Edited by Tnyhy

A fine returning banquet ended in such a sudden turn of events. Emperor Wen Hui"s mood was gone so he brushed his sleeves and left shortly. The Empress also mentioned that she was tired and retired. After the Emperor and Empress left, the officials naturally knew they could not stay any longer and found excuses to leave. Even though on the surface, it was a perfect ending today, the Eldest Shen Young Lady would marry into Prince Yu of the First Rank residence, but discerning people knew that it was a terrible scandal. As for the Shen family’s Eldest Young Lady, once she was married into the Prince Yu residence, everything would bodes ill and there would not be any positive signs.

Luo Xue Yan held Shen Miao’s hands tightly. She did not know how Shen Qing and Prince Yu had an affair but was more worried about Shen Miao’s safety as she felt that the dangers in the Ding capital was comparable with those in the Northwestern desert.

Shen Qiu remained silent until it was time to leave. He had always been cheerful so it made Shen Xin think that he felt sad because of Shen Qing’s matter. But he did not know that Shen Qiu’s head was long enraged and felt that it was so stuffy and could not vent elsewhere. He hated the viciousness of the Second household of the Shen family and also hated the shamelessness of Prince Yu.

Shen Qing had left with Ren Wan Yun in a hurry but Shen Gui’s expressions was extremely interesting and everyone looked at him meaningfully. Some of his enemies in court threw stones at him and laughed as they greeted him, “Congratulations Shen Daren to be able to be In-laws with Prince Yu. It is indeed a big blessing.”

If it was before when Shen Qing were to marry Prince Yu, it would not be anything serious for Shen Gui. As long as it could help his career, his daughter’s happiness was not very important. But now with Shen Qing’s performance, it was obvious that it had brought trouble to Prince Yu. Would Prince Yu be angry with him? Thinking about it, there was some irritation and fear that arose in Shen Gui’s heart.

After the returning banquet ended, Luo Xue Yan and Shen Miao headed out of the Palace and when they were pa.s.sing a corridor, Shen Miao softly warned her, “Be careful, there is a loose brick here.”

Luo Xue Yan was a general and her steps were big and heavy so if she were to step on it, she would have slip and fall. Luo Xue Yan looked carefully before laughing, “Almost slipped and fell.” Then she was surprised for a moment and asked Shen Miao, “How did Jiao Jiao knew about it?”

Shen Miao choked. She had been living in the palace for over a decade and had long remembered everything by heart. When Luo Xue Yan asked, she could only answer as such, “This was one where I slipped and fell here so one had remembered from then onwards.”

“So it is like this.” Luo Xue Yan laughed heartily, “Jiao Jiao is indeed smart to remember the place that one fell and not fall again.”

Shen Miao’s heart moved for a moment but did not speak.

As the two of them were walking, they saw two guards-like persons dragging a young eunuch over. There was a handkerchief in that young eunuch’s mouth and seemed to be struggling desperately, but how would he be able to break away from the strong large guards. Behind the three of them, it was none other than Gao Gonggong the steward.

“Shen Furen, Shen Young Lady.” Gao Gonggong stopped to greet them.

“Gao Gonggong, this is…” Luo Xue Yan looked at the young eunuch and asked.

“A newcomer that did not know the rules and regulations and committed a wrong. This one is bringing him to receive the punishment.” Gao Gonggong said with a pointed voice.

When that young eunuch saw Shen Miao, his eyes landed on Jing Zhe who was behind Shen Miao. Suddenly he struggled as though he was crazy, seemingly wanting to rush to Jing Zhe’s side.

“Be well-behaved!” Gao Gonggong kicked that young eunuch’s bent knee and the latter groaned and suddenly knelt down. Gao Gonggong snorted and said, “This thing does not know the immensity of heaven and earth and almost knocked into n.o.ble ones.”

Luo Xue Yan frowned. She did not really like the inhumanly punishments of the palace so she would feel uncomfortable in her heart when she came upon such scenes, thus she said to Gao Gonggong, “That being the case, one will not disturb Gao Gonggong’s work.”

Gao Gonggong quickly agreed with a smile.

But it was Shen Miao who suddenly opened her mouth to speak softly, “Since a wrong is committed, naturally punishment needs to be borne.”

Everyone looked at her surprised. The young eunuch trembled and the eyes that were looking at Shen Miao had an additional trace of resentment. Shen Miao ignored it and held onto Luo Xue Yan to leave but before she left she dropped a sentence, “Lessons are needed if one does not know the rules and regulation. The palace cannot be compared to outside the palace and the present is also different from the past.”

Shen Miao and entourage walked further gradually and Gao Gonggong said to the two guards, “Waiting for what? Go.”

Xiao Li-zi’s heart was filled with unwillingness and his face was filled with fear. He did not know what he had done wrong. In the little garden at the returning banquet, Shen Miao’s personal maid, Jing Zhe, gave him a tael and told him that the Eldest Shen Young Lady’s health was not good, thus was unable to drink the wine prepared in the palace banquet and only required a cup of lotus tea, and would request to be accommodated on that during the banquet. He felt happy that such a simple task like that would get a tael and if this Shen Young Lady was pleased, in the future he would have the fortune of a n.o.ble person"s help.

But Xiao Li-zi could never calculate that Shen Qing was pregnant and that the lotus tea was the culprit that lead to everything that happened. As such, it could be said that this cup of lotus tea had stirred up a whole lot of events, and the origin of this cup of tea landed on his head after much investigation.

Xiao Li-zi had explained countless of time but no one believed his words. Moreover the money that he received was the most common type of silver and not even the official silver. How would anyone believe that a n.o.ble young lady would bestow such a common silver, so he was the evildoer. What would then be waiting for him?

