Chapter 149: Sunken Hill (1)

With the return of Chen Xin, Dingjing City was in turmoil again.

The first thing to be praised was naturally his bravery and victory in every battle. This time, he had obtained the enemy's letter of surrender in advance. When he returned to the court for the banquet, the emperor would definitely reward him with countless rewards. However, Shen Xin was already a first-rank official and could not be promoted any further. Everyone speculated that the title of reward would probably fall on Shen Xin's legitimate son, Shen Qiu.

Another incident occurred on the day Shen Xin returned to Beijing, coincidentally, it was Old Madam Shen's birthday, but the ancestral hall was caught in a fire, and even more unfortunately, Miss Shen Wu was trapped inside. The Shen family's cold attitude that day, which Shen Xin witnessed firsthand, was fearful that the Shen family would continue to be in turmoil in the future.

These two things were widely spread in Dingjing City. Some people just laughed it off, while others were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

In the west courtyard of the Shen Mansion, in the boudoir, Shen Miao stood up with her clothes on. Shen Xin and his wife were summoned to the palace by the emperor today, but before leaving, they deliberately mobilized the guards in the army to guard the west courtyard. It was almost clear that they did it for the Shen family to see, and they were guarding against the Shen family.

Yesterday, Shen Xin came back in a hurry and went around looking for a doctor. Later, Shen Miao rested, so he didn't dare to disturb her. But he hadn't spoken to Shen Miao yet.

"Miss, are you feeling better?" Jingzhe asked worriedly. Her eyes fell on the bandage wrapped around Shen Miao's arm, and her eyes were filled with sorrow again. She said, "If I had been quicker yesterday, Miss wouldn't have had to endure this torment. And now you have scars..."

The burn marks were too deep, and the doctor said that they could only be treated well. It was impossible to completely remove the scars. Girls cherish their appearance and cannot tolerate even a small scar on their bodies. Now that Shen Miao had a burn, Jingzhe always blamed himself every time he thought about it.

“Nothing.” Shen Miao looked at her and smiled, “You did a great job yesterday. You didn’t barge in out of impatience. If you had barged in, you would have ruined my plans.”

Jingzhe lowered her head. Later, when Shen Miao fainted and Shen Xin and his wife were furious, she thought about it again and again and roughly understood what Shen Miao was planning. Because of this, Jingzhe felt even more distressed for Shen Miao. Perhaps she was at the end of her rope, so she would not hesitate to put herself in such a dangerous situation to let Shen Xin and his wife see the true face of the Shen family.

A young girl in her boudoir, at her age, should have been playing the piano and writing like other young ladies, but every move Shen Miao made was related to her own life. She had to plan everything she wanted, as if she was walking on the edge of a knife, and a single mistake could lead to eternal damnation.

"I will do whatever the young lady says." Jingzhe said hesitantly.

Shen Miao was relieved. Jingzhe was indeed the bravest of the four maids. If such a situation arose in the future, Jingzhe would be of use. Naturally, she would also need to slowly train Guyu and the others. She was no longer the ordinary girl Shen Miao, but Empress Shen, the mistress of the six palaces. She must have her own confidants. What she would face in the future would be far more dangerous than what she faced now. If she could get used to it, these maids would also learn to get used to it.

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard a hearty laugh suddenly coming from outside: "Sister!"

Shen Miao turned around and saw Shen Qiu walking in from the door. He had taken off his battlefield armor, wearing only a cyan suit, which made him look exceptionally heroic. His wheat-colored skin and two dimples when he smiled made his heroic features suddenly look a bit childish. He walked closer and took a closer look at Shen Miao before cautiously asking, "Sister, are you feeling any discomfort?"

Shen Miao suddenly closed her eyes, and memories of her past life flooded back.

To be fair, Shen Qiu was a truly dedicated brother. No matter how cold she had been to him, he remained unfailingly warm. But then something happened, and Shen Qiu betrayed another woman and was forced to marry her. Everything changed. Mistakes arose in military affairs, and he fell from his horse and broke his leg. Then, the woman cheated on Shen Qiu. In a rage, Shen Qiu killed the adulterer, only to discover he was the only legitimate son of the Minister of Personnel. The Minister filed a petition, and Shen Xin spent all his family wealth to save Shen Qiu's life. But Shen Qiu still died one winter morning, his body found in a pond.