After Nanny Gui left, Shen Qing emerged from behind the screen.

She climbed next to Ren Wanyun and nestled against her mother, her voice unable to conceal her anger: “Mother, Shen Miao refuses to give up on Prince Ding. What should I do?”

Among the three branches of the Shen family, the First Branch undoubtedly held the highest official position. If Shen Miao were to ask Shen Xin to request an imperial marriage decree, it would be highly possible. But Shen Qing also admired Prince Ding—if Shen Miao succeeded, what would become of her?

How could someone as handsome and dignified as Prince Ding be claimed by someone as stupid and ignorant as Shen Miao? Whenever she thought of this, Shen Qing felt a hundred times unwilling.

“Don’t worry. In this Shen residence, no one ranks above you,” Ren Wanyun said. “Shen Miao is stupid by nature and not worth fearing. Mother naturally has ways to prevent her from marrying Prince Ding. As for you…” She sighed. “You might as well keep a careful eye on the people in Qiushui Garden. Do you think the Second Miss is any better? If you have such thoughts, the Second Miss might have them too.”

“Shen Yue?” Shen Qing frowned. “She’s also in love with Prince Ding? How is that possible?” She continued, “Besides, even if she truly likes Prince Ding, Third Uncle doesn’t have the same influence as First Uncle and can’t speak up for her. Looking at it all, there’s nothing to fear.”

“You,” Ren Wanyun reproachfully tapped Shen Qing’s forehead. “How can I feel at ease with you? Your Third Aunt is a formidable woman. Back when she and your Third Uncle…” Seeming to realize these words shouldn’t be spoken in front of a child, Ren Wanyun abruptly stopped. She simply said, “Anyway, don’t worry about the Fifth Miss. Mother naturally has a plan.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Shen Qing replied sweetly. The mother and daughter laughed together.

In Qiushui Garden, Chen Ruoqiu sat at a table writing.

Coming from a scholarly family, she was a woman of boundless talent. Even as a married woman, she still often enjoyed writing and reading. Shen Yue stood behind her, wearing a goose-yellow silk dress, her figure delicate and slender—the very image of a young Chen Ruoqiu.

“Mother, why did you speak to Nanny Gui that way earlier?” After a long while, she couldn’t help but ask.

Nanny Gui had visited once, but unexpectedly, Chen Ruoqiu not only didn’t ask Nanny Gui to stop Shen Miao from admiring Prince Ding, but instead told Nanny Gui to encourage Shen Miao, saying Prince Ding would be a good match.

“Isn’t that encouraging her to marry Prince Ding?” Shen Yue complained somewhat.

Chen Ruoqiu put down her wolf-hair brush, sighed softly, and led Shen Yue to sit on the couch. She spoke gently: “Yue’er, hasn’t Mother told you that in doing anything, especially within these inner quarters, one must take a roundabout approach? This way, if anything happens in the future, no matter who tries to assign blame, it can never be traced back to you.”

Shen Yue shook her head. “Mother, I don’t understand.”

Chen Ruoqiu smiled. Her daughter was gentle and talented, and not unintelligent, but she was still too young. Perhaps because the Third Master of the Shen family doted on her too much, she didn’t understand the dangers of the inner household. Unlike herself, when she was in the Secretary’s mansion, there were so many sisters, concubines, and consorts, none of whom were easy to deal with. That’s why after marriage, she had always kept the Third Master of the Shen family firmly in her grasp.

The only regret was that she hadn’t given birth to a son. No matter how much the Third Master loved her, without a son, she had no reliable support. Sooner or later, the Third Master would have concubines terminate their pregnancies to avoid having sons by them. By then… what kind of situation would she face?

That’s why she had to raise this daughter well.

“Yue’er, what do you think of Shen Five?” she asked softly.

Shen Yue thought for a moment, then answered: “She knows nothing of literature, calculation, strategy, or debate. She’s ignorant of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Her nature is timid and stupid, and she lacks eloquence. If not for her First Uncle’s reputation supporting her, I fear no one would pay her any attention. Even illegitimate daughters seem to have more dignity than she.”

If anyone overheard this, they would be shocked. These words that disparaged Shen Miao as worthless came from the mouth of this gentle cousin. It was well known that Shen Miao’s best friend was none other than Shen Yue.

“Perhaps it was like that before,” Chen Ruoqiu shook her head, “but after this fall into the water, I’ve noticed Shen Five has changed quite a bit.”

“Why does Mother say so?” Shen Yue didn’t understand.

Chen Ruoqiu didn’t know why she had this feeling. Perhaps it could be explained as a young girl acting out after a setback, but Chen Ruoqiu had met many people and, compared to her self-proclaimed clever Second Sister-in-law, she saw people more clearly. Shen Miao had become smarter.

Her conversation with Old Madam in Rongjing Hall and the manner she displayed were completely different from before. Could the matter with Prince Ding have affected her so deeply, or was there someone guiding her?

Regardless, they couldn’t be careless.

“Perhaps it’s the shock from Prince Ding. But Yue’er, Mother has told you before, clever women don’t contend with other women—they deal with men,” Chen Ruoqiu’s voice was soft and gentle, like a song. “Since you also admire Prince Ding, why focus all your attention on Shen Miao? No matter how powerful your First Uncle is, there’s no rule in the world that men must love stupid and ignorant women. Prince Ding is an imperial son—if he truly married such an incompetent woman, wouldn’t he be ridiculed by the world?”

“But…” Shen Yue felt somewhat aggrieved.

“Listen to Mother. You should not only avoid distancing yourself from Shen Five because of this, but continue to be her friend as before. You must work doubly hard to let everyone see your talent and beauty. The more outstanding you are, the more stupid she will appear.” Chen Ruoqiu smiled, as if making casual conversation, though her words were sharply calculated: “I told Nanny Gui to encourage her to continue adoring Prince Ding. This way, such a stupid girl’s devoted affection will increasingly make her appear to be an unaware joke. Prince Ding will only grow to despise her more.”

“In that case…” Shen Yue began to understand.

Chen Ruoqiu stroked her head. “You’re a clever child; you should understand Mother’s meaning. So, encourage her to continue admiring Prince Ding and to make a fool of herself in front of him. Only this way can you make Prince Ding notice your superior qualities. Even if the whole world wants Prince Ding to marry Shen Five, if you can make yourself the one in Prince Ding’s heart, you’ve won.”

“Mother…” Speaking so openly made Shen Yue shy, and she buried her head in Chen Ruoqiu’s embrace. “I understand.”

Chen Ruoqiu smiled. Back when she was to marry the Third Master of the Shen family, there had been many obstacles. At that time, the Third Master was considered a talented young man, and many matchmakers came to propose marriages.

Why had he chosen her alone? It was simply because they had once met by chance at a temple, where she happened to be playing the zither under a tree, dressed in white brocade. The Third Master had overheard and been captivated by her, declaring upon his return that he must take her as his wife.

The Third Master loved listening to the zither, and his favorite color was white.

See? Among so many women competing, she had emerged victorious, simply because from the beginning, she understood that she was dealing with a man.

What did it matter that the Shen family had three legitimate daughters? Only her Yue’er could handle Prince Ding.