The late spring wind carried the fragrance of locust blossoms into the Shen Estate, yet it could not disperse the gloom hanging over the Jade Pavilion. The bronze bells at the eaves swayed in the breeze, emitting a thin, hollow sound as if playing the overture to a play about to begin. Shen Mingyue reclined on a daybed, her fingers unconsciously stroking a celadon teacup, watching the small ripples form in the emerald tea. Ever since Lady Cao had been confined to the Buddhist hall, Shen Qingyao had not appeared for seven days. This abnormal silence made the very air feel heavy with danger, much like the suffocating, humid atmosphere and low-flying dragonflies that precede a torrential downpour.
"Miss, Ying'er, from the Second Miss's room, was seen sneaking toward the kitchen this morning," Chuntao whispered, reporting the news she had just gathered. She waved a round fan, the newly painted lotus flowers on its surface wrinkling as she gripped it tight, her face full of worry. "Also, the new cook in the small kitchen turns out to be a former helper from the Zuixian Tavern on the west side of the capital. I’ve looked into it—that tavern may seem like a simple eatery, but it is actually a stronghold for the Blood Fiend Alliance. The whole situation reeks of something suspicious."
Shen Mingyue raised her eyes, her gaze like cold stars, her presence radiating a chilling intensity. She twisted the jade bracelet on her wrist; the cool touch cleared her thoughts, and she quickly outlined a counter-strategy in her mind. "Go tell Xuanying to watch the small kitchen’s every move. He must uncover their patterns and plans. Also, replace my usual teacup with this set." She pointed to a set of plain white porcelain on the table, its glazed patterns shimmering faintly under the candlelight. "This is a specialized poison-detecting set from Tianji Pavilion. If the tea is poisoned, the patterns at the bottom will turn blood-red. With this, we can gain the upper hand."
Chuntao looked at the porcelain, a hint of fear in her eyes. "Miss, are you truly going to put yourself in danger? What if there is no cure, or something goes wrong? Let us find another way."
"One cannot catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger's den," Shen Mingyue interrupted, a cold smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, her eyes full of resolve. "Shen Qingyao thinks I’m distracted by family affairs and that it’s the perfect time to act. Rather than playing defense and being constrained at every turn, it is better to play along and lure the snake out of its hole." She rose and walked to the window, gazing toward the Jiefang Courtyard where Shen Qingyao lived. It was quiet, yet it seemed to hide countless conspiracies. "Go prepare some 'death-feigning powder.' Tonight, it is time for some people to show their true colors. This is our perfect chance for a counterattack; we cannot miss it."
Night fell, and the moonlight, draped like gauze, cast a mysterious veil over the Shen Estate. Shen Mingyue looked at her pale reflection in the bronze mirror, dabbing rouge onto her lips with her fingertips while mixing in the powder. This was a secret Western drug, the "death-feigning powder," capable of reducing one’s pulse and breath to the faintness of the dying. Its effects were brutal, and a slight miscalculation could turn the ruse into a permanent end, but she had no other choice. When Chuntao entered with the tea tray, her hands were still trembling, and the tea in the cup rippled. "Miss, this tea... it just arrived from the small kitchen, still steaming. I don't know what they are planning; just looking at it scares me."
"It’s fine." Shen Mingyue took the cup, the amber liquid reflecting her steady eyes, though only she knew her heart was pounding like a war drum. She took a small sip, the bitterness spreading on her tongue, then coughed twice, her jade bracelet clinking sharply against the table edge. This was the signal for the hidden guards that the operation had begun. She then stumbled to her feet, intentionally knocking the cup over. The sound of shattering porcelain alerted the maids outside.
"Miss!" Chuntao shrieked, catching her limp body with perfectly timed alarm while secretly observing the surroundings. "Help! Someone, fetch a doctor! What is wrong with the Miss? Don't scare me like this!"
Before Shen Mingyue closed her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a pale violet sleeve flickering outside the window—it was the lilac purple that Shen Qingyao loved most. She sneered inwardly: *The fish has finally taken the bait.* Everything was going according to her plan, but she dared not relax, for the critical moment was yet to come.
The Shen Estate fell into chaos. The frantic footsteps and cries of the servants echoed through the halls. When Shen Zhengtang arrived, Shen Mingyue was lying on the bed, her face a deathly bluish-purple, brown stains of medicine lingering on her lips—a truly terrifying sight. Nanny Liu trembled as she tested for breath, then collapsed to the floor, sobbing, "Oh, no! Master, the Eldest Miss has stopped breathing! What are we to do? The Shen Family cannot be without her!"
Shen Qingyao appeared at the door, hiding her face behind a handkerchief, though a flicker of satisfaction crossed her eyes before she quickly masked it with shock and grief. "How could this be? She was fine this morning... It must be that Sister has been overworking herself lately, and..." Her voice was choked with sobs, but she stopped abruptly when she saw the dark, furious expression on Shen Zhengtang’s face. She felt a twinge of unease, but it was overshadowed by her secret triumph; she truly believed her plan was flawless.
