The Rebirth of the Vengeful Empress from a Military Family

Chapter VI: Undercurrent

Volume I: The Spring Breeze is Only a Stranger

Chapter VI: Undercurrent (暗流)

Shen Qing stares at her mother with eyes that reveal she does not understand why she stopped her from speaking. Although unwilling, she obediently keeps silent.

Shen Yue likewise does not understand what meaning hid behind Shen Miao's words, but upon seeing the anxiousness on her mother Chen Ruo Qiu's face, she realizes that something but wrong. She stands still and also keeps silent throughout.

Old Madame Shen frowns. Despite being with Old General Shen for so many years, her eyes had never cared for anything outside of the Inner Courtyard's walls. She understands nothing of the complicated twists and turns that came with officialdom, so how can she think of what Shen Miao's words truly meant? Her only thought is that Shen Miao must have drank the wrong medicine today. The girl had the gall to refute her repeatedly and disrespect her authority as an elder of the household. The Old Madame wants nothing but to explode in rage.

"Little Five is correct." Ren Wan Yun smiles and interrupts the Old Madame's upcoming reprimand, "This is all a misunderstanding. How can the matters of the Court reach the Inner Courtyard? Everything that happened has only been coincidental. His Imperial Highness Prince Ding is openminded and will not take this matter of two children playing around in their residence to heart. All of this is simply a misunderstanding. Little Five is truly pitiful for accidentally falling into the water and receiving a shock. She has truly suffered."

Old Madame Shen opens her mouth, slightly dissatisfied with her daughter-in-law for interrupting her. However, Ren Wan Yun comes from a family of wealthy merchants and frequently subsidizes many of the Shen Residence's expenses. She may be dissatisfied, but she cannot offend her daughter-in-law. Instantly, the Old Madame harrumphs coldly but does not continue.

Chen Ruo Qiu realizes the Old Madame's stance on the matter and supports Ren Wan Yu's statement. "Precisely. In the future, Yue-er and Qing-er must never repeat what they had said. The world is filled with coincidences. That day, Little Five coincidentally slipped into the pond and His Imperial Highness Prince Ding happened to witness her fall." She gazes at Shen Miao and smiles. "Little Five, the Old Madame cherishes you too, she is not truly mad at you."

(T/N: 'er' is a diminutive added at the end of a person's name as a term of endearment. For example, Shen Miao will be called Miao-er.)

Shen Miao looks at the woman in front of her. Shen Yue looks so much like Chen Rou Qiu. Even their temperaments are alike. Chen Rou Qiu hailed from a family of scholars and possesses both beauty and grace. The way she moves and speaks make her seem warm and gentle, lovely but not frivolous. A woman as scholarly as her appears to be wonderful, who could have predicted her scheme?

In her previous life, when the Xiong Nu's envoy offered peace through a marriage alliance, Wan Yu had been the only princess old enough to be married off. Back then, Chen Rou Qiu had declared that a marriage alliance is still a marriage, and since Shen Yue is no longer young, then she will volunteer to marry into the Xiong Nu. However, Shen Yue had not been a princess. Thus, Fi Xiu Yu anointed Shen Yue as the Princess Yue Ru in order to make her qualified to form a marriage alliance with the Xiong Nu.

(Shen Yue was given the title Yue Ru Gong Zhu (月如公主), Gong Zhu (公主) being the title normally given to daughters and sisters of the emperor. Yue (月) means "moon", while Ru (如) means 'like'. Basically, her title means Moonlike Princess or Princess Who Resembles the Moon. Although their pinyin is the same, the Yue in Shen Yue's name is 玥 and not the 月 in her title.)