Regardless of what the Eastern Courtyard did, Shen Miao deliberately began to distance herself from the people of the Second and Third Branches—she no longer clung to Shen Yue and Shen Qing as before. At first, everyone in the Shen residence thought she was merely a child sulking over the incident of falling into the water, but when Shen Miao began to make her own decisions in all matters, people began to notice something was amiss.
Nanny Gui, as always, advised Shen Miao not to be angry with the Eastern Courtyard, and occasionally made indirect comments about Prince Ding being an unparalleled man in Ming Qi. But Shen Miao seemed determined—every time Nanny Gui mentioned this person, she would rebuke her harshly, leaving Nanny Gui with quite a headache. However, the Western Courtyard was now filled with people sent by the Second and Third Branches, with some troublesome servants among them. Guyu and the others had thought that since Shen Miao had changed her ways, she would surely reorganize the household staff, but unexpectedly, Shen Miao paid no attention to the matter.
Shen Miao naturally had her plans.
These days, she attended Guangwen Hall more diligently. Although people still regarded her as the worst student, she was not angered by this and simply focused on her own affairs each day. The more forthright she was, the less interesting people found her, and she actually enjoyed some peaceful days.
One morning, after the end of rhetoric class, Shen Miao felt a tightness in her chest and decided to take a walk in the garden of Guangwen Hall.
Although Guangwen Hall was a school, it occupied a considerable area. With three levels—National One, National Two, and National Three—Shen Miao, at her age, was in National Two, but she unwittingly walked to the front of National One.
There, she happened to see a small child sitting on the steps, wiping away tears.
This child appeared to be around 8 years old, plump and fair-skinned. Perhaps because of his somewhat excessive bulk, at first glance, he looked like a fat ball. He wore a dark blue embroidered robe with silver threads, small cloth boots, and a round collar around his neck. He looked like a doll that had walked out of a New Year’s painting.
Shen Miao paused briefly, then walked over and softly asked, “Why are you crying?”
The child, apparently not expecting someone to suddenly approach, was startled and tumbled from the steps with a “thud.” He didn’t cry, however, but quickly sat up, staring blankly at Shen Miao.
He was fair and plump, with bright, alert eyes. His hair was tied in a small topknot, and his face still bore traces of undried tears, making him look utterly endearing. Shen Miao couldn’t help but laugh with a “puff.”
The child, however, called out in a tender voice, “Sister.”
Shen Miao’s heart melted at the child’s address. In her previous life, she had given birth to Wanyu and Fu Ming, but she had been a hostage in Qin country until they were five years old. By the time she returned, both children had already learned to properly address her as “Empress Mother.” Shen Miao herself didn’t know what her two children looked like before they were five. The child before her, though 8 years old, appeared innocent and unaware of the world, reminding her of Wanyu and Fu Ming.
Shen Miao crouched down slightly and patted his head. “Why are you crying?”
“The teacher asked me a question, and I couldn’t answer, so he hit my palm,” the child extended his hand, revealing a reddened palm, and said pitifully, “It really hurts.”
Wanting to tease him a bit, Shen Miao asked, “What question did the teacher ask you?”
“The teacher wanted me to write the four characters for ‘when the rabbit dies, the fox mourns,’ but I couldn’t recall them.” The child’s face was crestfallen.
For a child at the National One level of this age, being unable to write these characters from memory was indeed somewhat unacceptable. Setting aside Shen Miao herself, Fu Ming at this child’s age had already begun to learn how to handle court affairs. Although it was just practice, he could handle some matters. While royal children often matured early, students at Guangwen Hall were all from noble families and shouldn’t have had such a late start to their education.
The child, not feeling that he had complained enough, continued to whimper, “If my father finds out when I go home, he will surely punish me severely. What’s the point of living? I might as well just bash my head and die.”
Shen Miao was startled by the child’s mournful tone, both amused and exasperated. She wondered which family’s precious child this was, and where he had learned such theatrical expressions. She asked, “Whose child are you?”
The child looked at Shen Miao. Shen Miao was only fourteen now, and with her naturally childlike features, she didn’t look much older than this child. But for some inexplicable reason, she possessed a certain ineffable quality, as if she had weathered great storms and could calm people’s hearts. Even this child instinctively quieted down at her question and stated his background word by word.
“I am the second young master of the Pingnan Baron’s family in the capital, Su Minglang. My father is Pingnan Baron Su Yu, and my elder brother is the heir to the Pingnan Baron, Su Mingfeng.”
He recited his lineage as thoroughly as beans pouring from a bamboo tube.
Shen Miao was taken aback. The Su family? Pingnan Baron?
Whether in her previous life or this one, the Su family and the Shen family had no connection, as they held opposing political views in court. The Su family had a good relationship with the Xie family; Pingnan Baron Su Yu and Linan Marquis Xie Ding were close brothers, and Su Mingfeng and Xie Jingxing had been friends since childhood. How close were these two? When Su Mingfeng died, only Xie Jingxing dared to retrieve his body.
Yes, Su Mingfeng died. Or rather, the entire Su family was exterminated. The previous Emperor had uncovered evidence that the Su family had embezzled funds and privately sold military horses. Once military matters were involved, naturally, there was no room for leniency.
The imperial edict came suddenly and swiftly, without a trial, directly ordering troops to confiscate their property and execute them on the spot. In broad daylight, the blood of the entire Su family flowed from the east of Dingjing city to the west.
By the time Xie Jingxing heard the news, it was already too late. Not a single member of the Su family survived. And among their former friends, not one stepped forward. It was Xie Jingxing who personally collected the bodies of the Su family masters. Afterward, Xie Ding requested punishment from the previous Emperor, only asking that, considering the Su family’s past contributions to Ming Qi, they be allowed a proper burial.
The previous Emperor granted this request, and the Su family’s funeral was handled entirely by the Xie family. Shen Miao remembered clearly that when Shen Xin returned home during the New Year and learned of this matter, he had sighed deeply.
The destruction of the Su family would occur just two months later. Very soon, this innocent, ignorant child before her would also die under that cold imperial edict.
Her expression suddenly grew cold, a hint of severity flickering in her eyes.
The child couldn’t help but shrink back a little. When Shen Miao looked at the child again, her tone was as gentle as before: “Su Mingfeng? Is that the heir to the Su family who recently achieved great merit and managed the military horses exceptionally well?”
“Yes!” The child answered with his head held high. “Father said His Majesty will certainly reward my elder brother with an official title this time.”
Shen Miao smiled. She bent down slightly, leaned closer to the child, and said softly, “You mentioned that if your father knew you couldn’t answer the teacher’s question, he would punish you. I have a method that can teach him not to punish you.”
“What is it?” The child blinked his eyes.
“You must promise me not to let him know that I told you this, and then I’ll tell you.”
“Alright.” The child thought for a moment, then nodded.