As Shen Xin withdrew the troops from the front and returned to the Ding Capital City, a wave of an uproar was set off.
The first was naturally to praise Shen Xin's heroic acts and for emerging victorious in every battle that he was able to take the enemy down in advance. The Emperor would definitely bestow countless things and since Shen Xin was an official of the First Rank, there was no more promotion but everyone guessed that the rewards will end up on Shen Xin's Di-son, Shen Qiu.
The other matter was that on the day of Shen Xin's return to the capital coincided with Old Shen Fūrén's birthday, but unexpectedly the ancestral hall caught fire and Shen Wǔ xiǎojiě was trapped in there. On that day, everyone in the Shen family treated it lightly and Shen Xin witnessed it himself. One fear that the Shen family would not be peaceful in the future.
These two things were spread wildly in the capital. Some smiled while listening to it but others were like ants on a hot pan, going around anxiously after they heard it.
In a room in the Shen Residence's Western Courtyard, Shen Miao stood up with her clothes draped over her shoulders. Shen Xin and his wife were summoned into the Palace by the Emperor but before they left, they deliberately mobilised the guards in the army to guard the Western courtyard, practically letting the Shen family see clearly that they were defending against them.
Yesterday, Shen Xin returned back in a hurry and also went all over the place to look for a physician. Afterwards, Shen Miao went to rest and he did not dare to disturb, thus he had yet to speak to Shen Miao.
"Is Xiǎojiě feeling better?" Jing Zhe said worriedly. Her eyes fell onto Shen Miao's arm that was wrapped with gauze and her eyes turned sour. She said, "If this servant was faster a little yesterday, Xiǎojiě would not have to suffer such an ordeal. And now there will be scars…"
The burn wound was too deep and the physician only said that it would heal, but it was not possible for there not to be a scar. Females cherished their own appearance and would not let there be a scar on their body. Now that Shen Miao had a burn injury, Jing Zhe kept blaming herself endlessly when she thought about it.
"It is nothing." Shen Miao looked at her and said with a smile, "You did a good job yesterday and did not rush in due to anxiety. On the contrary, If you were to rush in, it would have spoiled my plans."
Jing Zhe lowered her head. After Shen Miao fainted, Shen Xin couple was enraged and after some thought, she roughly understood what kind of intention Shen Miao had in mind. Because of that, Jing Zhe heart ached more for Shen Miao, most likely the path was exhausted and she was at the end of the road, else she would not hesitate to throw herself into such a danger to show the true faces of the Shen family to Shen Xin couple.
An unmarried female at such a young age should originally be like other families' young ladies playing the Qin and writing poetry, but every move that Shen Miao took was related to her own life. She had to work out a strategy for what she wanted as if she was walking on the sharp edge of the blade and carelessness would mean no hope for a reprieve.
"Whatever Xiǎojiě says, this servant will do accordingly." Jing Zhe cried.
Shen Miao was gratified in her heart. Jing Zhe was indeed the most courageous among the four maids and if there were such similar matters in the future, Jing Zhe could be useful but naturally, there was a need to slowly nurture Gu Yu and the rest. She was not the unmarried Shen Miao but Empress Shen, mistress of the Six Palaces, thus there was a need for her own confidants as what she would face in the future would be much more dangerous than what was happening now. If she could get used to it, these maids should also learn to get used to it.
During her thoughts, one could hear a burst of hearty laughter suddenly coming from outside, "Mèimèi!"
When Shen Miao turned her head, she saw Shen Qiu walking in. He took off the armour he wore in the battlefield and only put on a green sturdy outfit and looked exceptionally handsome. With a wheat complexion, his two dimples that appeared when he smiled made that handsome and heroic appearance a little somewhat childlike. He walked closer to carefully look at Shen Miao before asking cautiously, "Does Mèimèi feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
Shen Miao suddenly closed her eyes and the memories of her past life came overwhelmingly.
In all fairness, Shen Qiu, as an older brother, really did his best. At first, no matter how cold she treated Shen Qiu, he would always be warm to her. Afterwards, something happened and Shen Qiu had smeared some young lady's innocence and was forced to marry that young lady as a wife. With that, everything changed. Mistakes were often made in his military work and afterwards, he fell down from the horse and broke his leg. Fast-forward, that young lady made Shen Qiu wear a green hat (cuckold). In a fit of anger Shen Qiu killed that adulterer but who knew he was the only Di-son of the Minister of Personnel. The Minister submitted an Imperial report and Shen Xin spent most of his fortune to protect Shen Qiu's life but in the end, Shen Qiu was found dead in a winter morning. Someone discovered his corpse in the middle of the pond.
