Guangwen Hall is an academy in Beijing.

  The Ming Qi Da officials and nobles often sent their sons and daughters to the Guangwen Temple, where the masters were all famous scholars or geniuses. The young aristocratic children all took it as an honor to be admitted to the Guangwen Temple.

  Shen Miao also studied at Guangwen Academy.

  Unfortunately, Shen Xin and his wife were both from a family of military generals, and their eldest son, Shen Qiu, was someone who got headaches whenever he saw books. Shen Miao had been raised by the elderly Mrs. Shen since she was young, but the elderly Mrs. Shen was an opera singer who couldn't recognize a single character. It was actually Chen Ruoqiu, the third wife of the Shen family, who taught Shen Miao her first lessons. Chen Ruoqiu came from a scholarly family, but back then, she only taught Shen Miao obscure and difficult textbooks. The child had always been playful by nature, and after being taught again and again, she ended up thoroughly disliking reading and writing.

  Chen Ruoqiu saw that Shen Miao didn't like reading books, and never forced her. Instead, she taught her to pay attention to food, clothing, and lifestyle, living a life of luxury as a spoiled young lady. Later, when she reached school age, she went to Guangwen Academy, but Shen Miao couldn't keep up with the teacher's lectures, not even as well as first-year students. In the end, she became the worst in class. As time passed, Shen Miao grew to dislike reading even more and became notorious in Beijing for being ignorant and foolish.

  Among the three legitimate daughters of the Shen family, Shen Yue was the most famous for her talents. She was skilled in playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, excelling in every aspect. Although Shen Qing wasn't as outstanding as Shen Yue, she did quite well too, especially with her exceptional embroidery skills and accounting abilities, which earned her top marks. As someone who would become the mistress of a household after marriage, having good accounting skills would win over the hearts of her future in-laws, thus earning Shen Qing a reputation for being capable.

  Shen Yue and Shen Qingyue are outstanding, making Shen Miao seem even more ordinary. Even the concubine daughter of the first wife, Shen Dongling, is better than her.

  On the carriage, Jing Zhen asked: "Miss, why didn't you travel with Big Sister and Second Sister?"

  On ordinary days, Shen Miao always had to ride in the same carriage as Shen Qing and Shen Yue. Shen Miao felt that with her own sisters by her side, she would have more courage. As for Shen Yue and Shen Qing, it was probably because they had a foolish younger sister like Shen Miao to compare themselves to, which made them appear even more excellent.

  Now Shen Miao no longer thinks about being humble and yielding.

  "We were never under the same roof to begin with, and our paths have always been divergent. What's this talk of fellow travelers?"

  Jing Zhen spat out her tongue, not knowing why. Her own daughter's words were becoming increasingly incomprehensible to her, but she thought it was quite good this way. Shen Miao's temperament had always been too weak, with everything being controlled by the second and third branches of the family, taking charge of all matters. Now that she had fallen into the water once, it seemed like she had finally formed her own opinions, which was only right. As the legitimate daughter of the main house, in terms of status and position, she shouldn't be inferior to anyone, so why should she follow a maid's lead?

  In another carriage, Shen Yue lifted the curtain and took a peek at the back, saying softly: "Big sister, Fifth Sister is following behind."

  "She's deliberately teasing me." Shen Qing let out a cold hum, and in front of Shen Yue, she never concealed her disdain for Shen Miao: "Let her be, anyway it won't be me who ends up losing face."

  Shen Yue worriedly said: "But she was already suffering from wind chill, and now with the matter of Ding Wang's decree..."

  "Shen Yue?" Shen Qing said: "Don't pretend to be a good person, I know what you're thinking. If you really care about her, go sit in her carriage, why bother talking to me."

  Shen Yue bit her lip and lowered her head, no longer speaking.

  But after a short while, the carriage finally arrived at the Guangwen Pavilion.

  It's still early, and the teacher hasn't started class yet. The second-year students have arrived in twos and threes, chatting with each other in the classroom. Shen Yue and Shen Qing have just arrived, and they are immediately greeted warmly by the girls.

  In the Guangwen Hall, among the women, Shen Yuecai was the most famous for her beauty and gentle temperament, naturally she was admired by everyone. Although Shen Qing was not as outstanding in learning as Shen Yuecai, she was capable of handling matters and dealing with people smoothly, so she was also well-liked by the noble ladies.

  A girl in pink clothes said, "Xue Niang, why didn't Shen Miao appear today?" Normally, Shen Miao followed Shen Xue and Shen Qing around like a maid, but she was nowhere to be seen today, which was quite strange.

  "It's probably because she has no face to show up now." The girl who said this had a delicate and beautiful appearance, but her voice was somewhat loud, with a hint of mockery on her face: "I heard that the Crown Prince fell into the water while secretly watching you, is it because he hasn't recovered from his wind chill or because he's too ashamed to see people?"

  "Pei Lan, it's not like that..." Shen Yue shook her head.

  "You're just too protective of your sister," Yi Peilan said: "Such a foolish person, doesn't even look like a girl from the Shen family. You're always protecting her, but she really opened my eyes. Usually looking timid and shy, but when encountering Ding Wang, she's incredibly brave. If I didn't know better, I'd think she was an uneducated girl from some ordinary family."

  These words were a bit too heavy, Shen Qing heard and smiled: "Wu Mei is just being naughty for a moment."

  "It's probably because General Shen and Madame Shen are not around to teach her," said another girl with a ponytail: "Neglecting to discipline, naturally even the lady at home doesn't know about propriety and shame."

  "Zai Xuan, what you said is not right," Shen Yue said softly: "Although Grandfather and Father are not in Dingjing, Wu Meimei also grew up under her grandmother's care. My mother and Second Aunt also taught her from time to time, and did not neglect to discipline her."

  It means they are all born with no sense of shame.

  As expected, as soon as Shen Yue finished speaking, Yi Peilan said: "It's really strange, raised by the same family, Qingniang and you, Shen Miao, are truly worlds apart. This is probably what Mr. said: 'You can't polish a brick into a jade.'". She laughed and laughed, and this side was surrounded by a circle of noblewomen, all laughing. Even some young men couldn't help but glance over.

  The next moment, someone shouted: "Look, Shen Miao has arrived!"

  Everyone looked towards the door with a mindset of watching a good show.

  A girl in deep red cloud-patterned dress with a dark blue embroidered cloak over it slowly walked towards the entrance. Such colors were too mature for a young lady, especially Shen Miaosheng who was still plump and tender, and if she wasn't careful, she would look like a child sneaking into an elder's clothes.

  Her footsteps were slow, the hem of her skirt didn't move, and each step was light yet full of weight. It's hard to say why, but it gave off an air of elegance and grandeur. Her chin was slightly raised, and her eyebrows were calm and unruffled, making her eyes, like those of a puppy, seem like deep pools that hid all their power within, like a fierce beast with its claws retracted.

  Her five senses are still lovely because of their roundness and cuteness, but now there is no trace of clumsiness to be found, as they have not yet fully developed. Coupled with her elegant demeanor, it unexpectedly does not clash.

  Not like a young girl, but rather... those noblewomen who hold high positions, or perhaps, the decisive and ruthless appearance of a father who is in charge of the household.

  The classroom gradually fell silent.

  Digression

  I've revised the profile a bit, giving the male lead a bit of an existence boost. Little angels can take a look at the revised profile to get a sense of what kind of person he is~