After giving her contraceptives, she went mad, criticizing the prince for turning white-haired overn

Shen Rou shook her head, her eyes slightly red.

She spoke in a low voice, as if she had suffered some injustice.

"Your Majesty, there's no need. I will discipline my two younger sisters."

Consort Liu sneered: "If Shen Ning opposes you again, then come and tell me."

As she spoke, she looked tenderly at Shen Rou, and seeing her eyes redden, her heart ached.

"Over the years, you, as the eldest sister, have sacrificed so much for your younger siblings, but they not only don't appreciate it, they also treat you like this."

"You are the eldest daughter of the Shen family's main branch, and the eldest daughter should have the demeanor of an eldest daughter."

Shen Rou nodded slowly: "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Never mind," Consort Liu sighed.

"Take good care of yourself when you get back. You must do your best at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet."

"Rou'er understands," Shen Rou replied softly.

After having lunch in Consort Liu's palace, Lady Yu left Changqiu Palace with Shen Rou and Yu Jingshu.

Inside Changqiu Palace, Consort Liu sat upright in a chair, holding the South China Sea pearl given to her by Shen Rou, examining it closely.

"I feel that this pearl is somewhat different..."

She hesitated for a moment, then waved her hand and said, "Never mind."

"Since it was Rou'er who gave it to me, then string it together for me."

The nanny nodded: "Yes, Your Highness."

"And another thing," Consort Liu's tone turned cold.

"The second daughter of the Shen family doesn't know her place, and her manners are probably not up to par."

"Go to the Shen family and bring her to Changqiu Palace. I will personally teach her how to respect her elder sister."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As night fell, Shen Rou, along with Madam Yu and Yu Jingshu, returned to the Shen residence from the palace.

As soon as they entered the front yard, they saw Shen Ning walking into the main hall.

Shen Rou immediately noticed the hairpin on Shen Ning's head.

A round pearl, with a light golden luster, is set on the hairpin. It is so bright and beautiful that it is hard to look away.

The size, color, and dimensions are exactly the same as the one she gave to Consort Liu today.

But the luster is completely different.

The pearl before me is so bright and dazzling, it seems as if light is flowing through it.

Could it be... the one Xiangling bought from the Treasure Pavilion?

It's not impossible that fake pearls can sometimes have a more dazzling luster than real ones.

This idiot probably doesn't even know he's wearing a fake.

Shen Rou stepped forward and looked at Shen Ning with gentle eyes:

"Ning'er, that pearl in your hair is so beautiful, so round and shiny. Where did you get it?"

Shen Ning reached out and gently touched the pearl hairpin in her hair, replying with a forced smile:

"This is a top-grade South Sea pearl, a unique piece that was presented to the capital last year as tribute from the South Seas."

"His Majesty bestowed it upon the Eldest Princess, and this one is a gift from her to me."

"I see." Shen Rou smiled.

"Ning'er and Princess Chaoyang are very close; she even gave Ning'er pearls from the South Seas."

"Alright, I'll go back to my room now."

After Shen Rou finished speaking, she looked displeased and led Yu Jingshu into her own courtyard.

Shen Ning entered the front hall and went to see Old Madam Shen.

Madam Shen sat upright in her chair, her gaze fixed intently on her.

"Now that you have come of age, your marriage is still undecided."

"Grandmother thinks your cousin Qingyu is a good candidate, so she wanted to ask your opinion."

Shen Ning frowned slightly: "Cousin Qingyu?"

"Grandmother, when did I get such a cousin?"

My cousin's surname is Ye, and his given name is Ye Huai.

Madam Shen's face darkened, and she said coldly, "Yu Qingyu is your second aunt's nephew, so naturally he is also your cousin."

Shen Ning understood now.

Old Madam Shen and her second aunt are determined to marry her off to some scoundrel.

One Ning Congwen wasn't enough, so Yu Qingyu came along.

If she guessed correctly, Shen Rou probably had another trick up her sleeve.

Shen Ning smiled:

Why is my grandmother so fixated on my marriage?

"My eldest sister is already twenty years old, and she's the oldest unmarried woman in the Shen family. If she doesn't get married soon, she'll probably attract even more gossip."

"How about this, let's marry our eldest sister off to the Yu family. She's close to Second Aunt anyway, so marrying into Second Aunt's family would strengthen family ties, wouldn't that be even better?"

She turned to Madam Yu, who was sitting to the side:

"What does Second Aunt think?"

