Xie Jingyan held Shen Wan through the blanket. Seeing that she remained silent and her heart was pounding, he hugged her even tighter, his hot breath brushing against her neck. "Why is your heart beating so fast? Are you moved?"

move?

She was terrified!

If she had known earlier that the jade pendant was a gift from her elder brother, she would never have told him that he had a sweetheart in his past life.

Words spoken are like water spilled; they cannot be taken back, nor dare they be taken back, for fear that if she denied that he had someone he loved, Xie Jingyan would no longer believe the things she had said about their past lives.

Given his personality, if he knew she and his older brother had lied to him, he'd probably strangle her.

Shen Wan felt increasingly guilty, while Xie Jingyan said dejectedly, "You don't believe me?"

Shen Wan shook her head repeatedly, "I believe you!"

After saying that, he quickly changed the subject, "The old lady is ill, and I have to go back to visit her tomorrow. I need to go to bed now."

It was indeed getting late, Xie Jingyan said, "Go to sleep."

Although he was holding her through the blanket, Shen Wan felt very safe and fell asleep quickly.

Xie Jingyan didn't fall asleep so easily. The faint fragrance lingering around his nose was even stronger than an aphrodisiac. Practicing martial arts and taking cold showers couldn't suppress the nagging feeling. Who knew how long he would have to live with this soft, fragrant woman in his arms, only able to look but not touch her? This woman was definitely sent by God to torment him.

...

The next day, the weather was fine, with a clear blue sky and no clouds.

After breakfast, Shen Wan took Yinshuang back to the Pingyang Marquis's residence.

Stepping out of the carriage, Shen Wan was speechless as she gazed at the gilded plaque of the Marquis's residence, which shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

She has been back for three days in a row.

From the looks in the eyes of the servants in the Marquis's mansion, she could sense that she had indeed been coming back too frequently, and there was even a hint of doubt about her coming back to visit the old lady. After all, she had gone to great lengths to anger the old lady yesterday.

Shen Wan didn't want to come back either. She knew that she had probably made a wasted trip and wouldn't be able to see the old lady. But she had no choice but to come back to avoid gossip.

Just as Shen Wan had expected, the old lady refused to see her, and the maidservant blocked her at the door.

Shen Wan wasn't angry, but Yin Shuang, who was following behind Shen Wan, was very unhappy. No old lady was as biased as her. Last time the princess came back to visit her, the old lady didn't see the princess, but she saw the second aunt. Today the princess came back, but she still didn't see her. The princess came back so eagerly but couldn't see the old lady. If she didn't come back, the old lady would criticize her for not respecting the old lady. It was infuriating.

Shen Wan didn't make things difficult for the maid, and said, "Have Granny Sun come out for a moment, I have something to say to her."

The maid dared to stop Shen Wan from entering the room, but since Shen Wan wanted to see Granny Sun, the maid dared not refuse to pass on the message, and Granny Sun dared not refuse to come out.

Madam Sun stepped forward and curtsied to Chen Wan, "I wonder what Second Miss wants to say to this servant?"

Shen Wan glanced into the inner room and asked, "Is Grandmother ashamed to see me?"

Sun's mother, "..."

One question rendered her speechless.

How was she supposed to answer that?

If she wasn't ashamed, then she would have put a lot of pressure on her eldest daughter-in-law to get the ointment to treat her third wife's face. She protected her second daughter-in-law, but the second daughter-in-law had an extra half box of ointment and refused to give it to her third wife, making the old lady lose face. If she wasn't ashamed, then she would have been too shameless.

To say she felt ashamed is an understatement; after all, the old lady is an elder and shouldn't lose face in front of the younger generation. And the eldest aunt asked so loudly, wasn't that making things difficult for her?

Knowing that Shen Wan was asking her this question, Madam Sun would rather pretend to faint than come out.

Mrs. Sun said awkwardly, "The old lady has gone to sleep..."

Cough cough!

As soon as Mrs. Sun finished speaking, she was proven wrong when the old lady's cough came from inside the house.

Sun's mother, "..."

Shen Wan pretended not to hear and sighed, "Grandmother has always doted on my second sister the most, but my second sister doesn't care about Grandmother's face at all. She is strict with others but lenient with herself. Not only has she become a laughing stock, but she has also made Grandmother, who protects her, lose her prestige. It is normal for Grandmother to be angry. Since Grandmother is ashamed to see me, I will go back and come back to visit her another day."

Sun's mother's lips twitched. Although the eldest aunt hadn't entered the room, the soundproofing of this room meant that the old lady could hear every word the eldest aunt said. The old lady was so angry with the eldest aunt that she couldn't stop coughing.

What my great-aunt said is true, and there's no way to refute it.

Madam Sun didn't know how Second Aunt could be so self-righteous. Couldn't she at least pretend? If she wouldn't give the imperial ointment, she could at least give Third Madam half a box of ordinary ointment. That's how the Yun family does it. Can't she even follow suit? Saving face is the priority. She can just send back the leftover ointment later. Instead, she sent the maid sent by the Old Madam back empty-handed. Where does that leave the Old Madam's dignity?

The Marquis's family has already paid a heavy price for the Second Aunt's position as Princess Consort of Jin. In the end, the Second Aunt is so incompetent. How can the Old Madam not be angry? Compared with the First Aunt, the Second Aunt seems even more unworthy, which is like stabbing the Old Madam in the heart.

Shen Wan's words were poignant, yet her manners were impeccable. She curtsied to the inner room before turning to leave.

Yinshuang followed Shen Wan out of Qinghui Courtyard. Only when no one was around did she dare to let out a wide grin.

As Shen Wan walked forward, she saw Shen Wei approaching with her maid Chunlan. Upon seeing Shen Wan, Shen Wei beamed with joy.

As she approached, Shen Wei asked, "Has eldest sister seen grandmother?"

Shen Wan shook her head.

Glancing over, Shen Wan noticed that Shen Wei's hand was bound with an embroidered handkerchief and asked, "What happened to Fourth Sister's hand?"

Shen Wei shook her head, "I accidentally stepped on the hem of my skirt while walking, and my palm scratched against a rock in the artificial hill. It's nothing..."

Chunlan, standing beside Shen Wei, quickly said, "The injury on your hand, young lady, is clearly..."

Chunlan had only spoken halfway when Shenwei gave her a glare that forbade her to say more, and Chunlan dared not speak anymore.

Fearing that Shen Wan would press for answers, Shen Wei affectionately took Shen Wan's arm and said, "Big sister has come back several times, but I haven't been able to have a proper chat with her."

Shen Wan smiled and said, "I'm going shopping anyway, would you like to come with me?"

Shen Wei hesitated for a moment, "My cousin's coming-of-age ceremony is the day after tomorrow. I originally planned to go to Jinbaoge today to pick out a jade hairpin for her as a coming-of-age gift, but my grandmother is sick. Is it really appropriate for us to go shopping..."

Shen Wan instructed Chunlan, "Go back and ask Fourth Aunt if she agrees to let Fourth Sister accompany me shopping."

Fourth Madam will definitely agree.

However, Chunlan also knew that Shen Wan's request for her to go back and ask was just a formality, used to silence the other people in the Marquis's mansion. The eldest aunt wanted the fourth young lady to accompany her shopping, and the fourth young lady couldn't refuse. Even if they had complaints, they couldn't criticize the fourth young lady.

Chunlan nodded hurriedly and went back to get the money.