The wedding sedan chair finally entered the Yuqinwang Mansion after passing through half of the capital city.

  Many guests have arrived at the gate of Yuqin Wang's mansion. Although Yuqin Wang is usually cruel and brutal, he is still a member of the royal family, so officials must come to pay their respects. Emperor Wenhui and the princes have not arrived yet, but the palace has sent someone with gifts.

  Around this time, Emperor Wenhui's attitude made Prince Yu very dissatisfied. When the eunuchs from the palace came today, they didn't even make a gesture of offering him a cup of wine or expressing gratitude. The eunuch who was sent by the palace saw this and sneered in his heart. Perhaps to others, they were just some insignificant eunuchs, but in reality, these people were probably the closest to the emperor's side. There must have been some problem between Emperor Wenhui and Prince Yu, as Prince Yu still acted as usual, but Emperor Wenhui was no longer as tolerant as before. Today, Prince Yu's actions would only make Emperor Wenhui even angrier.

  After the people in the palace left, Yu Qin Wang finally turned his head to instruct the servants to continue welcoming the guests. Today, Yu Qin Wang was wearing a big red auspicious robe, and the fabric and embroidery of the robe were undoubtedly very fine, but when worn on his body, one leg of the pants was empty and loose, which made him look a bit awkward. And he was born with a somewhat fierce appearance, today he had to put on a smile all over his face, it's unknown who he was smiling for, anyway, people who saw his smile got goosebumps.

  The Shen family has also arrived. Shen Gui and Shen Wan have already gone to find familiar colleagues to chat with, Shen Gui is now a broken pot, anyway, Shen Qing's scandal has already been known to everyone, it's better to take advantage of Shen Qing's marriage into the Yuqin Wangfu and use this kinship relationship to add some bricks to their own career. As for Shen Wan, there is no need to mention him, they are both ambitious people and will not miss the opportunity.

  Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan sat together, the bride's maiden home was hot, they were not satisfied with Shen Gui's behavior. On the contrary, Ren Yuanyun also came, sitting next to Shen Yuan, she carefully made up her face, covering her red eyes, afraid of provoking Yuqin Wang, forcing a smile, but that smile seemed to have a hint of anger. Shen Yuan had no expression, occasionally glancing at Shen Miao, all with deep meaning.

  Shen Qiu noticed Shen Yuan's gaze, and each time he was angrily rebuffed. Discovered by Luo Xueyan, she thoughtfully asked: "You little stinker, what's going on between you and Shen Yuan?"

  Mr. and Mrs. Shen didn't know about the grudge between Shen Qing and Shen Miao, so Shen Qiu evaded the question: "Hmmm... they just don't get along, a bit of friction."

  "You're really something." Luo Xueyan glared at him: "Fighting with someone who has no martial arts skills, Shen Qiu, how old are you this year?"

  Shen Qiu cast a pleading glance at Shen Miao, but Shen Miao pretended not to notice, staring at her tea cup and remaining silent.

  The guests were flattering each other and seemed harmonious. Before long, it was time for Shen Qing and Yu Qinwang to get married.

  Shen Qing was veiled, supported by her maids Spring Peach and Snow Pear. After paying respects to heaven and earth, when it came time to pay respects to the ancestors, Shen Gui's expression became very awkward. Prince Yu's gaze at him was gloomy, and having Prince Yu give them a ceremonial bow as a married couple must have been an unsettling experience for him.

  As expected, the steward of the Yuqin Wangfu haughtily said: "His Highness is not feeling well, so let's dispense with the formalities."

  As soon as this was said, the hall fell silent for a moment. Ren Yuanyun gritted her teeth, and the muscles on her cheeks were trembling with anger. How could it be that when it was time to bow to the ancestors, Prince Yu suddenly remembered that his body was not convenient? This was clearly Prince Yu refusing to acknowledge Shen Qing, and intentionally making things difficult for Shen Gui and Ren Yuanyun.

  Shen Gui also felt his face burning, but he had always been a person who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Afraid that Prince Yu would blame him, he immediately said: "Since Your Highness is not comfortable, then let's just forget it."

