The doors slowly opened but no one went up to look.
The guest rooms in Wu Long Temple were rather empty and were not as gorgeous as one's own house, coupled that this was a specially selected room, it was even more spacious. The bed was in the middle of the room and there was not even a screen cover blocking it. Thus because of that, everyone was able to see how the room was.
Shen Yue was the first one who screamed.
Seeing the clothes scattered on the ground, they were ripped into pieces and the blanket on the bed was thrown aside casually, and all the books on the table were swept onto the ground. The tea set was smashed into pieces as if it had experienced a catastrophe.
But the most surprising thing was not this.
The female on the bed laid in disarray. She was almost not covered by the quilt and just half laid on the side of the bed and with her back facing out, there were red bite parts with some bloodstains and bruises which shocked one's eyes and astonished one's heart. There was also a bloodstained whip under the bed that was split in two. Looking back at the traces on the female's body, one would know that the whip was used to cause those injuries.
"Heavens!" Shen Yue clutched her mouth and stepped backwards, "Who, who is that… It is not Dàjiě right?" She suddenly turned and looked at Ren Wan Yun.
Since Shen Miao had said that she and Shen Qing had switched rooms, so at this moment the person who was supposed to be in the room should be Shen Qing. But from what everything in front had indicated, Shen Qing had met with a mishap! Even though Shen Yue was an unmarried female, she knew that this scene was obviously traces of a female being defiled!
Gui Māmā also did not expect that there was someone in the room. When Shen Miao spoke just now, she thought that Shen Miao had already spoken to Ren Wan You and only wanted to go into the room to continue. As a result, when she opened the door and saw that there was a female, she was surprised. Could it be that there was another female that was also played by Prince Yu last night? If that were so, then she had mucked up the job. But Shen Yue's words made her soul fly and scattered away. Shen Qing? The female laying there was Shen Qing?
When Yan Mei and Shui Bi saw Shen Qing like this, their hearts practically chilled. For such a thing to happen to their own Xiǎojiě, there would not be a living road left for them. Both of them looked at each other and saw the despair in one another's eyes before going down on their knees accordingly and kowtowing continuously to Ren Wan Yun.
Ren Wan Yun stood staring blankly at the scene.
"Èrshěn do not let one go up and see?" In the silence, Shen Miao softly opened her mouth. Her tone was calm as if she had not seen this scene of a tragedy. Ren Wan Yun tilted her head and saw that young girl looking at her quietly.
Her chest was thumping as though it was in a perilous situation but she still continued to quickly walk into the room with a pale face before half kneeling to the female at the bed.
The female's hair was dishevelled and there were many fallen hairs on the floor, which was apparently ripped out by someone. Ren Wan Yun's hand reached out trembling and turned the female over.
A rumbling sound was heard as if it was reflecting her mood, the curtain of rain that had stopped suddenly returned. In the heap of dark clouds, thunder was heard by everyone.
Ren Wan Yun closed her eyes painfully. The female in her arms was Shen Qing!
The more one looked closer, the more shock one felt. Shen Qing's face was swollen. Apparently, the abuse was not light at all. And based on looking at her body, there was no clean area that was unharmed. And one of her hands was soft and folded into a strange posture, it actually seemed – Broken!
Prince Yu was extremely cruel!
However, the one she hated the most was Shen Miao!
All these should have fallen on Shen Miao but now her Qing-er had to suffer. To be tortured to such a state, the next half of Shen Qing's life was finished. She could not wait to break Shen Miao's neck, drink Shen Miao's blood and eat Shen Miao's meat!
Ren Wan Yun was after all the one who managed Shen Residence, thus even at such a time like this, she was able to control herself and did not go crazy. Instead, she instructed Xiang Lan, who was beside her, with a trembling voice, "Go and find a horse carriage to go down the mountain immediately."
"But…" Xiang Lan looked at her scared, "Fūrén, it is raining outside heavily and travelling is not possible."
The mountain was located deep in the valley and the roads were already bumpy. With such rain, it would be extremely muddy so that one would not be able to move forward. If one were to forcefully go down the mountain, one would fear to be caught in an accident. It was not possible to go out in such weather.
"Then how about Qing-er?" Ren Wan Yun finally was unable to suppress and screamed out. With a 'pa', she gave Xiang Lan a slap and ferociously said, "How about my Qing-er?"
Outside the room, Shen Miao looked on quietly.
