At the stone table in the West Courtyard of Shen Mansion, Shen Miao was playing chess with Shen Qiu.
It was a rare day when Shen Qiu didn’t have to practice swordsmanship. Knowing that Shen Miao’s chess skills had improved by leaps and bounds recently, he had been itching for a chance to finally win a game against her. However, the outcome was far from satisfactory.
Shen Miao placed a black piece, and the white pieces Shen Qiu had previously dominated were now surrounded by black ones, with no way out. Shen Qiu stared blankly at the board for a long moment before asking, “Little sister, isn’t this the same strategy I used in the first game?”
The more he looked, the more familiar the moves seemed. To his astonishment, Shen Miao was gradually replicating the exact path he had taken in their first game—only she executed it far more skillfully. This time, she wielded the strategy with deadly precision, leaving no room for escape.
“Returning a man’s own coin,” Shen Miao said with a smile. “Elder brother, since this is your own method, can you think of a countermeasure?”
Shen Qiu shook his head. “This tactic was designed to trap the opponent—it’s a dead end from the start. Asking me to find a way out is impossible.”
Shen Miao gazed at the crisscrossing lines on the board and smiled faintly.
In her past life, Shen Qiu had killed Sun Cainan a few years later and was imprisoned. She suspected much of the plotting behind it had Shen Yuan’s fingerprints. She wondered if he would recognize the same method being used against him. Could Shen Yuan untangle the dead end he had set for Shen Qiu?
Most likely not.
Just as Shen Qiu scratched his head and was about to make his move, someone rushed into the courtyard in a panic—a second-tier maid responsible for cleaning. Her face was pale with terror as she stammered, “Young Master, Fifth Miss, it’s terrible! Second Young Master has killed someone outside!”
“What?” Shen Qiu frowned, and a chess piece slipped from his fingers, clattering to the ground before rolling to a stop.
Shen Miao bent down to pick it up, then turned to the maid and asked gently, “Who did he kill?”
…
In the jail of the Fixed Capital’s magistrate, Shen Yuan was locked in the innermost cell. His hands and clothes were stained with shocking amounts of blood, and his face bore bruises.
This was the first time Shen Yuan had ever been reduced to such a wretched state. While brawling with Jing Chuchu’s lover, an inexplicable rage had surged within him, clouding his mind with heat. By the time he regained his senses, Sun Cainan had already been stabbed to death. The tavern, a wooden pavilion, had been disturbed by their violent struggle, waking many people. The screams of Taoyuan and Jing Chuchu had instantly exposed the murder to the public.
Only now did Shen Yuan’s mind gradually cool. Today’s events had been far too impulsive.
Shen Yuan had always been proud, and nothing infuriated him more than having his dignity trampled upon. The humiliation of the Shen family banquet had been unbearable, but he had endured it only because he hadn’t fully awakened at the time. Now, the entire Fixed Capital knew he was set to marry Jing Chuchu, yet she had the audacity to cuckold him in public. The tavern’s patrons had even whispered and pointed at him, fueling his fury beyond control.
Jing Chuchu had been taken away to an unknown location, but since this disaster had started because of her, she likely wouldn’t escape unscathed either.However... Shen Yuan still found it odd. Why would the people at the tavern recognize him and Jing Chuchu? And why did Jing Chuchu choose his room of all places to meet her lover? He vaguely sensed something amiss but quickly shook his head. That place was his rendezvous point with Fu Xiuyi’s men—no one else should have known about it.
Shen Yuan thought grimly that Fu Xiuyi’s men must have already arrived at the tavern and learned of the incident.
By now, he had completely calmed down. The earlier panic had dissipated, and neither the bloodstains on his clothes nor the grim prison cell could unsettle him.
Just then, a jailer approached and stopped in front of his cell. Shen Yuan looked up and exclaimed in surprise, “Dong Hao!”
Dong Hao was the man sent to meet him. Dressed as a jailer, he must have sneaked in to talk.
“Listen, this is all a misunderstanding,” Shen Yuan said urgently. “Please ask His Highness to help me this once. I’ll repay him in the future.”
