Shen Xin and Shen Qiu searched for the entire night but to no avail. They could only get their subordinates to continue searching while they returned to the mansion to make plans.
“Sister-in-law.” Chen Ruoqiu looked sincere. “Is Jiaojiao’s reputation more important than her life? If she lost her life, I think you would live in regret for the rest of your life.”
“Chen Ruoqiu, who are you cursing!?” When Luo Xueyan heard that, she immediately shouted angrily. She was an impatient person and could not tolerate anyone saying anything bad about Shen Miao.
“What’s the point of arguing!” Old Madam Shen, who had been silent all this while, spoke. She glared at Luo Xueyan. “It’s you who lost Fifth Miss. Why are you taking it out on others?! Is Ruoqiu wrong? If we continue to wait, Fifth Miss might lose her life. What’s the point of caring about reputation if her life is at risk?”
On the surface, she did sound like she was concerned about Shen Miao, but Luo Xueyan felt uncomfortable and subconsciously wanted to refute.
“That’s right, Auntie.” Shen Yuan also added, “Even if we don’t report it to the government, I’m afraid people will figure out what happened from all the soldiers we sent out to search for Fifth Sister. At that time, it would make no difference.”
Shen Yuan had always regarded Shen Miao as a thorn in his side and wanted to get rid of her. Now that Shen Miao was in trouble before he needed to do it himself, how could he not add fuel to the fire?
Shen Gui was even happier. He said with a sad expression, “Sigh, why did something like this happen to Fifth Miss? Brother, do you have any enemies?” Who Shen Gui hated the most was Shen Xin. Shen Xin had outstanding achievements and was above him in everything in the imperial court. If anything happened to Shen Miao because of Shen Xin, Shen Xin would probably feel guilty for the rest of his life so that Shen Gui could kick him when he was down.
Concubine Wan pulled Shen Dongling to stand behind Shen Gui. She was the concubine, so she had no right to speak here. She listened to the others and did not say anything. She was glad that she kept Shen Dongling closely by her side and did not let her be kidnapped. Shen Dongling lowered her head, so her expression could not be seen.
“That’s enough. This matter will be made public sooner or later anyway. If we report it to the government now, we might be able to make Fifth Miss suffer less. Let’s report it to the government as soon as possible,” Old Madam Shen said, but a glint flashed across her eyes. What she hated the most was that the son of the old general’s first wife was always better than her son. Fortunately, Shen Miao was disappointed, which made her feel much better. Unexpectedly, at some point, Shen Miao started to outperform Shen Qing and Shen Yue. In addition, Shen Qiu was hanging around the mansion every day, making her feel annoyed. This time, Old Madam Shen was delighted to see Shen Miao in trouble. She couldn’t wait for all the people in Ming Qi to know that Shen Miao had been kidnapped. It would be best if she lost her virginity and made the first branch of the Shen family unable to raise their heads.
Before Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan could speak, Shen Qiu clenched his fists. He was young and impetuous, but that did not mean that he did not know how to read people’s expressions. On the surface, these people said that they were concerned about Shen Miao, but their eyes were flickering with a gloating glint. No wonder Shen Miao had changed so much in a year, becoming mature and scheming. She was forced to be so by them.
Luo Xueyan and Shen Xin looked at each other, their eyes fierce. There might really be some misunderstanding about the fire in the ancestral hall. After all, they still couldn’t find out what caused the fire. However, the attitude of the rest of the Shen family made Luo Xueyan angry and Shen Xin shocked and disappointed.
He treated them sincerely, respected them, and helped them. When his daughter was in trouble, akl he could see was delight and gloating. Shen Xin suddenly felt that the happy and harmonious scenes that took place in the mansion in the past were so ironic.
