"Unfilial girl, kneel down at once!"
With Old Madam Shen's command, Shen Miao remained unmoving.
The gathered crowd looked at her in astonishment. Since Shen Xin was often away at war and Shen Miao had been raised under the old madam's strict supervision, she had developed a timid and dull personality, never daring to disobey the matriarch's orders. Yet today she refused to kneel?
Was it truly that matters concerning Prince Ding could give her such courage?
"Grandmother, Fifth Daughter doesn't know what wrong she has committed," Shen Miao said calmly.
"Has Fifth Sister lost her senses from fever?" Shen Yue was the first to speak up, wearing an expression of anxious concern. "Grandmother is just momentarily angry, not truly meaning to punish you. If you simply admit your mistake now, this matter can be settled properly. Why must you be so stubborn?"
With these words, she neatly pinned the accusations of refusing to admit wrongdoing and disrespecting elders upon Shen Miao's head.
"Outrageous! This is sheer rebellion!" Old Madam Shen sat bolt upright in fury, her voice turning shrill. Shen Yuanbai, who had been happily eating his steamed milk custard, was so startled that he dropped his pastry and immediately began wailing.
"Seventh Young Master, don't cry," Ren Wanyun immediately stepped forward to comfort her youngest son, casting a disapproving look at Shen Miao. "Fifth Daughter, have you gone mad? Who taught you to speak back to your elders?"
Shen Miao turned her gaze to Ren Wanyun.
The second madam was plump and rosy-cheeked, dressed in a pine-blue Nanjing brocade gown with coiled thread embroidery. With her perpetually smiling face and fair, plump appearance, she seemed the picture of kindness and benevolence. Holding the household management authority, she was respected throughout Shen Mansion for her fair and impartial handling of affairs—the very model of a good daughter-in-law.
Shen Miao had once thought so too—until later, when she married. Though Shen Xin had allocated nearly half the family's wealth for her dowry, by the time she arrived at Prince Ding's Residence, the dowry had dwindled to almost nothing. The reason? Naturally, Ren Wanyun had withheld it.
Ren Wanyun had kept all the valuable items from the dowry and transferred ownership of the shops. With Shen Xin away from the capital and Shen Miao foolishly marrying into Prince Ding's household, she suffered endless disdain from everyone in the residence due to the meager dowry—all thanks to this "fair" aunt of hers.
"Second Aunt, do you also believe Fifth Daughter has done wrong?" Shen Miao asked softly. "Yet Fifth Daughter doesn't know where she erred."
"Fool!" Old Madam Shen couldn't contain herself and immediately began cursing. "At such a young age, you've no sense of shame—peeping at Prince Ding and bringing disgrace upon our Shen Mansion! And you dare talk back to me? Who taught you such manners? You're utterly unfit for decent company!"
Shen Miao sighed inwardly. Though Old Madam Shen usually carried herself with great dignity, the moment she opened her mouth, her vulgar origins as a singing girl became unmistakable. What respectable matriarch of a noble household would curse so crudely? It was behavior more befitting a low-class brothel girl. In her past life, Shen Miao hadn't noticed, but after having been Empress, she now felt that merely speaking with Old Madam Shen was beneath her dignity.
"Peeping at Prince Ding?" She tilted her head in apparent confusion.
Shen Yue couldn't resist interjecting: "Fifth Sister, though we know you admire Prince Ding, falling into the water while spying on him has truly shamed our household. Moreover, Prince Ding must surely be displeased. You should find an opportunity to apologize to him."Admiring Prince Ding and apologizing to him—what woman would willingly lose face in front of the man she loves? In her past life, Shen Yue had said the same thing, and Old Madam Shen had wholeheartedly agreed. Shen Miao, feeling humiliated, had stubbornly refused, only to be placed under house arrest by the furious Old Madam Shen.
In short, it was all because of her shameless infatuation with Prince Ding, which had ruined her reputation and implicated the household. Shen Yue appeared gentle and refined, yet her intentions were so unfathomable. Shen Miao couldn’t help but glance at her.
As soon as Shen Yue finished speaking, she noticed Shen Miao looking at her. Those dark, grape-like eyes were unusually clear, as if conveying some hidden meaning, which momentarily stunned her.
The next moment, Shen Miao’s calm voice rang out: "Second Sister, what nonsense about admiring Prince Ding—such words must not be spoken carelessly. Now that I am a young lady of marriageable age, such talk could damage my reputation."
Shen Yue was taken aback.
The entire aristocratic circle of the capital knew of Shen Miao’s infatuation with Prince Ding. Though she had never openly declared it, her words and actions had left no room for doubt. Why was she now denying it outright?
She smiled and said, "Fifth Sister, we’re all family here. There’s nothing wrong with—"
"Second Sister!" Shen Miao suddenly raised her voice, cutting her off sharply. "Be careful with your words—disaster comes from the mouth. Prince Ding is a descendant of the royal family, and as members of an aristocratic household, we must be cautious in speech and conduct. In the past, I was young and foolish, perhaps doing things that invited misunderstanding. But the incident the other day was a lesson. From now on, I will restrain my words and actions. Please refrain from saying such things."
