Three days later, the royal family held a return banquet at night, and all civil and military officials attended with their families. Although it was said to be a joyous occasion for monarchs and ministers, everyone also knew in their hearts that this return banquet was actually an celebration of Emperor's triumph over Shen Xin.

  The Shen family holds great power, and with fierce generals like Shen Xin and Shen Qiu, if used well, they are a good knife to protect the Ming Qi imperial court. If not used well, they can also threaten the person sitting in that chair at any time. The Ming Qi imperial court is both dependent on and wary of the Shen family, but for now, with the outside still not yet pacified, the Shen family is at least safe.

  As long as the Shen family doesn't make a reckless move to seize the throne, within ten years, the imperial court won't take action against them. This is something that anyone with brains in the court can see. However, previously, Shen Miao's infatuation with Ding Wang made people think that if Shen Xin were to marry his daughter off to Fu Xiu Yi, the Shen family's position in the court would become precarious. But later on, it seemed like Shen Miao's interest in Fu Xiu Yi gradually waned, and since the Shen family doesn't need to get entangled in the struggle for the throne, they will naturally be safe and sound. In the future, within ten years, the title of Great General of the Imperial City will still intimidate many people.

  Early in the morning, Luo Xueyan came to visit Shen Miao. In recent days, Luo Xueyan and Shen Xin had been investigating the events that took place at the Shen residence over the past year. However, those matters were well concealed, and upon careful consideration, they were all trivial and insignificant, so nothing could be found out. Nevertheless, despite this, Shen Xin and his wife still felt something was amiss, and in recent days, their attitude towards Old Lady Shen and the other two branches of the family had become much more distant.

  Shen Qing lost her innocence, but Shen Miao didn't tell Shen Xin and his wife about it. Even less likely to speak out were Ren Yuanyun and Chen Ruoqiu. So, when Gu Yiniang died, they just made up a reason for it, saying she was expelled from the Shen household because of her unclean hands and feet. Ren Yuanyun had thought that Shen Miao would reveal the truth, but instead, Shen Miao also went along with the excuse. Ren Yuanyun became even more fearless, convinced that Shen Miao must have some ulterior motive for not reporting to Shen Xin and his wife.

  "The hairpin in the box is too few." Bai Lu combed a long and happy bun for Shen Miao, who had become thinner and more delicate, with a hint of girlish charm. However, dressing up like before would be somewhat out of place now that she was going to the palace, where she should dress more dignified and elegant. In the past, Shen Miao's hair accessories were all taken care of by Ren Yuanyun, mostly gold and silver ornaments, but those had been spent as silver notes during Shen Miao's purchase of Yanmei Shuibei and supporting Mo Xiang in dealing with Chen Dafu. Now, the jewelry box was empty.

  "Didn't the old master bring back the emperor's reward yesterday?" Frost's clever mind moved: "Why not let the young lady choose one from among them, there must be many good things in the palace rewards."

  "Never mind." Shen Miao refused with a single word, the things in the palace, which one was not stained with blood? Now she didn't want to wear those things on her body at all, as if they were contaminated, it would remind her of those miserable years. She thought for a moment, opened a hidden compartment in the jewelry box, and picked out a hairpin from inside.

  "What a lovely hairpin!" Bai Lu exclaimed in surprise: "Miss, when did you get such a beautiful hairpin? Was it a gift from the mistress?"

  Shen Miao picked up the hairpin and brought it in front of her, carefully examining it. This was still the same one that Xie Jingxuan had exchanged with her for a real Haitang flower on her head at Meilin that day. If not for Bai Lian mentioning no accessories today, she would have almost thrown this thing out of her mind.

  The hairpin was made entirely of jade, from light to dark, and the flower part was a whole piece of crystal purple-red jade. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the petals of the haitang flower were carved in a lifelike manner, giving off a sense of grandeur. To the touch, it felt cool and smooth, clearly made from top-quality jade material. Such a hairpin must be worth a fortune, and Shen Miao, who had seen many fine things in the palace before, could naturally tell that this hairpin was extraordinary. This also made her even more surprised at Xie Jingxuan's generosity, for even if the Lin'an Marquis Manor was wealthy and noble, they couldn't afford to be so extravagant.