Shen Yuan had never expected Shen Gui to come to his rescue. Shen Gui would do anything to protect his career—why would he risk himself for Shen Yuan? The only one who could help now was Fu Xiuyi. But members of the royal family weren’t known for sentimentality; he had to prove his worth. “The evidence I gave His Highness still has some gaps,” Shen Yuan said. “His Highness will soon submit a memorial to His Majesty. Please find a way to get me out—I’ll complete the final piece for him.”
Dong Hao’s eyes flickered at this. Shen Yuan’s words implied that the evidence against Shen Xin he’d given Fu Xiuyi was incomplete. Shen Yuan had kept a trump card, likely to guard against Fu Xiuyi’s betrayal. Yet now, trapped in prison, he had no choice but to play it early.
Seeing Dong Hao remain silent, Shen Yuan grew anxious. “This is just a misunderstanding—it’s not hard to resolve. I can cover the expenses myself. His Highness only needs to put in a word with the right people. Things like this have happened before.”
Much of Shen Yuan’s composure stemmed from the fact that the situation didn’t seem too dire—even simpler than the Shen Mansion banquet incident. At the banquet, he and Jing Chuchu had been caught in bed in front of the ladies, leaving Jing Chuchu at a disadvantage, and her unreasonable family made it impossible for him to wriggle free. But with Sun Cainan’s death, only Jing Chuchu and her maid had witnessed it. If they testified in his favor, he could still escape. As for the lover, a bribe and a fabricated charge—like claiming the man had attempted to assassinate Shen Yuan and was subdued—would suffice. Killing someone could be covered up, as long as the victim wasn’t from a prominent family.
Moreover, his identity didn’t seem exposed yet. To others, it was just a murder—the killer’s identity unknown.
Dong Hao shook his head. “Shen Yuan, you’ve landed yourself in serious trouble this time.”
Shen Yuan’s hopeful smile froze. He didn’t understand Dong Hao’s meaning.
“Do you know who you killed?”
A foreboding feeling crept into Shen Yuan’s heart. In the darkness, he watched as Dong Hao slowly spoke.
“The only legitimate son of the Minister of Personnel, Sun Tianzheng’s son—Sun Cainan.”
...At the entrance of the general's mansion, a large crowd had gathered, all brandishing clubs with menacing expressions. Even the Shen family guards at the gate were struggling to hold them back. Inside, Shen Yue trembled in Chen Ruoqiu's arms, asking fearfully, "Mother, did Second Brother really kill someone?"
Chen Ruoqiu comforted her while also feeling puzzled. The people outside claimed to be from the Minister of Personnel's household, accusing Shen Yuan of killing Sun Cainan, the minister's legitimate son. They clamored to break in and wreak havoc, but why would Shen Yuan, who had been perfectly fine, suddenly kill Sun Cainan?
Shen Gui and Shen Wan were already outside trying to hold them back. If not for Shen Xin's Shen Family Army, the mob would have already stormed in.
Wan Yiniang hid in a small room, nervously clutching Shen Dongling's hand. "If Second Young Master really killed someone, will those people come after us?"
"Don't worry," Shen Dongling replied. "They're only after Second Brother. What does that have to do with us?" She sat behind a screen, her book untouched.
"Miss!" Jing Zhe bounded into the room. "The commotion outside is so intense that even the Old Madam has been disturbed!"
Shen Miao didn't even lift her eyelids. "Oh? How did the Old Madam react?"
"Upon hearing that Second Young Master killed someone, she fainted again," Jing Zhe said with a hint of schadenfreude.
"Miss, will this incident implicate us?" Gu Yu fretted. After all, they all knew that Shen Yuan's actions had been spurred on by Shen Miao's machinations.
"No need to worry. Someone will shield us. Sun Tianzheng may hold high authority, but the Shen Mansion is no less influential. Besides, the ultimate target is Shen Yuan. If he pays with his life, they'll have nothing more to say."