  There were some younger guests who couldn't help but snicker, and their laughter wasn't well concealed. Just as they were about to rush forward to argue, Shen Jian suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm, shaking his head slightly at her. Only then did Ren Yuanyun calm down, and Shen Jian withdrew his hand, his gaze falling on Shen Gui's flattering smile in the distance, with a hint of gloom for an instant.

  "Lao Er's behavior is also too shameful." Lu Xueyan said disdainfully: "Can't you even recognize your own daughter?"

  "I originally thought he was just greedy for wealth and status, but I didn't expect him to be so ruthless." Shen Xin shook his head, his tone disappointed: "How did the second brother become like this?"

  "We were all fine, and yet we're all being rejected together. How unlucky." Shen Qiu said gloomily.

  On the other hand, Shen Yue's family was also somewhat disconcerted. Although Shen Wan was also extremely ambitious in his official career, he didn't do it as unscrupulously as Shen Gui did. Chen Ruoqiu, who came from a scholarly family, had high expectations for herself and conducted herself with integrity. After all, they were all members of the Shen family, and Shen Gui's behavior made them feel ashamed too.

  Yu Qin Wang humiliated Shen Gui like this, and seemed to be very satisfied with the contempt of others towards the Shen family. When it was time for the husband and wife to bow to each other, he deliberately prolonged the time, and it's unclear whether Shen Miao's eyes were blurry or not, but at least when the bride walked past them, her body seemed to be trembling.

  The king married his relative, and even the disturbance in the bridal chamber was omitted. Shen Qing was pregnant, and if the disturbance in the bridal chamber caused an accident, the crime of harming the royal heir would be unbearable for everyone. After Shen Qing was sent into the bridal chamber, Prince Yu still held a grand banquet outside, drinking and having fun.

  "Congratulations to Your Highness." The ministers all came up to offer a toast.

  "Delighted, delighted." Yu Qin Wang also replied. On the surface, it seemed that Yu Qin Wang was indeed in high spirits today, even sharing in the joy with the other officials, but Shen Miao didn't neglect the occasional cold glint that flashed across his face.

  Yu Qin Wang had a crush on him, and she would always think about getting back together. As their eyes met in the air, Yu Qin Wang raised her glass to toast him from afar, then suddenly made an obscene gesture with her hand and licked her lips.

  With such a malicious expression, Shen Miao simply looked at him calmly. On the other hand, Shen Qiu, seeing her staring into the distance, followed her gaze and asked, "What are you looking at, little sister?"

  Yuqin Wang had already turned around to drink with others, and Shen Qiu didn't see anything. Shen Miao stood up: "I'm feeling a bit stifled, I'll go to the door for some fresh air."

  "I'll go with you." Shen Qiu said hastily.

  "No need. Mo Xiang and the others are guarding outside, I won't go far, just at the door." Shen Miao refused him and got up to leave her seat.

  Yuqin Wangfu was very large, with Mo Ke standing in the garden outside, watching her come out and immediately following her. Shen Miao, however, had not gone far, but stood still on the spot, staring blankly at a place in the southwest corner of Yuqin Wangfu.

  Just then a voice came from behind: "Fifth sister."

  Shen Miao turned her head back, and Shen Yuan didn't know when he also followed out, looking at her with a smile.

  Shen Yuan's smile was different from Fu Xiuyi's gentle warmth, and also unlike Shen Qiu's foolish thickness. It didn't seem like Ji Yu Shu's mischievousness either. His smile seemed to always carry other meanings, making people feel very uncomfortable. And when he stared at others' eyes, it was as if a venomous snake was sizing up its prey, with an eerie aura that lingered on.

  Shen Qian is the most formidable opponent in the second house of the Shen family.

  "The banquet had only reached its midpoint when Fifth Sister suddenly emerged on her own, and I thought to myself that Fifth Sister must have some secret, wanting to slip away from us brothers to play on her own." There was a hint of something more in his words.

