470 Meeting an Old Friend (1)
On the way back, Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan did not speak much. Although they tried their best to look relaxed, their faces betrayed their anxiety. Shen Qiu was also abnormal. Although Luo Tan was carefree and happy-go-lucky, she was sensitive enough to feel that the atmosphere was wrong and did not speak.
Today, they had offended Princess Ming An no matter what, which was equivalent to offending the crown prince of the State of Qin. As soon as the Shen family returned, they were pushed to the center of the storm. Although Shen Xin tried his best to avoid it, it was as if there was an invisible hand behind him that wanted to push the Shen family out. Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan were not afraid of any trouble that might arise. However, today, Shen Miao was the one who came forward. They were afraid that Princess Ming An would hold a grudge towards Shen Miao and use tricks to harm her.
However, since it had already happened, all they could do was protect Shen Miao better.
When they returned to the house, Shen Miao entered her courtyard to wash up. It was already a little late. She lit the oil lamp. Seeing that she had no intention of sleeping, Gu Yu said, “Miss, are you still worried about what happened at the banquet? It’s fine. With Master and Madam around, you won’t be in danger of retaliation.”
Shen Miao shook her head. She knew Princess Ming An’s personality better than anyone else. Princess Ming An was very selfish and stubborn. At the tribute banquet in her previous life, Princess Ming An also made things difficult for her. This was because Princess Ming An thought that someone as outstanding as Fu Xiuyi was too unlucky to marry a vulgar wife like Shen Miao. Now with Prince Rui around, the most outstanding person in Princess Ming An’s eyes became Prince Rui, but she still did not let Shen Miao off. Perhaps this was what people meant by hatred was destined, no matter how many lifetimes passed.
“You can leave.” Shen Miao said, “I’ll play chess for a while before going to bed.”
Gu Yu wanted to say something, but Jingzhe tugged at her sleeve. Jingzhe said, “Then we’ll leave first. Miss, don’t think too much. When you feel sleepy, rest early. Don’t tire yourself out. It’s cold at night, so don’t stay up too late.”
Shen Miao agreed, and Jingzhe and Gu Yu retreated.
On the table, the chessboard was empty. Shen Miao held a white piece in one hand and a black piece in the other, playing with herself seriously.
Time passed slowly as she played. The chessboard gradually changed from nothing at the beginning to being filled with black and white pieces, looking extremely complicated.
The courtyard outside was so quiet that she could not hear anything as the entire capital fell into a deep slumber.
Shen Miao looked at the chessboard and heaved a sigh of relief.
In the past two years, all the factions had taken turns to make a move, and the chess pieces that had been set up had reached the position where they should go. In some ways, even if she had the upper hand, she might not be able to win every time. This was a game between her and Fu Xiuyi, but now it seemed that she still thought too simply of some things.
Everything in this world was changing. She was changing, no longer the person she used to be in her previous life, so there would naturally be others who would change. The only thing that did not change was the change itself, and no one could predict what kind of changes these changes would bring to the chessboard.
She glanced at the chessboard on the table, stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open. The autumn wind blew in from outside, making her feel a little cold. The shadow of the tree in front of the window swayed. She looked at it for a while in a daze and turned around to see that the oil lamp in the room had burned out.
With the lamp out, the moonlight flowed into the room like water, illuminating it brightly.
With a faint sound, a person sat in front of the chessboard. He held a black chess piece and casually placed it on the chessboard before looking up at Shen Miao.