"She certainly has quite the flair for drama; I fail to see how she’s supposedly dead."
"Yet, she vanished into thin air. I can't quite make sense of it either," Shen Mingzhu replied, looking equally puzzled.
"If she weren’t dead, surely she would have come knocking by now?"
After all, Xiao Yi hadn't taken any concubines in the years that followed. Had she shown up, given Xiao Yi’s lingering guilt toward her, he surely would have agreed if she had asked to enter the Duke Xiao Manor as a concubine. Never mind a concubine—even a secondary wife would have been within reach. Though, that sense of guilt Xiao Yi held for her was truly inexplicable.
And yet, in all the time that followed, Shen Mingzhu had never once seen a trace of her. If she had truly passed away, it still didn’t quite add up. The physician that day had said Lady Pu was merely suffering from a slight cold; given her constitution, she didn't even need medicine to be back on her feet, jumping about. And yet, she had supposedly perished...
Oh, that wasn't right either. The story went that she couldn't bear the humiliation and had thrown herself into the river.
"That makes even less sense! Someone so calculating, how could she lose the will to live? What did all her previous scheming amount to? Nothing? Besides, if she hadn't jumped, what could Madam Xiao have actually done to her?"
As Shen Jiaojiao reached this point, she locked eyes with Shen Mingzhu. "Madam Xiao... how would she have dealt with her?" Shen Jiaojiao was not well-versed in Madam Xiao’s methods.
Shen Mingzhu recalled Madam Xiao’s usual way of doing things. "At most, she would have found a matchmaker to arrange a good marriage for her."
"Or perhaps, she might have just packed her off to some rural estate."
After all, they were at the foot of the Imperial City—what could she really do? Especially when the other party was such a 'fragile' woman.
"Do you think she might have used it as an excuse to leave? Fearing Madam Xiao’s reprisal. After all, there are plenty of ruthless tactics in the inner chambers; making a girl with no status or background disappear is easy work." Shen Jiaojiao voiced her own speculation.
"Do you think I haven't thought of that?"
But so what if she had? It was all just conjecture. In the eyes of the world, that 'person' was already long dead, with grass growing high over her grave.
"No wonder you’ve been so bothered by this; you can’t even hide your irritation at the mention of her name," Shen Jiaojiao said, pounding the table and laughing heartily. To think that someone as unworldly as Shen Mingzhu could be bested, and even have her reputation smeared in a way she could never wash clean—Shen Jiaojiao wanted to throw her head back and laugh. Finally, there was a day she could watch a joke at Shen Mingzhu’s expense!
"However, come to think of it, I did run into her at a banquet the day before yesterday," Shen Jiaojiao said, dropping her laughter and turning serious.
Shen Mingzhu froze.
Yes, in this lifetime, none of those events had happened yet. She picked up her teacup, but the scalding liquid splashed onto her fingertips, leaving the pale, delicate skin flushed with heat.
"She introduced herself to me as a cousin of the Duke Xiao Manor. I was foolish enough to actually believe her!" Mentioning this, Shen Jiaojiao felt a prickle of annoyance. She felt as though she had been played.
"You actually ran into her?" In her previous life, Shen Mingzhu had never encountered that Pu Ying at any of the banquets she attended. Then again, that wasn't surprising. At every banquet, Shen Mingzhu was surrounded by the most renowned noblewomen of the Capital; someone of Pu Ying’s status would never have been able to get close.
"Why don't you come with me to the next banquet? We’ll get some payback for you!" Shen Jiaojiao rolled her eyes, proposing what she thought was a brilliant plan.
Shen Mingzhu saw through her intentions in an instant. "Getting payback for me is the excuse, but using me as your pawn is the reality, isn't it?"
Shen Jiaojiao grinned. "You can’t just keep all that pent-up frustration inside for so many years, can you?"
Shen Mingzhu mused for a moment. "We'll see." She didn't say yes, nor did she say no.
