The Qin residence had been renovated. Its layout differed from the usual Ming-Qi mansions. Shen Miao noticed as soon as she entered that the residence in Yanqing Lane seemed to have been remodeled by the Qin people in their palace style—excessively luxurious.

The Qin people loved shiny golden things, just like the former Shen Miao, perhaps believing that gold and silver could display their nation’s wealth. Even some bricks in their palace were made of gold. When Shen Miao first visited Qin, she had greatly admired how exquisitely their palace was decorated. Looking back now, the preferences of the Qin royal family were truly tasteless—so eager to flaunt their wealth, yet so common.

Led by a maidservant into the garden, Shen Miao finally met Princess Mingan.

Princess Mingan sat at a small stone table in the garden. The table was covered with a fine silk handkerchief embroidered with butterflies, on which were arranged several exquisite desserts and a pot of tea. Nearby was a small pond where the water had not yet frozen this season. Many red carp swam in the pond, swaying their heads and tails, while several maids sat at the edge, holding small bowls to feed the fish.

Shen Miao stood before Princess Mingan and gave her a formal greeting.

Princess Mingan turned her head.

Among the three countries of Ming Qi, Da Liang, and Qin, Da Liang’s national power was undoubtedly the strongest. In comparison, Ming Qi and Qin were much inferior. Yet between Ming Qi and Qin, Qin was somewhat better, as their military strength was greater.

Perhaps the royal family of Ming Qi, the Fu family, was too eager to consolidate military power under the crown and reluctant to delegate authority. Over the years, Ming Qi had struggled to produce outstanding military leaders. For instance, as men like Shen Xin and Xie Ding gradually lost their former prowess, Ming Qi couldn’t find other military families to replace them. This was why Emperor Wenhuì had so urgently summoned Shen Xin back for the tribute banquet, to avoid losing face before other countries.

Qin might know they couldn’t match Da Liang, but they still considered themselves superior to Ming Qi. The Qin people always maintained a sense of superiority when facing people from the Ming Qi. This attitude was truly annoying. When Shen Miao had traveled far to Qin in her previous life, even a small palace maid there seemed to look down on her from the bottom of her heart. The Qin royalty behaved even worse. It was as if trampling her dignity would somehow trample Ming Qi’s dignity as well.

Now seeing Princess Mingan, memories from her previous life came flooding back.

“I invited you here today, thinking you wouldn’t dare come. I didn’t expect you to arrive alone—you’re quite bold,” Princess Mingan glanced at Shen Miao, her gaze suddenly turning sinister. Today she wore a golden translucent silk dress with red trim, adorned with the most beautiful ornate hairpins from Qin. Yet when she saw Shen Miao in her simple lilac cloak without any makeup, she felt overshadowed.

Princess Mingan was quite beautiful, a typical Qin royal woman, raised with golden luxury, possessing a special kind of delicacy. But people have many types of temperament. Shen Miao’s appearance tended toward the elegant and gentle, yet her aura attracted attention. Her dignified and solemn demeanor left her without any trace of softness, as if she were a woman who had sat on a high palace throne for many years, exuding an inborn nobility that couldn’t be cultivated.

“The Princess jests,” Shen Miao’s expression remained unchanged. “You are Ming Qi’s guest. Since I have the honor of your invitation, how could I not come?”

Jingzhe and Guyu stood behind Shen Miao. Mo Qing had been stopped by the guards at the door, but Shen Miao didn’t say anything about it. She knew Princess Mingan’s temperament all too well. Since Princess Mingan had sent an invitation today, she wouldn’t do anything truly dangerous to her. She would merely use some tactics to make Shen Miao suffer, and Shen Miao had come prepared. But the suffering wouldn’t be endured in vain. Whatever Princess Mingan did today, Shen Miao would repay tenfold.

“Your tongue is certainly nimble. I know you’re very bold; otherwise, at the tribute banquet, you wouldn’t have deliberately humiliated me.” Princess Mingan’s eyes flashed with killing intent as she recalled what happened at the banquet. She was Qin’s most favored princess, and even within the Qin royal family, everyone feared her. Yet in Ming Qi, a country inferior to Qin in every way, she had been frightened into fainting at the tribute banquet because of Shen Miao. Thinking of her lost face, Princess Mingan wanted to kill the person before her. If she weren’t mindful of being in Ming Qi territory and hadn’t been warned by Huangfu Hao, she would have ended Shen Miao’s life right now.

Suddenly, she looked at Shen Miao and smiled, saying, “I noticed your excellent archery and feel that the Qin palace lacks a sister like you. Why don’t I ask your Emperor to let you return with me to Qin?”

