《I Turned Over A New Leaf After Marrying A Sickly Lord》


 Chapter 1

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    The April night was slightly cold.


    Su Anan stood by the window and looked at the bright Moon in the night sky. Her excitement slowly died down.


    Her very last memory was in the slums. It was winter, and it had finally started snowing in Luo City.


    She was curled up in a corner, wearing an old, tattered cloak and gazing at the white snow falling from the sky while shivering.


    Her flower-like face had been scratched into an ugly mottled mess. Even the dirtiest beggar was shocked to see her hideous face and kicked her away.


    All ten of her soft, slender fingers were frostbitten and ulcerated. However, the cold made her numb and she could no longer feel any pain.


    The snow that filled the sky swayed affectionately. It reminded her of the snow at the Luo City Plum Blossom Banquet that year. It had the same dreamy quality.


    She reached out a trembling hand to pick up the snow. The white snow contrasted the dirt on her, reminding her that she was no longer the Young Miss of a noble family.


    She could never return to the past.


    At that moment, her heart became incomparably desolate, and traces of warm tears flowed down from the corners of her eyes.


    Her hand suddenly fell to the side and her bumpy life came to an end.


    A short and absurd life.


    She woke up to see a pink gauze curtain. She took in the calming fragrance, the warm mattress, and the pair of hands that were still as white as jade. There were no frostbites, no festering, and they were as good as new.


    She was stunned for a long time before she reacted. She grabbed a second-rank servant girl and asked for the year. When she learned that it was the 23rd day of the third month in the 18th year of Yongjia, her eyes suddenly widened and she fell to the side of the bed.


    The 23rd of March was the day before she got married, and it was also the most important day of her life.


    It was on that day that she was urged by Su Pingping to escape from the marriage. It was on that day that her life was turned upside down.


    Was she sent back to that time?


    She pushed away the servant girl who was supporting her, walked to the window and suddenly opened it.


    Yingshan Hong¡¯s heart-penetrating fragrance instantly attacked her nostrils. The cool wind blew her shoulder-length hair, and the lush grape vines adorned the window frame. They were verdant and glistening, full of vitality.


    It was her Zhilan Court.


    She was really back.


    The maidservant, Cui Yan, came in with a pot of freshly made tea. She saw the young lady standing by the window after waking up from her afternoon nap. She quickly put down the tray and gave her a cloak. ¡°Young Lady, the wind is strong by the window. Don¡¯t stand for too long. You¡¯ll get a cold.¡±


    Su Anan came back to her senses when she was covered by the warmth. She studied the face in front of her and called out the name that she had said countless times before.¡±Cui Yan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss, this servant is here.¡± Cui Yan obediently replied and helped her tie the belt.


    Su Anan¡¯s eyes suddenly became warm as she watched Cui Yan tying the bow for her.


    Cui Yan was still here.


    After fastening her belt, Cui Yan looked up at her miss¡¯s worried expression. She assumed that she was still worried about her marriage, so she couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°Miss, listen to this servant¡¯s advice. Don¡¯t be afraid and get ready for the marriage tomorrow. Although Young Master Shen¡¯s health is not good and he lives in the countryside, he is still the heir to the residence of Marquis of Xuanyi. If you marry over, your luck may be diminished but your status would not be at a disadvantage.¡±


    She continued, ¡°Moreover this matter has already been settled and there are no more uncertainties. The moment the bridal sedan comes tomorrow, you will become a member of Shen Family. If you insist on breaking off the marriage, your reputation would be ruined. In the future, who would dare to propose marriage to you?¡±


    ¡°Young Lady, let¡¯s just accept our fate. If you marry over and serve your husband well, perhaps that Shen gongzi will give you a divorce paper when he passes away and set you free.¡±


    Su Anan used to hate Cui Yan¡¯s nagging. Cui Yan was two years older than her and was the maidservant her mother had chosen for her. Unfortunately, this maidservant was too straightforward and always lectured her, much to her frustration. In the end, she hid her escape plan and was doomed.


    Su Anan had missed her very much. Tears welled up in her eyes.


    In her previous life, after she ran away from her marriage, she had never heard a single word of advice.


    She had also never seen Cui Yan again. She only heard that after she left, Cui Yan was sold by Lu Shi and married off to a random manor. Her life was not easy and she left the world earlier than her.


    At that time, she finally realized how good Cui Yan was and how much she had tried to persuade her.


    Su Anan suppressed the tears in her eyes and held Cui Yan¡¯s hand. ¡°I know. I will get married tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Cui Yan was surprised for a moment. Had the Young Miss suddenly thought it through?


    The past few days, she had been making a fuss about running away.


    However, since the Young Miss chose to do so, Cui Yan decided to comfort her. The Young Miss might have seen that there was no way out.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand, Miss. Please don¡¯t blame me for being a busybody. Rumor has it that Young Master Shen has a good temper and is gentle and refined. Although he is weak, he might recover if he is taken care of carefully. Miss, don¡¯t be too pessimistic.¡±


    Su Anan was not pessimistic at all.


    So what if she married a sickly person? What if she was unhappy? Could it be worse than her previous life, where she had to wander around, freeze to death on the streets, be cut off from her family, removed from the genealogy and be homeless?


    Nothing could be worse than that.


    She patted Cui Yan¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not being pessimistic. Sometimes, people have to accept their fate. I have already thought it through. Cui Yan, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Cui Yan¡¯s eyes overflowed with a sense of relief. The Young Miss was finally not afraid.


    After a few more words of advice, Cui Yan decided to go down to see why the dishes in the kitchen had not been served. She had just taken a step when a report came from outside the door. ¡°Eldest Miss, Second Miss is here to see you.¡±


    Cui Yan paused and worriedly looked back at the Young Miss.


    Second Miss was the daughter of the First Miss¡¯s stepmother, Lu Shi, and the second daughter of the Di Family in the Su Residence.


    The two of them had a good relationship. The Eldest Miss had always trusted the Second Miss and treated her as her own sister. However, the Second Miss did not reciprocate the affection.


    Cui Yan had said that the Second Miss was not as innocent as she looked, but the Eldest Miss did not believe her and thought that she was trying to sow discord. In a fit of anger, she was punished to do odd jobs in the kitchen for three months. Later on, on the day of her mother¡¯s death, she remembered her and got her transferred back.


    Now that the Young Miss had finally thought it through, she hoped that she wouldn¡¯t continue to chat with the Second Miss and cause trouble.


    Cui Yan wanted to say something but stopped. She helplessly bowed and left.


    This was because the two of them had never liked having a servant girl serving them when they spoke.


    When Su Anan heard the term ¡°Second Miss¡±, her fingers unconsciously tightened, and her calm eyes suddenly became turbulent.


    Unfortunately, Su Pingping didn¡¯t notice. She walked over with small steps and waved the maidservant away. She went forward and affectionately held her arm.¡±Is Elder Sister still worried?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sister. I have a good idea that can help you. ¡±


    The word ¡®sister¡¯ pulled Su Anan back to her senses.


    In her previous life, the last person she saw before she ran out of energy was Su Pingping.


    She had come to the slums, dressed in fine clothes. With a condescending attitude, she had vented all her suppressed dissatisfaction and had ridiculed her.


    ¡°Do you know that every time I call you sister, I feel disgusted? I¡¯m obviously older than you, so what right do you have to be my sister? You were just relying on your status as the legitimate daughter.¡±


    ¡°Now, you¡¯re no longer a legitimate child, you don¡¯t deserve to call me big sister. You¡¯re more suited to stay in this poor alley, fighting with the dogs for food. Hahaha.¡±

 Chapter 2

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    It was only then that she realized that Su Pingping¡¯s dissatisfaction with her had not been limited to the past two years. It had always been there and had never changed.


    Unfortunately, she had discovered it too late.


    She looked at the person in front of her and suddenly laughed. How could she be so blind in her previous life?


    Su Pingping furrowed her brows. What was she laughing about? It sounded weird.


    ¡°Big Sister, do you think that I¡¯m just teasing you?¡± She asked obediently.


