Seeing that her young mistress was not angry but smiling, Manhuan looked completely at a loss.

"Miss...did I say something wrong?"

Mingzhuang waved his hand, in a cheerful mood: "No, no, you didn't say anything wrong."

Then, tilting her head and thinking for a moment, she said, "Don't worry about this matter. When will your young lady be able to get any leverage against you? Our good days are yet to come. Just do your job well and don't make me worry!"

Man Huan nodded, and then a smile appeared on her face.

She then asked with concern, "Did I pull your head and hurt it, Miss? You're wearing so much jewelry today, you must be tired. I'll give you a massage later."

"It really does hurt a bit, but you've been out with me all day and it must have been tiring. Let Xue Rong or Qiu Tang come and take care of you later. You should get some rest tonight."

Manhuan then noticed that it seemed that the young lady hadn't had Ruyi come to keep watch at night for a long time.

However, she also knew that Miss was usually cautious in her actions, and Ruyi had played such a role in the matter of the Third Miss. It was understandable that the Ninth Miss was unwilling to be close to her or give her important responsibilities again.

Although she pitied Ruyi, she would not go against Shen Mingzhuang's wishes because of it.

Because of the hairpin flower banquet, for the next month or so, the women of the Shen family did not participate in any banquets or events in the capital. Lin Shi also claimed to be ill and did not see any of the other concubine daughters except for Shen Mingshu.

When the old lady found out, she just chuckled and said nothing.

After that incident, Shen Ming'e became closer to Shen Mingzhuang.

Whether there was something to do or not, Shen Ming'e would go to Cuixuan Residence. She belatedly realized that she seemed to be living in the same courtyard as her aunt, while Shen Mingzhuang had his own courtyard, and the people serving him inside and outside were no less than those serving the legitimate daughter, Shen Mingshu.

For some reason, she felt a strange sensation.

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival, Shen Shuchun finally returned to Beijing.

The old lady had caught a cold these days, and on the pretext that she didn't want to pass on her illness to the younger generation, she asked Granny Tian to close the doors of Meishou Hall. When Shen Shuchun returned and heard about this, he immediately wanted to go and see her, but was stopped by his elder brother Shen Bochun.

“Mother was angered a few days ago, and her anger has taken its toll. She has been in pain for the past month and is not seeing anyone. Let’s not bother her and make her angry again. What we three brothers need to do now is to work together to make the Shen family better and better, so that Mother can rest assured.”

Shen Shuchun listened and nodded, "Brother is right, I was not thoughtful enough."

"It's not that you didn't think things through!" The second brother, Shen Zhongchun, chuckled. "It's just that you're worried and confused, concerned about Mother's health. Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. You've been away from the capital for several months, and the three of us brothers are finally all together again. Let's have a drink!"

After several rounds of drinks, Shen Shuchun finally got a clear understanding of what had happened at home during his absence from the capital. Upon learning that Lin Shi and his daughter had caused so much trouble, Shen Shuchun was filled with remorse and punished himself with three cups of wine, saying, "It's my fault for not marrying a virtuous wife, causing my mother to suffer!"

These words were a bit harsh. Shen Bochun's head was spinning at the moment. Shen Zhongchun glanced at the maids serving wine and dishes around him, and the maids immediately understood and withdrew.

"Third brother, how can this be blamed on you? However, your wife does sometimes say and do things inappropriately. You should pay more attention to this. After all, a virtuous wife is half the battle. If Lin continues like this, I'm afraid it will hinder your career!"

*

The conversation between the three brothers reached Lin's ears in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.