Chapter 134 - Burning the Ancestral Hall (1)

The east courtyard of the General’s Mansion was naturally very lively. Guests came and went, congratulating and giving gifts. Before the banquet started, it was already filled with joy.

Old Madam Shen had always pretended to be generous in front of outsiders. Every time a girl went up to congratulate her, she would always give them some expensive gifts. Seeing this, the smiles on those ladies’ faces became more sincere, but Ren Wanyun gritted her teeth.

Ren Wanyun was in charge of the money in the government. Usually, she had to settle the affairs of the three branches. The more the old madam squandered, the less money she could fill her own pockets. Moreover, Shen Gui usually needed money to socialize in the bureaucracy. In this way, she would probably be short of money in the coming days.

The ancestral hall in the southwest corner of the Shen family’s mansion was quiet. Outside the door, there were people dressed like guards. The reason why this was the case was that these people were responsible for keeping an eye on Shen Miao to prevent her from escaping.

The ancestral hall was in a cold place where the sun couldn’t reach all year round. It was winter, and as soon as one walked in, they would feel a bone-chilling cold wind. The smell of incense filled the air as it burned non-stop.

“Miss.” Gu Yu rubbed her hands. “Today is Old Madam’s birthday, but they deliberately locked you up here. They’re simply bullying you!”

They didn’t allow Shen Miao to go out, nor did they send anyone to ask her about who she was doing. They simply treated Shen Miao like a servant who had made a mistake.

“Don’t be anxious.” Shen Miao stood in front of the window. Outside the window, there were trees with withered leaves. In the winter, the bare branches looked especially sad.

“Miss, how can you not be anxious?” Gu Yu had been holding it in for so many days. In the end, she couldn’t help but say, “They locked you here because they wanted to force you to marry into the Huang family. By the time Master and Madam come back, you will already be married, and your life will be ruined!”

Jingzhe had been fiddling with the charcoal brazier on the ground. In the cold ancestral hall, only this charcoal brazier could give some warmth. A small bed was placed in the inner room. Shen Miao shook her head. “Take the blankets and dry them outside for two hours.”

“Miss!” Gu Yu stomped her feet, a little anxious about Shen Miao’s nonchalant attitude. However, when Shen Miao glanced at her, she shut up. She could only hold back her anger and take the blanket out of the room.

“Today is a rare good day.” Shen Miao looked out of the window. The sunlight couldn’t reach the ancestral hall, but it could reach the courtyard. She couldn’t leave the courtyard and was unwilling to leave the ancestral hall.

“Miss, are Master and Madam really going to come back today?” Jingzhe finally stopped fiddling with the charcoal.

Shen Miao told Jingzhe that she did not have to worry about anything, because on the day of Old Madam Shen’s birthday, Shen Xin and his wife would return to the capital. This sounded ridiculous because there was no messenger who came to inform the Shen family that Shen Xin would return to the capital today. Shen Miao was locked in the ancestral hall every day, so how did she get this news? However, when Jingzhe looked at Shen Miao, she could not bring herself to ask the questions that puzzled her. Shen Miao suddenly had a majestic aura that was never seen in her before.

Shen Miao said, “Later, think of a way to make the guards outside to go away from this courtyard. They won’t possibly leave, but get them to stay as far away as possible.”