    ¡°No, I really thought of a good idea. I can guarantee that you won¡¯t be forced to go to the wedding tomorrow.¡±


    Su Anan¡¯s eyes fell on the hand that was being held by Su Pingping and she pulled it away naturally. ¡°What method?¡±


    Su Pingping was stunned. She felt that Su Anan¡¯s attitude was a little different today. On second thought, she assumed that she was in a bad mood because she had to marry a sickly man the next day.


    She didn¡¯t take it to heart. She leaned over and explained her idea in a mysterious way.


    Heh, it was exactly the same as her previous life.


    She urged her to run away from the marriage and elope with Liu Yiran.


    She said that Liu Yiran couldn¡¯t let her go and didn¡¯t want her to spend the rest of her life with a sick man. He would wait for her at the back door in the middle of the night and take her away with him. From that point on, they would be inseparable.


    Su Pingping took out Liu Yiran¡¯s personal letter. Every sentence in the letter revealed his true feelings for her, as if he had deep rooted feelings for her and could not extricate himself. He would not be able to live anymore if she married away.


    As time passed, Su Anan felt that the letter was full of sarcasm. She had actually believed such a casual and exaggerated lie.


    In her previous life, she had a good impression of Liu Yiran, but they didn¡¯t elope. She had agreed to the idea because of this letter, which made her think that Liu Yiran was a man of love and that he would definitely treat her well. Coupled with Su Pingping¡¯s persuasion, she decided to run away.


    She had never imagined that her running away would mark the beginning of a nightmarish life.


    Liu Yiran didn¡¯t love her. Everything was just a scheme that Su Pingping had cooked up.


    He had cheated her of all her money and sold her to a brothel at a high price.


    Su Pingping had told Liu Yiran to destroy her innocence. Unfortunately, Liu Yiran loved money more than beauty. A beauty who did not have her first night could be sold for a high price, so Liu Yiran didn¡¯t touch her.


    Su Anan was unyielding. She scratched her face and disfigured it beyond recognition, to the point of scaring people away.


    She didn¡¯t have to receive guests anymore, but she was forced to do the roughest work. Her delicate pair of hands were stained with dirty water from then on.


    In the end, the Eldest Miss was reduced to a low-grade servant. She was tortured for four years in a dirty and messy back alley without a day to rest.


    Recalling those four years, Su Anan closed her eyes. She couldn¡¯t bear to recall those memories. It was all in the past. It was not too late to change things.


    Su Pingping saw Su Anan staying still for a long time, holding the letter. She thought that Su Anan was moved, so she said hurriedly, ¡°Sister, people always say that it¡¯s easy to find priceless treasures, but it¡¯s hard to find a true lover. Look at how deeply Young Master Liu loves you, you can¡¯t let him down.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged everything for you. Tonight at 11:30 pm, I¡¯ll think of a way to transfer the guards at the back door. Elder Sister, quickly pack up your things. When the time comes, you can leave with Young Master Liu. From then on, you¡¯ll be free. No one will restrain you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and this.¡± Su Pingping took out a few silver notes from her chest. ¡°This is your private money. I hope it will be of use to you. Don¡¯t think it¡¯s too little.¡±


    Su Anan put away the letter and took the notes. It was five hundred taels, the same as in her previous life.


    As the second daughter, it must have taken her a long time to save up 500 taels. Su Anan had been extremely touched to see her being so generous in her previous life.


    However, she only understood later on that Su Pingping had obtained all her dowry and the status of the Su Family¡¯s legitimate daughter in exchange for those 500 taels of silver.


    That day, the Second Young Lady of the Su Family had become the Eldest Young Lady, and she had married into a rich family with the dowry her mother had left her. Su Anan realized how stupid she was.


    Su Pingping was the one who counted the money after she was sold.


    She gathered her thoughts and pretended to be troubled. ¡°Five hundred taels, that¡¯s probably all my sister¡¯s savings right? How could I take it?¡±


    Su Pingping quickly said, ¡°Hey, Sister, don¡¯t be embarrassed. Good sisters should help each other. What¡¯s mine is also yours. When you¡¯re out, you have to take care of everything. I can¡¯t let you suffer.¡±


    Su Pingping stuffed the silver notes back into her sleeve, looking as if she would not be at ease if she did not accept it.


    Su Anan smiled and accepted it.


    If she didn¡¯t accept it, it would lessen her acting skills.


    Seeing this, Su Pingping was satisfied. The fish had taken the bait.


    She also instructed her on some other matters, such as the absence of servants, and that she should change her clothes before leaving. Su Pingping had already prepared the clothes, so she should just wait there.


    In her previous life, she had been touched by her words, but now, she could see how deceitful she was.


    She had already set up a trap and was waiting for her to fall.


    She pretended to cooperate and listened to her keenly. When she heard Su Pingping expressing how much she didn¡¯t want her to leave, she suddenly interrupted, ¡°Pingping, in fact, compared to running away, Elder Sister has a better idea. If we follow it, Eldest Sister won¡¯t have to marry Young Master Shen and still get to stay with you.¡±


    Su Pingping was taken aback. She clutched her handkerchief tightly. ¡°What way?¡±


    Su Anan gave her a pampering smile. ¡°My sister can marry on my behalf.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, the only requirement is for the bride to be a daughter of the Su Family. Sister had already reached a marriageable age at the beginning of this year. I think that even if she marries over, the Shen Family won¡¯t say anything, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°This way, we don¡¯t have to be separated. When I¡¯m free, I can go and visit you.¡±


    Su Pingping¡¯s expression instantly froze. ¡°Sister, Sister, are you joking? For this marriage, even though Cousin-In-Law did not mention any names, everyone knows that the Su Family¡¯s Young Miss is you. If Younger Sister rashly marries over, I¡¯m afraid that it will cause the Shen Family to be dissatisfied. If Cousin-In-Law gets angry and implicates the Su Family, what would we do?¡±


    She looked worried. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to, but I¡¯m afraid that the Su Family can¡¯t bear the consequences of the Shen Family¡¯s anger.¡±


    Su Anan laughed. If she ran away, it would be more serious than getting married on her behalf.


    Otherwise, why would her father be so angry and think that she had damaged the Su Family¡¯s reputation? He had resolutely cut off all ties with her and left her to her own dilemmas. From then on, the Su Family only had the Second Miss.


    Su Pingping was afraid that she would act rashly and really make her marry on her behalf. She quickly listed the dangers of her getting married and then wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Acting pitiful was her usual trick.


    Su Anan smiled and pretended to be close to her sister. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop teasing you. My sister is so good to me. How can I let her marry him?¡±


    Only then did Su Pingping stop her tears. She rebuked her a few more times. ¡°Sister, you¡¯re just scaring me.¡±


    Su Anan just smiled, which made Su Pingping feel uneasy, so she had to say a few more attractive words to persuade her.


    In the end, seeing her return to her usual grateful look, Su Pingping finally felt at ease.


    Before she left, Su Anan said with a worried look, ¡°After this departure, I don¡¯t know when I will be able to see Younger Sister again. I wonder if Younger Sister can come and send me off at night?¡±


    Su Pingping hesitated.

 Chapter 3

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    She pretended to be sad. ¡°Why? You¡¯re not even willing to do it for me, sister?¡±


    It should be fine as long as she was sent away. Then, the Su Family would no longer have a young lady that brought them shame.


    Su Pingping showed a knowing smile. ¡°Of course not. Even if you didn¡¯t say anything, I would have gone to see you off. Let¡¯s meet at the back entrance at midnight, sister.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡±.


    After Su Pingping left, Cui Yan hurriedly entered. Su Anan knew what she was worried about so she told her what had just transpired.


    Cui Yan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The Second Miss actually encouraged you to elope!¡±


    ¡°No, Miss, you definitely can¡¯t do that. If you leave, your reputation will be ruined and the consequences of that will be even worse than marrying into the Shen Family.


    Cui Yan then hurriedly listed the dangers of eloping, which Su Anan expressively said that she understood before asking her to come closer.


