An earth-shattering secret had exploded in the capital city of Jing.

Early in the morning before daybreak, a middle-aged man knelt at the magistrate’s office gate, beating a drum and crying for justice. He declared that Third Master Shen Wan of the Shen family had forcibly taken his wife to be a concubine, an act that heaven and earth could not tolerate. Though the man appeared to be of low social standing, he had somehow acquired an eloquent tongue that could almost be described as flowery. Between his speaking and singing, his performance was extraordinarily captivating. Before long, he had attracted a large crowd of onlookers. Within half an hour, the entire capital knew of this matter.

Thanks to the recent high-profile lawsuit between the Chen family and the Shen family, the capital’s citizens were quite familiar with the reportedly favored concubine, Miss Chang Zaiqing. Shen Wan had been willing to divorce his wife of many years for her, showing not even a shred of compassion. This had sparked much speculation among the people. Some busybodies had discovered that Chang Zaiqing was the daughter of an old friend of General Shen, well-educated, gentle, elegant, and with a temperament even superior to Chen Ruoqiu’s. She had also become pregnant with Shen Wan’s child. Naturally, people’s hearts had leaned toward Chang Zaiqing.

But early this morning, this middle-aged man, accompanied by a young boy, knelt at the magistrate’s gate, completely shattering the face of anyone who had spoken well of Chang Zaiqing before.

Though he claimed Shen Wan had abducted his wife, people weren’t fools. Liuzhou was quite far from the capital, and Chang Zaiqing had come to the Shen household of her own accord, claiming to be unmarried. The accusation of “forcibly taking another’s wife” seemed dubious; more likely, Chang Zaiqing had thrown herself at Shen Wan. It appeared that the clever and refined Shen Wan had failed to see through Chang Zaiqing’s true nature and had ended up raising another man’s wife all this time. The green hat of cuckoldry on his head must have grown moss by now.

As for the man’s claims, no one doubted them. First, he held a marriage certificate in his hand, black ink on white paper with an official seal bearing Chang Zaiqing’s name. Second, the young boy who accompanied him looked exactly like Chang Zaiqing, though he appeared silent and bewildered.

People pointed and gossiped, treating it as a once-in-a-decade spectacle. Everyone knew that noble households had their share of scandals, but they hadn’t expected a nobleman to be so utterly fooled. In the past, such matters could have been suppressed, preventing them from spreading so quickly throughout the capital. But this man had appeared suddenly, crying for justice at dawn, making it difficult to silence the matter. Moreover, the officials on duty at the magistrate’s office were adept at reading the situation—with the entire Shen Wan family currently imprisoned, who would care about Shen Wan’s reputation? So they too joined the crowd in enjoying the spectacle.

In a secluded courtyard of the Chen mansion, Chen Ruoqiu laughed uncontrollably as she listened to the news Shiping had gathered from outside.

She had grown increasingly slovenly, her appearance more and more unkempt. This made her even less popular in the Chen household. But she didn’t seem to care; her only purpose in living now was to bring down the Chen family, and clearly, she had succeeded.

Indeed, Chen Ruoqiu had succeeded. Having been Shen Wan’s wife for so many years, she knew quite a few of his vulnerabilities. Bit by bit, she had compiled this information and even bribed one of Shen Wan’s subordinates to deliver this evidence to Shen Wan’s archenemy. After anxiously waiting for news, she had finally received good tidings.

Chen Ruoqiu’s hatred for Shen Wan ran as deep as her love once had. Shen Wan had reduced her to such a miserable state, so she was determined not to let Chang Zaiqing and Shen Wan live happily. When she heard that the entire Shen family had been imprisoned, Chen Ruoqiu felt satisfied, but she hadn’t expected that just the next day, it would be revealed that Chang Zaiqing had a husband and son in Liuzhou.

