Shen Xin and his wife finally returned to the mansion in the evening. Along with their return, there was also a full horse carriage of rewards sent from the palace. If it were in the past, these rewards would have been put into the public treasury, but today, Luo Xueyan had the servants directly carry those boxes into the West Wing.

  The reward in the palace, either rich or noble, the people under the East House looked at the box passing by their house with eager eyes. The sound of objects crashing occasionally came from Rong Jing Tang, apparently, Shen Lao Fu Ren, who had taken advantage of the situation, was furious and was scolding someone.

  But people from the military are probably the least likely to take that kind of treatment. The boxes were still moved efficiently, and very quickly finished.

  Shen Miao sat at the desk reading books, all of which were Ming Qi's political and economic writings and laws. The poems and songs that Gu Yu had previously found for her were directly thrown aside, without even a glance.

  All I could hear was a bright and cheerful laughter coming from outside the door: "Jiao Jiao!"

  Shen Miao turned her head, and Shen Xin strode in from outside the door, with Luo Xueyan following behind him. They probably came straight over as soon as they returned to the manor, without even changing their clothes. Shen Qiu walked at the end, making a silly face at her by squinting his eyes and curling up the corners of his mouth.

  Shen Miao stood up and bowed her head in greeting: "Father, Mother, Elder Brother."

  Her gentle appearance made Mr. and Mrs. Shen pause, Shen Miao was not close to them before, when she came back, she would leave after saying a few words, extremely impatient, such a gentle appearance had not been seen for a long time. However, in that gentleness, there seemed to be a faint sense of estrangement, this estrangement was very slight, but as parents, Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan still sensed it sensitively.

  She let out a faint sigh in her heart. She couldn't act like a real 14-year-old girl and pout at Shen Xin, nor could she pretend that nothing had happened. In the past life, it was she who had dragged down the Shen family, and when facing Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan, she only felt a strong sense of guilt in her heart.

  Lu Xueyan hesitated for a moment, but her concern for her daughter soon overshadowed that bit of doubt. She took a few steps forward, grasped Shen Miao's hand and asked anxiously: "How is Jiao Jiao's body? Has she felt anything unusual?"

  "It's nothing." Shen Miao smiled and replied.

  "Jiao Jiao, Father got several big boxes of treasures from the palace today. When you're feeling a bit better, we'll go pick out the ones you like tomorrow morning early. Those hairpins and accessories, I heard they're the best in the capital city." Shen Xin's words were somewhat fawning, this rough and unrefined man carefully trying to win his daughter's favor, it was almost comical to behold.

  Xian Miao smiled slightly: "Thanks, Dad, but this isn't urgent. Just lock those treasures in the warehouse in our courtyard. When I'm interested someday, I'll go pick some out."

  As soon as these words came out, several people in the house changed their faces.

  In the past, when Shen Xin brought back boxes of gifts, he would naturally let Shen Miao pick first, and then send the rest to the other houses. He had always been this way, doting on his daughter, and no one dared to contradict him, because after all, these rewards were earned by Shen Xin's own hard work. However, if it were in the past, Shen Miao would not have picked first herself. She would have let Shen Yue and Shen Qing pick first, and only after the second and third houses had finished picking would she start to pick, precisely because she was close to the second and third houses.

  However, today Shen Miao not only did not decline herself but also proposed to lock the box in her own courtyard warehouse. Although Shen Xin did not plan to make the reward public this time, Shen Miao's attitude towards other members of the Shen family was clearly visible to everyone.

  Even if they didn't understand the situation at home, they could all see that something was off about Shen Miao. Shen Qiu opened his mouth, and Luo Xueyan held Shen Miao's hand, saying softly: "Jiao Jiao, what happened? Tell your mother, your father and I are back now, no one will dare to bully you again."

  "No one dares to bully me." Shen Miao smiled and said: "I don't have anything."

  "What really happened with the fire at the ancestral hall that day?" Shen Xin asked in a low voice, "Why did you stay behind alone in the ancestral hall?" The couple had entered the palace early this morning to pay their respects, leaving only a few people to secretly investigate, but they didn't have time to thoroughly pursue the details.

