Chapter 10

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The farce finally came to an end. Shen Xue did not want to stay any longer. She flicked her sleeves and was about to leave.

“Stepmother.” Shen Hua called out with a smile.

“What else do you want?”

Shen Xue’s tone was very aggressive.

“You gave me such a big gift, so I naturally have to be considerate. Mrs. Xu originally served you and was assigned to me. She initially had a lot of complaints. Because she’s really old, I don’t think she’s worth much; selling her would make things difficult for the broker. You should take her with you.”

Mrs. Xu still hadn’t reacted, but her back was arched slightly. When she heard this, her fingertips began to tremble.

She was valued by Madam Shen Xue because she was helping her supervise Shen Hua. However, now that Shen Hua had chased her away, would Madam still be nice to her?

“Are you deaf? Follow me!”

Madam Shen Xue’s face darkened.

“You still want me to drag you back?”

“Stepmother,” Shen Hua called out softly again.

Madam Shen Xue could barely catch her breath.

Her eyes seemed to be filled with fire, and she wished he could devour Shen Hua and burn her alive.

‘Have you not had enough?!’

“Chao Lu was my most beloved maidservant. She was originally my assistant. It’s a waste of her talent to be a sweeping maid in your courtyard. She’s considerate. Stepmother, you have to treat her well.”

Yi Cui handed over Zhao Lu’s indenture.

Shen Xue, “!!!”

Got it! As soon as she went back, she would torture that piece of sh*t!

Waste of her talent?

From today onward, she would make her pour the chamber pot!

“Steward Wu.”

Shen Hua’s gaze shifted slightly. It was not a friendly gaze.

Steward Wu started sweating and wished he could disappear.

“How many years have you been with my father?”

He paused. “More than twenty years.”

“It was 23 years ago. Father picked you up when you were young. At that time, you were on the verge of death. He was the one who hired a doctor and promoted you to become his assistant. Although I was young, I still knew how to write the words ‘heartless and unscrupulous’.”

Butler Wu could not say a word.

It was every man for himself. Shen Wei had treated him well, so he had served him wholeheartedly for so many years.

Shen Hua’s tone was cold. “I heard that your daughter-in-law is about to give birth soon?”

“…Yes.”

“You’re about to become a grandfather. If I were you, I would accumulate some virtue for my descendants.”

After saying this, Shen Hua struggled to get up. Without looking at the two of them again, she turned around and was about to return to her room.

Shen Qu, who had been quiet for a long time and seemed to be indulging Shen Hua, finally made a move.

The smile on his face was mostly gone.

“Shen Hua.”

Finally, he stopped the pretense of calling her Yangyang.

“Have you heard the rumors outside?

“I won’t believe it if you say you were not involved.”

Shen Hua deliberately caused a storm in the city to try and make Madam Shen Xue give in. It was like a huge game of chess. She did not even hesitate to ruin the reputation of the entire Shen family.

Shen Hua pursed her lips and remained silent.

A vicious look flashed across Shen Qu’s eyes.

“I’ve redeemed the Eastern pearl. I won’t hold it against you this time, but I can’t be sure about the next time.”

His tone was gentle, but he bent down and stuffed the pearl into Shen Hua’s hand without any resistance. Then, he considerately adjusted Shen Hua’s cloak.

His hand brushed past Shen Hua. It was clearly warm, but Shen Hua felt a chill that was even more bone-piercing than the cold wind.

She accepted his service quietly and abnormally.

“I’ve let you vent your anger comfortably. You should be done fooling around. After all, you’re the precious daughter of the family. You still don’t understand the principle of submitting to others.”

The man had a faint smile on his face, and there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“Have you said enough?” Shen Hua said coldly.

She knew that Shen Qu could not do anything to her.

Not only that, but he also had to put in a lot of effort to keep her alive.

So what if Madam Shen Xue gave in today? Shen Hua had always hated Shen Qu and the Second Branch.

She met Shen Qu’s eyes, which were clear and bright. Under such circumstances, she still maintained her usual pride, and her words made Shen Qu’s expression turn horribly dark.

“The way you’re coaxing me now is like a dog wagging its tail, desperately to please me.”

…

A low-key carriage slowly drove out of Shengjing City. The snow made a soft squeaking sound under the wheels.

The carriage looked ordinary but it was completely different from regular ones.

It was spacious and bright inside.

There was a purple tea set with plum blossoms on the table, and a few white jade chess pieces were placed on the pine chessboard.

The curtains of the carriage were made of gold and purple brocade, and the carpet was made of tiger skin…

Cui Yun sat upright, his eyes cold and distant, the demeanor of a gentleman fully displayed. He held a book in his well-defined hand and flipped to a page from time to time.

“Cui Yun, have you seen Ji Teng?”

The person who spoke was Ji He, who was sitting lazily opposite him.

He did not blame Cui Yun for not responding. Instead, he continued, “He’s dull and thin. How can they say he looks like a prince? At first glance, I thought he was a monkey. He’s been a hostage for eight years and finally returned, but Father didn’t like him at all. He just found a lousy mansion and sent him away.”

He did not feel good about this.

His biological mother was a young and talented person. After giving birth to him, she died from the difficult labor. She had never been conferred a title.

It just so happened that he was born during the Ghost Festival. The Emperor hated him for having unknown birth roots. He was never close to him and Ji He had long been expelled from the palace to a separate residence. He was not allowed to wander around.

However, compared to Ji Teng, he was already lucky enough!!

“His courtyard is leaking, and there are no servants in the mansion to serve him. I can’t find even half a copper coin to his name. I secretly saw him eating grass last time.”

As Ji He sighed, Cui Wei flipped another page of the book.

“By the way, why are you going to Fengzhou suddenly?”

Thousands of guesses flashed across his mind. Suddenly, he sat up straight.

Fengzhou’s Hundred Flowers Pavilion had recently produced a courtesan who was both beautiful and skilled! He had also heard of her in Shengjing.

He could not help but raise his voice.

“You’re really something…

“I knew it. There’s no such thing as a man who doesn’t lust after women. It turns out that your self-cultivation in Shengjing City is just an illusion. Your wild side prefers to travel thousands of miles to play with a woman. It must be hard to put on this act.”

Why did he not think of this method!!!

Look at how successful Cui Yun was.

Who in Shengjing City did not look up to him?

Cui Yun’s gaze never left the book as he flipped to another page.

Ji He held his breath and lunged over.

With a bang, he closed the book in Cui Yun’s hand.

“What kind of attitude is this? I’m talking to you!”

He had been talking all the while! His mouth was already dry!

Cui Yun frowned slightly and looked at Ji Wei in confusion.

Only then did he raise a hand and slowly remove the soft earplugs made of cowhide. They were bulging inside and were wrapped in thick cotton.

“You, you, you…”

Cui Yun’s lips moved. There was not the slightest bit of shame on his face.

“Seventh Prince, please repeat yourself.”

“Why should I say it again?”

It turned out that he had made a fool himself and had been talking to himself the entire way. Cui Yun was sitting there, all calm and composed, but did not hear a single word.

Ji He, “Wonderful. I deserve it.”