Shen Miao almost laughed. In both her past and present lives, Princess Mingan seemed to be at odds with her. These words were just like those from her previous life, when she had volunteered to be a hostage in Qin, and Princess Mingan had said to Fu Xiuyi: “Your Majesty, rest assured, since she is Ming Qi’s Empress, Qin will naturally treat her well, as my dear sister.”

Yet in Qin, the humiliation she suffered was no less than what she had endured in Ming Qi. Shen Miao’s ability to hold out for so long in her later struggles against Madam Mei in the palace owed much to her five years of hardship in Qin, where she learned patience and how to lie dormant.

“If Your Highness has such intentions, you may speak to His Majesty,” Shen Miao smiled indifferently. “If His Majesty agrees, I would have no choice but to accompany Your Highness to Qin.”

Princess Mingan had intended to mock and suppress Shen Miao, but unexpectedly, Shen Miao retorted sharply. Shen Miao was Shen Xin’s precious daughter, and Emperor Wenhuì wouldn’t move against her now, if only to keep Shen Xin. She glared at Shen Miao and exclaimed, “You—!”

Shen Miao looked at her with a smile but said nothing.

“Don’t worry, leaving like that would be too unfair to you,” Princess Mingan laughed coldly, her eyes full of malice. “Why don’t you enter my brother the Crown Prince’s household as a concubine or secondary wife? I’m sure Ming Qi’s Emperor would be quite willing.”

Shen Miao’s brow furrowed slightly. If Ming Qi wanted good relations with Qin, a marriage alliance was indeed a viable approach. If Princess Mingan persuaded Huangfu Hao, and he proposed to take Shen Miao back as a secondary wife, Emperor Wenhuì would agree. Faced with the interests of the entire country, even if Shen Xin was utterly unwilling, he could not resist.

Seeing Shen Miao momentarily lost in thought, Princess Mingan’s lips curled into a cold smile. Suddenly, she signaled to a maid beside Shen Miao. The maid abruptly extended her hand and pushed Shen Miao, who was standing at the edge of the pond, into the water!

The push was so sudden and violent that Shen Miao was caught off guard as she fell toward the pond. Jingzhe and Guyu cried out in alarm, but by the time they tried to help, it was too late. Shen Miao could already feel the cold splash of water on her clothes, but her lips were equally cold. Princess Mingan’s methods were just this crude. Since she couldn’t truly harm Shen Miao today, she would at least make her suffer. This outcome was almost exactly what Shen Miao had anticipated.

Shen Miao fell into the water with a “splash.” She knew how to swim, and although the early winter water was cold, it didn’t leave her unable to move. Just then, she heard another “splash” nearby. At first, she thought she had misheard, but when she surfaced, she saw water splashing beside her—that golden flash could only be Princess Mingan!

Princess Mingan’s screams were almost ear-piercing. She didn’t know how to swim and shrieked, “Help! Someone help!”

Princess Mingan’s maids were thrown into confusion at the sight and scrambled to find bamboo poles to rescue her. Those who could swim were all male guards, but as Princess Mingan was of royal blood, they feared that touching her body would cost them their heads the next day. No one dared to come forward to save her. Moreover, where Princess Mingan had fallen was too far from the edge.

Shen Miao had been pushed into the pond from the edge, so her landing spot wasn’t far from the bank. But Princess Mingan, who had been perfectly fine, had somehow fallen directly into the middle of the pond, beyond the reach of even bamboo poles.

Shen Miao found the scene rather amusing. But this was no time to enjoy the spectacle from the water. While everyone was in a panic, she calmly swam toward the edge of the pond.

Just as she reached the bank, with Jingzhe and Guyu anxiously trying to pull her out, an angry shout rang out: “What’s going on here?”

Two men walked in from the garden entrance. One wore golden ceremonial robes with a jade crown, his face so dark with anger it almost dripped water, somewhat marring his handsome features. The other wore purple robes trimmed with gold and a black cloak, with half his face covered by a silver mask. This did nothing to diminish his striking appearance as he calmly followed Huangfu Hao’s steps toward them.

“Your Highness, the Princess has fallen into the water!” the servants quickly reported. Seeing the servants’ panic, Huangfu Hao took a deep breath and instinctively looked at Prince Rui beside him. But Prince Rui wore a mask, and his lips under the mask curved slightly—who could tell what he was thinking?

He shouted at the guards behind him: “Go quickly!”

The guard’s face stiffened, but he had no choice. He leaped toward the pond and, being skilled in swimming and martial arts, immediately retrieved the drenched Princess Mingan to the shore.

