The capital city was stirred by another wave of excitement as Shen Xin returned victorious.

First and foremost were praises for Shen Xin’s bravery and prowess, his undefeated record in battle. Having obtained the enemy’s surrender document ahead of schedule, the Emperor would surely bestow countless rewards at the homecoming banquet. However, since Shen Xin already held the highest first-rank position and could not be promoted further, people speculated that these rewards would likely fall on his legitimate son, Shen Qiu.

The other matter of note was that on the day of Shen Xin’s return, which happened to be Old Lady Shen’s birthday, a fire had broken out in the ancestral hall. Even more unfortunately, Fifth Miss Shen had been trapped inside. The Shen family members had been coldly indifferent that day, and Shen Xin had witnessed this with his own eyes. It seemed the Shen household would not be peaceful in the days to come.

These two matters spread like wildfire throughout the capital. Some who heard merely laughed it off, while others became as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

In the West Courtyard of the Shen residence, inside a maiden’s chamber, Shen Miao stood up, wrapped in her clothes. Shen Xin and his wife had gone to the palace today at the Emperor’s summons, but before leaving, they had deliberately stationed military guards around the West Courtyard—a clear message to the Shen family that they were guarding against them.

Yesterday, Shen Xin had returned in haste and had gone everywhere seeking a physician. Later, when Shen Miao was resting, they didn’t dare disturb her, so he hadn’t yet spoken with her.

“Does the young miss feel any better?” Jingzhe asked worriedly, her gaze falling on the bandage wrapped around Shen Miao’s arm, her eyes moistening again. She said, “If this servant had been quicker yesterday, young miss wouldn’t have had to endure such torment. Now there will be a scar…”

The burn was so deep that the physician said it could only be tended to carefully—there couldn’t be any scarring. Young ladies all cherished their appearance; even a tiny scar anywhere on their body was unacceptable. Now that Shen Miao had such a burn, Jingzhe felt deeply remorseful whenever she thought about it.

“It’s nothing,” Shen Miao looked at her and smiled. “You did very well yesterday. You didn’t rush in despite your anxiety. If you had come in, you would have ruined my plan.”

Jingzhe lowered her head. After Shen Miao had fainted and Lord and Lady Shen had become furious, she had thought about it carefully and roughly understood what Shen Miao had intended. Because of this, Jingzhe felt even more sorry for Shen Miao—she must have been at her wit’s end to willingly put herself in such danger to let Lord and Lady Shen see the true face of the Shen household.

A young lady in her boudoir at this age should be like the young ladies of other families—playing the zither, practicing calligraphy. Yet everything Shen Miao did was a matter of life and death. To get what she wanted, she had to scheme for it herself, as if walking on the edge of a knife—one misstep would lead to complete ruin.

“I will do whatever the young miss says,” Jingzhe murmured.

Shen Miao felt gratified. Jingzhe was indeed the bravest of the four maids. In the future, if there were similar situations, Jingzhe could certainly be relied upon. Of course, she would also need to gradually train Guyu and the others. She was not the sheltered daughter Shen Miao, but Empress Shen, the mistress of the six palaces. She would naturally need her own trusted confidants. What she would face in the future would be far more dangerous than what she faced now. She could adapt to it, and these maids would have to learn to adapt as well.

Just as she was thinking this, a cheerful laugh suddenly came from outside: “Sister!”

Shen Miao turned around to see Shen Qiu walking in from outside. He had removed his battlefield armor and wore only a form-fitting blue outfit, looking exceptionally vigorous. With his wheat-colored skin, when he smiled, two dimples appeared, giving his martial features a childlike quality. He approached and carefully examined Shen Miao before asking cautiously, “Sister, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere else?”

Shen Miao suddenly closed her eyes as memories from her previous life flooded over her.

To be fair, Shen Qiu had been a devoted brother. Even when she had treated him coldly, he had remained consistently warm toward her. Later, an incident occurred where Shen Qiu allegedly defiled a young lady’s virtue and was forced to marry her. From then on, everything changed—he began making mistakes in military affairs, then fell from his horse and broke his leg. Later, that woman cuckolded Shen Qiu, and in a fit of rage, he killed her lover. Who would have thought that the lover was the only legitimate son of the Minister of Personnel? The minister submitted a petition to the Emperor, and Shen Xin had to spend all the family’s wealth just to save Shen Qiu’s life. In the end, Shen Qiu still died on a winter morning, his body discovered in a pond.