"Seal the estate," Shen Zhengtang ordered, his voice as cold as ice, radiating anger and authority. "Investigate everyone who entered the kitchen today. Not one person is to be spared. Also, bring Lady Cao from the Buddhist hall! I want to see just how much filth is hidden in this household!" As he turned, the jade pendant at his waist slammed against the table corner with a dull thud, as if echoing his fury at this sudden turn of events.
At the third watch, flickering candlelight danced in the Buddhist hall, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Lady Cao knelt on the bricks, forced down by guards, her prayer beads scattered everywhere. She stared at Shen Mingyue’s "corpse" and suddenly burst into shrill laughter, full of malice and madness. "Master, do you see? This is retribution! Back then, the Liu woman stole my position as the rightful wife, and now her daughter has met the same fate! Heaven truly has eyes! I have endured for so many years, and I have finally waited for this day!"
"Silence!" Shen Zhengtang roared, veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes burning with rage. "I haven't even settled the score with you for poisoning the Liu woman, and now you dare to argue? I see you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin!"
Just then, Shen Mingyue began to cough violently and slowly sat up, a strange flush appearing on her pale face, startling everyone. "My mother's vengeance has already been dealt with. As for some people... did you really think you could sleep soundly just because you thought I was dead?" Her gaze pierced Shen Qingyao like a sharp sword, filled with accusation and disdain. "Shen Qingyao, you wanted me dead so badly? Do you even realize the magnitude of the sins you have committed?"
Shen Qingyao’s face turned deathly white. She forced a look of composure, saying, "Sister, what are you talking about? I was worried about you, how could I... Sister, you must be mistaken. How could I ever harm you?" But her trembling voice and panicked eyes had already betrayed her.
Chuntao took the opportunity to present a paper parcel containing half a blackened piece of pastry. Her tone was filled with anger and disgust: "This was found in the small kitchen, laced with oleander extract. Ying'er has already confessed that it was the Second Miss who ordered her to poison the pastries and tea! Second Miss, what else do you have to say for yourself? The evidence is undeniable; don't even think about denying it!"
"The sister is slandering me!" Shen Qingyao screamed, stepping back, the pearl hairpin in her hair wobbling. "Ying'er must have been coerced or bribed by you to frame me! My sister and I have always been on good terms; how could I do such a thing? I don't believe Ying'er would betray me—this must be a trap you set!"
"On good terms?" Shen Mingyue sneered, pulling a secret letter from beneath her pillow. The handwriting clearly detailed Shen Qingyao’s conspiracy. "Then how do you explain this letter you wrote to Lu Huaijin? It says, 'Once Shen Mingyue is dead, we can plot to take the Shen Family’s assets.' Every word is here. Shen Qingyao, what else do you have to lie about? The facts are right before your eyes; what do you have to say for yourself?"
Shen Qingyao felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She staggered, grabbing the doorframe for support, her voice trembling. "Impossible... I clearly..." She suddenly remembered that when she went to the small kitchen today, she had felt as though someone was watching her. Cold sweat ran down her back; she finally realized that she had walked into a trap from the very beginning. Yet, she was not resigned and attempted one final struggle.
"Master, the Second Miss also privately withdrew three thousand taels of silver from the treasury." Xuanying appeared at the door, holding an open ledger with a stern, icy expression. "She claimed it was for renovating the ancestral hall, but the money went straight into the accounts of the Zuixian Tavern. You know well what kind of place that is, Master. The Second Miss is determined to collude with underworld criminals! Her actions have seriously threatened the safety of the Shen Family!"
Shen Zhengtang’s face turned from blue to purple with rage. He grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it at Shen Qingyao. "You wretch! You dare collude with underworld thugs like the Blood Fiend Alliance? Where does this leave the Shen Family? I have raised you for all these years, and this is how you repay me?" The teacup flew past her ear, shattering against the wall and leaving a brown stain—a mirror to her shattered dreams.
Shen Qingyao fell to her knees, clutching Shen Zhengtang’s legs, tears streaming down her face. "Father, I did it for the Shen Family! Shen Mingyue is ambitious; if we don't get rid of her, the Shen Family will eventually fall under her control! I was only trying to protect the family’s foundation! Father, you must believe me, I was forced into this!" Her words were desperate and pleading, but they moved no one present.
"Enough!" Shen Mingyue stood up abruptly. Though her step was unsteady from the drug, her aura remained formidable, her eyes filled with nothing but disgust for Shen Qingyao and a commitment to justice. "Shen Qingyao, even now you refuse to repent! From today on, you will move out of the Jade Pavilion and live in the woodshed. I shall take full control of all affairs in the estate. If anyone else dares to scheme in the shadows..." She touched the soft sword at her waist, her gaze icy. "Do not blame me for forgetting our kinship. The Shen Estate has no room for a viper like you! Your actions have stripped you of the right to be a daughter of the Shen Family!"
