The old lady was terrified when she saw that she was barely breathing.

"Who was serving you yesterday? They didn't even report that their master was ill! Drag them out and beat them to death!"

Madam Shen has been overwhelmed with troubles lately, with one problem unresolved only to be compounded by another. This has caused her to feel both angry and distressed, and she slams her hand on the table, demanding to know who has caused her this unpleasantness.

Shen Mingzhuang naturally wouldn't let the old lady use this as an excuse. She stood up, glanced at Manhuan, and then said to the old lady, "Grandmother, I'm afraid this is a heart ailment..."

The old lady frowned upon hearing this, but asked gently, "What happened? Why do you suddenly have a heart condition?"

His eyes showed worry, but his tone was kind.

“My granddaughter dreamt yesterday of an old Taoist priest with a white beard who said that she was about to suffer a calamity. If she wanted to avert it, she should take a personal item to the Sanqing Temple outside the city, leave it there for three days, and then retrieve it and place it under her pillow.”

Upon hearing this, the old lady lowered her eyes, pondering whether Shen Mingzhuang's words were true or false.

Thinking about the things that had been troubling her these past few days, the old lady had no choice but to believe it. Wasn't there going to be a disaster? If the Rongguo Duke's Mansion really involved the Shen family, Shen Mingzhuang was also a member of the Shen family, and he would inevitably suffer some hardship, unless the Emperor would take him away regardless of the consequences.

"Then let Granny Tian..."

“Grandmother, I want Manhuan to take my comb with me. I’m scared.”

Shen Mingzhuang wouldn't let the old lady arrange everything. If Manhuan couldn't get out, then all his acting would have been for nothing.

The old lady glanced at Manhuan and nodded, "Alright, then let Manhuan make the trip!"

Shen Mingrong watched from the side, his eyes flickering slightly before he slowly lowered his eyelids.

“Since you’re not feeling well, go back first. I can’t do without you here. Just take care of yourself first.” After saying that, he instructed Du Juan: “Go and go to Cuixuan Residence to see if the ice basin in Ninth Miss’s room is not enough. If it is, go directly to Steward Zhou to get some.”

Du Juan should be, as she returned to Cui Xuan Residence with Shen Mingzhuang.

Although Li Shi disliked Shen Mingzhuang, she wouldn't make a fuss over such a trivial matter. Cuixuanju had plenty of ice basins, but Qiutang had been instructed in advance. When Dujuan came over, she felt a wave of heat. When she returned to Meishoutang, she told the truth.

"This Lin family member is truly hopeless!"

Now the old lady is starting to regret letting Lin manage Shen Mingzhuang's affairs. If something bad happens, she'll probably have no choice but to atone with her death!

She still feels lingering fear when she thinks about how Grand Tutor Shen's entire family was wiped out.

Just to be on the safe side, she still asked Granny Tian to invite a doctor to take Shen Mingzhuang's pulse.

The doctor took the patient's pulse for a long time, and finally frowned as he wrote out a prescription. When Granny Tian came over to ask what was wrong, the doctor stammered and only said that the patient was too hot and had internal wind-heat attacking the body, and that two doses of medicine would be enough.

This finally put the old lady at ease.

The wives of the three branches of the household all know what's going on in the past few days, but they haven't made a move because they haven't come up with a solution yet.

Zhao was shocked to learn from somewhere that Gu was already selling off her land and fields. Was Gu about to run away?

Her second sister-in-law is no fool; she's shrewd and perceptive. She wouldn't make something out of thin air. Since they've already started selling their belongings, does the Gu family know something?

Thinking of her son and husband, Zhao was filled with worry and had no appetite all day. She just waited for her husband to come home in the evening so she could ask him about it carefully.

Lin Shi continued to eat and drink as usual these days. The Rongguo Duke's Mansion was in trouble, but it wasn't the Shen family. The Rongguo Duke's Mansion wasn't even in a panic, so what was she afraid of? Besides, she had two sisters-in-law with much more prestigious backgrounds than her. If the sky fell, the taller ones would hold it up.

She knew that her illegitimate daughter was going to Meishou Hall every day, but she didn't take it to heart.

Granny Jiang was secretly anxious and reminded her, "If this wins the old lady's favor, our third young lady will be overshadowed. Madam, you'd better plan ahead for the third young lady!"

Lin knew what she was referring to.

The Shen and Wen families have been in frequent contact lately. What is the purpose of this? She met the Wen family's young master on the day of the summer solstice. He seemed to be a decent person. Despite his young age, he was quite outstanding in his studies. Now, at only fourteen years old, he has already become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations). Although the Wen family's foundation is still shallow, with Lord Wen's influence in front of the emperor, it will not be difficult to secure a good position for his son!

She just wanted to wait a little longer. Besides, even if there was a good marriage, her Ming Shu was the eldest and legitimate daughter, so she should be given to her first, otherwise it wouldn't make sense on the surface.

"Don't worry, the old lady cares more about the marriages of the young ladies than anyone else. I just offended her the other day, so I dare not go up to her now."

Upon hearing this, Granny Jiang could only sigh. As Lin's wet nurse, she naturally knew Lin's temperament. From these words, she knew that Lin was still holding a grudge about the old lady embarrassing her.

Sometimes she's not smart when she should be, and she's smart when she shouldn't be.

It's normal for a mother to care about her daughter's marriage. Even if the old lady is angry and doesn't like her, she has nothing to say. Now, she doesn't care about anything and lets the old lady handle the marriage of the third young lady. The old lady is naturally willing to sell the third young lady for a good price!

She sighed, not wanting to say anything more, but worried that Lin would regret it later, so she explained the pros and cons to Lin. Lin was stunned and speechless for a long time before she came to her senses. Her first reaction was to go back to her parents' home.

Manhuan returned only after the sunset glow outside the west window had faded.

Shen Mingzhuang had drunk several bowls of hawthorn soup, and now his mouth was full of sourness, causing him to frown.

Xue Rong and Man Huan now have a great understanding. With just a glance from Man Huan, she immediately understands and leads the people in the room out.

"Miss, everything has been taken care of, but is Young Master Pei really able to understand it?"

Sending Manhuan to the Sanqing Temple for consecration was a pretense; the real purpose was to inform the Pei family.

This is Shen Mingzhuang's last gamble.

Pei Jingzhou had never made his feelings clear, and he remained distant towards her, which made her feel very uncomfortable.

She sent over a handkerchief embroidered with calamus patterns. Pei Jingzhou liked calamus patterns very much, and these patterns were often seen on his fans and clothes. However, the handkerchief also had a carriage embroidered on it, so he would surely understand the meaning behind her actions.

The situation is complicated now, and leaving the capital during the chaos is the best option. Everyone is trying to maximize their own interests. Jiang Wang is a tyrannical and ruthless man. The disaster that will destroy the country in ten years is likely to come sooner than expected. What is she waiting for if she doesn't run away?

Waiting to return to the palace to serve him? To become a notorious, wicked concubine who brought ruin to the country? She had no interest in that!

The reason she wanted to travel with Pei Jingzhou was because he was meticulous and had a wide network of connections. Without him, she and her two maids probably wouldn't even be able to leave the city gate.

However, she didn't dare to put all her eggs in one basket with Pei Jingzhou. She needed to leave herself another way out, just in case.