Su Xiaoqi felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing of Shen Mingzhu's actions, but when it came to matters of the heart, outsiders could only say so much.
It had to be figured out by oneself.
If she said too much now, it would be detrimental to Shen Mingzhu in the future.
Therefore, it was best to say nothing for now and leave everything to her own consideration.
She would only step in when Shen Mingzhu could no longer resolve it.
Through such a process, she would grow rapidly.
At the same time, news came from the Ning King's mansion.
The imperial decree for Shen Yun's enfeoffment as crown prince had already been drafted.
Moreover, the Old Ning King would host a grand banquet to celebrate their return.
They hoped that the mansion was prepared.
Along with this news came the jade pendant that the Ning King had promised to Su Xiaoqi.
Su Xiaoqi finally got a close look at the jade pendant.
However, her own jade pendant could not be taken out.
It was in her space, and she could only see it by entering.
She carefully examined the round mutton-fat jade pendant in her hand, which was carved with a mountain—Yuanbao Mountain.
It was identical to the one in her space.
If there were a total of four, then she now held two. What would happen if she collected two?
Su Xiaoqi was very curious!
Shen Yun watched Su Xiaoqi holding the jade pendant and staring at it without speaking. He wanted to ask her something, but seeing how carefully and seriously she was looking, he hesitated to disturb her.
He could only clear his throat a few times.
Finally, it jolted Su Xiaoqi out of her trance.
She looked up and smiled gently at him, "Husband, what's wrong? Is your throat uncomfortable?"
Shen Yun saw her mischievous eyes and knew she was saying it on purpose.
"It's nothing, just that this jade pendant seems to be very pleasing to my wife. I recall seeing another one somewhere before. If my wife likes it, I'll get it for you."
Su Xiaoqi blinked, thinking of his methods of dealing with the Su family.
The Su family had initially hitched a ride with Prince Zhou through Su Yurou, and the matter had subsided.
But in the end, someone had secretly dealt with them.
Now, the Su family had lost all their wealth, and Old Master Su was confined to his mansion in Mianzhou City.
Su Jia Mo was still an official, but he had been demoted to serve as a county magistrate in a remote border town.
Only Su Yurou was left in the capital, agonizing over her relationship with Prince Zhou every day, unable to cause any trouble.
"Are you referring to Su Yurou's?" Su Xiaoqi hit the mark.
Compared to Shen Yun, she was more concerned about the jade pendant.
A flicker of surprise crossed Shen Yun's eyes, and he then smiled, "No, it's with the hostage from Northern Chu."
"Northern Chu's hostage, Chu Yunwei!" Su Xiaoqi repeated unconsciously.
Shen Yun nodded.
"Can it be obtained?" Su Xiaoqi tentatively asked.
"It can be, but it's a bit difficult," Shen Yun replied.
He had only mentioned it casually, not expecting his wife to be so interested.
Was that jade pendant truly that important?
He gestured for Su Xiaoqi to hand it to him.
Su Xiaoqi gave it to him.
Shen Yun, like Su Xiaoqi, examined it carefully, but apart from the familiar carving, he couldn't discern anything else.
He frowned, "What is special about this jade pendant?"
Su Xiaoqi would certainly not tell the truth.
She squinted and smiled.
Shen Yun reached out and stroked her chin.
But no matter how he tried to connect with her, he could no longer see what she was thinking, as he used to.
He said with some frustration, "My wife is hiding something from me."
Su Xiaoqi firmly shook her head to deny it.
She hadn't figured this matter out herself, so she couldn't say whether she was hiding anything or not.
Seeing her quick denial, Shen Yun wasn't sure.
He thought to himself, perhaps he was overthinking it.
Or perhaps it was related to her mysterious space.
In any case, he knew that his wife would not tell him.
He felt a bit disappointed and embraced Su Xiaoqi, saying gently, "If my wife has any difficult matters, you must tell me." Don't hide from me.
Su Xiaoqi blinked and said she would.
The Ning King was busily arranging for Shen Yun's return to the Ning King's mansion while taking the medicine prescribed by Su Xiaoqi.
He was attempting to gradually recall everything.
The others were not idle either, each busy with their own affairs.
The busiest among them was the Ning King's Consort.
She had been sending people to monitor the Ning King's movements.
Knowing that his illness was about to be cured.
Knowing that the Ning King's mansion would soon not be theirs.
She felt very depressed.
But what was even more frustrating was that she couldn't do anything she wanted.
Because the Old Ning King had already sent someone to warn her.
He said that if she had been able to bear more heirs for the Ning King's mansion, they wouldn't have had to bring Shen Yun back.
So, she herself was the cause of all this, and she couldn't blame anyone else.
Now that the legitimate son of the Shen family was ruined, Shen Yun was the only bloodline left in the Ning King's mansion.
If she dared to harm Shen Yun for her own selfish reasons, and if anything were to happen, he would not only kill her but also deal with her two daughters.
This was the Old Ning King.
Decisive and an ultimate egoist.
He never had any loyalty in his heart, only the choices that benefited the family the most.
Sixteen years ago, he could sacrifice Shen Zhongwen's love and his wife and children for the Ning King's mansion.
Now, he could also sacrifice Princess Pingning, the Ning King's Consort, for the Ning King's mansion.
In his heart, nothing was too sacred to be sacrificed.
The Ning King's Consort saw through it.
If her mother were still the Concubine Liu of the Xiang Prince's mansion, she might have had a chance to negotiate with the Old Ning King.
But now, her strongest support from her maternal family had disappeared.
She only had the Ning King's mansion to rely on.
However, judging by the Old Ning King's words, if she didn't comply, or if she made any trouble, she would surely meet a terrible end.
She would be destroying herself before anyone else could harm her.
The Ning King's Consort was extremely intelligent, otherwise, she wouldn't have risen from a mere concubine's daughter to the mistress of the mansion.
And she had managed to maintain her position as the King's Consort for so many years despite not being favored.
She readily agreed, saying she would not do anything to harm the Ning King's mansion and that the Old Prince could rest assured.
"However, for the stability of the mansion, I request the Old Prince to allow me to select a Crown Princess for the Crown Prince."
This meant that if he didn't want her to cause trouble, he had to let her choose the Crown Princess.
This request was trivial to the Old Ning King and posed no problem.
The Old Ning King agreed, and then waved his hand, signaling the Ning King's Consort to leave.
As they walked, Princess Qionghua, who had been guarding the Ning King's Consort, said with some surprise, "Mother, hasn't Shen Yun already married? Why are we still looking for a Crown Princess?"
"Hmph, is a lowly person married in the countryside even considered a wife?
Given her background, she isn't even qualified to be a concubine in our King's mansion."
Let alone being a concubine, they wouldn't even buy a maid from the mountains who hadn't been educated.
Princess Qionghua was delighted. Although this matter was not of great importance to her,
after all, no matter who inherited the King's mansion as the Crown Prince, it wouldn't prevent her, as a Princess, from getting married and leaving home.
However, if her brother inherited the King's mansion, she might have more backing after marriage.
But given her status, which families would dare to bully her!
Princess Qionghua thought so.
However, she was still happy to hear that they could humiliate Su Xiaoqi and Shen Yun in their marriage.
She disliked that woman anyway and didn't want her to enter the King's mansion at all.