Shen Qiu and Shen Miao, the two siblings, had not had such a long heart-to-heart talk in a very long time. The guards outside the West Garden, whom Shen Qiu had specially summoned from the army, were all stationed outside, preventing anyone else from entering. For about an hour, it was neither too long nor too short, and Shen Miao listened to Shen Qiu's words throughout. Shen Qiu seemed to want to delight Shen Miao by sharing some interesting stories from the military, while also discreetly inquiring about what Shen Miao had experienced over the past year, but Shen Miao evaded all his questions.

  There are some things that aren't the right time to say yet. Moreover, the Shen family isn't at the point where they can harm the main house like they did in the past, so even if it's said, it would be hard for people to believe. At this moment, if we want to take action, we must strike with certainty, and even if it's a dull knife cutting through flesh, first we need to make sure that the skin is cut open.

  She said a few more words, and Shen Miao's face showed some signs of fatigue. Shen Qiu was worried about his sister and saw that she was tired, so he said: "Sister, you're not fully recovered yet, and I don't want to disturb you too much. You should rest for a while first. Father and mother won't be back at the manor until nightfall. When they return, I'll come over again to visit you together with them."

  Shen Miao nodded in agreement.

  Shen Qiu got up and was about to leave, but suddenly thought of something, hesitated for a moment, turned his head to look at Shen Miao: "Sister, you said Shen Qing's reputation was tarnished by someone, have you caught the scoundrel? Even if it's to protect Shen Qing's reputation, the Shen family has guards, shouldn't they let people investigate privately?"

  Shen Miao gazed at him, her eyes narrowing: "That thief is very cunning, if we're not careful... he'll escape."

  "I see." Shen Qiu lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought, and then looked at Shen Miao with a calm smile: "Since that's the case, I'll take my leave first." He walked out of the house with large strides, and as soon as he stepped out of the door, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared, leaving only a dark and gloomy expression. The slaves outside couldn't help but shiver at the sight, as if they had finally understood the iron-blooded nature beneath the young general's warm smile. He instructed his guards: "Send two people to Woyun Temple, and also investigate any movements from the side of the Governor of Jingzhao." He glanced at Shen Miao's closed door, clenched his fists, and said in a low voice: "Sister, what exactly happened this year..."

  Inside the house, Shen Miao said to Gu Yu as he walked in: "Go get some silver for Chun Tao and have someone send a small note with some silver bills to Doctor Chen. At this critical moment, we must ensure that our sister's unborn child is well taken care of." She stroked the scar on her arm left by the burn, which stood out starkly against her pale skin, as if a piece of fine silk had been ruined by a scorch mark. Yet she didn't feel any pain, seemingly satisfied with the deal: "The rest of the play will all depend on my unborn nephew."

  "Miss." Jing Zhen asked, "Why didn't you tell Young Master everything just now?" Shen Miao had told Shen Qiu, but still kept some things hidden. For example, the fact that the evil person was Yu Qinwang. Jing Zhen said, "If Young Master were to take action, at least that person wouldn't dare to act rashly again. And if Master and Madam were to find out, they would also protect you."

  "Even if I don't say it, Big Brother will go and investigate himself." Shen Miao gazed out the window: "I'm afraid by now he's already gone to ask about what happened at Wudang Temple that day."

  "But can Big Young Master find out?" Jing Zhen's heart was filled with anxiety: "If he finds out, it will all come to light in the end. What's the use of Miss hiding it?"

  "Yu Qin Wang does things without a single leak, if I'm guessing correctly, then the monks in Wolong Temple are probably all replaced inside and out, not to mention brothers, even fathers can't find any clues."

  "My goodness." Jing Xuan covered her mouth: "Isn't that to say that this matter will never be cleared up for the rest of our lives?" The evil intentions of Shen family's second house, the shamelessness of Yu Qin Wang, I thought that after Shen Xin and his wife returned, everything would be settled for Shen Miao. But at this moment, Shen Miao's words seemed to mean that everything that happened in Wodragon Temple that day had been deeply buried, and the truth was unknown to anyone.

  "I didn't plan on using such a fair method to get justice for myself." Shen Miao said calmly: "There are many ways to achieve one's goal in this world..."

