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

"The donor wants to ask, which girl in the Shen family is the one with a noble destiny?" Master Lechen asked slowly.

After hearing this, Mrs. Shen nodded continuously.

Master Chen calmly lifted the exquisite teacup before him, taking a graceful sip. Then, slowly and earnestly, he spoke, "Everyone says illegitimate sons are the root of family chaos. However, in my humble opinion, it's actually the elders' biased hearts that truly plunged the family into chaos and disorder! Since you insist that these two are both daughters of your Shen family, then treating them equally is the best policy. After all, no matter which one rises to prominence in the future, the entire Shen family will ultimately benefit."

Having said that, you have to know that although Shen Chuning and Shen Jingwan are both daughters of the Shen family, Old Madam Shen has a different plan deep in her heart.

For her, she naturally hoped that the so-called phoenix fate could be bestowed upon Shen Jingwan.

Not only because Shen Jingwan is the daughter of the Shen family, but also because her biological mother Xiangxue is the niece of Old Lady Shen.

If Shen Jingwan really becomes the queen one day, just a little whisper by her pillow might help her family successfully overturn the verdict and clear their grievances.

In addition, there is one point that must be mentioned, that is, Shen Chuning obviously has a closer relationship with the second brother and his wife.

On the other hand, Shen Jingwan's biological mother has passed away, and now she is registered under the name of the third brother's wife. However, the third brother and his wife are both not ambitious. In this way, the only person Shen Jingwan can rely on is Old Madam Shen.

Madam Shen forced a slightly awkward smile and said, "I understand the logic behind this. But the problem is that the two children are of different statuses. No matter how I treat them, one of them will inevitably be dissatisfied. Moreover, the two children are now of marriageable age. As the saying goes, there is a dragon before there is a phoenix, but there is only one dragon. How can I betroth both children to the same person? If a family like ours did this, wouldn't it be a joke to others if it got out?"

After saying this, Old Madam Shen looked eagerly at Master Lechen who was sitting opposite her, her eyes full of anticipation and anxiety.

Master Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, stared at her deeply, then dipped his fingers in tea and began to deduce on the rustic wooden table.

As time passed, Master Liaochen's frown grew deeper and deeper.

Old Madam Shen, who had been watching all this nervously from the side, felt her heart involuntarily hang in her throat, and she didn't even dare to breathe.

A long time passed like this, and finally, Master Lechen stopped what he was doing, reached out and picked up the white cotton cloth beside him, and carefully wiped the remaining water stains on the table.

Seeing this, Madam Shen could no longer suppress her anxiety and hurriedly asked, "Master, what exactly is going on?"

However, Master Liaochen only sighed softly and replied in a heavy tone, "According to this hexagram, the woman with the Phoenix Fate seems to be gradually moving away from you..."

Upon hearing this, Madam Shen was suddenly horrified. Her hands shook, and the teacup that she had been holding tightly in her hands fell to the ground with a clang, breaking into countless pieces in an instant.

Master Liaochen silently looked down at the broken pieces of water cup scattered on the ground and shook his head slightly without being noticed.

"Master, when you say he is far away from me, how far away is he? Is he in Shandong, or just in the suburbs of Beijing? Does he need to be brought back home?" Old Madam Shen's face was full of anxiety, and she couldn't wait to ask.

Master Chen's expression remained calm, his hands clasped together as he spoke slowly, "Amitabha, the 'far' I mentioned isn't limited to physical distance; it also refers to the distance between us, the benefactor, and our souls."

Old Madam Shen wanted to ask more specific questions, but was dismissed by Master Lechen with the words "Heaven's secret cannot be revealed".

The more Mrs. Shen thought about it, the more frightened she became, and a layer of fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on her forehead.

She felt extremely regretful and hated herself for not taking good care of Shen Jingwan, which led to her being sent to the ancestral temple.

If Shen Jingwan had stayed by his side to educate him, how could she have developed a rift with the Shen family and become alienated from them?

Look at Shen Chuning again. She is surrounded by many people who dote on her. Even if he occasionally shows some favoritism towards Shen Jingwan, I believe that Chuning will never harbor any resentment, so there will naturally be no so-called alienation.

Thinking of this, Old Lady Shen's desire to bring Shen Jingwan back from the ancestral temple became stronger and stronger.

On the way back to Beijing, Madam Shen, who was sitting in the carriage, turned to look at Qin Qimei and asked softly, "Old Third's wife, now there are only two masters left in the three houses, you and Old Third, right?"

Qin Qimei replied timidly, "I was originally planning to mention this to you, mother. Initially, I agreed to adopt An Ning into the second house because I still had Wan'er around. But now Wan'er... So I'm thinking about whether I can talk to my second brother and sister-in-law about taking An Ning back."

Hearing this, Mrs. Shen's face instantly turned gloomy, and she secretly cursed her third daughter-in-law in her heart for being so stupid that she couldn't even understand the deep meaning of her words.

She had a stern face and said in a low and serious tone, "How can you change the Shen family genealogy at will? You can't do this kind of thing just as you please!"

Qin Qimei was so frightened when she heard this that she quickly lowered her head and admitted her mistake with deep fear and trepidation: "It was all a slip of the tongue on my part. I said the wrong thing. Please don't punish me, mother."

Seeing that her indirect attempts to persuade her daughter-in-law were futile, Old Lady Shen had no choice but to get to the point directly: "Wan'er has been praying sincerely for our Shen family at the ancestral temple for over a year now."

"Pray... pray..." Qin Qimei was dizzy for a moment, completely confused, and stammered in response, "But, wasn't Wan'er sent to the ancestral temple by her father-in-law as punishment for committing a crime?"

Before she could finish her words, Old Madam Shen interrupted her harshly, "What a useless thing!"

After being scolded by Old Lady Shen, Qin Qimei became even more terrified and uneasy. She no longer dared to speak a single word. She only asked tremblingly, "What should my daughter-in-law do? I beg you to tell me, mother."