The sound of the water clock was dripping in the silence, and the dying candle flickered, casting a hazy, blood-red glow across the surface of the bronze mirror. Shen Mingyue stared at the reddened corners of the young girl's eyes in the mirror, her fingertips digging deep into the entwined branch patterns of the white jade hairpin. The wind and snow outside the iron-barred windows of the Cold Palace in her past life seemed to howl in her ears once more. Outside the window, the night watchman's wooden clapper sounded—it was already the fourth watch. After she sent Chuntao away to rest, the entire room fell into a dead silence, save for the undried ink on the desk that shimmered with an eerie dark red under the candlelight. That was her revenge list, written in blood; the three characters "Shen Qingyao" had been traced over and over again, almost piercing the xuan paper.
"Shen Qingyao..." she whispered the name softly, a cold smile touching the corners of the reflection's mouth. Memories struck like a viper darting its tongue, vividly outlining the scene from the night Lu Huaijin ordered her death in her past life: Shen Qingyao leaned against Noble Consort Shu, hiding her smile behind a silk handkerchief, the cinnabar mole at the corner of her eye as vibrant as a serpent's forked tongue. Yet right now, on the portrait sent by Xiao Lin, the cinnabar mole at the corner of the Inner Household Department chief's eye was an exact match for Shen Qingyao's mole. A sudden night breeze swept through the hall, rattling the window lattice. The xuan paper on the desk was rolled up into mid-air, then fluttered down lightly beside her feet, like the mockery of fate.
"My lady, the night is deep, you should rest." Chuntao's voice came from outside the door, carrying a trace of worry. Shen Mingyue took a deep breath, slowly sliding the white jade hairpin into her hair. The bronze mirror reflected her expression, now restored to calm. Yet beneath that calm surged a hatred like a roaring tide: on the eve of the imperial selection in her past life, the osmanthus pastry sent by Shen Qingyao had been laced with croton beans to give her diarrhea; after entering the palace, every single misunderstanding with Lu Huaijin always bore the trace of Shen Qingyao secretly fanning the flames. "Chuntao, tomorrow at dawn, go and summon the leader of the Shen Estate's secret guards. Tell him I have matters of grave importance to discuss." Her voice was flat, yet concealed a sharp edge.
Early the next morning, the morning light filtered through the window gauze and spilled onto the vanity, the gilded bronze mirror reflecting Shen Mingyue's cold, sharp brows and eyes. As the maid combed her hair, her fingertips unconsciously stroked the pearl flower hairpin at her temple—in her past life, it was Shen Qingyao who had deliberately ruined this flower hairpin, using it to play the victim before her father and get her sentenced to kneeling in the ancestral hall for a full three days. "My lady, the Second Miss has arrived," came the announcement from outside the door. Shen Mingyue's lips curled into a cold smile, the reflection in the mirror overlapping with the triumphant look on Shen Qingyao's face from her past life.
Shen Qingyao walked in with dainty steps, her moon-white ruqun embroidered with graceful orchids. The cinnabar mole at the corner of her eye trembled gently with her smile, resembling a venomous butterfly poised to strike. "Elder sister looks truly lovely today." Her voice was as sweet as honey, yet her gaze swept across the white jade hairpin on Shen Mingyue's vanity like a viper, a trace of imperceptible jealousy flashing in the depths of her eyes. "Tomorrow is Elder sister's coming-of-age ceremony, and Qingyao specially came to see if there is anything she can help with."
Shen Mingyue looked at Shen Qingyao's reflection in the bronze mirror, turned around with a radiant smile, and spoke in a tone that concealed a blade: "Thank you for your kindness, younger sister. However, mother has already arranged everything regarding the coming-of-age ceremony. But as for you, younger sister, you'd best be careful lately." Her fingertips gently brushed across Shen Qingyao's sleeve, a seemingly affectionate gesture that was actually a secret probe to check for hidden objects. Shen Qingyao froze for a second, then covered her mouth and laughed. "What is Elder sister saying? What dangers could Qingyao possibly face?" As she spoke, the silver bells on her wrist suddenly chimed crisply, making Shen Mingyue's pupils contract slightly—the maidservants in Noble Consort Shu's palace in her past life had all worn the exact same silver bells.
After Shen Qingyao left, Shen Mingyue put away her smile and stared fixedly at the bronze mirror. Memories of her past life rushed over her like a tide: after the coming-of-age ceremony, Shen Qingyao had deliberately smeared herbs that caused skin ulceration onto her court robes; after entering the palace, it was Shen Qingyao again who colluded with Noble Consort Shu to forge letters claiming she had illicit relations with an outside official, every single word becoming a death warrant for the Shen family. "My lady, the leader of the secret guards has arrived." Chuntao's voice interrupted her train of thought.
Shen Mingyue walked into the outer room and looked at the leader of the secret guards kneeling on one knee, a black cloak covering most of his face and revealing only a pair of vigilant eyes. "Starting today, send people to monitor the Second Miss, Shen Qingyao." Her tone was icy. "Every move she makes, whom she meets, and what she says must be reported to me truthfully." The leader of the secret guards nodded slightly. "Understood. However, Elder Miss, the Second Miss is, after all, a member of the Shen family..."