  Justice, fairness, are nothing compared to power. Justice only constrains the weak, true strength is itself justice. In those years in the harem, she understood many things, the harem wasn't without kind-hearted women, but those women were like flowers on a winter's day, too fragile, unable to withstand even a gentle breeze, and would be trampled into mud. Since she walked a dark and bloody path, the means she used along the way were destined to not see the light of day.

  "What can the young lady do?" Jing Zhen said: "At least Master and Madam can protect the young lady, if possible, they can also avenge her. The young lady is after all a woman in the boudoir, even if she wants to take revenge, there are many inconvenient places." Jing Zhen was wholeheartedly speaking for Shen Miao.

  "My father and mother are resentful in their hearts. If they go forward, they will directly confront the Yuqin Wangfu; if they retreat, they can only protect me and make the Yuqin Wang have some fear." Shen Miao said: "It's possible for the Shen family to confront the Yuqin Wangfu, but it's impossible to emerge unscathed. If it's just to intimidate, that's not what I want either."

  Jingzhen was getting more and more confused, Shen Miao's meaning was: neither allowing Shen Xin to find Yu Qianwang to vent his anger, nor allowing Shen Xin to intimidate Yu Qianwang so that Yu Qianwang would not dare to have ideas about Shen Miao. But looking at Shen Miao, it was clear that she would not let the matter go unnoticed, what idea did Shen Miao have in mind?

  "If someone offends me, I will exterminate their entire family."

  Startled, I subconsciously raised my head to look at Shen Miao, but saw the girl basking in the morning sun, with a smile on her lips that was as clear and innocent as a child's, yet like a young beast lurking in the dark forest, quietly revealing its sharp teeth.

  She was shocked in her heart, and at that moment she felt a chill run down her spine. She couldn't say a word of inquiry, and with a terrified heart, she lowered her head. Thinking about Shen Qiu's words, how could it be true? How did Shen Miao change completely in just one year? Not to mention Shen Qiu, even the maids who were with Shen Miao day and night couldn't find any clues.

  Shen Miao closed her eyes contentedly, everyone had returned, and the chess game could begin. Shen Qing was a small pawn, Yu Qin Wang was that chariot, while Ming Qi's imperial family was like a white piece, that chariot, when would it be swallowed up, thus disrupting the entire situation. Everything depends on heaven's will.

  This time, fate is in her hands.

  Lin'an Marquis Manor.

  Even on a bleak winter day, the entire Hou Mansion was still full of flowers and finery. The late Madame Hou, Princess Yuqing, loved flowers and plants when she was alive. When she first married Marquis Lin'an, they were also affectionate and harmonious. Xie Ding cherished Princess Yuqing and renovated the entire mansion to resemble the princess's palace in the imperial court. At that time, it caused quite a stir - a military general had decorated his residence so beautifully, which was somewhat comical.

  Later, Princess Yuqing passed away, but Xie Ding still kept all the scenery from when Princess Yuqing was alive. Special people were invited to protect and maintain it, so even after many years, even in winter, this place would not make people feel desolate.

  However, the desolation is not in the scenery but in people. The fact that things are no longer the same as before is an unavoidable problem on the road of life. The surface maintained by force can never return to its original state.

  Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao practiced sword fighting in the courtyard, but since the incident of verification, they rarely left the house. Firstly, it was because Xie Jinghang had single-handedly defeated them both on that day, leaving them with no face to show outside. Secondly, their injuries were not fully healed, and they were still unable to exert themselves. To say the least, Xie Jinghang's actions seemed light and casual at the time, but in reality, his blows were extremely severe, causing internal injuries that would take a hundred days to heal. Even after several months of rest, they still felt some pain. Fang Shi was heartbroken, but she didn't dare say anything to Xie Ding. Nevertheless, Xie Ding scolded them severely.

  Thinking of this, the two brothers hated it so much that their teeth ached. Xie Chang swung his arm and still seemed to be feeling a dull pain from being stepped on by Xie Jingxuan's foot on his shoulder that day. He said: "Second brother, I heard that Shen Xin and his wife entered the palace today. This time they have made military achievements, and His Majesty is likely to reward Shen Qiu."

  The two families of Shen and Xie have been at odds for a long time. Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao did not regard Shen Qiu as a thorn in their side because of the political stance of the two families, but rather they regarded all young talents in the capital as rivals. And Shen Qiu was undoubtedly the most outstanding among those young talents. Although Xie Jinghang was also excellent, he had not yet entered officialdom, and besides, he had Xie Ding's protection, so there was nothing they could do to him. But Shen Qiu was different. If Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao were to enter officialdom, people would inevitably compare the two brothers with Shen Qiu, the eldest son of the Shen family.

  Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao hated nothing more than being inferior to others.

  "What are you afraid of?" Xie Changwu said disdainfully: "He's just a martial artist who only knows how to fight and kill, he doesn't understand anything about court politics. The Shen family is also just barely holding on, except for Shen Xin's military achievements being outstanding, but what can Shen Xin do? Now the Shen family is also at its last gasp, looking good but ultimately..." He suddenly stopped talking and didn't continue.

  "Second brother is right." Xie Changchao smiled: "Who made the Shen family want to be neutral, this world, wanting to be independent is probably just a beautiful dream. However, thank you for the Shen family's foolishness, at least in the future, we will have one less opponent."

  Their conversation, if known to others, would likely cause a great shock. After all, Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao had always presented themselves as upright and virtuous, and the Xie family had not been involved in the imperial princes' struggle for succession. Yet, their words just now hinted that they had secretly defected to one of the factions behind the Xie family's back.

  "Speaking of which, the Shen family is not to be feared, we have one in our own house." Xie Chang suddenly turned towards another direction, the direction was the courtyard where Yu Qing Gongzhu had stayed when she was ill, and also where Xie Jinghang currently resided. He thought of the scene on the training grounds where Xie Jinghang pointed a flower spear at his head, a surge of anger rose up in his chest. After a moment, he said: "That bastard is getting more and more arrogant."

  He actually privately called Xie Jinghang "bastard", but if he saw him on a normal day, he would be extremely polite and courteous, which was really astonishing.

  "That's right." Xie Changchao followed Xie Changwu's words and said, "These days he has been much more well-behaved, and Father values him even more. Could it be that there is a mastermind guiding him from behind the scenes, or is there some kind of conspiracy?"

  For so many years, Xie Jingxing has been stubborn and unruly, and not entering officialdom. Although it's a headache for others, it secretly lets the two brothers of the Xie family breathe a sigh of relief. However, even so, when people mention Young Master Xie, apart from being frivolous and disrespectful, they also praise his heroic bearing on the battlefield without end. Moreover, no matter how much Xie Jingxing clashes with Xie Ding, Xie Ding always treats Xie Jingxing with one heart and one mind. On the other hand, he is lukewarm towards their two filial sons. As a result, the jealousy towards Xie Jingxing has almost become more intense over the past decade.

  In the past, Xie Jinghang would often cause a big stir whenever he was in Dingjing City, but since the incident at the examination hall last time, he seemed to have changed his ways and stayed home every day, not knowing what he was busy with. But this unusual calmness apparently delighted Xie Ding greatly, and even made him think that Xie Jinghang had finally put away his mischievous ways and was going to do something serious for once.

  That's why Xie Changchao and Xie Changwu were even more nervous.

  "Mind your own business, old man," Xie Changwu sneered: "One day, he will be trampled under my feet. That woman was a princess back then, and she still fell from grace. What about just an illegitimate son?"

  "In short, we still have to get close to King Ding at the return banquet." Xie Changchao said, and then picked up his spear again, fiercely stabbing it into the haystack in front of him.

  At this time, however, the main character of their conversation was sitting at a table in the house.

  The courtyard where Princess Yuqing was recuperating was filled with flowers and grasses, some trees were lush even in winter. In front of Xie Jingxuan's residence, the branches and leaves of the trees almost blocked the entire window, making it seem gloomy inside even during the day.

  However, in the midst of gloominess, the young man sitting at the end was as dazzling as sunlight. The guard in front of him handed over a letter, he carefully read it and threw the letter into the fireplace in the house. In an instant, a puff of ash flew out, and the letter disappeared without a trace.

  "What did you say?" A figure emerged from behind, the white-clothed young master leisurely poured himself a cup of tea, his movements elegant and refined, as if he had truly come to taste tea with someone.

  "The situation has changed." Xie Jinghang didn't turn around, seemingly deep in thought.

  "Oh?" The young man in white paused, looking at him with a frown: "Didn't you already..."

  "Haoyang," Xie Jingxing suddenly said: "First break then establish, die and then stop, how is that?"