"But will Second Young Master really pay with his life?" Gu Yu asked. "Second Master won't let his son die so easily."
"If not for Shen Yuanbai, Second Uncle would spare no effort to exonerate Second Brother," Shen Miao said. "But with Shen Yuanbai as a backup, Second Uncle has a way out. Sacrificing one son to appease the Sun family's wrath is worth it in his eyes."
Among the three sons of the Shen family, Shen Gui was the most indifferent to familial bonds. Shen Wan, at least, doted on Shen Yue, but Shen Gui showed no genuine care for any of his children—whether legitimate like Shen Yuan, Shen Qing, and Shen Yuanbai, or illegitimate like Shen Dongling. To him, his children were either stepping stones for his career or mere successors. No wonder the children of the second branch felt no affection for him either.
Without Shen Yuanbai, Shen Yuan would have been Shen Gui's only son, and Shen Gui would have fought tooth and nail for him. But with Shen Yuanbai, Shen Yuan became expendable. Moreover, the Sun family wouldn't be easily appeased. In her past life, when Shen Qiu had killed Sun Cainan, Sun Tianzheng's family had imprisoned Shen Qiu, and only after Shen Xin exhausted his family's wealth was Shen Qiu's life spared. Sun Tianzheng had only one legitimate son. With his sole heir dead, how could he let the murderer off lightly?
"But will only Second Young Master suffer?" Jing Zhe blurted out. "What about Cousin Jing? She's still hiding in the mansion, refusing to come out." After the incident, Jing Chuchu had sneaked back and was holed up in the Shen Mansion with her family.
"Of course not," Shen Miao smiled faintly. "After all, she's the real culprit."Outside the mansion gates, Shen Wan appeared somewhat disheveled as he tried to dissuade the crowd, "Everyone, please listen to me. The circumstances of this matter haven't been clarified yet. I beg you all to return home first. We will definitely give you an explanation!"
A woman spat on Shen Wan's face with a "Pah!" and planted her hands on her hips, "Debts must be repaid, and a life for a life! Our young master was killed by Shen Yuan—he must pay with his life! This isn't over!"
Shen Gui shrank back, inwardly cursing Shen Yuan to the depths of hell. Besides the servants from the Ministry of Personnel's residence, there were also onlookers among the common folk. Someone loudly jeered, "Isn't it said that it was a fight over a woman that led to the killing? What does that beauty they were fighting over even look like? Why not let us have a look too? 'To risk all for a beauty'—just how stunning must that beauty be?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding crowd immediately chimed in. The people from the Ministry of Personnel's residence suddenly realized—the Sun family was in chaos themselves. Sun Cainan had gone out in good health only to return as a cold corpse, and in their grief, they had been solely focused on demanding Shen Yuan's life, completely overlooking Jing Chuchu. Now that someone had reminded them, they recalled that since Sun Cainan and Shen Yuan had fought over Jing Chuchu, leading to Shen Yuan accidentally killing Sun Cainan, then Jing Chuchu was the real femme fatale!
The Sun family immediately shouted, "That's right! Hand over that slut! She was the one who seduced our young master, that shameless whore! Hand her over now!"
Not just the Sun family—even Shen Gui himself wished he could kill Jing Chuchu with his own hands. Ever since Jing Chuchu had arrived at Shen Mansion, misfortune had befallen the second branch of the Shen family one after another. First, the family banquet incident had ruined Shen Yuan's reputation, and now it had led to him being entangled in a murder case. Without hesitation, Shen Gui ordered the servants, and before long, Jing Chuchu was bound and brought out.
Shen Gui shot Shen Wan a meaningful glance, and Shen Wan said, "Everyone, please calm down. We will handle this fairly. Since this matter arose because of Chuchu, we will hand her over to you for your judgment!"
Jing Chuchu let out a pitiful cry, but the crowd wouldn't tolerate any resistance. The Sun family yanked her over—bound like a pig—and rained down dozens of slaps on her face until she fainted on the spot.