At that time, Shen Miao had married Fu Xiu Yi and it was the critical period of the fight for the heir. When she heard of the grievous news, she rushed back to the residence and what she saw was Shen Qiu's deformed corpse that was swollen due to the soak.
Even if she was not close to Shen Qiu but after all, they both had the same blood flow in them. She was so hurt and sad that she fell into a serious illness, but Fu Xiu Yi sent Shen Xin off to battle at that time.
That cold winter sunshine, that dripping wet body from the pond, Shen Qiu's pale and deformed face compared to the young face that had a touch of a smile in front of her, was like a sharp sword that thrust into her, making her hard to breathe.
Shen Miao bent down quickly and clutched her chest as she took big gasps of breath.
"Mèimèi!" Shen Qiu jumped in shocked and propped her up before roaring towards outside, "Go call the physician! Quickly! Mèimèi's health is indisposed!"
A hand grabbed onto Shen Qiu's arms. He turned back and saw Shen Miao standing up as she held his arm before saying, "No need, it was only a lack of strength."
"Mèimèi's health has yet to recover, it is appropriate to invite the physician to take a look." Shen Qiu shook his head and said in a concerned tone.
"I am fine." Shen Miao said to the hesitant Jing Zhe, "All of you withdraw."
Her tone was firm and calm which made Shen Qiu stunned for a moment.
"Mèimèi, what is the matter with you?" Shen Qiu asked. Once the words came out, he was vexed at himself for using such heavy words. He usually faced brute men in the army and had forgotten to be softer and gentler to young females and thus slow his words and tone down, "Yesterday upon seeing you trapped in the fire, Fùqīn and Mǔqīn were really frightened. Mèimèi, why were you in the ancestral hall? Were you being locked up?"
However Shen Miao shook her head and smiled as she looked at him, "After a year of not meeting, is Dàgē doing well?"
"Ah?" Shen Qiu was simple-minded and said in a laughing manner as he scratched his head, "I am still alright. The army is always like this, make a few contributions and wait for His Majesty to bestow some things. Mèimèi can pick what you like from it." After finishing, he seemed to have thought about something and happily said, "That is right. Fùqīn previously hunted a fire rat and skinned it to make a cloak out of it. I will later get the servants to bring it over. That cloak is invulnerable to knives and spears and could evade fire and water. If you had that cloak yesterday then you will not be burnt…"
His voice hardly finished when Shen Qiu froze on the stop. Shen Miao went up and wrapped her hands around Shen Qiu's arms and rested her head on his chest.
Even if they were real siblings they were after all not little children, so Shen Qiu was somewhat embarrassed for some time even though he was overjoyed. It had been a long time since Shen Miao was so close to him and he felt overwhelmed by the unexpected favour. Just as he was somewhat happy, his heart sank as he thought about Shen Miao's temperament, she must have suffered big grievances for her to be this unprecedentedly close to him today.
He asked hurriedly, "Mèimèi, is there someone bullying you? If there is someone, you just need to tell me and I will beat him up till he is half dead…"
He spoke indignantly at the injustice but Shen Miao wanted to laugh. Mei Fūrén had an older brother that was very talented and could help Fu Xiu Yi come out with plans for the court. Fu Xiu Yi later favoured Mei Fūrén greatly and this may not be without her older brother's credit. Shen Miao was envious about it but at that time Shen Qiu was already dead.
It seemed that she had not felt the feeling of having a supporter for a very very long time. Getting used to fighting alone in life and dividing herself to many people. Perhaps, she only lost to Mei Fūrén because of her lack of support.
Now with someone protecting and caring, it was so beautiful that it almost felt unreal.
She slowly loosened her hands and looked up at Shen Qiu's concerned eyes.
"Mèimèi…" Shen Qiu was also stumped for words. The young female in front had bright clear eyes and white teeth and when she faced him, there was no longer the previous intolerance and boredom and what replaced was a type of deep feeling. That feeling made him feel a little strange as he looked carefully at the young female in front of him. After a year of not meeting, Shen Miao had gotten much thinner. Her originally somewhat round face was now sharp, making her look much more delicate. Her facial features got clearer and brighter. That naivety and immaturity had vanished without a trace and when he looked at her, there was a slight gratification and unknown loneliness.