    Cui Yan was stunned for a moment before her eyes revealed a trace of delight. However, still worried, she asked, ¡°Will this be feasible, Miss?¡±


    Su Anan smiled, ¡°It is.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t anything else she needed to know.


    When Cui Yan saw her young miss¡¯ determination, she didn¡¯t hesitate to leave immediately to handle her end of things.


    Midnight came and went, and the time was about to turn 35 minutes past the hour.


    Su Pingping was punctual in appearing at the back door.


    Oddly enough, the lanterns at the back entrance had all been extinguished and only the little light from the far corridor was present. For secrecy, Su Pingping had snuck out without a single servant girl in tow. At that moment, the darkness of the area would have made anyone a little uneasy.


    She looked around, but failed to see any movement. Just as she was starting to have wild thoughts, she suddenly heard the back door open. A man then came in and pulled her out without saying a word. As they were walking out, he said, ¡°You¡¯ve made me wait so long. But you¡¯re finally here. Let¡¯s hurry up and leave, because if we don¡¯t leave now, your father will find us.¡±


    Su Pingping was shocked. She was about to shout out loud when she realized that it was Liu Yiran¡¯s voice.


    Her first deduction was that Liu Yiran had mistaken her for the wrong person.


    And she also realized that Liu Yiran and Su Anan would not be able to make their escape if she made a fuss. So she suppressed her panic and shook him off her arm before whispering, ¡°Liu Yiran, you¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡± But before she could say anything further, servants with lanterns suddenly came from all directions.


    The surroundings were instantly illuminated.


    Su Sheng¡¯s chest trembled with anger when he saw his second daughter being dragged away by a man with a bag in his hand.


    ¡®Good, god! Was this really his good daughter? To think that he still believed in her so much even after hearing the rumors.¡¯


    Su Sheng angrily stepped forward and slapped her, ¡°How dare you rebel, girl!¡±


    She had done such a scandalous thing, and if word got out, the Su Family would become the laughingstock of the entire Luo City. How could he then lift his head high?


    Su Pingping saw stars from that slap and some blood seeped out from the corner of her mouth. After a brief moment, when she saw her father¡¯s furious face she finally reacted.


    ¡®What about Su Anan? Why is father here?!¡¯


    ¡®Could it be?¡¯


    Her eyes widened in realization: ¡®That b*tch actually¡­ actually turned the tables on me!¡¯


    Liu Yiran saw that the situation had turned for the worse so he wanted to run away immediately. But before he could take his second step to flee, he was caught by another servant. Master Su then stepped forward and kicked him. ¡°How dare you try to abduct my daughter! Who do you think you are?!¡±


    Because Liu Yiran was rather thin, he couldn¡¯t help but cough after being kicked. He was also confused by the presence of the Second Miss. Wasn¡¯t he running away with Su Anan? Where was she?


    Why was there such a trap formation waiting for him? Could it be that Su Pingping was there as a trap?


    However, Su Pingping wasn¡¯t stupid enough to do so because she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the consequences either.


    In the ensuing chaos, even the servants went in to kick him. Liu Yiran couldn¡¯t analyze the situation too much as he had to beg for mercy. He was preoccupied in trying to come up with lame excuses, like he was there to give something to the Second Miss, or he somehow mistook her for another person.


    ¡®Hehe. Meeting in the middle of the night to deliver something? It¡¯s even a big bag! And even trying to drag someone away in a hurry?! Did he think we¡¯re stupid?!¡¯


    Su Sheng flicked his sleeves and ordered his servants to send this man to the authorities on the grounds of attempted theft.


    Liu Yiran panicked when he heard this. How could he go to the capital to take the exam if he was in prison? So he hurriedly tried to explain, but Father Su wouldn¡¯t listen. In his anxiety, he turned and asked directly, ¡°Su Pingping, what¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t you say-¡±


    ¡°Father, you¡¯ve wronged me.¡±


    Afraid that Liu Yiran would continue to say more, Su Pingping immediately knelt down and wailed, interrupting him from speaking further.


    However, she cursed him in her heart. ¡®This Liu Yiran is really stupid! What¡¯s the point of questioning me at this point in time?! Shouldn¡¯t he have thought of a better excuse, this fool?!¡¯


    He was indeed useless.


    As she couldn¡¯t count on Liu Yiran, she could only rely on herself. With that, her eyes filled with tears as she cried, ¡°Father, Father, you¡¯ve wronged me! Why would your Ping¡¯er do such a thing? I don¡¯t even know this person well, so eloping with him is simply ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only seen this person once before, at the poetry recital at Daming Lake. At that time, he was touring the lake with Elder Sister. And they were very intimate! You¡¯ve always taught me, your daughter, to be dignified and virtuous, and at the time, I even advised Elder Sister to not get too close to unknown men.¡±


    ¡°But Elder Sister didn¡¯t listen to me. So I came here tonight because I heard a rumor that she was intending to escape with someone tonight. I was afraid that this false rumor might alarm people, and if it was spread out, it would be detrimental to our Su Family. So I came here quietly to take a look, and if it turned out to be true, I was planning to stop her.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask my maidservant at that time to verify it. It was Elder Sister that had a secret relationship with this man, and not this dear daughter.¡±


    ¡°I am here so late tonight to protect our Su Family¡¯s face.¡±


    Her words were sincere and didn¡¯t seem to be fake, so Su Sheng frowned while he weighed things out.


    Su Pingping then hurriedly continued, ¡°This Young Master, for you to appear here so late at night, weren¡¯t you waiting for my Elder Sister, so you could take her away?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong to do this. Even if you two were in love, you can¡¯t choose this method. Elder Sister¡¯s marriage has already been set, and sentimentality is useless. Quickly apologize to father.


    After that, she secretly gave Liu Yiran a look. ¡®Cooperate with me, you fool! You said that you and Su Anan were in love, right? To the point that you¡¯ve made yourself pitifully affectionate. Weren¡¯t you trying to tie yourself and Su Anan together?¡¯


    After all, Su Anan was going to get married tomorrow, and her reputation could not be tarnished especially at this time. Her father would never hand her over to the government as well, so he would have no choice but to deal with this privately, and that way he could avoid going to prison.


    At the same time, she could clear herself of her father¡¯s suspicion, only leaving Su Anan as the indecent one.


    It could be said to be killing three birds with one stone.


    It was a pity that all of Su Pingping¡¯s efforts were interpreted by Liu Yiran as her pushing all the blame on him, and that she only wanted him to admit that he had an affair with Su Anan. Given Master Su¡¯s attitude right now, he would have him beaten to death then and there.


    He was someone who had never experienced scheming intrigues before, so how could he understand the twists and turns happening at that time? When he saw that Su Pingping was heavily hinting at him to admit it to save herself, his eyes immediately widened in anger. All he wanted to do was to f*cking bring her down with him.


    ¡°Su Pingping, you f*cking lied to me!¡± He roared.


    Su Pingping was stunned. She had seen stupid people before, but she had never seen someone as stupid as him.

 Chapter 4

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Liu Yiran was so angry that he blurted out loud the fact that Su Pingping had bribed him to seduce Su Anan into eloping with him.


    He also vengefully confessed that Su Pingping promised him all of Su Anan¡¯s money, including 500 taels of silver and the woman herself. They would all belong to him in the future, and he could do anything he wanted with them in the future. She had even said the harsher he treated her, the better.


    Su Pingping instantly fell to the ground.


    When Master Su heard this, he was so angry that he almost exploded. ¡®So she wanted to harm Anan?¡¯


    If Anan really was deceived and eloped, then could he face Mrs Liu when she came to pursue the matter? Don¡¯t get deceived by her smiling demeanor, Mrs Liu was a very narrow-minded woman. If something like that really happened, it would definitely implicate the Su Family negatively, ruining the career he had worked so hard to build.


    He had almost been destroyed by this rebellious girl.