Having swallowed quite a bit of water, the first thing Princess Mingan did upon reaching shore was to shriek while pointing at Shen Miao: “This slut pushed me into the water! Brother Crown Prince, kill her for me!”

Princess Mingan was so enraged that she could say such things in front of everyone. Huangfu Hao was alarmed and tried to stop her: “Mingan—”

Princess Mingan was startled, only now noticing that Prince Rui was standing beside Huangfu Hao. She was shocked, and then her face flushed with anger again. To appear so狼狈 before such a distinguished man—if there were a hole in the ground, Princess Mingan would have wanted to crawl into it. And all this was because of Shen Miao.

Jingzhe couldn’t hold back and defended Shen Miao: “Your Highness’s words make no sense. My lady fell into the water first. How could she have had a hand free to push Your Highness? My lady isn’t a deity with three heads and six arms!”

“Who are you to speak to me like this?” Princess Mingan laughed coldly. “Are you suggesting that I’m falsely accusing Shen Miao? Guards! Seize this presumptuous lowly maid for me!”

Shen Miao laughed coldly and shielded Jingzhe behind her, saying, “Your Highness is from Qin, and Jingzhe is my person. This is Ming Qi. Since when can Qin people run wild on Ming Qi’s soil?”

Her use of the term “run wild” was not at all polite. Even Huangfu Hao couldn’t help but glance at her.

“How dare you!” Princess Mingan shouted.

“I don’t believe I’m being impertinent.” Shen Miao’s imposing presence was not the least bit weaker. She was no longer the Empress Shen who had to swallow her anger in Qin during her previous life. Besides, if she couldn’t even protect a maid, this life would be lived in vain. For someone like Princess Mingan, who abused her status to misbehave, dealing with her didn’t even require thought.

This was the Qin people’s mansion, and Princess Mingan’s servants had already brought cloaks to cover her body. But Shen Miao had none. The lilac cloak she had worn when she arrived was completely soaked, almost clinging to her body, and even Jingzhe and Guyu couldn’t shield her effectively with their bodies. Huangfu Hao stared at Shen Miao rather indecently.

Just then, Prince Rui chuckled lightly, suddenly removing his black cloak and lightly tossing it over Shen Miao, perfectly covering her from head to toe. This gesture surprised everyone around. The Da Liang Prince Rui had kept to himself since arriving in the capital, showing no particular friendship with Ming Qi nor deliberately seeking good relations with Qin. Yet inexplicably, he was now helping Shen Miao out of her predicament.

Huangfu Hao looked at Shen Miao pensively, while Princess Mingan bit her lip in jealousy.

Jingzhe and Guyu helped Shen Miao to her feet. Princess Mingan could no longer contain herself: “It was you who pushed me in. If not for you, how would I have fallen into the lake? Unless it was my servants who pushed me?”

Shen Miao smiled. Though her hair was soaked through, her composed and forthright demeanor made her appear much more dignified than the currently furious Princess Mingan. She said, “My maid has already explained to me. I fell into the water first, so how could I have pushed Your Highness? Perhaps Your Highness slipped accidentally.”

Princess Mingan angrily retorted, “If I had slipped by myself, how could I have fallen into the middle of the pond?”

“That’s quite a coincidence,” Shen Miao replied indifferently. “I’m not an exceptionally strong warrior either, and I certainly couldn’t have pushed Your Highness to such a distance in the middle of the pond.”

A light laugh suddenly escaped. Everyone looked up to see Prince Rui curling his lips. Though he was smiling, his expression beneath the mask was unreadable, making him seem rather unfathomable.

Princess Mingan bit her lip and turned to Prince Rui: “Since Your Highness is here, being neither a Ming Qi nor a Qin person, I trouble you to judge fairly—see who is lying between myself and Shen Miao.”

By the time Huangfu Hao tried to stop Princess Mingan, it was too late. He was furious. Princess Mingan was haughty but not very intelligent. Though he knew she had targeted Shen Miao today, he hadn’t expected her to use such a stupid method. If things went wrong, Shen Miao might use the Bitter Meat Trick, leaving Princess Mingan no better off. More coincidentally, the Da Liang Prince Rui had unexpectedly come to visit today and witnessed this chaotic scene. Huangfu Hao wanted to strangle Princess Mingan.

Shen Miao lowered her eyes, while Princess Mingan raised her head hopefully toward Prince Rui. Huangfu Hao’s face showed embarrassment as Prince Rui curled his lips: “Why should this Prince concern himself with such trivial matters?”

Princess Mingan was startled, and Shen Miao secretly rolled her eyes.

