The ugly affair at the Shen family banquet did not spread out. However, what was said to have "spread" only referred to among the common people. As for the noble families and clans, they had always been connected by a thousand threads. This lady would tell that lady as a joke, and in private, it had actually spread long ago. Shen's old madam's clever words had also pushed herself into a dead end. If she didn't do what she said, it would be a blatant slap in the face. If she did what she said, losing an excellent grandson would not be easy to accept.

  However, because of this matter, the eldest wife and Old Lady Shen have thoroughly fallen out. Originally, it was just a distant relationship between the second and third wives, but at the family banquet, Old Lady Shen's subtle attitude ultimately made Luo Xueyan and Shen Xin feel like they had a bone stuck in their throat. They were not people who would swallow their anger and remain silent, so they simply crossed their arms and watched the good show.

  After Shen Yuan and Jing Chu woke up, Jing Chu naturally cried again, saying that she was pulled into it by Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan was furious, saying that he didn't know what happened either and fainted, and when he came to, he was already lying with Jing Chu. He couldn't remember these things, and maybe Jing Chu was still a virgin.

  But whether Jing Chuchu is perfect or not is completely unimportant, having been seen in such a compromising position by so many noble ladies, her life from now on will be ruined.

  Perhaps it was the stimulation of this matter, or perhaps it was for other reasons, that Jing's siblings changed from their usual gentle and soft nature to being overbearing and demanding, insisting that Shen Yuan give them an explanation. Earlier, Old Lady Shen had also said that if it were Shen Qiu, she would become the eldest young mistress of the Shen household; now that it had turned out to be Shen Yuan, naturally Jing Chuchu should become the second young mistress of the Shen household.

  Mrs. Shen's abacus was clever, how could she let such a thing happen. Shen Keng was her most outstanding grandson, but he wanted to marry a girl from a humble family, and immediately found some excuses. Jing Guansheng looked gentle, but was actually extremely cunning, and without saying a word, he wanted to take Jing Chuchu to see the official, and even sent a letter back to Suzhou. The people in Suzhou heard about it and were furious at Mrs. Shen's inconsistent behavior, and they brought their men to Beijing to reason with her, and actually wanted to confront the Shen family.

  The original alliance broke overnight, and Old Lady Shen scolded Jing Guansheng and his sister as white-eyed wolves every day in the mansion. Jing Guansheng and his sister also openly ridiculed and secretly slandered Old Lady Shen for being an old woman without dignity. The atmosphere in the Shen Mansion was gloomy. Shen Guang was also furious, but this matter had blown up too big, and he couldn't directly kill Jing Chuchu with so many wives watching; if anything happened to her, everyone would suspect him. Moreover, the Jing family was not a pushover either.

  No matter what a mess was made outside, the West Wing of the Shen Manor remained tranquil and peaceful. Shen Qiu hadn't gotten drunk that day; it was all an act orchestrated by Shen Miao. As for why Shen Xuan ended up rolling around with Jing Chu Chu later on, Shen Qiu had no idea. Although Shen Miao refused to tell him and even threatened him not to reveal anything to the Shen couple, Shen Qiu could still vaguely guess what was going on. When he returned to the manor, even Rong Jing Tang didn't dare take another step forward.

  Inside the house, Shen Miao sat at the desk writing recipes for the kitchen. Jing Chuchu could no longer curry favor with the main house, so she didn't need to go to the training grounds every day. However, Shen Xin and the other soldiers were eagerly looking forward to Shen Miao's pastries and soups. Since Shen Miao was too lazy to make them herself, she wrote some recipes and handed them over to the kitchen. As a result, they received praise every day, and those soldiers respected her even more than Shen Qiu.

  Luoxueyan also asked: "Jiaojiao, when did you learn so many recipes? Are you interested in cooking?"

  Shen Miao responded vaguely to the past. She wasn't that kind of gentle woman who was willing to wash her hands and make a soup, but in her previous life, she had also humbled herself to learn some cooking techniques from the imperial chef to please many people. However, no matter how well she did it before, the people she pleased never showed any gratitude. On the contrary, now Shen Miao shook her head, which meant that pleasing humans and animals was different, some people knew how to be grateful, while others only knew how to repay kindness with ingratitude.