    ¡°All of you, shut up!¡±


    Master Su was so angry that his fingers were visibly trembling. ¡°Men, take the Second Miss to the Ancestral Hall. Then privately hand this shameless thing over to Constable Li.¡±


    He gave Su Pingping a look before continuing, ¡°Tell him that the Su Family wants to never hear from him ever again.¡±


    He thought that he shouldn¡¯t send such a person directly to the Yamen as he was afraid that he¡¯d really tarnish his daughter¡¯s reputation with that mouth of his. So, he could only privately hand him over to Constable Li to be tortured.


    Constable Li had received a lot of favors from Master Su, so he should be very happy to help him with this kind of thing. In fact, when the person was brought to him, he immediately told him that he could rest assured.


    When Su Pingping was dragged to the Ancestral Hall, her father brought out a ruler that was as wide as a palm and was a meter long. She got so scared that she immediately crawled over and hugged his leg, begging, ¡°Father, Father, I¡¯m innocent. That man must have colluded with Su Anan to frame me! I don¡¯t know him, really! It¡¯s Su Anan who was close to him.¡±


    At that time, she had stopped feigning and call her sister ¡°sister¡± and went straight to calling her full name, ¡°Su Anan¡±.


    ¡°Hehe!¡± Master Su laughed in anger. ¡°Fine. Keep saying you are innocent. Then tell me, why did you bribe the servants to deliberately clear the area around the back door for a moment? Explain to me why you were there in the middle of the night? And tell me why you didn¡¯t shout for help when a man you didn¡¯t know forcefully pulled you away?! Tell me!¡±


    Su Pingping was speechless. She said it was Su Anan who wanted to elope, but it was her who was there.


    And she knew that she didn¡¯t shout for help because she was afraid that Liu Yiran would be found out and then he and Su Anan wouldn¡¯t be able to successfully run away.


    She had no way to explain herself.


    Master Su¡¯s expression was dark. He swung the ruler and it streaked across the air, making a loud sound. ¡°Do you really think that I¡¯m too old and muddle-headed?¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if his daughter schemed to win his favor, but if their thoughts somehow touched upon the Su Family¡¯s reputation or business, then that was simply unacceptable.


    And since Su Pingping¡¯s plan was especially vicious, it made him even angrier.


    She really had a pig¡¯s brain, only thinking of her own benefits and completely ignoring the family¡¯s interests. He had raised her for nothing.


    In his fit of anger, Su Sheng didn¡¯t even lock the door. He hit Su Pingping until her skin split open and her body was covered in blood. She had already fainted. He then ordered her to be put on house arrest. Without his permission, no one was allowed to visit her. She was also not allowed to leave the Ancestral Hall.


    Su Pingping¡¯s mother was wailing outside the door as she was disallowed from entering. Still enraged, Su Sheng proceeded to scold her too. In the end, it was his mistress who managed to defuse the situation. He now considered her a fool. Since she couldn¡¯t even teach her daughter well, it was better for them to be confined to reflect upon their actions.


    As soon as he walked out to the garden, he glanced in the direction of the Zhilan Courtyard. He paused and asked the butler to secretly assign more servants to guard Su Anan¡¯s bedroom. Her wedding was tomorrow, so nothing could go wrong.


    He knew that his Anan wasn¡¯t willing to marry the groom, but so what? Her parents¡¯ orders were absolute. After raising her for so long, it was time for her to repay the family.


    Even though the light in the master bedroom of the Zhilan Courtyard was not lit, Su Anan was disturbed by the noise outside and woke up.


    Her sigh echoed into the cool night.


    After the farce in the middle of the night had ended, a shadowy figure on the willow tree in the courtyard that blended in with the night, quietly left.


    Yuxiu Village, Shen Residence.


    There was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    The door was pushed open and a shadowy figure of a woman walked in.


    Shen Juncheng was flipping through a book leisurely and asked without looking up, ¡°Did she run away?¡±


    ¡°Young Master, Su Anan didn¡¯t run away. Instead, she plotted against her second sister who was trying to help her escape.¡± Chao Sheng reported.


    The tide revealed the conclusion of the night¡¯s events.


    Shen Juncheng raised his eyebrows. He was a little surprised. He knew she wasn¡¯t stupid and that she would definitely run away because she wasn¡¯t willing to go through with their marriage.


    But after a moment, he waved his hand and said, ¡°I understand. You may leave.¡±


    The woman paused. She wanted to ask their Young Master if he was really willing to marry that woman. However, seeing her Young Master¡¯s indifference, she didn¡¯t ask. After being dismissed, she just left.


    Shen Juncheng slowly put down his book after the door was closed. As he looked up to the Moon outside the window, an inexplicable light blossomed in his eyes, a light that could make people feel a little cold. The corner of his eyes were long and narrow, and his eyelashes were dense. There was no denying that it was a very beautiful pair of eyes.


    But soon, a playful, unruly, and uncertain look also appeared.


    The next day.


    The Su Residence was decorated with lanterns and streamers. It was a jubilant scene with none mentioning the happenings of the previous night.


    The Shen Family¡¯s wedding sedan had arrived. Su Anan had already changed into a Phoenix Coronet and a red wedding robe. She went to the front of the hall to bid farewell to her father as a filial bride should.


    Su Pingping and Lu Shi weren¡¯t in the hall at all, but Su Anan wasn¡¯t surprised nor even deigned to ask. She simply gave her goodbyes to her father gently.


    Father Su had thoroughly suppressed the incident yesterday. He also kept everything secret, but how could Su Anan not know about it?


    Su Anan understood everything when she heard the extra guards at her door.


    ¡°Miss, listen. Old Master must have come to know that the Second Miss was out to harm you so he avenged you.¡± Cui Yan said, obviously pleased.


    After all, Su Pingping¡¯s cries were heard all the way to the Zhilan Courtyard.


    Su Anan only lowered her eyes without showing any joy on her face. Did her father really beat Su Pingping so hard for her sake?


    She knew that it was not the case.


    It was only because Su Pingping had committed a huge taboo.


    Her father didn¡¯t mind his daughters¡¯ little tricks, but he only cared if they had consequences. If it involved his reputation, even getting beaten up could be considered a light punishment.


    In her father¡¯s eyes, benefits and his reputation were more important than his daughters.


    Just like in her previous life, when she ended up homeless. Having thought that she would always be her father¡¯s daughter, she tried her best to seek out and return to the Su Family, owning her mistakes and begging for forgiveness. She was even full of anticipation for their reunion.


    In the end, she was thrown out the door by the servants, with her father coldly announcing that they had cut off all ties with her and that her name would be removed from the family tree. ¡°Su Anan¡± would no longer exist in the family.


    Su Anan fell to the floor and remained by the door of the Su Residence for a long time. She laughed out loud when she witnessed her father doting on the well-behaved Su Pingping.


    It turned out that her father, who had always spoiled her, only wanted obedient daughters, not ones who¡¯d stain his reputation.


    Once stained, the first person who¡¯d abandon her would be her father.


    No wonder her father didn¡¯t send anyone to look for her when she ran away in her previous life. It was because that ¡°Su Anan¡± had lost all her value the moment she had chosen to leave. The Su Family would never need her again.


    She stumbled to her feet and left. She never returned to the Su Residence, even until she froze to death on the streets.

 Chapter 5

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Su Anan let out a deep sigh.


    After being reborn, how could she not see that her father had beaten Su Pingping so ruthlessly and made her cry so much because he had the intention of beating her up?


    He wanted her to obediently get married and give up all her thoughts. Otherwise, Su Pingping¡¯s pain today would be the same for her in the future.


    After all, the Su Family did not lack daughters and she had a bunch of step-sisters.


    When the auspicious time came, Su Anan gathered her thoughts and bowed to him.


    Su Sheng reminded her to take good care of Young Master Shen when she reached her husband¡¯s house, and then sent her out.


    Su Anan lowered her head and said ¡°yes¡±. She was as obedient as she used to be.


    Su Sheng nodded in satisfaction.


    It was not the groom who welcomed the bride, but his attendants.


    The Su Family understood the health condition of the groom and expressed their understanding. Su Anan got on the wedding sedan amidst the cheerful songs and all kinds of lively discussions.


    The wedding sedan set off, and soon, they were out of the bustling area of Luo City.


