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

"If someone doesn't know you, they would think you're going to die soon." Shen Chuning said nonchalantly.

Old Madam Shen was so angry at Shen Chuning's words that she gasped for breath. She stroked her chest with her hand and started coughing violently.

"Cough... cough cough... cough cough..." Bursts of coughing echoed throughout the room, sounding particularly harsh.

After finally stopping her cough, Madam Shen forced herself to stand up, pointed at Shen Chuning and said sternly, "Do you know what the consequences will be if such outrageous words of yours are spread out?"

Shen Chuning curled her lips nonchalantly and replied nonchalantly, "What consequences can there be? At most, I'll be branded as unfilial. But, this is fine too. I don't want to marry into that prince's mansion anyway. If I carry such a reputation, it will just satisfy my wish."

After saying this, she looked at Madam Shen provocatively, without any fear in her eyes.

Old Madam Shen suddenly felt a strong fishy-sweet taste rising from the depths of her throat. She widened her eyes and stared at Shen Chuning in front of her with a vicious gaze like a knife.

However, Shen Chuning just smiled lightly.

"Look, you're angry again, aren't you? You were angry when your granddaughter didn't come to pay her respects to you. Now that I've come obediently, you're like this again. Alas, what should your granddaughter do?" Shen Chuning shook her head lightly, with a hint of helplessness and ridicule in her tone.

Upon hearing this, Madam Shen snorted heavily, her expression growing even darker. "Stop talking so slickly here. If you have anything to say, just say it quickly and get out of here. From now on, unless it's something important, don't set foot in my Songhe Hall again!"

Hearing this, Shen Chuning was secretly happy. What she was waiting for was for Old Madam Shen to become impatient.

You know, being called in to listen to Old Madam Shen's talk every few days is really annoying.

Shen Chuning raised her long eyebrows and said slowly, "Grandma, do you know that Shen Jingwan has been going to the Sixth Princess's Mansion all day recently?"

Old Madam Shen glanced at Shen Chuning coldly from the corner of her eye and responded unhappily: "Why? I'm willing to socialize more, so is that bothering you? If it were all because of your unambitious nature and your habit of staying at home all day, I'm afraid our Shen family wouldn't even have anyone to help us in the capital!"

Shen Chuning didn't care about Madam Shen's rebuke. Instead, she nodded and said thoughtfully, "Oh? I see... So, Shen Jingwan's frequent visits to the Sixth Princess's Mansion were really covered up by Grandmother? If that's the case, then Grandmother must also know what she was doing in the Princess's Mansion, right?"

"What else could two girls do together? They're just drinking tea and fiddling with flowers. The reason I'm covering this up is out of consideration for your dignity. I don't want Wan'er to steal your limelight! Otherwise, how would you, the legitimate daughter of the family, cope with this?"

Old Madam Shen was thinking to herself that Wan'er had been secretly helping the Third Prince sort out the complicated network of relationships in the capital.

After finding out everything clearly, he will visit them one by one on behalf of the Third Prince and make all the necessary preparations for the Third Prince's smooth return to Beijing.

As long as the Third Prince can return to Beijing safely, then Wan'er's marriage into the Third Prince's mansion will be almost certain.

Such an important matter must not be leaked and known to other people in the family, especially Shen Chuning.

If she became jealous and ruined Wan'er's careful plan, the consequences would be unimaginable.

At this moment, Shen Chuning stared at Madam Shen closely, her eyes as sharp as a knife. Without flinching, she questioned, "What do you mean by 'save face for me'? I think you are guarding against me."

As soon as she finished speaking, she keenly caught the subtle twitch of Mrs. Shen's eyes. In an instant, she understood in her heart - it seemed that she had guessed her grandmother's thoughts this time.

Mrs. Shen's attitude suddenly took a 180-degree turn, and her tone became softer.

She slowly began to speak, "There's no such thing as being on guard against one or the other. You and Wan'er are both my granddaughters. To me, you two are like the palm and the back of my hand. You are both the flesh and blood of my heart. I treat you both with the same heart!"

At this point, Old Madam Shen sighed softly, then continued, "It's just that Grandmother is indeed a little nicer to Wan'er now, but don't you understand the reason? Ever since you insisted on being adopted into the second house, you've become more and more unreasonable, and now you're even more arrogant and domineering! Where did Grandmother's well-behaved, obedient, and considerate Xiaojiu go?"

As she spoke, Mrs. Shen raised her hand and gently wiped away the few tears that seeped from the corners of her eyes.

"The palms and backs of your hands are all made of flesh?" Shen Chuning narrowed her eyes slightly, and her gaze shot straight at Old Madam Shen like an arrow.

She opened her red lips slightly and said slowly, "Granddaughter, I've recently heard a rather interesting story. I heard that Aunt Xue from the third house was selected from a farm south of the city and sent to our house to be a maid. And the people living in that farm south of the city are all relatives from your mother's side of the family."

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Shen's face turned pale. She feigned composure and retorted, "They are just distant relatives who have achieved great fortune. What's the big deal about bringing them up now?"

However, the trembling in her voice could hardly conceal her inner panic.

How could Shen Chuning easily let go of this opportunity to ask more questions? She pressed on, "But as far as I know, Aunt Xue has always lived a pampered life on the farm. She's just a relative of the Five Blessings family. How could she be so kind to a helpless orphan? Could it be that this Xiangxue is not just an ordinary distant relative, but a relative of yours, grandmother?"

At this point, Shen Chuning suddenly seemed to have thought of something. She shook her head gently and muttered to herself, "Oh, look at my memory. How could I have almost forgotten it? Grandmother, your relatives have all been beheaded. I think with your always cautious nature, you wouldn't take such a huge risk to secretly keep the daughter of a criminal, right?"

After she finished speaking, she smiled but stared at Mrs. Shen with inquiring eyes.

At this moment, Old Madam Shen only felt that Shen Chuning in front of her was like an evil ghost climbing out of the eighteen levels of hell, rushing towards her with bared fangs and claws to demand her life.

Her heartbeat became increasingly rapid, and beads of sweat even began to appear on her forehead, but she still stubbornly shouted angrily, "You...you must stop talking nonsense here!"

However, her obviously panicked words and expression had already exposed the fear in her heart.

Shen Chuning stood up straight. "Grandmother knows very well whether I am talking nonsense or not."

"What on earth do you want to do?" Old Madam Shen shouted hoarsely.