Shen Miao sat in the Rong Xing Princess's residence for a moment, changed into another set of clothes, and had her hair redone by the maid. Only after finishing a cup of tea did Princess Rong Xing come in.

  "Shen's girl is fine, I suppose." Princess Rongxin smiled and said: "I've already ordered the kitchen to bring some ginger tea. On a cold day like today, it's good to warm up the body, don't catch a chill."

  "Thank you, Princess," Shen Miao replied with a smile. However, she was somewhat suspicious in her heart. The Princess had never been so gentle and courteous to her before. At this moment, it was still the same face, but there was not a hint of the previous sternness and coldness on her face, which made Shen Miao wonder if the person in front of her was really Princess Rong Xin.

  While she was thinking, Princess Rongxin was also sizing her up, with a thoughtful gaze. Although Princess Rongxin didn't like going out, the rumors and gossip of Dingjing City would still reach her ears, precisely because she wasn't often outside, the news had stopped at the fact that the eldest daughter of the Shen family in Dingjing City was an airhead.

  In Rong Xin's impression, Shen Miao was a timid and weak-willed woman who was extremely bold in pursuing men, but had no talent or virtue, and was born with a common appearance. She didn't deserve to be with Xie Jinghang, who excelled in both looks and learning. However, at this moment, the young girl's appearance was elegant and refined, her eyes were clear as water, and even sitting down, she had an air of nobility and dignity that was rare for someone of her age, making Rong Xin change her opinion slightly.

  Tonight, the crowd at Wanli Lake was overwhelming, and Shen Niang got separated from her family. She must have been scared. Princess Rongxin smiled: "After we finish drinking ginger tea, I'll have someone escort you back home." Her face showed a hint of probing: "Today's incident, my nephew actually begged me to help him for the first time ever."

  "The nephew" naturally refers to Xie Jinghang. Shen Miao looked at the profound expression of Rong Xin Gongzhu and didn't know how to respond, so she paused for a moment before saying: "Young Master Xie is chivalrous and righteous, today he has also troubled us." After speaking, she was again stung by her own words - Xie Jinghang being chivalrous and righteous? It's clear that he's actually black-hearted. Today, it was originally because of Xie Jinghang that she got dragged into trouble, yet now it seems like she's the one who owes him a favor.

  Rong Xin Gongzhu saw that Shen Miao was somewhat distant, seemingly intentionally clearing her relationship with Xie Jingxuan. She felt even more satisfied in her heart. If Shen Miao were the type to cling to someone's face, she would have eagerly clarified her unusual relationship with Xie Jingxuan today, and insisted on relying on him. Rong Xin Gongzhu would not hesitate to look down on Shen Miao. Although it is delightful to see young men and women in love, after all, they come from a strict imperial family, and private transactions are indeed looked down upon.

  "Don't mention it." Princess Rongxin smiled warmly: "Jing Xing, that child, has also said so. You are his friend, and friends don't need to stand on ceremony. Speaking of which, Jing Xing is my nephew. Since you have a relationship with him, you can consider me as your aunt too."

  Shen Miao nearly choked on her tea. Consider Rong Xing Gongzhu as a close aunt? Even if in her past life she had married Fu Xiuyu, and Rong Xing Gongzhu really became her aunt, later when she wanted to make amends with Rong Xing Gongzhu in private, Rong Xing Gongzhu coldly said: "Forget it, this palace doesn't have a niece like you."

  That cold and distant Rong Xin princess who had previously rejected her attempts to get close, was now affectionately saying to her: "You can also consider me as your aunt." Shen Miao felt that she was probably dreaming.

  Seeing her being a bit dazed, Princess Rongxin felt that this child was indeed sincere and didn't have the cunning of those young ladies from noble families. She pulled Shen Miao's hand and said: "This palace doesn't have any children, you can come to this palace to sit for a while in the future." She took off her own bracelet and put it on Shen Miao's wrist: "Consider this as a gift from this palace for our first meeting."

  "This is too valuable." Shen Miao declined. This bangle was a sandalwood peony jade double ring, with five gold rings linked together, which was the dowry of the late Empress Dowager, also the mother of Princess Rongxin. Later, when Princess Rongxin got married, it was given to her. Shen Miao had seen Princess Rongxin wear this double ring in her previous life, and she knew how much she treasured it.

