Such selfishness is clearly ingrained in her very being. Shen Wan simply couldn't believe that when the old lady was young, she would give up a good marriage and marry her grandfather as his second wife in order to repay the kindness of the late old lady.

The old lady was surprised that Shen Wan would openly contradict her in front of a room full of maids and servants, and her face turned pale. Shen Ying added fuel to the fire, saying, "Don't even mention that in eldest sister's heart, third aunt is not as good as the Yun family, I'm afraid even grandmother is not as good as her."

Don't just say it; it's best to have the self-awareness to know better. Don't contact her if you need something, and don't contact her even if you don't.

However, Shen Wan did not say these words out loud. If she offended the old lady and made her fall ill, her father would scold her. Shen Wan said to Shen Ying, "Second sister, if you really want to clean up after Second Aunt, you should go and beg the Empress right now."

After saying that, Shen Wan stood up and said to the old lady, "Before leaving the manor, Prince Ling told me to go back early, so I won't stay any longer. I'll go to Qinglan Garden to get some things and then go back."

The old lady did not try to stop her. Shen Wan curtsied and left without looking back.

Watching Shen Wan leave, Shen Ying twisted the embroidered handkerchief in her hand and said aggrievedly, "Grandmother, the Empress already dislikes me. If I go to her again to ask for the ointment, she will be even angrier than before."

Ultimately, it's because her father didn't have military power. If the Marquis of Pingyang were her father, the Prince of Jin wouldn't have given Fu Shu the position of a concubine, and the Empress wouldn't have treated her so badly.

Thinking of how much they had sacrificed, only to end up with nothing, including their second brother's life, and how their mother had to break ties with their third aunt to protect their second brother's bloodline, Shen Ying's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls.

Seeing Shen Ying cry, the old lady became even more impatient. "She told you to go find the Empress, so you go?! I don't care what method you use, you must bring me the ointment back."

After saying this, the old lady took Wang Mama's hand and went back to the inner room.

The reason why the relationship between the second and third wives is so strained is all because of Shen Ying. If she can't even get a little bit of ointment, the old lady will be extremely disappointed.

The old lady had never spoken so harshly to Shen Ying before. Shen Ying knew she had disappointed the old lady, but where could she get the ointment, and who could she ask for it?

For some unknown reason, Shen Ying's eyes, which had been blurred by tears, lit up. She quickly wiped away her tears, gestured for her maid to come closer, and whispered a few instructions.

The maid nodded repeatedly and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, Shen Wan left Qinghui Courtyard and headed towards Qinglan Courtyard, where she had lived before her marriage.

However, she didn't take the usual route, but instead went through a side path, the very path where Shen Rong had her accident. With Chen Yu secretly protecting her, Shen Wan felt very at ease.

The path was shaded by green trees on both sides, and a gentle breeze blew by, which even dispelled some of the anger that had been lingering in Chen Wan's heart.

Halfway there, Dong'er came running over, lifting her skirt. Yinshuang scolded her, "What's the matter? Why are you running in such a hurry?"

Dong'er ran over, about to speak, but before she could utter a word, she looked around warily.

Yinshuang said, "Don't worry, this place was never popular before. After what happened with Third Aunt, even fewer people came."

Dong'er then said with relief, "I just heard some big news."

Shen Wan asked, "What news?"

Dong'er said, "Just now, the two maids were gossiping, and I overheard a few words. They said that Hongkui's baby is most likely not the second young master's..."

Yinshuang's eyes widened. "Hongkui is a maid in the Second Young Master's courtyard. If she's not carrying the Second Young Master's child, whose child could it be?"

Dong'er said, "They said it was from the Second Master..."

As soon as Dong'er spoke, Shen Wan scolded her, "Don't talk nonsense! Second Uncle isn't that kind of person!"

Dong'er, feeling wronged after being scolded, said, "It wasn't me who said it. It was that maid who said she saw Hongkui coming out of the Second Master's study a month ago with her clothes disheveled, which is why I had this suspicion..."

Shen Wan said, "I can't control what others say, but you are my maids, and I won't allow you to spread such rumors."

Dong'er obediently admitted her mistake, "This servant will remember the Princess's teachings."

Yinshuang raised her hand as if to swear, "This servant guarantees that I will not utter a single word about it."

Shen Wan only scolded them once before continuing to walk forward.

After they left, a maid in a light blue dress emerged from behind a large tree that would take two people to encircle. Her face showed shock at hearing such earth-shattering gossip. She quickly left from the other side of the path and hurried toward the Buddhist hall.

As the maid left, Yinshuang glanced back and said, "I wonder if she's from the second or third household..."

Shen Wan didn't care which maid it was.

All she wanted was for the news to reach the Second Madam's ears.

The old lady tried her best to suppress the matter, even setting her sights on her. Well then, don't blame her for stirring up trouble again, causing chaos in the Marquis's mansion, and making her father think about dividing the family property.