“What do you mean?” Ji Yushu asked.
Gao Yang rubbed his chin. “Since she wants to deal with Prince Ding, she’s definitely not on his side. Crown Prince, Prince Zhou, and Prince Li, which side is Shen Miao on?”
“None of that,” Xie Jingxing said.
“Eh?” Ji Yushu found it strange. “What do you mean?”
Xie Jingxing’s gaze softened. “Pei Lang is not an ordinary person, but he hasn’t become an official yet. Just now, you all heard what Shen Miao said. She was even more tactful than Shen Xin.”
She was witty. She did not admit, deny, decline, or accept. Even someone who’d been a bureaucrat for decades might not be as good at negotiating as her. Shen Xin was a general, and so was Luo Xueyan. Where did Shen Miao learn this kind of witty and shrewd tactics? Did the Shen family have a strategist working for them? Xie Jingxing originally thought so, but now it seemed that it was all Shen Miao’s idea.
She was able to maximize what she could achieve within her ability. Xue Jingxing couldn’t help but wonder how much trouble she would cause if she was given enough power. Even without any bargaining chips, she could still nurture pawns to her use.
The world was like a chessboard. In Ming Qi, there were too many people playing this chess game. However, Xie Jingxing had never considered Shen Miao as his opponent. She was just a weak woman and had no ambitions.
But now, Xie Jingxing saw her ambition through her ability to recruit talents.
“But we still don’t know how she found out about Pei Lang’s background,” Ji Yushu said. “The Exiled Immortal Pawnshop hasn’t found out anything.”
Magistrate Pei must have done all he could to save his son. Pei Lang did not let his father down. He did not seek revenge or hate the royal family. He hid his identity and became a teacher. No one would notice him, but Shen Miao saw through him and even used Liu Ying as a bargaining chip to make Pei Lang work for her.
It was unknown where she got the information from, just like when she made the Chen brothers her pawns.
“Forget about her.” Xie Jingxing said, “Have you finished writing the letter?”
“I did.” Gao Yang frowned. “But are you really sure… Once the letter is sent, there’s no turning back. Moreover, they haven’t received any news about your plan yet. What if they don’t agree…”
“Do as I say.” Xie Jingxing stood up.
…
After returning to the Shen family’s mansion, in the west courtyard, Shen Miao changed her clothes. Just as she removed her hair, she saw Bai Lu rush in and say, “Miss, Madam wants you to go to see her. She has something to discuss with you.”
The new year had passed. Because Shen Xin requested to stay in the capital for another half a year, Luo Xueyan had a much easier time. She kept buying clothes and jewelry for Shen Miao, or she asked Shen Qiu to bring her out to eat, drink, and have fun. Sometimes, Shen Miao felt that Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan were trying to turn her into a playboy.
Shen Miao casually combed up her hair and went to Luo Xueyan’s room. As soon as she entered the room, she was surprised to see that Shen Xin and Shen Qiu were also there. Seeing her enter, Luo Xueyan quickly pulled her to sit down beside her and said, “Jiaojiao, what did you go out to do today?”
Shen Miao asked Bai Lu and Shuang Jiang to stay in the house today and instructed them that If anyone asked, tell them that she went out to shop. She said, “I felt bored staying at home, so I went out to shop. I happened to pass by the Pleasure Restaurant and brought a few jars of strong wine for Father and Brother.”
“I knew my daughter understood me!” Shen Xin’s eyes lit up when he heard that. He said, “The wine in the capital is too sweet. How can it be considered wine! Strong wine is better. It’s more satisfying!”