Chapter 5, Confrontation

Where in the world could there be such good fortune?

Chen Ruoqiu's eyes flickered. Shen Yue was still young and was not as astute as her. Although she came from a scholarly family, she was not without intellect. Usually, she had high aspirations and was never willing to yield. Seeing her daughter suffer a loss, she felt displeased and immediately spoke gently: "Whether or not to admire is something that Fifth Miss can clarify with a single word, after all, who can truly understand a girl's thoughts? However, Fifth Miss must also heed the words of Third Aunt. Your second sister is right; His Highness the Duke of Ding holds a noble status, and regardless of the circumstances, one should apologize to him."

In a single sentence, the accusation of knowing one's mistakes yet refusing to correct them, and of disrespecting one's elders, was placed upon Shen Miao.

"Is it possible that Fifth Sister has lost her mind?" Shen Yue was the first to speak, her face showing a hint of anxiety: "Grandmother was just momentarily angry and does not truly intend to punish you. Nowadays, as long as you admit your mistake, everything can be settled properly. Why are you still being so stubborn?"

"Peeking at His Highness the Crown Prince?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion

She smiled and said, "Fifth sister, everyone here is family, so these matters are quite understandable"

She said, with so many astute people in this residence, how could they not be able to discern it

"Fool!" Old Madam Shen could not hold back and immediately began to scold, "At such a young age, you are shamelessly peeping at His Highness the Crown Prince, completely ruining the reputation of our Shen family! You still dare to retort against me; who taught you such manners? This is utterly disgraceful!"

Shen Miao glanced at the pale-faced Ren Wanyun and the suddenly tense Chen Ruoqiu, and smiled faintly

As soon as Shen Yue finished speaking, she noticed Shen Miao looking over at her. Those dark eyes, resembling grapes, were surprisingly clear, as if they contained some special meaning, which left her momentarily stunned

In the next moment, Shen Miao's faint voice was heard: "Second sister, what nonsense is this about admiring His Highness the Crown Prince? Such words cannot be spoken carelessly. Now that Fifth Miss has also reached the age of maturity, speaking like this might tarnish her reputation."

"Elder sister, did you see His Highness the Crown Prince that day?" However, what Shen Miao asked was not this.

Shen Qing did not understand what Shen Miao meant by all these words. She frowned and was about to refute, but suddenly heard her mother, Ren Wanyun, exclaim urgently: "Eldest sister!" The voice carried an unmistakable sense of anxiety.

Shen Miao's admiration for the Crown Prince is known throughout the noble circles of the entire capital. Although Shen Miao has never explicitly stated it, her words and actions have not concealed it at all. Why is she now vehemently denying it?

Shen Miao, in a single statement, elevated the conduct of her daughter to the level of a minister's loyalty. Shen Xin is in the northwest, so naturally there are no issues. In the Shen residence, Shen Gui and Shen Wan are still serving in the court.

"Aunt Er, do you also think that Fifth Lady has made a mistake?" Shen Miao said softly, "But Fifth Lady does not know where she has gone wrong."

Everyone in the room, not just Shen Yue, including the old lady Shen, was stunned by the words.

Shen Miao is usually gentle and timid, never having spoken loudly; she is obedient and easy to manage. When has she ever spoken so harshly?

Shen Qing raised her head and nodded calmly. She had already thought it through; Shen Miao would definitely bring up the incident of her pushing her into the water. However, Shen Qing was not afraid at all. The current decision-makers of the Shen family were the old lady and Ren Wanyun, while Shen Miao merely held the title of a young lady on the surface, but in reality, she was just a daughter neglected by the third branch. As long as she firmly denied it, both the old lady and Ren Wanyun would side with her. When the time came, if Shen Miao lied, she would surely be despised by the old lady and even face severe punishment. It served her right! Who told her, a crude and ignorant daughter, to compete with her for the position of the legitimate wife? Why didn't she drown that day!

The second lady, Ren Wanyun, has a plump figure, dressed in a long satin robe of indigo blue brocade, with a rosy complexion, fair and chubby. She appears amiable and kind-hearted, always wearing a smile. Holding the authority of the household, she is respected by everyone in the Shen residence for her fair and clear handling of affairs, making her a truly deserving good daughter-in-law

Shen Miao was almost laughing in anger; such words could only deceive her past self, who was unaware of the world at that time. Now, looking back, as a legitimate daughter of a family of military generals, with a noble status, why should she go to apologize to a prince? In doing so, where would Shen Xin's face be placed? It is likely that starting tomorrow, the capital will have yet another topic of gossip.

That was the case. The day before yesterday, it was clearly me and my elder sister playing by the pond, and we accidentally fell into the water, just as His Highness the Crown Prince of Ding was passing by the Shen residence to ask my second uncle for some paintings and calligraphy. Shen Miao shook her head: "If I were to sneak a look at His Highness the Crown Prince of Ding, how would I have received the news? It makes no sense for the servants of my second and third uncles to relay messages to the back courtyard. How could I possibly know that His Highness the Crown Prince of Ding would suddenly come to the Shen residence to ask my second uncle for paintings and calligraphy? Am I some sort of fortune teller? The servants of my second and third uncles have no reason to pass messages to the back courtyard. How could I know that His Highness the Crown Prince of Ding would suddenly come to the Shen residence to ask my second uncle for paintings and calligraphy? Am I some sort of fortune teller? Or..." She spoke slowly, "Could it be that His Highness the Crown Prince of Ding has sent us an invitation?"