  "I made a mistake and was locked in the temple, but who knew the temple suddenly caught on fire..." she said with difficulty.

  Behind him, Shen Qiu saw the situation and wanted to speak but stopped. He knew what was going on, but Shen Miao repeatedly warned him not to tell Shen Xin and his wife about this matter. Although he really wanted to tell his parents the truth, Shen Miao's words that if Shen Qiu didn't keep the secret, she would never care about him again made him dispel this idea.

  Shen Xin asked Shen Miao, "What mistake did you make? Even if it was a big one, it shouldn't be enough to lock you up in the ancestral hall by yourself?"

  "Oh," Shen Miao said lightly, "I defied Second Uncle in front of Grandmother and the others."

  "What?" Luo Xueyan's eyebrows furrowed, but she wasn't scolding Shen Miao. Instead, she said: "Second Brother is really getting more and more unreasonable as he gets older, a grown man arguing with a little girl, does he have any shame!"

  The servants in the house, Gu Yu and Jing Zhen, both twitched at the corners of their mouths. The Shen family's eldest branch was indeed protective, and it wasn't just idle chatter. Even if Shen Miao had beaten Shen Gui, Shen Xin and his wife would still blame Shen Gui for making Shen Miao's hand ache.

  "Sister, why are you being so rude to Second Uncle?" Shen Qiu couldn't help but ask.

  "It's probably... I don't want to get married," said Shen Miao.

  "Get married?" Luo Xueyan and Shen Xin exclaimed in unison, Luo Xueyan looked at Shen Miao with urgency and asked: "Marry who? How come I and your father don't know?"

  Shen Miao lowered her head: "The Grand Secretary's family, the Wei family, had proposed a marriage for their eldest son, Wei Qian, and the betrothal gifts had been exchanged. However, I didn't want to get married, so I deliberately opposed it in public."

  "Shen Xin hesitated for a moment: "The Wei family is a prominent household, and the eldest son of the Wei family seems to be a young and talented individual. If we were to discuss this further, it would seem that he is quite compatible with Jiao Jiao..." He was actually seriously considering this marriage proposal again. As an official for many years, although not in the capital city, Shen Xin had a good understanding of his colleagues in the imperial court. If the Wei family were to be a family of degenerates, he would have been able to see it at a glance. However, Wei Qian was an exceptionally good son-in-law, and for a moment, Shen Xin's thoughts wandered elsewhere."

  "What's going on here!" Lu Xueyan shouted angrily: "He is the king of heaven, even if he were an emperor, Jiao Jiao doesn't want to, then it won't do!"

  Lu Xueyan's words were astonishing, she was a fierce woman born from a northwest military family, and her marriage to Shen Xin was also something she fought for herself. Therefore, Lu Xueyan looked down on all the arranged marriages by parents and matchmakers, saying: "Besides, this matter is unknown to both of us, who knows what's in their hearts!" Since seeing Shen Miao trapped in the sea of flames while Ren Yuanyun and others were calm and collected, Lu Xueyan was filled with disgust towards the other members of the Shen family, her previous good impression completely gone.

  Shen Xin also furrowed his brow. Logically speaking, the Wei family's good marriage arrangement, if given to Shen Miao, wouldn't be a bad deal either. After all, it's hard to find such an excellent young talent in the capital city. But since this is such a good marriage arrangement, why did the Shen family keep it from them?

  Shen Qiu twitched the corner of his mouth, knowing what was going on and feeling a bit resentful that Shen Miao didn't speak up about the other Shen family members' intention to change the engagement. However, he could only remain silent, not understanding why, but every time Shen Miao glanced at him, it seemed to have a kind of intimidating power, making Shen Qiu himself unwilling to believe that he, who was invincible on the battlefield, would also be afraid of his own younger sister.

  "But, Jiao Jiao," Shen Xin said in a soft and gentle tone, "the eldest son of the Wei family is not bad. Are you resisting because you already have someone in mind? You..." He stopped himself from speaking further, as the letters from the Shen family frequently mentioned that Shen Miao had devoted herself to Prince Ding with all her heart. In this world, if Shen Miao liked a man, neither he nor Luo Xueyan would stop her. However, the imperial family was different, and now was the time when the princes were competing for the throne. If the Shen family got involved, they might end up being dragged into the mud together.