“Your residence is quite lively,” Prince Rui’s words couldn’t be discerned as sarcastic or not, but that casual tone suddenly made Huangfu Hao dislike him. He glanced at Shen Miao, who was wearing Prince Rui’s cloak, and suddenly smiled slightly, saying, “Today was just a misunderstanding, though I didn’t expect Miss Shen to suffer because of it. I apologize to Miss Shen on behalf of my sister and hope she won’t take offense.”

“Brother Crown Prince?” Princess Mingan hadn’t expected Huangfu Hao to concede to Shen Miao. Anxious and dissatisfied, she called out, only to be silenced by Huangfu Hao’s cold glare. She dared not speak further, but her gaze toward Shen Miao remained filled with jealousy and hatred.

Shen Miao looked at Huangfu Hao and said flatly, “Since Your Highness the Crown Prince has spoken, I dare not refuse.” These conciliatory words were spoken with obvious reluctance, making Princess Mingan’s anger flare again, while Huangfu Hao was startled and gave Shen Miao a meaningful look.

Shen Miao lowered her eyes, concealing the myriad emotions within. Huangfu Hao, though appearing generous and courteous on the surface, was most ruthless. This ruthlessness differed from Fu Xiuyi’s—it couldn’t even conceal his disgust. During her previous life in Qin, Huangfu Hao once got drunk and tried to violate her. If not for Guyu’s desperate protection of her chastity, even if she had returned to the Ming Qi palace afterward, a white silk cord would have awaited her first—the Ming Qi royal family would not tolerate an unchaste Empress.

Yet despite this, Guyu had offended Huangfu Hao and was immediately killed with a guard’s sword. Shen Miao could never forget how Huangfu Hao had stabbed the already dead Guyu several times, blood flowing continuously, before ordering her body thrown to the wolves.

She could do nothing. In Qin, she lost one of her closest people and couldn’t even collect Guyu’s remains.

If she felt disgust toward Princess Mingan, toward Huangfu Hao, she felt hatred born of blood feud. But for now, she had no means to make Huangfu Hao pay the price.

Huangfu Hao’s gaze grew more suspicious. As Shen Miao lowered her eyes, he seemed to detect some distinct emotion that sent a chill through his body. He didn’t understand what it was, but instinctively wanted to investigate.

Just as he was about to speak, Prince Rui suddenly shifted his body slightly. He was extremely tall and upright, and when he moved to block her this way, the petite Shen Miao was almost hidden from view.

“I came at an inopportune time,” Prince Rui glanced at Huangfu Hao and Princess Mingan. Though his expression couldn’t be seen clearly, both felt a certain coldness in his gaze. He continued, “I’ll come another day.”

Huangfu Hao wanted to persuade him to stay. Given the unclear current situation, Qin certainly didn’t want to offend Da Liang. If Prince Rui, representing Da Liang, showed any sign of friendliness toward Qin, they would naturally welcome it. He had hoped to get closer to Prince Rui today, but Princess Mingan had ruined everything. He glared fiercely at her, saying helplessly, “It’s my fault for being a poor host. When Your Highness comes again, I will certainly entertain you properly.”

Prince Rui laughed lightly, with unclear intent, and turned to leave. But he suddenly stopped, looking at Shen Miao with an ambiguous smile, and said, “Since Miss Shen is also soaked through, it would be best to return home soon. Would you care to leave with me?”

Shen Miao took a deep breath and broke into a composed smile: “Thank you, Your Highness Prince Rui.”

Huangfu Hao and Princess Mingan watched wide-eyed as the two departed, and Princess Mingan nearly bit through her lip. She said, “Brother Crown Prince, that slut is seducing Prince Rui! She also pushed me into the water. This can’t just end like this!”

“Shut up, fool.” Huangfu Hao looked at her coldly and warned, “I’ll spare you this once, but if there’s a next time and you mess things up again, I won’t be able to protect you when Father Emperor punishes you.” Then he turned and left.

After being chastised by Huangfu Hao, Princess Mingan dared not talk back, but her hatred for Shen Miao deepened. Especially seeing the two departing figures, which made her heart ache as if cut by a knife. She had always been willful and selfish, but prided herself on her beauty and royal status. There had never been a man she deemed worthy, but finally, when she found one she admired, he seemed to care for Shen Miao. How could she bear it? Princess Mingan clenched her fist and said hatefully, “Shen Miao, I will make you wish you were dead!”

Outside the Qin residence, Shen Miao’s carriage was still waiting. Seeing Shen Miao appear wearing a strange man’s cloak, her hair wet, Mo Qing immediately became anxious: “Miss?”

