Shen Xin and his wife finally returned to the mansion at dusk. Accompanying their return was a cart full of rewards from the palace. In the past, these rewards would certainly have been contributed to the common fund, but today, Luo Xuyan instructed the servants to carry those boxes directly to the Western Courtyard.

The palace rewards were either valuable or precious. The servants from the Eastern Courtyard watched enviously as the boxes passed through their courtyard. From Rongjing Hall, the sounds of objects breaking could occasionally be heard—the Old Madam of the Shen family, who had taken advantage of the situation, was now greatly angered and was throwing a tantrum for all to see.

However, people from the military were perhaps the least affected by such displays of anger. The boxes were moved as planned, and very efficiently at that, soon being completely transferred.

Shen Miao was sitting at the table reading. She was studying Ming Qi’s political economy and laws; the poetry and literature that Guyu and the others had previously found for her were directly tossed aside, not glanced at once.

Suddenly, cheerful laughter was heard from outside the door: “Jiaojiao!”

Shen Miao turned her head to see Shen Xin striding in from outside, with Luo Xuyan following behind. They had probably rushed over directly after returning to the mansion, not even changing their clothes. Shen Qiu walked last, making a face at her with raised eyebrows.

Shen Miao stood up and nodded respectfully: “Father, Mother, Brother.”

Her gentle demeanor caused Shen Xin and his wife to pause briefly. Shen Miao had never been close with them; in the past, when they returned, she would speak only a few sentences before leaving, showing great impatience. Such a cordial manner had not been seen for a long time. Yet within that gentleness, there seemed to be a faint sense of distance. This distance was very subtle, but as parents, Shen Xin and Luo Xuyan were sensitive enough to perceive it.

Shen Miao sighed inwardly. She couldn’t act like a true fourteen-year-old girl and be coquettish with Shen Xin, nor could she pretend that nothing had happened. In her previous life, she had burdened the Shen family, and when facing Shen Xin and Luo Xuyan, she only felt a heavy sense of guilt—this was what being shy with close relatives meant.

Luo Xuyan only hesitated for a moment, but her concern for her daughter quickly overcame that slight confusion. She stepped forward, grabbed Shen Miao’s hand, and asked anxiously: “How is Jiaojiao’s health? Do you feel unwell anywhere?”

“I’m fine,” Shen Miao replied with a smile.

“Jiaojiao, your father received several boxes of treasures from the palace today. When you’re feeling better, you can pick what you like early tomorrow. Those jewelry and hairpins are said to be the finest in the capital,” Shen Xin spoke in a somewhat conciliatory tone. This burly man, carefully trying to please his daughter, seemed somewhat comical.

Shen Miao smiled slightly: “Thank you, Father, but there’s no hurry. Just lock those treasures in the storeroom of our courtyard. As time goes on, whenever I feel interested, I’ll go pick something.”

With these words, everyone in the room changed their expressions slightly.

In the past, when Shen Xin brought back boxes of rewards, he would naturally let Shen Miao choose first, with the rest sent to the common fund. He had always favored his daughter in this way, and no one disputed it, since these rewards were earned by Shen Xin’s blood and sweat. But in the past, Shen Miao would never choose for herself first; she would let Shen Yue and Shen Qing choose first, and only after the Second and Third Houses had chosen would she make her selection, naturally because she was close to the Second and Third Houses, which was why she acted this way.

But today, not only did Shen Miao not decline for herself, but she also suggested locking the boxes in her courtyard’s storeroom. Although Shen Xin hadn’t intended to contribute the rewards to the public fund this time either, Shen Miao’s change in attitude toward the other members of the Shen family was evident to everyone.

Even if they were unfamiliar with the affairs of the inner household, they could all see that something was wrong with Shen Miao. Shen Qiu opened his mouth, but Luo Xuyan, holding Shen Miao’s hand, spoke softly: “Jiaojiao, if something happened, tell Mother. Father and Mother are back now, and no one will dare bully you anymore.”

“No one dares to bully me,” Shen Miao smiled. “I’m fine.”