She stood under eaves and looked at the curtain of rain that covered the landscape, seemingly covering up all the dirty schemes.
Originally, the person that would be dishonoured was her. But now the person who let Shen Qing be dishonoured was also her.
Ren Wan Yun personally heard her own daughter being humiliated the entire night. Originally she could save her, but she watched on with folded arms the entire night. Would not Ren Wan Yun feel a bone-piercing, heart-wrenching pain every time she recalled it? Would she feel the pain she felt when she heard of Wan Yu's death?
To now wanting to bring Shen Qing back to the city for treatment but having to remain here due to the rain, Ren Wan Yun could not move forward or retreat. Would the flushed with success Ren Wan Yun feel any traces of despair?
"Go seek a physician! No matter what kind of method, go and get a physician! If you cannot find a physician, you will die here!" Ren Wan Yun shrieked at Xiang Lan.
Xiang Lan had followed Ren Wan Yun for so many years but had never been reprimanded by Ren Wan Yun before. She felt both wronged and afraid and agreed before running out quickly. As she ran out, she could not help but glance at Shen Miao.
Everything was undoubtedly planned ahead and the one who was supposed to be resting here was Shen Miao. How would there be such a coincidence? Shen Qing was not one who was easy to speak with, moreover, she had a grudge with Shen Miao so she would not have agreed to exchange the room with her. This matter was odd. She looked at the plainly dressed young slim female. She looked pleasing to the eyes but one did not know why there was a murderous feeling oozing out of her body.
"Cai Ju, go and call a few people over and close the doors." Ren Wan Yun fumingly said with rage between gritted teeth.
When the doors were closed, the inside and outside of the doors were like two different worlds.
Shen Yue had yet to recover to her senses as she turned to Shen Miao and said unbelievably, "Wǔ mèimèi, was Dàjiě insulted by some evildoer?"
Shen Miao did not express an opinion. Prince Yu indeed really intended to just play with the other and leave before dawn. He also understood that for the daughters in noble families, the most terrible thing was having their reputation destroyed by someone unknown. But it seemed that Prince Yu was also not a fool so he would eventually find clues to it. After all, this substitution tactic was actually so simple that it was shocking.
She still held on with her words but did not know that when Shen Yue saw her look, Shen Yue's heart trembled and she quivered, "Wǔ mèimèi, it should not be you who harmed Dàjiě…?"
It was undoubtedly Shen Qing who was resting in the Southern Pavilion last night and Shen Miao was resting at the Northern Pavilion but at the end, both of them changed their locations and this thing happened. If the rooms were not exchanged then the person who was laying here would be Shen Miao. And with Shen Yue's understanding of Shen Qing, she would never give the room up to Shen Miao.
Could it be that everything here was Shen Miao's doing? Shen Yue looked at Shen Miao like she was looking at an extremely scary thing.
But she only heard and saw Shen Miao smiling lightly, "Èrjiě, rice can be eaten indiscriminately but words cannot be said indiscriminately. How would I have such an ability to harm Dàjiě? You have thought too highly of me."
"But…" Shen Yue still had some suspicions in her heart but she did not know why she felt that there was something off about Shen Miao. And the matter last night would definitely be associated with Shen Miao.
"If you have the heart to worry about these things, why not worry about yourself." Shen Miao said.
"Me?" Shen Yue started to tense up, "What about me?"
"Do you think that your two maids beside you will be able to live after seeing this private matter of Dàjiě?"
"What?"
"It seems that Èrjiě really did not know how sinister the world is." Shen Miao gently smiled, "Those servants who knew the masters' secrets, especially when the secret is a scandal, how long would you think they can live?"
Huang Ying and Qing Luan, who were beside Shen Yue, suddenly turned pale. They naturally knew that in higher ranked big families, there was no shortage of filthy and shameful secrets. If any servant were to witness any, there was only a dead-ending for the servant as only the dead could keep secrets. Both of them had seen Shen Qing had been insulted by someone and naturally there was no way out.
Shen Yue turned pale with fright. She had only just cared about her shock and had even forgotten about this matter. It was not that she was a sentimental person but in order to train up a maid by one's side would require lots of energy. How would one be willing to sacrifice for nothing just because of this matter, moreover it was sacrificing the handiest two?
"Not only the both of them." Shen Miao smiled gently and her eyes swept across the scene and landed on Gui Māmā and gave a long meaningful look, "No one can escape."
Gui Māmā and those two maids immediately almost fainted.
