Shen Miao didn’t speak.

Yet Xie Jingxing didn’t release her either, keeping her locked in his embrace.

After a long while, Shen Miao raised her head to look at him.

Xie Jingxing stared back at her. This arrogant man, who seemed to care about nothing in the world—watching him grow from an incorrigible youth to what he was today—the devil-may-care look in his eyes had never changed. Yet now as he gazed at her, his eyes revealed tiny flickers of nervousness.

Shen Miao felt her heart stir. In that brief moment, she suddenly smiled.

She said, “What benefit do I get from this?”

Xie Jingxing froze momentarily, his eyes revealing wild joy, as if he had also breathed a sigh of relief, mixed with disbelief. He said, “Whatever you want, I’ll give you.”

“What if what I want is also what you want?” Shen Miao asked.

Xie Jingxing raised an eyebrow: “What do you want?”

“The thirteen capitals of Youzhou.”

“Yours.” He waved his hand casually, as if what Shen Miao had asked for was nothing more than a small trinket like rouge or powder.

“Dingyuan City in the Northern Desert.”

“Yours.” Xie Jingxing didn’t even blink.

“Jiangnan Yuzhou, Dingxi East Sea, Lin’an Qinghu, and the ancient city of Luoyang.”

“All yours.”

Xie Jingxing answered smoothly, almost without thinking. If Emperor Yongle heard this, he would likely be so angry he would cough blood. If Emperor Xiaowu were here, he would probably be angered back to life just to point at Xie Jingxing’s nose and curse him as a wastrel, then pin the crime of “nation-destroying enchantress” on Shen Miao.

But Xie Jingxing had never been one to care about others’ opinions. Certainly, Shen Miao would never truly take Xie Jingxing’s empire. She simply felt that Xie Jingxing carried too much burden and hoped to divert his attention with a little joke, to help him feel somewhat lighter.

“If everything belongs to me, what do you want?” Shen Miao asked.

Xie Jingxing gave a wicked grin and teased, “Thirteen times in one night?”

Shen Miao: “…”

As Shen Miao turned to leave, Xie Jingxing quickly pulled her back, saying seriously, “Madam, you cannot reject me.”

Shen Miao said, “With such abundant energy, I should ask Uncle Tang to bring you some ice to cool your fire.”

Xie Jingxing pushed her down and drawled, “With Madam here, what need is there for ice?”

Outside, Cong Yang covered his ears, his face showing pain. Meanwhile, Jingzhe was passing by and noticed his condition, kindly approaching him: “Guard Yang, why are you shivering so severely? Are you ill?” As she spoke, she reached out to feel Cong Yang’s forehead.

Cong Yang, being a young man, had been forced to listen to the suggestive sounds of spring passion and was already flushed. Suddenly feeling a cool little hand on his forehead, he jumped up in fright. This startled Jingzhe too. She looked at her hand: “What… what’s wrong?”

Cong Yang looked at her as if he’d seen a ghost, then suddenly bolted forward as if his rear was on fire. Jingzhe was left standing there, bewildered. In the tree above, Iron Robe had observed everything, but said nothing, merely showing a knowing expression while sitting quietly with his sword.

Below the tree, Uncle Tang passed by, noticed the tightly closed door, nodded with satisfaction, and went to instruct the kitchen to prepare some soup.

In the following days, Xie Jingxing truly became busy. Probably because Emperor Yongle’s condition had worsened, many matters that the Lu and Ye families needed to handle personally now required Xie Jingxing to attend to himself. He always left early and returned late.

While Xie Jingxing was busy, Shen Miao wasn’t idle either. The Lu and Ye families had lived in Longyi for many years after all. The imperial family now needed to make an example of them, but they couldn’t appear too cruel lest officials develop rebellious thoughts in the future. Shen Miao shouldered this responsibility, speaking with the noble ladies of Longyi while subtly conveying certain ideas to them.

These ladies might appear to be just women, but in any household, a woman’s role was indispensable. Originally, people thought that since Shen Miao was from Ming Qi, and Ming Qi and Da Liang were two different countries with many differences, she, as the daughter of a military family, couldn’t possibly have much insight. However, after interacting with her, their opinions of Shen Miao greatly changed. They found that she was not only eloquent but seemed to know many things they did not.

When discussing clothing styles, Shen Miao could keep up. When talking about the bigger picture and situation, she could also follow along. Even when it came to strange tales from across the land, she could narrate them eloquently.

