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

Tonight, the atmosphere in Zhao Yuwan's courtyard was joyful, both master and servant.

She leaned back on the soft couch, put down her chopsticks with satisfaction, and felt that some of the pent-up frustration in her heart had dissipated.

Qiuju kindly brought her a handkerchief to wash her hands, saying, "Miss is in a very good mood today."

Zhao Yuwan slowly wiped her hands with a handkerchief.

"That brat Shen Jingque was beaten so badly today, and even punished by the headmaster to copy books. Doesn't she deserve for me to eat two extra bowls of rice?"

Qiuju handed her a teacup to rinse her mouth: "It's just strange that the academy was so lively today, yet Miss Shen didn't go up to help. Even if she didn't help, she didn't even say a word of sisterly courtesy. She just stood there and watched until she left."

Zhao Yuwan paused, holding the teacup, as a scene from earlier that day suddenly flashed into her mind.

A chaotic battle was raging in the academy's corridors.

Shen Tingyun leaned against a pillar, standing there with a cold expression. Even when she approached to talk to him, he only glanced at her before turning away.

Zhao Yuwan was too busy watching the spectacle to pay any attention.

Looking back now, however, I feel that something is not quite right.

"That time at Baiyu Bridge, we embarrassed Shen Jingque to her face, and Shen Tingyun even protected her. Even though we became estranged later, we still acted like sisters on the surface."

She slowly ran her thumb along the rim of the teacup. "Now she's too lazy to even pretend anymore, it's like... her mind isn't on this at all."

Qiuju nodded and said in a low voice, "I heard from the maid in her courtyard that she often goes out after school, but I don't know what she does."

Zhao Yuwan frowned even more deeply.

Shen Tingyun was introverted, and the other noble ladies looked down on her because of her low social status, so she didn't have many friends.

It wasn't a meeting with friends, and she had also fallen out with Shen Jingque.

Why is she always running around outside?

She narrowed her eyes. "Let's go, let's go take a look at her yard."

……

In another corner of the Marquis's residence, Shen Tingyun sat at his desk, rolled up the note he had written into a thin bundle, and stuffed it into the copper ring on the leg of a gray pigeon.

This carrier pigeon was specially trained by Xiao Jingchen to deliver messages to her.

Every day, she would meticulously record Shen Jingque and Rong Jing's movements as required, and then send them to him via carrier pigeon.

However, Rong Jing was in the promotion class and always appeared and disappeared mysteriously. She lost track of him many times and had no valuable information for the time being.

As for Shen Jingque, she still doesn't understand why the Third Prince is so concerned about this younger sister.

After thinking it over, he guessed that Shen Jingque had failed to get under his thumb at the Flower Appreciation Festival and he wanted to take the opportunity to get revenge.

Today, for some reason, she didn't want to report Shen Jingque's fight in detail, so she only mentioned it vaguely without naming her.

The gray pigeons flapped their wings and flew into the night.

Shen Tingyun watched it disappear under the eaves and was about to turn around and close the gate when footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

Zhao Yuwan, accompanied by her maid Qiuju, pushed open the door and barged in.

Her gaze was like lightning; she swept across the air and caught the tail feathers of the gray pigeon disappearing into the night.

Zhao Yuwan forced a smile. "What are you doing so late at night?"

Shen Tingyun's expression remained unchanged as he calmly smoothed his sleeve.

"Nothing much, big sister, what brings you here so late at night?"

Zhao Yuwan was enraged by Shen Tingyun's indifferent attitude and stepped forward to question her, "Shen Tingyun, don't play dumb! That pigeon was a carrier pigeon, wasn't it? Who were you sending a message to?"

"Have you found someone else outside? Have you done something disgraceful to the Marquis's family behind the back of his household?"

Her voice was shrill and her words were extremely unpleasant, showing no regard for the reputation of Shen Tingyun, a young lady from a respectable family.

Shen Tingyun's face darkened.

"Zhao Yuwan, you'd better think before you speak."

It has to be said that Xiao Jingchen's special treatment of her has greatly improved her situation in the mansion, which gives her more confidence in the face of Zhao Yuwan's provocations.

When Zhao Yuwan heard that she no longer called her "sister," her anger flared even more.

"What, are you getting angry because I hit the nail on the head?"

"Your mother is still resting in the manor during her pregnancy, and you, as her daughter, are sending messages to outsiders in the middle of the night. You're making the Marquis's manor lose all face."

