After leaving the eldest princess' room, Shen Xinyan saw the Fang sisters coming towards her from afar, one after the other. Naturally, she could tell that the sisters were no longer as close as they were at the beginning, and she understood what was going on.

It seems like there is still a rift between the Fang sisters!

Of course, she didn't think Fang Birong would really hate her sister because of a man she had only met once. People's negative emotions are naturally only vented to the people they trust the most and are closest to. Fang Birong has been unlucky since she arrived in the capital. She was squeezed by the noble women at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, and she failed to catch the eyes of the noble lady. Her road to marrying into a powerful and wealthy family was full of ups and downs. She had long been filled with dissatisfaction and resentment.

Qi Liuxiu was just the trigger that triggered her negative emotions.

"Sister-in-law."

"Madam of the Crown Prince."

When they met face to face, Shen Xinyan would naturally not be rude, and the same went for Fang Birong.

Fang had been trying hard to follow in Princess Qiongshu's footsteps recently. In addition, she had been frustrated repeatedly by Shen Xinyan in the past period of time, so she had become wary of her. Seeing this, she smiled and nodded at her in a generous and proper manner, but did not say much.

"Second brother's wife."

She did not take the initiative to provoke, and Shen Xinyan did not intend to confront her. They greeted each other in a rare harmonious manner, and then turned around and left.

If the Fang sisters didn't bother her, she wouldn't mind getting along with them without interfering with each other.

Fang Birong and Qi Liuxiu had only met once in a while, and it was because of her that she had the opportunity to meet Qi Liuxiu at the Hundred Flowers Banquet. If she really used this as a handle on the Fang sisters to report to the Grand Princess, she would be the first one to suffer.

She has no basis whatsoever and relies solely on her mouth. To put it more seriously, she has tarnished the reputation of an unmarried daughter of her relative's family. For this reason alone, the Grand Princess will never forgive her.

A woman who goesssips can be divorced!

Perhaps Fang was really frightened by her at first, but after she calmed down and thought about it carefully, she probably figured out this point.

Shen Xinyan had not really intended to use this to take over the Fang family that day, she just wanted to strike first and gain the upper hand first. Even if Fang Birong really got together with Qi Liuxiu in the future, no one could blame her.

The sky is going to rain, her mother is going to get married, her brother-in-law is going to cheat on her, can she still tie them up with a rope?

Cheating? She was stunned, and felt that this unfamiliar word was very appropriate, but she couldn't remember where she heard it from.

When she returned to Funing Courtyard and just stepped over the threshold, she saw her daughter holding a wet handkerchief in front of her, smiling sweetly, "Mom, wipe your hands."

She is so well behaved and smiles so sweetly, it seems that she is coaxed by her grandmother.

Shen Xinyan raised her eyebrows slightly, but deliberately put on a stern face and said "hmm", then took the handkerchief and wiped her hands.

The little girl saw that her mother didn't smile at her as gently as usual, and her face fell all of a sudden. She rubbed against her side pitifully, gently grasped her sleeve with her little hand and shook it, and said coquettishly: "Mom..."

Shen Xinyan said "hmm" again and still ignored her.

The little girl sniffed and lowered her head aggrievedly: "Mom, I was wrong..."

"What's wrong?" Finally, Shen Xinyan raised her eyes and looked at her, asking lightly.

"I, I shouldn't have disobeyed."

"What else?"

"No, you shouldn't push people."

Seeing that she finally realized her mistake, Shen Xinyan sighed, pulled her to her side, and pinched the soft flesh on her face: "You!"

The little girl observed the mother's expression and naturally did not miss the smile on her mother's face. She immediately climbed up the pole, trying her best to act coquettishly and well, trying to completely make her mother forget her earlier disobedience.

Shen Xinyan was not so easily fooled by her sweet talk. She held her shoulders and held her firmly in front of her, and asked seriously, "Since you know you shouldn't push people, what should you do now?"

Seeing that she couldn't get away with it, Xiao Yingzhi pouted her lips in frustration, mumbling but unable to utter a word.

"If you did something wrong and pushed someone, shouldn't you apologize to them?" Shen Xinyan wanted to test her temper and would not allow her to escape. Her face darkened and her voice sounded a little more serious.

The little girl finally realized that this time she couldn't get away with it by just being cute and nice. She pouted and said aggrievedly, "It should be..."

"I'm glad you understand. Then come with me to find Pingfu and apologize to him in person."

The little girl's tears rolled in her eyes, and finally she couldn't help but cry: "Mom..."

"You said it yourself. If you do something wrong, you should apologize to others. You must do it if you say it. If you make a mistake and don't repent, you are not a good child!" Shen Xinyan hardened her heart and didn't let herself be shaken by her tears.

The little girl hiccuped while wiping her tears and responded, "I, I, I am a good girl. I, I will apologize to him..."

Shen Xinyan almost couldn't help hugging her to comfort her. She took a deep breath and steeled herself again: "Then wipe your tears, wash your face, and go find Pingfu with your mother."

"Okay..." The little girl sobbed and wiped her tears, but the more she wiped, the more tears she had.

Shen Xinyan could hardly control the urge to hug her hands, and those tears were like sharp needles piercing her heart.