  Shen Miao gazed at the withered flower branches in the garden, already in the cold winter month. The once flourishing flowers had long since wilted, leaving nothing but bare twigs, only the heavy snow weighing down on them, exuding a desolate and bleak atmosphere. She said: "So Second Brother has come out again to do what, steal a peek at my secrets?"

  "I do have the heart to sneak a peek." Shen Yuan said: "It's just that my sister is hiding too deeply, and I'm also at a loss. But I think you and I are considered siblings, so if there's an opportunity, I should give you some advice and teachings."

  Shen Miao turned her head and stared at him unblinkingly: "I'd like to hear more."

  "I found that Wu Mei has changed a lot since I returned to Beijing, it's as if she's become a different person. Maybe it's because Wu Mei has grown up, or maybe it's because someone is guiding her. However, the path I've walked is still longer than Wu Mei's, and there are some things that I see more clearly than you all do." He paused for a moment, glancing over at the hall where the wedding was being held, where the sounds of cups clinking, toasts being made, congratulations being exchanged, and flattery being offered could be heard from afar. Shen Yuan asked, "Does Wu Mei feel happy about Qing Er's big day today?"

  "To be honest, it's really refreshing." Shen Miao smiled slightly.

  Shen Yuan's eyes flashed with a hint of severity, but he immediately smiled again: "Fifth sister really doesn't know how to hold back. Your grudge with Qing'er has already reached the point of no return, and now that you've sent Qing'er into the Prince Yu's mansion, you think this is victory. But in fact, Fifth sister, you still have a childlike heart." He patted Shen Miao's head, as if he were a kind elder brother: "However, just because Qing'er has entered the Prince Yu's mansion doesn't mean she won't have a chance to turn things around. After this ordeal, it's hard to say how Qing'er will fare in the future, but as for you, Fifth sister, I'm afraid your path ahead will be treacherous."

  Shen Miao didn't speak, and only listened as Shen Yuan continued: "If I were the fifth sister, I wouldn't have given Qing'er a chance from the start. I would have eliminated my opponent early on and taken her life. This so-called 'giving face' and 'letting the other party suffer more' is just adding trouble for oneself." He looked at Shen Miao with a warm smile: "It seems you're still young and don't understand the principle of showing mercy to evil. If you want to be an opponent, taking your opponent's life is the only way to win."

  Shen Miao quietly looked at Shen Yuan in front of her, with a slight stir in her heart. Shen Yuan was indeed the smartest person in the second house, he didn't care about the process, only the result. If he offended someone, he would directly use the simplest method to take their life. His methods were ruthless and direct, but also left no future troubles. Such a person, calm and rational, wouldn't have other emotions due to external things, wanting to deal with this kind of person, it was impossible to provoke him into anger.

  She smiled and said, "Second brother is right, after all I'm still young and not as ruthless as second brother." Such sarcastic words fell into Shen Yuan's ears, but he just smiled slightly, however, soon after, he heard Shen Miao's soft voice: "Although I'm not as ruthless as second brother, there's one thing that I have in common with him...I also don't like leaving behind future troubles. Guess, will big sister turn things around after marrying into the Prince's residence?"

  "Are you sure it won't work?"

  "Can you?" Shen Miao retorted. She had always been calm and gentle, speaking in a soft and pleasant tone, but this sentence "can you", was filled with thick provocation and sarcasm, that kind of condescending mockery, made Shen Qian's pupils suddenly shrink.

  Shen Miao finished speaking and lightly laughed, then didn't look at Shen Yuan again. She turned around and left the garden, heading back to the Joy Hall.

  Will Shen Qing turn over after all? Her lips slightly raised, the kind of joy from her heart made Mo Cheng stunned, who had been following Shen Miao for a long time. Mo Cheng had seen Shen Miao being ruthless, but more often she was calmly giving orders. She occasionally smiled, but even her smile seemed to carry a faint sense of majesty. However, at this moment, her eyebrows and eyes were curved, as if she was extremely pleased, but it was unclear what could make her so happy. Mo Cheng took a look at Shen Yuan who was still in the garden, wondering if talking to Shen Yuan for a few words could make Shen Miao so happy?