In truth, in her previous life in Ming Qi’s palace, although she hadn’t lived well, she had broadened her horizons. Envoys from other countries would also tell unusual stories. Knowing more naturally meant she could apply it. Some things, when used in the right place, could have excellent effects. What Xie Jingxing could do, Shen Miao might not be able to, but navigating the complex web of interests in political machinations and achieving one’s goals through subtle guidance was precisely what Shen Miao excelled at in her reborn life.

In just a few days, those noble ladies had become very close with Shen Miao and began to seek her advice on matters they were uncertain about. This included current affairs. Firstly, Shen Miao was the Rui Prince Consort, connected to the imperial family, allowing them to understand the imperial family’s current attitude. Secondly, although Shen Miao was young, even younger than some ladies’ daughters by a few years, she possessed a special quality—a calm and steady composure that had settled over time, making her words seem trustworthy.

Both Shen Miao and Xie Jingxing were working hard for the impending storm in Longyi. Certainly, the Lu and Ye families were not sitting idly by either.

The Lu family had lost a daughter, and seeing Emperor Yongle’s increasingly hardened attitude, they finally began to panic and started mobilizing their privately trained forces across various regions.

The Ye family had gone from being observers to suddenly finding themselves dragged into the mess by the Lu family. Although they hadn’t done anything, the imperial family’s attitude had become subtle. The shift from initially trying to win them over to now giving them free rein seemed to indicate something.

Ye Mei’s every move was being secretly monitored by Mo Qing, whom Shen Miao had assigned. These days, because of the major trouble Ye Mei had caused in the Longyi Palace, Ye Mao Cai was extremely angry. Ye Mei’s actions had offended both Emperor Yongle and the Lu family. The Lu family was manageable—Lu Zhengchun might be arrogant, but for many years, he had been living off his past achievements and lacked intelligence. But Emperor Yongle was different—the young emperor already possessed thunderous methods. It was precisely because he hadn’t blamed Ye Mei that Ye Mao Cai felt more uneasy, suspecting Emperor Yongle was brewing something.

Ye Mao Cai redirected his anger toward Ye Mei, confining her to her quarters for many days and treating her quite coldly. Ye Mei had been living very frustratingly during this time. Today, her confinement was finally lifted, and Madam Ye, wanting to make it up to her, took her to their family’s jewelry shop to select some pieces. But halfway there, a distinguished visitor came to the Ye residence, forcing Madam Ye to return. Since it was their shop, she wasn’t worried and let Ye Mei pick out jewelry herself and return afterwards.

The shop manager put on a fawning expression and brought out the most expensive pieces for Ye Mei to choose from. Ye Mei selected them with a dejected expression, her mind elsewhere, which secretly irritated the manager.

Just a merchant’s daughter, and now that she’d been recognized by the Ye family and returned to her ancestral roots, she’d already received incredible good fortune, yet she was still so picky. These pieces of jewelry weren’t good enough for her—who knew what kind of wealth would satisfy her?

Ye Mei hadn’t noticed the manager’s expression. She had been cold-shouldered by Ye Mao Cai these past few days and was extremely resentful, yet increasingly aware that the Ye family was not a place to stay long-term. Ye Mao Cai was a person who prioritized benefits; for benefits, he could sacrifice her at any time. She had originally wanted to use the Ye family to climb higher, but lacking sufficient strength, she could only be a pawn. The path Ye Mao Cai had arranged for her was far from enough to get what she wanted.

Her gaze swept over the dazzling array of jewelry, but in her mind, she was thinking about how to escape, and if she escaped, where she could go.

Just then, two more people entered the jewelry shop—a man and a woman. The man was in his early thirties, dressed richly, with ordinary features, and somewhat plump. The woman was young, dressed in bright colors, and entered with a strong fragrance—a courtesan from some brothel.

The woman coquettishly said, “Sir, buy me a bracelet, it must be pure gold.”

The man smiled generously: “Today, just pick whatever you like. I’m in a good mood.”

It seemed to be some young master bringing a girl from a brothel to squander money.

The shop manager, already displeased with Ye Mei’s distracted attitude, now that new customers had arrived, simply abandoned Ye Mei and placed the items he had just shown her in front of the courtesan, smiling: “These have just arrived. Miss can take a look.”

The courtesan squeezed next to Ye Mei, her perfume making Ye Mei uncomfortable. Ye Mei turned to glance at her, but when she saw the man beside the courtesan, she was stunned. The man also noticed her and froze before exclaiming with delight: “Mei’er!”

The courtesan who was selecting jewelry looked up alertly, eyeing Ye Mei warily. The shop manager also pricked up his ears—since this man called Ye Mei “Mei’er,” he had a past relationship with her. After all, Ye Mei had once been a merchant’s daughter.

