Upon hearing this, Xie Jinghang's lips curled up and he looked at Shen Miao with interest: "It's been a long time since we last met, your temper has become more violent."

  Shen Miao sat down in front of the desk and said coldly, "You still like to come uninvited as always."

  If someone saw Xie Jingxing in her room, she didn't know how much trouble it would cause. This person still liked to do such things, as if there was danger in his bones. Shen Miao had already decided to stay away from Xie Jingxing, the other party had too many secrets, now Xie Jingxing came over by himself, how could she not be angry.

  "Just passing by, thought I'd drop in and see you." Xie Jinghang shrugged and shifted into a more comfortable position. He was wearing a plain white robe today, with a crisp white collar that made the room feel full of spring despite it being winter. He stroked his chin and said, "There's something else I wanted to ask you."

  "Speak." Shen Miao didn't want to say another word to him.

  Xie Jingxing saw Shen Miao's attitude and wasn't angry. He said: "Is there anyone trustworthy in the Shen Manor?"

  Upon hearing this, Shen Miao looked at Xie Jingxing with some surprise. She didn't expect that the person Xie Jingxing wanted to ask was actually Shen Yuan, although she wasn't clear about Xie Jingxing's intentions, she still said: "No, Shen Yuan returned to the capital for a short time and wasn't close to anyone in the manor either. What do you want to ask him?"

  "Just came over from his yard." Xie Jinghang said lazily: "Can't find the thing, come over and ask."

  Shen Miao lowered her head in thought, wondering if Xie Jingxuan was trying to find something at Shen Yuan's place but couldn't find it, so he assumed that Shen Yuan had handed the thing over to someone she trusted and came to ask her about it.

  "What is it that you're looking for?" Shen Miao asked: "Is it something like the things in the secret room of the Prince of Yun's estate?"

  As soon as the words came out, the room fell silent for a moment. For an instant, Shen Miao could feel the icy chill emanating from Xie Jingxuan's body. However, that dangerous atmosphere only lasted for a moment, and soon Xie Jingxuan burst out laughing, his laughter was like jade, but in his peach blossom eyes, there was a sharp edge that couldn't be concealed.

  Xie Jinghang didn't respond to Shen Miao's words, but instead asked: "These days you've also been doing well, I heard that the second house of the Shen family is about to collapse."

  "Master Hou seems to know everything about Shen's household as if it were the back of his hand. If I didn't know better, I'd think you're a member of the Shen family." Shen Miao sneered.

  Xie Jinghan spread his hands: "No way, the Shen manor's guards are like decorations, and the things that happened were interesting, I don't know if it's difficult to know." He measured Shen Miao for a moment: "I just underestimated your ruthlessness."

  "You can also give it a try."

  Xie Jinghang smiled and looked at her: "I don't have so much energy."

  "It sounds like you're very busy." Shen Miao stared at him, "Yet you have so much free time to stroll around other people's mansions." As she spoke, a hint of anger appeared on her face. Xie Jingxing was always able to effortlessly bring out the small emotions hidden in her heart, and if Gu Ruoyun or others were to see it, they would be shocked by Shen Miao's expression at this moment. Because Shen Miao hadn't revealed such straightforward emotions for a long time. Anger or annoyance were things that only the former Shen Miao would have.

  Xie Jing said, "Little girl, your temper is always so fierce."

  "Are you done asking questions? Why don't you leave?" Shen Miao said with a bad temper.

  Xie Jinghang stood up, patted his clothes, and indeed opened the window to fly out, but suddenly thought of something, turned back, looked at her strangely, and asked: "Almost forgot to ask you, Shen Miao, do you have a crush on Pei Cang?"

  Shen Miao: *silence*

  She hadn't even had time to speak when Xie Jinghang scrutinized her from head to toe, his gaze seeming to convey disdain: "Should be a waste of resources too." His figure vanished in an instant.

  "This mess……" Shen Miao almost gritted her teeth. But then, Shui'er knocked on the door from outside: "Miss, the water has started boiling, I'll put in the herbs for you first." As she came in, she wondered: "Miss, what are you doing standing by the window? Be careful not to catch a chill."

  Shen Miao withdrew her gaze: "Nothing, just chased away a stray cat."