Shen Miao slightly sighed in her heart. Shen Qiu had the naivety of youth and this kind of naivety was very valuable with his temperament. Sincere and energetic, it was hard to think that such a person would end up drowning in a pond. In the beginning, people were saying that Shen Qiu committed suicide because of his notorious reputation but now thinking about it, with Shen Qiu's willpower, how would he had committed suicide just because of others blaming and pointing of fingers. As for the initiator, it was her so-called Shěnshěns who forced Shen Qiu to marry and now it seemed that it was most likely a plot.
"Why does Mèimèi keep staring at me?" Shen Qiu was unable to make heads or tails of it, "Was it that my face is stained with something?" He felt that the current Shen Miao was strange, not the Shen Miao throwing a temper or not the Shen Miao who treated him coldly, as if the person in front was not a young lady at all.
"Why did Dàgē not go to the Palace today?" Shen Miao asked softly.
"His Majesty only summoned Fùqīn and Mǔqīn." Shen Qiu smiled, "I naturally would not go. Mèimèi, you have yet to tell me what exactly went on with regards to yesterday. Why were you trapped in the ancestral hall's fire?"
He constantly thought about the matter and was also wholeheartedly concerned about Shen Miao's injuries, thus he must understand the ins and outs of the entire event.
"Will Dàgē believe my words?" Shen Miao smiled gently, "There is no use to speak about it if one does not believe them."
"How could I not believe it?" Shen Qiu heard this and quickly grabbed Shen Miao's arms, "You are my Mèimèi if I do not believe your words, who else would I believe?"
"I can tell Dàgē of the matter but Dàgē must promise me one thing. Not to tell what I have told you to Fùqīn and Mǔqīn, else I will no longer pay attention to you."
"Why Fùqīn and Mǔqīn cannot be told?" Shen Qiu was somewhat confused before he suddenly realised, "Is this matter related to His Highness Prince Ding?" In the reports to the Northwestern regions, it was also mentioned about the soft spot that Shen Miao has for Fu Xiu Yi. But Shen Miao was after all an unmarried female and would not know about the fight among the princes to be the heir. It was best for officials not to get mixed up as those who enter the fray would die sooner. Shen Miao however, unswervingly felt for Fu Xiu Yi, but Shen Xin and them, were far away in the Northwestern region thus even though they were anxious, they were helpless and could only hope that Shen Miao would come around and no longer love this Fu Xiu Yi.
"It is not related to him." Shen Miao was between laughter and tears in her heart as she did not think that Shen Qiu would think that way. She said, "Before your return, Èrshěn brought the three Di-daughters of the Shen family to Wu Long Temple to pray, and that day I exchanged rooms with Dàjiě. Dàjiě's innocence was smeared by an evildoer and the entire Èrshěn family felt that Dàjiě suffered for me and that I initiated everything. I did not admit to it so I was punished by copying Buddhist scriptures."
As Shen Qiu listened, he broke out a cold sweat in his heart first as he felt that it was so dangerous, for it was almost Shen Miao and not Shen Qing who fell into misfortune. After he heard what happened after, he was extremely angry. What did this matter have to do with Shen Miao? Why must Shen Miao be punished?
"This is clearly twisting words for fallacious logic!" Shen Qiu said angrily. He had no good impressions of Shen Qing as she always relied on Shen Yuan, that older brother of hers, and would often not take Shen Qiu into consideration, and also sarcastically said that Shen Qiu was a cultureless military man.
"Not only that." Shen Miao continued, "This also coincides with the Vice Minister of the Legislative Bureau's Wei family coming to the residence for a marriage proposal and picking me. The Supervisor of the Minor Treasurer's Huang family also came over to propose marriage and they picked Dàjiě."
Shen Qiu was stunned, "Marriage proposal?" They had received a letter that the Shen family sent but it never mentioned anything about Shen Miao's marriage proposal. This was just too ridiculous. How would the parents not be informed of their children's marriage? The Shen family way of doing things was just too much.
"Wei Qian, the Shàoyé of the Wei family, is a young talent while Huang De Xing, the Shàoyé of the Huang family, is one of the cut sleeves. When I got to know that Èrshěn wanted to exchange mine and Dàjiě's marriages, I could only say that I do not want to get married and if I were to get engaged, I would only run away to avoid marriage. Thus, they locked me up in the ancestral hall. The guards that you saw yesterday were not there to extinguish the fire, they were there to guard and prevent me from running away."
Shen Qiu's expressions followed Shen Miao's words and fluctuated. In the end, he punched the table heavily and the smile on his face had long disappeared. Seeing Shen Miao's somewhat red eyes, "Mèimèi, is what you say really true?"
