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

Songhe Hall of Shen Mansion.

"Has dinner been delivered from the ancestral hall?" Old Madam Shen asked Nanny Gui beside her.

"Old Madam, you are just soft-hearted and feel sorry for the Eighth Young Master. You send him food even though he is kneeling in the ancestral hall. But there is one thing I don't know whether I should tell you or not." Nanny Gui complimented.

Madam Shen glanced at Nanny Gui and took a sip of tea. "Tell me, what's there to hide from me?"

"Miss Nine went to kneel in the ancestral hall." Nanny Gui said cautiously.

Madam Shen's face was terribly gloomy. "Who told Xiaojiu? Is she sure I won't punish her? If she wants to kneel, let her kneel. She might as well not even go to the palace."

Nanny Gui rubbed Old Madam Shen's temples. "Do we still need someone to tell her? Miss Nine is so smart, she could have guessed it. This time, we've caused such a big disaster, someone has to be punished. Miss Nine injured her leg and can't be punished, so the punishment will fall on the Eighth Young Master, right?"

Old Madam Shen was furious. "Xiao Ba is really outrageous this time. How can she be so bold? This is because Xiao Jiu didn't get hurt. If she had injured her bones and became paralyzed or lame, or if she had hurt her face, how would she get married in the future?"

Nanny Gui consoled her, "Young Masters of our Shen family, don't you know that if Miss Nine says a few kind words to comfort them, the young masters will be eager to give their hearts to her."

Madam Shen sighed, "I hope that when Xiaojiu becomes successful in the future, she will not forget the kindness of her brothers and will support them more."

Aunt Gui said, "Don't worry, Madam. The girls in our Shen family are all loyal and righteous. Look at the Empress Dowager in the palace. She has been helping the family a lot over the years."

Old Madam Shen listened and nodded, as if she was comforted by Nanny Gui's words.

Nanny Gui asked again, "Madam, what about the ancestral hall..."

"Ask Qixia to send a thicker cushion. Xiaojiu's leg just got injured. Don't let it get any worse."

"Yes, I'll give the order right away." Nanny Gui said as she prepared to go out.

Madam Shen sighed, "Wait a moment, let's wait an hour... half an hour... let them both go back."

Aunt Gui smiled, bowed, and left Songhe Hall.

……

After coming out of the ancestral hall, Shen Chengbai called for a sedan chair and sent Shen Chuning back to Ningfengzhai.

"I'm sorry, Big Brother. It's all Aning's fault. You got punished." Shen Chuning said guiltily.

"Well, what's the big deal? My dear, I kneel in the ancestral hall several times a month. I'm used to it." Shen Chengbai said indifferently, "You too, just come to give my dear some food and chat as usual. Why bother kneeling with me?"

"This time is different. This time, Big Brother was punished because of An Ning. An Ning feels bad about it."

Shen Chengbai patted Shen Chuning's head and said, "If you really feel sorry for me, you can make a few more of your knee pads for my dear brother, so that his knees won't hurt when he's punished to kneel. I also asked someone to find an embroiderer to make a few more according to yours. I always feel uncomfortable wearing them."

Shen Chuning laughed out loud, "A Ning, I really hope that Bage will never be punished to kneel, and that the knee pads I made will become just decorations."

After bidding farewell to Shen Chengbai, Shen Chuning asked Birui to take out the storybook.

This book of stories was sent to Shen Chuning by Second Madam Shen when she heard that Shen Chuning had injured her leg and was worried that Shen Chuning would be bored staying in the house.

"Miss, please look at it for a while less. It's too dark in the room. Don't hurt your eyes." Birui said as she wrapped ice cubes in a handkerchief and applied it to Shen Chuning's ankle.

Shen Chuning leaned sideways on the Arhat bed, felt the coldness on her ankle, shuddered, and pulled her legs back.

Birui gently pressed Shen Chuning's calf. "Miss, please bear with it. The palace doctor said that you need to apply ice for at least twelve hours, otherwise your ankle will swell even more. From what I see, it's more serious now than before you went to the ancestral hall."

Shen Chuning replied "I understand" while flipping through the storybook.

"Alas, this book is just like what Concubine Hui said. It's full of young ladies from official families who fall for poor scholars. What's so good about poor scholars? They can't even talk to each other. They have a whole family to support, and it all depends on the young ladies' meager dowry. The young ladies in this book are really unlucky. If your lady is so blind as to fall for a poor scholar in the future, Birui, you must stop me."

Birui covered her mouth and laughed, "Yes, this servant will definitely stop the young lady. I will definitely not be the little maid who delivers letters to the poor scholar and the young lady."

Shen Chuning changed another book, "There's also this one. The real daughter of the Marquis's mansion is living away from home, while the fake daughter is enjoying all the glory and wealth in the Marquis's mansion. When the real daughter comes back, the mistress actually favors the fake daughter in every way."

"Let's not even mention how many maids and servants were watching over the Marquis's wife when she was giving birth, and how difficult it would have been to replace the child. Let's just say there's no solid evidence. The Marquis's family wouldn't acknowledge a daughter who just showed up halfway. If they did, then the fake daughter would be the real daughter's enemy, and the Marquis's wife is still siding with the fake daughter. How could there be a mother in this world who would help outsiders bully her own daughter?"

Shen Chuning closed the storybook and threw it on the kang table. "None of them are interesting. No wonder Concubine Hui doesn't like to read them. I don't know how Second Aunt can read these similar stories over and over again."

Birui was afraid that Shen Chuning would feel too cold, so she soaked a handkerchief in ice water, wrung it half dry, and then applied it to Shen Chuning's ankles. "The three young masters of the Second House are all grown up and no longer need the Second Madam's supervision. The Second Madam just looks at the account books every day, but these are things she's used to doing back home, so she's naturally good at them. So, she needs to find some fun to pass the time."

Shen Chuning nodded. "My eldest aunt still practices swordplay and spearplay every day. A few years ago, I could hear my second aunt playing the zither, but I haven't heard her for the past two or three years. Now, she's even given her zither away."

"I used to be able to run around outside every day without noticing anything, but after injuring my leg I realized how hard life is. I can't concentrate on reading storybooks, and I don't know how to play the piano at all. I have the embroiderer at home to do needlework..." Shen Chuning counted the ways she could pass the time, but after counting them all, there was not a single one she liked.

Birui changed the handkerchief around Shen Chuning's ankle and said, "Miss, why don't you learn martial arts from the First Madam or learn to manage the household from the Second Madam? One will strengthen your body so you won't fall off your horse in the future, and the other will be useful when you get married."

Hearing Birui say that she couldn't fall off a horse, Shen Chuning became angry and said, "Now even Sister Birui can make fun of me."

"But we have to wait until my foot is healed before we can do these things. Otherwise, why don't we write the storybook ourselves?" Shen Chuning said excitedly.