Shen Ying bit her lip tightly. If looks could kill, Shen Wan would already be headless by now.

Shen Ying walked past Shen Wan to enter Qinghui Courtyard, but Shen Wan said, "Grandmother is in a bad mood and won't see anyone."

Shen Ying paused, her teeth nearly breaking, but she still entered the courtyard.

Yinshuang asked, "If the old lady doesn't see the princess, will she see Second Aunt?"

"meeting."

Shen Wan was self-aware. In the old lady's heart, how could she be compared to Shen Ying? In the past, the old lady would at least pretend, but now she was too lazy to even pretend.

It's better not to pretend. The old lady had a hard time pretending to be kind, and she had a hard time pretending to be filial.

After being turned away at the old lady's place, Shen Wan went to the south courtyard and was turned away again by the second madam. When she came out of the south courtyard, Shen Wan found it all ridiculous. Was it because the food at the Ling Prince's mansion didn't suit her taste that she rushed back to be turned away, and even ate one bowl after another.

As Shen Wan walked towards the garden, a maid came over and said, "I've already gone to the North Courtyard to invite Fourth Madam. Fourth Madam is busy reconciling accounts with the steward of the estate. She said she'll be here soon."

Shen Wan went to the pavilion to wait for the Fourth Madam. Just as she arrived at the pavilion, a maid came over and said, "Eldest Madam, your cousin, Young Master Yun, has something to discuss with you."

Her cousin even came all the way to the Pingyang Marquis's residence to look for her. What important matter could it be? Could it be about transporting grain to Meizhou?

Shen Wan left Haitang in the pavilion and walked towards the outer courtyard with Yinshuang.

Just as she reached the garden gate, a young maid in a light blue dress ran over and said, "Grandma, you don't need to go to the outer courtyard."

Shen Wan frowned. "Why don't we have to go again?"

The maid shook her head and said, "This servant doesn't know either. It was Prince Ling who sent me to deliver this message."

Xie Jingyan said it wasn't necessary, that he would handle his cousin's matter. Shen Wan trusted Xie Jingyan completely, so she went back to the pavilion, where Fourth Madam and Shen Wei were already waiting.

Seeing Shen Wan return from afar, Shen Wei couldn't wait to leave the pavilion and called out from a distance, "Big sister..."

Her beaming smile made her simple dress appear even brighter.

Shen Wan and she entered the pavilion together. Shen Wei asked curiously, "I wanted to have a private chat with you, elder sister. Why did you call my mother here?"

Fourth Madam glared at Shen Wei, "Your eldest sister must have something important to tell Mother, and besides, what could she possibly say that Mother can't hear?"

Shen Wei playfully stuck out her tongue, her personality visibly more lively than in her previous life.

Fourth Madam looked at Shen Wan, curious as to why Shen Wan had come to see her. Shen Wan sat down and said, "I do have something to discuss with Fourth Aunt..."

Shen Wan had only said a few words when a shrill scream suddenly came from not far from the pavilion, startling Shen Wan and the others.

As soon as Fourth Madam got up, she saw a maid running out from behind the rockery, clutching the back of her head. Shen Wei said, "It's Dongmei, the second-class maid from Second Aunt's courtyard..."

Shen Wan's face was gloomy. She and the fourth wife were talking in the pavilion, and the maid of the second wife dared to eavesdrop. More importantly, they did not notice at all that the maid had been exposed. It was obviously Chen Yu who did it.

The fourth wife said coldly, "This Marquis's mansion is becoming more and more chaotic."

Fourth Madam wasn't the type to say things lightly; something must have happened. Shen Wan asked, "Why did Fourth Aunt say that?"

Fourth Madam remained silent, while Shen Wei continued, "Yesterday, I was taking my maid back to the North Courtyard via a side path when I overheard Third Aunt and the maid talking. Second Brother is gone, and Third Aunt is grieving in public but gloating in private..."

The second and third wives had always been close, but it turned out they couldn't stand seeing each other happy, which made Shen Wei and the fourth wife feel that it was too cold-hearted.

However, Shen Wan could understand the Third Madam's gloating. In order to help Shen Ying secure her position as the Prince of Jin's principal wife, the Third Madam had sacrificed her own daughter. The Third Madam made exorbitant demands, expecting the Second Madam to compensate for Shen Rong's loss. The Second Madam was angry with Young Master Wu for his incompetence, as Shen Rong had been offered up herself, and the Second Madam refused to acknowledge it. The Second and Third Madams had long been at odds. Now, because of Shen Ying, the Second Madam had lost her son, which made the Third Madam feel much more at ease. More importantly, the Second Master had no children, and the Old Madam might not continue to support him. Even if she did, the Second Master had no heir, and in the end, it would still belong to the Third Madam.

Shen Wan said, "I am the fourth aunt I found to solve all these troubles in the Marquis's mansion."

Fourth Madam looked at Shen Wan with puzzlement. The Marquis's mansion was in such a mess that even the Marquis himself was powerless to do anything about it. What could she possibly do?

Shen Wan said, "Grandmother always doted on Second Brother. His passing was a great blow to her. Given her personality and the cunning of the second and third branches of the family, I'm afraid she won't let Fourth Sister get married within a year. Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt need to make plans as soon as possible."

...How did we suddenly start talking about her getting married?

Shen Wei blushed deeply.

The fourth wife's expression turned serious, because she knew that Shen Wan's concerns were not unfounded. Living under the same roof, how could she not know what kind of people those were? They would be happy if her daughter's marriage to the Duke of Wei's heir fell through.

Fourth Madam knew that Shen Wan genuinely cared for her daughter. She looked at Shen Wan, who said, "Not only is Fourth Sister getting married, but my eldest brother is also of marriageable age. However, Grandmother is determined to keep it from getting married, and Father has to give in to her. We can only make the worst-case scenario plan. Fourth Uncle and Father have the best relationship. I hope that when the family is divided, the Fourth Branch can be next to the Marquis's Mansion so that it will be convenient for them to come and go."

Fourth Madam hadn't expected that Shen Wan wanted to separate the Marquis's mansion. This was indeed a good way to get rid of the chaotic atmosphere, but the thought of separating the Marquis's mansion made Fourth Madam quite reluctant.

But the thought that the fourth branch of the family could move out and live right next to the Marquis's mansion, and that they wouldn't have to see the second and third wives every day made them feel a little better. But could they buy the house next door?

Shen Wan said, "Forty thousand taels can buy it. If we don't have enough money, Fourth Uncle is too embarrassed to borrow from Father, but I can lend it to Fourth Aunt."

In her previous life, the second wife spent 40,000 taels to buy the house next door. After her father passed away, the second master inherited the title. The second wife did not want to live a life of scheming and fighting with her sisters-in-law, but she dared not go too far because of the old lady's feelings. She could only let the public funds bleed a lot and spend 40,000 taels to buy the house next door, and move the third wife out. The fourth wife was several streets away from the main house.

At this point, the house next door should still be unsold, so the fourth family can make a move first.

The fourth branch of the family has separated, and they can make their own decisions regarding weddings and marriages without the old lady's approval or the consideration of others' feelings.

In fact, sometimes when she was bullied too much, the fourth wife also thought about separating the family. Even if life was a little tighter, at least she wouldn't have to be at the mercy of others. However, as long as her parents were alive, no one dared to mention the word "separate the family."

Fourth Madam looked at Shen Wan with gratitude in her eyes. "Fourth Aunt knows that you are truly doing this for Wei'er and for the good of our Fourth Branch. I will discuss this with your Fourth Uncle when I get back."