"Shh!"

Qingying turned her head and covered Suxin's mouth, and the two of them looked down.

Just now, that young academician sneaked into Ning Yin's room.

This is a small courtyard with three rooms, which Xiao Xuan specially instructed someone to arrange for Ning Yin.

Normally, no one else comes in except for the three of them.

"A thief has broken in!"

Qingying narrowed her eyes, then quickly carried Suxin to the rooftop.

"I'm scared..."

Su Xin clung tightly to Qing Ying's waist, not daring to let go, while Qing Ying's lips were practically curled into a smile.

Hold on to me.

The two squatted down and lifted a tile, only to see the clerk in the small courtyard rummaging through Ningyin's room.

"He actually tried to steal my young lady's money! Put me down right now!"

Su Xin glared angrily at the scene below, while Qing Ying calmly held onto her tightly.

"Hurry up, or he'll get away."

"What are you afraid of? Where can this person run to? Let's wait a bit longer. Once we catch him red-handed, he won't be able to deny it."

The two stared intently at the man, who quickly searched the entire room.

Meanwhile, Ning Yin was still searching for Lord Li's whereabouts, but she didn't see Lord Li. Instead, she saw a carriage approaching from not far away.

Yang Shuhuan and Shen Jia, who were in the carriage, were on the orders of Marquis Wuding to deliver some New Year's gifts to Consort Chen.

It was their first time entering the palace, and they were inevitably dazzled by its magnificent architecture.

Shen Jia, in particular, was extremely excited.

Yang Shuhuan took her hand and patted it gently, but inwardly she was mocking her for being so naive.

"Sister-in-law, once you marry into the family after the New Year, you will be the Lady of the Marquis's Mansion. There's no need for this. You'll have plenty of opportunities to enter the palace if you want to in the future."

Hearing Yang Shuhuan say that, Shen Jia looked forward to the wedding day even more.

If it weren't for Madam Wang forbidding her from moving into the Marquis's mansion before marriage, she would have moved there immediately.

Although Yang Shujing would come to the general's mansion to keep her company from time to time, it was never as sweet as being together every day.

Thinking of this, Shen Jia couldn't help but touch the pair of pearl earrings on her ears, feeling very happy.

"Sister Shuhuan, look, this is what Shujing gave me yesterday. Isn't it pretty?"

Shen Jia smiled faintly with her head down, unaware that Yang Shuhuan's gaze was fixed on Ning Yin outside the carriage.

Her fingertips, gripping the handkerchief, felt slightly weak and were pressed red. The darkness in Yang Shuhuan's eyes deepened, but a smile remained on her lips.

"parking!"

Shen Jia was still waiting for Yang Shuhuan to praise her when she heard Yang Shuhuan say two words indifferently.

"What's wrong, Sister Shuhuan? Have we arrived?"

Shen Jia followed Yang Shuhuan's gaze and saw Ning Yin dressed in a dark blue imperial physician's robe.

"Isn't this...isn't this that bitch Ning Yin?"

"It's her. There's no need to make a fuss. She's climbed up to the Crown Prince's favorite minister, so it's normal for her to enter the palace. When we get off the carriage, don't say anything mindless. Let's go."

Yang Shuhuan bowed as she stepped out of the carriage. Ning Yin was just about to turn back to the Imperial Hospital when she heard a soft, delicate voice behind her.

"Sister Ningyin..."

Hearing the sound, Ningyin turned her head and saw a woman adorned with jewels carefully stepping down from the carriage.

"Yang Shuhuan, ha, she really is a persistent ghost."

She sneered inwardly, ignoring him, and continued walking into the courtyard.

"Sister, wait a minute, I have something to say to you."

Ning Yin stopped, Yang Shuhuan jogged over, and Shen Jia followed closely behind.

"Sister, I was wrong about what happened last time. I misunderstood you. I apologize to you."

Yang Shuhuan looked apologetic, and after speaking, she bowed to Ning Yin.

Ning Yin glanced at the two of them indifferently, and thinking of everything that had happened before, she felt contempt for them once again.

"Yang Shuhuan, don't think you can recklessly challenge my bottom line just because you're mentally challenged. You only have one face, why can't you use it more wisely? Why can't you be a decent person instead of being a slut!"

Ning Yin coldly uttered a sentence and was about to step inside when Judge Chen had already brought the food.

"Ningyin, don't be ungrateful. Sister Shuhuan is only apologizing to you because she thinks highly of you. Do you really think that just because you've entered the palace as a lowly imperial physician, you're someone important? You're nothing but a promiscuous woman. How dare you say such things!"

"Yes, I'm ungrateful, so you'd better watch out to see just how ungrateful I can be."

Before she finished speaking, Ning Yin turned around and strode up to Shen Jia, raising her hand to deliver two crisp slaps.

"You—slap!"

Before Shen Jia could finish speaking, Ning Yin slapped her hard again.

"You dare hit me!"

"What, I'll hit you whenever I want? Do I have to pick a day?"

Ning Yin still vividly remembered the scene of Xiao Xuan beating Yang Shuhuan last time.

There's no need to show mercy to such a despicable person; they should be beaten if necessary.

Otherwise, they'll stick to you like glue and won't let go.

Shen Jia was beaten to tears by Ning Yin and rendered speechless by her retort. Just as she was about to raise her hand to retaliate, her arm was grabbed by Chen Yuanpan.

“Just take it if I hit you. What, you want to hit me back? Are imperial physicians lowly? Imperial physicians are officials appointed by the court, they have official positions. Who do you think you are, swaggering around here?”

"And you, don't look like you've died. Anyone who didn't know better would think your parents had died!"

After Judge Chen finished speaking, he swung the Shen Jia forcefully, and she crashed into a pillar with a bang.

"You, you're going too far! Do you know who we are?!"

Judge Chen had been in the palace for decades, and he remembered every face in the palace clearly.

He knew better than anyone who could be offended and who could be bullied.

He had never seen these two women before; judging from their clothes and appearance, they were at most daughters of noble families.

No matter how powerful she was, he now knew that Ning Yin was someone Lord Li had instructed him to take care of.

Protecting Ningyin is more important than anything else.

Yang Shuhuan clenched her fists in anger, her face turning pale and then flushed as if she had swallowed a dead fly.

I originally came here to annoy Ning Yin, but I ended up being humiliated instead.

“Sister Ningyin, even if you don’t forgive me, you don’t have to hit Jia’er. She was once your sister.”

With tears welling up in her eyes, Yang Shuhuan turned to help Shen Jia up.

Shen Jia was furious, but now that they were in front of the Imperial Hospital, they had no help and could only glare fiercely at Ning Yin.

"So what if he hit me? He insulted an official of the imperial court. A few slaps are too lenient a punishment!"