After Ren Wanyun’s statement, Old Madam Shen wasn’t foolish enough to miss her underlying meaning. From Ren Wanyun’s tone, it was clear that the Prince of Yu was a devil of a man, and if Shen Miao fell into his hands, she would only have a good-sounding title. The real beneficiary would be the Shen family. As for Shen Yuanbai, he was indeed Old Madam Shen’s darling; using Shen Miao to pave the way for Shen Yuanbai was an idea that greatly pleased her.
“Since that’s the case, and you both speak well of him, it seems the Prince of Yu is indeed a good match for the fifth girl,” Old Madam Shen said with remarkable shamelessness, sitting properly as she uttered these words, causing a flash of contempt to appear in Chen Ruoqiu’s eyes.
“Mother also thinks it’s good,” Ren Wanyun was equally skilled at blatant lying and immediately said, “When choosing a husband for Little Five, I naturally can’t select someone of low status. The Prince’s household—that’s truly marrying into nobility.”
Hearing this, Old Madam Shen nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked, “Has the Prince’s household sent someone to discuss the matter?”
Ren Wanyun’s face twitched. Although she was no pushover, she hadn’t expected this old woman to be so impatient, eager to decide Shen Miao’s marriage immediately. Of course, the sooner this marriage took place, the better; otherwise, it would be problematic once Shen Xin returned. Even if everything were settled, Shen Xin might not allow Shen Miao to marry into the Prince’s household. Therefore, some extraordinary methods would be necessary.
Fortunately, from the looks of it, the Prince’s household didn’t plan to propose marriage openly. The Prince of Yu had his preferred methods, which were quite varied. Naturally, they had to be kept secret.
“Mother, it’s still too early,” Ren Wanyun smiled, “Little Five is still young, there’s no hurry. Settling this now would inevitably invite gossip. Let them spend some time together first. When they’re in love and Little Five herself is willing, then we’ll bring up the marriage. This way, no one can say we forced Little Five.”
Even if Shen Miao were a complete fool, she would never fall in love with the Prince of Yu. These words merely served to cloak ugly intentions in pretty language. What might happen in between was unknown.
Chen Ruoqiu smiled quietly without speaking. Although she also wanted to see Shen Miao suffer misfortune, she was cautious by nature. It was better to let Ren Wanyun take the lead in such prominent matters. If Shen Xin were to investigate in the future, he couldn’t trace anything back to her. Watching others fight from the sidelines was what Chen Ruoqiu excelled at.
Behind the screen, Shen Yue and Shen Qing both felt fear in their hearts. They hadn’t expected that in these few brief sentences, Shen Miao’s lifelong happiness had been decided. For a young woman, a husband meant happiness for the rest of her life, and Shen Miao was destined for unhappiness. However, Shen Yue and Shen Qing felt no sympathy for Shen Miao. In official circles, Shen Xin outranked their fathers; in status, Shen Miao outranked the sisters. Combined with Old Madam Shen’s constant influence, the First Branch was nothing but a thorn in their sides. Seeing Shen Miao’s misfortune, they could only feel schadenfreude.
Although Old Madam Shen knew nothing about household management, she was extremely versed in the conflicts among women in the inner courtyards. Especially when it came to underhanded tactics—she had risen from a mere songstress to become the matriarch of the general’s household, relying not just on her bewitching face but also on her ruthless methods. Therefore, upon hearing Ren Wanyun’s words, she understood their implications and smiled, “Oh, in that case, let the fifth girl become closer to the Prince of Yu. Indeed, if it appears that we forced the fifth girl, and it angers the eldest son later, that wouldn’t be good.”
Her features were already harsh, and when she tried to look loving, she resembled a weasel forcing a smile, with unusual malice. Shen Yue and Shen Qing both shuddered and quickly retreated far from the screen.
……
In the West Courtyard, under the oil lamp, Shen Miao sat quietly. Before her lay a piece of snow-white parchment with nothing written on it. The ink and brush were already prepared, as if she wanted to write, but after a moment, she sighed softly and put the parchment away.
While it was good to plan for some things, currently, she was just a secluded young lady. All she could rely on was the vast amount of intelligence she possessed. But these things couldn’t yet exert their maximum effect through her current self. Indeed, the path had to be walked step by step.
Seeing her sigh, Guyu and Jingzhe thought she was thinking about the Prince of Yu’s matter. Guyu stepped forward to comfort her, “Young Miss, please take heart. If they truly have evil intentions, even at the cost of our lives, we servants will protect you. If worst comes to worst, in the capital, the Master has friendly connections with many families, so at most…”
Shen Miao shook her head, “The Prince’s household holds a high position and power, with the imperial family’s protection. No matter how good Father’s relationship is with others, they won’t risk the imperial family’s enmity to shelter me.” Moreover, the imperial family was eyeing the Shen family covetously. Rashly taking action would make the naturally suspicious Ming Qi imperial house suspect Shen Xin of colluding with others. After all, when one’s subjects became too close, it wasn’t a good thing for any emperor.
“Then, why not write a letter to the Master?” Jingzhe suggested. “Although the Master is occupied with military affairs, the Young Master is only attached to the army without specific orders. Returning to Jing City wouldn’t incur punishment from superiors. With the Young Master present, he could at least protect Young Miss.”
“For my brother to rush back from the northwest, even at full gallop, would take more than a month. How could he make it in time? Do you think they would wait that long?” Shen Miao said calmly. Shen Xin’s deterrent effect would make them act in the shortest possible time. They believed that once the deed was done, a few intimidating words would make her obediently comply.
Shen Miao might have, but the Empress Shen, who had bathed in blood and tears in the imperial harem, never would!
“Then what can we do?” Guyu and Jingzhe’s expressions changed dramatically. Although they knew the situation was bad, they hadn’t expected it to be this serious. The Prince of Yu’s methods were well-known in Jing City—any girl who caught his eye, even from high official families, would be ruined. Afterward, the imperial family would offer a few words of comfort, but nothing could be done. Only because his methods were so evil and biased that nothing could be proven on the surface, and in the end, it was always those young girls who suffered.
“What to do? Others can’t be relied upon,” Shen Miao looked at the flickering flames. “I’ll have to rely on myself.”
“But Young Miss…” Guyu felt anxious. How could Shen Miao protect herself? For others, family might provide some defense, but the people of the Second and Third Branches might have already allied with the other side!
“I have my ways,” Shen Miao played with the paperweight in her hand.
The Prince of Yu’s household relied solely on the emperor’s favor and the imperial family’s protection. If the imperial family became unwilling to protect him, and if enemies happened to come seeking revenge, what then? Tsk, a princely household without imperial protection was nothing but a heap of mud.
A prince was a prince—there was some blood relation to the imperial family after all. She would start with him, and incidentally… she looked outside, where shadows were faintly moving beyond the window. That fat figure—who else could it be but Nanny Gui?
Incidentally, she would clean up all the filth in the West Courtyard as well.