    Su Anan lifted the curtain and took a look at the green, then put down the curtain and put on the veil. She thought of the rumors about the eldest son of the Shen Family.


    She had never met him before, but she knew that the eldest young master of the Shen Family was called Shen Juncheng. His parents died at the age of eight, and he unfortunately suffered from an eye disease. Because he was not cured in time, he could not see and his body became weaker and weaker. When he was nine, he took the initiative to ask to go to the countryside to recuperate. This recuperation lasted for ten years.


    The Shen Family also seemed to have forgotten him during the ten years.


    It was only when he became seriously ill that bad news came. In order to show that they had always cared about him, the second branch¡¯s mistress, Liu Shi, who was also his aunt, hurriedly got him married and named it Chong Xi.


    Su Anan was the one chosen by Mrs. Liu.


    In her previous life, she had thought of herself as a noble and virtuous person. Naturally, she was unwilling to let others manipulate her fate, which resulted in her ending. She hoped that in this life¡­


    Cough, cough, cough¡­


    Su Anan¡¯s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a light cough. She came back to her senses and found that they had almost reached the front hall after getting off the wedding sedan.


    She gathered her thoughts, put her hands together, and walked over in a dignified manner.


    As the distance between them closed, the coughing sound became more obvious.


    One call after the other, the servant girl¡¯s nervous voice could be faintly heard.¡±Young Master, Young Master, are you alright?¡±


    The young master coughed for a long time before he covered his mouth with his handkerchief and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t panic.¡±


    His voice was sickly and weak, but surprisingly, it had a clear sense of youth.


    Su Anan was surprised. She peeked at the person in front of her through the gap under her veil.


    His red silk pants were tightly tied into his boots and the red shirt on both sides lightly swayed as he walked, showing off a pair of slender legs.


    Her line of sight moved up to the waist. There were no complicated patterns on the waist seal. It was pure red and there was an inscription pendant hanging on it. It did not look shabby, but surprisingly gave off a simple and neat feeling.


    If she went any higher, she would be restricted by the veil and be unable to see anything clearly.


    However, she could feel that he should be quite tall.


    Su Anan looked away and stood still.


    When the couple was in position, the emcee stepped forward immediately. He was holding the red silk, handing one end to Su Anan and the other end to the groom. When they were about to start the wedding ceremony, the groom coughed again.


    The magnificently dressed madam sitting in the high hall said with concern,¡±Cheng¡¯er, are you alright? Do you want to take a rest and stop the ceremony for now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really fine, Aunty. Don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s hurry up and do the ceremony. We don¡¯t want to miss the auspicious time,¡± the groom said gently.


    The lady replied, ¡°Well, alright. You can go back and rest immediately after the ceremony. Nanny Li will take care of the matters outside. You can rest assured.¡±


    The groom acquiesced with a warm voice.


    The emcee immediately started the ceremony and directed them to bow to heaven and earth¡­


    After that was a bow to the parents¡­


    Cough-cough, cough-cough!


    The groom suddenly clutched his chest and coughed violently again. This time, he coughed fiercely, unlike the previous suppressed coughs. This scared the surrounding people.


    ¡°Oh no, the Young Master is sick again. Go and get the Young Master¡¯s pills.¡±


    ¡°Go and get some more autumn pear water, hurry.¡±


    The maidservants were flustered. The madam, who was sitting in the hall, wailed, ¡°Cheng ¡®er, Cheng¡¯er, what¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t scare your aunt.¡±


    ¡°Someone, quickly go and get a doctor.¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need to call a doctor,¡± the groom said reluctantly. ¡°It¡¯s just an old illness. After taking the medicine¡­ Cough, cough¡­ It¡¯ll be fine¡­ Cough, cough¡­¡±


    The madam¡¯s eyes darted around and she put on a worried look. ¡°No, Cheng¡¯er, you¡¯ve been coughing for too long and you don¡¯t seem to be getting better. I¡¯m really worried. It¡¯s best to get you a doctor.¡±


    She turned her head and chided the maidservant beside her, ¡°Are you all blind? Can¡¯t you see that the Young Master is in such a terrible state? Hurry up and bring my most trusted Doctor Lu here.¡±


    She gave her a look and the maidservant accepted the order and disappeared in a flash.


    The groom seemed to want to stop them, but he was powerless. He had barely taken a step when he started coughing violently again.


    The maid servants were in a mess again. They brought water, patted him on the back, and even the guests came over to show their concern. They came and went, making the whole affair as chaotic as a pot of porridge.


    Su Anan was accidentally knocked over by a guest and her veil was lifted. She quickly reached out to hold it and took the chance to look at the groom.


    The groom was tightly surrounded so she couldn¡¯t see anything. She only heard him coughing and gasping for breath.


    ¡°The doctor is here! The doctor is here!¡± The servant girl shouted as she ran.


    As soon as the doctor arrived, the maidservant cried out in alarm, ¡°Not good, not good. Young Master has fainted!¡±


    The madam immediately ordered the servants to carefully carry him back to the quiet room to rest. The doctor hurriedly followed and the group of people left with the young master. Finally, it was quiet.


    It seemed that the ceremony in this hall was not going to be successful. The attendant who had received the bride earlier ordered the maidservant to take the bride directly to the bridal chamber.


    In the quiet room, Doctor Lu dismissed the servants and some insignificant relatives on the grounds with the explanation that he needed quiet to treat his patient. Only the madam who was previously in the hall was left.


    That someone was Madam Liu, the bridegroom¡¯s aunt.


    Liu Shi said in a concerned tone, ¡°Doctor Lu, Cheng¡¯er has been coughing for a long time. Throughout his stay here, the doctor in the village hasn¡¯t been taking good care of him. This Madam is really worried to death. This time, you must take a good look at Cheng¡¯er and see what exactly is going on. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to rest easy. ¡±


    Doctor Lu indicated that he understood and immediately began to take his pulse.


    After a while, Doctor Lu retracted his hand and sighed. ¡°The pulse is weak. A slight tension would be enough to make him short of breath. The Young Master¡¯s body is very weak now.¡±


    ¡°This kind of constitution is the easiest to get into. It¡¯ll take at least a month to recover, and at most, it will take several months. It¡¯s common for it to be recurring. We can¡¯t be impatient. He can only carefully recuperate now.¡±


    Liu Shi¡¯s brows furrowed. Was it really because his body was not good?


    Cough. He has been coughing for 800 years, but he was still not dead yet.


    She mumbled to herself, but didn¡¯t show it on her face. She still put on a concerned look and asked, ¡°Then why is he coughing so badly today? Has the cold wind gotten worse?¡±


    As a matter of fact, she wanted to ask if she could get sick from his coughing.

 Chapter 6

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Doctor Lu said, ¡°I think he got a little excited cause today is his big day and agitated his Qi Path, which caused him to cough. He¡¯ll naturally wake up after he calms down a little. Don¡¯t worry, Madam.¡±


    Liu Shi grasped her handkerchief and pretended to sigh, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine, it¡¯s good. That child coughed just now, I thought¡­¡±


    As if she was afraid that the words after would be inauspicious, Mrs. Liu stopped and turned around to say in a sad voice, ¡°Doctor, Cheng¡¯er is so weak. Even after recuperating for so long, there¡¯s been no effect. This Furen is really afraid that one day he¡¯ll suddenly pass away.¡±


    The doctor consoled her. ¡°Life and death are determined by fate. How long you can live depends on your luck. Marquis Madam, don¡¯t be too worried.¡±


    ¡°Physician Lu, will Cheng¡¯er¡¯s current state affect his future children?¡±


    She said it vaguely, but how could the doctor not understand? Wasn¡¯t this Furen just asking about how it would affect the nuptial chamber?


    The doctor was quite experienced in treating the people of these prestigious and influential families. He immediately stroked his beard and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. As long as the time is right and the young mistress cooperates, having a child is not a problem.¡±


    Alright¡­


    Doctor Lu prescribed a prescription and Madam Liu sent a servant girl to deliver it. She also sent her personal servant, Mama Li, to inform the guests who were watching the show outside that they should all go and eat; Eldest Young Master was fine and would wake up in a while.


