Zhang Chen was taken aback upon hearing what his stepmother said: "Jinling? Mother?"
This was the first time he had ever heard anything about Jinling, and also the first time he learned of his mother's situation.
"The Jinling Shen Family is immensely wealthy, controlling half of the silk industry in the country, and they also manage thirty percent of the canal transport. You can imagine the sheer strength of the Shen Family. Otherwise, the Zhang Family wouldn't have chosen them for a marital alliance with your father. Your mother, Shen Lian, is the legitimate daughter of the Shen Family. For generations, their women have been taken into the palace as concubines, which shows the family's deeply rooted influence," Mrs. Zhang said solemnly.
"With the Shen Family being such a giant, they probably wouldn't accept me. After all, I'm carrying a guilty tag. Why would the Shen Family risk offending the Emperor by taking me in?" Zhang Chen questioned, filled with doubt.
