The mess caused by the second and third branches of the Shen family had nothing to do with the first branch. When Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan returned this time, they had a lot of complaints about the other two branches, so they naturally didn’t want to help. Every day, they practiced swordsmanship in the mansion or went out to visit their old friends. Shen Qiu also went along to meet the people in the bureaucracy. As Shen Qiu accumulated more and more military achievements, one day, he would take Shen Xin’s place.
After resting for a period of time, Shen Miao went to Guangwen Hall again.
As the new year approached, teachers in Guangwen Hall became less and less strict with the students. They knew that at this moment, the students were not in the mood to study, so they let them be. Shen Miao had not been there for a long while, but she was actually not so behind in her study. On the other hand, when the students saw her, they started discussing.
The news of Shen Qing spread like wildfire, but no one had ever heard of the Shen family commenting on it. After the massacre, Shen Yue was asked by Chen Ruoqiu to stay in the mansion and not go to school, in case anything went wrong. Therefore, when Shen Miao came, everyone was eager to ask.
Yi Peilan said, “Oh, Shen Miao, you’re actually here? Why aren’t you wearing mourning clothes?” She deliberately raised her voice and said, “Oh, it’s no surprise. Back then, Shen Qing and you had a lot of friction. I think you aren’t too sad about her death.”
Yi Peilan and Shen Qing had always been good friends, so she wanted to stand up for Shen Qing and her words were naturally filled with malice. Everyone looked at the door and saw Shen Miao wearing a dark-colored dress and a simple jade bracelet, looking a little cold.
“According to the law of the Ming Qi Dynasty, when the elders die, the juniors have to wear white clothes. Miss Yi, Shen Qing is my sister, but she’s not my elder,” Shen Miao replied without looking back. She walked to her seat and sat down.
When Feng Anning saw her, she looked very excited, as if she had a lot of questions to ask her. Yi Peilan was immediately furious. Without thinking, she said, “Shen Miao, stop pretending to be a good person. Back then, you and Shen Qing were at odds. I think you’re still happy that Shen Qing ended up like that. Otherwise, why didn’t your father and mother help her when she was in prison?”
As soon as she said that, everyone immediately looked at Shen Miao, as if they were waiting for her to answer this tricky question. That’s right. When Shen Qing was imprisoned, Shen Xin did not help her. Otherwise, with Shen Xin’s meritorious service, he could at least help Shen Qing buy some time.
Shen Miao’s eyes turned cold, and she suddenly turned to stare at Yi Peilan. Yi Peilan couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine. Before she could speak again, she heard Shen Miao say mockingly, “Miss Yi and my eldest sister have always been close friends. I think you’re very sad about her suicide. However, back then, my second aunt hoped to save my eldest sister and went to the Yi family to ask Mrs. Yi for help. I remember that at that time, Mrs. Yi said that she was sick and refused to see her.”
Yi Peilan was stunned for a moment before her face turned red. The surrounding students looked at her meaningfully. She stammered, “T-That’s because my mother was indeed sick!”
“Since Mrs. Yi can say that she’s sick at such a critical juncture, why can’t my parents do the same?” Shen Miao did not use rude words to retort, but she humiliated Yi Peilan fiercely. Shen Miao continued, “Since Mrs. Yi can’t do it, why do you want my parents to do it? My eldest sister is in prison. Even my second uncle and second brother can’t do anything to help her. Do you think it’s easy to save her? Miss Yi, it’s easy to talk but difficult to do. If you want to lecture others next time, please lecture yourself first!”