  "Stray cat." Xing Zhen laughed and said, "It's common for stray cats to appear during this season, but they just disturb people's peaceful sleep. Let's chase it away tomorrow to avoid trouble."

  "It's better to die from frostbite," Shen Miao said: "Death is cleaner that way."

  "Huh?" Jing Zhen was somewhat bewildered.

  In the Shen household, Nanny Wan's eyes were filled with worry and a hint of resentment as she spoke to Shen Dongling: "I don't know what Fifth Miss said to Madame that day, but these past few days, I've heard from the servants in Cuiyun Hall that Madame's illness has been getting better by the day. She can now recognize people, doesn't get angry, and is even able to do things again. She's also had her maid cook congee for Master to drink, probably wanting to regain his favor. Once she fully recovers, I'm afraid it'll be our turn to suffer again." Nanny Wan couldn't help but feel a little resentful: "It seems Fifth Miss really is helping Madame after all, and even cured her illness."

  Shen Dongling was combing her long hair at the table, and when she let it down, it happened to be facing the lamp, which softened the pale color on her face, making her look even more delicate and beautiful. She said: "Auntie is worrying too much, even if Fifth Sister has great abilities, she can't turn back time. It seems that Madame has been pretending to be crazy all along, and after talking to Fifth Sister, she finally came to her senses and stopped pretending."

  "What?" Madam Wan was shocked: "Liang'er, you said the mistress has been pretending to be crazy. Then all this time, Master's kindness to us must have been seen by the mistress, and once she gets the chance, she will not let us off."

  "Aunt is worried about what." Shen Dongling combed her hair with a silver comb, saying: "Because of the eldest sister and second brother's affairs, Father has already looked down on Madam. Even if Madam really wakes up, Father will at most pretend to be tolerant on the surface, but in his heart he must be disgusted. It is impossible for Madam to regain her former status, Madam herself also knows this point, Aunt can rest assured."

  Madam Wan was puzzled: "Since the lady knew that the old master would not forgive her, why didn't she continue to pretend to be mad? What did Fifth Miss say to her that made her change her mind?"

  "Madam, apart from Seventh Brother, you have nothing left. Fifth Sister is probably making a move on Seventh Brother's matter. Auntie should also strive to give birth to a son for Father, whether he is a legitimate or illegitimate child, as long as she gives birth to a son, in the future, she will be able to stand firm here and no one will dare to trample on you."

  Wan Yiniang sighed bitterly, didn't she also want to give birth to a son? In the early years, she was suppressed by Ren Yuanyun. If Shen Dongling hadn't been born as a daughter back then, perhaps mother and daughter wouldn't have made it this far. Now that Ren Yuanyun has gone mad, but Shen Gui had always been heartless and unrighteous. She wasn't a young woman anymore, how could she capture Shen Gui's heart? And how could she be so lucky as to give birth to a son?

  With a wandering mind, Wan Niang suddenly changed the subject: "What's the point of talking about this? It would be better for Liang'er to guess what the fifth young lady wants to do. Helping the madam is equivalent to opposing us."

  "That's not necessarily true." Shen Dongling shook her head: "Fifth sister is not a simple person, now we are in the second house and our status is not high, even so, it's already very good. In short, don't get involved in these things, live your own life well, otherwise, you might accidentally get into trouble."

  Wan Yiniang's heart skipped a beat as she listened, and she asked tentatively: "So..."

  "Don't look, don't ask, don't say." Shen Dongling looked at herself in the mirror: "Just go with the flow, one day we will have a good life."

  In Shenfu, it was not only the people of Caiyun Garden who were discussing this matter, but also in Qiushui Garden, the name Ren Yuanyun was mentioned.

  Chen Ruoqiu wore a plain white undergarment and sat on the bed, saying: "Second sister's body has been getting better day by day. Master, what about second brother?"

  Shen Wan rubbed his temples, for Shen Yuan's matter had caused his colleagues in the imperial court to have some reservations about the Shen family, and even he was being implicated. These days hadn't been easy for him either. He shook his head and said, "Second Brother didn't mention this matter."