Shen Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up—there was going to be a good show. As long as the topic of Shen Mingzhu being manipulated was involved, that Pugongying wouldn't get off easy. She had better pray she never crossed paths with Shen Mingzhu.
"You seem very eager to watch the chaos," Shen Mingzhu noted, looking at Shen Jiaojiao.
"Who doesn't love a good show?!" Shen Jiaojiao retorted, looking as if her reasons were perfectly sound.
"At the flower-viewing banquet the other day, was Madam Xiao pleased with you?" Shen Mingzhu switched to a different topic.
Hearing this, Shen Jiaojiao immediately grew excited. She straightened up. "Pleased! Very pleased! Madam Xiao not only praised me, but also indicated that she was very fond of me!" This was a rare opportunity to show off in front of Shen Mingzhu, and Shen Jiaojiao put all her effort into singing her own praises.
Shen Mingzhu: ...
"Madam Xiao is the type who keeps her feelings hidden. You’re exaggerating."
At these words, Shen Jiaojiao stiffened for a moment. Right, Shen Mingzhu was the one who understood Madam Xiao better. Her eyes lit up as she leaned in closer, whispering, "Then tell me, would you say she’s satisfied with me? Do I have a chance at becoming the young mistress of the Duke Xiao Manor?"
"Want to know?"
Shen Jiaojiao nodded frantically.
"Beg me." Shen Mingzhu leaned back against the mahogany chair, a glimmer of amusement in her eyes.
Shen Jiaojiao: ...
"Are you going to tell me or not!"
Shen Mingzhu didn't care at all about her flustered rage. Shen Jiaojiao gritted her teeth, a struggle playing out in her eyes. After a few seconds, she was the first to surrender. "I beg you."
For once, a faint sense of pleasure rose in Shen Mingzhu’s heart. Just as she was about to speak, Shen Jiaojiao interrupted.
"You won't lie to me, will you? You don't have any designs on the position of the Duke Xiao Manor’s young mistress anymore, right? You want me to do well, don't you?"
Shen Mingzhu’s face darkened. Even if she were to remain unmarried for the rest of her life, she would never again be the young mistress of Duke Xiao Manor. Seeing the look on Shen Mingzhu’s face at the mention of that title, Shen Jiaojiao felt a bit more at ease.
Then, she heard Shen Mingzhu say, in a sinister tone: "Come to think of it, I don't really want you to have it that easy."
Shen Jiaojiao quickly pleaded for mercy. "Don't say that! Sister Mingzhu! Sister Mingzhu, for the sake of our bond across two lifetimes, you’ll definitely give me some good advice, right?" Shen Jiaojiao flashed a flattering smile.
Shen Mingzhu gave a cold hum.
"Although you may not be the candidate Madam Xiao is most satisfied with, the fact that she gifted you that bracelet shows she thinks rather highly of you."
It had to be said, Shen Mingzhu knew exactly how to prick Shen Jiaojiao’s heart. Who didn't know that she, Shen Mingzhu, was the daughter-in-law Madam Xiao had truly wanted?
Shen Jiaojiao gnashed her teeth in secret. "Can you analyze the pros and cons for me!"
"Overall, there are no drawbacks. Oh, wait. There are." Shen Mingzhu gave Shen Jiaojiao a deep look.
"What drawbacks!"
"Madam Xiao prefers girls who are virtuous, talented, and hold themselves with grace, and you... you still have a lot of cultivation to do."
Her etiquette, her poise, her scholarship—all of it needed work. Shen Mingzhu wasn't trying to belittle her; she was simply stating facts. Even though Shen Jiaojiao’s education and manners were quite excellent for an ordinary girl, she was now the legitimate daughter of the Jian'an Marquis Manor. Compared to the noblewomen who had been meticulously groomed since birth, what she knew simply wasn't enough.
"While being virtuous and talented is important, the first thing you need to learn, as far as I'm concerned, is strategy."
Just as Shen Jiaojiao was about to grit her teeth and complain about how Shen Mingzhu had 'stolen' the life she should have had for over a decade, she heard these words.
"Strategy?"