The longing had just begun when it was immediately suppressed by pride.

Disturbed and agitated, Shen Mingzhuang pulled the brocade quilt over his head and punched and kicked the soft quilt until he felt a little better.

"Shen Mingzhuang, you're such a spineless coward! Don't you want him to die? Jiang Wang is a bastard, a damned bastard!"

She angrily cursed herself under the covers, unaware that outside the brocade quilt, the man's lips twitched as he looked helplessly and with undisguised doting affection at the small fist marks protruding from under the covers.

He wanted to go up and pat the mischievous little imp to scare her, but a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. After thinking about it, Jiang Wang quietly retreated out of the window.

Shen Mingzhuang felt a chilly air rush into the room and into the blankets. She poked her head out, but the doors and windows were tightly closed. She was immediately suspicious, thinking that Shen Ming'e had come to talk to her.

Aside from sleeping next to that brat Shen Ming'e on the first day, she refused to share a bed with Shen Ming'e again, no matter what. She would kick off the covers, grind her teeth, and even talk in her sleep in the middle of the night. She couldn't help but sigh at her future son-in-law. This girl's personality was alright in every way, but her sleeping posture was just too torturous.

Shen Mingzhuang slept soundly through the night. The next morning, as soon as Shen Mingzhuang got up, Shen Ming'e ran over happily. "Ninth Sister, have you heard? Second Aunt is teaching Third Sister manners."

Shen Mingzhuang thought she was so happy because she had found some silver, but it turned out she was happy because she heard that Shen Mingshu was suffering.

She couldn't help but rub her forehead, but she still understood Shen Ming'e to some extent. After all, the Lin mother and daughter had never given her a kind look, so it was normal for Shen Ming'e not to like them. If she showed that she liked Shen Ming'e very much, she probably wouldn't be Shen Ming'e.

“Don’t get your hopes up too high just by watching the show. Do you think your second aunt is trying to harm her?” Shen Mingzhuang sighed and patiently explained to Shen Ming’e, “Your second aunt comes from a true scholarly family. Her family places great importance on etiquette and rules. Although your third sister has now been adopted by her, she is of marriageable age. She could easily send her away, but since she is willing to teach her the rules again, it seems she is determined to take her third sister’s affairs seriously. This is not a bad thing for your third sister, but in the end, it depends on what your third sister thinks.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Ming'e immediately felt discouraged.

"Why isn't Second Aunt tired? She taught us manners before, but we don't seem to remember her kindness. Third Sister doesn't like her either. I've heard her talking badly about Second Aunt to Seventh Sister several times. Why does Second Aunt have to make herself suffer?"

Shen Mingzhuang smiled and said, "My second aunt has her reasons for doing this. There's a saying, 'To throw a stone at a rat for fear of breaking the vase.' Sometimes, a seemingly simple matter can be viewed from multiple perspectives. If my third sister listens to my second aunt, her life will likely be much better. If she remembers my second aunt's kindness, my second aunt and the cousins ​​of the second branch of the family can also receive some help. On the other hand, if she doesn't follow the rules and is ridiculed, it will damage the family's reputation and also affect the future of us brothers and sisters."

Just then, Manhuan brought in water from outside, and at the same time, Wenxin also came in carrying a food box.

With Man Huan's help, Shen Mingzhuang washed her hands and face. Wen Xin then stepped forward with the food box and said, "Your Highness, this was personally delivered by Eunuch Tan. He said it was a gift from His Majesty."

Instead of saying "reward," she used the word "gift." Shen Mingzhuang said "oh" and looked at the food box with great interest. Wenxin opened the food box, revealing a bowl of half-eaten Guixiang cheese, leaving the half bowl neatly empty.

Shen Mingzhuang was somewhat surprised, looking at the half bowl of cheese, unsure of what to say.

"Eunuch Tan said that His Majesty found this cheese delicious, saying it was sweet but not cloying and melted in the mouth, and that His Majesty would surely like it. Eunuch Tan also said that His Majesty has been going to the Hehuan Palace these past few days, staring at it in a daze, and His Majesty..."

Shen Mingzhuang's mood became somewhat complicated as she listened. She interrupted Wenxin, "I understand, you don't need to say anything more."

Jiang Wang was truly used to being a monarch above all others. Even when bowing his head, he remained so proud. He offered no explanation, assuming that if he gave her a way out, she would be grateful and accept it, then grovel back to being some kind of Mingfei (Imperial Consort) and sharing men with the other concubines in the harem.

Thinking of all this made Shen Mingzhuang feel even worse. Who did Jiang Wang think he was? Did he think she was waiting for him to come and beg for reconciliation and go back?

Why should she? Not every mistake can be forgiven. In her eyes, physical infidelity is a matter of principle, and there is basically no room for forgiveness unless absolutely necessary. Once such behavior occurs, in her eyes, the man is already dirty, not only in body but also in heart!

When he's having fun with her, does he compare her to other women? Does the image of other women appear in his mind? As soon as she thinks about these messy things, she can immediately suppress her feelings for Jiang Wang.

Wenxin was still standing there, holding the half-bowl of osmanthus-scented cheese, standing there like a wooden statue. Shen Mingzhuang felt a surge of anger rising in her heart, and her mood became somewhat irritable. She stood up, snatched the red-glazed white plum-shaped covered bowl containing the cheese, and threw it out the door. "What is this? I have never liked this kind of thing!"

A series of crackling sounds of shattering porcelain rang out outside, but Shen Mingzhuang's mood was not eased in the slightest.

She looked at Wenxin and said in a deep voice, "Now that you're back, go back to serve Aunt Liu."

Wenxin's legs went weak, and she knelt on the ground with a thud, "Your Majesty..."

Shen Mingzhuang was annoyed by the way she was addressed, and she spoke coldly again: "I said, go back to your Biyue Tower."

She disliked being served by tactless and obtuse people. Now that I think about it, if Wen Xinruo really was this timid and submissive, how could she have survived for so many years in the novel, even after getting into the emperor's bed? It shows that you can't judge a book by its cover. She may look dull and stupid, but she is not.

Wenxin glanced at Su Zhenzhen with a trembling look, her eyes immediately glistening with tears. She pursed her lips tightly, her fear, dread, and helplessness clearly visible in her eyes. Seeing this, Manhuan quickly stepped forward to pull her away, whispering to her to go out first, saying that things would naturally calm down once the young lady's anger subsided.

To everyone's surprise, Wenxin kept kowtowing, her forehead hitting the ground hard each time. After only three or four kowtows, red marks appeared. "Please forgive me, Miss..."