Ye Mei initially wanted to avoid his gaze and leave, but suddenly thought of something, hesitated, and then looked at the shop manager. Abruptly, she said, “Since we’ve met, let’s talk privately.”

The man seemed eager to do so. The courtesan at his side grabbed his arm and said, “Sir, you still need to accompany me to pick jewelry.”

The man impatiently pulled out several silver notes from his robe and tossed them to the woman, saying, “Choose for yourself.”

Having received the silver notes, the courtesan stopped insisting. The man left with Ye Mei, who put on a face veil and said, “Let’s find a restaurant.”

In a private room of a restaurant, the man looked at Ye Mei with curiosity: “Why do you have so many guards around you now? Back then, you and your brother disappeared from Qinzhou without a word. I had people look for you for a long time, but I didn’t expect to find you here.”

Ye Mei’s heart was pounding. This man was none other than her childhood friend. Back then, the Li family was a merchant in Qinzhou, and this man was the eldest son of the Jin family, Jin Xingming. The Jin family was also a merchant household, and Mr. Jin and Mr. Li had quite a deep friendship. When Ye Mei was young, Jin Xingming was already a young man. Mr. Jin had even joked about marrying Ye Mei to Jin Xingming. Ye Mei had always been ambitious; becoming a merchant’s wife was not her ultimate goal.

Although she found Jin Xingming quite repulsive, she was clever enough never to show it to him. Instead, she was very attentive and obedient, enchanting Jin Xingming, who adored her like a goddess and treasured her like a jewel.

Later, when the Li couple passed away, the Jin family had to look after the Li family’s shops. Ye Mei became even more attentive to Jin Xingming. Mr. Jin was just about to inquire about their marriage, as with the Li couple gone, only Ye Mei herself could decide.

Ye Mei naturally did not want this—in her mind, she would rather be a minor concubine of an official than a merchant’s wife. It was at this time that the Ye family appeared. They immediately hit it off, and Ye Mei promptly went to Longyi with them. Due to her disgust for the Jin family, she didn’t even tell them before leaving. Jin Xingming naturally didn’t know she had come to Longyi; who would have thought they would meet here?

Having rapidly calculated in her mind, Ye Mei shook her head, sighed, and said, “When I was with the Li family, we were grateful for the Jin family’s care, and my brother and I lived quite well. But suddenly someone came to our door, saying my real parents were different, that I was the daughter of Minister Ye. I was shocked, but they didn’t give me time to explain, and they took me away.”

“Minister Ye?” Jin Xingming exclaimed in surprise, “The Minister Ye from Longyi?”

Ye Mei nodded and said, “But after I arrived, I discovered they had mistaken my identity. However, you know the Ye family only has one son who is disabled. After making such a grand gesture of searching for their daughter, they couldn’t lose face by admitting their mistake, so they insisted I become the Ye family’s daughter. I originally thought, let it be, but who knew that Minister Ye was a beast in human clothing? He… he wanted to use me as a bargaining chip in his official career, using my marriage to curry favor with others.”

She spoke with tears streaming down her face. Being naturally beautiful, she now appeared pitiful and enchanting, breaking Jin Xingming’s heart. Jin Xingming angrily said, “How could he do this? Even a birth daughter shouldn’t be treated so heartlessly, let alone you, who aren’t even his daughter. Yet he dares to control your marriage. Despicable! Come, let’s go report this to the authorities!”

“It’s useless,” Ye Mei shook her head. “Officials protect each other, and Ye Mao Cai has tremendous power in Longyi. I once tried to write a letter to Qinzhou seeking your help, but even the letter was intercepted. My brother and I have both been under house arrest by the Ye family. Being able to go out today is already quite rare.”

Jin Xingming’s face darkened with anger. He had always been very fond of Ye Mei. When the Li siblings disappeared, Mr. Jin had said it was because Ye Mei didn’t want to marry him and had run away. Jin Xingming had been somewhat angry then, but now the beauty was crying like a pear blossom in rain—how could he remain angry? He only silently cursed himself; if only he had discovered Ye Mei’s predicament earlier.

Ye Mei looked up and said, “All these days, I have thought of Elder Brother Jin constantly, hoping that one day I could regain my freedom. Elder Brother Jin, can you help me?”

Jin Xingming nodded repeatedly: “Help you? What can I do?”

“Elder Brother Jin, I don’t ask for anything else now, I just want you to help me leave the Ye family.” Ye Mei smiled through her tears: “If I could be with Elder Brother Jin, I wouldn’t have to live in fear every day.”