  "You're not usually like this." Gao Yang was taken aback, seemingly a bit surprised, and then shook his head: "You're not one to usually hide your strength and wait for the right moment to strike. If you don't think you can win, you won't do it. You're used to planning carefully, so why are you saying this today? It's surprising me," he asked: "Have you encountered something?"

  "Meet a madman," Xie Jingxing raised an eyebrow: "It makes me suddenly feel that it's not bad to gamble." He stood up, the purple robe with golden thread embroidery of cloud patterns, if you don't look carefully, you can't see it at all, but in the dim light, it flows out with a dazzling brilliance.

  "Isn't the one you're talking about Shen Jia's legitimate daughter?" Gao Yang said with a piercing gaze, "I've heard from Tie Yi about what happened that day. Although it was bold, it was too reckless. Now that Shen Xin is back, I'm afraid he'll make another big fuss with his temperament."

  "The thing is not at Shen's house," Xie Jinghang said: "I changed my mind."

  "Not going to take advantage of the Shen family anymore?" Gao Yang was somewhat surprised.

  "There are too many variables in the Shen family." Xie Jinghang shook his head, and the young man's handsome eyebrows suddenly lost their usual playfulness, revealing a maturity beyond his years. And the natural elegance and nobility that came with it gave him an air of mystery, more dazzling than the sun in the sky.

  "What variables are you referring to?" asked Gao Yang.

  Xie Jinghang raised an eyebrow: "As for the attitude towards the Fu family, I have a premonition that in the future pattern of Mingqi, the Shen family will become the biggest variable."

  Gaoyang seemed somewhat skeptical, but his trust in the young man ultimately overcame his inner doubts. He said: "How do you know? What makes the Shen family a variable, Shenqiu or Shenshen? Even if there is a problem within the Shen family, it cannot represent the entire attitude of the Shen family."

  "A clever person has emerged from the Shen family." Xie Jinghang said lazily, "But fate is too cruel, what's the use of struggling again?" He said, "In short, the plan has changed, let's change our approach."

  "You wouldn't think..." Gao Yang's expression changed.

  "For so many years, I've endured for too long." Xie Jinghang said: "Because of concerns, that's why I endured, but now..." He smiled suddenly, as if dark clouds had suddenly dispersed, sunlight pouring into the room, in an instant making the beautiful scenery lose its color, and the sky and earth lost their light. Xie Jinghang stood with his hands behind his back, calmly saying: "Gao Yang, I'm tired of hiding, I will make my move in the shortest time."

  "But can you bear it?" Gao Yang asked.

  "There's nothing I'm reluctant to part with."

  Gao Yang let out a sigh, and when he lifted his head again, his expression had become resolute: "Since that's the case, we'll do it your way. For now, let's keep this from the other side. Let's start with Ming Qi first. In the Fu family, who do you think we should begin with?"

  "Old rules, toss a ball, whoever catches it first, we'll start from there." He smiled faintly. His hand, however, had touched something in his sleeve, and with a slight movement, he pinched out a small, exquisite bottle - the medicine bottle that Gao Yang had given him, containing the precious ointment that Gao Yang claimed was worth a thousand gold coins, specially used to treat scars, and according to Gao Yang, even the deepest scars would fade away cleanly after applying this ointment.

  He clenched his fist around the medicine bottle, and when he opened his palm again, the delicate small bottle had turned into powder.

  Just like Shen Miao did, a big fire will burn away all the fake balance, and the ferocious truth that is exposed is the real situation that can be dealt with. Shen Miao used her scars to eliminate the possibility of reuniting in the future, so what about him?

  His gaze faintly swept towards the window, the dark four corners of the Lin'an Marquis's manor, so many years, having seen it too many times, because of some warmth in his memories, he was also willing to maintain a false balance.

  It's time to break this balance now.

  He closed his eyes, and his long eyelashes were as beautiful as butterfly wings on a spring day. However, when he opened them again, his gaze was sharper than the sharpest knife.

  In front of his desk, at this moment, a map was spread out flat. The map was none other than the territorial map of Ming Qi. From Youzhou's thirteen capitals to Mengbei's Dingyuan City, from Jiangnan's Yu State to Dingxi's East Sea, from Lin'an Ancient City to Luoyang Ancient City, in the very center of this territory, was the most prosperous city of all - Dingjing City.

  The mountains and rivers are stirring, heroes emerging all over the world. He stretched out his hand and lightly swept his finger across the center of the map.

  As if deciding the rise and fall of a dynasty.