“What exactly happened with the ancestral hall fire that day?” Shen Xin asked solemnly. “And why were you left alone in the ancestral hall?” The couple had entered the palace early that morning to meet the Emperor, leaving people to secretly investigate but not having time to thoroughly examine the peculiarities.

“I made a mistake and was confined to the ancestral hall, but then the hall suddenly caught fire…” she said with difficulty.

Behind them, Shen Qiu wanted to speak but hesitated. He knew what had happened, but Shen Miao had repeatedly instructed him not to tell Shen Xin and his wife. Although he wanted to tell his parents the truth, Shen Miao’s warning that she would never speak to Shen Qiu again if he didn’t keep the secret made him abandon the idea.

Shen Xin indeed asked Shen Miao: “What mistake did you make? No matter how serious the error, you shouldn’t have been locked in the ancestral hall alone.”

“Oh,” Shen Miao said casually, “I defied Second Uncle in front of Grandmother and the others.”

“What?” Luo Xuyan’s eyebrows shot up, not to rebuke Shen Miao, but to say: “Old Second is regressing. A grown man arguing with a young girl—has he no shame!”

Guyu and Jingzhe, who were serving in the room, both twitched the corners of their mouths. The First House of the Shen family being overprotective was indeed not just idle talk—even if Shen Miao had struck Shen Gui, Shen Xin and his wife would probably blame Shen Gui for making Shen Miao’s hand sore.

“Sister, why did you defy Second Uncle?” Shen Qiu couldn’t help but ask.

“I suppose… I didn’t want to get married,” Shen Miao said.

“Married?” Luo Xuyan and Shen Xin exclaimed in unison. Luo Xuyan looked at Shen Miao and asked anxiously: “Marry whom? How do your father and I not know about this?”

Shen Miao lowered her head: “The Court Gentleman of the Secretariat, Master Wei, proposed a match between me and his eldest son, Wei Qian. The birth charts were already exchanged, but I didn’t want to marry, so I publicly defied them.”

“Wei Qian…” Shen Xin pondered for a moment. “The Wei family is a prominent household, and the Wei family’s eldest son seems to be a talented young man. If we consider it, he might be suitable for Jiaojiao…” He was seriously evaluating this marriage proposal. Shen Xin had been an official for many years, and though not in the capital, he was familiar with his colleagues in officialdom. If the Wei family’s son were some wastrel, he would surely see through it at a glance, but Wei Qian was indeed a worthy son-in-law. For a moment, Shen Xin’s thoughts drifted elsewhere.

“What are you thinking!” Luo Xuyan roared angrily. “Even if he were the son of heaven, even if he were the Emperor, if Jiaojiao doesn’t want it, it won’t happen!”

Luo Xuyan’s words were shocking. She was a fierce woman from a Western military family, and this marriage to Shen Xin was one she had fought for herself. Thus, Luo Xuyan couldn’t stand the idea of arranged marriages by parents’ command and matchmakers’ words. She said, “Besides, neither of us knew about this. Who knows what their intentions are!” Ever since seeing Shen Miao trapped in the fire while Ren Wanyun and the others remained undisturbed, Luo Xuyan had been filled with disgust toward the other members of the Shen family, all previous goodwill completely erased.

Shen Xin also frowned. Logically speaking, the Wei family was a good match, and arranging it for Shen Miao wouldn’t be a bad thing—truly, finding such an outstanding young man in the capital was as rare as a phoenix feather or a unicorn horn. But if it was such a good match, why had the Shen family kept it secret from him and his wife?

Shen Qiu pursed his lips, knowing what had happened, and felt somewhat resentful that Shen Miao wouldn’t reveal the Shen family’s ulterior motives in arranging this marriage. However, he could only remain silent. For some reason, every glance from Shen Miao seemed to intimidate him. Shen Qiu found it hard to believe that he, who was invincible on the battlefield, would be afraid of his sister.

