The Mind-Reading Madam Is Pretending to Be Clueless Again

That was the thought I heard most often after marrying into the Shen family. So I ate the sweetest pastries, wore the brightest hairpins, and smiled foolishly at everyone who tried to scheme against me. I watched my sisters-in-law curse each other in their hearts as they fought for control of the household. I listened as my sister-in-law put on a show of concern while plotting to use me as a stepping stone to marry into a powerful family. I even “heard” my high-ranking father-in-law sneer inwardly: [Shen Jue? A son born to a concubine, and he thinks he deserves to covet what isn’t his?] I played the perfect, obedient audience. Until one day, my “gravely ill” husband, between bouts of coughing up blood, suddenly opened clear eyes and asked me, “Have you seen enough?” He knew I could read minds. And what he was thinking made my blood run cold: [Just wait a little longer, until she’s heard every last detail about everyone.] It turned out that in this play, I was the most deeply hidden piece on the board, and the only variable.