  Bai Lu picked up the paper written by Shen Miao and aired it out, then got up and sent it to the small kitchen. Nowadays, the West Wing eats separately from the East Wing, and directly opened a small kitchen, this approach is clearly distrustful of the East Wing.

  "I heard that the young master had another argument with the old lady today." Jing Zhen said, while helping Shen Miao clean up the paper and ink on the table: "It seems that the people from the Qin family are already on their way, the old lady is getting anxious, unable to drag it out any longer."

  "That's all I have to say." Shen Miao Duan picked up her tea and took a sip: "Brother-in-law is a clever person, can't be taken advantage of for nothing."

  "Master is really ruthless." Gu Yu also said: "Recently, he has been blackmailing with the newspaper every day. He clearly knows that Master will return to Beijing for his new appointment. If this is reported to the official, Master's career will be ruined. I think, this time Master can't escape marrying Miss Bao. This is all thanks to Old Madam's strict adherence to Old Master's family rules." As she spoke, her voice couldn't help but rise high, suppressing the joy in her heart.

  The way Shen Lao's wife does things makes people feel sick. Now that she has moved the stone to hit her own foot, how can it not make people feel relieved?

  "But... " Jing Zhen asked, "What's the point of Miss Biao going to such great lengths to marry Second Young Master? The old lady and she have already fallen out, and Second Young Master is also not pleased. Even if she marries into the manor, it will definitely not be a loving relationship. Isn't Miss Biao just asking for trouble?"

  Shen Miao smiled slightly: "Jing Chu Chu married not a person, but silver. Since that's the case, whether she likes it or not, whether they're loving or not, what difference does it make?" In her previous life, Jing Chu Chu had married Shen Qiu, and Shen Qiu hadn't treated her badly either, yet in the end, she still brought him to such a state. For Jing Chu Chu, as long as she could climb higher, who the other person was didn't matter.

  "It's just that," Gu Yu said with a curl of her lip, "Miss Bao wants to harm Young Master, and now she's allowed to marry in so peacefully - it's really not satisfying. After all, this whole thing was caused by her, how can the wicked not be punished?"

  Shen Miao opened the window and looked out at the road, saying: "Do you think it's over just like that?"

  "Does the young lady still have a trick up her sleeve?" The more time Gu Yu spent with Shen Miao, the more she realized that Shen Miao's methods were endless. If it had been in the past, she would probably still be shocked by Shen Miao's ruthlessness and cunning, but after experiencing one thing after another, she didn't have any good feelings towards the people of the other two houses of the Shen family. Those so-called sympathies and pity had long since disappeared without a trace.

  "Let them have a taste of their own medicine is just the beginning," Shen Miao said: "Jing Chu has been plotting against her brother from the start, does she think she can escape?"

  Jingzhen and Guyu gazed at Shen Miao with sparkling eyes. Shen Miao waved her hand: "First go settle the silver for Fu'er."

  Madam Shen has been busy dealing with Jing Chuchu and Jing Guansheng, the two siblings, and hasn't had time to investigate why they switched people on the day of the family banquet. Fu'er will eventually be married off to the one-eyed son of the Guan family anyway, so giving her more silver to help her escape from the Shen household is the best solution.

  Gu Yu smiled and said: "I understand, so you're saying that the maid beside Miss Biao should also receive a share of silver?"

  Shen Miao nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad."

  The dog that bites you is the one raised beside you. Just like Little Li from your past life.

  She has lost out on this before, but the lessons she got from it can also be applied to others.

  Five days later, the news of Shen Yuan and Jing Chu's engagement spread throughout Dingjing City.

  Shen Yuan, as the second-best young master of the Shen family after Shen Qiu, had just returned to Beijing after a few years of training outside and was originally waiting for a bright future. In the capital city, there were also many girls with good family backgrounds and looks, and it wouldn't be difficult to find a suitable wife who could complement him if he took his time to choose carefully.

