The days were growing colder. Deep autumn had passed, and winter had arrived. This year, the General’s Mansion seemed particularly desolate. Shen Miao was confined to the Shen residence, Shen Qing was bedridden, and only Shen Yue attended the Guangwen Hall daily. Even during the Mid-Autumn banquet, only Chen Ruoqiu took Shen Yue with her, where Shen Yue naturally made a grand appearance. However, these matters no longer concerned Shen Miao.

Yet as time passed, Shen Qing’s situation couldn’t be delayed any further. Ren Wanyun had Doctor Chen prepare some medicinal pills to ease Shen Qing’s morning sickness, which made it less noticeable to others. But if this continued, the truth would eventually come to light.

“This cannot continue,” Ren Wanyun frowned, pressing her temple. “We need to find a way for Qing’er to leave and avoid attention.” She thought of taking Shen Qing away to give birth before returning, perhaps claiming Shen Qing had contracted a serious illness. Once the situation blew over, perhaps peace would return.

“But with the young lady’s current condition, sending her away will inevitably cause hardship,” Xianglan worried. “Moreover, going back and forth will take time, and the young lady’s youth will be wasted…”

Ren Wanyun frowned. Indeed, Shen Qing was now sixteen by traditional counting, and in another year, she would be seventeen. For young ladies in the capital, marrying at sixteen or seventeen was just right. But Shen Qing was an official’s daughter, and her prospective family would naturally be of high status. Waiting another year, the good sons of noble families might all be taken.

“Yuan’er won’t return until after the New Year, but Qing’er’s condition can’t wait,” Ren Wanyun’s brow flashed with a hint of cruelty.

“Madam,” Caiju, who had been silent at the side, spoke up. “I heard that the wife of Deputy Minister Wei from the Secretariat recently communicated with Third Madam, apparently intending to propose marriage to Fifth Young Lady for the Wei family’s eldest son.”

“Shen Miao!” Ren Wanyun gritted her teeth. “She has such good luck!” The position of Deputy Minister was a fourth-rank official, which might seem presumptuous to propose marriage to the daughter of Shen Xin, a first-rank military official. However, Wei Qian, the eldest son of the Wei family, was a young man of superior talent and appearance. For him to marry a seemingly worthless girl from the capital was at least a good match in terms of ability. Moreover, Wei Qian had already entered officialdom at a young age and would likely achieve great things. This marriage proposal was truly a stroke of luck for Shen Miao.

“I heard the Wei family wishes to establish connections with our mansion,” Caiju said. “So they’re willing to use their son to secure a relationship with the Shen family.” Caiju’s words made it seem as if Shen Miao was an extremely lowly person, completely unworthy of that young master Wei.

“She does have good fortune,” Ren Wanyun’s expression became somewhat ferocious. Over the years, despite General Shen’s high position, there had been almost no marriage proposals for Shen Miao. This wasn’t without reason—Shen Miao herself was too weak and foolish. Given Shen Xin’s achievements, Shen Miao’s husband should naturally come from an equally prestigious family. Yet such families could hardly accept such a laughingstock of the capital as their matriarch.

So despite General Shen’s prestige, Shen Miao remained unwed and unnoticed.

Now that the Wei family had suddenly proposed marriage, though Caiju claimed it was to curry favor, upon reflection, it was probably because of Shen Miao’s performance at the inspection grounds that had refreshed everyone’s impression, changing her previous image of foolishness. This had encouraged the Wei family to make their move.

Even under normal circumstances, Ren Wanyun would not allow such a good marriage to fall to Shen Miao. Especially now that Shen Qing was in this state, she couldn’t bear to see Shen Miao, the instigator, fare well.

“Madam need not worry,” Xianglan said. “The Old Madam will certainly not approve of this marriage.”