Jin Xingming almost melted at her words. Previously, although Ye Mei had been gentle with him, it was different from now. She had never expressed herself before, like viewing her through a gauze screen, unable to grasp her true feelings. But her words now clearly showed that she considered him an important person.

Though somewhat elated, Jin Xingming hadn’t lost his reason. The Ye family was the Minister’s family, while he was just a merchant’s son. He said, “This… the Ye family is quite troublesome.”

Ye Mei said nothing, just looked at him with her beautiful eyes. Jin Xingming’s heart stirred, and he said, “There is a way. Mei’er, do you know why I came to Longyi?”

Ye Mei shook her head. She didn’t even care about Jin Xingming; today she only spoke to him because she wanted to use him to escape the Ye family. How could she have thought about this?

Jin Xingming proudly said, “I have a friend, also a merchant, who went to Ming Qi last year. I heard that this year he established connections with the royal merchants there and might even get an official position. I thought, rather than being an ordinary merchant in Qinzhou all my life, why not venture out? That friend also invited me to join him. I came to Longyi to settle some family business and then discuss with that friend.”

“I was still quite hesitant,” Jin Xingming continued. “After all, my parents are here. But now that I’ve met you, Mei’er, I’m no longer afraid. I’ve decided to go to Jingjing in Ming Qi. I don’t expect to become an official, but I’m sure I can earn more. The Ye family may have great power, but if we escape to Ming Qi, their reach won’t extend that far. What do you think, Mei’er?”

Ye Mei’s heart stirred. While Jin Xingming was speaking, she had already been calculating rapidly. Although some things weren’t entirely clear yet, she still smiled and said, “That sounds wonderful. Elder Brother Jin, you truly are Mei’er’s support. Everyone else in this world is unreliable, but thankfully there’s you, Elder Brother Jin…”

She was coquettish and gentle, full of charm. Jin Xingming felt his heart skip a beat and unconsciously reached out to touch Ye Mei’s small hand. Ye Mei endured her disgust and allowed Jin Xingming to take advantage. In the past, she would naturally have disdained such behavior, but now, she had no choice but to compromise.

As Shen Miao was leaving a lady’s residence after attending a tea party, she rubbed her neck. Those ladies had gradually accepted Shen Miao’s “influence” on them, and Xie Jingxing said the court had also stabilized somewhat. She was about to get into her carriage when she saw a man and woman walking out of a teahouse across the street. The woman wore a veil, hiding her face, but having dealt with her for a lifetime, Shen Miao could recognize Ye Mei just by her gait and posture.

The man speaking with Ye Mei seemed quite intimate with her. Shen Miao had a sharp eye for people—this man’s manners and behavior did not resemble those of a noble family’s son, but rather revealed a kind of vulgarity like a common peddler, perhaps a merchant.

Shen Miao moved to the side, the shadow of the carriage concealing her from Ye Mei’s view. The man exchanged a few more words with Ye Mei and, although he didn’t make any inappropriate moves, the relationship between the two appeared unusual. Ye Mei soon left in a carriage, and the man turned to walk in another direction.

Shen Miao thought for a moment and instructed Mo Qing: “Follow that man and find out everything you can about him.”

Mo Qing had been secretly monitoring Ye Mei these days, and since this man appeared to have a relationship with her, it was natural for Shen Miao to have him investigated. Mo Qing accepted the order and left.

Shen Miao got into her carriage, her mind beginning to contemplate the situation.

The man didn’t appear to be of noble birth, and Shen Miao knew Ye Mei well—she placed great importance on social status and would not speak with commoners. Yet she had gone to a teahouse with this man and perhaps even sat down for tea.

Ye Mei always used everyone around her that she could, especially men. Shen Miao almost immediately thought that Ye Mei might be trying to use this man to achieve some goal; otherwise, being as proud as she was, she would never deign to speak with such a lowly man.

What was she trying to do?

…

Ye Mei returned to the Ye residence in the evening. Ye Mao Cai, who usually returned very late, was surprisingly already at home today. Seeing her enter, he stared at her and asked, “Where did you go?”

Perhaps the difficulties the Ye family was currently facing had begun to make the usually smooth-sailing Ye Mao Cai feel the strain; his composed scholarly air had completely dissipated, and even his once-amiable face had begun to look gloomy.

Ye Mei steadied herself and said, “Mother, let me go to the jewelry shop to pick out some pieces.”

“Mother?” Ye Mao Cai repeated with a peculiar intonation.