“But Jiaojiao,” Shen Xin said gently, “The Wei family’s eldest son is not bad. Your strong opposition—is it perhaps because you already have a young man in mind? You…” He hesitated, unwilling to continue. The family letters from the Shen family had frequently mentioned Shen Miao’s infatuation with Prince Ding. In this world, if Shen Miao liked any man, he and Luo Xuyan would not obstruct her, but the imperial family was different. Now, as the princes fought for succession, if the Shen family were drawn in, they would likely be dragged into the quagmire as well.

But these matters, a young girl like Shen Miao wouldn’t understand. On the way back, Shen Xin and Luo Xuyan had discussed countless times how to persuade Shen Miao to give up this idea, but ultimately felt helpless. Shen Miao had a stubborn temperament; once she set her mind on something, not even nine oxen could pull her back. Moreover, telling a young girl to give up the man she loved, even others would find it difficult to accept.

Shen Miao could see what Shen Xin wanted to say. She calmly replied: “I have no one in my heart. The reason I don’t want to marry is simply because I heard that the Wei young master already has someone he loves. Even if he is excellent, if his heart already holds moonlight, why should I be the one to break up such a good pair and ruin my own life for nothing?”

Her words left Shen Xin and his wife somewhat dazed. How could Shen Miao speak with such maturity, like a woman who had seen it all? And secondly, what did she mean by having no one in her heart?

Shen Miao only gradually learned about Wei Qian in her previous life after becoming Empress. In her previous life, there had been no mention of the Wei family coming to propose marriage, and Wei Qian had married his cousin. As one of the rare talented youths in the capital, Wei Qian deeply loved his wife, which had even become a beautiful story at the time. From this, it could be inferred that Wei Qian and his cousin were childhood sweethearts, and the Wei family’s proposal likely wasn’t what the young master wanted either.

“Jiaojiao, don’t you… don’t you like His Highness Prince Ding?” Luo Xuyan gritted her teeth and finally asked.

“Prince Ding?” Upon hearing this, Shen Miao said calmly: “His Highness Prince Ding is of noble birth—how could I aspire to such a match? It was my ignorance of my place before; now that I’ve calmed down, I realize my impropriety. I dare not mention it again.”

Luo Xuyan was stunned again. Shen Xin and Shen Qiu were men and might not understand, but she was a woman despite her straightforward personality. A woman best understands the feelings in another woman’s heart. She thought Shen Miao was just saying this, but after carefully observing Shen Miao’s expression, she found that when mentioning Prince Ding, Shen Miao showed no emotion at all, as if speaking of a stranger.

Before Luo Xuyan could speak, Shen Xin exclaimed: “Jiaojiao, Father doesn’t agree with what you said. Our Shen family is worthy of anyone. Among all the sons of Ming Qi, who would dare look down on you? Even if…”

“Ahem.” Luo Xuyan coughed lightly, glaring fiercely at Shen Xin. It was fine for Shen Xin to praise his daughter, but just when Shen Miao had given up her unrealistic thoughts about Prince Ding, Shen Xin was creating trouble for himself.

Shen Xin realized he had misspoken and quickly looked elsewhere, as if nothing had happened.

Luo Xuyan examined Shen Miao again, and seeing her calm expression, finally relaxed and smiled: “Jiaojiao is still young and not in a hurry to marry. There are so many good men in Ming Qi, and our Jiaojiao is so outstanding—are we afraid we won’t find a good husband? Rest assured, our Jiaojiao’s husband will be a great hero who stands tall and proud.”

Shen Miao lowered her eyes and smiled, not saying anything. Her fantasies about a bedside companion had been worn away in her previous life through repeated disappointments in the palace harem. In this life, she had already decided not to marry, but this was something Shen Xin and his wife couldn’t know.

Normally, a young woman would show some shyness when hearing about her marriage, and in the eyes of the couple, Shen Miao wasn’t a cold-hearted person. But after Luo Xuyan’s words, Shen Miao showed no reaction, leaving the couple somewhat dejected. Although Shen Miao hadn’t been close with them before, they still knew her temperament well enough. Now that they had returned, Shen Miao seemed increasingly unfamiliar, having matured considerably overnight, leaving Shen Xin and his wife uncertain how to treat their daughter. If they tried to coax her as before, facing Shen Miao’s calm gaze, they would look foolish.