What was there to fear? What was so scary? When one attains power, even one's poultry and dogs would rise to Heavens, but if the master was not good, not one servant could escape. In the past life, when Shen family's house was searched and possessions were confiscated, those servants who relied on force to bully others were all helping others secretly. Following whichever master, they would have to accept whatever the outcome was.
Otherwise, wouldn't it be wasting too much talent on a petty job if the move only harmed one person?
She turned to leave and Shen Yue hurriedly called her when she saw it, "Where are you going?"
"Is not the purpose of coming to Wu Long Temple to pray?" Shen Miao replied lightly, "I too have a lot of perplexing matters and naturally want to ask Buddha about it and burn some incense, else it would be a wasted trip."
The plainly dressed female just left like that and that indifferent back did not even pause as if there was not a catastrophic event that just happened today. Everything was just as planned. Sleep the entire night then go up to burn incense and pray for safety and peace.
"It is not right!" Shen Yue suddenly said, "Why are her two maids not here?"
Gui Māmā was also in a daze.
This morning when Shen Miao saw Shen Yue, she let Jing Zhe and Gu Yu go to the kitchens to bring over the food and till now, they had yet to appear so they did not know about the matter of Shen Qing. Now to think about it, how would it be such a coincidence that Shen Qing and Shen Yue's maids witnessed the scandal and would not be able to escape from the consequences but only Shen Miao's maids were not present. It was clear that she had deliberately sent them away.
She had known earlier that this would have happened. She knew that misfortune would befall on Shen Qing. Shen Qing's matter was arranged by her!
When Shen Yue looked back and walked along the eaves, Shen Miao's figure was no longer there. But those clear yet hidden eyes seemed to appear in front of her, making her feel a chill she had never felt before.
*****
Nearing noon, the rain finally stopped.
Xiang Lan travelled the entire mountain but she could not find a physician. Usually, other than the occasional pilgrims, there was no one to ask. If the monks were sick, they would just pick up some herbs to boil and drink. Xiang Lan could not find the one she was looking for, and could only look for a monk to get some calming herbs and medication for external wounds for Shen Qing to use.
The room was filled with the smell of herbs and some other scent that even if it was cleaned up, it still lingered for quite some time. The female on the bed had her eyes closed as Ren Wan Yun sat and leaned against the window. Just a few short Shichen (1Shichen = 2 hours) and it seemed that she had aged over ten years.
The maids in the room dared not even breath loudly as they were afraid that the mistress's anger would lash out after such a big matter had occurred.
When Ren Wan Yun was looking at the curtain in a daze, suddenly there were some movements on the bed. She quickly looked down and called, "Qing-er?"
Shen Qing opened her eyes and at first glance, saw Ren Wan Yun before her face turned into a frightening colour and her hands reached out to scratch Ren Wan Yun's face, "Let go of me! Go away! Help!"
"Qing-er, it is Mǔqīn! I am your Mǔqīn! No need to be afraid, Mǔqīn is here!" Ren Wan Yun felt as though her heart was cut out but Shen Qing was not aware of it. She just continued struggling while staring fixedly at the ceiling and screaming frantically.
Xiang Lan and Cai Ju quickly went up to help hold her down but Shen Qing was like she had gone crazy, completely without consciousness at all and could not even recognise Ren Wan Yun. With her struggling, all the medication that was applied was all over the place and the wounds were exposed to Ren Wan Yun. Ren Wan Yun's face was filled with pain and she could not help but scream.
"Fūrén." Xiang Lan and Cai Ju were shocked and scared in their heart. Ren Wan Yun was all along was one who was decisive. No matter how big an event was, she was able to calmly deal with it and the winds and waves that she had gone through all these years were not small either. However, facing such a situation she was forced to such a point. The two maids that had followed Ren Wan Yun for so many years could not help but be shocked.
"Where is Shen Miao?" Ren Wan Yu aggressively spoke.
"Wǔ xiǎojiě… Is in the temple hall." Cai Yu carefully said.
"Take good care of Qing-er. If she encounters any more mishap, both of you will not live." Ren Wan Yun turned and walked out the door.
In the temple hall, a huge towering gold Buddha statue stood overlooking benevolently at the believers.
In front of the grass mat, Shen Miao was kneeling on the ground while holding the incense, but no one knew what she was thinking.
From morning till now, she had knelt here for a few Shichens.