Ye Mei was extremely displeased by his strange tone. Ye Mao Cai knew she wasn’t Madam Ye’s flesh and blood, yet he was the one who initially asked Ye Mei to pretend. Now he made it sound as if Ye Mei had schemed her way into becoming the Ye family’s daughter.

Seeing that Ye Mei didn’t respond, Ye Mao Cai asked, “Where’s the jewelry?”

Ye Mei said, “I didn’t like anything, so I didn’t choose any.”

“You’re quite self-aware, knowing not to take things that aren’t yours,” Ye Mao Cai said meaningfully. Then he suddenly changed the subject: “Who was that man you met on the street today?”

Ye Mei was startled, then filled with anger. Undoubtedly, this was the work of the Ye family guards who followed her. Those guards ostensibly protected her safety, but in reality, they monitored her, reporting her every move to Ye Mao Cai. Despite this, Ye Mei dared not anger Ye Mao Cai. She said, “He’s a young master I knew in Qinzhou, with deep ties to my family. If Father doesn’t believe me, you can investigate his background.”

Jin Xingming was just a merchant’s son; even if Ye Mao Cai investigated, he wouldn’t find much. Seeing her speak so calmly, Ye Mao Cai’s expression relaxed a bit. He said, “Don’t think I’m being unreasonable. It’s just that Longyi city will soon see some major movements. As a daughter of the Ye family, your every move is watched. If you bring any disaster upon the Ye family, both you and the Ye family will suffer.” Then, feigning kindness, he smiled, “Since you’re a clever child, you should know what you should and shouldn’t do. You and the Ye family are one, so naturally, we must help each other.”

After hearing Ye Mao Cai’s words, Ye Mei felt even more despondent, increasingly convinced that Ye Mao Cai definitely wanted to use her to achieve some purpose. Having made up her mind, she exchanged a few more perfunctory words with Ye Mao Cai before returning to her room.

When she returned, she found Ye Ke already waiting there. Seeing her return, Ye Ke smiled, “Sister, where did you go today? Why are you only back now? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

Ye Mei was irritable and distracted, wanting to tell Ye Ke about Jin Xingming. Back in Qinzhou, Ye Ke had been very hopeful that Jin Xingming would become his brother-in-law because the Jin family could look after the Li family. But at that time, Ye Mei couldn’t see herself with Jin Xingming, and Ye Ke had tried to persuade her for a long time, saying Jin Xingming would treat her well.

Now, if she were to follow Jin Xingming to escape to Ming Qi, she would naturally want to bring Ye Ke along. But she wasn’t sure what Ye Ke’s attitude would be.

“Do you remember Jin Xingming from the Jin family in Qinzhou?” Ye Mei asked.

“Jin Xingming?” Ye Ke looked at her suspiciously. “I remember him. Why bring him up suddenly?” Then a thought struck him, and he stood up in shock, saying, “Sister, you haven’t suddenly changed your mind and want to marry him now, have you?”

Ye Mei frowned, “Didn’t you use to like him a lot?”

“Back then we were merchants, but now we’re officials.” Ye Ke said, “Sister, with your current status, Jin Xingming is far beneath you. A merchant’s family taking an official’s daughter—saying that aloud would make people laugh their heads off.”

He seemed very agitated. Ye Mei looked at him for a while and asked, “Then who do you think I should marry?”

“Sister, with your status, marrying a prince wouldn’t be excessive, though Longyi doesn’t have princes.” He leaned in mysteriously and smiled, “Actually, Father intends for you to enter the palace. I’ve checked for you—the Emperor is young and handsome, and quite cold toward the Empress. If you enter the palace, with your beauty and talent, the six palaces would likely all be in your grasp eventually. By then, you and I would enjoy boundless wealth and status.” Ye Ke’s eyes gleamed as he spoke, seemingly enchanted by the prospect he described, like a long-time digger finally seeing treasure.

“Oh?” Ye Mei looked at him. “Do you think so?”

“Sister, when did you become so unconfident?” Ye Ke patted his chest and said, “Trust me, you will become the most honored woman in Da Liang. So just listen to Father and enter the palace. Father wouldn’t harm you. Once in the palace, with the Ye family backing you, isn’t that the greatest blessing?”

Ye Mei smiled, though the smile was somewhat strange. She said, “Second Brother, you seem to have been very busy these days. Can you tell Sister what exactly you’ve been busy with?”

“Father plans to secure an official position for me in Longyi,” Ye Ke said animatedly. “These days he’s been taking me around to meet colleagues.” As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized something, abruptly stopped, and looked at Ye Mei with some panic.

Ye Mei’s expression remained unchanged. She simply nodded and said, “I see.”