  Shen Miao was lost in thought, and Bai Lu feared that she would be late, so she reminded her: "Miss, this hairpin looks good, I'll help you pin it up."

  Shen Miao finally came back to her senses, according to Bai Lu's intention.

  Finally, the last frost applied a little rouge to her cheeks, and only then was it complete. Gu Yu held up a cloak with a lotus green lining and rabbit hair trim and walked over to put it on her, smiling: "Miss looks really good, Madam will definitely like it."

  Outside the door, Luo Xueyan and Shen Xin were waiting. Shen Qiu pulled down a leaf and said, "Why doesn't Mother let my sister find clothes and jewelry in the treasure chest to wear? Wouldn't that be more convenient?"

  "You understand?" Luo Xueyan said with a bad tone: "Since ancient times, the reward for giving birth to a son has never been seen as finished clothes. Even if there really are finished clothes, who knows whether they were worn by imperial concubines or not? I wouldn't dare let Jiao Jiao wear them either. As for accessories, it's even more unnecessary, just let Jiao Jiao wear what she likes and don't interfere."

  Shen Miao had always liked to wear tacky clothes, which made Luo Xueyan very frustrated. No matter how much Luo Xueyan advised her, Shen Miao couldn't get rid of her love for gold and silver jewelry. Over time, Luo Xueyan got used to it herself. They all looked like beautiful women with fair skin, but they weren't really that way. Luo Xueyan came from a family of military generals, although she was born beautiful and lovely, she dressed in a more heroic style, with some heroic spirit.

  Shen Qiu stuck out his tongue and whispered, "If sister is wearing something shiny and golden again..." Before he could finish speaking, the door creaked open with a "creak".

  "Sister... little sister..." Shen Qiu opened his mouth, staring foolishly at Shen Miao without saying a word.

  The young girl wore a purple silk dress with a lotus-green cloak lined with rabbit fur, the fluffy rabbit fur piled under her neck, making that small face even smaller. She was originally pale-skinned, and wearing this dark-colored lotus green made her look not dull at all, but rather extremely noble. Her bright eyes and white teeth showed a gentle and elegant demeanor, the girl's posture was delicate, but what attracted people's attention more was her calm and noble posture, every move seemed to have a hint of dignity.

  Lu Xueyan and Shen Xin stared blankly, in an instant, they seemed to have seen beyond the girl to the Jinluan Hall, the high walls of the palace under which stood the noble Golden Phoenix, even that Golden Phoenix was not as good.

  Because Shen Miao used to wear gold and silver, now this simplicity makes her look even more noble. The calm demeanor is something they have never seen before. Luo Xueyan subconsciously touched her own chest, because she came from the northwest desert and married Shen Xin in Dingjing City, she was often ridiculed by the local noblewomen for being rough and ignorant of etiquette. Luo Xueyan had secretly asked a nanny to teach her, but even if she could learn the appearance, she couldn't learn the elegance of a noble family, so she gave up.

  Now her daughter looks more noble and majestic than any young lady in Beijing, how can she not be surprised!

  "Hahaha," Shen Xin was the first to break the silence, throwing his head back and laughing loudly. He then looked at Shen Miao with a proud and amused gaze: "The Shen family's daughter has finally grown up, my Jiao is now a great beauty!" His words were extremely crude, earning him a fierce glare from Luo Xueyan. She turned her head to see the guards that Shen Qiu had brought back from the army, staring at Shen Miao with wide eyes, and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. He then said: "Alright, let's get on the carriage first, we can't be late." After speaking, he walked over to pull Shen Miao along, speaking intimately with her.

  Shen Miao was still not quite used to being treated like a child, but when she saw the doting gazes of Shen Xin and Shen Qiu, she paused for a moment. After all, in the eyes of her parents and brother, she was still that Shen Jiao Jiao.

  Ren Yuanyun picked up the hairpin with a sea of peach blossoms on Shen Miao's head and smiled: "Jiao Jiao, this hairpin is really beautiful, did you choose it yourself?"

  Shen Miao responded vaguely and walked to the door, only to see that two horse-drawn carriages had already stopped.

