As Xie Jinghang spoke, Gao Yang's playful expression also instantly retracted, and he looked at him saying: "You say, they've come to conquer the capital?"

  "These days you pay attention." Xie Jinghang frowned: "The things from the Yu Qin Wangfu may have been leaked out, and it's inevitable to expose your identity. These days, none of you should go out."

  "But how can you do it alone?" Before Gao Yang could speak, Ji Yu Shu hastily said: "You've already caught their attention, now that they've entered the capital city, they'll definitely come looking for you first. And you can't alert anyone else in the capital."

  "Don't worry." Xie Jinghang stretched his waist and a hint of cruelty flashed in his smile: "I've been waiting for them for a long time too."

  "Thank you, Third Brother, are you going to teach someone a lesson again?" Ji Yu Shu looked at him with sparkling eyes: "Can I come along this time?"

  "Go ahead," Xie Jingxing said casually, "you can be the target."

  Gao Yang: "......"

  The matter of the Yuqin Wang and Shen families in Beijing was soon submerged in the joy of the approaching New Year. As it was a new year, everywhere was filled with lively atmosphere. The brutal massacre on that stormy snowy night, as well as the desperate suicide in the gloomy prison, seemed to have been thrown out of people's minds.

  Nothing is more important than welcoming a new year, time will not stop here, new snow covers old snow, new topics cover old gossip, and new hope is always more delightful than the past.

  The emperor in the palace did not show any signs of depression due to this matter, and even spent a large amount of silver to set up a banquet in the palace, inviting all the concubines to celebrate the New Year together. It is clear that the death of his brother did not make Emperor Wenhui feel sad, which made the people feel that the rumors about the imperial family being ruthless were true. However, only truly wise people knew that Emperor Wenhui had eliminated a future trouble, and handled it so cleanly and efficiently, naturally feeling happy in his heart. Therefore, even the government could not find the murderer who destroyed the family, and the whole case became an unsolved case, and Emperor Wenhui did not pursue it too much.

  Shen Qing and Yu Pin Wang were buried together in the royal tomb. However, since Shen Qing had taken his own life, and at that time his status was too embarrassing, the imperial family did not provide any compensation. This made Old Lady Shen very indignant for a while.

  In the western courtyard of Shen's mansion, Bai Lu and Shuang Jiang were taking out books from Shen Miao's room to sun them.

  Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan went to the training ground early in the morning to train new recruits, as there were new soldiers to be trained during the New Year's festival. Shen Qiu also followed them to join in the fun, leaving only Shen Miao alone in the West Wing. "The young master had someone send over a lot of books again a few days ago, why don't we bring them out and sun them together?" Gu Yu asked Shen Miao.

  "I still need those books, no need to dry them." Shen Miao replied. Since Shen Qiu saw many military books in Shen Miao's room, he immediately told Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan with great enthusiasm, but Shen Miao had never shown any interest in military strategy before, so Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan thought she was just temporarily interested, however, they still searched for many military books to bring over.

  Unbeknownst to them, they thought the Shen family was planning to raise a little female general. Shen Miao naturally had no intention of becoming a female general, but rather the Shen family army would face many dangers in the future, and she could only rely on her understanding from the previous life to help the Shen family army overcome these possible difficulties. It wouldn't hurt to take a closer look.

  Bai Lu flipped through the pages of the book as she said, "Tomorrow is the Jade Rabbit Festival. I heard that this year there will be a grand spectacle of ten thousand lanterns by Wanli Lake. Are you going to go tomorrow, miss?"

  The Jade Rabbit Festival is a holiday in Mingqi, on the eve of New Year's Day every year. People walk out of their houses and come to the streets and alleys to watch flower lanterns and guess lantern riddles, it's very lively. In the flower lanterns, there will be a particularly large jade rabbit, blessing the entire Mingqi for a good harvest in the coming year. This year's Jade Rabbit Festival is different from previous years, this year's jade rabbit is on the water, at this time, the people can also put their own made flower lanterns on the water to pray for their inner wishes. The flower lanterns on the water, thinking about it, the scene must be very lively. Bailu and Shuangjiang are also young women in their prime, who love to play and enjoy new things, which is normal.