  "If Second Brother's wife had really recovered, the second household would only have Seven Brother left." Chen Ruoqiu said: "Second Brother's temperament is... In the future, one by one, they will bring back concubines, I'm afraid..." As she spoke, she suddenly felt a pang of sadness. The difference between her and Ren Yuanyun lay in the fact that Chen Ruoqiu had a firm grasp on Shen Wan's heart, but the third household had never had a son. Now that Shen Guang was dead, Shen Lao Furen was probably eager to have her two sons start a family. Shen Gui was not a faithful person, but Shen Wan... if he were rushed... Chen Ruoqiu couldn't help but feel anxious. How long could a man's favor last? But she just wasn't fertile.

  Shen Wan noticed Chen Ruoqiu's unpleasant expression and asked in puzzlement: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

  Chen Ruoqiu forced a smile and shook his head, saying: "It's just that I remembered something about my elder brother and sister-in-law." After a pause, Chen Ruoqiu continued: "My elder brother and sister-in-law have already made up their minds to separate the family property, and even threatened to invite the elders of our clan. They're not afraid of being accused of being unfilial either."

  "This is all because Mother didn't handle things carefully enough." Shen Wan said: "If someone gets a hold of the evidence and if Big Brother gets angry, he'll bring up the matter of Mother framing Qiu'er, and our family's reputation will be ruined throughout the entire capital city."

  Chen Ruoqiu nodded: "Not bad, it's probably because of this that your brother and sister-in-law are so determined." Chen Ruoqiu said: "After all these years of living in peace, why suddenly make a fuss about dividing the family property at this critical moment?" She couldn't help but think of Shen Miao again. Since Shen Miao's personality changed greatly, many things in the Shen household had also quietly changed. In the past, Shen Xin and his wife were good to other people in the Shen family because Shen Miao was good to them. Now that Shen Miao showed her disgust and dissatisfaction, Shen Xin and his wife's attitude immediately changed.

  Shen Want sighed and Chen Ruoqiu asked: "Sir, is there still room for maneuver in this matter?"

  Shen Wan shook his head: "If it were us, we wouldn't be able to accept it either. Eldest brother's family is a group of people who can't tolerate even a grain of sand in their eyes, and what they value most is Xiao Wu. The Jing family colluding with the mother to scheme against Chu Er and Xiao Wu has already offended Eldest Brother's taboos. Just dividing the household is already them showing mercy. If it were Eldest Brother's former temper, I'm afraid he would have turned Shen Manor upside down."

  "But..." Chen Ruoqiu said: "Dividing the family now is not a good thing for us."

  Shen Wan looked out the window: "Now that the second house has suffered a severe setback, my brother and I are both hindered in our careers. In the past, we could still follow in the footsteps of our older brother, but once we split up, everyone will know that the Shen family is not harmonious, and even if they want to curry favor with our older brother, they won't associate with us. The road ahead for the Shen family will only become more difficult."

  "Not to mention the silver in Gongzhong..." Chen Ruoqiu reminded. In the past, Shen Xin gave countless rewards, and he himself spent many years in the northwest and couldn't spend it all, so he handed it over to Gongzhong. Old Lady Shen was extravagant with money, and even though Ran Yuanyun occasionally had to make up for herself, she still lived like this. Now that they are separated, even if Shen Xin doesn't want the property left by the old general, their days will only become more and more difficult.

  "It's just that simple." Shen Wan's eyes flashed with a hint of gloom: "After the division, with big brother's military power and reputation, it will only get better and better, until finally suppressing us. Comparing the two powers, it would have to come to this step anyway."

  Chen Ruoqiu was shocked to hear this. She had been married into the Shen family for many years and naturally knew about the superficial harmony and internal discord within the household. Although she didn't know that Shen Xin and his wife were often absent from home, she and Ren Yuanyun understood each other's thoughts. Within the Shen household, Shen Xin and his brothers weren't born of the same mother, so they weren't close at heart. The better Shen Xin's life became, the worse it was for the other two households. Eventually, everyone would end up in a state of opposition, but she hadn't expected this to happen so soon.

  "Even for Yu'er's sake, we can't be oppressed." Chen Ruoqiu pressed his shoulder: "But how are we going to deal with them?"