Now Shen Miao says she has sent out the invitation in advance ... ? ... Nowadays, the emperor despises ministers and princes being too close; if an invitation has been deliberately sent out, what could it be about? The future plans for the crown prince?

In this world, there are countless eyes and ears; who knows if there are spies from the Tian family within the Shen residence. Some words are simply not to be spoken.

On the day before yesterday, Fu Xiuyi came to the Shen residence. While passing by, he recalled the wager he had made with Shen Gui over a game of chess and sought a painting from Shen Gui.

One could say that it was due to her infatuation with Prince Ding that she lost all sense of shame, ruining her own reputation and implicating her family. Although Shen Yue appeared gentle and elegant, her thoughts were so inscrutable that Shen Miao could not help but cast a glance at her.

Shen Miao looked at Ren Wanyun

Shen Miaoxin scoffed coldly in her heart. If they wanted to trample on her reputation, she would wager the heads of Shen Gui and Shen Wan. Did her second and third aunts understand? Were they willing? Did they dare?

Everyone looked at her with some surprise. Shen Xin had been away at war for many years, and Shen Miao was raised in front of the old lady. The old lady treated her harshly, and Shen Miao's character had been nurtured to be weak and dull, never once contradicting the old lady's orders. Yet today, she did not kneel

Shen Miao sighed softly in her heart. Although Old Madam Shen usually carried herself with great dignity, once she spoke, her manner was undoubtedly that of a courtesan. Which noble matron would resort to such vulgar insults? It was akin to the behavior of a tavern girl from the lower classes. In her previous life, Shen Miao did not feel this way, but after having been an empress, she now felt that conversing with Old Madam Shen was a degradation of her own status

I see," Shen Qing replied

"Not bad." Old Madam Shen also came to her senses and said, "Starting tomorrow, I will go to the Ding Wangfu to deliver a message and personally apologize."

"Seventh brother, do not cry," Ren Wanyun saw her youngest son crying and immediately stepped forward to hold him in her arms, her gaze towards Shen Miao filled with disapproval: "Fifth daughter, have you lost your mind? Who taught you to confront your elders?"

Grandmother, Wuniang does not know what her fault is" Shen Miao said calmly

Shen Yue was astonished

Shen Miao once felt this way, until later, when she got married, Shen Xin almost added half of the family's wealth as her dowry. However, by the time they arrived at the Duke's residence, the dowry was meager. Why was that? Naturally, it was withheld by Ren Wanyun

"Outrageous! This is simply insufferable!" Lady Shen sat up straight in anger, her voice tinged with sharpness. Shen Yuanbai, who was enjoying his sweet steamed pastry, was startled by Lady Shen's outburst, causing him to accidentally drop the snack from his hand, and he immediately burst into loud cries.

Shen Miao smiled faintly, her gaze falling on Shen Qing, who had remained silent from the very beginning. She said: "Elder sister, when I fell into the water that day, you were the only one by my side"

This principle is not understood by Shen Yue and Shen Qing, but Ren Wanyun and Chen Ruoqiu certainly comprehend it

Unfilial daughter, kneel down!

"Second Sister!" Just as she was speaking, Shen Miao suddenly interrupted her loudly, saying sternly, "Second Sister, be cautious with your words. As the saying goes, misfortune comes from the mouth. His Highness, the Crown Prince, is of noble birth, and we, as members of a prestigious family, must be even more careful in our speech and actions. In the past, Fifth Sister was young and did not understand, and perhaps she did some things that led to misunderstandings. However, what happened the other day serves as a lesson. Fifth Sister will naturally restrain her words and actions in the future, so I ask you, Second Sister, not to speak in such a manner."

Aimu Ding Wang, apologize to Ding Wang. Which woman would be willing to lose face in front of the man she loves? In her previous life, Shen Yue also said the same thing, and Old Madam Shen deeply agreed. Shen Miao felt embarrassed and stubbornly refused, which led to Old Madam Shen's anger and her being placed under house arrest.

She has also come to understand that the old lady simply disapproves of the first wife, Shen Xin, and wishes for the first family to be embarrassed every day, hoping that they will collapse and fall into misfortune as soon as possible. With Shen Xin and Madam Shen not in Dingjing, she intends to use her as a pawn.

Ren Wanyun deducted the valuable items from her dowry, the shop has also changed owners, Shen Xin is no longer in the capital, and she foolishly married into the Duke of Ding's residence, only to suffer disdain from everyone in the Duke's household due to the dowry issue. All of this is thanks to her good aunt's 'fairness'

Shen Yue could not help but speak: "Fifth sister, although I know you admire Prince Ding, it is truly detrimental to the reputation of our household that you fell into the water because you were secretly watching him. Moreover, His Highness Prince Ding must be displeased in his heart. Fifth sister, you should find an opportunity to apologize to His Highness Prince Ding."

Accompanied by this statement from Old Madam Shen, Shen Miao did not move

Is it true that whenever it concerns the matter of the king, she exhibits immense courage?