Luo Tan was found in an almost abandoned alley in the western part of Fixed Capital. The alley connected several winding lanes, making it extremely difficult to locate. It was only because one of A Zhi's city guards was intimately familiar with every corner of Fixed Capital that Luo Tan's whereabouts were finally discovered.
However, even though Luo Tan had been found, the situation was far from reassuring. She had been stabbed deeply near her abdomen, the wound severe. By the time she was brought back to Shen Mansion, the delay in finding her had left her on the brink of death.
Several physicians were summoned in succession, but upon examining Luo Tan's injuries, they could only shake their heads helplessly, declaring her beyond saving. This enraged Shen Xin to the point of nearly drawing his sword. Luo Xueyan intervened, saying, "If these are all quacks, then use Xin's official seal to summon the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital. Aren't they supposed to be miracle workers? Whoever saves Tan'er will be richly rewarded by the Shen family!"
Shen Qiu ordered his subordinates to take Shen Xin's seal and request the imperial physicians from the palace. The group gathered around Luo Tan's bed, with Luo Xueyan's eyes reddening as she asked, "Who did this? How could they be so cruel?"
Luo Ling's expression was equally grim. Luo Tan was his cousin, and her uncertain fate weighed heavily on him. Yet what unsettled everyone even more was that while Luo Tan had been found, there was still no trace of Shen Miao. If Luo Tan had suffered such a fate at the hands of merciless assailants, what horrors might Shen Miao be enduring? The thought was unbearable.
The Shen family's soldiers scoured Fixed Capital tirelessly but found not a single clue. The perpetrators seemed to have vanished into thin air. Ordinary households had been searched, and every alley investigated—short of raiding the mansions of officials, which they lacked the authority to do anyway.
A dreadful silence settled over the room.
Unaware of the chaos outside, Shen Miao had no idea how much time had passed when she finally awoke.
Bound hand and foot, she slowly opened her eyes. Her captors had neglected to blindfold her—perhaps deeming it unnecessary.
She found herself in a spacious secret chamber, furnished with a desk, a cabinet, and a bed. It was unclear where she was, but the setup suggested a hidden room within someone's mansion. Unable to move, Shen Miao could only observe quietly.
No sounds reached her from outside; the silence was absolute. Having been knocked unconscious earlier, she had no memory of what had transpired. She didn’t know if Luo Tan had managed to escape or if her message to Xie Jingxing had been delivered.
Currently, Shen Xin was a figure whom everyone in Fixed Capital treated with caution, especially with the envoys from Qin State and Great Coolness still present. Emperor Wenhui relied heavily on Shen Xin, whose influence had grown steadily, further bolstered by his reclaimed military power. Under normal circumstances, no one would dare provoke him. Yet someone had acted so recklessly, with such audacity and disregard for consequences. Shen Miao didn’t need to think hard to guess who it was—aside from Ming An Princess, who else would employ such crude and brutal methods?But she never expected that Princess Ming An would find an accomplice in Fixed Capital so quickly. Clearly, Princess Ming An wouldn’t act personally, and even Huangfu Hao wouldn’t allow her to employ such foolish methods. Yet the person who had abducted her that day had managed to blend in among the Feng family’s guards, showing familiarity with the Feng family and an alarming awareness of her and Feng Anning’s movements. Especially when the carriage had sped away, shaking off the Feng family’s guards and disappearing into deserted alleys—every detail clearly pointed to one fact: the accomplice Princess Ming An had found was intimately familiar with the routes of Ming Qi, undoubtedly a native of Fixed Capital.
Someone as self-important as Princess Ming An wouldn’t associate with insignificant figures. But if it were someone of official rank or status, why would they risk their own future to help her abduct Shen Miao? If Shen Xin later uncovered the truth, he would never let it go. Officials in Ming Qi were known for seeking profit and avoiding harm—such a perilous act was something they would never dare to undertake.
Therefore, it could only be someone who held some official position yet was desperate to climb higher, even at the cost of their own life. But who in Ming Qi’s bureaucracy fit such a description? For the moment, Shen Miao couldn’t recall.
However, since this involved Princess Ming An, Shen Xin’s actions might be complicated by political entanglements. Strangely, the first person Shen Miao thought of who could quickly find her was Xie Jingxing. It made sense—Xie Jingxing owned Fengxian Pawnshop, whose intelligence network spanned far and wide. If the abductor was deeply familiar with Fixed Capital, Fengxian Pawnshop, having operated in Ming Qi for so many years, would have an even more extensive reach. How could they possibly fail?
All Shen Miao could do now was hope that Xie Jingxing would discover her soon.
