Although she couldn't pinpoint Jiang Qingyue's mistakes for the time being, Shen Tangning didn't mind making arrangements in advance.

She pondered the details carefully. After her marriage, she was confined to the inner quarters all day. Because she had to manage the household and deal with endless trivial matters, she couldn't afford to make any mistakes. She had no time for socializing or maintaining relationships.

Lady Hou disliked her showing her face in public and always used various excuses to restrict her from going out. Shen Tangning thought it was because she had never had a child, which led Lady Hou to be so critical and displeased with her, and to become more and more cautious in her actions.

Looking back now, it seems that Madam Hou intentionally isolated her from the outside world. Apart from Xueqing and Granny Qin, everyone around her was Madam Hou's people.

Under such circumstances, no matter how perceptive she was, being confined to the inner quarters and cut off from all information, she could only hear about many things from outsiders. By the time she found out, it was already too late to change anything.

Jiang Qingyue becoming the Third Prince's concubine was completely unexpected for her. They were very close friends, and she should have been happy for her that she had found a good match.

However, it's impossible for Jiang Qingyue, as his wife, to be completely unaware of the Third Prince's attack on the Xie family. Even though they have different positions, she knew about it but never revealed a word to him, which Shen Tangning simply cannot understand.

Perhaps because the friendships formed in youth are always especially precious, Shen Tangning was unwilling to think so badly of people; perhaps she also had her own reasons.

Since her rebirth, she had been secretly wary of Jiang Qingyue, but she had not treated her coldly. Little did she know that the other party was a person with a seemingly benevolent face but a heart of a venomous snake.

She was unwilling to marry Xiao Yu as his principal wife, but was willing to become the third prince's concubine, which shows that she was indeed quite ambitious.

A glint of light flashed in Shen Tangning's eyes.

It's good that she's ambitious; otherwise, how could she lure her prey into a trap?

——

"I can't read this book even for a day!"

Chi Yan sighed and leaned back in his chair, spreading his book to cover his face.

I finally survived the college entrance exam, but even in ancient times I couldn't escape the fate of taking the civil service exam. It turns out that a government job is the only secure job!

Seeing him sighing deeply, Shen Tangning shook her head and tidied up the account book. She frowned slightly: "The shop in Rouge Lane lost money again last month. I'm thinking of changing to another business. It's not a long-term solution to keep losing money like this."

From beneath the book came Chi Yan's deep, resonant voice: "Rouge Lane, one of the shops that were separated from the Chi family?"

Shen Tangning looked slightly troubled: "Yes, the shopkeepers have all handed over the management of those shops to me. Look at these account books, I'm too embarrassed to show them to her."

She was good at accounting, but running a shop was definitely not her forte. Besides, there were many cosmetic shops in Rouge Lane, and the competition was fierce.

If they weren't beyond redemption, the Lady Hou and the Old Lady wouldn't have given them the shop.

Chi Yan straightened up slightly, the book sliding off his face, his handsome face showing a hint of mockery: "Is there anything else that can bother you?"

Shen Tangning pursed her lips, not finding it difficult to speak: "Everyone has their strengths, and I'm not good at these things."

She just felt that she might have to betray her mother-in-law's trust in her, but she was strong-willed and felt unwilling to give in easily.

Seeing her unusually dejected expression, Chi Yan stopped teasing her and instead asked, "Rouge Lane, does it only sell cosmetics and other things that women like?"

Shen Tangning nodded slightly: "That's right."

He raised an eyebrow: "If I remember correctly, there are at least seven or eight similar shops on that street?"

She lowered her eyelids slightly and sighed, "Isn't that right? In such fierce competition, standing out is by no means easy."

That's why she's considering changing her livelihood.

Chi Yan smiled and said, "That's not difficult. People always like novel things. If you can focus on novelty, you can attract customers."

Shen Tangning widened her eyes slightly: "You make it sound so easy. It's just the same old stuff anyway, how can it be anything new?"