Chapter 21

No matter what the people from the east courtyard did, Shen Miao still started to deliberately distance herself from the people from the second and third branches. She was no longer clingy to Shen Yue and Shen Qing like before. At first, everyone in the Shen family thought that she was just angry because she fell into the water. However, when Shen Miao started to have her own ideas, everyone felt that something was wrong.

As usual, Nanny Gui advised Shen Miao not to be angry with the east courtyard. Occasionally, she would beat around the bush and say that the Duke of Ding was a peerless man. However, Shen Miao seemed to have made up her mind and was determined. Every time Nanny Gui mentioned the Duke of Ding, she would scold her fiercely, which made Nanny Gui very troubled. However, the west courtyard was now filled with people from the second and third branches, so there were always some unruly people. Gu Yu and the others thought that since Shen Miao became smart, she would definitely get rid of some of the spies planted by the madams. Unexpectedly, Shen Miao ignored them.

Shen Miao naturally had her own plans.

These days, she was getting more and more diligent when she went to Guangwen Hall. Although everyone still took her as a stupid girl, she didn’t mind. She only focused on her own thing every day. The more open she ignored those people, the less enthusiastic they were.

This morning, after the poetry class ended, Shen Miao felt a tightness on her chest, so she walked around the garden of Guangwen Hall.

Although Guangwen Hall was a school, it covered a large area. Because there were three grades, Shen Miao, who was in the second grade, unknowingly walked up to the first grade area.

She happened to see a child sitting on the steps, wiping his tears.

This child looked to be about eight or nine years old. He was fair and chubby. Perhaps because his body was a little too chubby, he looked like a fat ball at a glance. He was wearing an indigo-blue silver-colored gown, small boots, and a round collar around his neck. He looked like a doll that had walked out of a painting.

Shen Miao was slightly stunned. Then, she walked over and said softly, “Why are you crying?”

The child did not expect someone to suddenly come. He was so frightened that he fell down the stairs. Instead of crying, he sat up and looked at Shen Miao in a daze.

He was really adorable. Shen Miao couldn’t help but laugh.

The child called her “Sister” in a baby voice.

Shen Miao’s heart was about to melt. In her previous life, she gave birth to Wanyu and Fu Ming, but before Wanyu and Fu Ming were five years old, she became a hostage in the State of Qin. When she came back, the two children had already learned to call her “Mother.” Shen Miao did not know what her two children looked like after they were five years old. Although the child in front of her was eight or nine years old, he looked like he was ignorant of the world and reminded her of her children.

......

Shen Miao squatted down and rubbed his head. “Why are you crying?”

“Teacher asked me a question, but I couldn’t answer it, so he hit my palm.” The child reached out and revealed his red palm. He said aggrievedly, “It really hurts.”

Shen Miao wanted to tease her, so she asked, “What question did the teacher ask you?”

“He wanted me to write the idiom “the fox is sad at the death of the hare”, but I don’t know how.” The child looked sad.

At this age, it would indeed be a little inexcusable if he didn’t even know that idiom. Putting aside Shen Miao, Fu Ming had already started to learn how to deal with government affairs at this age.

The child thought that he hadn’t complained enough and continued, “If my father finds out about it when I go back, he’ll definitely scold me again. What’s the point of living? I might as well kill myself.”

Shen Miao was shocked by the child’s sad tone. She was angry and amused at the same time. Thinking that this child might be from a rich family, she asked, “Which family are you from?”

The child looked at Shen Miao. Shen Miao was only 14 years old now, and she looked like a child. However, for some reason, she had an indescribable aura, as if she had the ability to calm people down.

“I’m the second young master of the Earl of Pinan in the capital, Su Minglang. My father is Su Yu, the Earl of Pinan, and my eldest brother is Su Mingfeng, the heir of the Earl of Pinan.”

He then told her everything about his background.

Shen Miao was stunned. The Su family? The Earl of Pingnan?

Be it in her previous life or this life, the Su family and the Shen family had nothing to do with each other, because they had opposing political views in the court. The Su family and the Xie family were on good terms. The Earl of Pingnan, Su Yu, and the Marquis of Lin’an, Xie Ding, were very good brothers. Su Mingfeng and Xie Jingxing were also friends since they were young. How good was their relationship? After Su Mingfeng died, only Xie Jingxing dared to collect his corpse.

Yes, Su Mingfeng died. Or rather, the entire Su family was destroyed. The late emperor found evidence of the Su family embezzling money and selling horses and weapons in private. Once the matter of weapons was involved, a death sentence was naturally the punishment.

The imperial edict came suddenly and quickly. Without a trial, the entire Su family was executed on the spot.

When Xie Jingxing found out about it, it was already too late. No one in the Su family survived. None of the people who were good friends with them in the past stood up. It was Xie Jingxing who personally went to collect the corpse for the master of the Su family. After that, Xie Ding apologized to the late emperor.

Shen Miao remembered very clearly that when Shen Xin came back at the end of the year and found out about this, he was shocked.

The Su family would be destroyed in two months. Soon, this ignorant child in front of him would die under that cold imperial edict.

Her expression suddenly became a little cold, and her eyes were sharp.

The child couldn’t help but shudder. When Shen Miao looked at the child again, her tone was as gentle as before. “Su Mingfeng? Are you the heir of the Su family?”

“Yes!” The child raised his head and replied.”

Shen Miao smiled. She bent down slightly and leaned closer to the child, saying softly, “Didn’t you say that your father will punish you if he knows that you can’t answer the question the teacher asked you? I have a way to make him not punish you.”

“What is it?” The child blinked and asked.

“You have to promise me that you won’t tell him that it is me who told you this.”

“Alright, I promise.” The child thought for a while and nodded.