  No matter how grand the banquet is, there will always be a time for dispersal. When the wine was warm and the ears were hot, the guests left one after another, and Shen Miao also stepped onto the horse to return to the mansion.

  Ma Shangzhong, Luo Xueyan remained silent. Nor did she know what she was thinking of, holding Shen Miao's hand and asking: "Jiaojiao, what kind of man do you have in mind?"

  This was said by the mother to her unmarried daughter, and it's a bit out of line. However, today Shen Qing is getting married, which has touched Luo Xueyan's heart. She has been fighting in battles for many years, and now she thinks about what Shen Miao might be thinking, but she knows nothing. All she knows is that Shen Miao used to have a crush on Ding Wang, who is indeed an extraordinary person with great charm, but someone like him must have high aspirations and wouldn't take emotions lightly. Marrying someone like him doesn't necessarily mean happiness.

  Shen Miao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and looked at Luo Xueyan: "Mother, what kind of person do you hope I will marry?"

  Lu Xueyan didn't expect Shen Miao to ask her back, and for a moment, she overlooked the fact that Shen Miao was facing this question with an expression as calm as if asking about something extremely simple. Lu Xueyan thought for a moment before saying: "Mother hopes you can marry someone with good moral character, who doesn't have too high of an official position, not too much wealth, and not too much ambition. The family shouldn't be too complicated either. Mother and Father will give you power and wealth, but if he has less ambition, he'll truly love and care for you. If the family is simple, after you get married, you can live a peaceful life. In short, he must truly respect and protect you."

  Shen Miao lowered her head and smiled, Luo Xueyan and Shen Xin's hopes seemed to have never changed. They hoped that Shen Miao could marry a very ordinary person, with the most requirements being only to love and care for her. Unfortunately, she was blinded by infatuation from her past life, among the thousands of men in the world, she chose the one who loved her the least.

  "But," said Luo Xueyan, laughing as she spoke: "Mother knows that you girls of your age don't like people like this. You probably like those who stand out in a crowd and can be seen at a glance. When I was your age, I also admired young and handsome heroes, but later I married your father and didn't regret it."

  "It's better for me to listen to my mother," Shen Miao said softly.

  "What?" Luo Xueyan was stunned:

  "Marrying an ordinary and humble person who can love and respect me, isn't that what Mother hopes for? If so, when I get to the age of marriage, marrying someone like that would be fine."

  Lu Xueyan held Shen Miao's hand, and suddenly felt a little strange in her heart. The girl in front of her was born with a clever appearance, and her temperament was also gentle and obedient, completely different from the rebellious and arrogant person she used to be. Whatever Lu Xueyan said, Shen Miao would respond accordingly. Having such an obedient daughter should have made her very happy, but for some reason, Lu Xueyan couldn't feel any happiness at all. It seemed that the face in front of her shouldn't have had such a gentle expression; she should be more arrogant and rebellious, full of life and vitality, rather than being so submissive and calm, which inexplicably made people feel heartache.

  Luo Xueyan pulled Shen Miao into her arms and said in a low voice, "Although it's like this, at your age, it's not excessive to like anyone. Mother knows that whoever is placed in our hearts must be the best. If you like him, then he must be someone who will love and respect you. As long as he treats you well, mother won't stop you."

  Shen Miao buried her head in Luo Xueyan's arms, her voice barely audible: "Thank you, Mother."

  It started snowing again on the evening of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

  It was approaching the end of the year, and the weather had been gradually clearing up. For several days in a row, it was sunny. Who would have thought that on this night, there was a rare occurrence of a violent snowstorm.

  The streets of Beijing were almost empty, with no pedestrians in sight. The merchants had closed their doors tightly, and all that could be seen was the biting north wind carrying large flakes of coarse snow swirling wildly in the air.

  In front of the Yuqin Wangfu in Beijing, the red lanterns were blown to and fro, the colored silk fabrics that had been ignited at the entrance earlier were already covered with snowflakes, as for the two bright red "happiness" characters posted on the door, one was torn off by the wind, leaving the other half dim and uneven, looking quite eerie.

