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

"Jingwan is a girl from the Shen family. She can't go anywhere."

Hearing what Old Madam Shen said, Xiangxue laughed secretly in her heart. As expected, she guessed right. Jingwan was very important to Old Madam Shen.

"For the past ten years, Jingwan and I have depended on each other. Only if I return to the Shen family will Jingwan be a daughter of the Shen family. If I am not allowed to return to the Shen family, Jingwan will only be my daughter, Xiangxue."

"I didn't say I wouldn't let you go back to the Shen family. Didn't I plan everything for you? As long as you give birth to a son..."

"I don't want to wait until I give birth to a son. I want to go back to the Shen family now." Xiangxue interrupted Mrs. Shen and said excitedly.

Old Madam Shen has been saying for ten years that as long as Jingwan gives birth to a son, she will let the Third Master marry her as his co-wife. Jingwan is right, she is just deceiving herself.

Now she just wants to go back to the Shen family and never want to live this life of fear again.

"Please allow me to think about it." Old Madam Shen prepared to calm Xiangxue first.

Xiangxue showed a triumphant smile on her face, "My patience is limited, old lady, you'd better think faster."

Madam Shen walked out of Ganhua Hutong with a sullen face. "Go get someone to find Jingwan. Her household registration and travel permit are both there. She definitely can't leave the city."

……

It was Shen Chuning's day to go to Mu Xiu again. She only had a general idea of what had happened outside the palace in the past few days, so after class in the afternoon, she said goodbye to Xiao Jinyu and hurried to the palace gate.

"Fifth brother, why are you here to pick me up today? I thought it would be Sixth brother who would come." Shen Chuning saw Shen Chengwu sitting in the Shen family's carriage waiting for her at the palace gate.

"Come up first and we'll talk." Shen Chengwu stretched out his hand and pulled Shen Chuning onto the carriage.

"Go to the East City Gate." Shen Chengwu knocked on the car wall.

"Fifth brother, what are you doing at the East City Gate?" Shen Chuning asked in confusion.

"Shen Jingwan wants to leave the city, but she doesn't have any identification documents or a pass with her. She's trying to sneak out of the city at the East Gate."

Shen Chuning looked at Shen Chengwu in surprise.

Shen Chengwu patted Shen Chuning's head and said, "Don't worry, I have already increased the guards at the city gate."

"Have you thought it through? Do you want to let her go now so that she will never appear in front of you again?" Shen Chengwu asked.

Shen Chuning shook her head. She knew Shen Jingwan's abilities well. When she made enough money, she would definitely want a higher status. The shortcut to achieve a higher status was to return to the Shen family. Instead of letting her return home in glory, it would be better to keep her under her nose.

"It would be too easy for her to just let her go like this."

When they were almost at the East City Gate, Shen Chuning asked the driver to stop the carriage at a distance and got off the carriage with Birui.

"Miss Shen, why are you here?" Shen Chuning walked to Shen Jingwan and asked with pretended experience.

"It's the young master of Wanbaoxuan, what a coincidence." Shen Jingwan wiped the sweat from her face. She had tried every city gate, but she couldn't leave the city without identification documents.

"I just happened to come here to do something. I saw a figure that looked like you from afar, so I came over to take a look. It turned out to be you. Miss Shen, are you going out of town?" Shen Chuning asked, pointing at the bag that Fuzi was carrying.

"I wanted to leave the city, but my identity documents and travel permit were stolen, so I couldn't leave. I clearly remembered packing them up last night, but when I got to the city gate, I couldn't find them no matter how hard I looked."

Hearing Shen Jingwan say this, Fuzi lowered his head guiltily.

Shen Chuning: "It's easy to get identity documents. They are all on file with the government. You can just go to the government office and get a new one."

"I've asked the government, and they say the household head must bring all the household registration documents with him before we can reissue the document." Shen Jingwan said embarrassedly.

"Is it so troublesome? Lord Wang did it very quickly last time, so I thought it was a very simple matter." Shen Chuning said casually.

Shen Jingwan's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Shen Chuning's arm with both hands, "Do you have any connections? Can you help me get one?"

Shen Chuning suppressed her nausea and didn't shake off Shen Jingwan's hand. "Ms. Shen also knows that when asking someone to do something, you always need to be polite and courteous."

"I understand, I understand." Shen Jingwan took the bundle from Fuzi's hand and took out a golden hairpin from it. "This is my thank you gift to the young master. I will reward you handsomely after the matter is completed."

Shen Chuning held the hairpin with a look of disdain in her eyes. "Ms. Shen, you know my family owns a jewelry store, yet you don't even look at this little thing. Besides, this hollow hairpin isn't worth much money."

After Shen Chuning finished speaking, she handed the hairpin back to Shen Jingwan.

Shen Jingwan rummaged through her bag again and took out a bracelet. She gave it to Shen Chuning along with the gold hairpin. "Young Master, please keep it for now. I didn't bring much with me. I'll give you the rest after I exchange it for silver at the pawnshop."

Shen Chuning rolled her eyes. "It doesn't have to be that troublesome. If Miss Shen trusts me, just give me all the jewelry. I'll exchange it for silver. After deducting the silver for the household registration documents, I'll give the rest to Miss Shen."

"It's not that I don't trust the young master, but I didn't bring any money with me this time. I rely on these jewelry to live. If I give them all to the young master, I'm afraid my maid and I will have nothing to eat." Shen Jingwan said in embarrassment.

Shen Chuning: "That's easy. I happen to have a vacant house, and I also like the housekeeping plan designed by Miss Shen. Miss Shen can settle down in my house first and draw some plans in exchange for silver. Once the household registration documents and travel permits are completed, you can take the silver and leave."

Shen Jingwan no longer had any worries. The young master of Wanbaoxuan could not only provide her with free food and accommodation, but also help her with household registration and travel permits. It was just a matter of drawing a blueprint. She had a lot of ideas in her mind.

Shen Jingwan happily agreed, took out a small cloth bag from her bundle and handed it to Shen Chuning. Shen Chuning smiled secretly. Her father had gone to great lengths to steal her mother's dowry, but it was all handed over so easily by his good daughter.

Shen Chuning handed the small cloth bag to Birui and asked Birui to hire a carriage nearby.

She couldn't let Shen Jingwan find out that she was a daughter of the Shen family, so she didn't call for the Shen Mansion's carriage.

Moreover, since Shen Jingwan is missing, the Shen family will definitely send people to look for her. She can't just walk around the street like that. It would be safest to hire a carriage.

Shen Chuning brought Shen Jingwan to her house. This was a small courtyard with two entrances that she bought for herself after her rebirth, and it was registered in the name of Birui's brother.

Of the two maids that were previously requested from Madam Shen, one was sent to Ganhua Hutong, and that was Fuzi, while the other was kept in this courtyard.

"You stay here first. I'll have the maid bring you over once I've got your identity documents and travel permit."