In the General’s Mansion, Old Madam Shen was at the forefront of those who hated the First House. Unable to do anything against Shen Xin, Old Madam Shen kept Shen Miao’s marriage prospects under her control. Previously, with Ren Wanyun’s arrangements, Shen Miao’s reputation as a fool had spread throughout the kingdom. Now that Shen Miao had shed some of her foolish reputation and someone had come to propose marriage, Old Madam Shen would surely find a way to discourage them.

“With her lowly fate, how could she deserve such fortune? She’d probably die in her room before even marrying over.” Ren Wanyun’s words were extremely vicious. Looking at the tightly closed door of the inner room where Shen Qing rested daily, unwilling to see anyone, a trace of resentment flashed through her heart. “Yet the master hoped to marry Qing’er to such a person!”

Shen Gui still didn’t know about Shen Qing’s pregnancy, and Ren Wanyun had no intention of telling him. A man as cold-blooded as Shen Gui might already tolerate Shen Qing’s loss of virtue, but if he learned of her pregnancy, he would certainly force her to lose the child regardless of Shen Qing’s health.

Yet even so, fearing exposure, Shen Gui urged Ren Wanyun to find a marriage for Shen Qing. They just needed to marry her off quickly, preferably to a prestigious family. After searching, they settled on Huang Dexing, the youngest son of the Directorate for Imperial Manufactories.

The Huang family was one rank higher than the Wei family, with countless honors and riches. But compared to the Wei family, the master and mistress of the Huang family were no easy characters, and Huang Dexing himself preferred men.

Because of this, the Huang family wasn’t particularly concerned about their daughter-in-law, as long as she was gentle-natured and could turn a blind eye to Huang Dexing’s deviant behavior. Nothing else mattered.

Shen Gui thought that since Shen Qing had already been defiled, she might as well marry into the Huang family. Since Huang Dexing had no interest in women and wouldn’t touch Shen Qing, this secret would never be discovered. Shen Qing would only need to bear the empty title of a Huang family wife while enjoying wealth and honor. And he could use the marital connection with the Huang family to advance his career.

Shen Gui certainly had good intentions, but Ren Wanyun disagreed. Even if Shen Qing had been defiled, in Ren Wanyun’s heart, she still deserved a good marriage. Marrying Huang Dexing would be like living as a widow for life, and she would never exchange her daughter for such a marriage. Because of this, Shen Gui and Ren Wanyun had been arguing for a long time. The already cold relationship between husband and wife had worsened, with Shen Gui hardly coming to Caiyun Garden, spending his nights in his concubines’ rooms.

“If only the Fifth Young Lady and the Second Young Lady could swap husbands,” Caiju said resentfully.

The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart. Hearing this, Ren Wanyun’s brow twitched, and she suddenly looked at Caiju. “What did you say?”

Caiju was startled and stammered, “I said it would be good if the Fifth Young Lady and the Second Young Lady could swap husbands.”

“You’re right!” Ren Wanyun suddenly stood up, her face showing wild joy. “Yes, if only Qing’er and that little slut could swap marriages…” she murmured. “It should have been my Qing’er’s in the first place. This time, let that little slut reap what she’s sown!” As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something. “Bring me my cloak. I’m going to Rongjing Hall.”

“Why is Madam going to Rongjing Hall?” Both Caiju and Xianglan were confused by Ren Wanyun’s sudden action. They saw Ren Wanyun smile coldly and say, “Naturally to ask the Old Madam to keep that good marriage proposal from the Wei family.”

…

In winter, sunlight falling on the window sill’s flowers seemed to cast a pale blue-green hue. Yet the sunlight was thin, as if it might break at any moment. Shen Miao wore a brocade skirt with butterfly patterns and a narrow-shouldered deep purple robe. The deep purple made her already fair skin appear almost transparent, and her features seemed as if drawn with ink—clean and pure. Even standing still by the window, a noble aura emanated faintly from her.

Bailu and Shuangjiang were almost dazed. Even though they had served Shen Miao for years and had seen her face countless times, for some reason, they now felt as if they didn’t recognize her whenever they looked at her. That faint elegance appearing on what was once a childish young girl transformed innocence into dignity, and tenderness into killing intent.