"Do as you are told." Shen Mingyue suddenly whipped out the soft sword at her waist, the blade resting against the secret guard leader's throat. "If there is any mishap, bring your head to me." A fierce flash crossed her eyes as she recalled how the leader of the secret guards had been bought off by Shen Qingyao in her past life, causing all her plans to fall through. Feeling the chill at his neck, the leader of the secret guards said no more, accepted the order, and departed.
Night fell once more. Shen Mingyue stood by the window, gazing in the direction of Shen Qingyao's courtyard. Moonlight spilled over the glazed tiles, casting a cold, ghostly light as if draping the entire Shen Estate in a bizarre veil. Suddenly, a dark figure vaulted over the wall from Shen Qingyao's courtyard. Shen Mingyue's pupils constricted, and she immediately summoned a secret guard. "Follow that person and see where he goes." She gripped the white jade hairpin in her hand, the twin lotuses at its head flashing coldly in the moonlight.
At the third watch, the secret guard returned to report, his expression grave. "Elder Miss, that person went to Zuixian Tower in the west of the city and met a man with a cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye. After exchanging a few words, the two of them swapped an envelope." Shen Mingyue gripped her teacup tightly, tea splashing out and staining the tabletop with dark marks. What alarmed her even more was the guard's addition: "The bronze token hanging at that man's waist was similar in style to the emperor's secret guards, except it had an extra totem of a spreading-winged crow."
A shock ran through Shen Mingyue's heart. A crow totem? In her past life, she had seen a similar totem in the secret chamber of Noble Consort Shu's palace. Could it be that Shen Qingyao was not only colluding with the Inner Household Department, but also involved in imperial secrets? "Keep watching," she put down the teacup. "Tomorrow, I am going to visit Zuixian Tower myself." After the secret guard retreated with his orders, Shen Mingyue walked over to the bronze mirror. Under the candlelight, her reflection gradually overlapped with the haggard woman in the Cold Palace from her past life, while deep within the mirror a spreading-winged crow seemed to faintly materialize, circling behind her.
The next day, Shen Mingyue disguised herself as an ordinary woman and took Chuntao to Zuixian Tower. In a second-floor private room, she peered through a crack in the window and saw the man with the cinnabar mole from yesterday conversing with someone else. "My lady, that man is indeed the Inner Household Department chief from the portrait," Chuntao whispered. Shen Mingyue observed calmly as she watched the chief pull a letter from his bosom and hand it to the person opposite him. On a patch of skin exposed at that person's cuff, a crow totem was prominently tattooed.
"Find a way to get that letter," Shen Mingyue murmured in Chuntao's ear. Chuntao acknowledged the order and left. A moment later, the sound of shattering porcelain came from the private room. Taking advantage of the ensuing confusion among the crowd, Chuntao slipped the letter into her sleeve and returned to Shen Mingyue's side. But just as the two of them prepared to leave, a servant suddenly blocked their path. "Good wife, our proprietor asks you to step into the back parlor."
Alarm bells rang loudly in Shen Mingyue's mind. Calmly appraising the servant, she noticed he also wore a jade pendant carved with a crow totem at his waist. Had the news leaked out? Feigning composure, she smiled and asked, "I wonder what your proprietor wants with me?" Before the servant could reply, a commotion suddenly erupted outside Zuixian Tower as a group of officers holding torches surrounded the tavern completely. The leading commander shouted at the top of his lungs, "By order of His Majesty, we are searching for rebels!"
Shen Mingyue's pupils contracted sharply. Was this mere coincidence, or had someone orchestrated it on purpose? She pulled Chuntao into the crowd, only to catch sight of the Inner Household Department chief and the person with the crow totem exchanging a glance amidst the chaos, both wearing meaningful smiles.
Back at the Shen Estate, Shen Mingyue eagerly opened the letter. The handwriting was delicate and refined—undeniably Shen Qingyao's hand: "Proceed according to plan. Tomorrow at the coming-of-age ceremony, make sure she is thoroughly humiliated. Once it is done, there will be a generous reward." Yet on the back of the letter was a line of small characters written in cinnabar: "The crow is in position; awaiting the east wind."
Shen Mingyue crumpled the letter paper in her grip, the fury in her heart threatening to erupt. So tomorrow's coming-of-age ceremony was not only a trap set by Shen Qingyao, but it also concealed a much larger conspiracy behind the scenes. "Chuntao, go call the leader of the secret guards." She tossed the letter into the candlelight, watching the flames swallow the handwriting piece by piece. "Tell them to keep a strict watch on every move Shen Qingyao makes during tomorrow's coming-of-age ceremony. If she dares to act rashly, no need to ask for instructions—take her down immediately. And..." She paused, her gaze drifting toward the storm-laden sky outside the window, "Investigate who in the Capital has recently been wearing items bearing the crow totem."
Outside the window, muffled thunder rolled, and dark clouds gradually swallowed the moonlight, as if a violent storm were about to break. Shen Mingyue stood before the bronze mirror, donning her phoenix crown and ceremonial robes once more. The young woman in the mirror was radiant, yet no one knew that beneath this magnificent attire beat a heart consumed by vengeance. She gently stroked the embroidery on her wedding gown, the corners of her mouth curling into a cold sneer: "Shen Qingyao, and all you crows hiding in the shadows—this play is only just beginning." And in a corner where she could not see, a single crow landed on the eaves of the Shen Estate, its eyes flashing with an eerie red light.