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

There was silence in Songhe Hall of the Shen Mansion, with only the breeze blowing in from the window gently ruffling the curtains.

Old Madam Shen lay quietly on the couch, her face as pale as paper, her lips chapped and peeling, like the cracked land after a long drought.

And at the table not far from the couch, the maids Qiuzhi and Xiahe were sitting there, chewing sweet and delicious snacks and laughing from time to time.

They were completely immersed in their own joy and ignored Old Madam Shen on the couch, not even asking if she needed some water.

Not long after, a light sound of footsteps came from afar. It was the maid from the kitchen who brought Madam Shen's meal for the day.

Seeing this, Qiuzhi quickly put down the snacks in her hand and stood up to greet him.

She took the food box handed to her by the maid and eagerly opened the lid to take a look. Then she frowned slightly and muttered, "Why are there only two meat dishes today? The rest are all vegetarian!"

Xia He, who was standing by, heard this and came forward to take a look. Then she sighed and said, "The old lady has a bad stomach, so the food sent by the kitchen is naturally easy to digest."

However, Qiu Zhi clearly didn't care. She smiled and quickly took out the Longjing shrimp and steamed fish fillets from the lunch box and placed them on the table. "These two are delicious. We two sisters can have them. Let the old lady have the vegetarian ones. She has a weak stomach anyway."

Seeing this, Xia He quickly reached out to stop her, and gently poked her forehead with her index finger, scolding her: "You, don't be so greedy, take it to the next room and eat it quietly, don't let anyone find out."

But Qiuzhi shook her head nonchalantly and said nonchalantly, "Sister, what are you afraid of? No one has been to Songhe Hall for who knows how long. Who would have noticed?"

After saying that, he picked up the chopsticks and sat down at the table regardless of Xia He's obstruction.

Xia He carefully brought the exquisite food box to Mrs. Shen's side, gently opened the lid, took out two plates of colorful and neatly arranged vegetarian dishes, and then placed them steadily on the small kang table on the couch.

After finishing all this, Xia He said softly, "Old Madam, you can have your meal now."

However, after she finished speaking, she did not pay much attention to how Old Madam Shen would eat. Instead, she turned around and walked towards Qiu Zhi without hesitation. She sat down beside her and began to enjoy the Longjing shrimp and steamed fish fillets with Qiu Zhi.

At this time, Old Madam Shen struggled to support her frail body, and her eyes slowly fell on the food on the kang in front of her.

The food in front of her did not interest her at all, and even made her feel nauseous.

But even so, she knew very well that if she wanted to continue living and witness Shen Jingwan ascend to the throne, she must force herself to eat these things.

By then, she will make sure that all those who bully her die miserably.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Shen gritted her teeth and put mouthfuls of food into her mouth with great difficulty, chewing and swallowing them, but every time she swallowed, it felt like swallowing bitter medicine, difficult to swallow and tasteless.

At this moment, a clear and pleasant voice suddenly came from outside the door - "Grandma!"

Hearing this sound, Xia He and Qiu Zhi, who were eating, were startled and began to clean up the dishes on the table in a hurry.

Unfortunately, time was running out, and before the two of them had finished packing, Shen Jingwan had already walked into the house with light steps.

As Shen Jingwan entered the room, her eyes first quickly swept over the slightly messy scene on the table, but she soon looked away, as if she didn't care too much about the dishes.

In her opinion, this was just an ordinary meal that the servants ate here in a hurry, and the reason they ate in the main hall was probably to make it easier to take care of their grandmother.

Although it is a bit against the rules, it is understandable.

However, when Shen Jingwan cast her eyes on the food placed in front of Old Madam Shen, she was shocked and realized the huge difference.

The dishes were extremely simple, even a little shabby. Not to mention compared with what he usually ate, they were even worse than what the two maids at the door ate.

"Why would grandma only eat these things? How do the maids who serve her do their job?" Shen Jingwan turned around with anger on her face, wanting to find the two maids to question them.

However, looking around, the maids were no longer in the house.

"Grandma, you are too indulgent to them! Wan'er will definitely go to my second aunt to have a good talk with her!" Shen Jingwan was so angry that she pretended to walk out.

In fact, it's just a pretense.

Sure enough, just as she took a step, Madam Shen slowly raised her hand and gently pulled her.

Shen Jingwan stopped and a barely perceptible smile appeared on her face.

Her second aunt had money, so she didn't want to offend her because of her useless grandmother.

"Silly child, your second aunt did this on purpose. Now she is in charge of the finances of the entire mansion. Even if you go to her to argue, it will be useless." Old Madam Shen sighed helplessly and said slowly.

Hearing this, Shen Jingwan's eyes instantly turned red, tears welled up in her eyes, and she looked pitiful.

"It's all Wan'er's fault for being so incompetent. If Wan'er could become the third prince's wife, who in this mansion would dare to humiliate my grandmother like this!" She said with a sob.

Madam Shen reached out to wipe the tears from her eyes, and asked softly, "Is the Third Prince treating you well? Has he mentioned when he will ask His Majesty to appoint you as his principal consort?"

Shen Jingwan tightly grasped Madam Shen's slightly withered hands and said in a gentle voice, "Grandma, it's almost time! The Third Prince has instructed Wan'er on a crucial matter. As long as Wan'er can handle this matter properly, the Third Prince will immediately ask for permission from His Majesty. By then, Wan'er will be the Third Prince's principal wife."

After hearing what Shen Jingwan said, Old Madam Shen smiled with satisfaction. She gently patted the back of Shen Jingwan's hand and said lovingly, "That's good. My Wan'er has finally made it. It's worth it that Grandma let you go despite the pressure. Grandma is waiting here for the day when you ascend to the throne."

At this time, Shen Jingwan lowered her head slightly, looking troubled, and asked softly, "But right now, Wan'er has indeed encountered some difficult problems. I wonder if Grandmother can give Wan'er a helping hand?"

Madam Shen nodded without hesitation and replied firmly, "For your future as Empress, Grandmother will naturally do her utmost to help you. I just don't know if my old bones are still able to help you."