Shen Tingyun took a step forward.

"If you have evidence, go and invite the Marquis and the Old Madam."

"If not, then shut up."

Enraged, Zhao Yuwan raised her hand to slap her.

But then a deep and steady voice came from behind Shen Tingyun.

"stop!"

Granny Liu was already standing outside the door at some point.

She was an old woman who had served the old lady for twenty years, and even the younger generation in the household had to show her some respect.

Zhao Yuwan frowned. "Granny Liu, you've come at the right time. Shen Tingyun's behavior is suspicious. He sent a carrier pigeon in the middle of the night. We must find out the truth."

Granny Liu entered the courtyard and bowed to Zhao Yuwan.

"Young Miss, it's late, please go back and rest."

Zhao Yuwan's eyelids twitched.

"Granny Liu, what do you mean by this?"

Granny Liu turned to her, and the lamplight illuminated the silver strands at her temples.

"This old servant is ordered by the Marquis to take care of Miss Shen's daily life."

"The Marquis specifically instructed that Miss Shen is destined for great things, and no one in the household should neglect or make things difficult for her."

Zhao Yuwan's expression changed.

Father... actually values ​​this stepdaughter brought by his second wife so much that he even sent Grandmother's people to protect her?

Looking at Shen Tingyun's calm face, she felt a strange, indescribable tightness in her chest.

Granny Liu turned to the side and raised her hand in greeting.

"Please, Miss."

Zhao Yuwan gritted her teeth, flicked her sleeves, and left the courtyard.

Back in her courtyard, she overturned the teacup on the table.

Qiuju comforted her, "Miss, please calm down. I suppose... I suppose the Marquis is afraid of gossip, that the Marquis's mansion is mistreating his stepdaughter..."

Zhao Yuwan paced back and forth in the room, looking agitated.

"Even I, his own daughter, have never received a single word of praise from him."

"Now he actually says Shen Tingyun has great abilities? What abilities could that brat possibly have!"

Qiu Ju was trembling with fear and dared not speak.

Finally, Zhao Yuwan stopped and gave the order.

"Qiuju, starting tomorrow, have someone keep a close eye on her every day."

"You must report to me everything: where you went, who you met."

……

Meanwhile, deep within the palace, the Third Prince Xiao Jingchen was playing chess with his trusted advisor Fu Yibai.

Fu Yibai picked up a white chess piece and placed it down, speaking seemingly casually, "Your Highness, Shen Tingyun's daily reports are like a diary. Why do you still keep this rather unreliable piece?"

Xiao Jingchen twirled a black chess piece between his fingers and said slowly, "A person trapped in a quagmire will grasp at any straw. She has no one to rely on, so she is easier to control."

"Moreover, her background is complicated. She can keep an eye on Zhao Heng's little tricks for me in the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, and she is also Shen Jingque's older sister. Blood ties are a natural bond."

Fu Yibai stared at the chessboard and sighed.

"If Your Highness wishes to get close to the Princess's residence through Princess Shaoning, it will likely be difficult. That girl is slippery and keeps her distance from Your Highness."

What he didn't say was that His Highness's attention to that girl seemed to have gone beyond mere exploitation.

Xiao Jingchen didn't reply, his gaze fixed on the chessboard, but his thoughts drifted away.

He recalled that day in Yanhe Hall, when the little maid slapped his face with her damp palm.

Before the slap landed, the first thing you smelled was the fresh scent of gardenias, with a hint of candy sweetness.

She held up one finger, asking him for ten thousand taels of gold, her fingertip tinged with a faint red.

It makes you want to take a bite, then hold it down and beat it up.

He didn't understand. She was so good at making friends and was friendly to everyone, yet she acted like he was her enemy from the very first time she saw him.

What an annoying girl.

Seeing that he hadn't made a move yet, Fu Yibai followed up on the topic and brought up the commotion at the academy that day.

"Your Highness, has Your Highness heard of the serious trouble Princess Shaoning caused at the academy today?"

Xiao Jingchen looked at him. "What is it?"

Fu Yibai: "She got into a fight with the young master of the Wang family at the academy, and the prince consort came to take her home in person."

Xiao Jingchen remained expressionless, as if he had heard something trivial.

But a doubt quietly arose in my heart.

Such a major event, known throughout the entire academy, was only mentioned vaguely on the note Shen Tingyun handed over, without even mentioning a name.

Whom is she covering for?

Xiao Jingchen hesitated to place the black stone between his fingers.