  Shen Gui and Shen Wan stood outside, watching as Shen Miao's group approached with somewhat unnatural gazes. These days, Shen Xin had not been in a good mood towards the two brothers, no matter how they explained themselves, he just wouldn't listen. Even when visiting Old Lady Shen every day to pay their respects, Luo Xueyan was always perfunctory and seemed like she was just going through the motions, almost causing Old Lady Shen to faint from anger.

  "Big brother." Shen Wan was a bit more tactful and smiled as he greeted Shen Xin.

  Shen Xin let out a gentle "hmm" from his nose, then walked to his own carriage and said to Shen Miao: "Madam, Jiao Jiao, you two go in first." As Shen Xin and Shen Qiu were not accustomed to riding carriages, they followed the carriage on horseback instead.

  Being so cold-shouldered, Shen Gui and Shen Wan didn't look good on the surface, with a hint of anger flashing in Shen Gui's eyes. Just then, one of the other two carriages lifted its curtain, revealing Shen Yue and Chen Ruoqiu's faces. Shen Yue said softly: "Does Fifth Sister want to sit in the same carriage as us? This carriage is big enough, and so is Big Aunt."

  "It's all right." Luo Xueyan said coldly: "It's your own carriage, sit in it and be at ease."

  Shen Miao almost applauded in her heart for Luo Xueyan, as she had never been at odds with the other two houses before. Her personality was straightforward and enthusiastic towards others, so no one had ever seen this sharp side of hers. It's worth noting that on the battlefield, facing enemies, Luo Xueyan was even more ruthless. Chen Ruoqiu and Shen Yue's attempts to curry favor with her were completely ineffective.

  On another carriage, Shen Qing and Ren Yuanyun were also listening to the commotion outside. Shen Qing's face was still pale, but he tightly grasped Ren Yuanyun's hand, unconsciously using force, causing Ren Yuanyun to cry out in a low voice. When Shen Qing loosened his grip, scratch marks from fingernails appeared on Ren Yuanyun's wrist.

  Ren Yuanyun didn't care about her own hands, she suddenly pulled Shen Qing into her arms, feeling Shen Qing's body slightly trembling.

  "Qing'er..." Ren Yuanyun comforted in a low voice.

  "I must kill her..." Shen Qing gritted her teeth, her mind gradually clearing up and recalling the terrifying experience at Wolong Temple. And all of this was thanks to Shen Miao. What's even more frightening is that she's now pregnant, and if she can't get rid of the child in her belly, it's possible that she'll never be able to become a mother again. Thinking about the suffering she had endured, Shen Qing hated the fact that Shen Miao didn't experience any of the pain she went through. No, she should make Shen Miao suffer ten times more!

  "My daughter will avenge you..." Ren Yuanyun's heart was like a knife, she hated that she couldn't turn into a wolf and pounce on Shen Miao to bite her throat off. Shen Qing's crying complaints were like knives stabbing her in the heart, and every time she faced Shen Qing, she would think of that one night when she had been right next door, yet chose to stand by and do nothing.

  "I'll avenge Qing'er..." Ruan Yuanyun muttered.

  In another carriage, Shen Yue and Chen Ruoqiu sat face to face. Just now being scolded by Luo Xueyan, Shen Yue was still somewhat displeased. She had always looked down on Luo Xueyan's kind of rough and unrefined martial artist. Now that she was ridiculed by the rough and unrefined martial artist in her own heart, she was even more stifled with anger.

  "Yu'er," Chen Ruoqiu frowned slightly: "I've told you many times, this kind of person, you don't need to bother with. Why lose your composure because of her."

  "Mother, I just can't stand it." Shen Yue looked at her own palm: "Shen Miao used to be so respectful to us in the past, but now that Eldest Uncle's family is back, she's also putting on this haughty attitude, relying on others' power, isn't she deliberately doing this for our sake?" Her words revealed a hint of jealousy that even she herself didn't realize.