  "You wear it." Princess Rongxin smiled and said, "It's just a small trinket, gold, silver, pearls, and the like. I suppose you Shen family have them all, so don't be disdainful of this one."

  "The queen's bangle is too precious for a humble subject like me," Shen Miao said: "But it's still too expensive..."

  Rong Xin Gongzhu was taken aback: "How did you know this was the Imperial Dowager's bangle?"

  Shen Miao also followed suit, silently cursing her bad luck in her heart. As she was the first to enter the six palaces in her previous life, she naturally knew everything about the women's affairs in the palace. However, in this life, she was only a daughter of a minister's family and wouldn't know such imperial private matters.

  Seeing the suspicious gaze of Princess Rongxin, Shen Miaoling's mind moved and she smiled: "I once heard that Young Master Xie had a good relationship with Your Highness, often mentioning Your Highness."

  "So that's how it is." Princess Rongxin's expression suddenly softened, and she smiled with relief: "The palace has also treated him as its own child all these years, and it's hard for him to still have a conscience." As she spoke, her gaze at Shen Miao was different: "However, he actually told you about this matter..."

  Shen Miao's body stiffened, and indeed, Princess Rongxin said: "It seems that he really regards you as a 'friend'." Princess Rongxin sighed: "Jing Xing, this child, although he looks a bit mischievous, is actually good. In all these years, I haven't seen him care about any girl like this." She smiled warmly at Shen Miao: "You're the first one."

  Shen Miao thought to herself, Princess Rong Xin's behavior was really similar to that of Xie Jingxuan's birth mother. However, Xie Jingxuan had taken a liking to her, but not because of any romantic feelings; rather, he probably had suspicions about her as well. Dealing with such an intelligent person made every step feel like a headache.

  At this moment, the maid brought over some ginger tea that had been simmered to perfection. Princess Rongxin chatted with Shen Miao while watching her drink the ginger tea. The more they chatted idly, the more Princess Rongxin liked Shen Miao. She discovered that Shen Miao was not only not stupid and foolish as rumored, but also knowledgeable and broad-minded, with a magnanimous temperament. Although their conversation was simple, it didn't feel stiff or awkward at all. She wondered where this young lady, who had been raised in the inner chambers, got such a broad perspective. Thinking back to Shen Miao's past infatuation with Ding Wang, Princess Rongxin felt a hint of worry in her heart. Although Ding Wang was also her nephew, compared to Fu Xiuyi, Princess Rongxin's heart naturally leaned more towards Xie Jingxuan. And she didn't want such an excellent girl to be missed by her own nephew, so during their idle chat, she kept praising Xie Jingxuan.

  Rong Xin Gongzhu was cold and aloof by nature, not to mention outsiders, even when facing Emperor Wen Hui, she was still icy. But today, she was chatting with a strange girl with great pleasure, almost dropping the jaws of all the servants in the Gongzhu Mansion.

  But little did she know that Shen Miao had married Fu Xiuyi in her previous life and had tried to win over all the relatives around him, including Princess Rongxin. She had naturally learned how to cater to her tastes. However, her efforts had been in vain back then, but now, simply because of an additional layer of relationship with Xie Jingxuan, she happened to hit it off with Princess Rongxin's preferences. If only she knew that Princess Rongxin was so easy to get along with, wouldn't it have been better if she had just maintained a good relationship with Xie Jingxuan in her previous life?

  Just as the incense was about to burn out, Princess Rongxin finally stood up with a lingering tone and said: "It's getting late, if I don't send you back to the mansion now, Shen General and Madame Shen will be worried sick. The palace has already prepared the carriage, let's send you back." After speaking, she got up and instructed the attendants.

  Dai Shen Miao was startled by the sudden appearance of Rong Xin Gong Zhu's luxurious carriage, which was accompanied by a large group of sword-carrying guards. Rong Xin Gong Zhu smiled and said, "There are many people on the streets today, so I've brought more guards to prevent any unexpected incidents."

