What was Shen Miao like?
Ask any student at the Hall of Extensive Learning, whether from Class One, Two, or Three, and they would surely know. The answer was simple—stupid, cowardly, yet still putting on the facade of a chaste and virtuous maiden.
Her looks were nothing special, her temperament unremarkable, and her talents nonexistent. She was also infamously known throughout the Fixed Capital as a lovesick fool, hopelessly obsessed with Prince Ding.
Thus, if one were to ask who the most outstanding young lady at the Hall of Extensive Learning was, the answer would undoubtedly be Shen Yue. But if asked who the most wretched was, it would naturally be Shen Miao.
Both were daughters of the Shen family, yet their reputations could not be more different. Strangely enough, everyone had grown accustomed to Shen Miao trailing behind Shen Yue like a mere maidservant. So when one day Shen Miao no longer acted like herself, people found it unsettling.
Yi Peilan nudged Shen Yue and whispered, "Yue-niang, has your sister lost her mind from illness? Why does she seem like a different person today?"
Shen Yue studied Shen Miao, equally puzzled. Ever since waking up from her near-drowning, Shen Miao’s temperament had changed drastically. Could it be that the incident with Prince Ding had dealt her too heavy a blow? Just as she was about to speak, her close friend Jiang Caixuan cut in, "Shen Miao, I heard you fell into the water. What, has your cold already healed?"
Such blunt words were undeniably humiliating. The old Shen Miao would have floundered helplessly, casting pleading glances at Shen Yue to defend her. But today, she merely gave Jiang Caixuan a cool glance and replied indifferently, "It has. Thank you for your concern."
Jiang Caixuan froze, and so did the rest of the class. Unaccustomed to Shen Miao’s dismissive tone, Jiang Caixuan found her attitude utterly grating and immediately snapped, "If your cold has healed, shouldn’t your first priority be to apologize to His Highness Prince Ding? Coming to the academy instead—don’t you think you’ve got your priorities backward?"
Shen Miao took a deep breath. None of the students around her, whether young men or women, showed any intention of speaking up for her. She had never had a single friend to begin with. And watching Shen Miao humiliate herself was likely the only entertainment these noble youths found in the academy.
Her gaze swept over the crowd, noting their varied expressions, then lingered on Shen Qing’s barely concealed glee. Just as she was about to retort, Shen Yue spoke up instead. "His Highness Prince Ding is magnanimous. He wouldn’t hold such a trivial matter against Fifth Sister. Her coming to the academy shows her thirst for knowledge—it’s a good thing."
"A good thing?" A young man nearby couldn’t help but laugh. He had secretly admired Shen Yue for a long time and had always despised Shen Miao, believing her existence to be Shen Yue’s greatest misfortune. "Thirst for knowledge? Shen Yue, if you want to defend your sister, at least come up with a better excuse. Thirst for knowledge… when she can’t even recite the simplest texts from Class One? How laughable! Besides…" He gave Shen Miao a malicious once-over before continuing, "Who’s to say she didn’t jump into the water on purpose? Isn’t that how those plays go? Fall into the water, get rescued by a hero, then pledge herself to him in gratitude… except she guessed the ending wrong!" He burst into laughter at his own joke.
As the ringleader of the group, his words immediately incited raucous laughter from the other young men. The noble girls surrounding Shen Yue also tittered in amusement. In an instant, mocking voices closed in around Shen Miao, and every gaze directed at her was filled with malice.Words are the sharpest weapons. In her past life, such scenes had played out countless times. She had grown accustomed to being belittled, insulted, and mocked, and was even less inclined to challenge these ingrained perceptions. In the end, Shen Yue and Shen Qing became close with all these aristocratic children, while she drifted further and further away from their circle.
She once thought this was the greatest misfortune, but compared to the tragedies that came later in her past life, what did these trivial matters amount to? These young boys and girls, none older than her own Wan Yu or Fu Ming, had become bitter enemies over mere provocations. Were they truly her enemies?
Of course not. These aristocratic children were all from wealthy or noble families, many belonging to powerful aristocratic clans. And what had become of those aristocratic clans in her past life? Every last one had been eradicated by the late emperor and Fu Xiuyi, roots and all. Take, for example, the one mocking her now—Cai Lin, the eldest son of the Cai family, currently holding the court position of Chaofeng Lang, and a longtime admirer of Shen Yue. In a few years, the Cai family would be implicated in an embezzlement case, their property confiscated, and Cai Lin himself exiled to military service. Pitifully, despite his years of devotion to Shen Yue, she would later be desperate to sever all ties with him.
She was not in opposition to these young boys and girls; some were even on the same side. It was just that these aristocratic families, due to the emperor’s deliberate manipulations and provocations, found themselves in a delicate standoff, their connections tenuous at best, even harboring some grudges.
There was no need to turn allies into enemies. In her past life as Empress, Shen Miao had learned many lessons. One should not make enemies over fleeting emotions—it simply wasn’t worth it.
"Cai Lin, how could you say such things about Fifth Sister?" Shen Yue suddenly spoke up once the laughter had died down. "Fifth Sister isn’t like that at all."
"Cai Lin," Shen Miao interrupted Shen Yue, her tone flat and devoid of inflection, "who told you that I fell into the water because I admired Prince Ding?"
To say such a thing so boldly should have invited scorn, but Shen Miao’s calm demeanor and utterly indifferent tone left everyone momentarily stunned.
Cai Lin was the local bully here. Normally, Shen Miao wouldn’t dare say much in his presence, let alone use such a questioning tone—one that carried an unconscious air of command. For some reason, Cai Lin found himself refraining from cursing and instead replied, "Isn’t that the case?"
"So that’s how it is..." Shen Miao murmured to herself before suddenly smiling faintly and turning to Shen Yue and Shen Qing. "Eldest Sister, Second Sister, others might not know, but surely you do? Why didn’t you speak up for me?"
Shen Yue and Shen Qing both froze, suddenly recalling their mother’s warning before they left: under no circumstances should they misspeak about Shen Miao’s fall into the water. Shen Qing, ever the more composed of the two, quickly said, "That’s right, stop spreading nonsense. I was with Fifth Sister at the time, and I saw it with my own eyes—she slipped into the water by accident. Prince Ding just happened to arrive then and witnessed it. It had nothing to do with admiration."Shen Qing spoke with such certainty that although the crowd remained skeptical, the atmosphere was no longer as tense as before. Then Shen Miao spoke up: "To make baseless claims without seeing with one's own eyes—it seems the Hall of Extensive Learning must teach not only academics but also moral character. Moreover, the word 'admiration' is inherently beautiful—why must it be spoken of so degradingly? If I, Shen Miao, admire someone, I will do so with dignity. Prince Ding is a descendant of the royal family—how could I dare to aspire to him? You are all mistaken."
In this world, it is difficult to change people's impressions overnight. Besides, her past infatuation with Fu Xiuyi was known to all—now that she claimed to no longer love him, it was unlikely anyone would believe her.
But regardless, drawing a clear line was necessary.
Before her words had even faded, an admiring voice rang out: "What a dignified way to speak of admiration!"
...
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