  "What nonsense," Gu Yu said with a frown, "The streets will definitely be crowded at this hour. What if something unexpected happens to you?"

  "But didn't we go every year?" Bailu said discontentedly.

  "Last year was last year, this year is this year!" Gu Yu said. Bai Lu was right, at this time last year, Shen Xin and his wife had already returned to Dingjing City, and the Jade Rabbit Festival was a time when the entire Shen Mansion went out together to watch the excitement. But this year, the Shen Mansion and the Yuqin Wang Mansion have encountered such a big event, and the culprit behind it has not been found yet. If someone takes advantage of the situation to retaliate, Shen Miao's situation is indeed precarious. The biggest excitement in the world is not as important as Shen Miao's safety.

  "It doesn't matter." Shen Miao smiled slightly: "I also wanted to go and take a look at the excitement, with my parents and older brother by my side, nothing bad would happen."

  "But..." Gu Yu wanted to persuade him further.

  "Let it be." Shen Miao interrupted her and walked back into the house. Gou Yu had no choice but to suppress the worries in her heart, unaware of when Shen Miao had also developed a stubborn personality, where was the previous image of seeking help from the two ladies of the second and third houses for everything? Having one's own thoughts is indeed good, but being stubborn can be very frustrating.

  Shen Miao returned to the house, walked to her desk and sat down. Her gaze fell on the plum tree branch outside, which was dotted with red dots, reminding her of the letter she had received earlier.

  The Chen brothers have returned to Jiangnan, and after the extermination of the Henan royal family, they never communicated again. Shen Miao was extremely cautious, and all communication with the Chen family was done through Mo Xiang sending messages to the Shens' pawnshop. Mo Xiang's slave contract is no longer in the Shen household now, and others wouldn't suspect her either.

  This time, Mo Qing brought back another message. The Flowing Firefly girl that Tuo Ji Yu had inquired about earlier finally had a lead on her whereabouts. She was indeed at the largest brothel in Dingjing City, the Treasure Fragrance Building of the Golden Pavilion. The Flowing Firefly girl was still one of the top beauties in the Treasure Fragrance Building. It was said that on the day of the Jade Rabbit Festival, she would also be playing the role of the Jade Rabbit Fairy and dancing by the side of the Wanli Lake. She really wanted to go take a look, and it just so happened that this was an opportunity.

  As for the revenge that Gu Yu was worried about, Shen Miao thought it was even more unnecessary. The Chen brothers were originally cooperating with her, where did the idea of revenge come from? As for the Shen Mansion, nowadays Old Lady Shen only saw people other than her two sons and the grandson of the second branch every day. The second branch of the Shen family was already finished, Shen Guang was busy flattering those in power, and wouldn't take action against her recently. The third branch had always been low-key and wouldn't stir up trouble at this critical moment.

  Now thinking back, there isn't a year that has made me feel more at ease than this one.

  As she thought this, Shen Miao's lips curled up slightly, and even Gu Yu outside couldn't help but pause. However, before she could react, the sound of footsteps echoed, and Jing Xuan walked in from outside, saying: "Miss, Madam Wan from the East Wing wants to come see you."

  Wan Shi? Gu Yu furrowed his brow and said in a low voice, "What is it with her again?"

  "This Old Lady Wang always runs into our yard." Frost and White Dew also whispered: "This is too eager to fawn on us."

  Several maids were not very welcoming to Madam Wan. In fact, since the incident with Ren Yuanyun and Shen Qing, they had been even more disgusted with people from the second house. No matter what Madam Wan's intentions were, she was still a person from the second house, always running over here, which made people feel uncomfortable.

  The other day when Wan Niang wanted to come and see Shen Miao, she was pushed away by Shen Miao with all sorts of excuses. But today she said: "Let her in."

  Jingzhen was stunned for a moment, and then responded and went out. However, it was Guyu and several others who had worried expressions on their faces, fearing that Wan Niang would come up with some bad idea again.