With great effort, she twisted her hands toward her sleeves. The ropes binding her were extremely tight, and she nearly scraped her wrists raw before managing to reach the hairpin hidden in her sleeve.
It was something she had specially crafted. Since her rebirth, to guard against unforeseen dangers, she had prepared this hairpin—its tip curved into a hook. In a life-or-death moment, it could be used to gouge out an assailant’s eyes. A trick she had learned in the palace in her past life. But for now, it would serve to saw through the ropes binding her limbs.
Just as she was about to start, footsteps sounded outside. Shen Miao’s heart skipped a beat. Quickly, she tucked the hairpin back into her sleeve, leaned against the wall, and shut her eyes tightly, pretending to still be unconscious.
The door creaked open, and from the sound of it, more than one person entered.
One of them spoke: "The Shen family is making too much noise. At this rate, when will we be able to move her out?"
Another replied: "No need to panic. She’s in our hands now. Once this storm blows over, we can send her out without trouble."
Two people. Shen Miao calculated silently. From their tone, they were only lying low here temporarily before eventually transporting her out. Where could Princess Ming An possibly send her? Certainly nowhere good. The only slight comfort was that Shen Xin had acted swiftly—the entire city was now under tight surveillance. With so many eyes watching, it would be difficult for them to smuggle her out. At the very least, for a short while, she wouldn’t be in immediate danger.However, Shen Miao felt suspicious—the voices of these two people sounded somewhat familiar. But since she was pretending to be asleep, she couldn't open her eyes to look.
As if sensing someone's gaze upon her, Shen Miao heard one of them hesitate and say, "Why hasn't she woken up yet? Did we hit her too hard earlier?"
"Second Brother, what time is it now, and you're still worrying about whether she wakes up or not?" the other replied. "Don’t worry. Even if Shen Miao never wakes up, the princess would only be pleased. You’ve seen the princess’s attitude—the worse Shen Miao suffers, the better. Whether she lives or dies doesn’t matter."
"I’m just concerned," the one called "Second Brother" said, his voice indeed laced with worry. "What if Father finds out about this?"
"So what if Father finds out? Don’t forget, you and I are his own flesh and blood. Ever since that little bastard died, Father has no one else to rely on but us two brothers." The other sneered. "Besides, the Xie family and the Shen family have never gotten along. Do you really think Father would turn in his own sons for the sake of the Shen family?"
The Xie family... the Xie family...
In the corner, Shen Miao’s eyelashes trembled slightly, unable to conceal the shock in her heart.
She never expected that the ones who had abducted her were actually from the Xie family. The way one addressed the other as "Second Brother" left no doubt—these two were Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao!
Shen Miao found it hard to believe. She never imagined that the ones allied with Ming An Princess were Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao. Although these two had always harbored resentment toward Xie Jingxing, based on her past life, they were just as adept at biding their time as their master, Fu Xiuyi. How could they be so reckless and arrogant in this life, even going so far as to commit abduction?
The Marquis Lin'an Manor was one of Ming Qi’s most prominent aristocratic families. Even as illegitimate sons, Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao were superior to many legitimate sons of officials. If their actions were exposed, the entire Marquis Lin'an Manor would be ruined. Were these two out of their minds?
Xie Changwu spat and asked, "Is this place safe?"
"Of course it is," Xie Changchao said smugly. "Who would ever think the Shen family’s young lady is hidden in our manor? And even within the manor, this secret chamber is known only to the two of us. Even if Shen Xin somehow gets the emperor’s verbal decree and miraculously searches our manor, I guarantee he’ll leave empty-handed."
"That’s good." Xie Changwu sighed in relief. "Success or failure hinges on this moment—we can’t afford the slightest mistake. Once the commotion outside dies down, we’ll send her away immediately."
Xie Changchao nodded, taking out a bowl of water and food from a basket. He walked over to Shen Miao and placed the two bowls in front of her.
"Should we wake her up to eat now? We can’t let her starve to death," Xie Changwu asked.
"No need," Xie Changchao said. "She’s tied up, but she still has a mouth. Don’t you think it’d be amusing to make a noble young lady eat like a dog? The princess would surely be delighted to hear about it. And when that time comes, if the princess is pleased, she might put in a good word for us in front of His Highness."
Xie Changwu nodded. "Fine. Third Brother, you’ve thought this through. In that case, let’s leave now to avoid raising suspicion." With that, the two of them departed.
Only when the sounds outside completely faded did Shen Miao slowly open her eyes.On the ground before her lay two bowls—one filled with clear water, the other with... Fortunately, Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao hadn’t brought anything more disgusting for her to eat.