"Xiǎojiě, it is better to get up and take a rest." Jing Zhe soothed, "It is not worth it to harm the body by kneeling too much. Buddha must have seen your sincerity and your request would definitely be achievable."
The request would definitely be achievable? Shen Miao heard the words and a bitter smile appeared on her lips. Her request was long unachievable. There were opportunities to make changes in this life for the mistakes that were made in her past life, but those who died in that wronged life would no longer return. Her Wan Yu. Her Fu Ming. Would they have the opportunity to return?
One fear that in the fated world of mortals, there was nothing left.
Moreover, she was not a believer.
Shen Miao raised her head and looked at that gigantic golden Buddha statue. It was only an ice-cold statue and could not really save any beings. If the Heavens had eyes, how could good people suffer such miserable fates? On the contrary, bad people were free and enjoyed life?
She knelt here and kept burning sticks and sticks of incense, not to worship Buddha but for the people who died in her former life. Those people who died because of her.
After her rebirth, she did not have any opportunity and reason to pay respects or observe religious rites to these people, including her no longer existing son and daughter. Now that she was here, she could offer incense to Buddha and pay homage to the death.
"Shen Miao!" An aggressive voice suddenly broke.
Shen Miao smiled gently. The people in the world were often impatient.
She rubbed her sore knees and stood up. When she turned her head, she looked at Ren Wan Yun with all smiles, "Èrshěn."
Seeing Shen Miao's smile, Ren Wan Yun felt irritated and stood forward to raise her hand with the intention to slap Shen Miao's face.
Jing Zhe and Gu Yu wanted to stop it but it was too late. Before the expected crisp sound of a slap rang, Shen Miao grabbed onto Ren Wan Yun's arms forcefully and that palm stopped just in front of her face.
"One does not know why Èrshěn is being so impulsive. Although you could discipline me on behalf of Fùqīn and Mǔqīn, that does not mean that one can be beaten. I am afraid that there is no such rule in ordinary families," she said.
Ren Wan Yun had never expected that Shen Miao would actually stop her slap. The young female in front was slim but the hand that she grabbed was very painful. She did not know when did that previously consenting and easy to coax niece actually grew a head higher. She could no longer use the same look at her like when she was young as if one was a little inattentive, or one would be plotted against by this little slut.
She was not willing to let go of the matter, "Shen Miao, stop acting silly. Regarding Qing-er's matter, were you the one that did it?"
As of now, Shen Qing's state of mind was not clear and no one knew how the matter got to that point. But Ren Wan Yun was clear that if this matter was not related to Shen Miao then she would not believe even if she was beaten. She did not know what method Shen Miao used, but she would definitely not take it lightly if anyone touches Shen Qing or let Shen Qing become like this!
"Dàjiě was harmed by someone and I am also very sorry about it. But how can Èrshěn be suspicious of me?" Shen Miao gently smiled, "If one did not change rooms with Dàjiě then the person who would have met with such misfortune would have been me. I would not be able to do such ruthless things."
Then the person who would have met with such misfortune would have been me!
It would still be alright if she had not said it but once she said it, Ren Wan Yun felt her head jumping in pain. She clasped her hands tightly and her expression was like that of an insidious snake, "That was something you should have borne. It is you who let Qing-er suffer in your stead."
When Jing Ze and Gu Yu saw Ren Wan Yun as such, they were both shocked and angry. They were shocked that this Èr Fūrén who usually put on a kind expression would actually shed all pretences of cordiality and be that brutal. They were angry because if it was not for Shen Miao's alertness last night, it would be the three of them, mistress and servants, that would be suffering today. But Ren Wan Yun actually still blamed her. This was clearly the case of the guilty party filing the suit first and did not even have a sense of shame!
"Èrshěn must not say so, there is still the presence of Buddha here." Shen Miao chuckled as her eyes glanced fluidly as if there seemed to be some light, "In this world, everything and every matter are conclusive. If the matter last night did not fall on me but on Dàjiě, maybe it was destined by fate. Èrshěn first did not blame the evildoer and did not blame destiny but blame me instead. What kind of reason is this?"
Ren Wan Yun was almost angered to death by Shen Miao. She sneered, "You are sure eloquent. It was I who have underestimated you in the past."
"Oh. So it turns out that Èrshěn used to see me like that." Shen Miao gave an uncaring smile.