  This jealousy was captured by Chen Ruoqiu, who looked at her slender and elegant daughter and sighed: "I once taught you that no matter what, you must keep calm. It seems that you are still too young to hold back your breath and be too impulsive." After a pause, Chen Ruoqiu continued: "You don't have to take Shen Miao too seriously. Now the first and second branches have thoroughly fallen into a stalemate. Shen Miao offended your second aunt, and your second aunt will certainly want to regain face."

  Shen Yue heard this and looked at Chen Ruoqiu: "But in these days, Auntie didn't say anything about Shen Miao."

  Chen Ruoqiu was taken aback, indeed, Ren Yuanyun had been dealing with Shen Miao for a long time, but so far, not only had she not gained any benefits, but she had also made many mistakes and suffered losses. Now, she even let Shen Miao return to Shen Xin's side. If it were someone else, that would be fine, but Ren Yuanyun, who was known for being clever and experienced, and had managed to keep several concubines in line, was actually unable to defeat a young girl, which was really strange.

  After a moment, Chen Ruoqiu put away the surprise in her heart and said: "It's precisely because your second aunt has never succeeded all along, your second aunt's temper is now close to furious. Therefore, when dealing with Shen Miao next time, she will definitely take risks and use all her strength. At this time, even if your uncle protects her, I'm afraid Shen Miao will not be able to escape."

  Shen Yue listened in a daze, yet seemed to understand something, and said: "In that case, we'll just sit down and watch the show."

  "Not bad," said Chen Ruoqiu, "this is what I want to teach you. In the back house, if you can't move your hands, don't move them. If you can use other things to achieve your goal, don't take personal action. If you use it well, without any effort, you can benefit from it."

  "Thank you for your teachings," Shen Yue sat up straight: "I understand now."

  They were talking happily, unaware that Luo Xueyan's carriage had long since left them far behind. Shen Qiu and Shen Xin sat high on their horses, traveling along the road, and the people they passed couldn't help but cast admiring glances at them. The fierce reputation of the Great General was already well-known among the common folk.

  In the carriage, Luo Xueyan kept looking at Shen Miao's hearty smile. Even Shen Miao, who was calm and peaceful, was made to feel somewhat inexplicable by Luo Xueyan's laughter.

  "Jiao Jiao is really good-looking now," Luo Xueyan sighed and said: "In just one year, she has grown into a big girl. In this capital city, I'm afraid there's no one as good-looking as you."

  Lu Xueyan's words were always somewhat overbearing, and if they fell on someone else's ears, they would probably be ridiculed. However, parents looking at their daughter are always the best, and Lu Xueyan's temperament is quite violent. Now that Shen Miao looks calm and elegant, people tend to appreciate what they don't have, so naturally, Lu Xueyan loves this daughter who suddenly becomes willing to get close to them even more dearly.

  Shen Miao smiled slightly, and probably only her family could be proud of this so-called silly girl.

  "Last night, I discussed it with your father," Luo Xueyan changed the subject: "Your previous suggestion to let your father stay in Dingjing City for another half a year is also not bad. Your father and I are often not at home, so we should spend more time with you. Today, when His Majesty asks about it, your father will request it from His Majesty."

  Upon hearing this, Shen Miao couldn't help but be taken aback. She had thought that Shen Xin would eventually listen to her words, but she hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. Before she could even react, Luo Xueyan had already hugged her and smiled, saying: "It's just as well that for the next half year, I can also watch Jiao Jiao grow up."

  Luoxueyan is notorious in front of the enemy, but gentle and loving in front of Shen Miao. If her former opponents were to see this, they would likely be shocked out of their wits.

  "Thank you, Mother." Shen Miao Yi leaned against Luo Xue Yan and said softly.

  Today's dinner party is not a celebration, but a game of wits. It will be extremely treacherous, with each side trying to outmaneuver the other. The board has been set, the pieces have been placed, and all that's left is for the opponent to fall into the trap.

  Of course, what's more important to her is... the place where she was imprisoned for her entire past life, buried her children and relatives, filled with enemies and slaughter, the Nine-layered Palace, she will finally return once again.

  Wen Hui Emperor, Fu Jia people, and those old friends in the deep palace, meet again, who will die first, is still unknown. Her lips slightly hooked up, in the depths of her clear eyes, a hint of dark light like a whirlpool, slowly stirring up a black storm.