    Considering that the eldest young master was not in good health, the ceremony was directly called off.


    Those who were watching the show understood and returned to their seats, discussing in low voices.


    Liu Shi was too lazy to stay in this sickly person¡¯s room and be influenced by bad luck. After seeing the crowd disperse, she also went to the side courtyard next-door to rest.


    Looking at the shabby decorations in the courtyard, she was disgusted. If it wasn¡¯t for her image of a kind and generous person, she wouldn¡¯t have come to the countryside to host the wedding of this sick man.


    The maidservant hurriedly wiped the stool in a dignified manner, and only then did Liu Shi take her seat. The head maidservant, Q, massaged her back at the side and said, ¡°Madam, it seems that the sickly person is really not in good health and is not faking it.¡±


    When Liu Shi thought of this, she became depressed. Doctor Lu had already said that his body was not good, so it should be true. After all, doctor Lu was famous for being upright and outspoken, and his medical skills were superb.


    This time, she had specially invited Dr. Lu to come to the countryside with her. She wanted to take the opportunity to check if this sickly person was really weak or if he was pretending.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be true. But cough, cough, cough, all these years, I haven¡¯t seen anything good or bad. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s frustrating?¡±


    Seeing the depressed look on the madam¡¯s face, a thought suddenly came to Q¡¯s mind. She leaned over and whispered something into her ear.


    Liu Shi narrowed her eyes. This little girl really had a lot of ideas.


    ¡°Go, do it cleanly. If you do it well, you¡¯ll be rewarded.¡±


    Q group¡¯s eyes lit up, and they immediately got to work.


    In the new house.


    Su Anan had already taken off the veil and shook her sore neck. Cuiyan saw it and immediately went to pick up the veil. ¡°Oh, miss, this needs to be lifted by the groom. You can¡¯t lift it by yourself.¡±


    Su Anan smiled. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll cover it up later. It¡¯s boring to keep this on me. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just you and me in the room. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Come on, help me massage it. This Phoenix Coronet is so heavy. My neck hurts.¡±


    Cuiyan was helpless. She let her miss do as she pleased for a while, and then went to help her massage her shoulders. The strength was just right.


    Su Anan looked around the room out of boredom.


    It was a very spacious room with a very simple layout. There was a set of tables and chairs, one or two paintings, and a pot of orchids in front of the window. It was extremely plain.


    Even a small official in the capital would have a house that was more luxurious than this.


    One could see how well Young Master Shen was treated.


    Cuiyan wasn¡¯t in the mood to pay attention to the layout. Instead, she thought of the young master¡¯s illness when they were just performing the ceremony.


    It was rumored that the son-in-law was seriously ill and was about to die. Cuiyan had once thought that it might be a rumor and that it was not that serious until she witnessed it with her own eyes.


    She couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Miss, Young Master¡¯s illness seems to be more serious than the rumors say. He coughed so badly just now. I¡¯m really worried¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you worried that he¡¯ll die on the spot?¡± Su Anan teased her.


    Cuiyan immediately spat and made a superstitious promise. ¡°When Young Miss was young, an expert read your fortune and said that you would bring good fortune to your husband. Even if Young Master is sick now, he might be well in the future because of you. How could he die? Young Miss would not be a widow.¡±


    Su Anan almost laughed when she heard Cuiyan talking about fortune-telling.


    When her mother was still around, she took her out to play. A Taoist priest had insisted on reading her fortune and had said a lot, saying that she had a good fate and would be a noble lady in the future. His words made her mother happy and rewarded her with a silver ingot.


    Now that he thought about it, the Taoist priest was not right at all. He was just scamming people of money.


    In her previous life, she had been wandering around and did not meet any help from a noble, nor did she become a noble. Now that she had married into the Shen family, she would not be able to prosper with this young master Shen. She was afraid that she would be said to have jinxed her husband in the end.


    She knew that Young Master Shen would not live long.


    In her previous life, she had spent a few years in the back alley of the most well-informed Qingyu building and she had heard all kinds of gossip.


    On a cold winter morning, when she got up to work, she accidentally heard that the eldest young master of the Shen family, Shen Juncheng, Yu Yongjia, had died of illness twenty years ago¡­


    Now, it was the 18th year of Yongjia. In two years, Young Master Shen would pass away.


    Su Anan sighed. She didn¡¯t know if he had really died of illness in her previous life.


    The undercurrents hidden in this kind of prestigious family could also take people¡¯s lives.


    Since she had come over to this life, she would do her best in these two years. If she could help, she would.


    She turned around and patted Cuiyan¡¯s hand, consoling her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, since we¡¯re here, we¡¯ll take care of it. ¡±


    How could Cuiyan not understand? She was just worried in vain.


    She stopped talking about such sad topics and focused on massaging the young lady¡¯s shoulders. Suddenly, the voice of a maidservant came from outside the door. ¡°Miss Qinghe.¡±


    As soon as she finished, someone knocked on the door.


    Cuiyan hurriedly covered the young lady¡¯s head and said, ¡°Come in.¡±


    After the Qinghe group entered, they swept a glance at the master and servant, then bowed slightly and said, ¡°Young Madam, this servant is Qinghe.¡±


    Su Anan knew about the Qinghe group. She was Liu Shi¡¯s maidservant, and Liu Shi was her distant aunt.


    ¡°Miss Qinghe, may I know why you have come?¡± she asked politely.


    Qinghe explained that Madam was afraid that she would be worried about the young master¡¯s safety, so she came to explain that the doctor had already treated him and said that the young master was fine. He would wake up soon, but his old illness had suddenly appeared. It was nothing serious, and she asked the young Madam to be at ease.


    Su Anan thanked her politely. As long as her young master was fine.


    Qinghe smiled faintly and suddenly said that the kitchen had prepared some desserts for the young mistress, and she wanted to trouble sister Cuiyan to go and see if they were ready.


    This was an intentional move to send Cuiyan away.


    Cuiyan glanced at the young lady and didn¡¯t move. Su Anan raised her hand. ¡°Go, Cuiyan.¡±


    She was curious. What was the Qinghe group going to say?


    After Cuiyan left, Qinghe stuffed a small bottle of medicine into Su Anan¡¯s hand and whispered, ¡°Miss Anan, Madam is worried about Young Master¡¯s children and is afraid that his physical strength is not good enough. Before the nuptial chamber, you only need to put a little of this aphrodisiac in the nuptial wine.¡±

 Chapter 7

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Su Anan frowned. She was supposed to drug the sick man?


    Judging from the severity of his cough today, he probably couldn¡¯t take it at all. What was there to worry about? Wasn¡¯t it just to let him die?


    She knew that her aunt did not like him, otherwise she would not have let him live in the countryside for so many years. But she did not expect that she would not tolerate him.


    She pursed her lips and pushed the medicine bottle away. She pretended to be afraid and said,


    ¡°No, what if an accident occurred? Those people would think that I tried to harm the young master. That¡¯s not right.¡±


    Qinghe coaxed,


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. You just need to put a little, just a little, and no one will find out. It¡¯s just a natural feeling, and this is just to liven things up. Besides, don¡¯t all wedding nights have this custom? The truth is that I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll be embarrassed on your first night together. It¡¯s not a bad thing, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The Qinghe group explained the framing incident as an elder¡¯s concern. Furthermore, on their wedding night, some families were afraid that the newlyweds would be restrained so they would add some aphrodisiacs to their wine. However, that was for normal people and did not include the sickly.


    Did she really think that she couldn¡¯t see through the mystery at all?


    If she naively believed her and an accident happened, she would be the first one to be blamed.


    Her aunt could find any reason to cut her off from the Su Family. After all, she was just a distant cousin.


    Seeing that Su Anan was silent, Qinghe thought that she had been persuaded. She patted Su Anan¡¯s hand and said,


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. The eldest Madam wants you to serve the young master well. As long as you do as she says, the eldest Madam will introduce the Su Family¡¯s satin business to the capital. Your father has always wanted to make a name for himself in the capital.¡±


    The Qinghe group mentioned her father in the name of a promotion, but in reality, it was also a hint that if she didn¡¯t do it, her father¡¯s career would also be damaged.


