"Miss, Second Miss is here to see you."
Jing Zhe looked displeased. "Of all times to come, when Miss hasn't fully recovered yet. Doesn't she worry about catching a chill?"
Gu Yu nudged Jing Zhe's arm, though her expression remained deeply concerned.
Shen Miao observed this and felt a wave of relief.
Her four maids had all been personally selected and trained by Shen Xin and his wife—loyal and sharp-witted. Though young and unable to discern the true state of the Shen family or the hidden agendas of the second and third branches, her maids could sense the undercurrents.
Before she could speak, a young girl entered. Around fifteen or sixteen, she wore a pale pink chrysanthemum-patterned upper garment and a moon-white Pleated Ruyi Skirt, her hair styled in a tasseled bun. Her fair complexion and delicate features exuded an air of scholarly grace, dignified and refined. Spotting Shen Miao, she hurried to the bedside and said anxiously, "Fifth Sister, are you feeling better? I’ve been terribly worried since hearing about your fall into the water. The servants at Yujiao Garden said you needed rest, so I didn’t dare disturb you. Only when I heard you’d woken did I dare visit today."
Shen Miao studied the girl before her—Shen Yue, the legitimate daughter of the Shen family’s third branch.
Among the three legitimate daughters of the Shen family, Shen Qing was known for her bold and cheerful nature, while Shen Yue was celebrated for her literary talents. Only Shen Miao was seen as dull, timid, and untalented. Outsiders praised her as "chaste and virtuous," but everyone knew she lacked any notable qualities, making her the least presentable daughter of the Shen family.
In her past life, before marriage, Shen Miao had been closest to Shen Yue. Gentle and considerate, Shen Yue often offered advice. Back then, Shen Miao couldn’t discern whether the advice was good or bad, only feeling grateful for her cousin’s earnest efforts.
This time, Shen Yue’s visit was likely to plead for Shen Qing’s sake.
Sure enough, Shen Yue began, "Fifth Sister, Eldest Sister made a mistake in the heat of the moment. What’s done is done—could you find it in your heart to forgive her this once? She’s been filled with remorse since hearing about your fever. Once you’ve recovered, could you let this go? She never meant to embarrass you in front of Prince Ding."
Mentioning Prince Ding was the worst possible move. Everyone knew he was Shen Miao’s Achilles' heel. While she could endure personal slights, she would never yield when it came to him. Had Shen Yue not brought him up, Shen Miao might have let it slide. But by deliberately invoking Prince Ding, Shen Yue was clearly stirring conflict between her and Shen Qing.
The same had happened in her past life. Shortly after waking, Shen Yue had rushed to "plead" for Shen Qing, provoking Shen Miao’s fury. Normally meek, Shen Miao had accused Shen Qing of pushing her into the water—all for the sake of her beloved. Yet Shen Qing denied it, and with no witnesses to corroborate her claim, the matriarch, already biased toward the second and third branches, scolded her for "lacking self-respect at such a young age and slandering her elder sister," sentencing her to confinement.
Later, the incident spread to the Imperial Academy, turning Shen Miao into a laughingstock among her peers. Humiliated, she stopped attending altogether. Eventually, she faded from the circles of noble young ladies in the capital.Looking back now, her perspective had always been confined to the world created for her by the people in the General's residence. She thought herself virtuous and gentle, unaware that others saw her as weak and ignorant. She believed her admiration for Prince Ding was brave and straightforward, not realizing outsiders deemed it shameless.
These deliberately instilled teachings resulted in her disastrous early reputation. Even after successfully marrying Fu Xiuyi, she was still considered unfit for high society. When compared to Mei Furen, people would only call her foolish and ignorant.
What a foolish past!
Shen Yue worriedly patted Shen Miao's shoulder, the corners of her lips curling into an imperceptible smile.
She knew that with Shen Miao's temperament, merely mentioning Fu Xiuyi would provoke fury. But after waiting for a long time without any reaction, Shen Yue glanced suspiciously and saw the young girl before her smiling at her.
The girl's face was still pale, her lips dry, but her dark eyes sparkled like grapes.
Shen Miao's eyes were her best feature—large, almond-shaped, and innocent, timid like a newborn puppy. But her usual dull expression wasted their liveliness.
Now those same almond eyes were still round, but their gaze was entirely different. Cold and emotionless, not dull but rather... like a condescending stare.
Shen Yue shuddered, inexplicably feeling an indescribable fear. It was as if she wasn't facing a foolish simpleton but someone of high status.
Why would she feel this way?
Of course, she didn't know that the Shen Miao before her was no longer the same. This Shen Miao had experienced succession struggles, wars, battles for favor, the loss of a child, and the fall of her clan.
She was the once Empress Shen of Ming Qi, who had ruled the imperial harem with supreme authority.
Shen Yue stood frozen until the girl before her rubbed her forehead and said softly, "Second Sister exaggerates. This matter has nothing to do with Eldest Sister. I fell in myself."
"Fifth Sister..." Shen Yue hadn't expected this response and was momentarily stunned before shaking her head. "Fifth Sister, don't force yourself to endure this."
"Why would I force myself?" Shen Miao interrupted with a smile. "It's just a trivial matter. I still feel dizzy and would like to rest more. If there's anything else, we can discuss it tomorrow at Grandmother's place."
With things put this way, Shen Yue could say no more. Though puzzled by Shen Miao's unusual coldness, she attributed it to Shen Miao's embarrassment in front of Fu Xiuyi. After a few more words, Shen Yue left.
Once she was gone, Gu Yu said, "Our young lady was pushed into the water and nearly lost her life, yet she came to plead for Eldest Sister. Pleading is one thing, but it didn't sound sincere." Gu Yu was subtly hinting that Shen Yue had ulterior motives.
"When the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman profits. She probably wants to be that 'fisherman,'" Shen Miao said coolly.
Gu Yu was delighted that Shen Miao could finally see Shen Yue's true nature but didn't fully grasp her meaning. Looking up, she saw her young lady's usually sweet face icy and solemn, evoking an inexplicable sense of reverence that compelled one to look up to her.
Shen Miao gazed at her fingertips.
Why had Shen Qing pushed her into the water? It was because she had said, "When Father returns victorious at year's end, I'll ask him to arrange my marriage to Prince Ding."She spoke with an innocent air, feeling it was all within the family and thus had no reservations. Shen Xin was a high-ranking general in the court, and if he intended to marry off his daughter, it wasn’t impossible.
Why did Shen Yue try to sow discord between her and Shen Qing?
Naturally, it was because Shen Yue also admired Prince Ding.
Only at the brink of death in her past life did Shen Yue and Shen Qing reveal to her that they had long been infatuated with Fu Xiuyi. Looking back now, the signs were already there at this time.
Since these two sisters were both hopelessly devoted to Fu Xiuyi, wouldn’t it be a pity not to let them have their wish fulfilled in this life?
She would certainly make sure they got what they wanted. The blood debt owed by the second and third branches of the Shen family would begin to be repaid now.
－－－－－－Author’s Note－－－－－－
The difference between Empress Shen and A’Ruan’s personalities is that A’Ruan is more restrained, always waiting until the last moment to strike the enemy. Empress Shen is much more brutal, directly snuffing out the enemy in its infancy. The Empress is a baby-faced sadist…
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