  The two guards standing outside also got drunk on the joyful wine today, one of them holding a wine gourd in his hand and laughing: "I didn't expect that our palace would have another day with an additional princess, I really didn't think so back then, and someone would marry their daughter into the palace."

  "Hey, you're not talking nonsense, are you? What's this about marrying into the family, it's clearly buying one's way in. And as for the princess," the speaker glanced inside and shook his head: "who knows how long she'll last."

  "Maybe it'll be even cheaper for both of us." The former chuckled and said with a somewhat malicious tone.

  "That's the child of Prince Wangye, if you want to die, then go ahead." Another person said.

  A "hiss" sound, somewhat muffled in the wind and snow, the person holding the wine gourd asked: "Just now it seemed like there was some noise, did you hear it?"

  "What's that noise?" The latter waved his hand vaguely with a hint of drunkenness: "Just the wind, don't be startled."

  "Today the prince is overjoyed, still don't want anything to go wrong." The man's intoxication slightly sobered up, he straightened his body, turned his head to look around, but didn't see anything.

  "Stop worrying," another guard laughed at him: "Where are we, the Henan King's palace! Who dares to come here and cause trouble? You're just being paranoid. Hmm," he noticed something dripping onto his face, wiped it off and said: "Why is this snow hot?" As soon as he opened his hand, he saw clearly by the light of the nearby fire starter that it wasn't snow at all, but blood!

  Hot blood!

  That man was so frightened that he hastily lifted his head to look up, but saw a guard's corpse on the eaves staring at him with wide eyes, and blood dripping from his throat.

  "He had just opened his mouth when a flash of silver light appeared in front of him, and he felt something hot spurt out from his throat. His whole body lost its strength, and he fell to the ground with a soft thud."

  As he fell to the ground, he saw his companion who had just been talking to him lying in the snow with a crimson patch on his chest, and a trail of blood leading out from his body that shocked the eye.

  Suddenly, dozens of people jumped down from the eaves, all wearing black clothes and masks, almost merging with the night. Two more people jumped out from another direction, dragging away the two corpses in front of the door. A moment later, new "guards" stood neatly in front of the door again.

  The man in black at the front made a gesture, and the group quietly slipped into the Wang Fu.

  Yu Qin Wang Fu, in the bedroom of the King's residence, Shen Qing sat on the edge of the bed, his body trembling with fear.

  Yu Qin Wang lay on the soft couch, with two beautiful maidens in scanty attire by his side, who were tenderly massaging his legs and feeding him, occasionally whispering words that made one's ears blush and heart skip a beat. Shen Qing bit her lower lip tightly, as an unspeakable sense of shame welled up inside her.

  She was originally the eldest daughter of a noble family and should have married a good man like Ding Wang, but now she has fallen into the hands of Yu Qinwang. Now that she is the legitimate wife, she is humiliated by these lowly women who came from nowhere, and forced to watch these obscene scenes. Shen Qing's heart was filled with fear and anger, but more so, she hated Shen Miao thoroughly.

  "You should be grateful that you are carrying the prince's child," Yu Qin Wang noticed her expression, his face sinking: "Otherwise, today you would not have passed so simply." He appreciated Shen Qing's slightly fearful gaze, but in his mind, he thought of another pair of clear and calm eyes, and a sudden surge of violent anger rose up in his heart. Yu Qin Wang looked at Shen Qing, saying slowly: "However, after you give birth to the prince's child, the prince will not treat you unfairly. The prince's mansion has many guards, these guards have gone through life and death for the prince, since you are the prince's wife, you should also comfort them..."

  Shen Qing's mind went "buzz" and she almost fainted. The terrifying words of Yu Qinwang made her think that in the future, she wouldn't even have the courage to live on.

  "Hmph, I will definitely treat you well." The more gentle the tone of Yu Qin Wang was, the more frenzied his eyes became, and even the two maids in front of him couldn't help but tremble.