  The other side was kind, Shen Miao had no reason to refuse, and besides, taking advantage of the momentum of Princess Rongxin's power, it just happened that some people in the Shen Mansion could be rectified. She then thanked Princess Rongxin with a smile and boarded the carriage.

  In the streets of Beijing, the crowds have not diminished until now, and the fireworks are indeed going to be set off for a whole night. On the bustling streets, there appeared such a group of showy people and horse-drawn carriages, which inevitably attracted attention.

  On the city wall at the corner of the street, a young man in a fox fur coat was standing at this moment, accompanied by a middle-aged big man. The big man said: "The princess actually sent out so many guards to escort Miss Shen back to her residence."

  "Rong Yi isn't someone who is easy to get along with." The young man said with interest, "This Miss Shen from the Shen family has quite a reputation."

  The middle-aged man was silent, when he suddenly heard a young boy beside him say: "How's the live one you caught today?"

  "All the masters are locked up in the tower, among them three are dead men who have taken poison and killed themselves. The remaining three had their lower jaws removed, they were bitten to death and refused to speak."

  "Then pick one and crush his bones, don't let a single inch of him go, killing the chicken to warn the monkey doesn't need me to teach."

  "Yes." Da Han hesitated for a moment: "Mixed into the city..."

  "Find out and kill without pardon."

  The bustling streets of Beijing were teeming with people, but beneath the surface, a sense of unease and danger lurked, yet there was no sign of it in the general's mansion.

  In the main hall of Shen's residence, everyone stood solemnly. Standing in the middle, Mr. and Mrs. Shen's faces were filled with anxiety and worry, while Shen Qiu looked utterly disheartened.

  They searched the whole night but couldn't find any trace of Shen Miao. Shen Xin and his wife weren't fools, they knew that in this situation, it was unlikely that she had been kidnapped by ordinary kidnappers. Who would dare to kidnap Shen Miao when the Shen family's guards were just a few steps away? Ordinary kidnappers wouldn't take such a huge risk. They were probably worried that someone was seeking revenge.

  The Shen couple didn't know about the Yuqin Wangfu's situation, but Shen Qiu was well aware of it. The destruction of the Yuqin Wangfu was likely related to Shen Miao, and if there were remnants of the Yuqin Wangfu who wanted to avenge their master, it was easy to imagine what would happen if Shen Miao fell into their hands.

  Shen Xin and the Shen family army were all mobilized, and they secretly notified the city's defense general to guard the city gate. The entire capital city was searched house by house, but nothing could be found. As time passed, Shen Xin and his men were almost driven mad.

  "Big brother and sister, this is not a good way to handle things now. Why don't... we report it to the authorities instead? If we report it to the authorities, with the Metropolitan Governor intervening, it will be better for us. What we are doing now is not a solution."

  "Not bad," Shen Wan also spoke up: "Big brother, the longer we drag this out, the more unfavorable it is for Xiao Wu. The Shen family's army has been searching outside, others will also suspect if they see us."

  Shen Yue stood behind Chen Ruoqiu, lowering her head to avoid revealing the corners of her mouth that were curled up. It serves her right! Shen Miao had lost this matter and it was probably the most delightful thing she had heard today. She didn't think about anything else, just hoping that Shen Miao would also be like Shen Qing, being slandered and having her reputation ruined, so that from then on, among the legitimate daughters of the Shen family, only she would be superior. At that time, even if Shen Xin and his wife held power and had Shen Qiu as a brother to protect her, what could they do? Shen Miao's reputation would be completely destroyed, and for the rest of her life, she wouldn't be able to hold her head up!

  "No way," said Luo Xueyan, her eyebrows furrowed and glaring at Chen Ruoqiu: "If it's reported to the authorities, Jiao Jiao's reputation will be completely ruined!" Today, Shen Miao went missing, originally wanting to hide it from others, but unfortunately, the people of the Shen family are all clever, and the truth eventually came out.

  Shen Xin and Shen Qiu searched all night but to no avail, so they ordered their men to continue searching while they returned to the manor to make arrangements.

  "Eldest sister-in-law," Chen Ruoqiu said with a sincere face: "Is Jiao's reputation important or is her life important? If the daughter's family loses her life for the sake of reputation, I'm afraid you will regret it later."

