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

As soon as Shen Chuning returned to the Shen family, she went to the courtyard of Mrs. Shen San first.

Mrs. Shen San was carefully wiping the leaves of a pot of orchids with a quiet handkerchief, while Ziyuan was adding spices to the incense burner beside her.

Shen Chuning was slightly displeased at Ziyuan's presence. "Master Ziyuan, I want to have a personal conversation with my mother. I wonder if Master Ziyuan could step aside for a moment."

"Of course, I'll take my leave first." Ziyuan said she was leaving, but she just stood up and stared at Madam Shen San without moving a step.

Madam Shen paused while wiping the leaves. "Master Ziyuan is not an outsider. There's nothing I can't tell her."

Hearing what Mrs. Shen said, Ziyuan sat down again.

Shen Chuning was so angry that he threw the cloth bag in his hand onto the table in front of Ziyuan with a "bang".

"It's been less than a month since we entered the palace, why are the rules getting worse? Could it be that all the princesses in the palace have this kind of temper?" Mrs. Shen scolded.

"Don't be angry, Madam Third. Miss Nine grew up in pampered condition. Maybe she was spoiled by the family. You still need to keep her by your side and discipline her more in the future." Ziyuan seemed to be helping Shen Chuning out of trouble, but in fact, she confirmed her reputation for having a bad temper.

Shen Chuning opened the cloth bag on the table, and the golden jewelry inside was spread all over the table.

"What is this?" asked Mrs. Shen San.

"Mom, please check if this jewelry is yours. If not, I'll take it away."

Madam Shen San walked to the table and picked up the jewelry one by one, examining them carefully. "This is my dowry. When I got married, the Duke's wife specially ordered Linlang Pavilion to make it. How come it's with you?"

"Do you know that my father has a concubine and a daughter?" Shen Chuning asked.

Madam Shen glanced at Ziyuan and nodded. "The woman outside is just a plaything. So what if she gave birth to a daughter? She can't threaten my position."

"My father secretly stole this jewelry and gave it to that woman outside."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Madam Shen San quickly grabbed Shen Chuning, then turned to Ziyuan and said, "Master Ziyuan, the child is talking nonsense. I wonder if I can let this believer teach him a lesson alone. He is very shy and I am afraid that you will hurt his self-esteem."

Ziyuan nodded, a greedy look in her eyes. "While the child is still young, we should discipline him. I'll leave first. However, since this jewelry has been touched by a woman outside, it is considered to be tainted with right and wrong and is unclean. I can help Madam dispose of it."

Mrs. Shen was about to agree when she was interrupted by Shen Chuning, "I didn't know the wizards in Lingshan could perform the art of salvation?"

Ziyuan said awkwardly, "I know a little bit, I know a little bit."

Shen Chuning smiled and said, "Since Master Ziyuan is not very proficient in it, then don't bother with it. When you are free, just take Aning to Daxiangguo Temple to deal with it."

Ziyuan was about to say something, but Shen Chuning immediately said, "A Ning is shy. If someone else saw her scolding her, she would probably be upset."

Seeing that there was no reason to stay, Ziyuan glared at Shen Chuning, then opened the door and went out.

"Why does mother trust Ziyuan so much? She clearly wanted to embezzle all your jewelry just now. If she is really an otherworldly master, why would she care about these valuable things?" Shen Chuning complained.

Madam Shen San quickly changed the subject, "Let's not talk about that for now. Let's talk about your father's concubine. I heard that it was circulating in the capital a while ago. Your grandmother even said that it was a rumor spread by someone targeting our Shen family."

Shen Chuning snorted coldly, "That woman was originally the head maid in my father's room. Due to the rules of the mansion, she had to be kept outside. She gave birth to a daughter, only a few months younger than An Ning. My grandmother knew about this and even acquiesced to it."

"How is that possible? Your grandmother has always hated these things. She must be doing this to protect your father." Mrs. Shen San said in surprise.

"The mother and daughter were raised in Ganhua Hutong. The indentures of the maids who served them are all with grandma. The rumors have been so loud these days that grandma wanted to send them away to avoid the limelight. It was Aunt Qixia who went to pick them up. By the way, grandma also went to Ganhua Hutong in person this morning." Shen Chuning released the bombshell news one after another.

Madam Shen San asked in confusion, "Either keep this person outside and continue to pretend to be ignorant, or bring him back early to silence the gossips. What does it mean to send him away to hide from the limelight?"

"There's a rumor, but I don't know if it's true. Mom, please don't get angry if you hear it." Shen Chuning said carefully, "Grandmother wanted to wait until that woman gave birth to a son, and then let Dad marry her back home as his concubine."

Madam Shen San was stunned where she was. The handkerchief she was holding slowly fell to the ground. She clutched Shen Chuning's hand tightly and cried, "Aning, what should I do? For so many years, I know that your father doesn't have me in his heart. The only thing I can stand on is the identity of the Shen family's Third Madam. Now, are you going to take away even this identity? Aning, what should I do, Aning?"

Madam Shen San was like a demon in a trance. "Son, yes, son, as long as I give birth to a son, no one can shake my position. I'm going to find Master Ziyuan. Master Ziyuan has just refined a furnace of medicine. He said that after taking it, I will definitely give birth to a son."

"A Ning, give that bag of jewelry to mother. Don't make Master Ziyuan unhappy. She just wants some gold and silver jewelry. Give it all to her. I also want the key to the warehouse. There are so many good things in the warehouse. I will give them all to her. I just want a son."

Mrs. Shen San said this and went to look for the warehouse key.

Shen Chuning held her back, "Mom, wake up, can't you see that Ziyuan is a liar?"

Madam Shen San stopped and said to Shen Chuning seriously, "How could you be a liar? You were unconscious due to a high fever before, but you woke up after drinking Master Ziyuan's talisman water."

"Mom, when you asked Aning to drink the magic water, did you ever think that Aning would never wake up?" Shen Chuning suddenly asked calmly.

Mrs. Shen was stunned for a moment. "What nonsense are you talking about, kid? You are standing here peacefully."

Shen Chuning suddenly lost the energy to argue with Third Madam Shen. "Mom, do you want a son, or do you want my father's love, or do you just want the identity of Third Madam Shen?"

"Isn't it all the same? With a son, you'll naturally be favored by your father, and your position as the Third Madam of the Shen family will be secure."

Shen Chuning collected the jewelry scattered on the table and said, "It's different. Mom, think about it carefully. If you can only choose one of these three, which one would you choose?"

Shen Chuning stood up and walked out the door. When she reached the door, she couldn't bear it anymore and stopped to say, "If you have chosen, come to Ningfengzhai to find me. Since you are my mother, I will help you."