Shen Li took a gentle sip of the tea in her cup, unable to suppress the secret laughter in her heart. Shen Miao was truly remarkable. With just two sentences, she had managed to place a rather large stigma on her.
But what Shen Miao didn't know was that she was no longer the naive fool who could be easily deceived by a few words.
Shen Li put down the tea cup and clasped Shen Miao's hand in return. Her tone was as affectionate as before. "What are you saying, sister? If someone were to hear those words just now, they might think that you're trying to slander your elder sister's reputation! Don't say such things again. We don't want others to misunderstand the bond between us sisters!"
Wasn't Shen Miao most fond of acting out the scene of their deep sisterly affection? Well, she didn't mind accompanying Shen Miao in this act.
Upon hearing this, the gentle and serene smile that always graced Shen Miao's lips froze for a moment. A hint of suspicion welled up in her heart. When did Shen Li become so eloquent? With just a few words, she had left her speechless.
"It was my rudeness, sister. I won't do it again. Please forgive me, sister!"
Hearing this, Shen Li waved her hand generously. "As the saying goes, ignorance is no crime. I surely won't haggle with you, sister."
After hearing this, Shen Miao could no longer maintain the smile on her face. Her face was filled with annoyance.
Shen Li let out a cold snort in her heart. In this lifetime, Shen Miao was still too inexperienced. She was far from being as good at hiding her emotions as she was in her past life. Just a few words from her had made Shen Miao reveal her true colors.
Using the tea cup to gently stir the tea, Shen Li calmly admired Shen Miao's slightly flushed face. After a few breaths, Shen Miao regained her former poised and graceful appearance. She tugged at Shen Li's sleeve, looking every bit the innocent young girl.
"Sister, tomorrow will be the last day of this year's Sky Lantern Festival. You haven't released a sky lantern yet, have you? Let's go and release them together!"
Shen Li glanced at her and casually lied, "What a pity! I've already promised my elder brother that I'll go with him that day."
Shen Miao didn't expect that Shen Li had met Shen Yi. She knew that Shen Yi disliked Shen Li getting close to their second - branch family. He often stopped Shen Li from coming to the Shen Mansion, which had led to frequent arguments between Shen Li and Shen Yi.
Moreover, Shen Yi, that sickly young man, was not as easily deceived as Shen Li. He harbored an inexplicable hostility towards their whole family.
"Oh, I see. I was thinking of introducing some young ladies from the capital to you tomorrow, sister. You've always wanted some close female friends, haven't you? It seems there won't be a chance this time!" Shen Miao said with a look of pity on her face.
Although her tone was one of pity, Shen Miao felt a hint of disdain in her heart. Since Shen Li had grown up in the Night Shadow Division since childhood, she was extremely envious of ordinary girls' lives. But unfortunately, apart from herself, Shen Li had no other friends.
Now that she had taken the initiative to mention introducing friends to Shen Li, she didn't believe that Shen Li would let this opportunity slip by.
Shen Li didn't miss the flash of disdain and pride in Shen Miao's eyes. She couldn't help but shake her head in her heart. This Shen Miao still underestimated her too much. By grasping her weakness, she thought she could deceive her like a child. In her past life, why hadn't she seen through such a clumsy lie?
In her past life, she had lost all her face because of apologizing to Xiao Hanzhi, so she hadn't gone out during the Sky Lantern Festival. But this time, she was going to see what Shen Miao was up to!
She could only apologize to Xuan Yuanjue later!
"Then, sister! Let's go and release sky lanterns together tomorrow!"
Hearing this, Shen Miao heaved a sigh of relief. "Then I'll have someone send you some clothes and jewelry. You must outshine everyone else tomorrow!"
Shen Li let out a soft laugh but didn't say anything else. She saw Shen Miao off.
The next day, Shen Li walked over gracefully in a bright red, high - waisted, short - jacketed long dress with a matching long robe on the outside. The hairpins on her flying - style hair bun swayed gently, astonishing everyone.
In everyone's impression, Shen Li had never worn such bright colors before.
Shen Miao, who had been waiting impatiently beside the carriage, frowned and asked in confusion, "Sister, I sent someone to deliver some clothes. Why are you still wearing this?"
Shen Li let out a charming laugh and instead of answering, she asked, "What's wrong, sister? Don't I look good in this outfit today?"
Looking at Shen Li, who was not wearing any makeup but still looked extremely charming, Shen Miao said, "Sister, you're already very beautiful. You'd better not wear such bright colors. The outfit I sent you would make you look more gentle and demure."
Shen Li didn't want to expose Shen Miao's false face for now. The outfit she had sent? It was a suit of grayish - blue material that was only slightly better than the clothes of the maids in the mansion!
Ignoring Shen Miao's words, Shen Li directly supported herself on Jiaoyue's hand and got into the carriage. "Let's set off!"
Shen Miao, who was still being ignored outside the carriage, gritted her teeth in hatred. How dare Shen Li treat her like this? She would surely teach her a lesson later.
There were a large number of people during the Sky Lantern Festival. When they reached the busiest street, there were even more street vendors and pedestrians. The carriage could no longer move forward. Shen Li led Jiaoyue and walked in front of Shen Miao. A group of servants and retainers were clearing the way in front.
Seeing the amazed and envious looks of passers - by falling on Shen Li, the smile on Shen Miao's face disappeared. Her eyes were filled with malice. All the attention that should have been hers had been taken away by this woman in front of her!
Shen Miao, dressed in a light green, wide - collared, front - buttoned long dress, was undoubtedly very beautiful, gentle and charming. But in comparison with Shen Li, she seemed like a green leaf beside a red flower, losing her luster.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! All of you, get out of the way!" A team of sword - wielding guards suddenly rushed through the crowd. The crowd automatically parted to both sides. These guards then stood in the middle of the street, guarding the two sides of the crowd like they were watching prisoners.
Under Jiaoyue's protection, Shen Li wasn't pushed around by the crowd. She stood quietly behind the people. Glancing at Shen Miao beside her, who was clearly unable to contain her excitement, Shen Li frowned. She didn't understand what scheme Shen Miao was up to this time!
At this moment, a guard who was obviously the leader in front of Shen Li said, "Which one of you stole Princess Heyuan's sachet? Hand it over quickly, and you may still spare your life. Otherwise... be beheaded in public!"
As he said the last part, the guard suddenly drew out his sword. The bright sword scared several nearby commoners so much that they trembled.
Standing behind these people, Shen Li could clearly feel their fear.
"Hmm? Could it be you? You look suspicious. Come out!" The guard glared at a man in gray cloth clothes who was shaking like a sieve.
Shen Li looked at the man. His face was full of fear, but the guard had already raised his sword in threat.
Frowning, Shen Li suddenly felt a strong push on her back and was sent straight forward. Before she could react, the guard's sword fell.
"Miss!" Jiaoyue let out a shocked cry and tried to rush over to block the sword for Shen Li, but her hands and feet were held back by the surrounding people.
Looking at the bright sword in front of her, which was stabbing straight at her heart, Shen Li was greatly shocked. She quickly activated her martial arts to dodge.
But she found that the guard had secretly used his internal energy. Coupled with the fact that her martial arts had not fully recovered, she couldn't dodge in time. She could only quickly roll on the ground to avoid the vital parts. The sword pierced through her red dress and injured her shoulder.