Xu was so angry that her face turned red, but she was helpless and could only sit down again after being comforted by everyone.

Madam Pei, seizing the opportunity, added fuel to the fire, saying, "This Shen Yunjiao is utterly disrespectful to her elders!"

Pei Zhixuan's face was ashen, like a dark cloud.

He thought of what Shen Yunjiao had just said.

What do you mean by making her copy books every day? Did Shen suffer mistreatment from her mother while he was away?

But how could the matriarch of the Pei family not be able to bear even this little bit of grievance?

The image of Shen Yunjiao's stubborn and defiant expression when she looked at him just now flashed through his mind again.

It resembles a type of wild grass from Jiangnan, growing freely and wildly, yet all alone.

What's wrong with him? He actually feels sorry for Shen Yunjiao.

“Zhixuan, you need to discipline this wife of yours properly,” Madam Pei said, shaking her head.

"Let's continue with the meal," Pei Zhixuan said, rubbing his temples. "I will teach her properly when we get back."

——

Seeing her mistress return to the room in less than an hour, Lin Mama asked in surprise, "Miss, why are you back so soon?"

Shen Yunjiao hurriedly took out a black brocade box—this was her secret stash of money.

She took out some money and valuables, and casually instructed Granny Lin, "Granny, quickly prepare a carriage for me, the sooner the better."

"By the way, do you know where the key to the villa in the suburbs that Pei Zhixuan gave me is?"

That was the only gift the original owner received from Pei Zhixuan.

Therefore, Shen Yunjiao was deeply impressed.

"This is it." Granny Lin opened a small box in the cabinet, picked out a key with a red thread from a bunch of keys, and handed it to Shen Yunjiao. "Miss, where are we going?"

"This is of great importance; you'll find out soon enough," Shen Yunjiao said solemnly.

Granny Lin didn't dare to ask any more questions and hurriedly ran to call her husband, Lin Ping.

Uncle Lin and Granny Lin accompanied Shen Yunjiao to the Duke's Mansion; they were among the few people she could trust.

As Uncle Lin skillfully prepared the carriage, Shen Yunjiao had already carefully arranged all the items, and everything was ready.

"Uncle Lin, let's go to Qinghe Ferry, quick!" Shen Yunjiao's voice was somewhat anxious.

"Young lady, so late?" Lin Mama's voice held a hint of uncertainty. "What if we encounter bad people?"

"Hey, it's alright!" Uncle Lin waved his hand heartily. "Don't worry, with me here, the young lady can go wherever she wants, and thieves won't dare to approach."

Shen Yunjiao gently patted Lin Mama's shoulder, "It's alright, Mama, why don't you rest here? I'll be alone—"

"How can you do that? I'll accompany you, Miss!" When Lin Mama heard that Shen Yunjiao wanted to go alone, she naturally refused and didn't even let Shen Yunjiao finish speaking.

When they arrived at the ferry, Shen Yunjiao asked Uncle Lin to take her for a walk along the riverbank.

She remembered that the book mentioned that on the night of the Duchess's birthday banquet, after the original owner ran into Fang Ziyu's room and made a scene, Pei Zhixuan was so angry that he took Fang Ziyu to the river to relax, and that's when they discovered the Crown Prince who had been seriously injured by an assassin.

"Ah!" Granny Lin suddenly screamed.

A man was lying on the damp grass by the riverbank, barely breathing.

Blood soaked the weeds around him, a shocking crimson stain.

Found it!

Shen Yunjiao was extremely excited.

"Young lady, don't come!" Uncle Lin said, walking ahead of Shen Yunjiao. "Let me go and see who it is first."

"Uncle Lin, don't worry, I know who he is." In the entire Great Yong Dynasty, apart from the Crown Prince, probably no one would dare to wear a black brocade robe with a dark python pattern, right?

Shen Yunjiao bypassed Uncle Lin without hesitation and walked directly in front of the man.

When her gaze met the Crown Prince's face, Shen Yunjiao froze instantly, her eyes widening in shock.

The novel does not describe Crown Prince Xiao Huaijin's appearance in much detail, only summarizing him as "gentle and refined like jade".

But who would have thought that His Highness the Crown Prince would have such a stunningly handsome face!

Although his eyes were closed and his face was a little dirty, Shen Yunjiao could tell from his perfect facial features that His Highness the Crown Prince was a handsome man!

And his nose is so prominent, she even suspects the prince is of mixed race.

"Miss, who is he? Did we come here specifically to find him?" Granny Lin grabbed Shen Yunjiao's sleeve in fear, only to see her young lady squat down and reach out to grab the man's wrist.

"Miss!" Granny Lin covered her mouth, almost letting out a scream.

"Let me check your pulse," Shen Yunjiao said, turning to Granny Lin. "Don't panic, Granny."

After a moment, Shen Yunjiao withdrew her hand. "Uncle Lin, please carry this person to the carriage and take him to the other courtyard."

Based on the pulse, His Highness the Crown Prince's internal injuries are not very serious.

Uncle Lin was always efficient. He carried the person to the east wing of the other courtyard and, following Shen Yunjiao's instructions, went to a trustworthy pharmacy in the city to get some medicine.

Shen Yunjiao stayed in the courtyard to take care of the unconscious Xiao Huaijin with Granny Lin.

Granny Lin hesitated several times before speaking.

She recently noticed that the girl seemed to have changed a lot compared to before.

Now the girl has somehow found a man and is hiding him in the other courtyard. What if the son-in-law finds out?

Shen Yunjiao noticed the worry on Lin Mama's face.

She dipped the towel into the copper basin overflowing with warm water, and while rubbing it, she said to Granny Lin, "Granny, don't worry, I have my reasons for doing this. This person is of noble status, and saving him will benefit us."

When Granny Lin heard that the young lady seemed to have a plan, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She always listens to the girl, and it's good that the girl has her own plans.

“Miss, this young master’s injuries are quite serious. I’ll go fetch a few more basins of water and find him some clean clothes to change into.”

The man had multiple knife wounds on his chest and back, and a wound on his abdomen that was about four inches long and one inch deep. It was probably wet, and the flesh of the wound was turned outwards, making it look very gruesome.

These things are not a big deal. What bothers Shen Yunjiao the most is that his eyes must have been hit very hard, as his eye sockets are red and purple.

These assassins are really ruthless!

Sigh, it seems that being the crown prince isn't an easy job.

Shen Yunjiao wrung out the towel and began to carefully clean the man's wound.

Lin Mama carried a large basin of hot water back into the room. When she saw the pale, white body, she almost fainted. "Miss! Men and women should not touch each other. Let this old servant do this."

Shen Yunjiao blinked, wondering how to explain to Granny Lin that in a doctor's eyes, patients are not distinguished by gender.

But she still obediently got up from the bedside and handed the towel to Granny Lin, saying, "Then I'll go see if Uncle Lin has brought the medicine back yet."

After wiping her face with the towel for a while, Granny Lin belatedly realized, "Huh, when did my young lady learn to prepare medicine and treat illnesses?"

Could it be that she saw her son-in-law bring back a female doctor and wants to study medicine too?