“Young Lady seems to like wearing lotus blue-green clothes,” Bailu said. “Though it looks beautiful, aren’t young ladies of this age usually fond of bright colors like pink or blue?”

Lotus blue-green was valued for its solemnity, but young ladies in secluded chambers, except for princesses from the palace, rarely wore such colors. Firstly, it could make one look old, and secondly, it was difficult to carry off—one might easily look like a child wearing adults’ clothes.

Yet Shen Miao, with her tender young face, somehow carried these clothes with the dignity of a palace consort, leaving her maids puzzled.

Though Bailu and Shuangjiang had lowered their voices, Shen Miao still heard them. She smiled slightly. Why did she like wearing lotus blue-green? Perhaps because this color reminded her to be calm, profound, and never softhearted.

In her previous life in the palace, she wore the golden empress’s court robes daily, colors that could intimidate the scheming concubines in the palace. Maintaining the empress’s dignity made people cautious, but such colors didn’t suit her.

She had married Fu Xiuyi at a young age and experienced much that others her age could not. Because of this, her once naive, almost foolish temperament had been ground into a still, calm pond without ripples. Later, when she competed with Madam Mei for favor and love in the palace, trying to protect Fu Sheng and Wanyu, she wanted to keep that yellow imperial robe, but in the end, she lost everything.

The color purple symbolized usurpation and rebellion. In this life, constantly wearing purple meant that one day, she would seize the power coveted by the Ming Qi royal family and trample those bandits and robbers underfoot.

However… Shen Miao suddenly remembered another handsome young man who also always wore purple.

Usurpation and rebellion—she wondered if that mysterious eldest son of the Xie family also had plans to seize power.

“Young Lady, something terrible has happened!” Just as she was pondering this, Jingzhe hurriedly ran in from outside. “Young Lady, Moqing got news from Chungtao that Deputy Minister Wei from the Secretariat has come to propose marriage, and Old Madam Shen has accepted their birth certificate.”

Shuangjiang frowned and asked, “Why such urgency? Who is the Wei family proposing to marry?”

“It’s our Young Lady!” Jingzhe was so anxious she stamped her foot. “The Wei family’s situation isn’t even clear yet. How could the Old Madam accept the birth certificate without even asking for Young Lady’s opinion? The master and mistress don’t even know about this. This is forced buying and selling.”

Jingzhe had never respected Old Madam Shen and naturally knew that anything the Old Madam did would not benefit Shen Miao. If the Wei family were truly good, Old Madam Shen would not have made things so easy for Shen Miao.

“Young Lady, what should we do? We must quickly write a letter to the master,” Bailu also looked anxious.

While the maids were all busy and flustered, Shen Miao remained silent. A moment later, to the maids’ surprise, she laughed softly and said, “How strange. Though the Deputy Minister’s family is only a fourth-rank official, the Wei family is wealthy. As for the Wei family’s eldest son, Wei Qian, he is talented and handsome. For Grandmother to bestow such a good match on me makes me feel unexpectedly honored.”

“Young Lady?” Bailu was startled. “Young Lady is saying the Wei family is good?”

“More than good,” Shen Miao said calmly. “I’m afraid that even if Father returns and learns of this marriage proposal, he would have no reason to refuse. Wei Qian is indeed a worthy man to entrust one’s life to for an official’s daughter.”

“How does Young Lady know this?” Jingzhe was puzzled. Shen Miao spent all her days in the mansion, and even when outside, she was only at Guangwen Hall. She had no way of knowing about an official family’s situation or their eldest son’s temperament, yet she spoke as if thoroughly familiar with them, leaving Jingzhe confused.

For Shen Miao in the inner chambers, she naturally wouldn’t know which young master was a good man. But as Empress Shen, she knew very clearly which official’s son had talent and virtue. Wei Qian was indeed a good talent with upright character. Therefore, Shen Miao would never believe that Old Madam Shen would agree to this marriage when the Wei family came to propose.