  But Shen Miao, a young girl like her, wouldn't understand such things. On the way back, Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan had also discussed countless times how to persuade Shen Miao to dispel this idea, but in the end, they were all helpless. Shen Miao was stubborn by nature, once she made up her mind, nothing could change it, let alone asking a young girl like her to give up on the one she loved, others might not be able to accept it either.

  Shen Miao knew what Shen Xin wanted to say at a glance, and she said calmly: "I don't have anyone in my heart, the reason I don't want to get married is because I've heard that the young master of the Wei family already has someone he likes. Even if he's very good, but his heart already belongs to someone else, why should I be a substitute and waste my life?"

  Her words made the Shen couple somewhat dizzy. How could Shen Miao say such mature words, as if she were a woman who had experienced thousands of sails? Secondly, what did she mean by saying that there was no one on her mind?

  Shen Miao only gradually understood Wei Qian after becoming the empress in her previous life. In her previous life, there was no mention of the Wei family coming to propose marriage, and Wei Qian also married his own cousin. As one of the rare young talents in Dingjing City, Wei Qian was extremely fond of his wife, and at that time, a beautiful story was spread. From this, it can be inferred that Wei Qian and his cousin must have been childhood sweethearts, and when the Wei family came to propose marriage, that young master of the Wei family was also unwilling in his heart.

  "Jiao Jiao, aren't you fond of... fond of Ding Wang Your Highness?" Luo Xueyan gritted her teeth and still asked.

  "Really, Your Majesty?" Shen Miao heard this and calmly said: "His Majesty is a noble of the imperial family, how could I possibly be on the same level as him? At first, I didn't know my place, but now that I've calmed down, I realize my own status. From now on, I won't dare mention this matter again."

  Lu Xueyan was stunned again, Shen Xin and Shen Qiu were men after all, they didn't understand, but she was a woman. Women understood the emotions in each other's hearts, she thought Shen Miao just said that with her mouth, but when she carefully observed Shen Miao's expression, she found that when mentioning Ding Wang, Shen Miao didn't have any reaction, as if she was talking about a stranger.

  Before Luo Xueyan could speak, Shen Xin himself shouted: "Jiao Jiao, Father does not agree with what you said. Our Shen family is a good match for anyone, and you are the one who is superior. Any son of the Mingqi family would be lucky to have you, and if..."

  "Cough." Luo Xueyan let out a light cough and glared fiercely at Shen Xin. Shen Xin comforted his daughter, saying it was nothing to worry about, but in fact, he had just dispelled the little infatuation Shen Miao had for Ding Wang. Wasn't Shen Xin just making trouble for himself?

  Shen Xin also knew he had misspoken and hastily looked away, pretending nothing was wrong.

  Lu Xueyan took another look at Shen Miao, seeing that she was calm and composed, only then did she put her mind at ease. She smiled and said: "Jiao Jiao is still young this year, there's no need to rush into marriage. With so many good sons of the Ming Qi family, our Jiao Jiao is born with a good fate, don't worry that we can't find a good husband? Rest assured, Jiao Jiao's husband will definitely be a great hero who stands tall and proud."

  Shen Miao lowered her eyelids and smiled, but didn't say anything. As for the fantasies of the person by her pillow, they had long been worn away by the repeated disappointments in her past life. In this lifetime, she had already decided not to marry, but this was something that Shen Xin and his wife mustn't know.

  Ordinarily, a daughter would blush when hearing about her own marriage, and in the eyes of both husband and wife, Shen Miao was not someone with a cold personality. However, after Luo Xueyan finished speaking, Shen Miao didn't show any reaction, which made the two feel somewhat disheartened. Although Shen Miao had never been close to them before, they still understood her temperament. But this time when she came back, Shen Miao seemed even more unfamiliar, as if she had aged overnight, leaving Shen Xin and his wife unsure of how to treat their daughter. If they tried to persuade or coax her like before, facing Shen Miao's calm gaze would only make them look foolish.