Seeing his parents’ awkward situation, Shen Qiu laughed with a “pffft.” Shen Xin and his wife might strike fear on the battlefield, but when facing his sister, they were at a loss. But… Shen Qiu’s gaze gradually deepened. A person’s temperament wouldn’t change so drastically overnight, transforming a somewhat spoiled young girl into the calm and steady person before them—something must have happened.

“Father,” Shen Miao suddenly spoke, “In a few days, there will be a royal banquet to celebrate your return, correct?”

The royal banquet was being held by the Emperor to reward merits after the Shen family’s army defeated the enemy. Civil and military officials were all to attend with their families, making it one of the more intimate imperial banquets. At the banquet, the Emperor would reward meritorious officials according to their contributions.

In her previous life, at the royal banquet a few days later, the Emperor had intended to promote Shen Qiu’s position, but because of Shen Miao’s affair, Shen Xin had staked all his military accomplishments to make the Emperor agree to a marriage, securing for Shen Miao the title of Prince Ding’s consort.

A woman proposing to a man was already improper. Shen Xin had dominated the battlefield all his life, yet in the end, for his daughter’s sake, he was willing to trade his merits, nearly becoming a laughingstock among the court officials. And at that time, Shen Miao was only delighted to become Prince Ding’s consort, not seeing Shen Xin’s bitter smile.

From the moment she married into Prince Ding’s mansion, it meant the Shen family was tied to Prince Ding’s boat, giving Fu Xiuyi a legitimate reason to squeeze the last bit of value from the Shen family’s army.

“Yes,” Shen Xin smiled and asked, “Does Jiaojiao want something? Father can ask the Emperor for it.”

Such doting was truly like treating her as the apple of his eye. Shen Miao’s mouth felt dry. How had she not realized her father’s feelings for her in her previous life? The downfall of the Shen family was indeed orchestrated by their enemies, but wasn’t it also due to her stubbornness and blindness?

“I don’t want anything,” Shen Miao smiled slightly. “However, if His Majesty wants to reward Father… Father, please ask His Majesty to allow you to stay in the capital for half a year to keep me company. How about that?”

At these words, Luo Xuyan, Shen Xin, and Shen Qiu were all stunned.

Shen Miao had never tried to keep her parents from leaving, because she had not been close to them since childhood, so naturally, she did not feel attached. Every year after the New Year, Shen Xin and his wife would leave the capital to guard the northwest. Even without enemy troops, they still had to guard the territory to prevent foreign invasion. This wasn’t necessary, but the Emperor appointed them every year, and since the old general had this habit when he was alive, they had never objected.

But just now, Shen Miao’s meaning was clearly to keep them here. She was asking Shen Xin and his wife to delay their departure by half a year, which was somewhat unusual, but to Shen Xin and his wife, it was a joy beyond measure, at least indicating that Shen Miao had some feelings for them.

“Of course it’s no problem!” Delighted by his daughter’s change in attitude, Shen Xin agreed immediately without even considering the potential issues. Luo Xuyan was also somewhat excited. Shen Qiu, standing to the side, pouted; he didn’t want to stay in the capital, finding nothing interesting about it. Those noble sons were all boring to him, and he would rather be fighting in the northwestern desert. However, looking at Shen Miao’s face, his heart softened—at least with him by her side, no one in the capital would dare bully Shen Miao.

After talking a bit more, Shen Xin, his wife, and Shen Qiu left. After their departure, Shen Miao closed the book on the table and walked to the window.

“Young Miss…” Guyu said softly, “We’ve already spoken with Chuntao. The eldest Miss’s baby is doing well. I heard the Second Madam and Second Master are arguing about the eldest Miss’s marriage.”

Shen Miao laughed coldly. Ren Wanyun’s scheme to swap the sisters for marriage had been thwarted with Shen Xin’s return. If she wanted Shen Qing to marry Huang Dexing, Ren Wanyun naturally wouldn’t agree. But the birth charts had already been exchanged, and both families had agreed—backing out now wouldn’t be easy.

