Shen Xin’s sudden return to the capital caused a huge sensation.
People praised Shen Xin for being heroic and invincible. This time, he had received a letter of surrender from the enemy army in advance. When he attended the court banquet, the emperor would definitely reward him greatly. However, now that Shen Xin was already a first-rank official, he could not be promoted anymore. Everyone guessed that this reward would probably be given to Shen Xin’s son, Shen Qiu.
The other thing was that on the day Shen Xin returned to the capital, it happened to be Old Madam Shen’s birthday. However, the ancestral hall suddenly caught fire, and what was more accidental was that his daughter was trapped in the ancestral hall. On that day, Shen Xin saw how cold the Shen family treated his daughter. People were afraid that the Shen family would not be peaceful in the future.
These two things spread like wildfire in the capital. Some people only laughed when they heard it, while others were anxious.
In the boudoir of the west courtyard of the Shen family, Shen Miao stood up with her coat on. Shen Xin and his wife had been summoned to the palace by the emperor today, but before they left, they specially mobilized the guards in the army to guard the west courtyard.
Yesterday, Shen Xin came back in a hurry and went around to look for a doctor. Later, Shen Miao went to rest, so he didn’t disturb her and hadn’t had a chance to talk to her.
“Miss, do you feel better?” Jingzhe asked worriedly. Her gaze landed on Shen Miao’s arm, and her eyes turned sour. She said, “If I had been faster yesterday, Miss wouldn’t have to suffer like this. Now, there are even scars…”
The burn marks were deep, and the doctor said that she could only rest and take good care of herself. It was impossible for her not to have any scars. Women all cared about their appearances. Now that Shen Miao was scalded, Jingzhe blamed herself every time she thought about it.
“I’m fine.” Shen Miao looked at her and smiled. “You did well yesterday. You didn’t barge in because you were anxious. If you barged in, you would have ruined my plan.”
Jingzhe lowered her head. Later, when Shen Miao fainted, Shen Xin and his wife flew into a rage. She thought about it and roughly understood Shen Miao’s plan. It was precisely because of this that Jingzhe felt even more sorry for Shen Miao. She probably had no choice but to put herself in such a dangerous situation to let Shen Xin and his wife see the true colors of the Shen family.
At this age, a girl should be playing like other girls. Every move Shen Miao made was related to her life. She had to plan for everything herself. A small mistake would have cost her life.
“I’ll do whatever you say,” Jingzhe muttered.
……
Shen Miao was relieved. Jingzhe was indeed the bravest of the four maids. In the future, she could still trust Jingzhe to do it. Naturally, she had to slowly nurture Gu Yu and the others. She was not the naive Shen Miao, but the empress of the world. She definitely had to have her own trusted aides. What she faced in the future was much more dangerous than what she was facing now. She already got used to it, but these girls had to learn to get used to it.
As she was thinking, she suddenly heard a hearty laugh from outside. “Sister!”
Shen Miao turned around and saw Shen Qiu walking in. He had taken off his armor and was only wearing a green shirt, making him look exceptionally handsome. He had wheat-colored skin and two dimples when he smiled, making him look young and friendly. He walked closer and looked at Shen Miao carefully before asking, “Sister, do you feel any discomfort?”
Shen Miao suddenly closed her eyes, and memories of her previous life flooded her mind.
In all fairness, Shen Qiu did his best to be her brother. Back then, no matter how cold she was to Shen Qiu, Shen Qiu was still as enthusiastic as ever. Later, something happened. Shen Qiu took a girl’s virginity and was forced to marry that girl. From then on, everything changed. He often made mistakes in military affairs. Later, he fell off his horse and broke his leg. Later, that girl made a cuckold of Shen Qiu. In a fit of anger, Shen Qiu killed the adulterer. The adulterer turned out to be the only son of a minister. The minister sued Shen Qiu. Shen Xin spent all his money and managed to save his son’s life. However, Shen Qiu still died one winter morning. Someone found his corpse in the pond.
