Guangwen Hall stood as the pinnacle of education in the capital of Ming Qi.
Noble families often sent their sons and daughters here, where celebrated scholars and talented instructors cultivated the minds of the young elite. Admission was a mark of honor; to study here was a privilege few could claim.
Shen Miao was among them.
Yet the daughter of military stock and raised under Old Madam Shen—a former singing girl unable to recognize a single character—Shen Miao’s education had been anything but conventional. Early lessons came under Third Madam Chen Ruoqiu, who employed obscure, overly complex texts. Naturally, a child’s desire to play outweighed tedious study. Shen Miao soon developed a deep aversion to reading and writing.
Seeing this, Chen Ruoqiu never pressed her, instead encouraging refinement in manners, attire, and indulgences. By the time Shen Miao reached the age for Guangwen Hall, she could barely keep up, performing worse than even the Level One students. Her reputation for ignorance spread across the capital, and she became known as the family’s foolish daughter.
Among the Shen family’s three legitimate daughters, Shen Yue was celebrated for her brilliance—mastering music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Shen Qing, while less dazzling, excelled in practical skills like accounting and needlework, earning the admiration of peers and in-laws alike.
By contrast, Shen Miao appeared talentless, even inferior to Shen Dongling, the concubine-born daughter of the First House.
In the carriage, Jingzhe asked, “Miss, why aren’t you traveling with First Miss and Second Miss today?”
Shen Miao had always shared carriages with Shen Qing and Shen Yue, drawing courage from their company. Perhaps her sisters also found it convenient—their brilliance was highlighted by her supposed incompetence.
But now, Shen Miao had abandoned pretense.
“We are not people under the same roof, and our paths lead in opposite directions. How could we travel together?”
Jingzhe stuck out her tongue, baffled by her mistress’s increasingly cryptic words. Yet she sensed a shift. After falling into the water, Shen Miao seemed to have discovered her own voice. It was only right—the legitimate daughter of the First House, of status equal to any, should not be treated as subordinate.
In another carriage, Shen Yue lifted the curtain slightly to peek behind. “Eldest Sister, Fifth Sister is following behind us,” she murmured.
“She’s deliberately being difficult with me,” Shen Qing snorted, her contempt for Shen Miao unmasked. “Let her be. In the end, she’s the one who will be embarrassed, not me.”
Shen Yue’s voice softened with concern. “But she already caught a cold, and besides, the matter with Prince Jin…”
“Shen Yue?” Shen Qing said sharply. “Do you think I don’t know what’s in your heart? Stop pretending to be a good person. If you truly cared, you would sit in her carriage. Why waste words with me?”
Shen Yue bit her lip, lowering her gaze, and said no more.
After half an hour, the carriages finally arrived at Guangwen Hall.
It was still early, and the teachers had yet to begin lessons. Most Level Two students were already arriving, chatting and settling in. As Shen Yue and Shen Qing entered, several girls eagerly greeted them.
Shen Yue, radiant in both beauty and humility, naturally drew admiration. Shen Qing, competent and socially adept, also commanded respect and popularity among the noble young ladies.
A girl dressed in pink asked, “Miss Yue, where is Shen Miao today?” Usually, Shen Miao followed Shen Yue and Shen Qing like a shadow, so her absence today seemed odd.
“Perhaps she’s too ashamed to come,” said a beautiful young lady, her voice loud and mocking. “I heard she fell into the water while secretly watching Prince Jin. Is it because her cold hasn’t improved, or is she too embarrassed to show her face?”
“Pei Lan, it’s not like that…” Shen Yue shook her head, uneasy.
“You always protect your sister too much,” Yi Pei Lan said. “Such a stupid person doesn’t even seem like she’s from your Shen family, yet you constantly shield her. But she truly opened my eyes—usually timid and soft, yet incredibly brave when it comes to Prince Jin. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was a girl from some humble family with no proper upbringing.”
Shen Qing smiled lightly. “Fifth Sister was just being mischievous for a moment.”
“I think it’s because General Shen and Madam Shen aren’t around to teach her,” another young lady, her hair in a fallen-horse bun, chimed in. “Without proper guidance, naturally she doesn’t know the basic principles of propriety and shame that every young lady should know.”
“Cai Xuan’s words are incorrect,” Shen Yue spoke gently. “Although my eldest uncle and aunt aren’t in the capital, Fifth Sister was raised by Grandmother, and my mother and Second Aunt also frequently instructed her. She was not neglected in her upbringing.”
The implication was clear: Shen Miao was supposedly born without shame.
Yi Pei Lan snorted. “It’s strange. Raised in the same family, Miss Yue and Miss Qing, yet you and Shen Miao are as different as heaven and earth. This must be what the teacher meant by ‘you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.'” She giggled, and the surrounding young ladies laughed along. Even some young men glanced over, drawn to the spectacle.
Then, someone suddenly called out, “Look, Shen Miao is here!”
All eyes turned to the entrance, eager for entertainment.
A young lady stepped in, slowly, deliberately. She wore a deep red double-lattice goose and wild goose embroidered outfit, covered by a deep blue brocade cape. The colors were mature, almost too sophisticated for someone with her rounded, soft features. Yet somehow, she made them work.
Her steps were measured, the hem of her skirt remaining immaculately still. Each step, though light, resonated with unspoken weight. Inexplicably, she radiated dignified elegance. Chin slightly raised, expression unperturbed, her once-puppy-like eyes now resembled bottomless pools—deep, alert, and containing latent power, like a fierce beast with claws hidden beneath its calm exterior.
Her features retained their innate softness, appearing cute, yet all traces of ignorance had vanished. Though not fully mature, her bearing made her seem entirely at home among high-ranking noble ladies—or perhaps like a decisive patriarch commanding respect.
One by one, whispers faded. The classroom grew still, every gaze fixed on the Fifth Miss of the First House.
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