The little girl cried for a while, and seeing that her mother was not moved at all, she finally accepted her fate and moved more swiftly. She clumsily rolled up her sleeves to wet the handkerchief, and carefully washed her tear-stained face. Then she moved to Shen Xinyan, secretly looked at her expression, and saw that her face had eased a lot. She timidly pulled her sleeves and said, "Mom, I'm done."

Shen Xinyan tidied her hair, smoothed her clothes, and went out holding her hand.

When Lin Fu, who was sitting on a small stool sipping porridge, saw them coming in, he wiped his mouth and went to greet them: "Madam, sister Yingzhi..."

Suddenly remembering that the girl refused to be his sister, he pursed his lips in embarrassment, not knowing how to address her for a moment.

Shen Xinyan knew what he was thinking. She patted his shoulder with a smile, slowly looked at her daughter, and motioned her to come forward.

Xiao Yingzhi walked out from behind her slowly, and moved to Pingfu at the speed of stepping on an ant. She glanced at him quickly, lowered her head and said in a mosquito-like voice, "Well, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you."

Lin Fu didn't hear her words clearly for a moment, and asked stupidly, "What did you say?"

Xiao Yingzhi misunderstood that he was deliberately taking revenge on her, and immediately became angry. She glared at him angrily and said in a very loud voice: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you!"

"Ah? Don't worry, it doesn't hurt at all." Pingfu waved his hand.

The little girl snorted at him and turned away without looking at him.

Shen Xinyan cast an inquiring look at Xia He who was in the room. Seeing her shaking her head at him, she was certain in her heart.

"Don't pout, you're going to get into trouble!" Turning her head, she saw her daughter's arrogant look, and she pinched her pouting lips in amusement.

The little girl sensitively noticed that her mother was in a good mood, and immediately rushed over to her and started acting coquettishly.

"Go with Brother Lingfu to find Qiutang and tell him that it was me who said that you can have two more snacks today."

"Really?!" The little girl's eyes lit up.

"Brother Pingfu, let's go!" As if afraid that she would go back on her word, without waiting for Shen Xinyan to answer, he immediately took Pingfu's hand and ran out.

"Walk slowly, be careful not to fall!" Shen Xinyan warned from behind.

From far away came my daughter's sweet and crisp voice—"I know!"

Shen Xinyan shook her head helplessly and asked Xia He, "What did the doctor say?"

"Although I'm a little weaker, I'm still in good health. I'll be fine after resting for a while." Xia He replied.

"Is he injured?" Shen Xinyan asked worriedly.

"Not really. I think the monks in Lingyun Temple don't take good care of him, but they won't abuse him. But..."

Shen Xinyan finally breathed a sigh of relief. When she heard Xia He's last two words, her heart jumped into her throat: "But what?"

"He has a scar on his shoulder. It looks like a knife wound. It must be quite old. I think he got hurt accidentally when he was younger."

What a false alarm!

Shen Xinyan poked her forehead unhappily: "You said half and left the other half, aren't you afraid of making people anxious to death?"

Xia He covered her mouth and chuckled.

After coaxing her daughter and finding out that Lingfu was not hurt, Shen Xinyan felt relieved.

When Wei Chenglin arrived that night, he was surprised to see a strange boy in the room, but he was more calm than his sister. He was only slightly surprised and followed Shen Xinyan's instructions to call out: "Fengfu."

The other person was noble, taller and more handsome than himself. He was also said to be the most outstanding in the mansion. Thinking of Wei Yingzhi's refusal to call him brother during the day, Lin Fu felt a little embarrassed for no reason and called out helplessly: "Brother Linlin, brother..."

Before Wei Chenglin could say anything, Xiao Yingzhi, who was leaning against her mother affectionately, pointed at him and laughed, "Brother Linlin, Brother Linlin..."

Pingfu's face suddenly turned red.

Wei Chenglin couldn't help but smile. He glanced at his naughty sister with amusement and pulled Lin Fu to sit next to him: "Let's sit together!"

Seeing that the two got along well, Wei Junhang and Shen Xinyan looked at each other and saw relief in each other's eyes.

The fact that the second house had a strange child did not cause any waves in the mansion. Although people did not often come into the mansion, it was not uncommon. Everyone just thought that the child was specially found by the prince's wife to serve the eldest son.

In addition, since the Grand Princess had issued an order, those who knew the truth naturally would not say anything. Over time, the people in the mansion lost their curiosity about Pingfu.

Seeing that Pingfu was adapting well in the mansion, Shen Xinyan gradually felt relieved. Because Princess Qiongshu's birthday was just a few days away, Shen Xinyan took advantage of this rare free day and simply took Pingfu and her daughter out, intending to go to Linglong Pavilion to find some unique jewelry as a gift.

"People are saying that our prince has a mistress."

“Is this true or false?”

"How dare I lie to deceive people? My husband's aunt's neighbor's daughter's sister-in-law saw it with her own eyes."

"Oh my, this is really unexpected. The prince is such a person! What will happen if the prince's wife finds out?"

"Isn't it?"

"No way! The Crown Prince's wife is such a virtuous woman. Even if the Crown Prince wants to have a concubine, the Crown Prince's wife will not disagree. Why is there any need to have a concubine outside?"

"What do you know? As the saying goes, a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a secret lover. I think this mistress is the same as a secret lover."

"That makes some sense!"

…

Qiu Tang looked at Shen Xinyan anxiously, and seeing that her face was calm and expressionless, she hated those gossiping old women to death.

"Mother, what is a concubine?"