Lifting a rock only to drop it on one’s own feet—that’s exactly what this was. Of course, Ren Wanyun’s plan falling through wouldn’t let her off easy either. The poisonous snake would want to strike back, but at the royal banquet in a few days, she planned to seize Ren Wanyun’s weakness in front of everyone, catching the Prince of Yu off guard.

Outside the door, Luo Xuyan and Shen Xin had darkened expressions. Luo Xuyan angrily said: “What’s wrong with the Old Madam and your brothers? Arranging Jiaojiao’s marriage out of nowhere—in all my years, this is the first time I’ve heard of such logic.”

“Madam, don’t be angry,” Shen Xin said. “I’ll go ask the Old Madam immediately for clarity. If this is true, I’ll immediately clarify things with the Wei family. Such secrecy suggests something suspicious.”

“I suspect Jiaojiao has suffered quite a bit this past year,” Luo Xuyan said irritably. “Later, I’ll call Jiaojiao’s maids to find out exactly what happened, and Madam Gui is also missing.” Being a battle-hardened veteran, she had a certain sensitivity to these matters. She continued, “I think Jiaojiao is right—staying in the capital for half a year. If we don’t clean up these demons and monsters, our daughter might lose her life!” She glared at Shen Xin again.

Shen Xin rubbed his nose, naturally understanding that Luo Xuyan was dissatisfied with his two brothers. Not just Luo Xuyan, he was also full of anger. He instructed two guards beside him: “Guard the young Miss well these days. If anything seems wrong, inform me immediately. If the young Miss suffers any mishap, you’ll face military punishment!” Then he looked at Shen Qiu with furrowed brows: “Brat, what are you daydreaming about?”

Only after Shen Xin’s shout did Shen Qiu come to his senses. He mumbled: “Oh, I was just thinking about something and got distracted.” He had been thinking about Shen Miao’s situation. The people he had sent to Wolong Temple had already reported back, finding nothing unusual—no one had discovered anything about that day’s events. Shen Qiu wasn’t a fool; he naturally knew this was because those who knew had been sent away, achieving this level of covering tracks seemed beyond the Shen family’s capabilities. The truth that Shen Miao was concealing made Shen Qiu even more suspicious.

His sister had become increasingly inscrutable without anyone noticing.

“What time is it now?” Shen Xin directed the anger from his wife onto his unfortunate son. “Go investigate the affairs of the mansion, and I’ll question you tomorrow.”

“Ah,” Shen Qiu agreed with a bitter face. He knew the ins and outs of the matter, but his sister wouldn’t let him speak.

—

In Caiyun Garden, everything was in disarray.

Shen Gui had just left, having had a huge argument with Ren Wanyun before departing. Ever since Shen Xin returned on the day of Old Madam Shen’s birthday banquet, Shen Gui had conflicted with Ren Wanyun over this matter. Shen Gui knew about Shen Miao’s confinement, but for him, once something went wrong, he would naturally push all blame onto Ren Wanyun.

The reason he and Shen Wan had reached their current positions was due to the connections left by Shen Xin. Although they now had certain standings in the court, if Shen Xin wanted to make things difficult for them, Shen Gui and Shen Wan’s official careers would surely collapse. This was an era that valued martial prowess. Though civil officials mocked military generals for their crudeness, whoever possessed military power held greater importance in the Ming Qi. Between civil officials and military generals, the Emperor would naturally protect the latter.

Previously, the two brothers had been flawless in front of Shen Xin, and Shen Xin had been happy to look after them. Who would have thought that this time Shen Xin would personally witness Shen Miao trapped in a fire? Shen Xin valued Shen Miao as his life, and in his anger, what he might do made Shen Gui anxious. Thus, since Shen Xin’s return, Shen Gui had been extremely frustrated, and Ren Wanyun happened to bring up wanting to cancel the marriage at this time, almost like pouring oil on fire, causing all his accumulated dissatisfaction with Ren Wanyun to explode.