"You can't bully people like this!" Jing Guansheng and the Jing couple rushed out, furious at the sight. But the Sun family only sneered, "No wonder you're from a backwater like Suzhou—not only are you narrow-minded, but you also corrupt morals. Already betrothed, yet still seducing men everywhere. This isn't over, and none of you will get off easy!"
The Jing family was both furious and terrified—furious at the Sun family's arrogance, and terrified because, apart from the Shen family, they had no backing in Fixed Capital. And the Shen family had already been at odds with them. Now that they were in trouble, it would be a miracle if the Shen family didn't kick them while they were down—there was no way they would stand idly by!
The commotion at the Shen family's gates dragged on for a long time, and by the time the sky darkened, the Sun family finally left, dragging Jing Chuchu, who was barely breathing. Before departing, the leading woman coldly laughed, "Today is just the beginning. You Shen family members just wait—our master has already submitted a memorial to the Emperor. There's no way in this world that someone can take a life and walk free. A life for a life—none of you will get off easy!"Shen Gui watched as the Sun family left in a swaggering manner, leaving behind a mess, and nearly choked on his anger. The final remark that Sun Tianzheng had already written a memorial to the emperor was even more alarming. Sun Tianzheng had only one son, and with Sun Cainan dead, he would stop at nothing to make Shen Gui suffer. At this point, even if Shen Yuan died, it might not be enough to quell the Sun family's fury.
Shen Qiu returned to the West Courtyard, wiping his sweat, and complained to Shen Miao, "The Sun family was utterly disrespectful—they nearly smashed the main gate. My soldiers couldn’t even stop them in time."
"The pain of losing a child," Shen Miao consoled him. "They naturally need to vent."
"Father and Mother aren’t planning to intervene this time," Shen Qiu muttered to himself. "But Shen Yuan has never been impulsive. Even if Jing Chuchu was secretly meeting Sun Cainan, why would he fly into a rage and kill him?"
"Who knows?" Shen Miao said indifferently. "Perhaps Sun Cainan was fated to die, and it didn’t matter whose hands he fell into."
...
In the main hall of the Sun residence, all the concubines knelt on the floor. In the center lay a corpse covered with white cloth, though traces of dried blood still stained the fabric.
Madam Sun had fainted upon hearing of Sun Cainan’s death and, upon waking, had nearly lost her mind, refusing all comfort. Sun Tianzheng, now in his fifties, had bloodshot eyes, his cheeks trembling faintly.
Once, a wandering Daoist had predicted that he would never have a son in his lifetime. In his younger years, Sun Tianzheng had taken countless concubines, yet none bore him a son. Sun Cainan was the child Madam Sun had struggled to conceive—a late blessing for Sun Tianzheng. Thus, he had spoiled the boy from birth, which over time nurtured Sun Cainan’s indulgent and pleasure-seeking nature. However, given Sun Tianzheng’s high status and fear of censure from censors, he had long warned Sun Cainan to avoid drawing attention. If he wanted women, he was to take them as concubines first before indulging. Sun Cainan never entered officialdom, and his dalliances were confined to the residence, so few knew him. As for those in court, they were even less likely to associate with him.
Yet he had died at Shen Yuan’s hands. Now, the Daoist’s prophecy had come true—Sun Tianzheng was indeed fated to have no son.
"Shen Yuan..." Sun Tianzheng gritted his teeth. "I’ll make him pay with his life!"
"Master," one of Sun Tianzheng’s favored concubines wiped her tears and said, "I heard the servants brought that woman back too. After all, it was she who led our young master astray. What do you plan to do with her...?"
Sun Tianzheng sneered. "Don’t kill her yet. Keep her alive—for Madam."
The concubine shuddered. All the concubines had witnessed Madam Sun’s methods. Now, with the agony of losing her son, Madam Sun would surely subject Jing Chuchu to unimaginable torment.
"The Shen family can only touch Shen Yuan. Did the Jing family, mere commoners, think they could escape unscathed?" Sun Tianzheng let out a sharp crack—he had crushed the teacup in his hand. The shards cut his palm, blood dripping unnoticed as he hissed, "I’ll make every last one of the Jing family bury my son!"