Her words left not only Shen Yue but everyone in the room, including Old Madam Shen, utterly stunned.
Shen Miao had always been meek and timid, never raising her voice—a docile and easily manipulated girl. When had she ever spoken so sternly?
Chen Ruoqiu’s eyes flickered. Shen Yue was still young and not as shrewd as her mother. Though Chen Ruoqiu came from a scholarly family, she was far from witless. Proud and never one to back down, she was displeased to see her daughter at a disadvantage and immediately interjected gently, "Whether you admire him or not, Fifth Niece, a single word from you could clarify it. After all, who can truly guess a young girl’s heart? But as your aunt, I must advise you—your Second Sister is right. Prince Ding is of noble status, and regardless, you should go and apologize to him."
"Indeed," Old Madam Shen, having regained her composure, added, "Starting tomorrow, send a card to Prince Ding’s Residence and personally visit to apologize."
Shen Miao nearly laughed in anger. Such words could only deceive the naive version of herself from her past life. Now, looking back, as the legitimate daughter of a military family, why should she, of such high status, personally visit a prince to apologize? Doing so would only disgrace Shen Xin. By tomorrow, the Fixed Capital would have another scandal to gossip about.
She finally saw it clearly—Old Madam Shen simply despised the main branch, born of Shen Xin’s first wife, and longed for them to make fools of themselves daily, preferably collapsing into ruin sooner rather than later. With Shen Xin and his wife away from the capital, she used Shen Miao as a scapegoat.
But since when did the world work so conveniently?
Shen Miao smiled faintly, her gaze settling on Shen Qing, who had remained silent from the start. She said, "Eldest Sister, when I fell into the water that day, you were the only one by my side."Shen Qing raised her head and nodded calmly. She had already made up her mind—Shen Miao would surely bring up the incident where she pushed her into the water, but Shen Qing wasn’t afraid in the slightest. The Shen family was now under the control of the Old Madam and Ren Wanyun. Shen Miao might hold the nominal title of a young lady, but in reality, she was merely an ignored daughter of the third branch. As long as Shen Qing firmly denied it, the Old Madam and Ren Wanyun would side with her. By then, Shen Miao would be exposed as a liar, earning the Old Madam’s disdain and even severe punishment. Served her right! How dare such a vulgar and ignorant girl try to compete with her for Prince Ding? If only she had drowned that day!
"Eldest Sister, did you also see Prince Ding that day?" But Shen Miao’s question was not what she expected.
"I did," Shen Qing replied.
"Then that settles it," Shen Miao shook her head. "The other day, Eldest Sister and I were merely playing by the pond when I accidentally fell into the water. It just so happened that Prince Ding, who was passing by the Shen Mansion to ask Second Uncle for some calligraphy and paintings, witnessed it. If I had gone there to secretly watch Prince Ding, how would I have known he would come? The servants of Second Uncle and Third Uncle have no reason to send messages to the inner courtyard. How could I have known Prince Ding would suddenly visit the Shen Mansion to ask Second Uncle for paintings? Unless I could foresee the future? Or perhaps..." She paused meaningfully. "Could it be that Prince Ding sent an invitation to our mansion beforehand?"
Shen Qing didn’t understand what Shen Miao was getting at and frowned, ready to refute her. But before she could speak, her mother, Ren Wanyun, suddenly interjected sharply, "Eldest Miss!" Her voice carried an unmistakable note of panic.
Shen Miao glanced at Ren Wanyun’s pale face and Chen Ruoqiu’s suddenly tense expression, smiling faintly.
As she thought—there were so many shrewd people in this mansion. How could they not catch her implication?
Fu Xiuyi had come to the Shen Mansion the other day because, while passing by, he remembered a bet he had made with Shen Gui over a game of chess and stopped by to claim a painting.
Now, Shen Miao was suggesting he had sent an invitation in advance... The Emperor currently despised officials who grew too close to the imperial princes. If an invitation had been sent, what would it have been for? Discussions about the future crown prince?
With countless eyes and ears everywhere, who knew if the Shen Mansion had spies from the imperial family? Some words were better left unsaid.
With a single sentence, Shen Miao had elevated a matter of a young lady’s virtue to a question of a minister’s loyalty. Shen Xin was stationed in the northwest, so he was unaffected, but Shen Gui and Shen Wan remained in the capital, still serving in the court.
This reasoning was lost on Shen Yue and Shen Qing, but Ren Wanyun and Chen Ruoqiu surely understood.
Shen Miao sneered inwardly. If they wanted to trample on her reputation, she would wager Shen Gui and Shen Wan’s heads in return. Did her second and third aunt understand? Were they willing? Did they dare?
－－－－－－Author’s Note－－－－－－
Thank you to Summer123wcl, Xiliang, and yunanrong for the flowers and diamonds~
I really like Empress Liangliang~ Do you all like her too?~\（≧▽≦）~
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