After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

It's said that girls who love to eat are usually good-tempered.

Shen Jingque never expected that her friendship with Xu Wanying would be built on just a few chestnut pastries.

"This is so delicious!"

Shen Jingque pushed the remaining pieces over.

"Eat, you need to be full to have the energy to study."

Xu Wanying's face scrunched up.

"Forget about studying."

She touched her belly and sighed, "My father used to say that I was naturally strong and suitable for riding horses, carrying swords, and fighting on the battlefield."

"But now my stepmother is in charge of the household, and she says every day that a young lady should learn manners, needlework, and how to please her future husband's family."

Shen Jingque: "So what do you want to learn?"

Xu Wanying answered without the slightest hesitation.

"I want to be like the eldest princess, to learn military strategy, to ride horses, and to go to the battlefield."

Shen Jingque slammed her hand on the table. "That's ambitious!"

Xu Wanying's eyes lit up.

No one had ever understood her so well, or supported her ideas so much.

This person was also the stepdaughter of the Princess, the great hero in her heart.

He wants to be friends with Shen Jingque!

"Little Sparrow, from now on, if anyone dares to bully you, just come and tell me."

Xu Wanying, her cheeks bulging, mumbled as she chewed on a chestnut pastry.

"I'll beat her up for you, I guarantee she'll be so badly beaten that even her own mother wouldn't recognize her."

Before Shen Jingque could even feel touched, Xu Wanying, full of heroic spirit, casually slapped her arm.

The next instant, Shen Jingque was sent flying, stumbling and crashing into the grass beside the flowerbed.

A pair of embroidered shoes fell from the sky and landed with a thud beside a flowerpot.

Xu Wanying was so frightened that her soul almost flew away, and she quickly rushed over to dig through the grass.

"Little Sparrow!"

Shen Jingque raised her head from the grass, two leaves hanging on her head, and spat out a mouthful of grass clippings.

"Yingying..." She struggled to sit up, both amused and exasperated, "Whatever you say, could you please be a little gentler with those slaps next time?"

Xu Wanying quickly ran over to pick up the shoes, then squatted back down, her face full of guilt.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry!"

She hurriedly brushed the grass clippings off Shen Jingque's clothes.

"I forgot to hold back my strength again."

Shen Jingque's expression was complicated.

"It's okay. I didn't expect your friendship to be so impactful. It almost sent me to meet my great-grandmother."

The afternoon classes were chaotic.

Xu Wanying was allowed to sit down again, but she fell asleep and snored loudly in no time. When Master Cen called on her to recite, she recited "cultivating oneself and regulating one's family" as "cultivating oneself and riding a horse".

Master Cen was so angry that he slammed his ruler on the table.

Xu Wanying stared at the book with dissatisfaction and whispered, "These characters all look pretty much the same."

Shen Jingque laughed so hard she almost slipped off her chair.

As dusk fell, Shen Jingque returned to the Princess's residence.

The eldest princess went to inspect the military camp on the outskirts of the capital, and the mansion was quieter than usual.

Shen Yan has now moved in with Xiao Mingyue and is currently pruning a pot of orchids in the yard.

Shen Jingque jogged over there.

"Father!"

Shen Yan put down the scissors and wiped his hands with a handkerchief.

"You're back? How was your day at the academy?"

Shen Jingque then took Shen Yan for a walk in the garden, chattering about the interesting things that happened at school that day and the new friends she made.

As she was talking, she suddenly remembered her classmate whose ears were flushed red, and she paused in her tracks.

"Father, what crime did our Shen family commit back then?"

Shen Yan paused slightly, turning his head to look at her: "Why did you suddenly ask about this, Que'er?"

Shen Jingque scratched her face.

"The student sitting next to me today is the son of the Imperial Censor."

"My daughter was quite curious when she heard that her grandfather had once served as the Imperial Censor."

Shen Yan remained silent for a long time, gazing at the flower shadows bathed in twilight, and sighed softly.

"It's a long story."

He led his daughter to sit on the stone bench and slowly told her the old stories he had heard from his father in his early years.

It turns out that the Shen family's conviction back then was a huge miscarriage of justice.

That year, the Jiangnan region was hit by floods, and the imperial court dispatched Chen Song, the Pacification Commissioner, to oversee disaster relief efforts.

Three months later, the disaster not only did not subside, but instead resulted in corpses strewn across the fields and widespread public resentment.

Her great-grandfather, Shen Chongshan, was then the Imperial Censor. After several secret investigations, he found irrefutable evidence that Chen Song had colluded with Wang Yuanchang, the Vice Minister of Revenue, to embezzle disaster relief funds.

So, filled with courage and determination, he impeached the official in the imperial court.

"Grandfather originally thought that with such conclusive evidence, he would surely be able to bring down those few parasites."

Shen Yan's voice turned somber.

"But he didn't expect that Wang Yuanchang had already laid a trap."

"Oh? What scheme did you set up?"

Shen Jingque perked up her ears.

"He first denied having any personal relationship with Chen Song in court, then readily admitted that Chen Song had indeed embezzled funds, pleading earnestly for severe punishment."

Shen Yan paused, "Then, using some unknown means, the bribed witness recanted his testimony on the spot when confronted in court, accusing my grandfather of coercing and bribing him to forge account books."

Shen Jingque frowned.

"Is this some kind of distortion of the truth?"

"The worst is yet to come."

A hint of pain flashed across Shen Yan's eyes.

"Wang Yuanchang accused the Shen family of secretly inciting students and commoners to besiege the prefectural government, using public opinion to pressure the court, intending to eliminate dissidents and pin all the blame on him."

"Then an imperial edict was issued, and my grandfather was accused of forming cliques for personal gain, framing loyal officials, inciting the people, and deceiving the emperor."

"But considering his many years of honest governance, he was simply old and confused. So he was only dismissed from his post, and his descendants for three generations were barred from taking the imperial examinations and entering officialdom."

"Later, my father did consider seeking redress and overturning the verdict. However, the late emperor had passed away, and this was an old case that no one cared about anymore."

A vague and inexplicable feeling welled up in Shen Jingque's heart.

My great-grandfather was upright and incorruptible, but he never expected the emperor to be so suspicious.

What the emperor feared most was someone inciting the people's hearts and forming cliques for personal gain.

Wang Yuanchang's move was tantamount to striking at the heart.

She secretly thought to herself that the men of the Xiao family were all hereditary, with their suspicious and petty nature passed down through generations.

"And then what happened?"

She pressed further, "Did the Wang family subsequently rise to high positions and achieve great success?"

Shen Yan thought for a moment, his expression somewhat hesitant.

"That's the strange thing."

He said slowly, "Not long after that, the Wang family also inexplicably declined, and no outstanding members of their family entered the court. Gradually, they disappeared from public view."

Just then, a clear and melodious female voice came from behind.

"Why are you suddenly talking about the Wang family?"

Shen Yan turned around upon hearing the voice, his brows and eyes instantly relaxing as he stood up to greet her.

"Mingyue is back."

Xiao Mingyue was still wearing her black outfit, and her hair was still damp with the coolness of the night dew.

She took two steps closer and naturally placed her hand on Shen Yan's wrist.

"When Que'er asked about the old case of the Shen family today, I spoke to her about it."

Xiao Mingyue nodded.

"Speaking of the Wang family, there are still members of their family in the court today."

Shen Jingque immediately perked up her ears.

"Does Mother know?"

Xiao Mingyue's lips curled slightly, her tone carrying a hint of profound meaning.

"Wang Changhe's father was Wang Huaijin, a Hanlin scholar."