    In the end, the Su Family¡¯s business still had to look up to her. After all, her family had power and influence. The Su Family only developed because of their connections.


    Su Sheng would never dare to offend her.


    The Qinghe group understood the logic behind this and was certain that she would agree.


    Su Anan glanced at Qinghe¡¯s shoes. It seemed like she had no choice but to give in.


    She could only pretend to be hesitant.


    ¡°Aunt, are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t lie to you. Quickly keep it. Don¡¯t let anyone find out,¡± said Qinghe.


    Su Anan hurriedly hid it in her sleeve, and Qinghe said a few more words before opening the door and leaving.


    As soon as she left, Cuiyan returned.


    Su Anan¡¯s eyes darkened, and she told Cuiyan to get rid of the bottle.


    Cuiyan was stunned. She knew that this was a difficult choice. She said worriedly,


    ¡°What if¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ~~~


    Two hours later, the maidservant passed on a message that the young master had woken up.


    Liu-Shi went over and showed her concern.


    ¡°Cheng¡¯er, you¡¯re finally awake. You scared your aunt to death just now.¡±


    Shen Juncheng slowly sat up with the help of the maidservant. The red veil covered his eyes and hid his emotions.


    He forced a weak smile and said,


    ¡°I¡¯ve been worried about my old illness. I¡¯ve made you worry. Juncheng was unfilial. He¡¯s fine now.¡±


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine.¡±


    Liu-Shi¡¯s voice sounded sincere and worried, but her expression was indifferent.


    He was a blind man anyway, so it was fine to put on an act. Why did she have to put on a show of pouring out her heart for this blind man?


    Shen Juncheng looked through the veil at the ¡°loving¡± aunt in front of him, and a fleeting smile appeared on his lips.


    Just like this, after a round of ¡°filial piety,¡± Mrs. Liu planned to get up and leave.


    Before she left, she did not forget to sound him out.


    ¡°Cheng ¡®er, this bride is aunt Li¡¯s cousin. Aunt Li had carefully selected a master to read her fortune. She has a good fortune for her husband, and her birth characters match your birth characters very well. She is definitely your wife.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯re from a business family, so it¡¯s a little hard on you. But if it can wash away your bad luck and benefit your body, we won¡¯t mind it, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Shen Juncheng¡¯s eyebrows drooped slightly, and the red veil that covered his eyes concealed the indifference in them. He smiled and said,


    ¡°Yes, aunt¡¯s kind intentions, Juncheng understands.¡±


    Mrs. Liu pretended to be happy.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good that you understand. Aunt was afraid that you would think too much and feel that the Shen family doesn¡¯t care about you. Don¡¯t think that way. Your second uncle has always doted on you. This time, there won¡¯t be any delay on the way back. Your second uncle will definitely make it in time to attend your wedding.¡±


    Shen Juncheng smiled gently to show his understanding.


    Liu-Shi looked at his humble appearance, the corners of her lips curved up, and then she said,


    ¡°Then after you take the medicine, if there¡¯s no problem, go see the bride. The bride has been waiting for you.¡±


    As soon as Madam Liu left, Chao Sheng came over and reported the Qinghe group¡¯s actions.


    Shen Juncheng sneered. She was indeed a despicable person. No wonder she had hinted to him to visit the bride right before she left. She was afraid that he would say that he was sick and not go to the bridal chamber.


    ¡°Master, do you want me to get rid of it?¡± Chao Sheng asked respectfully.


    Shen Juncheng paused and smiled.


    ¡°No need. We¡¯ll play along.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Night slowly fell.


    At the beginning of the night, red lanterns were hung along the corridor, swaying in the wind. The red silk ribbons were still fluttering. The lively atmosphere of the day had suddenly disappeared, leaving only infinite silence and desolation.


    Shen Juncheng coughed three times with each step he took. With the help of a servant girl, he walked through the corridor and arrived at the door of his new room.


    The other two maidservants quickly pushed the door open, and with a creak, the door was closed again, cutting off all line of sight.


    On the red gums, Su Anan was wearing a veil with her hands clasped together. She was sitting in a standard lady¡¯s posture.


    Although the other party couldn¡¯t see her, Su Anan didn¡¯t slack off on the proper etiquette.


    Shen Juncheng glanced at the bride. His eyes were calm, and no one could tell his emotions.


    The cane in his hand touched the ground lightly, making a muffled sound. Su Anan could only see his shoes as he walked forward slowly.


    Just when she thought he was going to touch her and lift her veil, he suddenly turned around and said gently,


    ¡°May I trouble Furen to lift the veil. This husband¡¯s eyes are not good, even if I lift it, I can not see you.¡±


    Su Anan was a little surprised. She had thought that the more disabled a person was, the more of a taboo it would be. She didn¡¯t expect him to say it so indifferently.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered softly.


    She lifted the veil and finally saw the groom¡¯s face clearly.


    His skin was cold and white, his hair was very dark, his lips were thin, his nose was high, and his chin was smooth. His eyes were covered by a red veil, so she couldn¡¯t see his full face, but the red candlelight made his figure seem even thinner. At first glance, he looked like a sick beauty.


    After sizing him up for a moment, her gaze fell on the red veil that covered his eyes.


    It was said that after this young master got an eye disease, he would cry when his eyes were under strong light. Therefore, even if he was blind, he would still wear a white veil during the day. Over time, it had become a habit, and the people around him were used to it.


    Probably because of today¡¯s big day, the white veil was changed to red.


    She retracted her gaze and walked over slowly. Looking at the wine pot on the table, she picked it up and began to pour the wine.


    It was supposed to be the groom¡¯s job, but she had to do it herself because of his poor eyesight.


    Shen Juncheng did not say anything. He glanced at her pouring the wine and then at her sleeve to see when she had drugged him.

 Chapter 8

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    When the glass was handed to him, Su Anan said gently,


    ¡°Husband, let¡¯s drink nuptial wine.¡±


    Shen Juncheng didn¡¯t even see it. He couldn¡¯t tell if Su Anan had drugged him.


    Strange, didn¡¯t the Qinghe group clearly warn her?


    Why not?


    Or had it already been placed in the wine pot?


    He touched the glass with his fingertips, smiled, and toasted with Su Anan.


    He wanted to see if she would drink it.


    The cup was already at her lips, but Su Anan looked calm and unhesitating.


    Shen Juncheng frowned and immediately pretended to cough. Then, he put down his wine glass naturally and said,


    ¡°Sorry, this husband is weak and the old illness is acting up. I am afraid that I can not accompany Furen to drink this nuptial wine.¡±


    Su Anan put down her glass and said,


    ¡°It¡¯s this concubine¡¯s thoughtless consideration. I forgot that darling¡¯s body is unwell. Then darling, quickly drink some tea to moisten your body.¡±


    She poured another cup of autumn pear water and handed it over. During this season, the residence always had autumn pear water to soothe the young master¡¯s lungs and stop his cough.


    Shen Juncheng then looked to see if she would poison the pear juice, but she did not.


    He took a sip. It was the usual sweetness of the autumn pear water.


    Could it be in the dish?


    ¡°Madam must be hungry, quickly eat something.¡±


    Su Anan wasn¡¯t too hungry. After all, she had eaten some desserts before. She picked up her chopsticks and said,


    ¡°Hmm, do you want to eat some, husband? I¡¯ll help you place the dishes?¡±


    Shen Juncheng waved his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. Madam, please eat. Eat more.¡±


    Su Anan answered and put some food into her bowl.


    The dishes were cold so the taste had greatly reduced, but Su Anan stopped serving the dishes and looked at the people next to her.


    The ceremony was not over, the veil had not been lifted, and the wine had not been drunk. It could be said that it was because of his poor health. Was that understandable? In fact, he did not want to get married.


    Suddenly, she remembered that in her previous life, after she had escaped, Shen Juncheng had not pursued the matter too much. Perhaps that indifferent attitude was because he was not willing to do so.