  But in the end, the chosen one was a white and delicate girl from Suzhou. Even if she were Shen's old lady's natal family, any other mistress would not have allowed such a poor and unaccomplished person to become the young mistress of a noble family.

  Something unusual must have happened, who doesn't know about the incident in the capital. Privately, it's been buzzing that Shen Yuan married Jing's daughter only because he slept with her while drunk. And the Jing family isn't easy to deal with either, they kept saying they would report to the authorities, marrying a poor and lowly girl is better than being impeached by the imperial censor and losing his official position. Shen Yuan was forced into a corner before he came up with this plan.

  This matter was treated as a joke in the noble circle, and for several days, Shen Gui went to court with the gaze of his colleagues' ridicule, not to mention Shen Yuan.

  They naturally suffered a great loss of reputation due to this matter. As for Jingchu, however, it was completely unrelated. She sat in the house, listlessly nibbling on some pastries.

  After the old lady of Shen's family tore her face, Jing Chu Chu's original gentle and soft temperament disappeared, and her true nature was exposed. She grasped Shen Yuan's weakness and enjoyed using things from the Shen's house, living a comfortable life.

  By her side, packing up the house was her personal maid Taoyuan. Jing Chuchu didn't trust the people of Shen Fu, nowadays all matters were handed over to Taoyuan alone. Taoyuan said: "The old master and madam will arrive soon, at that time Miss's marriage will be done with great fanfare, when it spreads back to Suzhou, it will be very glorious."

  "It was worth my trouble after all."

  "But... " Taoyuan was somewhat worried: "Now that the second young master of the Shen family and the old lady are treating Miss so badly, what if they bully Miss after she gets married?"

  "What's to be afraid of?" Jing Chu Chu opened the box of rouge in front of her and examined it carefully, saying: "I've already made inquiries. Second sister-in-law is dead, second aunt is now mad and can't take charge of things. In the second house, there's only one concubine. A concubine can't interfere with the affairs of the legitimate son's household. As for brother-in-law, he's not always staying in the mansion either. At this time, I'm alone in the second house, and I can do whatever I want, very free. Calculating it, it's actually more comfortable than marrying into the main house."

  "However," Taoyuan shook her head: "But if in the future Second Master brings back some concubines to cause trouble for Miss..."

  "This is up to you now." Jing Chuchu looked at Taoyuan with a patronizing tone: "In the past few years, you've been following me around. I think you're loyal and have a good appearance. If that day comes, I'll let my second brother take you in, and you can help me tie him down. That's my way of repaying your loyalty." She smiled contentedly: "Not everyone has the luck to go from being a maid to becoming the madam of a wealthy family."

  Taoyuan lowered her head and hastily said: "Slave... slave will listen to Miss's words."

  Jing Chu Chu applied the lip gloss, and her gaze fell on a bracelet on the dressing table. She picked it up, lost in thought. Tao Yuan was surprised, "Isn't this...the bracelet that Young Master Sun gave to Miss?"

  "Sun Gongzi..." Jing Chu muttered to herself, her expression somewhat distracted.

  "It's said that Master Sun treats Miss so well," Tao Yuan smiled and said: "I don't know how sad the news of Miss' engagement will be."

  "What nonsense are you talking about?" Jing Chu Chu's eyebrows were raised in anger, interrupting Tao Yuan's words. Tao Yuan argued back: "I didn't say anything wrong! Although Master Sun and Miss haven't met many times, they hit it off immediately, and he even put his mind to sending her gifts, showing that he truly cares for her deeply. If not for Second Young Master's matter, Master Sun would definitely have found a way to marry Miss as his wife!"

  Jing Chu's face suddenly flushed, and she shook her head, saying: "The Shangshu Fu is a high-ranking official residence, how could they marry someone like me who has no family background as their wife?"

  "But Master Sun really loves Miss Jing." Taoyuan's words were a bit too straightforward, but instead of getting angry, Jing Chu seemed to be pleased. Taoyuan continued: "If Master Sun becomes the brother-in-law of the Jing family, that would be great! Master Sun loves Miss Jing like a treasure, unlike Second Young Master. If she marries him, Master Sun will also dote on her."