"If eldest sister remains unmarried, what will the powerful and wealthy families of Yanjing say about our Shen family?"

Madam Yu's face darkened, and she glared fiercely at Shen Ning:

"The Imperial Concubine has her own plans regarding your eldest sister's marriage."

"Your cousin Yu is a good man. I'll send him to the capital another day so you two can meet and see for yourselves."

Looking at each other?

Shen Ning felt nauseous.

Yu Qingyu was nothing more than a thirty-year-old bachelor, not only was he fat and big-eared, but he was also addicted to gambling.

In his previous life, after he came to the Shen family, he spent his days gambling with his second brother.

He gambled away all the dowry his mother left to his first wife.

In this life...

Shen Ning narrowed her eyes slightly.

Since Yu Qingyu was coming, she would make the Yu family understand what it meant to reap what you sow.

Yu Qingyu is, after all, a member of the Yu family.

But Yu Pingsheng was a fake member of the Yu family.

Since Madam Yu dared to send her nephew from her maternal family, she must have believed that Yu Qingyu could keep her secret.

Since that's the case, she'd like to see if she could pry Yu Pingsheng's background out of Yu Qingyu herself.

Shen Ning looked displeased and turned to Madam Yu:

"My marriage is none of your concern, Auntie."

"Everything has its order of arrival. My elder sister is the eldest daughter of the Shen family's main branch, and her marriage is still undecided, so there's no need for me to rush."

"If Grandmother is really in a hurry, why not let my eldest sister and Cousin Yu meet first, and marry my eldest sister off first?"

Having said that, she didn't give Madam Shen and Madam Yu any face, got up from her chair, and went to her own Zhaohua Courtyard.

Not long after returning to Zhaohua Courtyard, the old lady Shen's maidservant arrived.

"Second Miss, Her Highness the Imperial Concubine requests your presence in the palace."

Shen Ning frowned, just as she had expected.

After entering the palace with the nanny, she was taken all the way to Changqiu Palace.

Upon entering the bedchamber, she saw Consort Liu sitting upright in a chair, looking down at her.

Shen Ning immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"This humble woman greets Your Highness, the Noble Consort."

The person in the high position did not respond, but only fixed their cold gaze on her face.

Upon seeing this face, which bore a striking resemblance to Ye Shi, Consort Liu felt a surge of disgust.

Everyone in Yanjing knew that His Majesty was extremely infatuated with Lady Ye back then, even to the point of turning against Prince Ming.

The Empress Dowager put in a lot of effort to mend the relationship between her two sons.

Upon seeing Shen Ning, Consort Liu felt a surge of resentment welling up in her chest.

"Who taught Miss Shen her manners?"

Shen Ning replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I learned it from the nanny in the manor."

Consort Liu sneered:

"Is this all the etiquette you've learned?"

"When you bow, you should lower your body!"

Shen Ning nodded slowly: "Yes, Your Majesty."

She lowered her body even further, deliberately revealing the pearl hairpin inlaid with South Sea pearls in her hair.

Before entering the palace, she removed all the jewelry from her head.

This one branch was left out so that people would see it at a glance.

Consort Liu looked down at the kneeling girl.

The little girl pursed her lips tightly, her face was pale, and she looked timid and hesitant, which made me frown.

This timid appearance is hardly the sign that someone would dare to talk back to Shen Rou.

But her eyes still immediately fell on the hairpin in Shen Ning's hair.

The pearl on the hairpin was round and shiny, with a flowing luster. Although it was similar to the one Shen Rou had given her earlier, its luster was completely different.

"Is that pearl on your head a gift from His Majesty during the spring hunt?"

Shen Ning shook her head: "Your Majesty, it's not an Eastern pearl, it's a Southern pearl."

"South Sea pearls?" Consort Liu frowned.

His gaze fell on the pearl, and he couldn't look away for a moment.

"Bring it here for me to see."

"Yes, Your Highness." Shen Ning carefully removed the hairpin and handed it to Consort Liu.

Consort Liu carefully compared this South Sea pearl with the one on her wrist, and her heart suddenly sank.

The difference is more than just a little; Shen Ning's is clearly of superior quality.

"Are you sure yours is a South Sea pearl?"

Shen Ning nodded slowly: "This humble woman dares not deceive Your Majesty, this pearl is a South Sea pearl, a tribute from the Southeast Asia."

Consort Liu felt a little flustered.

"Granny, go and invite the craftsmen from the Treasure Pavilion over."

"I want to see which one is the real one, Miss Shen's or mine."