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

"Why is Xiangxue the only one left? Where is Jingwan?" Old Madam Shen asked sternly, accompanied by the sound of Buddhist beads clattering to the ground.

"Your servant...you...don't...know..."

"You don't know?" Madam Shen turned around and slapped Qixia in the face. "How could you not know? I asked you to pick her up last night, why did you go today? Did you tip off Xiangxue and let Jingwan escape?"

Qixia knelt on the ground, covering her swollen face with her hands, crying and saying, "No, old lady, I only found out that the person was Xiangxue when I went to Ganhua Hutong this morning."

"Did Xiangxue tell you where she hid Jingwan?" Old Lady Shen asked again.

"Xiangxue said... Xiangxue said... she will only tell you when she sees you." Qixia said in a low voice.

"Where is the man?"

"Still in Ganhua Hutong. I've asked someone to watch over him."

Madam Shen nodded and said, "Ah Gui, prepare the car and go to Ganhua Hutong."

Nanny Gui replied "Yes" and helped Madam Shen out. As soon as they left the small Buddhist hall, Madam Shen stopped them and said, "Qixia has done her job poorly. She will be given ten strokes of the cane and demoted to a third-class cleaning maid."

Qixia was so frightened when he heard this that he collapsed on the ground.

Nanny Gui was stunned. "Madam, if Qixia continues to be beaten with these ten boards, I'm afraid she won't be able to get out of bed for several days."

Madam Shen glanced at Nanny Gui and said, "If it weren't for this little Buddhist temple, do you think ten strokes of the cane would have been enough to settle this matter? Or do you want to take the punishment for her? Don't forget that you haven't been held accountable for Granny Liu yet."

Nanny Gui fell silent and didn't dare to plead for Qixia anymore, but her heart was chilled to the core.

Nanny Gui went back to Songhe Hall and got a cloak for Old Madam Shen to put on. The hood of the cloak was loosely covered on her head, covering most of her face.

The two got off the car not far from Ganhua Hutong and asked the carriage to wait far away.

In the small courtyard of Ganhua Hutong, Xiangxue was the only one left, alone in the house, still holding her jewelry box in her arms, sitting with a blank look and an expressionless face.

The jewelry box that was full yesterday is now empty, with only Shen Jingwan's household registration and travel permit left.

Xiangxue couldn't understand why Shen Jingwan left after she said she would take her back to the Shen Mansion. But since she was leaving, why didn't she bring her ID and pass? Where could the two half-grown children go?

When Xiangxue saw Mrs. Shen come in, she didn't even stand up to greet her.

Old Madam Shen frowned unhappily and sat down on the chair opposite Xiangxue. "Where did you hide Jingwan?"

Hearing Mrs. Shen's question, Xiangxue suddenly came back to her senses, "Aunt, I want to go back to the Shen Mansion."

Xiangxue was originally the niece of Old Lady Shen. In his early years, her father embezzled river funds and was sentenced to beheading. All the women in the family were sold to brothels. Old Lady Shen couldn't bear to see this, so she secretly bought her back. In order not to attract attention, she was placed as a maid in the room of Shen Qingjiang, who had the softest character. Xiangxue never told her surname to anyone again.

Madam Shen consoled her, "Xiangxue, your aunt told you that as long as you give birth to a son, the Third Prince will marry you back home in style. Why bother going back now to be a concubine?"

Hearing that Old Lady Shen was trying to evade her again, Xiang Xue instantly became excited, "I can't wait any longer. I want to go back to the Shen Mansion now, even if I have to be a concubine."

"What's there to wait for? We've already been through more than ten years. Why would we mind waiting a few more days?"

"Just wait a few more days. My cousin never comes to see me. When will I be able to give birth to a son?" Xiangxue said excitedly.

When she was originally in the Shen residence, although she was ostensibly a maid, she was treated like a precious treasure because of her relationship with the old lady. Although her appearance was only pretty, her charming expression made her quite endearing. In addition, she was determined to rise to the top, and after a few interactions, she captivated Shen Qingjiang.

However, the only identity she could see was that of a maid, and the Shen family had a rule that a man could only take a concubine if he was forty and childless. So after they were discovered, they had no choice but to keep her outside.

Fortunately, Shen Qingjiang was a man of loyalty and righteousness. For their future plans, he begged to marry the concubine's daughter of the Duke of Qing. It was only because Qin Qimei was weak in character and her family did not support her, so she was easy to manipulate.

In the first few years, Xiangxue and Shen Qingjiang were really in love. They would come to Xiangxue's place almost every day, so Shen Jingwan was only a few months younger than Shen Chuning.

But later, as she grew older, Xiangxue's coquettishness, which Shen Qingjiang loved the most, became what he called artificial. Later, he only came once or twice a month, and now it has developed to only once every few months. Even the monthly money is delivered by the servants around him.

"Qingjiang doesn't come because you are not capable of keeping a man, and you can't give birth to a son because your pregnancy is not cooperating. Instead of getting anxious now, you might as well think about how to get Qingjiang to come more often." Old Madam Shen said with disdain.

"My cousin didn't come, but my aunt's people did. You were the one who sent people to kill Mrs. Liu, right?" Xiangxue stared at Old Lady Shen and asked.

The corner of Mrs. Shen's eyes twitched. Although it was a very subtle expression, it still couldn't escape the eyes of Xiangxue who was staring at her.

Xiangxue became even more certain that Madam Shen killed Mrs. Liu to warn them, and that the people from the Shen Mansion in Rentian came to send them away and let them fend for themselves.

"I don't know what you are talking about. Mrs. Liu is dead?" asked Mrs. Shen.

Xiangxue sneered and did not bother to argue with Old Lady Shen about the matter of Mrs. Liu.

"I want to go back to the Shen Mansion. I will accept you even if you are just a concubine." Xiangxue continued to express her request.

Old Madam Shen kindly advised, "Xiangxue, even if you don't plan for yourself, you should plan for Jingwan. You want to be a concubine, but have you ever thought about whether Jingwan wants to be a concubine? Or we can call Jingwan out and ask the child's opinion."

"For so many years, I have only seen Jingwan a few times from afar. Jingwan has never met me, her grandmother."

Xiangxue suddenly had an idea. She seemed to have found the weakness of Old Madam Shen. Old Madam Shen was particularly concerned about Jingwan. From her words, Jingwan was even more important than letting her give birth to a son.

"Don't ask. I'm her mother. I can make the decision for her. How can being a young lady in the Shen family not be better than being a commoner in Ganhua Hutong?"

Madam Shen: "Then you have to let me see Jingwan."

Xiangxue: "I've hidden Jingwan. When I return to the Shen Mansion, I'll let you see her."

Madam Shen was a little angry: "You said to hide it, so you hide it? How do I know whether what you said is true or not? What if Jingwan couldn't stand you as her mother and left on her own?"

Xiangxue was a little panicked. She was actually guessed by Old Madam Shen. She took out Shen Jingwan's household registration and travel permit from the box and said, "I see. If she wanted to escape, how could she not bring her identity document and travel permit? Aunt, please tell me directly whether you will allow us to return to the Shen Mansion or not. If not, Xiangxue will not waste time on my cousin anymore. I will take Jingwan away with me."

"No, Jingwan is a girl from the Shen family, she can't go anywhere." Old Madam Shen retorted without thinking.