Ren Wan Yun looked at Shen Miao in front of her. This plainly dressed young female had a gentle deportment and her delicate features were starting to change and had started to gradually lose the original sentimentality. She did not know since when did that stupid and silly idiot Shen Miao had disappeared. There was no trace of the past Shen Miao, in this person in front. The tactics that she played in the inner courtyard all these years had fallen through because of this young female's hands and with such a painful price. And Shen Miao still remained elegant which reminded her of the tragic Shen Qing.
"Shen Miao, since you are clear and not confused, I would also tell you honestly." Ren Wan Yun suddenly sarcastically smiled. Since all pretences of cordiality were shed, there was no need to put up any loving mask. She said, "You think this matter will end like this? Old Fūrén will not let you off. Your Èrshū will also not let you off. That person… Will also not let you off. Your fate would definitely be tens of thousands of times more tragic than Qing-er. You will definitely be… Ridden by thousands of people and forever be a slut that cannot be seen in public!"
"Fūrén do guard one's tongue!" Jing Zhe and Gu Yu said out loud together. This Ren Wan Yun was the Èr Fūrén of Shen residence, and after all Shen Gui was someone in the official circles, would actually curse this viciously and vulgarly. Never mind if it was a sworn enemy, Shen Miao was still young, how would it become if these foul words affected her ears?
Ren Wan Yun only then was aware of Gu Yu and Jing Zhe and sneered, "You even worked hard to protect these two maids. I want to see how long you can protect them!" After finishing, she looked at Shen Miao slyly before brushing her sleeves and left.
After Ren Wan Yun left, Jing Zhe and Gu Yu looked at Shen Miao with some panic. Gu Yu worriedly said, "Xiǎojiě, is it really good to shed all pretences of cordiality?"
"At the end, the pretences must be shed. No matter how good she could maintain them on the surface, there will not be any soft-hearted or effortless actions from her. Why the need to maintain any pretences?" Shen Miao said.
The truth about surviving in the Inner Palace was that if the enemy was in the light, let them be in the light. If they were in the dark, one would need to find ways to bring them to the light. She had no intention of playing and putting on a performance with Ren Wan Yun. This game was filled with violent winds and rainstorms since the beginning and Ren Wan Yun had now lost all sense of sanity by her, thus would definitely take her revenge like crazy.
"But… Once back in the residence, Old Fūrén would definitely be biased towards them…" Jing Zhe whispered. Old Shen Fūrén was most biased and favoured most the Second household. It was not only because Shen Gui was Old Shen Fūrén's birth son and also because Ren Wan Yun gave birth to two sons for Shen Gui. Without mentioning Shen Yuan Bo, the eldest son of the Second household who held an office position once he became of age, and would also return to the capital. With two grandsons, how would Old Shen Fūrén not be biased towards the Second household?
Moreover, Ren Wan Yun's mouth could please Old Shen Fūrén so much that she would be confused and disoriented. So upon their return, what happened would only be in accordance with Ren Wan Yun's words. Who would believe Shen Miao's words?
"If there is biasedness, then let it be. Do not expect these people to call the shots for me." Shen Miao laughed.
When her laughter landed in Gu Yu's eyes, her nose felt sour and she suddenly said, "If this is the case, then this servant would bring the matter out to blackmail. If anything bad happens to Xiǎojiě, this servant will even use this life to fight to the end to inform the entire world of it!"
"Correct." Jing Zhe's expression also became cold, "Even though this kind of method of killing thousands of the enemy and harming ten thousands of one's own is somewhat stupid but in the time to come, one would not let them live well!"
Shen Miao was somewhat stunned. She did not expect that the two maids by her side would be this bold. After being astonished for a moment, she laughed. Yes. In the beginning, in order to protect her, Gu Yu admitted to the charges of the theft of the Imperial jade artefact and was killed by the Crown Prince of Qin country. Jing Zhe used her beauty and became a concubine in order to help her draw support from high ranking officials. Both of them were very loyal to her but unfortunately, she was unable to give them anything in her past life.
After her rebirth, no matter what, she would want to protect these maids. It is enough to make some mistakes once.
"No need, I do not intend to spread out this news. Èrshěn would also ensure that it would not be spread out."
"This matter was one that needed to be covered up, but eventually paper cannot cover up a fire. When Dà xiǎojiě gets married, naturally it would be found out." Gu Yu was somewhat puzzled. It can be concealed temporarily but it cannot be concealed for a lifetime unless Shen Qing did not get married in this life. Else, once she gets married, the matter of her lost innocence would be discovered and everyone would know.