To think that she, having prided herself on her shrewdness all her life, had been outdone by a woman who had abandoned her husband and son. Initially, Chen Ruoqiu had laughed maniacally, but gradually, a bitter taste formed at the corners of her mouth. If she had been more composed initially, not so hasty, and had sent someone to Liuzhou to investigate, perhaps the outcome would have been different. Shen Wan, a man who couldn’t tolerate the slightest flaw, would have been repulsed by Chang Zaiqing upon learning of her true identity, without Chen Ruoqiu having to say anything.

But there was no turning back now; they had all reached a point of no return.

“Madam, what should we do now?” Shiping asked cautiously. Currently, Chen Ruoqiu was barely tolerated in the Chen household, and the Shen family’s affairs had concluded. For Chen Ruoqiu, continuing like this was certainly not an option.

“I think,” Chen Ruoqiu wearily pressed her temples, “Yue has found her place, and I can manage somehow now. In a few days, I’ll leave the capital, find a small place, and live out the rest of my life peacefully. That would be better than staying in the capital and being ridiculed by everyone.”

Shiping felt relieved. It was good that Chen Ruoqiu could think this way. As long as there was hope, things would get better in the future.

“But I must see Yue first,” Chen Ruoqiu said, holding her chest. “Otherwise, I won’t be at ease.”

Just as she spoke, Huayi rushed in from outside, her face filled with panic. “Madam, terrible news, something’s happened!”

Chen Ruoqiu stood up with a frown. “What is it?”

“The Second Young Lady, the Second Young Lady…”

At the mention of Shen Yue, Chen Ruoqiu’s heart began to race. She grabbed Huayi’s hand and anxiously asked, “What’s happened to Yue?”

Huayi was on the verge of tears. “The Second Young Lady’s situation in Prince Qin’s mansion has been discovered.”

When Shen Yue was taken out of Prince Qin’s mansion, Huangfu Hao did not intervene.

Despite Shen Yue crying pitifully and clutching his sleeve, begging desperately, Huangfu Hao merely comforted her: “Nothing will happen, just go with them.” His words showed no intention of protecting her. The officials who came were quite astute; seeing Huangfu Hao’s attitude, they lost their last bit of hesitation. They escorted Shen Yue out rather roughly.

Huangfu Hao watched the group take Shen Yue away. He frowned and asked his guard, “Go find out what happened in the Mingqi Palace.”

Early that morning, officials had arrived claiming they needed to take away Shen Yue, the legitimate daughter of the Shen family’s third branch. Since entering Prince Qin’s mansion, Shen Yue had never revealed her identity to outsiders. No one would have imagined that the legitimate daughter of an official family would become a concubine to the Crown Prince of Qin. Yet somehow, these officials had learned this information and had come to Prince Qin’s mansion to take her away.

Emperor Wenhui had shown some courtesy to Huangfu Hao. The reason given for taking Shen Yue away was that she was a member of the Shen family and therefore could not escape involvement. However, no mention was made of Shen Yue’s identity exchange with Shen Dongling, seemingly deliberately avoiding this issue. But for just a concubine to cause such a grand commotion—for this reason alone, Emperor Wenhui wouldn’t have made such a fuss. Huangfu Hao believed there must be something more behind this.

Since they had come prepared, Huangfu Hao saw no reason to resist. Shen Yue was merely a means for him to understand Shen Miao, with some beauty to enjoy; he hadn’t truly taken her to heart. It wasn’t worth creating a tense situation with Emperor Wenhui over her. So he let it happen.

However, Huangfu Hao still knew nothing about what had occurred in the Mingqi Palace, and because of this, many things remained unclear. After pondering briefly, he summoned an attendant and said, “Go to Prince Ding’s mansion and deliver a message for me.”

The affairs of the Shen family were chaotic enough to be called a complete mess. It was as if a perfectly embroidered pattern had suddenly had a thread pulled, instantly tangling the entire design beyond recognition.