Shen Miao sighed inwardly.
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t eaten worse. In the cold palace, she had endured leftovers and even spoiled food. What did it matter? To survive, one could temporarily set aside dignity. As long as there was a chance for revenge later, it was worth it.
But Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao’s words slowly made her frown.
This was actually the secret chamber of Marquis Lin'an Manor. If true, it would be extremely difficult for Shen Xin to find her here. First, without Emperor Wenhui’s explicit decree, no one could search the residence of an official unless there was solid evidence. But since the Xie brothers and Shen Miao had no prior interactions, who would suspect them as the kidnappers? Second, even if Shen Xin obtained the decree, as the Xie brothers had said, this chamber was likely well-hidden. If even Xie Ding was unaware of it, how could Shen Xin possibly find it?
The Xie family had taken an unconventional approach—the most dangerous place was also the safest. This made the situation all the more troublesome.
Shen Miao stared at the bowl of water.
Could Xie Jingxing find her?
Meanwhile, at the Shen residence, the imperial physician had finally arrived.
Dressed in pristine white robes and holding a folding fan, the man looked more like a refined noble out for leisure than a doctor here to save lives—were it not for the medical chest on his back.
This was Gao Yang, the young imperial physician from the palace.
Luo Xueyan and Shen Xin exchanged doubtful glances. Though Gao Yang’s medical skills were praised in the palace, his patients were mostly imperial consorts and ladies. Women often favored superficial charm—who could say his reputation wasn’t partly due to his good looks? Moreover, people generally believed that older physicians were more skilled, while younger ones only grasped the basics.
Shen Xin hadn’t expected the palace to send Gao Yang. Though reluctant, he couldn’t refuse outright—requesting another physician would waste precious time.
The legendary Imperial Physician Gao, however, seemed well-aware of worldly perceptions. He entered with an air of confidence, walked to Luo Tan’s unconscious form, and took her pulse.
Everyone watched him intently. After a long pause, Gao Yang shook his head and sighed. "Weak breath, erratic pulse, deep wounds damaging her organs, and severe blood loss. Difficult."
Luo Xueyan immediately snapped, "Another quack! Qiu, take your father’s name card and fetch another doctor."
"Wait!" Gao Yang frowned. "I said it was difficult, not incurable. You invited me here, yet now seek another physician. What is the meaning of this, General Shen?"
"Can you really save Cousin Tan?" Shen Qiu stepped forward.
"If you delay any longer, even I will be powerless," Gao Yang replied.
"Fine," Shen Xin said. "Trust must be given where it’s due. If you can heal Tan’er, the Shen family will reward you handsomely."
Gao Yang chuckled. "No need for silver. A doctor’s heart is like that of a parent. Miss Luo’s life hangs by a thread—there’s no time to waste. I must begin acupuncture immediately. Please wait outside."Luo Xueyan was still somewhat hesitant, but Shen Xin had already started walking out. Having traveled extensively, he knew that people with real skills often had peculiar habits. Moreover, medical techniques were most afraid of being leaked, so it was understandable that Gao Yang didn’t want others watching.
Shen Qiu and Luo Ling quickly followed behind Shen Xin. Seeing this, Luo Xueyan had no choice but to follow them out despite her worries.
The room was now left with only Gao Yang and Luo Tan, who lay unconscious on the bed. Gao Yang set down his medical box, muttering to himself as he opened it, "What does any of this have to do with me? And yet, here I am, doing all the work."
He took out a cloth bundle and unfolded it, revealing dozens of golden needles of varying sizes and shapes.
Gao Yang sighed, "Pleasing Shen Miao is one thing, but now I have to please her family too?" He shook his head, then reached out to undo Luo Tan’s collar, saying helplessly, "Apologies, I don’t mean to offend. If you want someone to take responsibility, go to Prince Rui’s Residence—the one wearing a mask is your man."
Time passed quickly, and two full days went by in the blink of an eye.
During these two days, Imperial Physician Gao from the palace truly demonstrated his exceptional medical skills. While other physicians were at a loss, Gao Yang administered acupuncture twice and had medicine brewed for Luo Tan. After drinking two bowls, her breathing gradually stabilized, and her pulse grew much stronger than before. Another physician who examined her later confirmed that her life was at least out of danger.
Abandoning her earlier skepticism, Luo Xueyan now treated Gao Yang as an honored guest. Fearing that Luo Tan’s condition might relapse, and since Gao Yang still needed to perform two more acupuncture sessions to complete the treatment, Luo Xueyan arranged for him to stay at the Shen residence for the time being, making it convenient to monitor Luo Tan’s condition daily.