Just then, Guyu came running in from outside, looking somewhat bewildered, and said, “Young Lady, Miss Xi’er from Rongjing Hall has come with a message from the Old Madam, asking you to hurry to Rongjing Hall.”

“They’re moving quickly,” Shen Miao’s eyes narrowing as she smiled. “Then let’s go see.”

In Rongjing Hall.

Shen Yuanbai leaned against Old Madam Shen. These days, with Ren Wanyun busy caring for Shen Qing, she had simply left Shen Yuanbai at Rongjing Hall. Old Madam Shen, already fond of this grandson, naturally treasured him dearly. This even made her more pleasant toward Ren Wanyun.

Chen Ruoqiu and Shen Yue were not present. Since Ren Wanyun had been caring for Shen Qing in the mansion, Chen Ruoqiu had temporarily taken over household management. Naturally, the task of representing the Shen family in social engagements with various ladies fell to her. Chen Ruoqiu wouldn’t miss such a good opportunity and took Shen Yue out daily to socialize, hoping to give Shen Yue more exposure to the noble ladies, which would benefit Shen Yue’s future marriage prospects.

Ren Wanyun stood to the side of the hall, her gaze deep and thoughtful.

Shen Miao was brought to Rongjing Hall by Old Madam Shen’s maid Xi’er and greeted Old Madam Shen.

During these days of confinement, she had to copy Buddhist scriptures in the Shen family ancestral hall daily and kneel before the tablets. Old Madam Shen probably disliked her and didn’t allow her to come pay respects. The last time she saw Old Madam Shen was before her confinement.

“Fifth Girl, have you found peace in your heart from copying scriptures in the ancestral hall?” Old Madam Shen asked.

Upon hearing the old woman’s affected speech, Shen Miao almost laughed. If anyone in the Shen residence disrespected their elders, Old Madam Shen would be the first. Yet here she was talking about inner peace. Shen Miao smiled slightly, “As Grandmother wishes.”

“That’s good,” Old Madam Shen pretended to cough lightly, and Fu’er immediately brought hot tea. She lifted the tea cover, sipped, and then looked at Shen Miao. “The incident from a few days ago, though not your fault, arose because of you. And because your personality is too stubborn, I punished you with confinement and copying scriptures. Do you resent me for this?”

“Shen Miao wouldn’t dare.”

“I know you are sensible,” Old Madam Shen looked at her with satisfaction. “Since you are so sensible, and you are a daughter of the Shen family, I will naturally love you. Seeing that you have reached the age for marriage, today Deputy Minister Wei from the Secretariat came to propose for their eldest son, seeking you. Do you think this is a good match?”

If it weren’t for the timing, Shen Miao would have laughed out loud. Someone like Old Madam Shen had probably only gained worldly experience in brothels. How could an elder so brazenly ask her granddaughter, “Do you think this is a good match?” She wondered what Old Madam Shen was thinking.

“Parents’ command, matchmaker’s words,” Shen Miao smiled. “Granddaughter’s marriage is naturally for her parents to worry about.”

“You girl!” Old Madam Shen, meeting a soft nail, nearly lost her temper. Hearing Ren Wanyun’s light cough of reminder, she calmed down and changed to a peaceful expression. “You are truly too willful. Previously, you admired… Well, that’s in the past. Looking at you these days, you seem to have become more sensible and understand propriety better. This Deputy Minister’s family is roughly our equal in status. That Young Master Wei Qian is also handsome and accomplished in both civil and military arts. Even your father wouldn’t object to this marriage. This is the first time such a family has proposed since you’ve grown up. If you don’t seize this opportunity, Young Master Wei might become someone else’s husband.”