“It’s fine,” Shen Miao waved her hand and said, “Let’s go home first.”

“This Prince helped Miss Shen, yet you don’t even say a word of thanks—you’re too heartless,” Prince Rui folded his arms and spoke unhurriedly, surprising Jingzhe and the others.

Shen Miao looked at him coldly and said, “Did Prince Rui enjoy himself today?”

“That depends on whether you enjoyed yourself.” He smiled, and even through the mask, Shen Miao could imagine the maliciousness of his expression.

“You pushed Princess Mingan into the water, didn’t you?” She approached Xie Jingxing and asked softly, “Why did you do that?”

Xie Jingxing looked down at her. She was petite, and for Xie Jingxing to speak quietly with her, he had to bend slightly. When their gazes met, it seemed overly intimate, almost ambiguous. His voice was deep and pleasant, with a hint of teasing: “What is she anyway, that she can bully you?” After a pause, Xie Jingxing stared at Shen Miao and continued, “Aren’t I your person? Helping you is only natural.”

Shen Miao suddenly stepped back, creating distance between them, and replied indifferently, “Then I thank you.”

“A verbal thank you isn’t enough,” Xie Jingxing said, raising his lips. “This Prince will have to think about it.”

Shen Miao couldn’t be bothered to say more. Without another word, she boarded the carriage. Concerned that Shen Miao might catch a cold, Mo Qing hurried toward the Shen residence, and they quickly disappeared from the lane.

Watching where the carriage had vanished into the distance, a tall man suddenly appeared behind Xie Jingxing. Xie Jingxing’s gaze turned cold as he said, “Investigate whether Huangfu Hao has been to the capital before.”

The man bowed and left. Xie Jingxing turned his head, looking again at the gate of the Qin Prince’s mansion, curled his lips, with a cold light in his eyes.

On the way home, Jingzhe and Guyu dared not speak. No one had expected Shen Miao to be so mistreated on this outing. Princess Mingan was truly too bold, pushing someone into water even in broad daylight. Jingzhe’s eyes reddened as she recalled how, in that moment of danger, she hadn’t considered the other party’s status. Now she realized that the person was a Qin princess, while she was just a humble servant. If the princess truly wanted to harm her, Jingzhe would have been powerless. Only now did she feel afraid.

Shen Miao, however, remained calm. She had known Princess Mingan harbored ill intentions, but for the sake of the bigger picture, even if no one had come today, Princess Mingan would eventually have had someone fish her out of the water—she wouldn’t have truly taken her life. But she hadn’t expected a troublemaker to suddenly appear and push Princess Mingan into the water too.

This was certainly Xie Jingxing’s doing. Lawless and fearless, he had outmaneuvered Princess Mingan right in front of Huangfu Hao. Huangfu Hao would likely realize something was amiss upon reflection. After all, Princess Mingan had fallen right into the middle of the pond—how could that happen without martial skills? And among the outsiders present, only Xie Jingxing possessed such skills. Even if they couldn’t prove it was Xie Jingxing’s doing, suspicions would arise.

Nevertheless, Shen Miao’s eyes flickered. Xie Jingxing’s move had made Princess Mingan equally humiliated, which was extremely satisfying. If Xie Jingxing hadn’t been there today, she would have been in the right but still suffered. Now, though still in the right and still having suffered, seeing Princess Mingan’s discomfiture made the suffering worthwhile.

Jingzhe and Guyu had been watching Shen Miao with concern, but suddenly saw her lips curve slightly upward, as if pleased about something. The two exchanged glances, both confused about how Shen Miao could be happy after being pushed into water.

Upon returning to the Shen residence, since Shen Miao was soaked through, they had to sneak in through the back door. Jingzhe quickly fetched towels to dry Shen Miao’s hair and helped her change into clean clothes, while Guyu went to instruct the kitchen to prepare ginger tea. After sitting for a while, Shen Miao asked, “Where are Bailu and Shuangjiang?”

She had instructed Bailu and Shuangjiang to wait for news at home before she left, but now neither was present. Just then, Bailu returned from outside. Seeing Shen Miao, she exclaimed happily, “Miss, you’re finally back! Just now, Madam asked this servant where you had gone and why you hadn’t returned.”

“Does Mother have some matter?” Shen Miao, having finally dried her hair, asked.

“I heard that a daughter of one of the Old General’s benefactors has come calling. Madam is chatting with that young lady outside and wants you to meet her too.”

Shen Miao’s hand holding the towel froze, her gaze suddenly sharp: “What is that person’s name?”

Bailu was startled, feeling Shen Miao’s gaze turn cold, and reflexively answered, “I heard her surname is Chang.”