  After a moment, Wan Yiniang followed Sheng Xun in, and Shen Miao looked up at her.

  The woman wore a deep blue padded jacket, with a green skirt below, and a plain silver bangle on her wrist, looking very simple. However, upon closer inspection, the jacket was embroidered with small white flowers, the hem of the skirt had been altered to a wavy pattern, and a pair of pale hands were painted with bright red nail polish, dazzling the eyes. As for the waist of the padded jacket, it accentuated her already slender and elegant figure, making one's imagination run wild. Looking up, she had a melon-seed shaped face, big eyes, white skin, and red lips, and when she smiled and looked over, although she tried to restrain herself, the flirtatious charm in her bones was still revealed without a trace.

  This is a woman who knows how to hide, but it can be seen from the fact that she has not shown her face for many years for Shen Dongling. However, she is also a woman who cannot hold back her temper. As soon as Shen Qing died and Ren Yuanyun went crazy, she eagerly came out to show off. This kind of person, Shen Miao had seen many in the harem, with some cleverness and beauty, thinking that as long as they wanted to, they could firmly control a man's heart. But they didn't know that there were countless young women in the world, while men's hearts were the most unpredictable. If she could hold back her temper, maybe she would still have a special place in a man's heart. However, once she couldn't hold back her temper, those clever ideas became ridiculous self-righteousness.

  Obviously, Wan Yiniang is a self-proclaimed clever person.

  Wan Shi bowed to Shen Miao and sat down in front of her, sideways on a small table. She was leaning slightly, with her legs tilted, making her body look smooth and soft, worthy of being the red corner of the flower dan. Shen Miao looked at her calmly, without saying any unnecessary words, and directly asked: "Madam Wan, what brings you to find me?"

  Madam Wan did not expect Shen Miao to be so direct, and she was taken aback. She had heard that the Shen couple held the most power in the Shen household nowadays, and the original good-for-nothing Fifth Miss was now also a force to be reckoned with. Thinking that she came over to get familiar, but Shen Miao didn't even say a word of courtesy, which made Madam Wan somewhat unsure whether Shen Miao was ignorant of human relationships or deliberately being mysterious.

  Actually, Wan Niang thought too much, Shen Miao didn't care about her, it's just that one concubine wasn't even worth her glance.

  Madam Wan smiled and said, "As the New Year is approaching, I'll come over to visit Fifth Miss and exchange New Year's greetings with her." She added, "It seems that previously because of Eldest Miss' matter, there was an unpleasantness between you and Fifth Miss. I'm here to apologize on behalf of Master and Madam."

  Shen Miao looked at her with a faint smile that was not quite a smile: "Wan Niang, you're taking the blame for someone else like this, I wonder if Second Uncle and Second Aunt know about it?"

  The concubine Wan slightly choked, but continued to smile and say: "Naturally, I am a person of little importance, and I also heard Master mention that he was somewhat impulsive on that day. I took it upon myself to come and settle the score with Fifth Miss."

  Shen Miao stared at her, her eyes not blinking. Under Shen Miao's gaze, Wan Niang's face showed some restless emotions, but she quickly suppressed them. She smiled and said: "Actually, Third Miss also wanted to come see Fifth Miss, after all, they are sisters. However, Third Miss has been feeling a bit chilly lately and is afraid of drafts, so she said she'll come talk to Fifth Miss when her body feels better."

  Shen Dongling? Shen Miao raised an eyebrow.

  Besides the three legitimate daughters, there is actually a concubine daughter, Shen Dongling, born to Concubine Wan. In the Shen household, the third house of Shen Wan and Chen Ruoqiu only have one daughter, Shen Yue, while Shen Xin and his wife have two daughters, Shen Miao and Shen Qiu. The second house of Shen Gui also took in a concubine and had a concubine daughter, but she died young, which is why the ranking of the legitimate daughters in the Shen household is somewhat unusual.

