Aunt Zhou's face stiffened.

The use of the characters “栖姻” is truly presumptuous.

However, Madam Shen lived a miserable life, and her two concubines did not take her seriously. Consequently, they also did not regard Shen Qiyin, the legitimate daughter, as a priority.

Madam Shen always said, "Harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things," and advised her to keep the peace. Therefore, she rarely paid attention to their petty thoughts.

But now, she always finds something to do even when there's nothing wrong, let alone Aunt Zhou who's deliberately walking into the line of fire!

"Although my aunt has the merit of giving birth to my elder brother, she is still a concubine after all. Is it inappropriate for her to call me by my name?" She would rather not mention this mistake than point it out.

Aunt Zhou: "I..."

“I’m fine, but if word gets out, people will laugh at my grandmother for not managing the household well.”

“What’s worse, those censors might impeach Father, saying he favors his concubine over his wife. That would be terrible.” Shen Qiyin frowned, looking very worried.

Although her tone was light and casual, her words carried a heavy weight.

With such a huge accusation leveled against her, Aunt Zhou was extremely uneasy.

She cautiously glanced at the old lady and Shen Cang's expressions, and sure enough, the two of them, whose expressions had eased slightly, now had faces as black as shoe soles.

She quickly stood up, bowed respectfully to her, and explained in a soft voice, "Please forgive me, Second Miss. I was in a moment of haste and spoke without thinking. I will not do it again in the future."

"If it's just a momentary rush, that's fine. I'm just worried that Auntie is so focused on taking care of Father and Eldest Brother that she'll forget the rules."

“Grandmother has always valued these things the most, and she always uses the family rules of the big family to restrain us. Aunt should also take her words to heart.”

This means that Aunt Zhou doesn't respect Old Madam Shen.

She quickly knelt down and kowtowed: "...I will always keep the old lady's teachings in mind."

"Is that so?" Old Madam Shen asked sarcastically, and without waiting for her answer, she said in a deep voice, "I think you've completely forgotten them. Go back and copy the family rules a hundred times!"

"……yes."

Aunt Zhou knelt on the ground, looking aggrieved. No one called her to get up, so she dared not move.

Perhaps unable to bear seeing Aunt Zhou being bullied, Shen Guangzong, despite his scratched face, asked, "I didn't see Second Sister earlier. Where did you go? Why are you only coming back now?"

"It's better not to mention it."

He persisted, saying, "What can't be said? Did you go somewhere you shouldn't have behind your father's back?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Cang's gaze immediately swept over.

Shen Qiyin looked only at Shen Guangzong and said, "Brother, are you sure you want me to speak?"

"...What's there to be uncertain about!" That's what he said, but he felt inexplicably uneasy, as if the girl's words had a deeper meaning.

"Alright then." Shen Qiyin seemed to have made a decision.

Then, under the gazes of the crowd, some puzzled and some frightened, he slowly uttered three words.

Guangrentang.

Shen Guangzong breathed a sigh of relief, but sneered inwardly.

As expected, upon hearing those three words, Shen Cang visibly became displeased and angrily questioned, "What are you doing there?!"

Shen Xiyin answers every question: "I sit in on clinics, prescribe medicine, and make money by treating illnesses."

"How dare you!" Shen Cang slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. "You're a young lady who shouldn't be staying in the manor waiting to be married. You dare to go out and show your face in public. Who gave you permission to go out?"

"Oh, Grandmother allowed it."

Old Madam Shen, who was suddenly called out, was speechless.

She felt somewhat guilty about what she had done, otherwise she wouldn't have bothered to hide it from Shen Cang.

Denying it now is futile.

She has always been in charge of this household, so there is absolutely no way that Shen Qiyin could sneak out without alerting her.

Even if Shen Cang's brain wasn't sharp enough, he could still understand this.

So she glared at Shen Qiyin and scolded her for talking nonsense. But when she faced Shen Cang, her attitude softened considerably, no longer as tough as before. She said, "Both of the young men in the manor will become officials in the future. It's a pity that your medical skills have no one to inherit them. It's kind of you, Er Ya, to have such a heart. She has the ability and can earn money to supplement the manor. Why not?"

"Besides, I think she has some skills, otherwise why would even the Thousand Eagle Guards seek her out for medical treatment?"

Shen Cang was clearly surprised: "Who?! The Thousand Eagle Guards?"

"Yes." Seeing that his attitude had softened, Madam Shen perked up and said incessantly, "You don't know, Second Girl even got a token, which allows her to freely enter and leave Qiying Pavilion. That's quite remarkable."

Madam Shen looked as if she were "proud of it".

But Shen Qiyin knew very well that the reason she was so enthusiastic was simply because the two of them were now in the same boat.

The old lady wanted to prove to Shen Cang that her decision to allow him to practice medicine outside the manor was the right one, so as to avoid being blamed by him.

"Quick! Take that sign to your father."

"Yes." Shen Qiyin obediently replied and stepped forward to hand over the waist token she carried to Shen Cang for a closer look.

Holding the pure gold plaque in his hand, Shen Cang carefully read each word.

The words "bear and deer" made his heart skip a beat.

Among the Thousand Eagle Guards, besides the highest-ranking commander Xiao Yan, there are the thirteen deputy commanders of the Eagle Guards.

The day he was arrested and imprisoned, it was this deputy envoy named "Xionglu" who led the way.

He was tall and strong, truly like a bear.

When they took him to the jail cell, they almost broke his arm.

When Shen Cang returned this "hot potato" to Shen Qiyin, his gaze towards her was noticeably more scrutinizing and probing, and his tone was no longer as cold and hard as before.

He asked her, "How did you get involved with the Thousand Eagle Guards?"

"It was just a coincidence."

Shen Qiyin briefly recounted her experience of treating Qianxing's injuries.

For the first time, Shen Cang did not press the issue further.

But he still maintained his composure and reprimanded her, saying, "Even if you've gotten involved with the Thousand Eagle Guards, you shouldn't disobey the rules of the manor. What kind of behavior is it for a young lady to be out so early and back so late!"

“Father misunderstood. I returned home late at night, not because I went to see a doctor.”

Why is that?

“Grandmother has been quite distressed about your affairs lately, and has lost her appetite and weight.”

"I heard that Dongyuelou's pastries are the most exquisite and delicious. I was thinking of buying some osmanthus cake for my grandmother to try, but..."

She paused, and as she had hoped, she saw Shen Guangzong's face freeze instantly.

And... from beginning to end, the fearful eyes of Aunt Zheng and the others, who were eerily quiet.