  "Never mind." Jing Chu suddenly interrupted her: "Since I've already chosen the Shen family, there's no point in mentioning Sun Gongzi again." As she spoke, she even felt a little sentimental.

  Jing Chu Chu and Shen Yuan were not close to begin with, and due to previous events, they had been at odds with each other. The more she compared them now, the more she thought of Sun Cai Nan's goodness. Sun Cai Nan was a talented and generous person, gentle and considerate towards her, and it would be false to say that she hadn't been moved by him. Moreover, people always long for what they can't have, and Tao Yuan's words were like ants crawling on Jing Chu Chu's heart, making her feel itchy and numb.

  "Miss...” Taoyuan hesitated for a moment: "It's better for the miss to go and see Master Sun, Master Sun knows about this matter, but doesn't know the inside story. If it's a misunderstanding, it won't be good for you. If it's explained clearly, he will only feel heartache for your situation. It's rare in life to meet someone as good as Master Sun, if the miss does this, Master Sun will definitely be very sad." Taoyuan said: "Last time we met, Master Sun even mentioned giving that dragonfly gemstone hairpin to the miss."

  Upon hearing this, Jing Chu's eyes moved slightly. What touched her most was that Sun Cai Nan kept sending gifts over continuously. For Jing Chu, this was enough. If she were to marry Shen Yuan, she could still make Sun Cai Nan remember her constantly, and her vanity would be greatly satisfied.

  It seems that after thinking for a while, Jing Chu Chu finally made up her mind and said: "What you said makes sense, I should explain it to him."

  "But Miss is now engaged to Second Master, this matter cannot be seen by outsiders." Taoyuan said: "Why not let me take care of it? I'll find a secluded place where no one will disturb you, and Miss can have a clear conversation with Sun Gongzi, so as not to disappoint him."

  Jing Chu nodded slightly.

  Shen Yuan's big strides walked into the courtyard, with blue veins jumping on his forehead.

  These days, every day he faced the strange gaze of the crowd. In fact, others were not unaware that Shen Yuan had been plotted against; at least, getting drunk and sleeping with someone's daughter was not a first-time occurrence in Dingjing City. Whether intentional or unintentional, such things had happened many times over the years. What the crowd cared about was that a young talent like Shen Yuan would actually fall for the shallow and direct tactics of a woman from the rear palace?

  Especially this time, it seems to be related to the eldest daughter of the Shen family.

  Fu Xiuyi didn't blame him, but his attitude towards him had cooled down a lot. It's simple, Shen Yuan is now Fu Xiuyi's secretly groomed confidant, and he will eventually stand out in the open. But with this stain, even Fu Xiuyi's face doesn't look good. For someone like Fu Xiuyi who is meticulous, Shen Yuan's mistake this time is really infuriating.

  Shen Yuan himself was also very frustrated, being made a laughing stock after being forced to marry Jing Chuchu, that superficial woman. Everyone knew that Jing Chuchu was a coarse and vulgar woman who only cared about money, not people, yet he had to marry such a woman as his wife. Even if in the future some noble family's daughter were to take a liking to him, she would never marry into their family and be ridiculed by others.

  He took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the person walking towards him.

  Shen Miao and two maidservants walked over from the garden, these days she stayed in the west wing without going out, no matter how much the second room was making a fuss about, she seemed to be more spirited and refreshed.

  She saw Shen Yuan and stopped in her tracks, saying, "Second Brother."

  Shen Yuan clenched his fists uncontrollably, as he hadn't seen Shen Miao since the incident with Jing Chu. Shen Yuan naturally knew that only Shen Miao in the Shen household could do such a thing, but at the time, everything was handled by people assigned by Old Madame, and he couldn't intervene. Moreover, what's more important now than investigating responsibility is appeasing those troublesome people from the Jing family.

  But thinking that he had fallen into such a miserable state, it was all thanks to the girl in front of him. Shen Yuan couldn't help but want to strangle Shen Miao to death right there and then.