  Nine-layered palace halls, majestic and grand, glazed tiles, carved vermilion lacquer, golden dragons coiled, colorful phoenixes dancing. Brilliantly shining, dazzlingly bright, also cold and desolate, mournful and sorrowful.

  Brilliance is always superficial, just like the fertile soil under a cluster of flowers. In the depths of this palace, countless white bones are buried, and numerous beauties have fallen, only to become withered skeletons in the end. The more beautiful the palace appears, the more sinister it actually is.

  In the garden, a palace maid and eunuch were watering flowers. These dull and tasteless chores were all done by new eunuchs and maids. The two looked like they were only sixteen or seventeen years old, still very young and tender.

  That little palace maid said, "Today the front hall has received many people. If I hadn't made a mistake this time and been demoted, I would have gone to the front hall to serve those nobles. You know that every year's Return to the Court banquet, just the silver rewards can be used for a whole year."

  "Returning to the court banquet..." The little eunuch showed a look of admiration: "With so many rewards, isn't it awesome?"

  "Look at you, so inexperienced." The palace maid curled her lip: "You're really ignorant and unsophisticated. The evening banquet is a grand feast that His Majesty specially held to reward the great generals who have made outstanding contributions. All the high-ranking officials and their wives attend, so naturally they give generously. If you wait a few more years, with good luck, you might get to see it once, and then you'll know that those nobles' rewards are given out one ingot of silver at a time."

  "A silver ingot?" The little eunuch exclaimed, and immediately envied: "That majestic general has such a great face, His Majesty even set up a special night banquet for him. It must be that his momentum is limitless."

  "What's the use of having a good reputation?" The palace maid said with disdain: "With such a useless daughter, it's already fortunate that she hasn't disgraced herself, what's the point of putting on airs?"

  "Is she a rustic country girl?" The little eunuch asked: "The daughter of General Wei Wu?"

  "You don't know, do you?" The palace maid said mysteriously: "General Shen is wise and brave, Mrs. Shen is also a heroic woman, and young General Shen is also fierce and good at fighting. However, the daughter of General Wu is a complete airhead. She doesn't understand music, chess, books, or painting, and she likes to wear gold and silver, which is very tacky. Every time General Shen brings her to the imperial banquet, she makes a fool of herself. Last year's imperial banquet, I was serving, you don't know, she didn't even know basic etiquette, and she tripped on her skirt and rolled down from the steps. Those ladies loved to mock her the most. Even with the Shen family protecting her, everyone looks down on Miss Shen."

  "It's actually like this..." The little eunuch also sighed upon hearing the words: "It's a pity to have wasted the Shen family's reputation in vain."

  "Isn't that so?" the palace maid continued, "She's indeed the downfall of the Shen family. Her two elder sisters are each more outstanding than her, and she has lost face for General Shen. Moreover, previously this Miss Shen was infatuated with Prince Ding, causing a huge commotion, known to all in the imperial court."

  "She's really a coarse and unrefined woman." The little eunuch also showed a look of disgust.

  Those palace ladies stay in the palace every day, not even comparable to those official wives and misses who can go out of the palace. The things they know are all about what happens in the palace. So when it comes to verifying the scene, Shen Miaorong's reputation for being unrefined is actually not known at all.

  Just then, they saw someone coming from the opposite side. The two of them hurriedly bowed their heads and continued working, not daring to speak. But then they heard the person walk up in front of them, speaking in a shrill voice: "Newcomers?"

  "Returning to Duke Gao, it is indeed." Someone on the side replied.

  The little eunuch plucked up his courage and looked up, only to see three people standing in front of him. One was dressed as the chief eunuch, while another was dressed as a second-class eunuch. The one called Gao Gonggong was the person who looked like the chief eunuch.

  The eunuch glanced at the two of them and his eyes fell on the little eunuch, asking: "What's your name?"

  "This humble servant is Little Li." The little eunuch was also quick-witted and hastily replied with a bow.

  "Let him be." The eunuch said to the person beside him, "At the previous banquet, there was one less serving dish. He has a clever appearance and can probably please the noble people's eyes, let's replace him with this one."

