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

When the Shen family's carriage drove to Juxian Tower, a long row of carriages was already parked in front of Juxian Tower.

The Shen family's coachman put a low stool next to the carriage, and Birui and Fuzi helped Shen Chuning and Shen Jingwan get off the carriage respectively.

Shen Chuning wore a emerald green bamboo-knot embroidered skirt with gold-patterned flowers, and a green short jacket with pipa-shaped sleeves and embroidered patterns. Her hair was tied into a bun, and she wore a set of teardrop-shaped jade hairpins and earrings, looking pretty and lovely.

Shen Jingwan wore a moon-white long skirt, a light yellow double-breasted jacket, and her hair was tied up in a similar bun, but she wore only a white jade hairpin in her hair, no other jewelry. Although her attire was simple, it paired with her delicate features and pitiful expression, giving her a unique charm.

After Shen Chuning got off the carriage, she looked up and saw a pair of familiar eyes.

"Brother Zhou Er, long time no see."

Zhou Lin wore a dark green robe embroidered with bamboo knots, dotted with dark emerald round buttons, and a piece of mutton-fat white jade hanging around his waist. He looked gentle and upright.

"Miss Nine." Zhou Lin nodded towards Shen Chuning.

But when Shen Chuning saw the person behind Zhou Lin, she was stunned.

The man was wearing a coarse grey linen robe, dressed like a servant, but his temperament was totally out of tune with the attire.

That person was clearly the current crown prince Xiao Yuanqi. The crown prince died early in the previous life, and this was the first time he saw him after his rebirth. He didn't expect that he was with Zhou Lin.

"Too...too..." Shen Chuning opened her mouth, not sure whether she should call out his identity in this situation.

Zhou Lin saw that Shen Chuning had recognized the prince, so he said, "This is Master Qi Yuanqi. Did Miss Nine have an appointment?"

Shen Chuning understood that she couldn't reveal her identity, so she bowed and said, "Hello, Master Qi. I have an appointment with Princess Nanyan, so I won't disturb Brother Zhou Er and Master Qi."

After Shen Chuning finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the Juxian Building.

But before she could even take a step, Shen Jingwan, who was following behind her, called out to her, "Sister, who is this?"

Shen Chuning had no choice but to introduce him to Shen Jingwan: "This is my aunt's nephew, Zhou Lin, and this is..."

Before Shen Chuning could introduce the prince, she was interrupted by Shen Jingwan. She didn't care who the person in coarse clothes behind her was. "Hello, Brother Hanzhi, I am the daughter of the third branch of the Shen family. My name is Shen Jingwan, and Brother Hanzhi can just call me Wan'er."

As Shen Jingwan spoke, she stretched out her right hand. Seeing that Zhou Lin didn't respond, she remembered that shaking hands was not popular in this dynasty. She silently withdrew her hand and smiled awkwardly.

Zhou Lin nodded: "I know, Uncle Shen's concubine's daughter."

Shen Jingwan's smile froze on her face. "I've been included in the Shen family's genealogy, and now I'm a proper Miss Shen."

Zhou Lin no longer paid attention to Shen Jingwan, but said to Shen Chuning: "Miss Jiu, I have obtained the consent of the Shen family. I will be enrolled in the Shen family school soon. Thank you."

"A Ning."

Shen Chuning looked up and saw that it was Princess Nan Yan leaning on the second-floor window calling her.

Shen Chuning waved towards Princess Nan Yan, "Come on."

After saying that, he walked towards the Juxian Building. Halfway through, he turned around and said to Zhou Lin with a smile, "Then I wish Brother Zhou Er to become the top scorer in the imperial examination as soon as possible!"

After saying that, she walked inside again, and when she turned around, the hem of her skirt drew a beautiful arc in the air.

After Shen Jingwan said "Goodbye, Brother Hanzhi" to Zhou Lin, she followed Shen Chuning into the Juxian Tower.

Xiao Yuanqi stretched out his hand and waved it in front of Zhou Lin's eyes. "Don't look, everyone has gone far away."

Zhou Lin pushed away the hand blocking her eyes and said, "Don't talk nonsense." But her ears turned red.