First, Shen Wan had been imprisoned for failing in his duties. Then, Chang Zaiqing’s husband and son from Liuzhou had knelt at the magistrate’s gate, beating a drum for justice. Now, it had been discovered that the legitimate daughter of the third branch had somehow become a concubine in the Crown Prince of Qin’s household, revealing the identity swap between the third branch’s legitimate daughter and the second branch’s illegitimate daughter. People marveled at how chaotic the Shen family’s inner courts must be, while also wondering if the Shen family had offended some supernatural force to suffer such continuous misfortune. It was strangely ominous.

It was afternoon, and Shen Miao closed the curtains, planning to rest on her couch. The Shen family matters had proceeded step by step according to her design. She could roughly guess what Emperor Wenhui would do next.

She had just removed her outer cloak when she sensed something amiss. Turning her head, she saw Xie Jingxing had arrived at some point and was reclining on her couch, casually stroking something furry that was moving up and down. Upon closer inspection, it was the white tiger cub she had seen before.

The tiger seemed to have grown a bit, its fur now sleek and beautiful. But Shen Miao had no interest in that. She took a deep breath and said, “Who allowed you on my couch?”

Xie Jingxing was truly becoming more presumptuous. Having grown accustomed to climbing through her window at night, now he dared to brazenly lie on her couch in broad daylight. Would he next swagger through the front gate for tea, with the entire household lining up to welcome him?

His audacity was incomprehensible.

Xie Jingxing said, “I came specially to congratulate you, why such a reaction?”

“Congratulate?” Shen Miao was puzzled. “For what?”

“The Shen family is in prison, as you wished.” Xie Jingxing released his hold, and the white tiger gave a small roar, happily jumping on Shen Miao’s bed, using her fine silk quilt to sharpen its claws—a painful sight. Xie Jingxing stroked his chin. “Chang Zaiqing’s reputation is ruined, Shen Wan regrets his actions, Chen Ruoqiu is implicated, and Shen Yue is also imprisoned. Any way you look at it, it’s worth congratulating.” His eyes curved, rippling with light. “Aren’t you happy?”

Having her schemes laid out so plainly made Shen Miao somewhat uncomfortable. She stepped forward, grabbed Xie Jingxing’s sleeve to pull him off her couch, and said, “A verbal congratulation would suffice, or perhaps a monetary gift. Prince Rui needn’t come personally.”

“But that wouldn’t show my sincerity.” Despite Shen Miao’s considerable effort, Xie Jingxing didn’t budge. He glanced at her with a half-smile. “Besides, in this round, you’ve also harmed Fu Xiuyi, which deserves even more celebration.”

Shen Miao’s heart skipped a beat, and her grip involuntarily loosened. Xie Jingxing suddenly raised an eyebrow, turned his hand to grasp hers, and pulled her toward him.

Caught off guard and unstable, Shen Miao fell forward, landing directly on Xie Jingxing’s chest.

The young man’s eyes were smiling, but his gaze was sharp as a blade. His tone was as tender as lovers’ whispers, yet his words were chillingly penetrating.

He whispered, “You’ve dragged Huangfu Hao into this mess, making it even harder for the old emperor to let Fu Xiuyi off easily. Your move is brilliant, but aren’t you afraid of bringing fire upon yourself?”

Shen Miao looked up at Xie Jingxing.

Two years ago, the youth had been handsome and charming, albeit somewhat frivolous—perhaps deliberately so. Two years later, now revealing his true self to everyone, he seemed even more unfathomable. Despite his devil-may-care attitude, as if everything in the world deserved only a casual laugh, the ambition hidden beneath his handsome exterior was truly terrifying.

“Conspiring with a tiger,” these four words floated in Shen Miao’s mind.

Yes, Xie Jingxing was right. Chen Ruoqiu and Shen Wan were merely catalysts, and Chang Zaiqing was just receiving the punishment she deserved for being abandoned. But all of this was a diversion, a sleight of hand she had arranged for her final move.