  Shen Xuan didn't say a word, Shen Miao herself burst out laughing: "Speaking of which, Second Brother and Cousin Sister have gotten engaged, I haven't even congratulated you yet, congratulations to you, Second Brother, for winning over the beauty."

  Everyone can hear the sarcasm in her words.

  Shen Yan said coldly: "Thank you, Fifth Sister." After a pause, he looked at Shen Miao and said: "Fifth Sister is very capable."

  She smiled and accepted, but every time she showed a pleased expression, it made people furious. Shen Yu coldly laughed: "Fifth sister, when trees grow tall in the forest, they will be destroyed by the wind. It's better to understand this principle earlier."

  "I never thought I was outstanding, everyone knows I'm a mediocre person." Shen Miao hesitated: "It's actually the second brother who has always been excellent, and it's not me who is being modest."

  "Is that so?" Shen Yuan slowly asked back: "Fifth sister, do you think you've already won and can rest on your laurels? Do you think that if I marry Jing Chu Chu, this is me losing?"

  "How could that be?" Shen Miaoqin smiled faintly: "I know Second Brother has always been strong and resilient, never giving up. These small disturbances will definitely not be taken seriously by Second Brother. It's still early before the chess game ends."

  "Maybe it's not as early as you think." Shen Yuan suddenly smiled strangely: "Maybe it will end soon." This strange smile fell on his face, making him look even more sinister. Jing Zhen and Gu Yu furrowed their brows, but saw Shen Miao raise an eyebrow and ask: "Second brother is thinking of scheming against me again?"

  "Are you scared?"

  "I'm not afraid of being calculated by others, I'm just afraid that no one will come to calculate me." She said with a clear and innocent smile, "If no one comes to calculate me, how can I have the opportunity?"

  "Then you'd better be careful what you wish for." Shen Yuan sneered: "I'm afraid that by then, you won't be able to laugh so happily anymore." With that, he strode away.

  After he left, the smile on Shen Miao's face disappeared without a trace. Jing Xiu and Yu Ru saw it and were both startled in their hearts. Yu Ru asked: "Miss, is there something wrong with Second Young Master?"

  Shen Miao shook her head. Shen Yuan was not the kind of person who would say such things without being certain. But what exactly made him think that Shen Miao didn't even have a chance to turn things around? A faint sense of unease arose in her heart, but she quickly suppressed it. Looking at Shen Yuan's back, Shen Miao said softly, "The game is still early, but the endgame is approaching."

  In the Treasure Fragrance Pavilion of the capital city, music and dance rose to a crescendo, the sound of silk and bamboo instruments wafted gently, the fragrance of women accompanied by laughter seemed like the best aphrodisiac, enticing passersby to frequently glance inside. However, their gazes were filled with yearning and envy, but their pockets were shy, unable to perform the act of throwing a thousand gold coins for the sake of beauty.

  In the small building, in the tea room, the tea water on the table had been left overnight and was already cold. The servant in front of him dozed off, almost knocking over the teapot, startling his sleepiness away instantly, he lifted his foot, and the fallen teapot stabilized steadily on his boot, which he picked up and put back on the table.

  Mo Ke secretly let out a sigh of relief, even the most inconspicuous cup in Bao Xiang Lou was made by skilled craftsmen and would cost silver to replace if broken. Although Shen Miao had given him many silver notes, those notes were only for finding girls, not for paying compensation.

  The applause of "pa, pa, pa" rose, and the beauty on the bed gazed at this scene with a cold eye, complimenting indifferently: "Good kung fu, good martial arts, it's really an eye-opener."

  Don't open your eyes, don't look at the woman's bare shoulders, look out the window and see the sun rising with joy. The sun is out, one night has passed, and you can relax for three more days. Thinking about it, a hint of relaxation and joy rises on his face, and he gets up to leave.

  He was delighted, but someone was moved by the joy on his face and the beauty of his face. Before he could get up, Liuying sat down in front of him with a plop and said, "Young Master Mo."

  Staring at each other with expressionless faces.