By then, Shen Miao had already married Fu Xiuyi and was at a critical juncture in the succession struggle. Upon hearing the terrible news, she hurried back to the residence only to see Shen Qiu’s bloated, distorted corpse, waterlogged beyond recognition.

Even though she had not been close to Shen Qiu, they shared the same blood. She was heartbroken and fell gravely ill, yet Fu Xiuyi had Shen Xin sent to battle at that very time.

The cold winter sunlight, the wet corpse by the pond, Shen Qiu’s pale, distorted face—all of these images overlapped with the young man’s somewhat ingratiating smile before her now, like a sharp sword piercing her, making it impossible to breathe.

Shen Miao suddenly bent over, clutching her chest and gasping for air.

“Sister!” Shen Qiu was startled and quickly supported her while shouting outside, “Call the physician! Hurry! My sister is unwell!”

A hand grasped Shen Qiu’s arm. He turned to see Shen Miao standing up, still holding onto him, and saying to those behind, “No need. I’m just a bit weak.”

“Sister hasn’t fully recovered. It would be better to have the physician check,” Shen Qiu shook his head, his tone full of concern.

“I’m fine,” Shen Miao said firmly to the hesitant Jingzhe. “You all may leave.”

Her tone was so determined and calm that it made even Shen Qiu pause for a moment.

“Sister, what’s wrong?” Shen Qiu asked, then immediately regretted his harsh tone. He usually dealt with tough men in the army and had forgotten to be gentle with a young girl. So he softened his voice and said, “When we returned yesterday and saw you trapped in the fire, Mother and Father were terrified. Sister, how did you end up in the ancestral hall? Were you locked in?”

Shen Miao shook her head and smiled at him. “It’s been a year since we last met. How have you been, Brother?”

“Huh?” Shen Qiu was carefree by nature. Hearing this, he scratched his head and laughed, “I’ve been fine. The army is always the same. I earned a few minor merits. When His Majesty bestows rewards, you can pick whatever you like.” Then, as if remembering something, he said happily, “Oh right, Father hunted a fire rat earlier and had its fur made into a cloak. I’ll have someone bring it to you later. That cloak is impervious to weapons and resistant to fire and water. If you had had that cloak yesterday, you wouldn’t have been burned…”

Before he could finish, Shen Qiu froze as Shen Miao stepped forward, wrapped her arms around him, and rested her head on his chest.

Even though they were siblings by blood, they were no longer children. Shen Qiu felt both awkward and delighted. It had been a long time since Shen Miao had been this close to him, and he felt unexpectedly honored. Just as he was beginning to feel happy, his heart sank as he realized that, given Shen Miao’s temperament, her unprecedented affection today might mean she had suffered some terrible grievance.

He urgently asked, “Sister, has someone bullied you? If anyone has, just tell me, and I’ll beat them half to death…”

He spoke with righteous indignation, which almost made Shen Miao laugh. Madam Mei had a brother of exceptional intelligence who had advised Fu Xiuyi in the previous dynasty. Fu Xiuyi’s later favor toward Madam Mei was partly due to her brother’s merit. Shen Miao herself had once envied this, but by then, Shen Qiu was already dead.

It seemed like an eternity since she had tasted the feeling of having someone to rely on. She had grown accustomed to fighting alone, dividing herself into countless personas. Perhaps her bitter defeat at Madam Mei’s hands in her previous life was simply due to her being outnumbered.

The feeling of being protected now felt almost unreal in its sweetness.

She slowly released him and raised her head to meet Shen Qiu’s concerned gaze.

“Sister…” Shen Qiu was also taken aback. The young woman before him, with her bright eyes and white teeth, no longer looked at him with the impatience and annoyance of the past. Instead, there was a profound depth in her gaze. This feeling was unfamiliar to him, and he carefully examined the young woman before him. In the year they hadn’t seen each other, Shen Miao had lost a lot of weight. Her once somewhat round face now revealed a pointed chin, making her appear much more delicate. Her refined features had become even more distinct. That innocent childishness had vanished without a trace, and as she looked at him now, her eyes held a faint gratification and a kind of loneliness known only to her.