  Shen Dongling ranked third, so she was called Third Miss. Ren Yuanyun had a jealous temperament, and after Shen Dongling was born, Madam Wan stayed in the courtyard all day without coming out. Shen Dongling was also weak and sickly, and Shen Miaoyan didn't have any impression of her at all. She was almost an invisible person, even if she were an illegitimate daughter from a noble family who wasn't favored, perhaps being bullied or scolded, but it wouldn't be like this, almost forgotten by people.

  Such a person, if not really weak and negligible, is strong enough to endure what ordinary people cannot. In her previous life, Shen Dongling was seemingly used as a pawn by Ren Yuanyun in exchange for Shen Guishi's career advancement and given to someone else. In this life, Ren Yuanyun has lost power, Wan Yiniang has risen again, and whether Shen Dongling's fate will change because of this is unknown.

  "Third sister's body is not good, so don't come out anymore." Shen Miao said indifferently: "If you catch a cold again because of this, I won't be able to bear it."

  Madam Wan's expression turned slightly unpleasant, but she still wore a smile on her face. "This is Third Miss showing her affection for Fifth Miss," she said. "It's all my fault, really. Third Miss has been ill since birth and can only watch the other children play from inside the courtyard all these years... it's all my mistake..." After speaking, she turned her head to the side, covering her mouth with the handkerchief in her hand, looking extremely sorrowful.

  Shen Miao couldn't bear to see Wan Niang's pretentious behavior, and said lightly: "No one can control their own fate. Moreover, Third Sister staying in the courtyard isn't necessarily a bad thing. Eldest Sister has enjoyed all that she should have enjoyed, but who knows, she had a short life despite her beauty." Her lips curled slightly: "A person's good fortune is not something that can be seen on the surface."

  When these words came out, Wan Niang suddenly looked at Shen Miao with some surprise and uncertainty. After a moment, she forced a smile and said: "Miss Five is right." She suddenly stood up again, looking at Shen Miao and saying: "Miss Five, I suddenly remembered that there are still some things, so I'll take my leave first. If one day Miss Five is free, Third Miss will come to chat with Miss Five, her body is not good, please take care of her more." After speaking, she bowed to Shen Miao and left in a hurry, but compared to when she came, her figure seemed much more flustered.

  Jing Zhen was pouring tea on one side, watching Wan Niang's hurriedly departing back and wondered: "What does Wan Niang mean? Did she come to make amends? And San Gu Niang, San Gu Niang has not left the house for many years, and has rarely seen her daughter, how can she speak as if they have a deep affection?"

  "It's true." Gu Yu said while collecting the tea cups that Wan Niang had left on the table, "Now that I think about it, I also can't quite recall what Third Young Miss looks like anymore. She's a young lady of the manor, after all, and yet she's been hidden away for so many years, probably to avoid Second Madam. It's really pitiful."

  "What's pitiful?" Shen Miao picked up the tea on the table, took a sip: "I'm afraid in her eyes, you are still quite pitiful."

  "Her?" Astonished and puzzled: "Miss, are you referring to Third Miss?"

  Shen Miao smiled: "I was wrong, it seems that there is still a clever person in our household."

  Today, Madam Wan came over with the intention of probing. However, for someone as clever and perceptive as Madam Wan to think of this method of probing, on the surface it seems like she's eager to announce that she has regained Chen Gui's favor, but upon closer thought, it doesn't quite add up. The dragon is seen at first but not at last; that one person who hasn't shown her face, Shen Dongling, is actually much cleverer than Shen Qing.

  However... regardless of which side she's on, Shen Miao would never consider her a friend, let alone a sister.

  "Be careful." She put down the teacup in her hand and reminded the maids beside her.

  But on the other hand, Wan's mother hastily returned to her own courtyard, closed the door, and took three steps forward in two strides. She said to the figure sitting behind the screen: "Lian'er."

  The figure behind the screen paused, looking at Wan Niangniang. Wan Niangniang let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the wooden chair, recounting the conversation she had with Shen Miao earlier that day, word for word. As an actress who played the role of a flower girl, she had a good memory, and her retelling of the dialogue between the two people was so vivid it seemed as if it were happening right in front of them. After finishing, Wan Niangniang asked: "Lian'er, what did Fifth Miss mean by those words? Listening to them made my heart feel cold; do you think... that the matter with Eldest Miss has something to do with Fifth Miss?"

