister. Have you thought it through?"

Shen Chuning snorted coldly and thought of herself in her previous life. Sister, when Shen Jingwan gave her the pregnancy-preserving medicine in her previous life, she didn't think that she and her were sisters.

But when she saw Shen Chengwu's gentle eyes, Shen Chuning gradually calmed down, "Fifth brother, do you think Aning is selfish and scary?"

Shen Chengwu gently touched Shen Chuning's hair. "This matter is indeed infuriating. Xiaojiu can do whatever he wants, but Fifth Brother doesn't want you to get involved in a murder case. Besides, there's no guarantee that Grandmother doesn't know about this. If Grandmother really knows, then this is her tacit approval. Maybe Grandmother has other plans behind the scenes. If you ruin Grandmother's plan and it gets to know..."

Shen Chengwu didn't continue. If Madam Shen really had some grand plan, and Shen Chuning really did this, her future in the Shen Mansion would be difficult. Without the Shen Mansion's support, it would be even more difficult for her to seek revenge.

"Fifth brother, I need to think about it again."

Shen Chuning's impulse was to kill Shen Jingwan and her daughter directly. But when she calmed down, she felt that this was too easy for them. She suffered so much in her previous life. Her mother and child were killed by Shen Jingwan. How could she let her die easily in this life? She wanted to make Shen Jingwan taste all the suffering she had suffered.

"Okay, no matter what you want to do, Fifth Brother will support you."

……

That night, in Songhe Hall, Madam Shen's assistant, Gui Ma, was taking off her hair. Madam Shen picked up a hairpin and picked at the candle wick. "Guizhi, Xiaojiu asked the concubine during dinner. Did she know anything?"

After removing her bun, Nanny Gui combed through Madam Shen's hair bit by bit. "She's been telling people to be careful in Ganhua Hutong. Besides them and her daughter, there's only a mute old woman in the entire courtyard, responsible for sweeping and cooking. Besides, Miss Nine has been staying in the palace all this time, so how could she know anything? I think Miss Nine has met too many young ladies from aristocratic families in the palace. Perhaps one of them encountered something like this, and Miss Nine was inspired to write this."

Old Madam Shen still felt uneasy. "Go to Ganhua Hutong tomorrow and tell them to be careful over there. Also tell the third son not to go there during this period of time."

"It's no use hiding like this all the time. People in Ganhua Hutong seem a little impatient." Aunt Gui said cautiously.

Madam Shen slammed the hairpin in her hand on the table with a "snap". "She's impatient? If she's impatient, then let her belly fight for stamina. If she gives birth to a daughter, at most she'll be brought back as a concubine. If she gives birth to a son, then she can get a co-wife. At the very least, she can be a lady. Jingwan's status will also rise accordingly."

"With the crazy look on Third Brother's wife's face, it's absolutely impossible for Jing Wan to register her under her name. What's the point of being a concubine's daughter if she can't be registered under the mistress' name?"

Nanny Gui patted Madam Shen's back gently, trying to calm her down. "There's already a Ninth Young Lady in the mansion, isn't it Miss Wan..."

Before Aunt Gui could finish her words, Old Madam Shen interrupted her, "Master Liaochen only said that this generation of the Shen family has the Phoenix Fate, but he didn't mention Aning by name. If this Phoenix Fate is with Jingwan, she would definitely be given a reasonable background."

Old Madam Shen seemed to have remembered something again, "Guizhi, is the third room's contraceptive medicine still being taken? Even though giving birth to An Ning hurt her body, it's better to be safe than sorry."

Nanny Gui said with reluctance, "Third Madam thought it was a medicine to regulate her body, and she kept drinking it hoping to give birth to her own son. But this medicine is very harmful to the body. If Third Madam really can't give birth..."

Madam Shen snorted coldly, "This is just because she gave birth to An Ning. We can't let An Ning have the reputation of being the eldest daughter who lost her mother. Otherwise, wouldn't it be easier to just replace the mistress of the Third House? If she really gave birth to a son, then the son born in Ganhua Hutong would be no longer a concern, and our plans would be completely messed up."

Seeing that Old Madam Shen seemed to be possessed by a demon, Nanny Gui did not dare to persuade her any further.

"It's also because the eldest and second oldest were not very good. They gave birth to eight children in a row but no daughters. Finally, the third oldest gave birth to Chu Ning, but Chu Ning was six or seven years younger than the Crown Prince. We had given up hope, but God helped our Shen family. Chu Ning offered to be the eldest princess's study companion. This will give her more opportunities to meet the Crown Prince. Maybe it will work out. If our Shen family can have another one who can become the Empress, wouldn't it be glorious for decades more?"

As Mrs. Shen spoke, she couldn't help laughing.

Nanny Gui said auspicious words like congratulations and even received a reward from Madam Shen.

It was not until the lights in Songhe Hall were turned off that a figure was seen outside the window climbing over the courtyard wall.