  "Chen Ruoqiu, who are you cursing!" Lu Xueyan shouted in anger as soon as she heard it. She was a hot-tempered person and couldn't tolerate anyone saying anything bad about Shen Miao, immediately turning against Chen Ruoqiu.

  "What's all the fuss about!" The usually silent Mrs. Shen suddenly spoke up, glaring at Luo Xueyan: "You lost your own sister and now you're taking it out on others! Was Er Ye's family wrong? After so long, Wu Jie's life is already gone, what's the point of caring about reputation?"

  On the surface, these words seemed to be considering Shen Miao's well-being, but Luo Xueyan felt uncomfortable and subconsciously wanted to refute them.

  "Right, Auntie," Shen Yuan also spoke up: "Even if we don't report to the authorities, with the Shen family's guards making such a big show of searching for someone outside, I'm afraid by tomorrow someone will have guessed the truth. At that time, reporting to the authorities or not won't make a difference."

  Shen Yuan had always regarded Shen Miao as a thorn in his eye, and he couldn't wait to get rid of her. Now that she was already in trouble, how could he not add fuel to the fire?

  Shen Gui was even more delighted, but he was used to not being the one in charge, so he just shook his head and said: "Alas, Xiao Wu is such a good kid, how did she end up in this situation? Big brother, do you have any enemies?" What Shen Gui hated most was Shen Xin. Shen Xin had outstanding achievements and was always one step ahead of him in the imperial court. If Shen Miao got into trouble because of Shen Xin's fault, he feared that Shen Xin would feel guilty for life, so Shen Gui stabbed a knife at Shen Xin's heart.

  Wan Yiniang pulled Shen Dongling to stand behind Shen Gui, she was the aunt, and there was no place for her to speak here. She just listened to others talking without making a sound, secretly rejoicing that she had pulled Shen Dongling tightly, not letting Shen Dongling be taken away by someone else as well. Shen Dongling lowered her head, unable to see her expression clearly.

  "Alright, let's get this over with. It's all going to come out anyway, and reporting it now might spare Fifth Sister some suffering. Let's report it quickly." Old Lady Shen said, a glint flashing in her eyes. What she hated most was that the eldest son of the old general's first wife always suppressed her own sons, but fortunately, Shen Miao wasn't competitive, which made her feel more at ease. Who knew that from some unknown time, Shen Miao had surpassed both Shen Qing and Shen Yue, and now with Shen Qiu wandering around the manor every day, it was suffocating for her. This time, seeing Shen Miao in trouble, Old Lady Shen almost felt a sneaky joy. She couldn't wait for everyone in the entire city to know that Shen Miao had been kidnapped by a rascal and lost her innocence, so that the Shen family's main house would be unable to hold their heads up high. That would be truly delightful!

  Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan hadn't spoken yet, but Shen Qiu had already clenched his fists. Although he was young and impulsive, it didn't mean he couldn't read between the lines. On the surface, these people were all speaking in concern for Shen Miao, but their eyes betrayed them, flashing with schadenfreude and a desire to kick someone while they're down. No wonder, no wonder that in just one year, Shen Miao had changed so much, becoming cunning and mature beyond her years, not at all like a child. It was clear now, clearer than ever before, what kind of environment Shen Miao lived in.

  Lu Xueyan and Shen Xin exchanged a glance, their eyes almost fierce. If the temple fire could still be explained as a misunderstanding, after all, they didn't see the cause of the incident, but this scene was clearly presented in front of them. Lu Xueyan was furious, while Shen Xin was extremely shocked and disappointed.

  He had treated them with kindness and respect, offering help when needed, but now that his daughter was in trouble, he saw their faces filled with schadenfreude. Shen Xin suddenly felt that the warm and harmonious scenes of the past were utterly ironic.

  "Those people will make Five Little Sister suffer, won't they? Five Little Sister is born beautiful, I've heard that beautiful girls are sold to faraway places... If it's not a kidnapping, even if it's not, after such a big fuss, they still won't let Five Little Sister live a good life." As she spoke, two tears rolled down her face, as if she was extremely sorrowful.

  Shen Dongling, who was standing quietly on one side, had a hint of sarcasm flash through her eyes, but she still remained silent and didn't say anything.

