"Such a golden opportunity, and you have no idea how to seize it!"
Madam Shen reached out and tapped Shen Mingzhu on the head. Thinking back to how her daughter had acted in front of Young Master Pei that day, Madam Shen felt a sense of powerlessness.
Shen Mingzhu spoke, looking utterly indifferent, "Do you even know who he is?"
"I know, of course..." Madam Shen paused, frowning in thought.
*Wait, who was Little Pei, again?*
One glance at her mother was enough for Shen Mingzhu to know that she had absolutely no idea.
"He is the heir to Prince Yong's Estate, a member of the imperial nobility. The noble-born ladies lining up for a chance to be the Princess Consort are waiting for him to pick them out. Do you really think it’s your turn to introduce your own daughter to him?"
Madam Shen looked astonished. "An heir? Little Pei is the heir to Prince Yong's Estate? No wonder he carries himself with such distinction!"
Shen Mingzhu smiled at her mother. "What does being the heir to Prince Yong's Estate have to do with carrying himself with distinction?"
Madam Shen shook her head. "You don't understand. Social status determines level of education, education determines character, and character determines one's appearance. As they say, one's face is a reflection of one's heart. That is how it is."
Shen Mingzhu did not refute her words.
"So, next time, don't go pulling him aside to introduce your daughter to him."
Madam Shen looked unconvinced. "Since he was willing to sit there and patiently listen to me, and even introduced his own family background to me, it means he has an interest in you."
"Perhaps he was just answering your questions out of politeness?"
Madam Shen shook her head, looking at her as if she were naive. "If that were the case, the first thing he would have said is that a marriage must be decided by the order of parents and the advice of matchmakers, and that he would defer to his elders. He wouldn't have sat there listening to my endless rambling while giving me a detailed account of his family situation."
Shen Mingzhu tucked the ledger into the bookshelf below. "You're right."
She saw no point in arguing with her mother.
Madam Shen glared at her. "I am telling you to seize the opportunity! Little Pei is a rare and handsome young man."
"There are plenty of handsome young men in the Capital. Are you afraid I won't be able to get married, Mother?" Shen Mingzhu teased.
Madam Shen shook her head. She sat by the window, watching her daughter bustle about, and a flash of heartache crossed her eyes.
"I just feel that your father and I have held you back. You are so outstanding; you ought to be a government official's wife. Instead, you're burdened by your father's and my status as mere merchants." As she spoke, Madam Shen teared up again.
"Why must you bring this up again? I've told you—I am your and Father's daughter, a merchant's daughter. That was destined. The ten-plus years I was with the wrong family were merely a twist of fate."
After a pause, Shen Mingzhu continued, "Besides, being an official's wife isn't all it's cracked up to be. The entanglements and the filth of the inner quarters are endless."
Having been the wife of Duke Xiao for decades, Shen Mingzhu had witnessed countless schemes and conspiracies, any one of which could have cost her her life had she been the slightest bit careless. But she couldn't tell Madam Shen that. She understood that her mother still viewed her as the noble-born daughter of the Jian'an Marquis Manor, raised in luxury, and felt guilty that she had returned home to find nothing left.
But Shen Mingzhu didn't feel that her parents owed her anything. If anything, it was she who owed them. In her previous life, she hadn't been close to them; later, she had cut off all contact, and by the time she died, she hadn't even known how they were faring.
"You and Father don't need to worry about me. Besides, things like fate are already written."
Madam Shen took her hand, her eyes deep with meaning. "Even if fate is written, you still have to fight for what you want."
Shen Mingzhu’s eyes flickered. "I know, Mother."
The calm-inducing incense in the shop was running low, so Shen Mingzhu decided to go out to buy some spices to make more. Upon stepping outside, she ran into Shen Jiaojiao.
*Well, isn't this...*
"What a coincidence!" Shen Jiaojiao spoke first.
Shen Mingzhu glanced at her, having no intention of engaging.
Shen Jiaojiao took a few quick steps forward and leaned into Shen Mingzhu’s ear. "I know you were reborn too, Shen Mingzhu."
Her tone was certain, and the way she looked at Shen Mingzhu felt as if she were trying to peer into her very soul.
Shen Mingzhu couldn't be bothered and attempted to walk around her.
"Let’s talk!"
"I have nothing to say to you."
"I hear that Xiao Yi has a cousin he’s very close to?"
Shen Mingzhu successfully stopped in her tracks.
Shen Jiaojiao leaned closer to her ear. "Her name is Pu Ying?"
For the first time, a trace of disgust flickered in Shen Mingzhu’s eyes.
"How rare. The other day when I said I would be the future young mistress of Duke Xiao Manor, you didn't even blink. Yet today, just the mention of a nobody’s name, and you actually show anger?"
She wasn't necessarily angry, but the disgust in her heart was genuine.
"What do you want to talk about?" Shen Mingzhu turned to look at Shen Jiaojiao.
Shen Jiaojiao pondered for a moment. "Oh, just talk about whatever."
In truth, it had only been in the last two days that Shen Jiaojiao had realized Shen Mingzhu was reborn. After hearing everyone praise Shen Mingzhu for being so well-read, polite, and virtuous... it dawned on her that since Shen Mingzhu had left the Marquis Manor, she hadn't returned even once. She hadn't even sent a single letter of greeting to the Marchioness. It simply didn't fit her personality.
Shen Mingzhu was someone who was always flawless in her affairs, never giving anyone a handle on her; she was almost like a perfect, artificial doll. For her to leave the manor and not send a single inquiry was just too strange. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.
Given Shen Mingzhu's character, even if she were no longer the legitimate daughter of the manor, if Madam Chengen sent her an invitation, she would usually attend the flower-viewing banquet. Firstly, she wouldn't want to give people anything to gossip about. Secondly, she would take the opportunity to see the Marchioness Jian'an; after all, the Jian'an Marquis Manor had raised her for over a decade, and she must miss Madam Shen dearly.
But she hadn't gone. The only explanation was that Shen Mingzhu was also reborn. She possessed memories of her past life. She knew how her mother would eventually side with Shen Jiaojiao, and she knew that the Marquis Manor would eventually repay her with cruelty and kick her while she was down. That was why she chose to cut ties with the manor this time around.
"You really are cold-hearted. Do you have any idea how much Mother has been thinking of you lately?" Shen Jiaojiao looked at her.
Shen Mingzhu looked back at her. "Mother thinks of you, too. Why haven't you gone back to see her?"
Shen Jiaojiao was stumped. Feeling a sting of resentment, she changed the subject.
"Look, the bracelet Madam Xiao gave me yesterday!" Shen Jiaojiao raised her wrist, revealing the jade bangle.
Shen Mingzhu only gave it a cursory glance, then said calmly, "Congratulations."
Shen Jiaojiao rolled her eyes. "How boring." It was like batting her eyelashes at a blind man.
"Hey, why do you hate that... what is it, 'Dandelion'?"
Shen Jiaojiao leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands and looking at Shen Mingzhu with curiosity. Across both of her lives, the number of people who could make Shen Mingzhu show disgust could be counted on one hand. Shen Jiaojiao was absolutely dying to know! She had previously thought Pu Ying wasn't even a person worth noting, but she didn't think so anymore. Anyone who could make Shen Mingzhu this disgusted was a character in their own right.
In reality, it wasn't the person Pu Ying that Shen Mingzhu detested, but the name itself. It was a thorn that had been stuck in Shen Mingzhu’s heart for decades.