Shen Miao had never forgotten her true enemy, her most terrifying enemy, the one she hated most—Fu Xiuyi. Shen Wan had already become connected with Prince Ding Fu Xiuyi, and now Shen Yue had become Huangfu Hao’s woman. Since Shen Yue was Shen Wan’s daughter, this led to speculation that perhaps Huangfu Hao and Fu Xiuyi might also have some connection.

The suspicious Emperor Wenhui would certainly send people to investigate. If Huangfu Hao and Fu Xiuyi truly had no association, nothing would be found. Unfortunately for them, the two had indeed planned to ally. If Emperor Wenhui investigated thoroughly, he might discover some interesting things. At this critical juncture, it would deal Fu Xiuyi a fatal blow. His path to the throne, with Emperor Wenhui’s suspicion and obstruction, would certainly not be so smooth.

She had thought this move was well-hidden, but hadn’t expected the purple-clad youth before her to see through it immediately, perceiving her key step beneath all the distractions.

She tried to rise from Xie Jingxing, but he gripped her arm with one hand and supported the back of her head with the other. Shen Miao was practically lying on top of him. With their breathing so close, the distance was so intimate that she could hear a rapid heartbeat, though she couldn’t tell if it was hers or his.

If someone were to enter now, Shen Miao’s reputation would be beyond salvaging for the rest of her life. But Xie Jingxing was frivolous and saw nothing inappropriate in his behavior.

Shen Miao suddenly smiled and slowly said, “Bringing fire upon myself?”

Xie Jingxing watched her intently.

“The fire has already found me.” Shen Miao’s voice carried an indescribable coldness and heaviness. “Prince Rui, do you think I have any retreat?”

She had never had a retreat. Even without these blood feuds, without Princess Wanyu and Fu Ming, without her rebirth for revenge, Shen Xin’s achievement overshadowing the emperor would eventually lead to the downfall of the Shen family’s main branch. To protect the Shen family, Fu Xiuyi would still become her enemy.

“Of course, you have a retreat,” the young man suddenly spoke.

Shen Miao’s fingers, clutching his robe, moved slightly.

His profile was stunningly handsome, his eyes so black and beautiful they could drown someone, and his long eyelashes in the sunlight filtering through the curtains carried a hint of warmth. He said indifferently, “With me around, the fire won’t reach you. If you’re afraid, you can hide with me.”

His voice was as mellow as wine, softly floating into Shen Miao’s ears.

“I’ll carve out a retreat for you.”

Shen Miao looked at him. His casual manner of speaking and carefree actions always gave people the illusion that his promises were as heavy as mountains, that he could accomplish whatever he said.

But why did she suddenly feel like crying?

If someone in her previous life in the palace had said to her, “Come to me, I’ll carve out a retreat for you,” would she have avoided going down that one-way path? Would she have avoided the tragic end where she lost her son and her clan was destroyed? Human interactions were strange—regardless of whether Xie Jingxing’s words were true or false, Shen Miao’s heart had been gently stirred.

It was as if butterflies were about to fly out from her heart.

Xie Jingxing suddenly lost his smile, looked at Shen Miao seriously, frowned slightly, and whispered in her ear, “But why is your heartbeat suddenly so loud?”

Shen Miao pushed Xie Jingxing forcefully and sat up. Xie Jingxing’s lips curved into a smile, and with his hands lazily cushioning his head, he asked, “Are you sick?”

“It’s you who’s sick.” Shen Miao took a deep breath and said, “Prince Rui has congratulated enough. Can you leave now? I’m a respectable young lady; if someone sees us, I won’t be able to marry.”

Xie Jingxing frowned and said, “Aren’t you planning to become the Empress? Ordinary men couldn’t afford you anyway.” Seeing that Shen Miao was about to get angry again, Xie Jingxing finally sat up, grabbed the tiger that was still chasing tassels on the couch, and tossed it into his arms. Looking at Shen Miao, he smiled and said, “Since it’s a happy occasion, how about I add flowers to the brocade?”

Shen Miao was stunned and instinctively looked at Xie Jingxing, asking, “What do you want to do?”

