Chapter 19: Secretly Meeting

Translator: Henyee Translations  Editor: Henyee Translations

At night, there was a cool breeze. The closer it was to autumn, the colder the weather became.

Under the light, the girl held a book in her hand and leaned against the couch to read it slowly. The tea beside her was cold, but she did not know it.

Bai Lu looked at her miss in a daze, as if she had changed overnight. At this moment, she was reading quietly. Shen Miao hated reading the most in the past, but now, she was so focused on the book. If Bai Lu didn’t know, she would’ve thought that the girl sitting there was a rich lady.

How could a little girl have such an aura? Bai Lu did not understand and stood rooted to the ground in a daze until Shuang Jiang walked over and nudged her, whispering, “Why are you standing here like a fool?” She walked over and draped the cloak over Shen Miao, saying gently, “Miss, it’s getting late. We still have to go to Guangwen Hall tomorrow. You should rest early.”

Shen Miao shook her head. “You guys go and rest. I’ll read for a while longer.”

Shuang Jiang wanted to persuade her, but she was stopped by Gu Yu, who was changing the tea for Shen Miao. After changing the tea, she pulled Shuang Jiang out of the room.

“What’s wrong, Gu Yu?” Bai Lu did not understand. “Miss just recovered from a fever. Why didn’t you persuade her to rest?”

“I did.” Gu Yu felt a headache coming on. “But Miss wouldn’t listen to me. She’s been reading for the entire day. I guess it’s her homework. What can I do if she wants to read?” She looked at the room worriedly. When Shen Miao was timid, she always needed someone to make the decision for her. Now that she was no longer timid, no one dared to refute her.

Even when Shen Miao spoke softly, her voice still carried a lot of authority, even more so than General Shen.

In the room, Shen Miao was still reading.

She read it seriously and did not miss a single detail. If one looked at it carefully, they would find that she was holding the Ming Qi History. She knew what would happen in the next few decades, so she was prepared to find some ways to prevent the tragedy from happening. Before that, she had to get to know the current situation of these families.

Shen Miao remembered very clearly that if nothing went wrong, there would be a catastrophe next month. The enemy of an enemy was a friend. If these families died one after another, It’d eventually be the Shen family’s turn.

Before Shen Xin returned, she had to hold the fort for him and at the same time be wary of the wolves in the east courtyard.

That night, Nanny Gui went to Rongjing Hall. She came to deliver the specialties she brought with her when she returned to the mansion, but she chatted with Mrs. Zhang who took care of Old Madam.

Mrs. Zhang knew what she was thinking. After chatting with her for a while, Nanny Gui asked Mrs. Zhang to put in a good word for her in front of Old Madam Shen before leaving.

As soon as she walked out of the courtyard of Rongjing Hall, she saw a maid called Xianglan walking over. When Xianglan saw her, she smiled and said, “Nanny Gui, I was just looking for you.”

“Oh.” Nanny Gui narrowed her eyes and smiled when she saw Xianglan. “Xianglan, what’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing serious.” Xianglan came over and held Nanny Gui’s arm. “It’s just that my madam heard that you know a place that sells lipsticks. It’s especially good. She wanted to ask you where it is.”

What she said was obviously an excuse. At that time, Ren Wanyun wanted to find Nanny Gui to talk to her in private. Nanny Gui surely understood it. She immediately went to find Ren Wanyun with Xiaolan.

When they arrived at Rosy Cloud Garden, the servants had already been sent away.

Ren Wanyun sat on the couch. At this moment, Second Master Shen was still outside socializing and had not returned. She was casually doing needlework on the side, probably embroidering a pouch, while eating a plate of grapes beside her.

This was a rare item. In this weather, grapes could not be found in the capital. Only Second Master Shen was capable enough to get a basket of them and give it to the women in his courtyard.

Nanny Gui secretly clicked her tongue. Although on the surface, it looked like the second branch of the Shen family did not treat the First branch badly, the food that Shen Miao ate was nothing compared with what other people ate.

As she was thinking, Ren Wanyun finally put down the needle and thread in her hand and said, “Nanny Gui.”

Nanny Gui quickly came back to her senses and replied, “Madam, I’m here.”

Ren Wanyun was already 40 years old. Although she took good care of herself, there were still some wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She sat there, wearing clothes made of top-grade materials. Every move she made was like that of a madam. Even when she smiled, she looked dignified.

She said, “I heard that you’re back. Now that Shen Miao has recovered from fever, you have to take good care of her.”

As expected, Ren Wanyun continued, “These days, Shen Miao is probably in a bad mood after falling into the water. Without her parents around, she is quite lonely. Even if I want to hear some news about her, I have to hear it from you.”

She wanted Nanny Gui to tell Ren Wanyun everything about Shen Miao.

Nanny Gui hurriedly said, “Madam, Fifth Miss is lucky to have you as her auntie. However, in my opinion, Fifth Miss is indeed angry this time after falling into the water. Her personality has changed a lot these days, and she’s even become distant with me. Not to mention anything else, even today, I was deducted three months of salary.” She frowned and said, “When I heard that Fifth Miss fell into the water, I was so anxious that I didn’t even care that my grandson was still sick. But I didn’t expect to get scolded by her.”

Ren Wanyun was a little impatient with this old woman, saying, “Shen Miao is probably tormented by love. Nanny Gui, do you think her attitude towards the Duke of Ding has changed?”

This was what she wanted to ask the most.

Nanny Gui rolled her eyes and said, “Fifth Miss seems to want to draw a line with the Duke of Ding. She doesn’t want me to mention him today. However, I’ve been with Fifth Miss for so many years and know her personality very well. Fifth Miss is unusually obsessed with the Duke of Ding. I’m afraid she won’t give up so easily. These words are probably just something a girl says in a fit of anger.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a trace of ruthlessness appeared on Ren Wanyun’s face.