In the mountains of Wolong Temple, as the evening sky gradually darkened, a light drizzle began to fall. The rain carried a chill that hit one’s face. Guyu closed the window and said to Shen Miao: “Miss, be careful not to catch cold.”

Jingzhe draped a cloak over Shen Miao and anxiously spoke: “The mountain path is already difficult to traverse. If it rains all night, after offering incense early tomorrow, I’m not sure if we can depart. Traveling on muddy roads might mean we’d have to rest here for another day.”

“If we need to rest another day, then we’ll rest another day,” Guyu smiled and said. “The scenery here is quite beautiful, and the environment is tranquil, certainly better than…” She swallowed the rest of her words, but was likely referring to how it was better than those insincere people at the Shen residence.

Shen Miao sat at the table, arranging a chessboard. Lately, she had become increasingly fond of playing chess, but unfortunately, none of her maids knew how to play, so she always played alone. Occasionally, Guyu and Jingzhe would find it strange that their miss, while playing alone, would sometimes reveal peculiar expressions that made one’s heart turn cold.

The door was pushed open, and Nanny Gui entered with a beaming smile. She carried some food in her hands and said with a smile, “Miss, this is the vegetarian meal from the temple. Although it’s all vegetarian, Wolong Temple’s vegetarian cuisine is quite good. This old servant especially requested a bowl of crystal osmanthus soup. The First Miss and Second Miss have already eaten and said it was delicious.”

“Oh, put it there,” Shen Miao said indifferently.

“Miss should eat it while it’s hot; it won’t taste good when cold,” Nanny Gui eagerly picked up the bowl and was about to hand it to Shen Miao.

“Why is Nanny in such a hurry?” Jingzhe imperceptibly took the porcelain bowl from Nanny Gui’s hands and said with a smile: “Didn’t Miss just say to put it there? She was feeling a bit unwell earlier and will eat after a while.”

Nanny Gui was inwardly furious, but she saw that Shen Miao seemed indifferent to Jingzhe’s words. She secretly gritted her teeth. Previously, Shen Miao had always prioritized Nanny Gui’s words, and if Nanny Gui had disputes with the maids, she would certainly punish the maids first. Somehow, at some point, these maids Jingzhe and Guyu had gained Shen Miao’s favor.

While she was deep in thought, she heard Shen Miao suddenly say: “Nanny has been with me for fourteen years now, hasn’t she?”

Nanny Gui’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at Shen Miao. Shen Miao happened to be looking back at her, her clear eyes as pure as ever, like those of an innocent child. Nanny Gui felt a moment of bewilderment.

Without realizing it, that helpless infant had grown into a delicately beautiful little girl, and now into the graceful young lady before her. Nanny Gui felt somewhat emotional; at the beginning, when Lord and Lady Shen Xin were frequently away at war, they had instructed her to take good care of Shen Miao, and in the blink of an eye, fourteen years had passed.

“Nanny has always been close to me,” Shen Miao said softly. “I remember one time when I had a fever at night, and it was raining outside just like now. The household had sent someone with a card to invite a doctor, but they were delayed. Nanny was so worried that she went out to look for another doctor herself. She slipped and fell on the way, breaking her head, but persisted in finding another doctor to come.”

Nanny Gui was startled, and her expression involuntarily softened: “Miss still remembers these things.”

“Of course I remember. Nanny has accompanied me for more than a decade; even my parents haven’t been with me as long as Nanny has. I regard Nanny as family.”

“Miss is too kind to this old servant.” Nanny Gui sighed inwardly, not expecting that Shen Miao, who had been cold towards her lately, would suddenly be so affectionate today. Amid her sighs, she felt a surge of remorse. People aren’t born this way; when Lord and Lady Shen Xin first appointed her as Shen Miao’s nanny, her son wasn’t yet married and she had no grandchildren, so she had indeed treated Shen Miao like her own granddaughter. There had been times of genuine affection, but… one must look out for oneself, or heaven and earth would destroy them. After all, Shen Miao wasn’t her real granddaughter, and the First Branch had promised that if things went according to plan, her son’s family would benefit.

Fortune favors the bold, and besides, Shen Miao truly couldn’t bring her anything. The look in Nanny Gui’s eyes changed slightly, but in the end, she smiled and said: “Miss, the night is cold and heavy; it’s best to eat early and rest. When you’re tired, light some incense, have a good sleep, and tomorrow morning, offer incense to pray for blessings for your parents. That would be good.”

“Thank you for your concern, Nanny.” Shen Miao also smiled, though her smile seemed to contain something ambiguous. She said: “Nanny, you may go now. I will eat on my own.”

Nanny Gui wanted to stay longer, but seeing Shen Miao’s insistent dismissal, she had no choice but to reluctantly withdraw. After leaving the room, she didn’t go far but instead walked under the window to carefully listen to the movements inside.

After a moment, Guyu’s voice was heard from within: “Miss, the food is getting cold.”

“Serve it then.”

Following that was the sound of bowls and chopsticks clinking, as if someone had sat down at the table to eat. Jingzhe asked: “Miss, how do you find this osmanthus soup?”

“Not bad,” Shen Miao’s voice responded. “It suits my taste.”

“Then have some more,” Guyu said with a smile.

After listening for quite a while, it seemed Shen Miao had finished eating. There was the sound of clearing bowls and chopsticks, and Guyu walked out carrying a food basket. Then Jingzhe was heard saying: “Miss, do you want to read for a while longer?”

“I’m a bit tired. I’ll read for another quarter hour. Go light the incense,” Shen Miao’s voice sounded weary.

Nanny Gui straightened up and breathed a deep sigh of relief. She turned to look at the window once more, then walked out of the courtyard. Upon leaving, she couldn’t help but look back and mutter: “Miss, don’t blame this old servant for being heartless. If the First Madam wants to deal with you, no one can stop her.”

After Nanny Gui left, a male figure appeared behind her. He watched Nanny Gui’s hurriedly departing back, his face showing traces of anger.

In the room, Jingzhe worriedly looked at Shen Miao: “Miss, Guyu has already gone out. I still don’t understand what Miss intends to do?”

For some reason, Jingzhe felt uneasy, as if something was about to happen in this quiet, deep mountain. She asked, “Miss, just put on that act to fool Nanny Gui. Could it be that Nanny Gui has some trick up her sleeve?” Shen Miao’s cordial words to Nanny Gui had made Jingzhe nervous, fearing that she would once again be compliant with Nanny Gui as before.

Shen Miao watched the flickering flame of the lamp, the tiny sparks making crackling sounds that formed a stark contrast with the pitter-patter of rain outside.

Pretending to eat, pretending to light incense, these were just expedient measures. As for why she had spoken those words to Nanny Gui, it wasn’t because her heart had softened.

On this path of revenge, no one could turn back. Past kindnesses weren’t excuses for present wrongdoings. Evil people never deserve sympathy; those words were like what winners in the imperial harem would say to losers—final words before execution.

She gently closed her eyes.

“Miss, what do we do now?” Seeing that Shen Miao hadn’t answered her question, Jingzhe could only change the subject.

“Wait.”

“Wait for what?”

The young lady’s eyelashes flickered slightly, and the corners of her lips turned up.

“Wait for a dark and windy night, the time to kill and plunder.”