While Luo Tan’s condition had stabilized, there was still no good news regarding Shen Miao.
Emperor Wenhui was furious upon hearing of the incident. Setting aside his prejudices against Shen Xin, the fact that someone dared to abduct an official’s legitimate daughter right under the emperor’s nose—especially while envoys from Qin State and Great Coolness were still in the capital—was a blatant declaration that lawlessness ran rampant in Fixed Capital, making it impossible for the people to live in peace. Thus, he tacitly allowed Shen Xin’s high-profile search for his daughter.
Yet even after turning Fixed Capital upside down, there was no trace of Shen Miao.
It was as if those people had vanished into thin air. Every commoner’s household had been searched, and the next step would be to investigate the residences of officials. However, the relationships among official families were intricate, and a single misstep could trigger major chaos—something Emperor Wenhui was unwilling to risk.
Thus, the situation reached a deadlock. Soldiers patrolled the streets day and night, improving public security in Fixed Capital, but for the Shen family, it was like being roasted over flames—only intensifying their anxiety.
In the study of Marquis Lin'an Manor, Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao were deep in conversation.
Xie Changwu said, "The Shen family is watching too closely. There’s no way we can move Shen Miao out now. If this drags on, Ming An Princess will surely blame us."In fact, Ming An Princess was already furious. Although the Xie brothers had successfully abducted Shen Miao, the princess now harbored an intense hatred for her, wishing to see Shen Miao reduced to a life of misery in the brothels, unable to live or die as she pleased. However, due to Shen Xin's massive search operation outside, Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao dared not act rashly. Shen Miao had been confined in the secret chamber of Marquis Lin'an Manor all this time. How could someone as impatient as Ming An Princess endure such a delay? Early this morning, she had sent someone to warn Xie Changwu that if Shen Miao wasn’t handed over soon, their previous agreement would be null and void.
With Shen Xin’s men conducting a ruthless, door-to-door search ahead and Ming An Princess pressing them relentlessly without regard for reason, even someone as shrewd as Xie Changwu couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.
"Second Brother, don’t panic. Shen Xin’s search is intense, so we must first ensure we aren’t exposed," Xie Changchao said.
"I’m not panicking, but the princess is pushing us hard," Xie Changwu replied, unable to suppress a hint of resentment. "She doesn’t even consider that if something goes wrong at a time like this, she won’t escape blame either."
"Enough," Xie Changchao said. "What the princess wants is simply to see Shen Miao humiliated. Even if we can’t send Shen Miao out, we can bring people in. Marquis Lin'an Manor hiring some rough laborers—buying servants from the steward mama—isn’t illegal or suspicious, is it?"
Xie Changwu froze. That was true. Ming An Princess merely wanted to see Shen Miao degraded. With the situation outside so tense, if they couldn’t send Shen Miao out, why not bring outsiders in? Turning Shen Miao into a captive plaything—wouldn’t that satisfy the princess’s desires?
"Third Brother, you..." Xie Changwu said. "You’ve already thought of this?"
"Father has a social engagement with a Ministry of Revenue official today. If both of us are absent, it’ll raise suspicions," Xie Changchao said. "Second Brother, you go first. I’ll have the steward mama purchase a few laborers. Once it’s done, we’ll report to the princess."
Lately, because they had been preoccupied with Shen Miao’s matter, they had declined several social engagements Xie Ding had arranged. Continuing like this would be too unusual. Xie Changwu nodded. "Understood. Third Brother, be careful too. Don’t leave any traces."
Xie Changchao agreed. Only after Xie Changwu left did he take out the key to the secret chamber from his sleeve, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.
Shen Miao had been confined in the secret chamber for two days. Though she didn’t know the exact time, she could estimate based on the frequency of meals delivered. Her heart sank—two days had passed. The fact that they hadn’t harmed her yet meant Shen Xin’s efforts were truly extensive. Yet, despite such a large-scale search, no one had found her here. It could only mean the Xie brothers’ precautions were correct—it was nearly impossible for anyone to suspect this place.
As she pondered, she suddenly heard footsteps outside. The door creaked open.
In the dim light, the man met Shen Miao’s gaze and paused in surprise before smiling. "You’ve been pretending to sleep every time I came these past few days. Why not today?"Xie Changchao bore some resemblance to Xie Changwu, but compared to Xie Changwu's restraint, he appeared far more impetuous. At this moment, he approached Shen Miao and glanced at the bowl of plain rice she had already eaten half of. He clicked his tongue twice and spoke with evident regret: "Not just Her Highness the Princess, but I too was quite eager to see what a noble young lady looks like eating like a dog. Why didn’t you wait for me?"