……

Shen Chuning pushed open the door of the private room and saw that not only Princess Nan Yan was inside, but also An Zhiyao.

"Shen Chuning, what's with that expression on your face? Can't you stand seeing me?" An Zhiyao asked, looking at Shen Chuning's drooping face.

"How dare I look down on Miss An? Besides, this is a plan set up by Yan'er's group. I won't argue with you today." Shen Chuning said as she took Princess Nan Yan's arm.

"Hey, let me ask you, was the person who just spoke to you downstairs your cousin the prince?" An Zhiyao asked shyly.

Princess Nanyan also said, "Just now I saw someone with a figure that resembled the Crown Prince, but judging by his attire, he didn't look like him."

Shen Jingwan also opened her eyes wide, surprised that the other person was the prince.

Shen Chuning shook her head. "He's the second son of General Dingguo's Zhou family."

"What about the other one? Which compartment are they in?"

"The other one is a young man named Qi, whom I haven't seen before. I don't know which private room they are in, so why don't you call the shopkeeper over and ask him?"

An Zhiyao suddenly lost her temper and her shoulders slumped.

At this time, the maids began to serve the dishes one after another.

An Zhiyao said to Shen Jingwan: "You are not needed here to serve, the maids are all next door, you can go."

Shen Jingwan's eyes were red, "I...I..."

"What do you mean by 'I'? We have important matters to discuss. What are you still doing in there? Shen Chuning, your maid is too ignorant of the rules."

"No...I...I am..."

Shen Jingwan was so anxious that tears came to her eyes. She wanted to say that he was the daughter of the third branch of the Shen family, but when she thought about how her identity as a concubine had just been exposed downstairs, she couldn't open her mouth for some reason.

Shen Chuning looked at Shen Jingwan's current appearance and felt a little relieved. "This is my sister, Shen Jingwan. My grandmother asked me to bring her out to see the world."

An Zhiyao curled her lips. "That concubine? Was that the reason you stood us up last time? Your Shen family is really two-faced. You say you don't take concubines, but you secretly keep mistresses. Now, the concubine can even sit at the same table with the legitimate daughter."

An Zhiyao said while smiling at Shen Jingwan: "I'm not targeting you, I look down on every mistress equally."

Shen Chuning smiled secretly in her heart. This An Zhiyao was sometimes quite cute. Shen Jingwan cared so much about the status of a legitimate daughter in her previous life. So what if she entered the Shen family in this life? She would still be a concubine's daughter with the status of a daughter of a concubine.

Princess Nanyan felt that An Zhiyao was being a bit too extreme and quickly intervened, "Since it was Old Madam Shen who ordered him to be brought out, then he has been taken back to the Shen family? Is he registered under your mother's name?"

Shen Chuning shook her head. "My father took a concubine and registered her under the name of my aunt."

Princess Nanyan smiled awkwardly, "It's not a big deal, it's not a big deal. Every family has one or two illegitimate sisters, Zhiyao, don't you think so?"

The smile on An Zhiyao's face faded. Not only did her family have many illegitimate sisters, but she also had many illegitimate brothers. Her biological brother was only four years old this year, while her eldest illegitimate brother had already taken on a job and was quite favored by her father.

An Zhiyao said nonchalantly, "Yes, every family has illegitimate sisters, but not everyone can bring their illegitimate sisters out to embarrass themselves."

Shen Jingwan's face turned pale and blue, and her fingers were almost bleeding.

Princess Nanyan noticed Shen Jingwan's embarrassment and tugged at An Zhiyao's sleeve. "Zhiyao, stop talking. Old Madam Shen asked us to bring her here. An Ning can't disobey her elders, right?"

An Zhiyao glanced at Shen Chuning and Shen Jingwan, and asked Princess Nan Yan to sit down and have dinner.

Exquisite meals have been placed on the table, and each dish is rich in color and fragrant.

Shen Jingwan was well aware of her status and was not the first to pick up her chopsticks.

When Shen Jingwan saw the other three people at the table picked up the teacups on the table, she followed suit and picked up the teacup with petals floating on it and took a sip.