“Fu Xiuyi—I don’t like him,” Xie Jingxing said casually. “Although we can’t resolve this together,” he winked at Shen Miao frivolously, “kicking him while he’s down isn’t bad either.”

Just as Shen Miao had predicted, by the time news of Shen Yue’s arrest reached Fu Xiuyi’s ears, even he, who normally wouldn’t change expression if Mount Tai collapsed before him, couldn’t help but lose color.

“How did Shen Yue suddenly enter Prince Qin’s mansion?” he asked his attendant.

“It is said that when the Second Young Lady of the Shen family was unwilling to marry the Young Master of the Wang family, she swapped identities with the illegitimate Third Young Lady of the Shen family. But since it was a disgraceful matter, it wasn’t publicized. Later, the Second Young Lady secretly ran away from the mansion and somehow became entangled with the Crown Prince of Qin, becoming his concubine.”

“Enough!” Fu Xiuyi interrupted the attendant, pressing his temple and cursing, “These Shen people!” Ever since becoming involved with the Shen family, nothing had gone smoothly for him. A few days ago, Shen Wan had come to join him, and Fu Xiuyi had given him a difficult task. Unexpectedly, before even starting, Shen Wan had been caught, and worse, had implicated him as well. Emperor Wenhui was already very suspicious of him, and Fu Xiuyi had just managed to arrange everything, planning to shift all blame onto Shen Wan to dispel the emperor’s doubts. Who would have thought that at this critical moment, Huangfu Hao would also be dragged in?

On the surface, it was about Shen Yue, but in reality, it concerned the relationship between Mingqi and Qin. It was common knowledge that Qin and Mingqi were likely to become allies. Among the nine princes, whoever was closest to Huangfu Hao became a thorn in Emperor Wenhui’s side. The emperor naturally didn’t want his sons to be close to Huangfu Hao; he wanted to be the only ruler in Qin’s eyes. At such a sensitive time, with Shen Yue in the Crown Prince of Qin’s mansion, what would Emperor Wenhui think? Would he suspect that Shen Yue was a pawn used by Shen Wan to curry favor with the Crown Prince of Qin, and that Shen Wan was working for Fu Xiuyi?

Fu Xiuyi and Huangfu Hao were now truly bound together.

The more Fu Xiuyi thought about it, the more his head ached. Despite his usual strategic thinking, he was at a loss for what to do in this sudden situation. After all, he hadn’t known about the identity swap between Shen Yue and Shen Dongling, nor that Huangfu Hao had taken Shen Yue as a concubine.

“This comes too coincidentally.” Fu Xiuyi’s cold face showed a trace of viciousness. “Someone is plotting behind the scenes, pointing the spear at me. Shen Wan’s matter is just a pretense; pushing me down is the real goal. I want to see who’s behind this mischief.”

A young strategist cautiously asked, “What does Your Highness plan to do next?”

“Father has become suspicious; hastily trying to clarify would backfire,” Fu Xiuyi said. “We can only observe for now. But first, we need to find out who’s plotting against me.”

“Perhaps it’s Prince Zhou or Prince Xuan?”

“Impossible,” Fu Xiuyi firmly denied. “This doesn’t match their usual tactics. Besides, involving Huangfu Hao would inevitably leave traces that Father might discover. The risks would outweigh the benefits.”

The strategists exchanged glances and said no more.

Pei Lang stood with his hands by his sides among the strategists. Fu Xiuyi hadn’t asked for his opinion, and he didn’t volunteer it. Yet he could feel Fu Xiuyi’s gaze upon him from above.

Looking at Pei Lang’s ever-calm face, for some reason, another face appeared before Fu Xiuyi’s eyes.

That young woman’s face was delicate and pretty, with eyes as clear as bright mirrors, endearing like a small animal. But she always kept her eyebrows and eyes lowered, maintaining her dignity, reminding Fu Xiuyi of the Empress in Kunning Palace. Perhaps compared to the Empress, she displayed even more nobility and grace.