Shen Miao regarded him coldly.
For a moment, Shen Miao felt she could understand why Xie Jingxing despised these two illegitimate brothers so much—just like Shen Qing and Shen Yue. At least Shen Qing and Shen Yue made some effort to conceal their malice, but Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao were outright vile, not even bothering to hide their cruelty.
Seemingly provoked by Shen Miao’s disdainful gaze, Xie Changchao suddenly grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. He said, "Miss Shen, perhaps you don’t know yet—General Shen and Madam Shen are searching all over Fixed Capital for you, offering a reward of ten thousand taels of gold. Unfortunately, no one has claimed it so far. Tell me, if I were to hand you over, would I receive that ten thousand taels?"
Shen Miao remained silent.
"Unfortunately, I'm also acting on someone else's orders, so I can't let you go so easily." Xie Changchao smiled again: "Don't worry, after today, your life will get slightly better. Her Highness originally planned to sell you into a low-class brothel, but General Shen pursued too fiercely, so we had no choice but to bring the brothel into the Marquis Manor."
Shen Miao's gaze darkened.
Seemingly extremely pleased with Shen Miao's reaction, Xie Changchao leaned in close, whispering in her ear with an eerie tone: "This morning, I instructed the steward mama to hire a few strong men to guard the courtyard—peasant types with robust physiques. Tell me, after tonight, will you still have the strength to glare at me?"
Shen Miao lowered her eyes, her hands hidden in her sleeves quietly reaching for the hooked hairpin. She hadn't been idle these past two days, using an almost unbelievable determination to slowly grind away at the ropes binding her wrists and ankles with the hairpin. By now, she estimated the ropes were barely holding together—just a slight tug would free her. Then, she would use the hairpin to gouge out Xie Changchao's eyes.
In this world, paths are carved by one's own actions. What people call dead ends are merely situations where one lacks the courage to try.
Xie Changchao said, "But I'm unwilling to hand over such a delicate beauty like you to others. A tender-skinned official's legitimate daughter—" He emphasized the words "legitimate daughter" with a smirk, "—might as well let me enjoy you first."
"That little bastard Xie Jingxing seemed unusually fond of you back then." Xie Changchao's smile turned lewd. "I've been his brother for over a decade—I know him better than anyone. You and he must have had more than just an ordinary relationship. What, Miss Shen, were you his mistress?"
Xie Changchao's words were so crude that even Shen Miao showed a flicker of anger. Yet this anger seemed to delight him, and he laughed heartily. "Even if you were his mistress, it doesn't matter. That little bastard has overshadowed my brother and me in Marquis Lin'an Manor for years. Today, I'll take his woman—it’s a fair trade." He grinned wickedly. "Miss Shen should thank me. Your first time is with a nobleman like me, far better than rolling in the mud with some peasant. After me, you'll truly understand what roughness means!"
He suddenly grabbed Shen Miao's head, his thumb stroking her face with a drunken expression that was utterly repulsive.
Shen Miao's gaze remained calm, but she was calculating the perfect moment to drive the hairpin into Xie Changchao's eye—and then the other. Blind him, and see how he'd strut around then.
Xie Changchao's expression sobered slightly. His face darkened as he stared at Shen Miao. "Why aren't you afraid?"
Shen Miao met his gaze.
Xie Changchao's frown deepened, clearly displeased by her indifference. "Why aren't you afraid? Are you still waiting for someone to rescue you?"
Shen Miao asked, "What do you really want?"
Suddenly, Xie Changchao lunged. Shen Miao had no time to evade before he pinned her to the ground. Instinctively, she wrenched her hands and feet free from the ropes, but before she could reach for the hairpin, Xie Changchao began savagely biting and groping her. Like a madman, he babbled, "Who are you waiting for? That dead Xie Jingxing?!"Shen Miao finally managed to grasp the hairpin. With Xie Changchao's back turned to her and his face buried in her neck as he tried to tear open her clothes, her gaze turned icy as she raised her hand to stab downward toward his back.
Yet her hand abruptly stilled when her peripheral vision caught sight of the doorway.
"Do you think Xie Jingxing will come save you?" Xie Changchao bellowed. "That little bastard has already been skinned and beheaded, not even bone fragments remain of him now."
A calm voice carrying restrained, overwhelming fury echoed faintly through the empty secret chamber.
"Is that so?"
－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－
Brother Xie: Say that again if you dare ￢￢
Let's calculate the psychological trauma area for Xie Changchao ╯╰╭
...
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