  "Auntie, be careful with your words," the person behind the screen said: "Big sister's matter has already passed, whatever is said outside is what it is, absolutely do not mention this matter again, otherwise, you will only harm yourself."

  "I just feel a bit uneasy in my heart," said Wan Niang.

  A faint sigh came from behind the screen, and the person sitting there put down the embroidery in their hand, stood up, and walked to Wan's wife's side.

  That was also a delicate and beautiful young girl. Compared to Shen Qing's generosity, Shen Yue's elegance, and Shen Miao's dignity, this young girl seemed soft and weak, with some resemblance to Wan's mother-in-law, having a melon-seed-shaped face and big eyes. If her eyes were more spirited, she would probably be scolded as a little fox spirit. However, her complexion was pale, even her lips had no blood color, which weakened that charm, making her seem harmless instead.

  She was wearing a faded yellow blouse that might have belonged to Wan Jiaoniang, but the girl's figure wasn't as full as Wan Jiaoniang's, so it hung loosely on her and seemed a bit too big. As a result, the beautiful color was somewhat discounted, making it seem rather ordinary.

  That girl was Shen Dongling, a concubine daughter from the second branch of the Shen family.

  "Now everything is much better than before," Shen Dongling comforted: "At least my aunt and I can go out freely, and we don't have to be threatened by our husbands."

  "It's not easy living in the Shen household," Madam Wan said, looking at her daughter with a tinge of sadness: "In the past, I was blinded by wealth and status, thinking that entering the Shen household would allow me to live a carefree life for the rest of my days. Who knew that even the wealthy and powerful have their own struggles? And now, you've been dragged into this too... all these years, just to survive under the mistress's watchful eye, we've had to live like this. The people in this household are formidable, even that originally quiet and unassuming Fifth Miss is now quite intimidating..."

  "Auntie," Shen Dongling shook her head, "Regardless of whether Big Sister's matter has anything to do with Fifth Sister or not, after all, the person behind the scenes also helped us out. Now that Madame wants to turn things around again, it's very difficult for her, even if Second Brother is formidable, Madame holds the title, but she herself no longer has her former ambitions, in the end, she can't compare to us."

  "It's true," said Wan Niang with a relieved look at Shen Dongling: "After all, we've managed to get our heads above water. However, Dongling, today I went to probe the Fifth Miss, and she was quite cold towards me. I'm afraid she doesn't want to accept our overtures. What can we do now?"

  "It's not accepted, then it's not accepted." Shen Dongling smiled: "Fifth sister seems to be a clever person too. Since that's the case, from now on, don't go provoke her again. If possible, let her deal with Second Brother instead."

  "Second Master?" Madam Wan was taken aback: "The Second Master has already started his official career, and the Fifth Miss is just a little girl, how can she be a match for the Second Master?"

  "Auntie can rest assured." Shen Dongling said: "Fifth sister is not a simple person, she is the sharpest and most useful knife in the Shen household."

  The subtle movements between the East Wing and West Wing of Shen Mansion are probably unknown to outsiders. Except for those within the mansion, in the eyes of others in Dingjing City, the General's Mansion has always been a harmonious and filial scene. This was true until this year, but unfortunately, things in life are constantly changing, and sometimes seeds buried too deeply will sprout and grow at an unexpected moment.

  Outside the Shen Mansion, Mo Jing was sparring with Ah Zhi, one of Shen Qiu's personal guards. Ah Mo was currently one of the best fighters under Shen Qiu, yet Mo Jing could hold his own against him. Shen Miao had initially introduced Mo Jing to Shen Qiu, who also wanted to test Mo Jing's skills. As a result, Mo Jing proved to be quite impressive.