  Shen Qiu saw the predicament of his parents and burst out laughing. Shen Xinfu couple was feared by many on the battlefield, but when facing their daughter, they were at a loss. However... Shen Qiu's gaze also gradually sank, people's temperament wouldn't change so drastically overnight, turning a somewhat spoiled little girl into the calm and steady person she is today, something must have happened.

  "Father," Shen Miao suddenly spoke up, "in a few days, there will be a Return to the Palace Banquet in the palace, won't there?"

  The Return to Court Banquet is a grand feast held by the Emperor to celebrate the great victory of General Shen's army. All civil and military officials are required to attend with their spouses, making it a relatively intimate gathering between the imperial family and its ministers. At the banquet, the Emperor will reward the meritorious officials according to their achievements.

  In the previous life, at the banquet a few days later, the emperor originally wanted to promote Shen Qiu's official position, but because of Shen Miao's affairs, Shen Xin risked his entire military merit and let the emperor agree to grant him marriage, obtaining for Shen Miao the title of Definitive Wangfei.

  It's already an unusual thing for a girl to ask a boy to marry her. Shen Xin dominated the battlefield all his life, but when it came down to it, he didn't hesitate to use his military achievements to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage, almost becoming the laughing stock of the entire imperial court. At that time, Shen Miao was overjoyed at the prospect of becoming the Crown Prince's consort, but she didn't see Shen Xin's bitter smile.

  From the moment she married into the Ding Wang Fu, it meant that the Shen family was tied to the Ding Wang's ship, and Fu Xiuyi had a legitimate reason to squeeze out the last bit of value from the Shen family army.

  "Yes," Shen Xin smiled and asked: "Does Jiao have something she wants, Father can help you ask the Emperor for it."

  This kind of pampering is almost like being a precious gem in the palm. Shen Miao's mouth felt a bit dry, how did she not realize her father's intentions towards her in her previous life? The downfall of the Shen family was indeed driven by their enemies, but wasn't it also because of her own stubbornness and blindness?

  "I don't want anything." Shen Miao smiled slightly: "However, if Your Majesty wants to reward Father...". She paused for a moment, and when she lifted her head again, her eyes were clear. She said: "Then I'll ask you, can Father stay in the capital with me for half a year?"

  As soon as this was said, Luo Xueyan, Shen Xin and Shen Qiu were all stunned.

  Shen Miao would never persuade them to stay, because they were not close since childhood, and their feelings were not deep. Every year after the New Year's festival, Shen Xin and his wife would leave Beijing to guard the northwest border. Even if there was no enemy army, they still had to defend the territory against external invasions. In fact, this was unnecessary, but the emperor still appointed them every year, and since the old general was alive, he also had this habit, so they never objected.

  Ke Fangcai just understood Shen Miao's intention, which was to retain them. She was retaining Shen Xin and his wife, asking them to leave half a year later, which was somewhat out of line, but when heard by Shen Xin and his wife, it was joyful, at least it represented that Shen Miao was not completely devoid of emotions towards them.

  "It's naturally no problem!" Delighted by his daughter's change in attitude, Shen Xin agreed without even thinking through the issues. Luo Xueyan was also somewhat excited, while Shen Qiu rolled his eyes, not wanting to stay in Dingjing City. For him, Dingjing City really didn't have anything interesting, and those noble young masters were all useless, not as exciting as letting him fight in the northwest desert. However, looking at Shen Miao's face, his heart softened again, at least with himself by her side, no one would dare bully Shen Miao in Dingjing City.

  After saying a few more words, Shen Xin and his wife, as well as Shen Qiu, left. After they departed, Shen Miao covered up the books on the table and walked to the window.

  "Miss..." Gu Yu said in a low voice: "I've already greeted Chun Tao, and the eldest miss is fine. I heard that the second madam and the second master are quarreling over the eldest miss's marriage."

  Shen Miao smiled coldly, and the good plan for Ren Yuanyun's sister to marry easily had been ruined with Shen Xin's return home. If she wanted Shen Qing to marry Huang Dexing, Ren Yuanyun would naturally not agree. But the engagement letter had already been exchanged, and both families had already agreed, so it was not an easy thing to back out now.

