One sentence struck Shen Mingzhuang like a hammer blow, leaving him completely stunned.

Bring someone into the palace? Does she think the palace is some kind of villa belonging to the Shen family, where she can just bring people in whenever she wants? Doesn't she realize that if that were the case, wouldn't the palace be in chaos? Wouldn't those who oppose the imperial power be able to come and go as they please?

Shen Ming'e wasn't stupid; why would she say something like that out of nowhere? Shen Mingzhuang was somewhat puzzled. Suppressing her doubts, she asked, "Who is this person, and why do they want to enter the palace?"

After a moment of silence, Shen Ming'e suddenly grabbed Shen Mingzhuang's hand, her voice trembling and tinged with tears: "Ninth Sister, can you help me with this, just this once!"

She gripped him so tightly, like a drowning person grasping at a last straw, that Shen Mingzhuang couldn't help but furrow his brow.

Man Huan, who was sleeping next to him on night duty, heard the noise and immediately got up, went over to light a lamp, and asked repeatedly what had happened.

Worried that they might disturb others, Shen Mingzhuang quickly said to Man Huan, "It's nothing, it's nothing. It's just that Miss Ba has a few words to say to me."

Then, worried that Shen Ming'e might say something shocking, he instructed Man Huan, "You stand guard at the door and don't let anyone in."

Manhuan nodded, put on her coat, and went to the door.

Shen Ming'e had already sat up, tears welling in her eyes as she pleaded with her, "Ninth Sister, I can only beg you for this. If you can help me, I will do my best to help you in the future and will never refuse!"

“But if you don’t tell me anything, how can I agree to your request? The palace has strict rules, and not just anyone can enter. Even personal maids are questioned. If you refuse to tell me why Wenxin insists on entering the palace…” Shen Mingzhuang’s long eyelashes fluttered, and she smiled with her lips pursed. She paused and said, “Then I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

As Shen Ming'e listened, her mind was in turmoil. She knew that if she were to ask Shen Mingzhuang for help, Wenxin's identity could not be kept secret. She hesitated, as if she were having a final internal struggle.

Seeing the large beads of sweat on her forehead, Shen Mingzhuang didn't urge her. Instead, he got up and personally poured her a cup of tea.

This is hawthorn fruit tea. It won't keep you awake at night. It's sweet and sour and quenches your thirst, which she really likes. Especially since there are a few candied fruits in it. It's cooked until it's sweet and sour and chilled on an ice bowl. One sip is refreshing and soothing!

She then noticed that the rain outside had stopped sometime earlier, but there were still occasional rumbles of thunder in the sky, so the rain had probably only stopped temporarily.

Holding the cool tea, Shen Ming'e looked steadily at Shen Mingzhuang, her eyes now showing a hint of determination. She took a sip of the tea and sighed with some emotion. It was so delicious! She had only ever had fruit tea like this at Cuixuanju. She wondered when she had gradually realized that Ninth Sister seemed to be different from them.

“Wenxin cannot enter the palace.” With a faint taste of candied fruit mixed with the sweet and sour flavor of hawthorn on her tongue, she slowly opened her mouth, “because she is my half-sister, sharing the same mother but a different father.”

In that instant, Shen Mingzhuang almost lost his balance and knocked the teacup to the ground!

This is simply outrageous! She couldn't help but secretly rejoice that she had prepared in advance, otherwise she would probably have lost her composure even more.

She had considered that Wenxin might be an important person to Aunt Liu, but she never imagined that she was actually her illegitimate daughter! Being a concubine meant having no freedom; the buying and selling of concubines was extremely lowly. The fact that Aunt Liu had an illegitimate daughter meant that she had already had affairs before following Shen Shuchun, and not only that, she also kept her illegitimate daughter by her side…

If word gets out, the Shen family's reputation will be ruined!

Shen Mingzhuang was surprised and couldn't help but sigh.

They both have the same mother, but one is the daughter of the Shen family, while the other is an illegitimate child who cannot be brought into the light of day. Now, she is facing the crisis of possibly serving the same man as her mother. It is truly heartbreaking to think about.

But what if he brought Wenxin into the palace? He was already planning to escape at some point, so he couldn't possibly run away with Wenxin too. This wasn't as simple as it sounded.

But if I ignore her and run away, it will implicate Wenxin. If Jiang Wang is displeased, he might kill her. What should I do then?

“Why not secretly arrange for her to go out and be sent far away? That would be better than sending her to the palace. If she goes to the palace, she might never be able to get out. That wouldn’t be a good way out for Wenxin either.”

Shen Mingzhuang pondered, just about to ask her to go back and talk to Aunt Liu again, when Shen Ming'e shook her head like a rattle drum, "No, if we do that, it will definitely arouse Lin's suspicion. The Lin family is rich. If they insist on finding Wenxin, then none of us will be able to survive!"

It seemed to make sense, but Shen Mingzhuang felt there must be a better way, but he couldn't think of one for the time being, and the room fell silent.

Man Huan, standing at the door, overheard almost everything the two were saying. She couldn't help but open her mouth wide. This Aunt Liu looked so gentle and kind, but she actually had the audacity to hide her illegitimate daughter in the mansion. This was simply outrageous. Even in storybooks, they wouldn't dare to write something like this!

If Miss agrees to bring Wenxin to the palace, wouldn't that create trouble? But if she just stands by and does nothing, her conscience won't allow it.

Just as they were wondering what their young mistress would choose, Shen Ming'e's crying echoed through the room once again.

“Ninth Sister, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. If you agree to this, your aunt and I will listen to you from now on. Your aunt is quite far along in her pregnancy now, and we consulted a fortune teller who said it's a boy. From now on, we will have a firm foothold in this family…”

Shen Mingzhuang didn't really care about these words. Lin Shi had Shen Anzhang under her care, so even if Concubine Liu gave birth to a boy, it wouldn't affect Shen Anzhang's status as the eldest son.

She wondered what Aunt Liu would offer in exchange.

There are no eternal friends in this world, only unchanging interests. She makes things convenient for Liu, so Liu should at least show some sincerity in return.

She has no shortage of money or jewelry; she only hopes that her departure will be smooth. That would require someone to help her make arrangements outside the palace, and Wenxin is someone she can help with...

The next morning, before dawn, Shen Ming'e secretly took Shen Mingzhuang to Biyue Tower.

Seeing the two young ladies dressed in green like ordinary maids, Aunt Liu was stunned for a moment, and looked at Shen Ming'e with a questioning look: "Who are these?"

Shen Ming'e didn't care about anything else. She told Wenxin to watch the door while she helped Aunt Liu into the house.

After the whole story was explained, Aunt Liu's expression changed drastically.

She clenched her fists involuntarily and looked at Shen Mingzhuang tentatively. How could she tell others about this? The biggest taboo in life is to hand over one's fatal weakness to others!