  Shen Qiu was overjoyed, and General Shen had no weak soldiers under his command. The more strong soldiers he had, the more renowned the Shen family's military would be. Since recruiting Mo Jing, Shen Qiu had been constantly praising Shen Miao for having a good eye for talent, occasionally even asking Shen Miao to go to the market again to "accidentally" discover such talented individuals, all of whom were rebuffed by Shen Miao with a cold shoulder. In his previous life, there was only one commander of the imperial guard, so according to Shen Qiu's logic, weren't all the alleys and streets filled with commanders of the imperial guard?

  A Zhi and Mo Qiang exchanged a round of hands, both were sweating profusely. A Zhi suddenly gulped down a big mouthful of water and said: "Fighting with Brother Mo is really refreshing! Brother Mo's swordsmanship is truly extraordinary, it makes people's eyes burn."

  Mo Qing cupped his hands: "Brother Ah Zhi, you're overpraising me. My swordsmanship can't be considered extraordinary, there are people outside of people and heavens beyond the heavens, this world has many superior individuals."

  "Could there be someone whose swordsmanship surpasses that of Mo Brother?" Ah Zhi laughed and said, "Then I really must see it for myself!"

  Mo Ke remained silent, but in his mind, he recalled that night at Wodragon Temple. He had carried Shen Qing and exchanged her with Shen Miao, changing the fate of two people on that night. On that night, a man in black had slipped in through the window and easily took his sword within five moves. In that person's hands, he was as helpless as a child. He heard Shen Miao call out to him: "Xiao Hou Ye".

  That young man's swordsmanship is truly transcendent.

  "Azhi sighed and finally spoke up: "I don't know what it's like to fight alongside Brother Mo on the battlefield, but I'm getting impatient. Unfortunately, the general wants to stay in Dingjing City for half a year because of Miss, so we'll have to wait another half a year to join forces and retreat from the enemy." He looked at Mo Qing: "Speaking of which, our family's young lady is indeed wise and able to recognize heroes, it's not easy to discover someone like you, Brother Mo."

  "Miss is an extraordinary person." Mo Cheng said. Having followed Shen Miao for a long time, Shen Miao's actions were not to his liking. As a woman, Shen Miao was cruel and heartless, without sympathy, ruthless and cold-blooded. Yet, she still couldn't be hated because the people she dealt with were all those who wanted her dead.

  Mo Qiang remembered that Shen Miao had opened the curtain of the horse carriage on that day and asked him with a smile: "Are you willing to sell all your martial arts skills to me, the Shen family?"

  A gentleman would lay down his life for a friend; Shen Miao is, in some ways, exactly that kind of person to Mo Ruo.

  "Azhi punched him: "I know, you're the one Miss chose, of course she sees your good qualities. Tomorrow on Jade Rabbit Day, take good care of her."

  "Huh?" Mo Ke suddenly lifted his head and looked up.

  "What?" Ah Zhi also followed his gaze and inexplicably said: "There's nothing."

  "It was probably just my imagination." Mo Ang shook his head and ignored the strange feeling that had just risen to the surface of his mind.

  On the other side of the wall, there were two people squatting at this moment. Both of them wore hemp clothes and straw hats, covering their faces tightly, and it was impossible to see their appearance at a glance.

  "One of them said: 'Indeed, the Shen family is full of talented people. Even a guard has such skills and almost discovered you and me.'"

  "Not good," another person whispered, "there are many guards outside the Shen mansion, and with Shen Xin's soldiers on hand, it would be too risky to make a move from inside. It might also alert them and make things even more difficult in the future if we want to protect Shen Miao."

  "The superior has given the order, and it's not easy to get any news." The other person said: "Catch her and ask for the result, this trip will not be in vain, you and I are just waiting for promotion and advancement. How can we give up halfway?"

  "Nature can't be abandoned," the straw hat man chuckled: "Just now, two guards didn't say that tomorrow is the Jade Rabbit Festival, Shen Miao will go out, and at that time, people will surge forward. It's not easy to do something, then one group of people will divert the Shen family, and another group of people will take her away."

  "Get it over with quickly." The man's words were laced with a ruthless tone: "To eliminate any future troubles, once we get the information, we'll bind you and throw you into the lake. Don't think of anything else."

  "Nature."