"So they would definitely find a way to hide it from everyone. As for what means they would be using to deal with me, they would just do nothing more than find that person to help."
"That person?" Jing Zhe questioned closely, "Who is that person?"
"Naturally it is that evildoer who abused Dàjiě." Shen Miao chuckled, "Do you really think that last night was truly an accident?"
Jing Zhe and Gu Yu shivered. Even though they faintly guessed it through some hints but they were unwilling to believe it. They did not believe that someone would harm Shen Miao as this was such a vicious method, blocking her entire road. They did not believe that Shen Miao would predict it without being a clairvoyant and also did not believe that it was the Shen family's Second household that did such a thing. Even though one knew that the Eastern Courtyard people had bad intentions but they did not expect that the situation was such. This kind of means was clearly meant for enemies.
"Xiǎojiě… was it really Èr Fūrén who ordered people to do it?" Gu Yu had a difficult time asking.
If it was only an accident, they would feel that it was fortunate that Shen Miao had escaped that night but if it was intentional, then the Second household would deserve the consequences of it.
"But why did Xiǎojiě say that Èr Fūrén would find that person for help? That person… Was it not some random person?" Jing Zhe felt somewhat faint. If Ren Wan Yun found some random person to destroy Shen Miao's innocence, now with these accidents, Ren Wan Yun would have killed that person. Why would she still let that person help?"
"Because that person is Yu Qīnwáng."
Jing Zhe and Gu Yu suck in a mouthful of cold air. The things that they had previously been unable to understand were now all cleared up. If that person was Prince Yu then everything was clear. Prince Yu seemed to have some interest in Shen Miao from before, but what kind of person was Prince Yu? Normal females would have gone the other road when they faced him. If Prince Yu had made a transaction with Ren Wan Yun privately, then it was very likely that Ren Wan Yun would have helped Prince Yu on the matter with Shen Miao.
But now with a freak combination of factors between two of them, if Ren Wan Yun informed Prince Yu of the matter, with Prince Yu's capricious temperament, he would definitely not let Shen Miao off as he was deceived under the skin of his eyes.
"Xiǎojiě, then… Should a letter be written to Lǎoyé?" Gu Yu and Jing Zhe were panicking.
Prince Yu was someone who was impossible to confront. Not mentioning power or temperament, there was also the Imperial family that was shielding him.
"It is no bother" Shen Miao's eyes brightened mysteriously, "Shen Qing is just an anecdote. The one I want to deal with is, after all, Yu Qīnwáng."
She turned her head towards the smoke that was rising in spirals above the temple hall.
Wan Yu, your entire life was just too difficult and it just disappeared so quickly like a flower. Having the namesake of a Princess but was not even better off than wild grass. Huángmǔ could not even do anything for you. At least now, at least in this lifetime, Huángmǔ would help you to retrieve every single thing from those who had bullied you.
-----------------
In one of the buildings in Ding City, a white-clad gentleman was playing with the porcelain cup in his hands and asked curiously, "So to say, that Shen family girl turned out to be enemies with Yu Wángzǐ? To use her own Tángjiě's hands to pull Yu Wángzǐ into the pit, such a method is indeed clever but being a female, it is truly too vicious."
He shook his head and put on a rather sympathetic look.
"Yu Qīnwáng?" When he faced the purple-clad youth, he had a smile on his face and the pair of eyes on that handsome face was as sharp as a blade. He lazily said, "I see Yu Wángzǐ is not the one she wants to deal with."
"Not Yu Wángzǐ? Then who?" The white-clad gentleman paused and looked at the person opposite of him, "You think that…"
"How about using Yu Wángzǐ as an entry point and kill the entire Imperial family of Ming Qi?" The youth replied lightly.
After a spell of autumn rain, there would be a spell of coolness. However, after a night of autumn rain, there was no trace of the summer's heat. Even the sun in the sky seemed to be chilly.
In Shen Residence, the Eastern Courtyard was still a scene of bustling. Old Shen Fūrén loves extravagance, and would often start preparations for her birthday's celebration months ahead and the cost would naturally not be small. The money in the common fund was managed by Ren Wan Yun and even though she had also skimmed a lot, every year's celebration was still a show of extravagance and also looked quite stylish.
And those written invitations, that were sent to the Fūréns and Gūniáng in the various residences to inform them of the events, landed onto the Third household's Fūrén, talented Chen Rou Qiu.