  "Big brother, will you report it to the authorities or not?" Shen Wan asked.

  The atmosphere was tense when suddenly a servant's panting voice came from outside: "Madam, Master, Fifth Miss is back!"

  That little servant ran into the main hall, without even catching his breath, and said: "The fifth young lady has been sent back by the people of the princess's mansion!"

  Everyone was shocked by the sudden news of Shen Miao's return to the mansion. Just as Shen Xin and his wife were surprised, they heard the three words "Princess Mansion" and couldn't react for a moment. It was Shen Wan who took a step forward and asked: "Which Princess Mansion?"

  That little fellow caught his breath and said excitedly, "It's Princess Rongxin who has sent many people to escort the Fifth Miss back to the mansion. The guards are all standing at the gate!"

  Princess Rongxin?

  Chen Ruoqiu's footsteps paused for a moment, and she bit her lip tightly.

  Rong Xin Gongzhu doesn't ask about court affairs, it may not be a big deal for men, but it's different for women, especially the noblewomen in the capital. Now all the imperial consorts have to give Rong Xin Gongzhu face, but she herself is extremely difficult to get close to, being stern and strict. Many noble ladies who wanted to curry favor with her ended up losing out. And yet this legendary strict princess personally sent Shen Miao back? Looking at this situation, it's not even a low-key move?

  Chen Ruoqiu was almost driven mad by jealousy in her heart.

  Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan didn't say a word, but rushed out the door towards the gate of the mansion. The others saw this and followed suit. As they approached, they saw that the entrance to the general's mansion was packed with people, all wearing armor and carrying swords. It was truly frightening to see so many people. The entrance was also surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, mostly ordinary citizens who had no idea what was going on at the Shen mansion.

  Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan were taken aback, as so many guards were beyond their expectation. Then they saw a woman in official attire walk up to the carriage and help Shen Miao down.

  Lu Xueyan hastily went to meet her, worried and said: "Jiao Jiao!" After looking Shen Miao up and down, seeing that Shen Miao's expression was as usual, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

  The female official smiled and said, "Today is the day when Princess is playing at Wanli Lake. Unfortunately, she met Miss Shen Wu who got lost. The princess's carriage accidentally knocked down Miss Shen Wu, so she took Miss Shen Wu back to the princess's mansion to rest. Unexpectedly, it made General Shen and Mrs. Shen anxious. The princess asked her maid to apologize."

  The most straightforward explanation is that Shen Miao and Princess Rongxin are together, although there may be some ulterior motives. However, since Princess Rongxin has already spoken out, who would dare to question it? Today, with so many guards and onlookers, even if someone wanted to spread unfavorable rumors, no one would believe them. This is the true proof of Shen Miao's innocence.

  Behind the crowd, Old Lady Shen's face turned iron-green with anger. Today was a good day to wait for Shen Miao's misfortune, but unexpectedly, Princess Rongxin appeared halfway through, and Old Lady Shen also hated Princess Rongxin who intervened in other people's business.

  "Your Highness is too kind, it should be me, Shen Mou, thanking Your Highness for saving my little girl," Shen Xin replied.

  The maid hastily stepped aside and smiled: "I don't dare to receive General Shen's courtesy. The person has been sent, so I'll take my leave first." After saying that, she urged the guards to move on again, wanting to leave, but suddenly remembered something, walked to Shen Miao's side and said: "The princess is very fond of Miss Shen Wu, today's reception was hasty, before leaving, she also said that if Miss Shen Wu has some free time in the future, please come to the princess's mansion for a visit, the princess will definitely entertain her well." After finishing speaking, she left with the horse-drawn carriage and the guards.

  Rong Xin Gong Zhu was very fond of Shen Miao and even let her go to the princess's mansion to sit for a while?

  The Shen family stood at the gate, stunned by the last words of the female official. Shen Yue almost twisted the handkerchief in her hand to shreds, she naturally knew Princess Rongxin and also knew how difficult it was to get close to this princess. Now Shen Miao didn't know what kind of magic she used, even Princess Rongxin looked at her with new eyes, after all, she had established a relationship with the royal family, would she be able to establish a connection with Prince Ding's mansion from that day on?

