Xiao Yu let out a cold snort, a trace of displeasure in his tone: "Miss Shen, aren't you a bit too conceited? Is your favor really worth that much?"
Shen Qing blinked, a playful note in her voice: "General Xiao, your words really do break my heart. My favor might be far more valuable than you imagine."
Xiao Yu frowned and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a low, soft hissing sound from behind. Lowering his head, he saw Ziyu emerging from Shen Qing's sleeve, forking its tongue out and fixing a chilling gaze on him.
Shen Qing couldn't help but chuckle softly, reaching out to gently tap Ziyu on the head: "Ziyu, you really are a mischievous one."
Meanwhile, Madam Feng sat in the main hall of the manor, holding a cup of tea with a look of triumph on her face. She coldly said to Nanny Li beside her: "How has the matter been handled?"
Nanny Li replied respectfully: "Rest assured, Madam, the estate has been reduced to ashes. Neither Shen Qing nor that Cuier will escape."
Madam Feng nodded with satisfaction, a ruthless edge to her tone: "Very well. That wretch Shen Qing dared to go against me, she's simply looking for her own death!"
Deep in the quiet of the night, Shen Qing sat in her room, holding the worn wooden box with a cold glint in her eyes. She gently opened the box, revealing a pile of blackened medicinal dregs.
"Mother, rest assured, I will surely demand justice for you," Shen Qing murmured softly.
The flames burned within her heart, dyeing half the sky red and distorting everyone in the manor beyond recognition...
"Hurry up and load the things onto the carriage! Who among you can bear the blame if Madam gets angry?" Nanny Li's voice was shrill and piercing.
"Qing'er, why is there such a commotion at the door..." Shen Qing rubbed her temples; after a whole night of nightmares, her head ached terribly.
Pulling back the curtain to look outside, she saw the courtyard in utter chaos. Servant girls and older maids were frantically moving chests, as if they intended to empty the entire manor.
Seeing Shen Qing get up, Qing'er hurriedly draped an outer robe over her shoulders and said softly:
"Miss, today is the Grand Princess Estate's birthday banquet. Who knows what Madam Feng is meddling with? Her courtyard has been bustling since early morning, as if they're moving out the whole manor."
"The Grand Princess's birthday banquet is bound to be attended by many nobles in the capital eager to suck up and present gifts. I reckon Madam Feng wants to butter up the Grand Princess and take the opportunity to promote Shen Ying'er."
Although the Grand Princess devoted herself to Buddhism and held no real power, her son, General Changning, wielded immense military authority, and coupled with her deceased husband's great prestige, the Grand Princess's status had risen accordingly.
After all the chests were moved away, Shen Qing saw Nanny Li sneaking around, directing servant girls to load a mysterious black chest onto the carriage.
Qing'er curled her lip and muttered softly: "Miss, we must be careful. Madam Feng has always been ruthless and vicious; there's no telling what bad scheme she's cooking up to plot against us."
Shen Qing pondered for a moment, a faint smile curving the corners of her lips: "Unlikely. In their plan for the banquet, there was never any room for us."
Madam Feng had never intended to let her attend the banquet; she wasn't allowed to show her face.
As the legitimate eldest miss of Yongan Marquis Manor and the savior of the Grand Princess, if she were recognized first, she would surely overshadow the halo of the second legitimate miss.
To establish the first impression and confuse the public, Madam Feng was determined to keep Shen Qing hidden and elevate Shen Ying'er's status as the legitimate eldest miss.
That was why Madam Feng had tried to cut off her charcoal supplies, leaving her sick and confined to the estate, and later, when the scheme failed, had no choice but to send Nanny Li to start a fire and kill them to eliminate any future trouble.
"Then why are they making such a huge fuss?" Qing'er asked, puzzled.
"I suspect Madam Feng wants to use this birthday banquet to let Shen Ying'er steal the spotlight," Shen Qing said calmly, a flicker of mockery in her eyes. "Let's go and take a look."
Qing'er nodded and turned to prepare the grooming tools. Rummaging excitedly through the jewelry box, she muttered: "With our miss so pretty, under my skillful hands, she'll surely trample Shen Ying'er beneath her feet."
However, after searching for a long time, turning even the bottom of the box inside out, she found only a few outdated pieces of jewelry and some children's-style clothing.
Qing'er sighed helplessly, her eyes filled with disappointment: "Miss, these clothes and hairpins are outdated styles, and they're all children's cuts to boot. What are we going to do?"
Shen Qing didn't mind at all, offering a faint smile: "Qing'er, put the things away. I'll just wear this plain dress. Come, help me comb my hair neat."
Qing'er hesitated: "Miss, are you sure you want to dress like this? Everyone else racks their brains to stand out at the birthday banquet, but you..."
Shen Qing still smiled, a cold glint flashing in her eyes: "I want to dress as plainly as possible, so the world will know how terribly the manor mistreats its legitimate eldest daughter."
She stood before the bronze mirror, looking at her reflection. Clad in a plain gown without a trace of powder, adorned with only a single white jade hairpin, she looked pure, refined, and ethereal.
The biting winter wind whistled as she draped herself in the sable-lined fur coat her grandmother had given her a few days ago. The wind crept into the oversized coat, fluttering her inner robes.
The coat was bulky and ill-fitting, its dark color making her appear even more frail, like a child who had sneaked into an adult's clothes.
Watching her miss like this, Qing'er couldn't help a pang of sorrow in her heart: "Miss, will you really... be alright like this?"
Shen Qing smiled meaningfully: "If I don't do this, how can I set off my second sister's 'celestial beauty'?"
She paused, a flash of slyness in her eyes: "Only with a contrast can I play the pitiful victim in front of the Grand Princess, can't I?"
Qing'er felt a chill run down her spine; her miss's expression clearly meant she was brewing a massive move!
The carriage from the Grand Princess Estate was already waiting at the manor gates.
Shen Ying'er and Madam Feng were just about to board the carriage when Shen Ying'er's eyes lit up at the sight of the princess estate's carriage, and she said excitedly: "Mother, look! The princess estate truly values our manor, they even sent a special carriage to pick us up."
Madam Feng smiled triumphantly, her tone full of pride: "Naturally. For the princess estate to send a carriage is to give the manor the utmost face. If we arrive riding in the princess estate's carriage, it will certainly make the noble ladies of the capital hold us in high regard. My Ying'er will surely be the most dazzling one today!"
With that, Madam Feng took Shen Ying'er's hand, preparing to step onto the carriage.
However, the coachman reached out to block them, his tone cold: "By command of the Princess, we are specifically here to pick up the Eldest Miss of the Marquis Manor. Who might you be?"
Madam Feng's expression stiffened. Suppressing the anger in her heart, she forced a smile and said, "The Eldest Miss is bedridden with illness and unable to attend the banquet. We are going in her stead, step aside at once!"
Unmoved, the coachman replied firmly: "The Grand Princess instructed that this carriage is exclusively for the Eldest Miss of the Marquis Manor. Forgive this humble servant, Madam, but I cannot comply."
Madam Feng turned pale with anger, yet she dared not vent. After all, the coachman belonged to the princess estate; no matter how arrogant she was, she wouldn't dare act wildly in front of the princess's people.
Just then, Shen Qing's cold and detached voice came from behind: "Madam Feng, why did you go to the banquet without even sending someone to let me know?"