The entire capital was abuzz with talk of Shen Yuan killing the only son of the Minister of Personnel. At Prince Ding’s Residence, Dong Hao stood in the hall, bowing to the figure seated above.
Fu Xiuyi idly traced the rim of his teacup, lost in thought. "The memorial to His Majesty regarding the Shen family was supposed to be submitted tomorrow, yet Shen Yuan got into trouble today.""The evidence in Shen Yuan's hands is still incomplete, Your Highness. Should we use some means to extract more information from him?"
"No need," Fu Xiuyi waved his hand dismissively. "What Shen Yuan has provided is already sufficient. Even if I wished for more completeness, I cannot intervene in this matter."
"Your Highness means to let Shen Yuan be?" Dong Hao asked.
"If it were anyone else, perhaps. But it's Sun Tianzheng. Sun Tianzheng is Prince Zhou's man. Prince Zhou will inevitably interfere in this matter. If I act, it will only alert Prince Zhou. Shen Yuan has stirred up too much trouble this time." Fu Xiuyi shook his head.
Dong Hao remained silent for a moment before asking, "But what if Shen Yuan decides to go down fighting and exposes Your Highness?"
"Shen Yuan has always been adept at keeping escape routes for himself. Naturally, we must guard against what you mentioned." Fu Xiuyi gazed at the teacup in his hand. "Therefore, not only should we not help Shen Yuan, but we must also urge the Ministry of Justice to hasten his execution. Killing Shen Yuan in prison would arouse suspicion. Find a way to slip him something."
Dong Hao quickly assented. He then asked, "Will Your Highness still submit the memorial tomorrow?"
"No," Fu Xiuyi rubbed his temples. "This incident will cause a stir. Bringing up the memorial now would only dilute its impact. We should wait." Suddenly, he opened his eyes. "However, you'd better investigate who Shen Yuan has had conflicts with recently."
Dong Hao was startled. "Your Highness suspects someone is pulling strings behind the scenes?"
"Shen Yuan has never been impulsive. This time, he acted rashly and killed someone—Sun Tianzheng's only son, no less. Don't you find it too coincidental? Moreover, why did Jing Chuchu's affair happen to involve Shen Yuan? It's strange."
"Shen Yuan isn't someone easily manipulated," Dong Hao said. "And if someone could control events to this extent, they must know Shen Yuan very well."
"To push Shen Yuan to such a desperate situation," Fu Xiuyi said coldly, "this person cannot be allowed to remain. I didn't cultivate a pawn only for it to be used and discarded by others." A shadow passed over Fu Xiuyi's eyes. He wasn't as composed as he appeared. Shen Yuan was a pawn he had carefully nurtured for years—not just for his cunning, but more importantly, because he was a member of the Shen family. In Shen Yuan's position, many future tasks would have been easier to accomplish. Yet now, he had to sacrifice the knight to save the king, losing a trusted subordinate who would no longer be of use.
And to think it was all brought about by such a crude and vulgar scheme involving a woman.
"This subordinate will investigate thoroughly," Dong Hao assured. "Fortunately, Shen Yuan handed over the materials to Your Highness before the incident."
Fu Xiuyi sighed, "It's a pity we still have to wait."
Meanwhile, upstairs in Fengxian Pawnshop, Ji Yushu clapped his hands together, grinning from ear to ear. "Brilliant! Miss Shen truly doesn't act unless she can make a grand move. Just when Shen Xin was supposed to face misfortune tomorrow, Shen Yuan gets imprisoned today. The timing couldn't be better."
"It's merely a coincidence," Gao Yang retorted, rolling his eyes. "Shen Miao probably doesn't even know about this yet."
"Whether she knows or not, I've won our bet," Ji Yushu said triumphantly. "Just deliver the silver notes to the pawnshop later and give them to Hongling."