  "Yes."

  Xiao Lizi was also excited in his heart, if so, wouldn't he be able to get a lot of silver rewards as the palace maid just said? If he could catch the eye of some master, who knows what good fortune might come his way in the future.

  In this nine-story palace, everyone is trying their best to climb up, even the humblest slave will have a beautiful dream of flying high overnight.

  In the front hall, many ladies and young women had already arrived. Except for those who were related to the imperial concubines in the palace and were invited to the back room to chat with the princesses, most of the female relatives sat outside chatting.

  "Where are Mrs. Shen and General Shen?" A high-cheekboned lady smiled: "Today's main characters are them, aren't they deliberately late?"

  "Mrs. Shen must be thinking of hiding her daughter from others, so she's being deliberately secretive." Another round-faced lady chimed in with a smile, but the tone of her words was full of ridicule.

  Shen Xin, as a meritorious and powerful general, did not take concubines and had the ability to do so. He was loyal and faithful to Luo Xueyan. Among the noblewomen present, which family did not have a large number of concubines, causing endless trouble? It's only natural that they would be filled with jealousy towards Luo Xueyan, who was blessed with a loving husband and an excellent son.

  Among women, the most beloved thing is comparison. The happier Luo Xueyan is, the more jealous other wives are, and they can't help but wish that Luo Xueyan had some flaws too. So Shen Miao's appearance became the only thing that could be used to attack Luo Xueyan. Shen Miao was stupid, untalented, and ugly, and she often made a fool of herself in the palace. Every year at this time, it was the most enjoyable moment for these wives. Being able to see Shen Xin and his wife being humiliated because of their daughter seemed to bring them some kind of benefit.

  "I wonder what Shen Wu will wear this year," Yi Peilan said with a hint of sarcasm on her face: "Last year, that dress with gold leaves was really beautiful, paired with her golden accessories, it's considered 'noble'. This year, won't it be silver leaves?"

  The words immediately triggered a chorus of agreement from the ladies around her, with sarcastic remarks filling the air.

  At this moment, a clear and melodious female voice suddenly appeared: "Everyone shouldn't say that, Shen Wu is now considered to have received General Shen's true transmission. You know that on the day of the test, even Young Master Cai was helpless against her marksmanship. If she gets unhappy, one day she'll want to compete with you in marksmanship, what will you do?"

  As soon as this was said, the crowd suddenly fell silent. Many ladies and girls who were present at the verification that day had witnessed Shen Miao's ferocity with their own eyes. This remark made them involuntarily shiver in their hearts, for they didn't take Cai Lin or Shen Miao seriously, but if they provoked her, what would happen if she shot an arrow?

  It was Feng Anning who said this, and as soon as she spoke, she was glared at by Mrs. Feng with disapproval. With so many madams around, it's not easy to offend them. Feng Anning frowned in displeasure, she just couldn't stand these people gossiping behind others' backs, and when facing Shen Xin, they were too afraid to even fart, yet they would fawn over him while speaking ill of his daughter behind his back.

  The awkward atmosphere had yet to dissipate when a eunuch's shout was heard from outside: "His Excellency the Great General has arrived——"

  Everyone's eyes were fixed on the entrance.

  The ones walking in the front were Shen Xin and Shen Qiu. Shen Xin had a majestic stride, exuding an aura of power without even trying, his iron-blooded military demeanor making all the women in the hall feel a shiver run down their spines. Shen Qiu stood tall with a warm smile, two shallow dimples on his face making him look extremely approachable, causing all the young girls to blush and lower their heads.

  The two of them did not stay in the front hall, and after turning their bodies, they lifted their feet and walked towards the main hall where the men were waiting. The eyes of the crowd naturally fell on their backs.

  Luoxueyan wore a sky-blue waist-pleated soft armor long gown, her hair combed into a refreshing knife bun, unlike those ladies with elaborate makeup, this outfit was extremely simple and elegant, yet due to the superior fabric and workmanship, it did not appear coarse. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with a heroic spirit, a beauty that was vastly different from ordinary ladies.

  A slender purple figure followed closely behind, approaching with a gentle and elegant demeanor.