  Lifting a stone to hit one's own foot, that's the idea. Of course, Ruan Yun's plan falling through won't let her off easy either. The venomous snake wants to counterattack, but on the night of the return banquet a few days later, she also plans to seize Ruan Yun's weak point in front of everyone and catch Prince Yu off guard.

  Outside the door, Luo Xueyan and Shen Xin's faces sank. Luo Xueyan angrily said: "What's going on with Old Lady and your younger brothers? Out of nowhere, they want to arrange Jiao Jiao's marriage, I've never heard such a thing in my life."

  "Madam, don't be angry," Shen Xin said: "I'll go find the old lady and ask her clearly. If there's such a thing, I'll immediately clarify it with the Wei family. This concealment is likely to lead to trouble."

  "I think Jiao Jiao has suffered a lot this year." Luo Xueyan said irritably, "Wait for me to call over Jiao Jiao and the others to ask what exactly happened. And where's Gui Yatou?" As someone who had been on the battlefield, she was sensitive to these things. She said, "I think Jiao Jiao is right, if we stay in Dingjing for half a year without cleaning up those evil spirits, our daughter will be in danger of losing her life!" As she spoke, she glared at Shen Xin again.

  Shen Xin rubbed his nose, naturally knowing that Luo Xueyan was dissatisfied with his two brothers. Not to mention Luo Xueyan, he himself was also full of anger. He instructed the two guards beside him: "In the next few days, take good care of Miss, if anything goes wrong, tell me immediately. If Miss makes any mistakes, you will be punished by military law!" After saying that, he looked at Shen Qiu again, frowning: "You little brat, what are you staring at?"

  Shen Qiu was startled by Shen Xin's shout and replied vaguely, "Oh, I was just lost in thought." He had been thinking about Shen Miao all along. The people sent to Wodragon Temple today have returned with news, but nothing unusual was found, and no one discovered anything on that day. Shen Qiu is not a fool, so he naturally knows that this is because the people who knew the truth were all dismissed, and it seems that this was done without leaving any traces, which doesn't seem to be the style of the Shen family. The true facts hidden from Shen Miao also made Shen Qiu even more suspicious.

  This younger sister of mine has become increasingly inscrutable over time.

  "What time is it now?" Shen Xin vented the anger he had accumulated from his wife onto his unfortunate son: "Go investigate what's going on in the manor, I'll ask you about it tomorrow."

  "Ah." Shen Qiu reluctantly agreed, he knew what was going on, but his sister wouldn't let him say anything.

  The courtyard is in disarray at this moment.

  Shen Gui Fang left, and before leaving, he had a big argument with Ren Yuanyun. Since Shen Xin returned from the birthday banquet of Old Lady Shen, Shen Gui had conflicts with Ren Yuanyun over this matter. In fact, Shen Gui also knew that Shen Miao was being confined at home, but for him, once something happened, he would naturally push all the blame onto Ren Yuanyun.

  He and Shen Wan have reached this point today, all relying on the connections left by Shen Xin. Although they now have a certain status in the court, if Shen Xin wants them to be bad, Shen Gui and Shen Wan's official career will inevitably collapse. This is a world that respects martial arts, although civil officials mock the roughness of military generals, but whoever has the power of the army, who is more important in the Ming Qi forces. The emperor wants to keep, naturally, are the military generals.

  In the past, the two brothers were inseparable in front of Shen Xin, and Shen Xin was happy to indulge them. But this time, Shen Xin personally saw Shen Miao trapped in a sea of flames. In his heart, Shen Xin regarded Shen Miao as his lifeblood, and in his anger, he would stop at nothing. Shen Gui also felt anxious. Since Shen Xin's return, Shen Gui had been extremely irritable, and it just so happened that Ren Yuanyun proposed to call off the wedding at this time, which was like adding fuel to the fire. All the dissatisfaction with Ren Yuanyun over the past few days erupted.