  "What's going on?" Yu Qin Wang suddenly frowned, just about to speak, when the maid on the left suddenly stumbled and fell onto Yu Qin Wang. A pair of jade arms happened to hold Yu Qin Wang's head in her embrace. Before Yu Qin Wang could react, another maid suddenly pulled out a hairpin from her hair and stabbed it into Yu Qin Wang's throat.

  Yu Qin Wang let out a loud cry, but he wasn't one to be trifled with. With a "boom", the two maids were sent tumbling to the ground. He too had martial arts skills and this move was particularly ruthless. The two maids struggled on the ground for a few moments before losing all their breath.

  On the other side, Shen Qing was already frightened out of his wits and hid under the table in a panic. Yu Qin Wang pulled out the hairpin from his throat, which although not inserted deeply, still bled quite a bit. Yu Qin Wang cursed loudly and then shouted: "Guards! Guards!"

  A guard hastily came in and Yu Qin Wang kicked the two corpses on the ground: "What's going on, check who it is."

  "Yes." The guard nodded, and as Yu Qinwang turned his head, he heard a "hiss" sound. He lowered his head to see a silver knife tip with bloodstains on his chest.

  Barely pierced through his chest from the front.

  Just then, one of Nuo's guards drew his sword. The body of Prince Yu stumbled and seemed to want to call out, but instead took a few steps forward and fell to the ground with a thud.

  The blade shone brightly, reflecting large bloodstains, the technique was extremely skilled, as if slaughtering pigs and sheep, one knife to kill, without any extra movements.

  The guard glanced at Yuqin Wang's body and looked at Shen Qing, who was trembling with fear under the table: "Are you Shen Qing?"

  "Is it... Brother Zhang? Are you here to rescue me, sent by Second Brother?" Shen Qing's eyes lit up as he looked at the other person.

  The guard didn't say anything and turned around to leave.

  Shen Qing had some doubts in her heart, wanting to go out. After thinking about it, she was afraid of facing the corpse of Yu Qinwang in the house. She gathered some gold and silver trinkets from the table, wrapped them in cloth, and prepared to leave.

  As soon as the door opened, he almost tripped over, and under the dim light of the lanterns, the corpses of the guards lying in front of the door were even more frightening. Shen Qing let out a cry of "ah" and looked outside.

  In the darkness, a solemn figure seemed to flash by quickly, and with each heavy thud that sounded, it made one's heart feel colder. The Yuqin Royal Manor was like a gloomy hell, the blizzard making it impossible to see what was happening outside, but the thick smell of blood was like a large net, tightly covering people's heads.

  It seems that even the snow has turned into a crimson carpet.

  Shenfu Xiyuan

  Bai Lu closed the window again and said: "The wind and snow outside are really heavy, the windows have been blown open several times, it's scary."

  "It's not, is it?" Frost said with a smile: "Listening to the old man say that this kind of weather is the heavenly master wanting to punish those sinners. It seems that the person who was punished this time must have done something very wrong, such a big blizzard, and many years have not been encountered."

  "What is the girl looking at?" Jing Zhen asked: "Is she still thinking about the wedding ceremony during the day?"

  After returning to the mansion at dusk, Shen Miao sat in front of the desk, seemingly lost in thought. She sat there until nightfall, and for some reason, Jing Xuan felt that she was waiting for something.

  What are you waiting for?

  Shen Miao shook her head: "Take another look."

  What? Guyu and Jingzhen stared at each other, it was pitch black outside, nothing could be seen clearly, what could Shen Miao see?

  Shen Miao lowered her eyelids, the lights in the house were quiet, outside the wind and snow were raging, in one night, how many more lives would be lost to the yellow spring?

  Shen Yuan said it right, she never leaves herself a way out, so she also never leaves others a way out.

  Slender fingers tapped slowly on the table, as if a pleasant rhythm, reminiscent of the strange ballad sung by the guilty woman in the cold palace.

  What ditty is being sung?

  Singing about good and evil having their retribution, the heavenly way is a good cycle of reincarnation.