"I naturally do not have to lie to you." Shen Miao said, "As for that blaze, it came bafflingly. I even suspect…" She gently smiles, "After all, when I die, it would be more than justified for Dàjiě to change the marriage."
"This is just bullying to the extreme!" Shen Qiu angrily cried out and turned around to leave. Shen Miao pulled him back and asked, "Where is Dàgē going?"
"I will go and argue with them. Whoever touches you will need to return a blood debt!" Shen Qiu said.
Shen Miao looked at him and calmly asked, "How do you intend to argue, where is the evidence? Is it just to scold all of them or to kill all of them?"
The sarcasm in her voice made Shen Qiu slightly sober. He turned back around and looked at Shen Miao before asking in a frown, "What is Mèimèi's meaning?"
"Why Dàgē does not think why I do not want to tell Fùqīn and Mǔqīn about this matter?" Shen Miao lightly said, "Fùqīn and Mǔqīn are both straightforward people and Fùqīn is rather impulsive. It is easy to stick out for me but how about the consequences? The Shen family is a big family in Ming Qi and there are many eyes that are observing. Today, if Fùqīn executes justice for me, tomorrow the Censors will write a report about Fùqīn." Her lips hooked up, "In this world, it is always that force that comes from the side with numbers. Whoever had more people, whoever's logic is correct. In the three households of the Shen family, the First household goes against the Second and Third household and even against an old woman. Do you think that we can hold the grounds of reasoning?"
Shen Qiu was surprised by Shen Miao's words. He was even more surprised by Shen Miao's expression when speaking. That calm analysis was brutal and was able to draw blood on the first prick, which made him cast a sidelong glance. These words were not what Shen Miao would say at such an age, as to how would an unmarried female be able to evaluate the world that coolly? He hesitated a little, "Mèimèi…"
With one glance, Shen Miao was able to know what Shen Qiu was thinking in his mind. Shen Qiu was one who was open and candid. In fact, it should be said that the entire First household of the Shen family were all open and candid and in this difficult world, there were no good endings for good people.
She said, "Dàgē wants to ask why I became one who sees?" Shen Miao looked down, "Because I have gone through all this."
"After experiencing so many things, there would not be one that would not change. Dàgē, I am no longer the past me and you are no longer the past you. Now, I only ask one question, after listening to my words, do you hate them?"
Shen Qiu was startled and looked towards Shen Miao before he slowly clenched his teeth, "Hate."
"Why hate?"
"Because… How could they treat you like that?"
Shen Miao shook her head, "This is not what you hate."
Shen Qiu was surprised, he abruptly found that the words that this younger sister of his spoke, made him unable to comprehend. But somewhere somehow, he felt that Shen Miao's words were very reasonable.
"What you hate is that we have invested with our own sincerity and devoted treatment, in exchange for a hypocritical show of affection that is worse than for one's enemy. Because of themselves, they can have our lives. This is not what family or even strangers would do. This has already been a blood enmity since long ago, and between relatives, it is even more sinful.
Shen Miao saw that Shen Qiu's eyes moved a little and she sighed in her heart. If possible, she wished that she could protect the youth in front of her well, and allow him to only know about galloping into the battlefield and become a hero that the public would respect. But she was really scared. She was scared that there would come a day where the scene of the pond would repeat itself. She could only build up a wall in Shen Qiu's heart now. Remembering hate was better than remembering love, as love was the most hurtful.
"What does Mèimèi want to say?" Shen Qiu finally said.
Shen Miao sighed in relief as Shen Qiu was not truly stupid. Once he understood, some things would be much easier.
"I hate them and Dàgē also wants to vent it out for me. But even if Fùqīn and Mǔqīn take action, they cannot kill all of them." Shen Miao said, "I want to deal with them myself but this would require Dàgē's help." No matter what Shen Xin and Luo Xue Yan did, they did not have any evidence on hand thus if they were to kill the Second household, they would have to be punished against the laws of Ming Qi for killing one's kins. Because Shen Xin could really do such a thing for her. She could gamble with her life but she was not willing to see the Shen Xin couple to commit such a dangerous crime.
Death was the easiest thing to do but if one could retreat fully, then by using a blunt knife to grind the meat, the persons in pain would be those who were being ground. Moreover, the big fish was not yet hooked onto her bait.
"What does Mèimèi want to do?" Shen Qiu asked.
Shen Miao smiled, "No rush. There is nothing but time. We will do it very slowly."