Today was the same; after angrily arguing with Ren Wanyun, Shen Gui left with the declaration that Shen Qing must marry into the Huang family, leaving behind Ren Wanyun, who was nearly fainting with rage.

“Beast! Beast!” Ren Wanyun clutched her chest, her lips trembling.

Shen Gui disregarded his own daughter’s happiness, focused solely on connecting with the Huang family to advance his career, infuriating Ren Wanyun. Now that Shen Xin had returned, and Luo Xuyan was not easy to deal with, if this highly confidential matter—Ren Wanyun’s plan for a sister swap—were discovered by Shen Xin and his wife, they would likely want to kill her. Even if Shen Xin and his wife didn’t discover it this time, the ancestral hall fire incident would leave a rift in the First House’s heart, making it harder to target Shen Miao in the future.

Ren Wanyun hated Shen Miao to the point of wanting to cut her into a thousand pieces. It was Shen Miao who had schemed against Shen Qing; if not for Shen Miao, how could Shen Qing have ended up having to marry a homosexual? Now with Shen Xin protecting Shen Miao, it would be difficult to manipulate her marriage again.

“Madam, calm down,” Xianglan said while helping Ren Wanyun regulate her breathing. “Don’t harm your health with anger. In a few days, there’s the royal banquet—if you’re unwell, you won’t be able to attend.”

Ren Wanyun’s eyes moved, a grimace appearing on her face: “You’re right, I can’t let anger harm my health. The royal banquet… at the royal banquet, I’ll make that little slut wish she were dead!” She turned to look at Caiju: “Has the letter been sent to the Prince of Yu’s mansion?”

“It has been delivered,” Caiju said carefully.

“Since my Qing’er can’t have a good outcome, that little slut won’t escape either!” Ren Wanyun’s face showed a cold smile. “I can’t do anything to her, as Shen Xin protects her, but if they have the ability, let them confront the Prince of Yu’s mansion.” her appearance was like a venomous snake, sinisterly flickering its tongue. “Someone will deal with her!”

—

At the Prince of Yu’s mansion.

In the magnificent main hall, beautiful Persian dancers in thin garments were dancing. Their snow-white bare feet stepped on the soft carpet, with small bells tied around their slender ankles, making pleasant tinkling sounds as they danced. Their waists moved gracefully like water snakes.

The middle-aged man seated on the high chair had an ugly and fierce face, with a space where his left leg should be—this was the Prince of Yu. Currently, a petite young girl was kneeling beneath him. The girl was about eleven or twelve years old, still very young, with delicate features, though her eyes were filled with fear. She was completely naked, gently massaging the Prince’s leg.

The young girl’s snow-white body was covered with purple and blue bruises. Looking closely, there were also red whip marks, indicating she had endured extraordinary suffering and torture.

The Prince of Yu looked at the letter in his hand, suddenly smiled, and violently struck the lion’s head on his seat. With this movement, the young girl cried out in fright, her body falling to the ground, trembling uncontrollably all over.

“Shen Xin…” the Prince of Yu slowly chewed over the words: “Shen Miao… daring to fool this Prince.”

After that night, having found other amusements, he had put the matter aside. To the Prince of Yu, these young girls were merely toys for entertainment, like the cats and dogs he kept, and he cared nothing about what happened to them afterward. With Shen Gui’s concealment, he hadn’t noticed anything amiss.

Only upon receiving this letter did he finally recall that something seemed wrong that day. That Shen Miao was so skillful, turning the tables on Ren Wanyun while also playing him.

In Ming Qi, the Prince of Yu was someone whom even royal family members, except the Emperor, had to show deference to. Shen Miao, a mere young girl, dared to trample his dignity. If before he had merely developed some interest in playing with Shen Miao, this time, the Prince of Yu was truly angered and harbored killing intent.

But with Shen Xin now in the capital protecting her, how should he act? Or perhaps, should he eliminate Shen Xin as well?

The Prince of Yu stroked his chin, a vicious gleam flashing in his eyes.