A phoenix or a fierce beast?

Fu Xiuyi laughed coldly. She was just a woman; no matter how capable she might be, these events couldn’t be her doing. Yet despite this thought, Fu Xiuyi hadn’t forgotten that Shen Miao might have deep connections with Prince Rui from Daliang.

The Prince Rui from Daliang maintained a neutral attitude toward the entire Mingqi royal family, occasionally seeming to deliberately target him for Shen Miao’s sake.

If it was truly for Shen Miao, then Fu Xiuyi had identified his opponent’s weakness. And once he identified that weakness, the next step would be to strike mercilessly—this was Fu Xiuyi’s style.

Returning the favor without hesitation would not disappoint the gift his opponent had sent him.

Fu Xiuyi clenched his fist, slowly calming down. He said, “Find some people to guard the entrance of Prince Rui’s mansion, day and night, keep an eye on him.” He then slowly looked at the strategists and calmly said, “Also, double the guards in our mansion. Don’t let a fly in or a mosquito out.”

Pei Lang’s heart skipped a beat, feeling that Fu Xiuyi’s words seemed somewhat pointed. However, he still maintained his sleeve-covered posture, his face calm. The surrounding strategists, hearing this, whispered among themselves, seeming to detect something.

The anger on Fu Xiuyi’s face dissipated, and he began to smile as usual. But his smile had barely formed when a guard entered from outside, saying, “Your Highness, the Crown Prince has sent someone to deliver a verbal message to you.”

Fu Xiuyi was startled and said, “Bring him in.” Just as he was about to rise, he suddenly realized something, and his expression changed dramatically. “This is bad!”

Emperor Wenhui had learned about Shen Yue’s situation and was suspicious of a connection between Fu Xiuyi and Huangfu Hao. At this moment, he was likely investigating their relationship with all his power. Huangfu Hao, unaware of what had happened and unclear about the real reason for Shen Wan’s arrest, had probably come to inquire, but had unfortunately walked right into the line of fire.

This had likely already been captured by Emperor Wenhui’s people. Now they couldn’t clear themselves even if they jumped into the Yellow River. His crime had just been essentially confirmed.

Fu Xiuyi collapsed into his chair.

In the imperial prison of Mingqi, many people were now confined.

Neither Shen Yue nor Chen Ruoqiu had expected to reunite with Shen Wan’s family under such circumstances. Shen Wan had never imagined that Shen Yue would become Huangfu Hao’s concubine. Having navigated court politics for years, Shen Wan could see clearly what others couldn’t. Though he knew his crime was unpardonable, Shen Yue’s involvement with Huangfu Hao made him feel even more desperate.

Emperor Wenhui wouldn’t act against Huangfu Hao because he was the Crown Prince of Qin. Fu Xiuyi could find ways to protect himself, with his many talented subordinates. Besides, to punish a prince merely on suspicion would risk chaos throughout the kingdom. In the end, the Shen family would be the ones sacrificed.

Shen Yue was both frightened and angry. Imprisoned with the Shen family women, she anxiously grabbed Chen Ruoqiu and asked, “Mother, why are we arrested too? Aren’t we already separated from the Shen family? What’s going on?”

Chang Zaiqing, witnessing this, felt somewhat pleased. She regretted choosing the Shen household; not only had she failed to secure wealth and position, but she had risked her life and future. In that sense, Shen Yue, who had left home, and Chen Ruoqiu, who had been divorced, had been fortunate. Originally, Chang Zaiqing should not have been involved in these matters; the more she thought about it, the more resentful she felt. Unexpectedly, Shen Yue and Chen Ruoqiu had been sent here as well, which delighted Chang Zaiqing immensely. When misfortune strikes, people often want to drag others to hell with them.

Chang Zaiqing said, “How is the Second Young Lady not part of the Shen family? You are the Master’s daughter.”

Shen Yue laughed coldly. “That’s not for a whore like you to comment on.”