"Young lady." Guyu and Jingzhe were both cautiously guarding Shen Miao. Calling out loudly would have been a bit too much of a rude gesture. Furthermore, the young man was dressed in splendid attire and was extremely handsome and noble, which made people suspicious of his identity. But he was a stranger after all, and Guyu and Jingzhe were always worried about any accidents.
“Guyu, Jingzhe, you guys stay at the entrance of the forest.” Shen Miao said.
"But girl..." The two hesitated.
"Go." Shen Miao frowned slightly. She didn't know why, but she was very good at giving orders. Whenever she ordered a servant to do something, she would do it with an inexplicable majesty that made people dare not object.
Jingzhe and Guyu had no choice but to retreat to Linkou.
"You're quite interesting." Xie Jingxing leaned against the tree trunk, watching her with amusement. He was clearly a young master of noble birth, yet his gaze was as sharp as a bloody blade on the battlefield, and his calm tone carried a chilling chill. After all, he had seen blood on the battlefield.
"What does Lord Xie want to say?" Shen Miao asked. Xie Jingxing's sudden appearance naturally meant he wasn't here for idle chat. Although young, he acted with great determination. Since the old Lord couldn't control him, he acted even more recklessly, making it difficult for people to follow his lead.
"Prince Yu's mansion is still short of a princess, and that cripple seems to have taken a liking to you, so he wants to congratulate you." His tone was unclear. However, calling Prince Yu "crippled" was considered extremely bold, but when Xie Jingxing said it, it carried a hint of contempt and mockery, as if Prince Yu was nothing more than a dirty, filthy thing.
This person is quite proud.
Shen Miao pondered in her heart, but her face remained silent. She had forgotten what her calm demeanor might have meant to the other person. Xie Jingxing suddenly stepped forward. He was extremely tall, and Shen Miao was completely enveloped in his shadow. The purple-robed youth leaned forward slightly, leaning in close to her ear and whispering, "You really did know this a long time ago."
The pleasant aroma of cold bamboo emanated from the young man, and his voice was deliberately lowered, with a kind of ambiguous magnetism. This action was also ambiguous. Shen Miao raised her eyes, and that handsome face was right in front of her. The corners of his lips were slightly raised, which added a bit of evil insight to his smile.
But she was not a real young girl after all, so she just lowered her eyes slightly and said, "I know how, but what if I don't know?"
Seeing her indifferent, Xie Jingxing was too lazy to act like a playboy. He pushed her away without any mercy, holding up a piece of paper with a frivolous smile: "You know about this, but you're not worried about your own affairs, but are worried about the Second Young Master of the Jing Dianshi?"
Shen Miao's eyes suddenly moved, and then she stared at him closely, her tone involuntarily taking on a hint of cruelty: "Is Lord Xie meddling too much?"
"A piece of paper, and you're so nervous." Xie Jingxing resumed his cynical demeanor. "What kind of relationship do you have with the Second Senior Official of the Imperial Court that you're helping him like this? Or... what are you planning, little girl from the Shen family?"
Shen Miao's face was as gloomy as water as she stared quietly at the paper in Xie Jingxing's hand. The paper was thin, but it was like a heavy stone in her heart.
It was the "Plan for the Implementation of Laws" that she had memorized after a long while. In her previous life, it was this very policy that had led Pei Lang to be discovered by Fu Xiuyi, and from then on, he was recruited as his advisor, providing advice and strategies for Fu Xiuyi's rule.
Now he has not yet demonstrated his talent, but Shen Miao wants to cut off all possibilities before that. Not only that, it is best for Pei Lang to never serve anyone in the royal family. This is the safest approach.
Gao Yan, the second son of the Jingdianshi family, embodied a newly rising aristocracy, emerging from the ancient aristocratic families of Dingjing. The Mingqi imperial family, seeking to suppress the established aristocrats, naturally sought to support the new nobility. The Jingdianshi family was the most prominent of these new aristocrats. Their eldest son, Gao Jin, was a truly talented individual, and upon Fu Xiuyi's ascension to the throne, he actively supported him. This favored Jingdianshi family, fueled by their increasing tyranny, even led Gao Yan to covet Wanyu.
Had she not been the mistress of the Six Palaces at the time, and Fu Xiuyi hadn't yet begun his campaign against the Shen family, Wanyu would have been murdered. Gao Yan, less talented than his brother, was also incredibly vain, constantly claiming his brother's achievements as his own. He was resentful of every flaw and narrow-minded, a complete troublemaker. In his previous life, Gao Yan had never entered the officialdom, and in this one, the Imperial Historian hadn't yet reached its peak. Gao Jin had also only recently entered the officialdom. She might as well do her best to help Gao Yan find a bright future.
She had given Gao Yan Pei Lang's "Law Policy" because she knew Gao Yan would have his servants buy a copy of the exam paper every year. Today, she had Guyu replace it with someone else. Given Fu Xiuyi's penchant for talent, he would no doubt do whatever it took to win over Gao Yan. Gao Yan, with his vain nature, would certainly refuse to admit it wasn't his work. Such a man entering the Mingqi officialdom... she wondered what kind of dog-eat-dog battle would unfold between them and Fu Xiuyi!
Cut off Fu Xiuyi's strong arm and replace it with a headless troublemaker. Shen Miao had come up with such a good idea, but who knew that Xie Jingxing would suddenly appear in the middle of the process and ruin her plan for no reason.
Her eyes flickered, as if a thousand words were gathered in those clear eyes, like those of a young animal. Xie Jingxing finally raised his lips and said lazily, "You don't have to show such hatred for me. This letter was copied by my people. The original copy is still in the hands of the Gao family kid."
Shen Miao was slightly stunned. She had never expected this to be the outcome. She looked at Xie Jingxing, was silent for a moment, and asked, "Young Marquis, is your heart at peace?"
"It's not that I'm open-minded, it's just that I've always been quite praised for something." Xie Jingxing's eyes were slightly cold. "I hate meddling in other people's affairs the most."
Just as Shen Miao was about to speak, she heard Xie Jingxing's voice again: "Now you can tell me why you wrote to the Jing Dianshi?"
Shen Miao sighed inwardly. Although she had intended to tie the Shen and Xie families together, now was not the right time. The feud between the Shen and Xie families had been going on for a long time and would not be resolved overnight. She should have been planning slowly, but who knew that Xie Jingxing would suddenly appear out of nowhere and disrupt all her well-thought-out plans.
She didn't trust anyone; she had her own path to follow. Xie Jingxing and the Xie family were just chess pieces in the grand scheme of things. No chess player would explain the reasons to a chess piece.
“I think that if you help him like this, it’s only because you have a secret affair with him and want to help your lover gain attention.” Xie Jingxing smiled mischievously and looked Shen Miao up and down. “Then I thought, although the second son of the Gao family is not very capable, he has a good eye for women.” He looked at Shen Miao. Her eyebrows and eyes were clearly very beautiful, but they were as piercing as the wind and frost of the northwest desert.
"Also, if you want to help Gao Yan, you will help Jing Dianshi gain reputation, but if you don't help Gao Jin, then you will become a waste Gao Yan, and it seems that you have bad intentions." He smiled with ill intention, but his words hit the nail on the head.
"Shen family girl, does the Jing Dianshi have a grudge against you?"
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