  "Nowadays, Big Brother has become vigilant towards us, and it's not easy to take action. Shen Wan shook his head: "Moreover, his soldiers are not ordinary people, and it's even harder to find a weakness. This matter still needs to wait for an opportunity." Shen Wan said: "The most urgent task is to find a good family for Yu'er, you should pay attention to this in the next few days."

  "Sir, is it true that Prince Ding..."

  "Don't even think about implicating the Crown Prince." Shen Wan said sternly, "Just after what happened with Yuan'er, everyone in the court is afraid of being associated with the Shen family. The princes need to be even more careful now. At this time, if we were to consider the Crown Prince, he would also be displeased."

  Chen Ruoqiu nodded: "I understand, master should also rest early."

  On the second day, early in the morning, Shen Miao had just finished eating when she saw Frost descending from outside, panting and rushing in. As soon as he entered the house, he said: "Miss! Something's happened!"

  "Speak slowly, what's the hurry?" Gu Yu scolded. Shuang Jiang stuck out her tongue and still couldn't hold back, blurting out in a flurry: "A few days ago, didn't the Jing family set off to return to Suzhou? Today, an official from that yamen came to say that the Jing family encountered bandits on their way back to Suzhou and were completely wiped out by the thieves. It's because they knew of some connection between the Jing family and Old Madam that the officials came to inform us." Shuang Jiang patted her chest with lingering fear, saying: "Now these bandits are becoming more and more brazen, daring to kill people in broad daylight without leaving a single survivor. If I had known it would be like this, the Jing family would definitely regret coming to Beijing this time."

  Shen Miao lowered her eyes, and the Jing family was silenced. Whether it was the doing of bandits or not depended on individual perspectives. However, Shen Miao knew that Sun Tian Zheng's methods were always swift and decisive, just like in the imperial court. This matter started because of Jing Chu Chu, and Sun Cai lost his life. How could Sun Tian Zheng be willing to let it go? Shen Miao believed that if possible, Sun Tian Zheng would have liked to silence the entire Shen family as well. But after all, the Shen family was not the Jing family.

  Jing's family still met the same ending as before, because of Jing Chuchu's greed and lost his life. Now Jing Chuchu is still in Sun Tianzheng's hands, Sun Tianzheng will not let Jing Chuchu die easily. Living with despair like this, perhaps it's more painful than death itself.

  But it doesn't matter to her anymore.

  Shen Miao asked Gu Yu: "Where are the things you've prepared?"

  "Inside the box, but..." Gu Yu hesitated: "Miss, are you really going to..."

  "Go get it." Shen Miao interrupted her words.

  Half an hour later, four people walked out of the west side door of Shen's mansion.

  Among the three, the first was a young master with clear eyebrows and bright eyes, wearing a white moonlit robe, with a hat on his head. He could be considered a handsome young man, but he was a bit short, yet had some lovely and delicate features. His bright eyes were rarely seen, and such good looks would have been sought after even in a small brothel.

  Right behind him were two attendants, but they walked a bit clumsily and stiffly. Behind the attendants was a guard, who looked much taller compared to the other three.

  "Don't be afraid." Shen Miao said: "Be bolder, don't reveal your horse's hoof."

  These three people were none other than Shen Miao, Jing Zhen and Gu Yu, along with Mo Qing.

  Jing Zhen and Gu Yu were not used to wearing men's clothes, they cried with a sad face, and were also a little afraid. Shen Miao, on the other hand, was very calm, which made Mo Jing feel a bit puzzled in his heart. But he didn't know that when she was a hostage in Qin State before, those royal people had teased her, making her dress up as a man, for several months. Now that she dressed up again, it turned out to be surprisingly lifelike.

  After the three of them got on the carriage, Mo Qing personally drove the carriage. Gu Yu asked Shen Miao: "Miss, are we really going to Bao Bao Xiang Lou?"

  "Of course."

  "But..." Gu Yu said: "Can't we talk about this outside? If someone sees the young lady strolling around the flower building..." She couldn't continue, because even Gu Yu didn't know what would happen if a woman strolled around the flower building.

  "Baoxiang Building is a place of business, as long as you give them money, it's fine. People who frequent brothels don't talk about etiquette and morality, it's inherently a place for licentious behavior, where people come to flirt and play around, no one pays attention."