The night in the Shen Estate remained deep, yet undercurrents surged. Shen Mingyue stood under the veranda, watching the wretched figure of Shen Qingyao being dragged away by guards, but she felt no joy. She knew this was only the first step in Shen Qingyao’s desperate struggle. In the distance, several lights flickered in the Lu Residence, like the green, ghostly eyes of a beast, peering into everything in the Shen Estate and signaling that a greater crisis was approaching.
"Miss, Lu Huaijin’s men have just left the Shen Estate," Xuanying’s voice came from the shadows. "When they left, their carriage was loaded with heavy chests. Their movements were highly suspicious. The chests were covered with black cloth, and I don't know what was inside, but I believe they have no good intentions."
Shen Mingyue gripped the secret letter, her fingernails leaving deep marks on the parchment. The final sentence, "In an emergency, use force; the birthday banquet must..." remained unfinished, yet it was enough for her to catch the scent of a conspiracy. The birthday banquet, which Shen Qingyao had meticulously planned as her "comeback," now seemed likely to turn into a battlefield of blood and carnage. She calculated in her heart that she must come up with a counter-strategy immediately; she could not let the enemy's plot succeed.
"Pass the order: have Tianji Pavilion keep a close watch on the Lu Residence. Report any movement immediately," Shen Mingyue turned and walked toward the study. The moonlight stretched her shadow, making her appear lonely yet determined. "Also, arrange for the shadow guards to protect the elders of the clan. Shen Qingyao is like a cornered dog, and she will stop at nothing. Tell Nanny Liu that from tomorrow, all procurement and cooking in the estate will be handled by our own people; there must be no more mistakes. Every ingredient must be strictly inspected to ensure nothing goes wrong."
In the study, the candlelight flickered, casting her busy silhouette onto the walls. She spread out a map of the Shen Estate, marking the positions of every spy. Her mother's dying words still echoed in her ears: "Yue'er, the most terrifying thing in this world is not the spear in the light, but the arrow in the dark." She gripped her brush and circled "kitchen" and "treasury" heavily. "These places must be staffed by my own people. Chuntao, bring me the list of all maids and nannies in the estate. I will screen them one by one. It is better to wrongly punish a thousand than to let one suspicious person remain."
Outside the window, the sound of the watchman's bell signaled the fourth watch. Shen Mingyue rubbed her aching wrist, her gaze falling on the broken jade on her desk. It was the only heirloom her mother had left her, now glowing with a gentle light in the candlelight. Ten years had passed, and she was finally closer to the truth, though the road ahead was still full of thorns and challenges. She silently swore that no matter the cost, she would avenge her mother, protect the Shen Family, and make those who had hurt her pay a bitter price.
"Miss, Nanny Liu has replaced the kitchen manager with one of our own." Chuntao brought in some tea to keep her awake, her expression hesitant. "But the Second Miss... she has been causing a scene in the woodshed for half the night, demanding to see you. She keeps shouting that you framed her and that she will make you pay one day. She is crying, screaming, and breaking things against the walls, keeping the whole courtyard awake."
Shen Mingyue took a sip of tea, the bitter taste sharpening her senses, and a mocking smile touched her lips. "Tell her that if she wants to see me, she must first confess everything regarding her dealings with the Blood Fiend Alliance. If she won't be honest, she shouldn't blame me for being ruthless." She paused, then added, "Also, send her a bowl of porridge laced with a sedative—don't let her die; she is still useful. I want to keep her alive to settle accounts one by one. Everything she owes me and the Shen Family must be repaid in full."
Night faded into the dawn. As the maids and nannies of the Shen Estate rose, they discovered that the once glorious Second Miss was now locked in the woodshed, disheveled and frantic. Meanwhile, the Eldest Miss, Shen Mingyue, stood on the veranda, watching the newly appointed managers distribute tasks in an orderly fashion. Behind her, the rising sun gilded her silhouette, as if signaling a new hope and a fresh start. Yet she knew the true tests were still to come, and she could not afford a moment of negligence.
Shen Qingyao peered through the broken window of the woodshed at the distant Jade Pavilion, her nails digging deep into her palms, her eyes full of hatred. "Shen Mingyue, if I do not have my revenge, I am not human! Just you wait; I won't let you be triumphant for long! I will find a way out, and I will make you pay for everything you’ve done today!" Her heart was filled with hatred and reluctance, and she was already secretly plotting a new conspiracy.
Meanwhile, at the Lu Residence, Lu Huaijin toyed with the secret letter in his hand, a cold sneer on his lips. "Shen Mingyue, since you seek death, then don't blame me for being heartless at the birthday banquet. I want to see who will have the last laugh in this play. I will show you what happens when you offend me!" His eyes revealed a vicious, calculating intent; a much greater crisis was quietly closing in.
A larger storm was brewing in the dark. Shen Mingyue looked at the swirling black clouds on the horizon and gripped the soft sword at her waist. She knew that the real challenge had only just begun. She had long been prepared to face it all, and no matter how many traps lay ahead, she would make those who harmed her pay a bitter price. Even if a bottomless abyss lay before her, she would leap without hesitation, all for the sake of the justice and the vengeance held within her heart.