Chapter 134

Since Zhao Decheng became aware of matters of the heart, he had never been without female companionship. Relying on his fair face with rosy lips and white teeth, he enjoyed deceiving young women and watching them fall head over heels for him. Of course, after toying with their bodies and hearts, Zhao Decheng would promptly discard these girls.

Zhao Decheng preyed on girls from families of minor officials and commoners, feigning mutual affection until his interest waned. The young women, unable to protest, could only accept their misfortune. This made Zhao Decheng particularly smug.

When he set his sights on Li Shan, he inquired about her background—a concubine's daughter from a fourth-rank official's family, not of high status. So he made his move on Li Shan. Zhao Decheng was handsome and knew how to present himself well. Gradually, Li Shan began to develop feelings for him. The boundaries Li Shan had initially set for herself were slowly eroded by Zhao Decheng's sweet talk and flattery.

Li Xia arrived at the Marquis of Wen'an's mansion, finding Zhao Decheng's quarters. The scoundrel was in the midst of an intimate moment with a maidservant. His words dripped with disdain for Li Shan. Regardless of her faults, Li Shan was still a member of the Li family. Zhao Decheng relied on his good looks and prestigious background to toy with women. Without these advantages, one wondered how he would fare.

Li Xia still had a considerable amount of the drug she had obtained from Zhou Heng to deal with Zhang Qiming. She administered the entire dose to Zhao Decheng, ensuring that he would be rendered impotent for life.

Leaving the Marquis of Wen'an's mansion, Li Xia was heading back to Qingyue Street when cries for help stopped her in her tracks. Following the sound, she indeed found Fourth Miss Lu. It had been days since she'd last seen Fourth Miss Lu—how had she ended up here?

At that moment, Fourth Miss Lu was being pursued by would-be killers—two masked men in black. Li Xia picked up two stones from the ground and struck the men on the backs of their heads, knocking them unconscious. She then turned and left, confident that Fourth Miss Lu could fend for herself.

Ever since arriving in this era, Fourth Miss Lu had been seeking ways to make money. With her earnings, she bribed servants in her grandmother's, father's, and mother's households. She didn't ask them to relay any confidential information, just to give her advance notice of anything concerning her. When she learned that Old Madam Lu and Uncle Lu planned to marry her off to a distant place, never to return to the capital, Fourth Miss Lu was both angry and indignant.

Disregarding the need to hide her capabilities, she immediately sent someone to find the Fourth Prince. Given their relationship, she thought he would come to her rescue. But the Fourth Prince didn't come, only sending word for Fourth Miss Lu to remain calm and that he would find a solution.

However, the result of Fourth Miss Lu's composure was that her future husband was about to be decided, and she was on the verge of being married off. Unwilling to accept this fate, Fourth Miss Lu used the servants she had previously bribed to escape. She had originally planned to hide in a theater, but before she could get far from the Lu mansion, she was abducted. No matter how much Fourth Miss Lu pleaded, her captors refused to release her.

In her dazed state, she heard someone say that the Fourth Prince had sent people to capture her. Why would the Fourth Prince want to capture her? Did he intend to silence her permanently? Fourth Miss Lu, skilled at writing romantic stories, was even more adept at imagining worst-case scenarios.

"It's all because of your son's fault. That good-for-nothing Li Guang, how could he bring such unclean things from outside for my Shan'er to eat?" Aunt Wang said, gritting her teeth in hatred.

Aunt Wang's words changed Auntie An's mood from enjoying the show to being defensive. "My Third Son was kind enough to bring food back for his siblings. How is that wrong? Nobody ever mentioned that the third miss was allergic to seafood." Auntie An implied that Aunt Wang had deliberately concealed this information, leading to the current situation.

"He did it on purpose! When has he ever brought food back before? Suddenly he's become so generous. That little brat, what was he thinking?" Aunt Wang grew increasingly agitated. Thinking about how Li Shan had woken up covered in a rash, Aunt Wang lost control and began spewing vulgar curses she had learned before her marriage.

Although Auntie An was known for her sharp tongue, she had grown up in the household and had never used such coarse language. The worst she would say was "slut" or something similar. She was no match for Aunt Wang, who had witnessed real market shrews cursing in the streets.

Aunt Wang's outburst caught everyone off guard, including Mrs. Lu. After recovering from the shock, Mrs. Lu didn't say a word. She simply picked up her tea cup and drank, letting the two women argue.

"You bitch, I'll finish you off!" Unable to win the war of words, Auntie An decided to resort to physical violence. She lunged at Aunt Wang. Although Aunt Wang had a petite figure compared to Auntie An's more robust build, she was agile, making it difficult for Auntie An to subdue her. The two women grappled with each other, neither gaining the upper hand.

After they had been fighting for a while, Mrs. Lu set down her cup. The crisp sound of the cup meeting the table startled the two women. They suddenly remembered that they were in the Wild Goose Pavilion, not a place where they could throw tantrums at will.

Auntie An and Aunt Wang straightened their disheveled clothes, touching their scratched faces and hands while glaring at each other. Both made it clear that this wasn't over.

Li Xia felt it wasn't appropriate for her to enter at this moment, and signaled to the maid standing at the door not to announce her arrival. She turned and headed towards Li Xin's Fuqing Courtyard.

Seeing Li Xia's attire, Li Xin remarked, "You've come from the Wild Goose Pavilion."

"Yes, Aunt Wang and Auntie An are arguing in mother's room right now," Li Xia said as she sat down. Noticing Li Xin was eating, she reached out and picked up a steamed bun, taking a bite before frowning, "Why is it a pickled vegetable bun?"