Shen Miao sighed inwardly. Shen Qiu possessed an almost childlike innocence that made his temperament especially precious—sincere and full of vitality. It was hard to imagine that such a person would ultimately end up drowned in a pond. People said Shen Qiu had taken his own life because he felt his name was tarnished, but thinking about it now, with Shen Qiu’s determination, how could he commit suicide over others’ criticism? As for the instigator, her so-called sister-in-law, who had initially forced Shen Qiu to marry her by claiming he had defiled her—looking back, it might well have been someone else’s plot.

“Sister, why do you keep staring at me?” Shen Qiu was puzzled. “Is there something on my face?” He found the current Shen Miao strange. A Shen Miao who wasn’t temperamental or cold made Shen Qiu feel unfamiliar, as if he wasn’t facing a young girl.

“Why didn’t you go to the palace today, Brother?” Shen Miao asked softly.

“His Majesty only summoned Mother and Father,” Shen Qiu smiled. “I naturally wouldn’t go along. Sister, you still haven’t told me what happened yesterday. How did you end up trapped in the fire in the ancestral hall?”

He was fixated on this matter and deeply concerned about Shen Miao’s injuries, determined to understand the whole situation clearly.

“Would you believe what I say, Brother?” Shen Miao smiled slightly. “If you wouldn’t believe me anyway, then there’s no need to tell you.”

“How could I not believe you?” Shen Qiu immediately grabbed Shen Miao’s arm. “You’re my sister. If I don’t believe you, who would I believe?”

“I can tell you about this, but you must promise me one thing: don’t tell Mother and Father what I tell you today. If you do, I’ll never speak to you again.”

“Why can’t I tell Mother and Father?” Shen Qiu was confused, then suddenly realized, “Could this be related to Prince Ding?” The letters they had received in the Northwest had mentioned that Shen Miao was infatuated with Fu Xiuyi. But Shen Miao was a secluded maiden who didn’t understand that when princes competed for succession, officials were best not to interfere—the earlier they interfered, the sooner they would die. Yet Shen Miao had set her heart firmly on Fu Xiuyi. Shen Xin and his family, far away in the Northwest, though anxious, were helpless, only hoping that Shen Miao would come to her senses and no longer love Fu Xiuyi.

“It has nothing to do with him,” Shen Miao found this both amusing and frustrating that Shen Qiu could think along these lines. She said, “Before you returned, Second Aunt took us three legitimate Shen daughters to Wolong Temple to offer incense. That day, I switched rooms with Elder Sister, and Elder Sister was defiled by a villain. Second Aunt’s family believed Elder Sister had suffered in my place, and that I was the instigator. When I refused to admit fault, they punished me by confining me and making me copy Buddhist scriptures.”

As Shen Qiu listened, he first broke out in a cold sweat, thinking how fortunate it was that Shen Qing, not Shen Miao, had been the victim. Then he became extremely angry—how was this related to Shen Miao? Why confine her?

“This is unreasonable!” Shen Qiu said angrily. He had no fondness for Shen Qing, who, relying on her brother Shen Yuan, often disregarded Shen Qiu and had once mocked him as merely an illiterate warrior.

“That’s not all,” Shen Miao continued. “The Court Secretary of Wei came to propose marriage, choosing me, while the Keeper of the Treasury Huang also came to propose, choosing Elder Sister.”

Shen Qiu was stunned. “Marriage proposals?” They had received family letters from the Shen household but never any mention of Shen Miao’s marriage. This was too absurd—how could children’s marriages be arranged without informing their parents? The Shen family’s behavior was truly outrageous.

“Young Master Wei Qian is a talented youth, while Young Master Huang Dexing is homosexual. Second Aunt wanted to switch our marriages. When I found out, I had to say I wouldn’t marry, and that even if the engagement was arranged, I would escape or resist. So they locked me in the ancestral hall. Those guards you saw yesterday weren’t there to put out the fire—they were there to guard me and prevent me from escaping.”

Shen Qiu’s expression changed constantly as Shen Miao spoke. Finally, he slammed his fist hard on the table. The smile had long disappeared from his face, and his eyes were slightly red as he looked at Shen Miao. “Sister, is what you’re saying true?”