Though Old Madam Shen failed as an elder, her matchmaking skills were not bad. Perhaps due to her background as a songstress, she knew young girls were fond of handsome men, so she portrayed Wei Qian as everyone’s ideal husband. Though Shen Miao knew Old Madam Shen wasn’t lying—Wei Qian was indeed a good man.

Despite this, Shen Miao remained unmoved and calmly said, “Young Master Wei is indeed excellent, but it’s not what I wish. Grandmother should forget about it. My marriage will naturally be decided by my father and mother.”

“You!” Having been rebuffed several times, Old Madam Shen, never one for patience, finally exploded. “Are you saying that I, your grandmother, am overstepping by interfering in your marriage?”

“Granddaughter didn’t say that.” The implication being that these were her own words.

Old Madam Shen was nearly driven mad with anger. The now defiant Shen Miao was covered in thorns, impossible to handle, making her heart ache with suppressed rage. Old Madam Shen hated the First House but was also wary of Shen Xin. Over the years, despite her resentment, she had maintained a facade of a strict but fair grandmother, not being close to Shen Miao. She couldn’t hit Shen Miao, as Shen Xin would discover this, so at most she could scold her a few times. Thus, she had coldly watched as Ren Wanyun and Chen Ruoqiu raised Shen Miao to be useless through excessive praise—though much talked about, such behavior was rarely detected.

But somehow, unexpectedly, the supposedly ruined Shen Miao had suddenly become sharp. Not only sharp but also impervious to persuasion. Old Madam Shen shouted, “Do you have any respect for hierarchy and propriety?”

Shen Miao found it tiresome. With Old Madam Shen’s patience and resolve, she wouldn’t survive two days in the palace. Having seen too many formidable women in her previous life, Shen Miao didn’t want to bother with someone as shallow and presumptuous as Old Madam Shen.

“I ask you again,” Old Madam Shen, remembering today’s purpose, looked darkly at Shen Miao. “What is your intention regarding this marriage?”

“I disagree,” Shen Miao answered.

“Good, good, good.” After saying “good” three times in succession, Fu’er and Xi’er hurriedly came forward to massage Old Madam Shen’s chest, fearing she might faint from anger. Old Madam Shen laughed coldly in extreme anger: “If that’s the case, it seems you haven’t truly repented. From today, you will move out of your courtyard and live in the Shen family ancestral hall, reciting sutras daily. We’ll see if that grinds down your defiant nature!”

Living in the ancestral hall meant facing ancestral tablets daily—a delicate young girl might be frightened. Moreover, the ancestral hall was cold and damp; staying there for a time might cause illness. Old Madam Shen had spoken in anger, but after finishing, a flash of triumph appeared in her eyes as she looked at Shen Miao, probably waiting for her to beg for mercy.

But Shen Miao didn’t even frown and said, “Yes, granddaughter will go pack her things and move there immediately.”

This light remark nearly choked Old Madam Shen.

And after saying this, Shen Miao indeed bid farewell to Old Madam Shen and left directly.

“This wicked girl! Disrespectful of the law!” Old Madam Shen was furious, and due to her low birth, she couldn’t think of any elegant words. Out of words, she cursed, “Little slut! Truly the blood of that old slut!”

The “old slut” she referred to was naturally Shen Xin’s mother, Shen Miao’s grandmother.

Ren Wanyun raised her head and looked coldly towards the door, where Shen Miao’s figure had long disappeared.

“Didn’t you say she would certainly agree to this?” Old Madam Shen directed her anger at Ren Wanyun. “Does she look like she agreed? What do we do next?”

Not just Old Madam Shen, but Ren Wanyun was also puzzled. Given Wei Qian’s conditions, even Shen Qing might have been tempted, yet Shen Miao had refused outright without even considering. She pondered, “She must still have feelings for Prince Ding, pretending not to care on the surface but not having given up. Otherwise, she wouldn’t reject such a family immediately.” She hadn’t even shown the shyness a young girl would upon hearing of her marriage.