Even though she had passed her middle age, Chen Rou Qiu still maintained the figure of a young lady. Perhaps it was the air of scholarly appearance that added a lot to her bearings that made her look better than the plump Ren Wan Yun. It was because of her beautiful looks, gentle temperament and coupled with her ability to compose and recite poetry, that she was able to enthral the Third Master of Shen Residence. After marrying for so many years, Chen Rou Qiu had no sons and only Shen Yue, one daughter. Other than the two Tongfang that Old Shen Fūrén stuffed to Shen Wan, there were no other concubines.
The three sons of Shen Residence had different temperaments. Shen Xin was upstanding and steadfast but was overly straightforward, not careful and was somewhat blindly loyal. Shen Gui excelled in fawning and was able to achieve success one way or another in officialdom but coveted wealth and lust for women. Other than having Ren Wan Yun in the residence, he also had a few concubines. It was just that Ren Wan Yun had powerful means, so even though there were many concubines, there was only a Shu-daughter and could not threaten the status of her Di-daughter status. Third Master, Shen Wan, in comparison was a real talent. If one was to speak about the three sons, Shen Xin took the route of Old General Shen, Shen Gui and Shen Wan took the civil official's route, then Shen Wan had far more real abilities than his Second Older Brother.
But this did not mean that Shen Wan had no shortcomings. He did not lust for beauties and had only Chen Rou Qiu, the main wife, but he focused so much on power and just wanted to climb up. Thus, he would even step on his superiors to attain that.
At this moment, Chen Rou Qiu was carefully writing a card. The sun shone through the window and lightly landed on her body and made her facial features look like it was of a young female. Shen Wan was tidying his collar and when he saw it, he could not help but smile as he walked to her side to hug her from the back.
"Ah." Chen Rou Qiu blamed, "What is Lǎoyé doing this for? Now my words were not written well and would need to waste a card."
"Let me see." Shen Wan pretended to pick up that card to look and commented, "The words are refined and graceful, just like Fūrén. How can it not be written well?"
Chen Rou Qiu's entire face blushed. When Shen Wan saw it, he could not help but feel his mood swinging.
Even after so many years, there was still an attractive pull from this wife of his, so much so that he would not even look at other females.
This was where Chen Rou Qiu was clever at. There were so many daughters in the Chen family but only she was able to firmly grasp her husband's heart. It was not because of other stuff but her forbearance. What kind of female Shen Wan loved, she would become that whatever kind. Temperaments could be installed, clothes can be changed to fit into his fancy. After a long course of time, men would be similar to pet cats and dogs and would only have you in their eyes.
"Èr bǎisǎo should return today." Chen Rou Qiu snuggled in Shen Wan's arms, "Do not know if Yue-er is accustomed to eating the food in the temple. The mountain roads are not easy to walk on, not sure if the journey was bumpy."
Shen Wan laughed in spite of oneself, "What worries are you vexing about. Èr Sǎozi would not let Yue-er go hungry or cold." Seeing Chen Rou Qiu still having a worried look, he laughed, "You always see Yue-er as a child. She is already that old and after a few years, she would reach the marriageable age. What would you do then?"
"Regarding Yue-er's marriage, I would naturally pick a perfect marriage for her. Family and character must be the best and must not be like Wǔ jiě'ér…" Her mouth slipped.
That night, Old Shen Fūrén was talking to Ren Wan Yun and Chen Rou Qiu and had mentioned on the sly to marry off Shen Miao to Prince Yu. And as Prince Yu's intention, would then support Shen family's Second and Third household matters so Chen Rou Qiu had mentioned it to her husband. Shen Wan naturally agreed as he was obsessed with power and authority but no matter how much he climbed, his authority and reputation could not be compared to Shen Xin's. He had been jealous of the First household for so many years, and towards Shen Miao, he did not have a single thread of feeling. If Prince Yu obtained Shen Miao and became happy, he would recommend him in the official circles and that would be considered to be an unexpected joy for Shen Wan. As for how Shen Miao would be from now onwards, Shen Wan would not even care if she would be able to live well in the next half of her life.
"Do not know if Èr Sǎozi had completed the matter." Shen Wan's expression became serious.
After Chen Rou Qiu saw it, her entire heart slightly sank. She knew that her husband had never put power and authority as a priority, although Chen Rou Qiu did not care for the First Household, as a female, there was a sense of the fox grieving when the rabbit died.