“I have no reason to lie to you,” Shen Miao said. “Even that fire came so strangely that I suspect…” She smiled faintly. “After all, if I died, it would be even more justified for Elder Sister to take my place in marriage.”

“This is too much!” Shen Qiu shouted angrily and turned to leave, but Shen Miao grabbed him and asked, “Where are you going, Brother?”

“I’m going to confront them. Whoever harmed you will pay with blood!” Shen Qiu declared.

Shen Miao looked at him and calmly asked, “How do you plan to confront them? Where is your evidence? Will you just scold them all or kill them all?”

The sarcasm in her tone made Shen Qiu come to his senses somewhat. He turned to look at Shen Miao with a frown. “What does Sister mean?”

“Why doesn’t Brother think about why I don’t want to tell Mother and Father about this?” Shen Miao said calmly. “Mother and Father are both straightforward people, and Father is especially prone to impulse. Standing up for me would be simple, but what about the aftermath? The Shen family is a great house of the Ming Qi, with countless eyes watching. Today, Father seeks justice for me; tomorrow, a censor could write a false report and submit a petition against Father.” Her lips curled. “In this world, it’s all about numbers and power. Whoever has more people on their side is considered right. The Shen family has three branches—the First Branch against the Second and Third, plus an old woman. Do you think we can truly be in the right?”

Shen Qiu was startled by Shen Miao’s words, but even more surprising was her manner of speaking—that calm analysis, that cruel incisiveness that made him take notice. This didn’t sound like something a girl of Shen Miao’s age would say. What secluded maiden could so coolly evaluate the ways of the world? He hesitated. “Sister…”

Shen Miao could tell from one glance what Shen Qiu was thinking. Shen Qiu was too straightforward, and in fact, the entire First Branch of the Shen family was too straightforward. In this difficult world, good people rarely have good outcomes.

She said, “Brother is wondering why I’ve become like this.” Shen Miao lowered her eyes. “Because this is how I’ve survived.”

“After experiencing so much, no one can remain unchanged. Brother, I am not who I used to be, and you are not who you used to be. Now, I ask you one thing: after hearing what I’ve said, do you hate them?”

Shen Qiu paused, looking at Shen Miao, slowly gritting his teeth. “Yes, I hate them.”

“Why do you hate them?”

“Because… how could they treat you like this?”

Shen Miao shook her head. “That’s not what you should hate them for.”

Shen Qiu was puzzled. He suddenly realized that his sister’s words were becoming increasingly difficult to understand, yet somehow, he felt that what Shen Miao said made perfect sense.

“What you should hate is that we gave our sincere hearts and were treated honestly, yet in return, we received false affection worse than from enemies. For their benefit, they would take our lives. These are not family members. If strangers harmed us like this, it would already be a blood feud. Between relatives, it’s an even greater sin.”

Shen Miao noticed Shen Qiu’s gaze shift slightly and sighed inwardly. If possible, she would have preferred to protect the young man before her, letting him spend his life galloping on battlefields, being a hero admired by all. But she was truly afraid that one day, the scene by the pond would repeat itself. She could only build a wall in Shen Qiu’s heart now. Remembering hatred was better than remembering love; love was what truly hurt people.

“What does Sister want to say?” Shen Qiu finally asked.

Shen Miao breathed a sigh of relief. Shen Qiu wasn’t truly foolish. Once he understood, certain things would become much easier.

“I hate them, and Brother wants to avenge me. If Mother and Father intervene, they certainly can’t kill them all,” Shen Miao said. “I want to deal with them myself, but I need Brother’s help.” No matter what, Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan had no evidence. If they killed the Second Branch, according to Ming Qi law, killing siblings meant paying with one’s own life. For her sake, Shen Xin might truly do such a thing, but she could gamble with her own life yet was unwilling to see Shen Xin and his wife take such risks.

Death was the easiest thing. If one could escape unharmed, then a dull knife grinding flesh would hurt those being ground. Besides, her bait had not yet attracted the big fish.

“What does Sister have in mind?” Shen Qiu asked.

Shen Miao smiled. “There’s no hurry. We have plenty of time. Let’s take it slowly, very slowly.”