  Today was the same, arguing loudly with Ren Yuanyun, and saying that Shen Qing must marry into the Huang family. Shen Gui turned and left, leaving behind a furious and almost fainting Ren Yuanyun.

  "Beast! Beast!" Ren Yuanyun clutched at her chest, her lips trembling.

  Shen Gui disregards his own daughter's happiness, with a mind full of thoughts to climb up the Huang family and add bricks to his official career, making Ren Yuanyun angry. Now that Shen Xin is back, Luo Xueyan is not someone easy to get along with, if it weren't for this matter being extremely confidential, if Shen Xin and his wife found out she was thinking of swapping sisters as wives, they might even kill her in anger. Even if Shen Xin and his wife don't discover it this time, the incident of the ancestral hall catching fire will still leave a rift in the heart of the eldest house, making it difficult for them to lay hands on Shen Miao in the future.

  Ren Yuanyun hated Shen Miao so much that she wished she could cut her into a thousand pieces, but in the beginning, it was Shen Miao who had calculated against Shen Qing. If not for Shen Miao, Shen Qing would not have ended up having to marry a man with a broken sleeve. Now that Shen Miao has Shen Xin's protection, it will be difficult for her to interfere with their marriage again.

  "Madam, calm down," Xianglan said as she helped Ren Yuanyun relieve her indigestion. "Don't let your anger ruin your health. In a few days, it will be the imperial banquet, and if you're not feeling well, you won't be able to attend."

  Ren Yuanyun's eyes moved, and a ferocious smile appeared on her face: "You're right, I can't let myself get worked up to the point of harming my body. The imperial banquet...the imperial banquet, I want that little slut to wish she were dead!" She turned her head to look at Cai Ju: "Has the letter been sent to Yu Qinwangfu?"

  "It's already been sent." Cai Ju said carefully.

  "My Qing'er can't fall well, that little cheap person also can't escape!" Ren Yuanyun's face showed a cold smile: "I couldn't do anything to her, Shen Xin is protecting her, if they have the ability, they will go against the Yu Qin Wang Fu," Her appearance was like a poisonous snake, eerily spitting out venom: "There will always be someone who can clean her up!"

  Henan Governor's Mansion

  The grand hall, at this moment, has beautiful Persian dancing girls wearing thin clothes and dancing, their snow-white bare feet stepping on the soft carpet, with colorful bells tied to their slender ankles, making a pleasant tinkling sound as they dance. The snake-like waist is agilely dancing.

  The middle-aged man on the high seat had an ugly and ferocious face, with his left leg empty, it was Yu Qin Wang. At this moment, a young girl about eleven or twelve years old was kneeling under him, still very young, with clear and beautiful eyebrows and eyes, but her eyes were filled with fear, at this moment she was not wearing a stitch, and was being gently patted on the leg by Yu Qin Wang.

  This young girl's snow-white body was covered with purple and blue bruises, and upon closer inspection, there were also red whip marks, clearly showing that she had endured extremely inhuman suffering.

  Yu Qin Wang looked at the letter in his hand, suddenly smiled, and slapped the lion head on the seat. As soon as he made this move, the girl was frightened and cried out, her body fell to the ground, and she couldn't help but tremble all over.

  "Shen Xin..." Prince Yu's mouth slowly chewed out a few words: "Shen Miao... dares to deceive this king."

  After that night, he found other interesting things and threw this matter behind his mind. For Yu Qin Wang, these girls were just playful toys, like the cats and dogs he raised. As for what would happen later, he didn't care at all. Moreover, with Shen Gui covering up, nothing seemed to be wrong.

  It wasn't until he received this letter that he finally recalled that something was off on that day. Shen Miao's clever trick had not only deceived Ruan Yuanyuan, but also toyed with him.

  Yuqin Wang, as a member of the royal family, was treated with great respect by everyone except the emperor. Shen Miao, a young woman, dared to trample on his dignity. If previously he had only been slightly interested in playing with her, this time Yuqin Wang was truly enraged and harbored murderous intentions.

  Now Shen Xin is still guarding Dingjing City, how can he make a move? Or, will Shen Xin be solved together with him?

  Yu Qin Wang stroked his chin, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.