He was asking her which prince she liked, which one she wanted to marry, and which one she supported.
“Young Marquis, who do you think has a better future?” Shen Miao asked.
“From the looks of it, no one has a future.” What Xie Jingxing said shocked her. “What are you going to do?”
“Then I’ll find someone with a future.”
“Then what do you think of me?” Xie Jingxing raised his eyebrows and asked. This question was probably intended as a joke as the tone was quite teasing.
“Young Marquis has no future either.” Shen Miao looked at him seriously.
Xie Jingxing was stunned by Shen Miao’s words. Although he was not angry, he was a little unhappy. The women he had seen all liked him, and the men he had seen were all afraid of him, but Shen Miao neither liked nor was afraid of him. She even kept provoking him. Was he being too amiable to Shen Miao? Was that why Shen Miao thought he was a good-tempered person?
“Young Marquis, what exactly do you want to say? Please say it and leave.” Shen Miao was already asking him to leave. “It won’t be good if people see us together and misunderstand it.”
“Misunderstand?” A smile flashed across Xie Jingxing’s eyes. He deliberately said softly, “What will they misunderstand?”
“A lecher taking advantage of a young girl,” Shen Miao replied without batting an eyelid. She could tell that Xie Jingxing was not a first time offender when it came to disregarding the rules of etiquette.
Even Xie Jingxing, who had seen all kinds of women, was stunned by Shen Miao’s bold words. He cleared his throat and sat up straight. He did not tease Shen Miao anymore and only said, “Retreat to the northwest. The sooner the better. The longer you wait, the worse it will be for Shen Xin.”
Shen Miao looked up at him, not expecting Xie Jingxing to give her this reminder. After all, she did not want to go against someone like Xie Jingxing. It was already very good that Xie Jingxing was not hostile to her.
“Thank you very much.”
Xie Jingxing said, “It would be best if Shen Xin can leave the capital before I set off.”
Shen Miao was a little helpless. “That is not up to me.” Not everyone was as capable as Xie Jingxing. Shen Miao always felt that the background Xie Jingxing relied on did not seem to be completely the Marquis of Lin’an. However, in Ming Qi, what was more powerful than the Marquis of Lin’an apart from the royal family?
Shen Miao could not figure it out.
Xie Jingxing paused for a moment and suddenly lifted the curtain to rush out. Before Shen Miao could react, she heard someone shouting outside, “Madam, Master, Eldest Young Master!”
Shen Miao lifted the curtain and saw Shen Xin, his wife, and Shen Qiu walking over from the palace gate. When they saw Jingzhe and Gu Yu, they were stunned. Shen Miao looked around again but did not see Xie Jingxing. She thought to herself that this person was very vigilant and skilled.
When Luo Xueyan saw Jingzhe, she quickly walked over and saw Shen Miao jumping out of the carriage.
After only a few days, Shen Xin, his wife, and Shen Qiu looked much more haggard. Shen Miao had seen the royal family do this before. Sometimes, before they could decide how to punish people, they would detain them and wear them down. Shen Xin was a general and a martial artist, so his will was very strong. However, Shen Miao was left alone in the mansion, so it was inevitable that he would be worried sick about her.
Luo Xueyan took a few steps forward and held Shen Miao’s hand to size her up. “Jiaojiao, has anyone made things difficult for you these few days?”
Shen Miao shook her head.
Only then did Luo Xueyan heave a sigh of relief. Shen Qiu asked, “Sister, why didn’t you stay in the mansion? Why did you come here?”
“I heard that Father and Mother are returning to the mansion today. I’m afraid you won’t have a carriage, so I came to pick you up,” Shen Miao said with a smile.