"Shen Miao? What shall we do?" Princess Heyuan grabbed Shen Miao's hand in panic, seeking her help.
"This... Your Highness? Now not only has Shen Li's personality changed, but she also seems much smarter. I can't think of a solution for the moment!"
Shen Miao already had a plan to deal with Shen Li, but revealing it too early would arouse Princess Heyuan's suspicion.
"Humph! I'll just find an excuse to execute her. Let's see how proud she can still be!"
Shen Miao never expected that Princess Heyuan was still so brainless. Did she really think she was a princess and could kill Shen Li with just one word? What a fool!
"Your Highness mustn't do that. Shen Li's father is highly valued by the emperor, and her elder brother is in charge of the Night Shade Division. She can't be executed casually!"
"If we can't kill her, then think of a way to deal with her!"
Princess Heyuan angrily let go of Shen Miao's hand.
"Your Highness, don't be angry. I've already thought of a way to deal with her!"
Shen Miao whispered quietly in Princess Heyuan's ear, "Doesn't she want to attract attention? Then let's find a way to make her make a fool of herself so that she'll never have the face to show up again!"
The two whispered to each other for a while. After lunch, Princess Heyuan boarded the carriage contentedly.
Shen Miao returned to the private room she had reserved. Immediately, a man slipped in through the door.
"Sir, I've just done everything as you instructed. Look, the... the rest of the money? You promised. You can't go back on your word!"
Shen Miao showed a look of contempt and told Chunxi to take out two silver notes as agreed.
The waiter was overjoyed and flattered, "Sir, if you need my service in the future, just let me know!"
Chunxi didn't listen to him any longer and just told him to leave.
After taking a short rest, Shen Miao also took a carriage back to the mansion.
It was she who had bribed the waiter today. The waiter lied that the Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish in Feilaiju was sold out. Then she took the opportunity to give up her share, and thus got to meet Princess Heyuan.
The subsequent events also unfolded as she had expected.
As soon as Shen Miao entered the mansion, a servant came to deliver a message to Shen Li.
"Miss, a rough maid in Jingchun Hall in the East Courtyard said that the Second Miss was in a great mood after going out today. She didn't even punish the servant who broke a teacup!"
Mingyue was now in charge of gathering intelligence. Every day, someone would come and tell her what was going on in the East Courtyard.
This was also the result of Shen Li's tough measures. Those overbearing and unscrupulous servants were either punished by her or sold directly. She also bought a batch of new servants from the slave market.
As a result, everyone in the mansion knew better than to cross her and all offered to pass on information to her.
Anyone who could provide useful information would be rewarded by Shen Li.
She just wanted Shen Miao to taste the feeling of being betrayed.
"In a great mood? Hanyue, go and find out where she went today, who she met, and what she said."
With her cold demeanor, Hanyue was indeed more suitable than Jiaoyue and Mingyue for such investigation and interrogation tasks.
Sure enough, after nightfall, when Shen Li was playing chess against herself, Hanyue came back.
Hanyue's usual cold voice came, "The Second Miss went to Feilaiju today and had lunch with Princess Heyuan. Later, she also talked with a waiter in the restaurant for a while."
"Princess Heyuan? I knew she wouldn't give up. Do you know what they said?"
"The Second Miss bribed the waiter and took the opportunity to meet Princess Heyuan. She incited the princess to deal with you. After that, the two whispered some words. No one knows what they said!"
Shen Li placed a piece on the chessboard. "Hehe! It's nothing more than some ways to deal with me. My dear younger sister can't stand to see me happy!"
Jiaoyue said worriedly, "Miss, what shall we do? Princess Heyuan has a fiery temper and is backed by the Grand Princess. It's so vicious of the Second Miss to find the princess to deal with you!"
"These are just petty tricks. She's done even more vicious things!"
Compared with what Shen Miao had done in her previous life, these were still minor tactics.
"Miss, you'd better not go out these days. What if they send someone to assassinate you?"
Shen Li looked at Jiaoyue with a smile, "Silly Jiaoyue. There's a saying that thieves can be on guard for a thousand days, but there's no way to defend against them for a thousand days. If they make a move, I'll just take it!"
"However, let's see who's the better strategist. It all depends on our own abilities!"
The black piece in Shen Li's hand landed on the chessboard. After placing a piece in an unremarkable position, the whole situation suddenly became clear.
In Jingchun Hall in the East Courtyard, Shen Miao sat obediently in front of the mirror while Mrs. Shen behind her was combing her hair.
Her long black hair like a waterfall slid through Mrs. Shen's fingertips. She looked at Shen Miao's face reflected in the mirror lovingly. Her face was fair and bright, gentle and charming.
"My Miao'er is indeed the most beautiful woman in the world!"
Shen Miao gave a charming laugh, "Mother!"
The more Mrs. Shen looked at her daughter, the more she loved her. A sense of pride welled up in her heart, "Only the best young man is worthy of my Miao'er!"
"Prince Xiao is certainly the most outstanding man in the world. He's handsome and talented!"
When mentioning Xiao Hanzhi, Shen Miao's face was full of admiration.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Prince Xiao is of noble birth. He's indeed a good match for my Miao'er! My Miao'er is destined to be the empress, second only to the emperor!"
Shen Miao showed a proud smile. "Prince Xiao also admires me. One day, the throne of the empress will be mine!"
Looking at her self - satisfied daughter, Mrs. Shen couldn't help but remind her, "Miao'er, Prince Xiao is of high birth. There are countless women who like him. You must hold his heart tightly and don't let others take advantage of it!"
"Mother, don't worry. Prince Xiao only has eyes for me. He doesn't care about Princess Heyuan or Shen Li at all!"
Mrs. Shen looked at her daughter and knew that she had her own ideas and had never let her worry.
Since childhood, she had been smarter and more obedient than ordinary people. What was even more valuable was that she had both ambition and means.
Otherwise, Shen Li and Princess Heyuan wouldn't have been at her mercy.
But the relationship between men and women was far more complicated than she thought.
"Miao'er, I know you have your own plans. But as your mother, I still want to give you some advice. Prince Xiao is of noble status, and you're in the prime of your beauty. It's natural that he likes you now."
"But for us women, especially the mistress of a family, we need to be dignified, elegant, and noble, not like those concubines who rely on their looks to serve men."
"So, behind a great man, there must always be a great woman! Miao'er, although Prince Xiao likes you now, you should also be useful to him!"
"You should be able to help him with his great cause!"