Shen Ning remained silent for a long time, then picked up the now-cold tea and sipped it slowly to extinguish the fire in his heart.
Her father, Shen Shuyuan, left Beijing more than three years ago because of the Rongjiang Dam incident, and was killed by bandits on his way back.
This was an accident, an accident that everyone acknowledged. The emperor sent troops to suppress the bandits, leveled the mountain, posthumously conferred upon her father the rank of first-class official, and gave him a grand funeral.
Shen Ning had never doubted it in her previous life, nor had she ever touched upon it in the slightest. But judging from Li Shaobai's tone, there seemed to be another truth behind it.
What's the truth? Her father was murdered?
Judging from Li Shaobai's tone, it seemed he suspected that this was a trap she had set.
He doesn't think she knows the truth and wants to avenge her father, does he?
I never expected him to think so highly of her.
ridiculous.
Her father was the Minister of Works, a high-ranking official of the second rank. If they dared to kill him, how powerful and ruthless must the mastermind behind it be?
She was a past official's daughter, burdened with a bunch of children, and her only bargaining chip was her meager savings, which was still being eyed by a pack of wolves.
Asking her to avenge her own father is like asking a three-year-old to kill a seven-foot-tall man—a pipe dream and an overestimation of her abilities.
If she had known this in her past life... she might have really plunged headlong into it.
She loved her father so much that she had to know the truth, even if it cost her her life.
But now that she herself has died once, whether she's alive or dead, it doesn't seem to matter much.
Of course, it's not that she doesn't care about her own father; she always burns extra paper money for him during festivals.
Yu Zhu held Liu Ying's arm, looking worriedly at the figure upstairs: "Sister Liu Ying, Miss has been sitting there motionless for an hour. Has something happened?"
Liu Ying frowned as well: "Go check if dinner is ready. I'll fetch a basin of water."
Mo Xue'er looked left and right, but no one paid any attention to her, so she simply went up and sat down next to Shen Ning.
Shen Ning looked at her and said, "Your brother said you're good at talking, so why haven't we heard you say a word all these days?"
Mo Xue'er blinked, seemingly thinking, before finally blurting out, "Let's eat with Miss."
"......"
With a childlike, sweet, innocent voice, she was incredibly endearing.
What a waste of that pretty face.
Seeing that Shen Ning didn't seem to like it, she got anxious and said again, "I'm not stupid, Miss, you're so beautiful."
"Pfft."
Shen Ning was amused: "So you're not a little fool, but a little flatterer."
Finally speaking, it was as if a switch had been flipped on Mo Xue'er. When Liu Ying brought up the basin of water, she ran over to take it and, imitating Liu Ying's usual practice, wrung out a towel and gently wiped Chen Ning's face and hands.
Even the fireflies were stunned: "This girl... isn't stupid at all."
Knowing who to please and how to serve people, how is that stupid? She's incredibly clever.
Shen Ning smiled: "A pure heart is rare; those who don't understand will naturally think she's foolish."
Before, the silly boy praised her for being beautiful, showing his childlike innocence.
----------
Shen Ning acted as usual, as if the hour he spent in a daze was truly just a moment of blank staring.
The next day, after breakfast, I unexpectedly received a letter from Princess Chang Le.
Princess Chang Le was the legitimate daughter of Prince Qi, and one of the most prestigious noblewomen in the capital.
Shen Ning knew her, but whether the other person knew her or not was unknown.
In this capital city, officials are everywhere and imperial relatives and nobles are everywhere, so Shen Ning is not even in the running.
However, since the invitation has already been sent, whatever its purpose, she has to go to see it.
When Shen Ning went out to a banquet, Liu Ying and Yu Zhu were always busy preparing her clothes and re-dressing her hair.
When meeting different people, one's clothes and jewelry should be different. Especially when meeting royalty and nobility, one must not only be presentable but also avoid others' taboos.
For example, if the host family doesn't like red, and you insist on wearing all red, you're just asking for trouble.
Liu Ying's outfit was well-matched, but after thinking about it, Shen Ning took another set for herself.
"Miss, this is riding attire."
Shen Ning wanted riding attire: "Princess Chang Le is skilled in riding and archery. There is a horse farm behind Maple Forest Manor, so let's wear riding attire."
Sure enough, when Shen Ning arrived, Princess Chang Le was having an archery contest with someone.
A crowd gathered around, and Shen Ning identified them one by one. Well, they were all people she couldn't afford to offend.
Shen Ning dismounted and greeted them one by one. Many of them were regulars at Shen's shop and had some relationship with Shen Ning. They all smiled and returned the greetings.
As you walk to the center, you'll see a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a red riding outfit, looking dashing and spirited.
He nocked an arrow, drew the bow, pulled it back forcefully, and with a 'whoosh,' the arrow shot out, hitting the bullseye.
"Excellent! Princess, your archery skills are superb!"
A group of people immediately clapped and cheered. Shen Ning also clapped lightly until Princess Chang Le turned around and looked over. Then she stepped forward and bowed: "Shen Ning greets the Princess. I am honored to have been invited by the Princess."
Princess Chang Le looked her up and down a few times, her eyes neither warm nor cold, revealing neither joy nor anger, and then nocked the arrow again: "I heard that you were so angry with your sister that you vomited blood and fainted, but you seem to be doing quite well now."
Shen Ning: "I was angry, but I've had my anger. I guess it wasn't meant to be for me, and I can't force it."
Princess Chang Le fired an arrow, hitting the bullseye again: "Can't be forced? What if someone insists on forcing it?"
Shen Ning raised her eyes, seemingly lost in thought: "Everyone has their own ambitions and their own fate. I myself am struggling to make ends meet, so how dare I judge others?"
"Take it."
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