Guyu and Jingzhe both cautiously stood in front of Shen Miao to protect her. Shouting out loud would be too improper, and besides, this youth was dressed in fine clothes and had an extremely noble and handsome appearance, making one wonder about his identity. But he was still a stranger, and Guyu and Jingzhe feared something unexpected might happen.

“Guyu, Jingzhe, keep watch at the entrance of the forest,” Shen Miao said.

“But, young lady…” the two hesitated.

“Go.” Shen Miao frowned slightly. For some reason, she was quite good at giving orders. Whenever she commanded her maids to do something, she carried a peculiar authority that made people unable to refuse.

Jingzhe and Guyu had no choice but to retreat to the forest entrance.

“You’re quite interesting.” Xie Jingxing leaned against the tree trunk, observing her with amusement. Though a noble young master of gold and jade, his gaze was as sharp as a blood-stained blade on the battlefield, and even his flat tone could convey a piercing coldness. He was truly someone who had seen blood on the battlefield.

“What does Marquis Xie want to say?” Shen Miao asked. Xie Jingxing’s sudden appearance was certainly not for idle chat. Though young, he acted with great determination. Since even the old marquis couldn’t control him, he acted even more recklessly, making him impossible to predict.

“Prince Yu’s household currently lacks a princess, and that cripple seems to have taken a fancy to you. I came to offer my congratulations.” His tone was ambiguous. Referring to Prince Yu as a “cripple” was extremely bold, but coming from Xie Jingxing, it carried a hint of contempt and mockery, as if Prince Yu were nothing but a dirty, worthless thing.

This person certainly had high self-regard.

Shen Miao pondered inwardly while keeping her face expressionless, forgetting that this calm demeanor might represent something in the other’s eyes. Xie Jingxing suddenly stepped forward. He was extremely tall, and Shen Miao was completely enveloped in his shadow. The purple-clad youth bent down slightly, drawing close to her ear and saying: “You already knew, didn’t you?”

The young man emanated a pleasant scent of winter bamboo. His deliberately lowered voice had a magnetic, intimate quality. The gesture too was intimate. Shen Miao looked up, and that handsome face was right before her. The slight curl of his lips added a knowing wickedness to his smile.

But she was, after all, not truly a young maiden. She merely lowered her gaze slightly and said: “What difference does it make whether I know or not?”

Seeing her unmoved, Xie Jingxing no longer bothered to act like a flirtatious young master. Without the slightest regard for her feminine delicacy, he pushed her away, waving a paper note with a smile that held a touch of impudence: “Knowing yet not concerned about your affairs, instead worrying about the second young master of the Jing Dianshi family?”

Shen Miao’s gaze suddenly shifted, then fixed intently on him, her tone involuntarily carrying some fierceness: “Is Marquis Xie perhaps meddling too much in others’ affairs?”

“It’s just a piece of paper, yet you’re so nervous.” Xie Jingxing resumed that devil-may-care attitude: “What connection do you have with Jing Dianshi’s second son to help him so? Or perhaps… Shen family girl, what are you planning?”

Shen Miao’s face was as still as water as she silently stared at the paper in Xie Jingxing’s hand. The paper was thin, yet it represented a heavy stone in her heart.

It was the “Governing Laws Strategy” that she had pondered over for a long time. In her previous life, it was with this very strategy paper that Pei Lang had been discovered by Fu Xiuyi, thereafter becoming Fu Xiuyi’s advisor, strategizing for his empire.

Now, before he could display his talent, Shen Miao wanted to cut off the possibility. Not only that, it would be best if Pei Lang never served anyone in the imperial family—that would be the most prudent approach.

The Jing Dianshi family’s second young master, Gao Yan, belonged to a newly risen aristocratic family in the capital, distinct from the ancient hereditary noble clans. The Ming Qi imperial family naturally wanted to support new nobility while suppressing the old aristocracy. The Jing Dianshi family was the most prominent branch among those newly supported. The eldest son of the Jing Dianshi family, Gao Jin, was truly talented. Later, when Fu Xiuyi ascended the throne, he gave him substantial patronage. The Jing Dianshi family thus received imperial favor and became increasingly domineering, and this Gao Yan… had even coveted her Princess Wanyu.

If not for the fact that she was the empress of the six palaces, then, and Fu Xiuyi had not yet begun to deal with the Shen family, Wanyu would likely have suffered a terrible fate. This Gao Yan was less talented than his brother and extremely vain, always claiming his elder brother’s achievements as his own. Vindictive and narrow-minded, he was essentially a troublemaker. In her previous life, Gao Yan hadn’t entered officialdom. In this life, the Jing Dianshi family had not yet reached its prime, and Gao Jin had just recently begun his official career. She might as well give a push to help Gao Yan enter this frank official path.

Giving Pei Lang’s “Governing Laws Strategy” to Gao Yan was natural because she knew that every year during the examinations, Gao Yan would have his servants spend money to buy examination papers outside. Today, she had Guyu pay someone to replace his examination paper. With Fu Xiuyi’s “talent-valuing” disposition, he would certainly recruit Gao Yan at all costs. And Gao Yan, with his vain personality, would never admit it wasn’t his work. With such a person entering Ming Qi’s officialdom… she wanted to see how these two, against Fu Xiuyi, would engage in a dog-eat-dog battle!

Cutting off Fu Xiuyi’s capable right hand and replacing it with an empty-headed troublemaker—this was Shen Miao’s clever plan. Who would have thought that Xie Jingxing would appear midway, causing her plan to fail?

Her gaze flickered, as if thousands of words were gathered in those clear eyes that resembled a young beast’s. Xie Jingxing finally curled his lips and said lazily: “You need not show such a hateful expression toward me. This letter was copied by my people; the original is still in the Gao boy’s hands.”

Shen Miao was slightly stunned, never expecting such an outcome. She looked at Xie Jingxing, was silent for a moment, then said: “The young marquis is broad-minded.”

“Not broad-minded, just that this marquis has always had one particularly praiseworthy quality,” Xie Jingxing’s eyes grew slightly cold: “I most dislike meddling in others’ affairs.”

Shen Miao was about to speak when she heard Xie Jingxing’s voice again: “Now you can tell this marquis, why did you write to Jing Dianshi?”

Shen Miao sighed inwardly. Although she intended to bind the Shen and Xie families to the same boat, now was not yet the time. The discord between the Shen and Xie families had a long history that could not be resolved overnight. It would require slow planning, but now she had unexpectedly encountered Xie Jingxing, completely disrupting her well-laid plans.

She trusted no one and had her path to follow. Whether Xie Jingxing or the Xie family, they were merely pieces on the board of the great undertaking of the world. No player would explain their reasons to a chess piece.

“This marquis thinks you help him so much, unless you have a private relationship with him, helping your lover gain fame.” Xie Jingxing’s smile was teasing as he looked Shen Miao up and down: “Then I thought, though Gao’s second son may be incompetent, his taste in women isn’t bad.” He looked at Shen Miao—her features were beautiful, yet as piercing as the frost and wind of the northwestern desert.

“Also, you want to help Gao Yan, which means helping Jing Dianshi gain reputation, but you’re helping the useless Gao Yan instead of Gao Jin—it seems rather ill-intentioned.” His smile was malicious, yet his words struck right at the heart of the matter.

“Shen family girl, does Jing Dianshi have a grudge against you?”