“What do we do now?” Old Madam Shen asked irritably. “If she doesn’t relent, how can we write to Shen Xin?”

Originally, they planned to appease Shen Miao and have her hint in a letter to Shen Xin that she had someone she liked. Then, before Shen Xin returned to the capital, they would arrange the marriage and swap the brides between the two houses. Afterward, they would blame all mistakes on Shen Miao alone. Once a woman was married, her spirit would be broken, and Shen Miao, out of fear, wouldn’t speak out. Shen Xin would never know that Shen Miao and Shen Qing had swapped marriages, believing that Shen Miao’s admirer was the Huang family’s son. Huang Dexing’s preference for men was known only to those close to the Huang family. To outsiders, Huang Dexing still appeared to be a good husband.

But now Shen Miao herself had shown dissatisfaction with the Wei family’s proposal, let alone writing to Shen Xin. With Shen Miao disagreeing, many subsequent plans couldn’t proceed, creating numerous complications.

“If she won’t respond to kindness, we’ll use force,” Ren Wanyun said viciously. “Mother has confined her to the ancestral hall, so we can say whatever we want about matters outside. We must quickly arrange this marriage, have them wed quickly, and swap Qing’er in.” Otherwise, even if they could deceive on the wedding night, Shen Qing’s pregnancy couldn’t be hidden. While Shen Qing’s condition wasn’t yet noticeable, they needed to act quickly.

Old Madam Shen looked at Ren Wanyun without speaking. Though she also wanted misfortune for the First House, she feared Shen Xin. If they forced the issue and Shen Xin discovered it, implicating her, she would suffer consequences.

Ren Wanyun immediately understood Old Madam Shen’s concerns and gritted her teeth. “Mother, don’t worry. I have arrangements for afterward. It won’t be traced back to you.”

With words spoken so plainly, Old Madam Shen stopped pretending and said, “Then do as you say.”

…

At Baihua Tower, amid the sound of strings and flutes, on a high pavilion, a handsome young man in purple robes lounged casually, like a faint light from the heavens. His eyelashes were extremely long, and his peach blossom eyes extremely beautiful, yet when he looked at people, they revealed a vague coldness and cruelty.

“Ahem,” a light cough broke the silence of the pavilion. A young man in fine clothes held a folding fan across his chest in a gesture of apology. “Sorry, I’m late.”

“You being late is truly novel,” the purple-robed youth glanced at him.

Su Mingfeng rubbed his nose. His friend detested tardiness the most. It was only because of their close friendship that Xie Jingxing had waited for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense; with anyone else, he would have left long ago.

“Today, Wei Qian was unusually agitated,” Su Mingfeng smiled bitterly. “You know the son of the Deputy Minister of the Secretariat. He’s quite pitiful. He already has a girl he admires, yet his family arranged a marriage with another young lady for him. The other party even accepted his birth certificate, so this marriage will likely be settled soon. Wei Qian was upset and dragged me to drink. However,” Su Mingfeng pointed at himself, “I’m currently ‘seriously ill’ and can’t drink, so I had to persuade him for half an hour.”

“Boring,” Xie Jingxing said coldly. He was very displeased that Su Mingfeng had spent so much time on such a trivial matter, causing him to be late.

Su Mingfeng felt helpless. Xie Jingxing appeared carefree on the surface, always with a smile, but in reality, he was very vindictive and particularly picky. These days, something was not going well, and his expression was so calm. Whenever Xie Jingxing looked at people so calmly, Su Mingfeng felt a chill.

“Wei Qian is truly unfortunate. Out of all the women his family could choose, they picked a fool who was known throughout the kingdom for chasing after Prince Ding. Wei Qian marrying her is reluctant,” he quickly sought a topic to interest Xie Jingxing. “You must know who she is—Shen Xin’s legitimate daughter, Shen Miao. Marrying Wei Qian should be considered extremely fortunate for her.”

“You said,” Xie Jingxing suddenly spoke, slowly asking, “Shen Miao?”