Gao Yang fell silent for a moment before remarking, "Shen Yuan probably never imagined he'd one day fall victim to such a lowly trick."Because his wife was having an affair and he got into a jealous rage, killing the other man in a fit of passion. No matter how you spun it, the story was anything but glorious—whether it was the adulterer, the unfaithful woman, or the cuckolded husband, people would only laugh when discussing it. Shen Yuan had both talent and the ability to endure, having just returned to the capital. Given Fu Xiuyi's high regard for him, he could have become someone to be reckoned with in time. Who would have thought he would meet such a humiliating and tragic end?
Though it seemed like a joke, the consequences were dire. All because the person he killed was Sun Tianzheng’s only son.
"Sun Tianzheng will submit a memorial tomorrow. Gao Yang, do you think Shen Yuan will actually pay with his life this time?" Ji Yushu asked.
"What do you think of Shen Miao?" Gao Yang countered with an unrelated question.
"What does Miss Shen have to do with this?" Ji Yushu was puzzled.
"Shen Miao’s traps—once someone steps into them, have you ever seen anyone walk away unscathed? You should have realized this from Prince Yu’s case. Her traps are never just one move. This may seem like it’s targeting Shen Yuan, but that’s not the whole picture."
"You’re saying she has more moves planned?" Ji Yushu asked. "At most, Shen Yuan will pay with his life. What else could she want?"
"I think Shen Yuan is just one piece of it," Gao Yang shook his head, his expression turning grave. "If she’s making a move, I doubt it’ll stop at just one person."
Ji Yushu fell silent for a moment before asking seriously, "What deep-seated grudge does Miss Shen hold against the rest of the Shen family? Such ruthless planning is chilling, but there must be a reason. Did the Shen family do something unforgivable to her?"
For a young girl to employ such cruel and meticulous methods, there must be hidden grievances. Even Baixiaosheng couldn’t uncover them. The idea that the Shen family merely raised her as an incompetent through excessive indulgence doesn’t seem sufficient.
Gao Yang shook his head. "I don’t know either, but her actions are too brazen. This time, she’s had Shen Yuan imprisoned, and Shen Yuan is Prince Ding’s man. If Prince Ding suffers a loss, he’ll definitely take notice of her. Our informants have already reported that Prince Ding’s people are investigating this."
"Miss Shen going up against Prince Ding is bad news," Ji Yushu said worriedly. "Prince Ding is deep and cunning. If he discovers it was her doing, who knows what he’ll do in the future."
"Don’t worry," Gao Yang said. "I actually think Shen Miao knows Prince Ding very well. Perhaps everything she’s done has already accounted for the possibility of him finding out. Instead of worrying about her, you should worry about yourself." Gao Yang looked at Ji Yushu. "Has Xie San’s person been found yet?"
"Ahem," Ji Yushu rubbed his nose. "I’ll send someone right away."
...
"Who would’ve thought the Shen family was so chaotic inside? Starting the year with such a big drama—what’s next?"
"Ahaha, two noble sons falling for a common girl and fighting over her, ending in one dead and one injured—isn’t this the kind of plot you’d find in a play?"
"Honestly, that common girl isn’t even that pretty. I don’t know how those two noble sons could’ve been so blind as to fight over her. They might as well have fought over each other instead."
"Huolong, have you been reading strange novels again?"
The woman in black flicked her long hair, exuding charm. "Am I wrong? If you want men to fight over you, you’d at least need beauty like mine."
"Seems like you’re all in high spirits," a sudden voice interrupted. The group of black-clad subordinates, who had been lounging and joking around, immediately fell silent, standing up as if facing a formidable enemy as they looked at the newcomer.
The handsome youth in purple robes appeared even colder and more aloof under the night sky. He swept his gaze over them. "Why stop? Keep going."
Everyone lowered their heads in silence.Xie Jingxing turned and walked away, only stopping once he had left the crowd far behind. With a self-deprecating smile, he murmured, "That little girl has quite the tricks up her sleeve."
Lowering his gaze to the starless night sky, he whispered softly, "But I don't have time anymore."
－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－
Huo Long's imagination is wild... The birth of a new CP, the Resentful (Yuan) Husband (Nan) couple hahahaha
...
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