This time, Ren Wan Yun suddenly proposed to go to Wu Long Temple to pray, people who knew would have known that there must be some ulterior motive to it. One is afraid that after going up the mountain this time, upon their return, one would only hear of Shen Miao's grievous news.
"Rest assured." She lightly spoke, "Èr bǎisǎo always do things appropriately, so this matter… Would be a surefire plan."
"If only it were so." Shen Wan nodded his head.
Both of them were talking when they saw Chen Rou Qiu's first-ranked maid who suddenly ran in and said with some panic on her face, "Fūrén, Èr Fūrén had brought the three young ladies back."
Seeing the panicked expression, Chen Rou Qiu was much more assured as she knew that most likely the matter was successful. She smiled gently and glanced at Shen Wan before putting on a look of being concerned and asked, "Are the three young ladies alright? Are they tired?"
"It is not good." Shi Qing stammered, "Dà xiǎojiě has gone insane."
Chen Rou Qiu's smile ended abruptly.
*****
Everything was like a dream. In the well-organised Shen residence, in just the short time of a day, it was turned all in a mess.
Shen Qing had gone insane.
Ren Wan Yun of the Second household would usually put up airs of being the mother of the entire household. Even though she had a smiling face, her thunderous methods were obvious to everyone. Regardless of how her character was, after so many years, there was not any trouble under her management, so her management abilities were recognised by everyone.
However. this noblewoman who always never failed to remain calm and smile, would for the first time show a tired and crazy expression on her face. If there were not the two maids by her side, others would think that it was an unknown crazy woman that ran inside. And that young lady that was in her arms was truly insane. She kept struggling and screaming so much that even Old Shen Fūrén was alarmed.
Even though no one knew what the reason was, the truth remained that the Dà xiǎojiě of the Shen family had gone crazy. However, Shen Residence treated the matter as a taboo. Those maids who had seen Shen Qing crazy were all sold away. It was said to be sold away but who did not know that it was just being buried in the mass burial grounds?
The two maids by Shen Qing's side, the two maids by Shen Yue's side and even Gui Māmā were all locked up.
As such, the only person that was unscathed was Shen Miao.
In Rong Jing Tang.
Old Shen Fūrén sat on the highest seat and her face was stretched tightly. Her eyes were staring straight at Shen Miao, who was standing in the middle, and it was as if they were poisonous snakes that could eat humans up.
Three perfectly all right Young Ladies went, the one who was supposed to have a mishap was fine but the one who was supposed to be fine, ended up with the mishap. The person who should be suffering was standing here but it was Shen Qing from the Second household that suffered on her behalf. As long as Old Shen Fūrén thought about the matter, the anger was like a big rock stuffed in her chest.
Chen Rou Qiu and Shen Wan stood at the side and Shen Yue could only stand by Chen Rou Qiu's side with a grievance. Both her personal maids, Huang Ying and Qing Luan were locked up without any reasons, and previously Shen Miao had said that it would be difficult to save them.
On the other side, Ren Wan Yun was kneeling in front of Old Shen Fūrén. Shen Gui had some stuff in court and had not yet returned to the residence, and the servant that went to invite him over had yet to return. Naturally, he did not know that his Di-daughter was in trouble.
"Old Fūrén, you must call the shots for Qing-er." Ren Wan Yun cried as her nose kept running so much that Shen Wan was also somewhat surprised. To see the Èr bǎisǎo, who was always putting on airs, to not even care about her own appearance was indeed an eye-opener. However, there was some comfort in Chen Rou Qiu's heart.
Ren Wan Yun always relied on the power of being the one managing the entire household and did not take the Third household into consideration. Now that her daughter had met with some mishap, she was also like a dog crawling on the floor.
"Wǔ jiě'ér, I treat you like my own and Qing-er also gave in to you for all matters. You both are Jiěmèi of the same bloodline, not to mention about supporting each other but how could you be so vicious. You know that Qing-er's life is considered to be ruined by you. You are really ruthless!"
Shen Yue had told Chen Rou Qiu and Shen Wan about Shen Qing being insulted by someone and at the moment all the servants were expelled as Chen Rou Qiu was also afraid that someone would hear it.
Just as Shen Miao was about to speak, she suddenly heard an angry shout behind her, "Evil girl. You harmed your Jiěmèi, you have a heart that is as poisonous as vipers and scorpions and should be thrown into prison and be given a punishment that even death would not be enough!"
Shen Miao smiled coldly and turned around to face the male who was striding over.
It was her Èrshū, Shen Qing's father, Shen Gui.