Outside, Shen Miao quietly walked. She knew it better than anyone what was waiting for Xiao Li-zi. The Palace was a place that could easily reverse black and white and if one stand high above, then one’s ability to turn white to black would be higher. So no matter what the situation it was, no matter how sorry it was, one’s words can be turned from white to black. At that time when Fu Xiu Yi just ascended to the throne, Xiao Li-zi was just a dog beside Gao Gonggong that he used to do errands. It was her that found Xiao Li-zi pitiful and was willing to give him face in the Palace. Afterwards, Xiao Li-zi became Li Gonggong and she became a deposed Empress. It was this eunuch that she herself promoted who personally sent her off and gave her an advice of ‘the present is also different from the past’.

Now it could be considered that she had returned that phrase back. The present is also different from the past. Now she was the high above Di daughter of an official and the other party was a lowly dust on a gra.s.s. She did not even bother to use too much energy for the action. It was good that it was done cleanly and neatly.

She and Luo Xue Yan walked in front but they did not know that behind the twists and turns of the corridors, there was someone who sighed behind her back, “Does this Shen Young Lady have a grudge with that young eunuch? Just destroy a life without any rhyme or reason.”

At his side, Xie Jing Xing sneered at him, “Since when had you become compa.s.sionate?”

“Being a doctor is like having the heart of parents.” Gao Yang waved his fan and suddenly thought about something before his expression became dignified and said, “That Shen Young Lady is not simple. Just now in the hall she looked at me for a long time. Could it be… She has found out about my ident.i.ty?”

“Not possible.”

“The expression she used to look at me with was really scary.” Gao Yang touched his chin and thought seriously before speaking, “Could it be that she is delighted with me?”

Xie Jing Xing stared at him without any expression and spit out, “Get lost.”

“You are really not interesting.” Gao Yang shook his head with sorry, “Although it is current at the brink of the major event, but your temperament is getting fiercer. One should relax.”

Xie Jing Xing looked afar and said, “Yu Shu has arrived.”

“Sha?” Gao Yang was surprised, “When was that?”

“Yesterday.”

Gao Yang expression gradually became solemn, “Could it be that you want…”

“Exactly.”

Ding capital, Shen residence, Cai Yun Yuan.

With a ‘Pa’ slap, a clear handprint was suddenly seen on Shen Qing’s face and her lips were even a little red.

“Shen Gui, what are you doing!” Ren Wan Yun snapped and protected Shen Qing in her embrace as she looked at Shen Gui with fierce intentions.

“What am I doing?” Shen Gui’s smile was ferocious, as if he was a vicious wolf. If it was not because of the little trace of relations, he could not wait to kill the two people in front. He said, “What did you all do today?”

“What about it?” Ren Wan Yun was unwilling to show a weakness, “Can this matter be blamed on Qing-er? You are Qing-er father and you do not help your own unmarried daughter but still beat her. Shen Gui, you have no conscience!”

“Unmarried daughter?” Shen Gui was so angry that he laughed out, “I, Shen Gui, do not have this kind of unmarried daughter! That do not know what a sense of shame is and fool around with undesirable characters! And even carrying a vile sp.a.w.n! Really not any better than a prost.i.tute at all!”

Shen Qing’s body was trembling and that pair of eyes was blurry and had lost their spirit. When Ren Wan Yun saw that, it was as if a knife had twisted inside her heart. If Shen Gui had a trace of fatherly feelings for Shen Qing, he would not have used such vicious words to attack his own daughter.

Ren Wan Yun pa.s.sed Shen Qing to Chun Tao and stood up with a cold laugh and spoke, “Shen Gui, you should feel your own conscience and as who was the one that harmed Qing-er to this stage? Is it me? It is Shen Miao, that little s.l.u.t! Why did you not cause trouble for Shen Miao. Oh, you are scared right? You are afraid of Eldest Brother’s and Eldest Sao’s return and cannot touch that little s.l.u.t. You vent your anger on Qing-er but you must not forget that you are also involved in the matter in Wo Long Temple. Now you pay attention to your own moral uplift without thought of others and push everything onto me and Qing-er. I will not stand by it! If I am provoked, I will tell Eldest Brother and Eldest Sao the entire matter and all of us will not benefit from it!”

“You!” Shen Gui and Ren Wan Yun had been husband and wife for so many years but he have not see Ren Wan Yun being such a shrew, and what made him feel uneasy was that Ren Wan Yun actually used the matter to threaten him. Even though Shen Gui was slick and sly, he was extremely timid by nature and it could be seen from the matter of not daring to provoke Prince Yu. Now with Shen Xin and wife’s return to the residence, he dared not find trouble for Shen Miao. If Ren Wan Yun really dared to spill the matter out, Shen Gui believed that Shen Xin would use a knife to split him.

Thinking of that Shen Gui said in anger, “You shrew, do not even speak reasonably. I will not talk to you! I am leaving!” And left after speaking those words.

Seeing Shen Gui’s hurried back, Ren Wan Yun face was filled with ridicule. She knew her husband very well. Shen Gui was a person who bullied the weak and feared the strong, by marrying such a person, now she was unable to protect her daughter.

No doubt that Shen Miao gave a fatal blow to Ren Wan Yun. For Ren Wan Yun, to personally watch her daughter taking each steps towards ruin was more painful than killing her. At the current situation, the Empress had bestowed marriage and no matter what ability Ren Wan Yun had, she was unable to change anything.

“Shen Miao, this debt I, Ren Wan Yun, will definitely get it back from you, this is an oath.” She gritted her teeth and bit her lips till blood came out.