  Jingzhen and Guyu exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes. Shen Miao had made up her mind, and once she decided on something, not even nine oxen could pull her back. Moreover, she always had all sorts of grand and justifiable reasons; now that things had come to this point, they could only wait and see what happened next.

  In the elegant room of the Happy Building, someone lifted the curtain and walked in. Ji Yushu said: "Xie San Ge, you're just in time, I have something to tell you, Ding Wang..."

  "Huh," Gao Yang suddenly spoke up on one side, his hand holding the wine cup paused, muttering to himself: "Why is it different this time?"

  "What's different?" Xie Jinghang said as he sat down by the window, pouring himself a cup of tea, and followed Gao Yang's gaze.

  Only under the Treasure Fragrance Building, a horse carriage had just stopped, and several people got out from inside. The first person was Mo Qing. Behind Mo Qing were three young men who looked like teenagers.

  "In the past, those with the surname Mo were always alone, how come there are so many today? Is this also Shen Miao's arrangement?" Gao Yang asked, propping up his chin.

  "Let me see." Ji Yu Shu stretched his neck to look, and a brilliant idea flashed: "Could it be that Miss Shen is actually rewarding the good servants with silver? The good servants are rewarded with a one-day trip to Bao Xiang Lou. I also want to be a servant in Miss Shen's mansion."

  "Let's go." Gaoyang pushed aside Ji Yu's book and said, "Why do I feel like these people look a bit familiar?"

  Before he had even finished speaking, Xie Jinghang suddenly spat out a mouthful of tea.

  "Third Brother!" Ji Yu Shu jumped up in a flurry, his face and head covered in spray, as he adjusted his clothes and angrily exclaimed: "What are you doing?!"

  Xie Jinghang ignored him and stared at the few people downstairs with a somewhat unexpected gaze, saying: "He actually came himself."

  "Yourself?" Gao Yang grasped the meaning of his words and took a closer look, and when he saw clearly, he almost fell backwards.

  That exquisite and refined young master, if it's not Shen Miao then who is it?

  Under the vast sky, there are indeed women who disguise themselves as men to visit brothels. If not for seeing it with his own eyes, Gao Yang would have thought that such things only appear in plays.

  Shen Miao followed Mo Ye into the Treasure Fragrance Building. The girl at the entrance, who welcomed guests, saw Mo Ye and familiarly walked up to him with a smile: "Young Master Mo, you're still choosing Liu Xuan's room?"

  Mo En nodded, and the girl seemed to have only then noticed the few people behind Mo En. She hesitated for a moment: "These few..."

  "Come with me." Mo Cheng said.

  That girl was taken aback at first, then thought of something and looked at Mo Jing with a sly expression: "I didn't expect Mr. Mo to have this hobby... Never mind, the more people, the merrier."

  Jing Zhen and Gu Yu's faces immediately turned red upon hearing this, Mo Qing also felt a bit uncomfortable, the only one who remained calm was Shen Miao.

  That girl led them to the Flowing Firefly Pavilion, Mo Qing had almost become a regular at Bao Xiang Lou, and none of the girls here didn't know him. It was just that there were not many young masters like Shen Miao and others who were so delicate and handsome, especially Shen Miao, who was born with a delicate face, and from time to time, some girls would giggle and glance at him.

  They arrived at the Flowing Firefly Pavilion, and the leading girl knocked on the door and said to the inside: "Flowing Fireflies, Master Mo has come to see you." After that, she also said to several Mo Jings: "I'll go down first."

  Mo En pushed open the door and walked in. In front of the dresser, a woman was sitting with her hair down like a waterfall, combing it in front of the mirror. Hearing the noise, she said without turning around, "You're here quite early today."

  Jing Zhen and Gu Yu exchanged a strange glance at Mo Qing. Mo Qing coughed lightly twice, saying: "Not just me."

  Liu Yue's hand paused, turned her head around, and saw Shen Miao first stunned, then a hint of anger on her face, saying: "What do you mean by this?"

  "I..."

  Before Mo Ke could finish speaking, Liu Yue coldly smiled and said: "If you want to play it that way, I can go along with it, but you have to pay double the silver!"