  Liuxiao looked up and down at him, Mo Qing came to Baoxiang Building to order Liuxiao girl, it had been more than a month. He came every three days, the silver was given generously, but every time he ordered Liuxiao, he didn't do anything, just leaning against the window and sitting for a night. At first, Liuxiao thought that Mo Qing was just playing some kind of trick, she had fallen into the wind and dust for many years, since childhood her mother had taught her that some guests have their own strange habits, Mo Qing was probably one of those guests with strange habits. But as time went on, Liuxiao also found it strange.

  She had tried to tease Mo Qing before, but if it was really not possible, she would naturally remain unmoved. However, Mo Qing was often teased by her until his face turned red and his ears were burning, yet he still pretended to be calm and composed, clearly a childish act. Although Mo Qing's martial arts skills were high, Liu Xue couldn't get close to him, and she was also used to being doted on by men, so this was the first time she had been rejected, feeling that it was beneath her, and afterwards she didn't bother with such futile struggles anymore.

  But every time she saw Mo Rong's relieved expression on the second day, she felt annoyed in her heart. She wasn't a fierce beast, why did Mo Rong have to avoid her like that?

  "If Master Mo thinks that I, Liu Yue, am not clean enough, then he can go find another girl at Bao Xiang Lou. Every day there are new girls, very clean, and many of them are chaste maidens too. Master Mo doesn't have to waste his money here and cause misunderstandings."

  Mo Ke felt awkward in his heart and didn't go to watch the fireflies. The errand Shen Miao had given him was really making him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles, he would rather stand guard at the gate of the Shen manor than linger in the place of smoke and flowers.

  Mo Ke didn't say a word, and Liu Yue was even more furious, saying: "Next time, Mo Gongzi shouldn't come either. Liu Yue can't afford to take Mo Gongzi's silver without doing anything. Don't ruin the signboard I've worked hard to establish!" As she spoke, she turned her face away, no longer looking at Mo Ke.

  Mo Cheng rubbed his nose, feeling that saying anything would be pointless. After all, he came here every now and then to do this kind of thing. Not to mention Flowing Fireflies, even he himself felt like a fool. Treasure Fragrance Building wasn't a place for drinking tea, and in Flowing Fireflies' eyes, it was probably also incomprehensible. Without saying anything, Mo Cheng put down a silver ingot and walked out the door.

  After Mo Qing left, Liuyue's maid came in to sweep and comforted her with a glance at Liuyue's displeased gaze: "Miss, don't be angry, every time Young Master Mo comes, he takes the silver." Looking at the silver ingot on the table, Liuyue was even more furious. This silver was extra for Liuyue and didn't need to be shared with her mother. She turned her head to look out the window and said angrily: "Who cares!" However, her gaze was fixed on the figure outside the window, Mo Qing, who was somewhat uncomfortable as he pushed open the door and tried to pounce on the girl, then walked away from the street in the distance.

  "Master Mo is a good person, right?" The little maid muttered.

  "Who knows." Liuying was about to withdraw her gaze, but inadvertently swept to the corner of the street, where a person stood in the shadows, looking up at the top, staring at that gaze, as if looking at her.

  She was slightly stunned, too far away to see her face clearly, only seeing a green shirt falling down, even if it was just a shadow, it still looked very elegant.

  "Hmm," Liu Yue lightly waved the round fan in her hand: "Could it be that I've become more beautiful recently? One by one, they're all satisfied just by looking at me?"

  "The young lady is born beautiful, and there are many people who want to see her." The little maid said sweetly.

  Firefly raised an eyebrow: "All weirdos." She covered the window with one hand.

  At the other end of the street, Mo Ke stopped in his tracks, frowning as he stared at a figure in a blue robe in the corner.

  That person was looking at Xiao Liu's place, but... Mo Jing's eyes moved slightly, and the man in green clothes looked familiar to him. He remembered that once when he escorted Shen Miao back to the mansion by carriage, he had met that person before. According to Xing Tong, he was a teacher from Shen Miao's Guangwen Hall.

  It seems to be called Pei Lang.