  Shen Yue was really anxious this time.

  Shen Dongling's eyes moved slightly, and she heard Wan Niang's envious voice: "The fifth young lady is really lucky, this is a princess after all."

  Shen Yuan let out a cold snort, and without another glance at the entrance of the mansion, he turned around and left with a flick of his sleeve. Shen Miao smiled faintly at the people of the Shen family: "I've caused everyone to worry today."

  She said it so lightly, immediately making Mr. and Mrs. Shen think of the faces of the people in the Shen family just now, and their faces suddenly looked a bit ugly. Seeing that Shen Miao was fine, the group of people from the Shen family were even more disappointed, and looking at Shen Miao who could only pant with anger, after Old Lady Shen scolded her a few times, they all found an excuse to leave.

  Shen Miao followed Shen Qiu as they walked towards the West Wing. Seeing that Shen Qiu's face didn't look very good, she felt a sense of clarity in her heart.

  She had been deliberately dragging her feet and not allowing the Princess's residence to inform Shen's family of his whereabouts ahead of time. Adversity reveals true intentions, but it can also reveal false ones. It is impossible for Shen Xin to change his nature overnight towards Shen's family, just as she had held onto hope for Fu Xiuyi until the very end of her previous life. Emotions imposed by people cannot be withdrawn overnight, and it will take some time for Shen Xin to completely change his views on Shen's family.

  It's just the right opportunity to let Shen Xin see clearly what kind of wolves the Shen family is. When they were still in the mansion, facing the misfortunate Shen Miao, the Shen family was able to be so heartless and cruel. And when Shen Xin was not in Dingjing, all that Shen Miao suffered, Shen Xin isn't a fool, he can naturally guess.

  As expected, when they arrived at the West Wing, Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan carefully asked about some things that had happened tonight, confirmed that she was fine, and then instructed Shen Miao to rest early. The two of them left, and as they were leaving, they also called out to Shen Qiu, clearly wanting to discuss something.

  After the three of them left, Shen Miao took advantage of the fact that no one was around to roll up her pant legs, revealing a small wound on her calf wrapped in white gauze, which seemed to still retain the warmth of someone's palm.

  A night full of unexpected events, yet it seems I've gained a deeper understanding of Xie Jinghang. However, the more I understand my opponent, the more I feel a sense of danger. In the future... it's better to have less dealings with him.

  In the east wing of Shen's mansion, Shen Yuan sat in his room with a gloomy and uncertain expression.

  After Ren Yuanyun went mad, he rarely visited her, and with Shen Gui, there was a kind of vague estrangement. He wasn't someone who valued emotions or righteousness anyway; he could even kill his own sister for the sake of self-interest, so everything naturally took second place to benefits.

  Tonight, Shen Miao was thought to have narrowly escaped disaster, but unexpectedly she not only returned unscathed, but also managed to get involved with the Princess's Manor. This made Shen Jian sense a hint of danger - it wasn't that his opponent was strong and shouldn't be feared, what was frightening was that this opponent was constantly getting stronger.

  From a bullied and weak young lady to someone who is now underestimated by no one, with deep thoughts and ruthless means, even the stubborn Princess Rong Xin was subdued by Shen Miao. This makes people wonder that if Shen Miao has the intention in the future, will she be able to find an even stronger person as her backing? Will she win over more people and then deal with him next?

  It's shameful for someone as proud as Shen Yuan to treat a little girl as an opponent. However, he also had to admit that this young girl who had just reached the age of wearing hairpins was the one who made his second wife become what she is today. Shen Yuan would never leave himself with future troubles, and since Shen Miao had ruined his second wife to such an extent, it's clear that she wouldn't end well, and eventually, the spearhead would be pointed at him.

  It's just that Shen Miao isn't difficult to deal with, the problem is that there are still Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan behind her. After all, I have to consider a few factors, however... Shen Ye looked at the letter in his hand and suddenly smiled.

  Although the Shen family's main house has strong military power, if there is no one to inherit... it will be nothing but a pile of rotten mud. I don't know if Shen Xinyi and his wife would also go mad with pain like Ren Yuanyun after losing Shen Miao and Shen Qiu, this pair of siblings.