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

"Mother is here to see An Ning. Why are you here so early?" Mrs. Shen San had a flattering smile on her face.

"You don't value your only daughter, so how can I not value my only granddaughter?" Old Lady Shen glanced at Qin coldly.

"How can mother say that her daughter-in-law doesn't value her? Didn't we invite Master Ziyuan early in the morning..."

"That's enough." Mrs. Shen was interrupted by the old woman before she could finish her words.

Old Madam Shen was very annoyed with this woman named Ziyuan, but she understood that Qin had injured her body when giving birth to Shen Chuning and it would be difficult for her to get pregnant again. She turned a blind eye to Qin's frequent lectures and rituals in her yard and let her do whatever she wanted.

Old Madam Shen has four sons. The fourth son, Shen Qingyuan, is Mr. Shen's late-born son. He is only twenty-one years old. When he was eighteen, his family found a match for him. The next day, he left a letter and went out to travel. He has not returned since.

After the eldest son Shen Qinghai and the second son Shen Qinghe got married, they gave birth to eight sons.

It was not until the third son, Shen Qingjiang, married Qin Qimei, the concubine's daughter of Duke Qin of Qing, that he got the first beautiful wife in two generations of the Shen family.

The entire Shen family treats Shen Chuning like a treasure.

Only Shen Chuning's biological mother, Qin, always felt like she was seeing an enemy whenever she saw her.

It was because Qin was injured in labor when she gave birth to Shen Chuning, and she could no longer get pregnant.

"I heard that you had someone take away the cat that the Empress Dowager gave to Xiaojiu?" asked Old Lady Shen.

Mrs. Shen San said guiltily, "Isn't it because I'm afraid that the cat will hurt Chu Ning... My daughter-in-law is doing this for Chu Ning's own good."

"That cat was trained to be extremely docile, how could it hurt someone? I heard that you went back to the Duke of Qing's mansion and had the cat taken away when you came back?"

"Yes... yes... I'm doing this for Chu Ning's own good."

"Is it for Chu Ning's own good? I'm afraid that your stepmother will do something weird again, and you'll drag our Xiaojiu out to be punished." Old Madam Shen put the teacup in her hand heavily on the table, and the tea in the cup splashed out, leaving some marks on the kang table.

"It's really not this time. My mother said that the Sixth Princess really likes Chu Ning's cat. But because it was a gift from the Queen Mother, she couldn't ask for it directly."

"They knew it was a gift from the Queen Mother, so they couldn't come to ask for it. So you just gave it to them?"

"My daughter-in-law is thinking that the Sixth Princess will be selecting a study partner soon. If Chu Ning is chosen, she will have more choices in her future marriage."

Hearing this, Madam Shen's face became even darker.

The Sixth Princess was born to Concubine Qin, and had a willful and unruly personality. Concubine Qin and Madam Shen San, Qin, were both from the Duke of Qing's Mansion, but one was born to the Duke's wife, and the other to a concubine.

"Before you got married, you were bullied by your stepmother and step-sisters at home, and now you want to send your own daughter to be bullied as well? Moreover, why should the daughter of our Shen family be a princess's companion in order to find a good marriage? The elders and brothers in the family are capable, and that is Xiaojiu's greatest reliance."

"Mother, are you dissatisfied with your daughter-in-law for not being able to give birth to a son?"

As Mrs. Shen San spoke, she picked up a handkerchief and wiped away the non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes.

"When have I ever disliked you? My Shen family isn't one that favors boys over girls. The whole family is so happy that you gave birth to Chu Ning. How could we dislike you?"

"But mother said that it was because I didn't give birth to a son that my father-in-law delayed arranging a job for my husband. He's still only a sixth-rank official. To put it nicely, he's the head of the Imperial Household Department, but to put it bluntly, he's just a horse breeder. Now even my eldest brother's nephew is trying to surpass his third uncle. Where is the face of our third branch?"

"If you always listen to your mother, I'm afraid you won't want to stay in my Shen family. Why don't you go home today..."

"Mother, are you sending me away because I can't give birth to a son?"

Mrs. Shen San said this and covered her face and started crying.

Old Madam Shen slammed her palms on the table until they hurt, and her chest heaved violently. She was really angry with her daughter-in-law.

After talking to her for a while, she still didn't know why she was angry.

"Grandma, please calm down." Shen Chuning sat up and rubbed Old Madam Shen's back with her palm. "Mother was also worried about Ah Ning's health and got too anxious. Grandma, please don't be angry with her."

Shen Chuning said this and winked at Birui.

"Mother has been worrying about An Ning these past few days and is truly exhausted. Now that An Ning has woken up, Mother will go back and rest in peace. Later, An Ning will come to pay her respects to you."

Before Mrs. Shen San could say anything else, Birui and her maid helped her out.

Shen Chuning secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"My little Jiu is only a little kid, and your mother has to ask you to make amends for her when she says something wrong. And your father has been a sixth-rank official for six or seven years. Although we don't ask him to bring honor to our family, we have to at least help you find a future."

As Mrs. Shen spoke, her eyes became red again.

"There are no perfect parents in the world. It's not Aning's place to complain about what her father and mother do. Besides, she still has her grandfather, uncles, and brothers at home. How can they ignore Aning?"

"That being said, I'm sorry for wronging you. We can't just let this matter go."

"We can't just let it go like this. What else can we do? The person in front of us is the royal princess, and it is also my mother who came to find me through my maternal grandparents. Can Aning still vent her anger on her? Will this cause trouble for the family and make the emperor dislike my grandfather?" Shen Chuning asked tentatively while calming down Old Madam Shen.

In my previous life, my grandmother also said that this matter cannot be let go, but my mother said that if it was really pursued, it would cause trouble for the family and asked her to admit the loss. However, after living for so many years, many things are far from as simple as they seem.

What's more, the result of enduring in silence in the previous life was even more severe bullying.

"Why are you so worried at such a young age? If a child is wronged, they should seek revenge." Old Madam Shen stretched out a finger and tapped Shen Chuning's forehead. "Don't worry, if you bring this up, the Emperor might even thank you. How could he be displeased with your grandfather?"

"That's the princess. How could the emperor not support his own daughter but support an outsider instead?" Shen Chuning looked incredulous.

"Ten fingers are not the same length, not to mention they are not born of the same mother. The late queen passed away early, and Concubine Qin is gaining momentum. As long as the emperor has no intention of changing the crown prince, you don't have to be afraid of the Sixth Princess."

Shen Chuning thought of the previous life's prince who died of illness before ascending the throne, and couldn't help but ask, "What if the prince..."

"There's no such thing as a chance of a catastrophe. Don't even think about it." Before Shen Chuning could finish her words, she was interrupted by Old Madam Shen. Old Madam Shen stared at her closely, and her eyes were a little more fierce.

"Yes, granddaughter remembers it."

Old Madam Shen gradually felt relieved when she saw that Shen Chuning realized her mistake.

"Have a good rest today. Tomorrow, grandma will take you to the palace to file a complaint."

"Ah! It all depends on grandma to make the decision for Chu Ning."

Shen Chuning nodded happily and regained her innocent look.