  As soon as this was said, not only Shen Mi and Gu Yu were shocked, but even Shen Miao's eyes gleamed with a strange light as she looked over at Mo Xun.

  Mo Ke felt a bit embarrassed, he didn't know why Liu Yue, who had been much more gentle with him in the past few days, was suddenly so furious today, and that cold and distant attitude had appeared again.

  "Miss Flowing Firefly, I am Mo Ke's master." Shen Miao broke the deadlock with a faint smile: "We didn't come here to 'play' today."

  The Jingzhe and Guyu wanted to cover their own eyes, but hated that they couldn't pretend to be unaware.

  Upon hearing the words "master", Liu Xuan was taken aback, and with a vigilant gaze, he sized Shen Miao up and down. Shen Miao walked over, and Jing Zhen and Gu Yu hastily moved the stool in front of the table to a place closer to Liu Xuan, waiting for Shen Miao to sit down.

  "Is it you who makes Moeng come and punch my card every day?" Liu Yue asked.

  Shen Miao nodded.

  Yue'er supported her chin with one hand, and her eyes suddenly became full of charm: "Young master is doing this, but it makes me confused. Could it be that you have real feelings for me?"

  Mo Ke looked up at the sky, and it turned out that Liu Yue was a woman of pleasure, doing this set of romantic affairs with great skill. Jing Zhen and Gu Yu, on the other hand, showed contempt on their faces.

  Shen Miao looked at her: "What does Miss Liu Yue think?"

  The firefly carefully sized up Shen Miao, his gaze paused for a moment, and then he smiled: "Does this young lady want to play the tricks of fake phoenixes in the opera?"

  It was actually a woman who saw through Shen Miao's disguise at a glance. Shen Miao wasn't surprised, she had always been delicate and pretty, and when dressed as a man, her skin was as white as jade, with elegant eyebrows and eyes, and her movements were too graceful, so it was natural that she couldn't escape other people's eyes.

  "I want to redeem you." Shen Miao said.

  Fireflies can't laugh anymore.

  She had been in the Baoyu Building for a long time, and now she was naturally not as charming as she used to be. Fewer and fewer people came to ask about her, let alone spend a large sum of money to redeem her.

  "The maiden's meaning is unclear to Liuxu."

  "I once luckily obtained a square handkerchief, which was a rare double-sided embroidery. There were only a few dozen people in the country who could do double-sided embroidery. Shen Miao said: 'After inquiring about it from many sources, I found out that it came from the hands of Liu Xuan's daughter.'"

  "You!" Liuxiao's hands tightened: "How did you know it came from me?"

  Shen Miao waved her hand: "How I knew is not important. What's important is that I have a embroidery workshop and it's still short of an embroiderer, Flowing Firefly Miss, are you interested in helping me manage the embroidery workshop?"

  Liuxiao looked at her incredulously and suddenly burst out laughing: "Miss, you wouldn't be thinking of asking me to turn over a new leaf, would you?"

  Jingzhen and Guyu were somewhat dissatisfied with Liuxue's expression at this moment, Mo Qing also slightly furrowed his brow, many women who had experienced the hardships of the world yearned to wash away their makeup, Liuxue was still young, if she washed away her worldly experiences, it wasn't necessarily impossible for her to have a good future.

  "I was sold into this place since I was a child." Liuying's face revealed a hint of disdain: "I learned the art of seduction, only knowing how to serve and please men. Miss asked me to manage the embroidery workshop, selling my labor, those bitter days, I couldn't bear them. Doesn't she fear that I'll ruin the workshop?"

  Shen Miao stared at her, smiling: "Whether I'm ruined or not is my business, but whether you do it or not, that's your business." She said lightly: "It's just... this is a matter of no importance to me, but for you, it's the only way to escape from here."

  "There are all sorts of people in the world, and countless professions. Everyone has their own way of living. As for me, I don't think that courtesans are inferior to others. However, that's how people view them." Shen Miao said: "Just like my servant Mo, who is also a slave, but no one looks down on her. My personal maid, some people even envy them. That's just how society is, with people divided into different classes. Who doesn't want to be superior, and who wants to be looked down upon every day?"