    Thinking of this, she retracted her gaze and gently shook her head. It seemed that they were all people who were helpless against fate.


    Shen Juncheng frowned.


    What was she thinking when she looked over?


    He looked down and saw that she had eaten the food without any change in her expression. Shen Juncheng thought to himself,


    Did she not plan to poison it?


    But¡­


    Thinking of something, he raised his hand and pretended not to see the two glasses. Su Anan looked down in surprise.


    In an instant, he lifted his palm slightly and flicked his finger. A white pill instantly and steadily fell into the mouth of the wine pot.


    When the glass broke, he pretended to be apologetic, indicating that he only wanted to clink glasses with her to express his apology.


    He felt bad that they couldn¡¯t drink nuptial wine on their wedding night, so he thought of using tea to replace wine and clink with her.


    Su Anan smiled. She asked the servant girl to clean up the broken glasses and replace them with two new ones. Then she poured him a glass of autumn pear water and poured a glass of wine for herself. They touched the glass and drank it all.


    The wine was not strong. Perhaps it was considerate of the groom¡¯s health.


    After the meal, Shen Juncheng curled his index finger and knocked on the table twice.


    The little maidservant outside the door immediately came in and tactfully removed the dishes, then added a pot of autumn pear water.


    After that, it was time to take a bath and go to bed. The maidservant went to prepare water, and the two of them sat there in silence.


    Su Anan twisted her handkerchief and thought of the nuptial chamber later.


    Judging from his previous performance, he probably wouldn¡¯t consummate the marriage, right?


    However, what if he really wanted to consummate their marriage?


    It wasn¡¯t that Su Anan didn¡¯t want to. Since she was married, it was her duty, but¡­


    She subconsciously glanced at Shen Juncheng¡¯s thin body.


    Could he do it?


    He had to cough a few times with every step, what if¡­


    While she was thinking, the maid came to report that the water was ready. Su Anan realized that she had been distracted and coughed awkwardly.


    Shen Juncheng got up and went to another room to take a bath. He flicked his sleeves, and a cold wind blew by Su Anan¡¯s ear.


    She turned back to look at him and felt that he seemed to be unhappy at that moment.


    It must be an illusion.


    Forget it, I¡¯ll take it one step at a time.


    She was taking a bath in the side room.


    Cuiyan helped her remove all the Phoenix Coronet and earrings. Her ink-like hair fell to her waist.


    Then, she washed off the exaggerated blush from her cheeks, revealing her fair little face.


    She had an oval face, amorous eyes, and fair skin, and was already well-developed at the age of 16. Her figure was also exquisite.


    When the other servant girl saw that the young mistress was so beautiful, she was stunned for a moment before she started to praise her.


    Cuiyan felt honored as well. Her young lady was indeed beautiful, a famous beauty in Luo city.


    Su Anan noticed her proud look and smiled. Her eyes fell on the bronze mirror and she couldn¡¯t help but touch her face.


    In her previous life, this fair face had eventually turned wax yellow and earth Black. It was covered with scars that looked like ugly centipedes circling it. It was so scary that people would retreat.


    The beauty of Luo city eventually became the ugliest in Luo city, and everyone hated her.


    In the middle of the night when no one was around, she touched the scars and cried many times.


    Everyone loved beauty. How could she be ruthless enough to destroy her appearance? how could she not be reluctant?


    Finally, with the grace of the heavens, she saw this face that was as good as new.


    Cuiyan looked at how she dazzled in front of the mirror and couldn¡¯t help but smile. The miss¡¯s bad habit of being vain was back again. In the past, she would always look in the mirror from time to time to check her appearance and makeup, afraid that she would not be beautiful anymore.


    She shook her head and urged with a smile,


    ¡°Alright, miss, don¡¯t be so smug. The son-in-law is here. Please get up and welcome him.¡±


    Su Anan came back to her senses and glanced at Cuiyan. Then she stood up and went to the door to welcome him.


    When she turned around, she was stunned.


    Shen Juncheng was dressed in a red silk robe with a smock draped over him. His black hair was slightly loose, and the red veil that covered his eyes had been replaced with his usual white.


    The candlelight elongated his thin figure, and his cold white skin made the red on his body even more glaring. Without the heavy wedding dress, his figure appeared even thinner at this moment, and the sickly beauty of his every move was even more obvious.


    She did not know why, but she suddenly thought of the bony appearance that the girls in the Qinghe building had mentioned.


    This kind of gentle and beautiful bony appearance was mostly due to the unfortunate lives of beautiful women.


    And he indeed didn¡¯t live long¡­


    Shen Juncheng saw the woman¡¯s stunned expression and was initially displeased. However, the next moment, he saw sympathy in her eyes.


    He hated seeing those sympathetic eyes.


    He didn¡¯t need it. Frowning slightly, he said in a low voice,


    ¡°It¡¯s late. Rest early, Madam.¡±


    Su Anan came back to her senses and realized that she had been rude just now. She hurried forward and said,


    ¡°Then let me help you to rest.¡±


    She walked over and held his arm, but Shen Juncheng stopped in his tracks. He pretended to brush her hand away inadvertently and said with a troubled expression,


    ¡°Today, my cough has acted up again. The doctor said that it might be contagious, so tonight¡­¡±


    Su Anan looked up. She had guessed it right that he didn¡¯t want to consummate the marriage. That was good.


    Thus, she smiled and said,


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll just sleep alone on the bed today. My husband, please rest well.¡±


    Shen Juncheng raised his eyebrows instantly.

 Chapter 9

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Shen Juncheng coughed again, putting on a good act of being sick and weak. ¡°But my aunt is especially concerned about my health and about the child. She¡¯ll definitely ask you tomorrow¡­¡±


    Su Anan understood that he was afraid that, if Liu Shi asked, she would tell her the truth and cause Liu Shi to have more doubts. She immediately promised, ¡°I know how to answer aunt¡¯s questions tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry, husband.¡±


    Shen Juncheng was surprised.


    She still had Madam Liu¡¯s orders. Even if she did not use the medicine, Shen Juncheng thought that she might have hidden some tricks. Unexpectedly, she was very calm. There was even a trace of relief on her face, as if she was satisfied that they did not need to go to the bridal chamber.


    Putting away his doubts, he said in a formal manner, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Madam.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble, my husband¡¯s health is the most important.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she carried two blankets over and laid them on top of the bed. Then, she said considerately, ¡°Husband, you¡¯ve been tired for the whole day. Go and rest.¡±


    ¡°If you need anything, just call me.¡±


    Shen Juncheng glanced at her from the corner of his eye and replied, ¡°Okay.¡±


    The two of them were polite and respectful to each other from beginning to end.


    Su Anan made the bed and touched her sleeve unconsciously. It was gone. She was shocked and turned around, only to find that it had fallen on the new bed. It must have slipped from her sleeve. She heaved a sigh of relief and hurried to retrieve it.


    Perhaps it was because she was anxious, but when she was about to reach the bed, her left foot suddenly stepped on her skirt.


    ¡°Ah!¡± With a cry of alarm, she fell straight forward.


    Shen Juncheng had already reached the bedside. He felt a sudden gust of wind behind him and his expression immediately became serious. What was that? Was someone planning to attack them openly?


    He subconsciously turned around and gathered strength in his palm. However, what welcomed him was not a sneak attack, but a beauty in his arms carrying a faint fragrance.


    With a loud crash, Su Anan threw Shen Juncheng onto the soft red bed, shaking the curtains.


    When the two maidservants outside the door heard this soft cry and movement, their ears instantly turned red. Then, the two of them tacitly walked to the corridor. These maidservants couldn¡¯t hear their master having sex.


    At the end of the corridor, nanny Li heard the noise and turned around quietly with a smug smile on her face.


    Su Anan was stunned for a second. She looked at the handsome face in front of her and her eyes widened.


    Her face was red as she quickly got up and tidied her clothes.¡±S-sorry, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I just wanted to grab something, but I accidentally stepped on the corner of my skirt and lost my balance. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Her tone of apology was sincere, but her actions just now made Shen Juncheng sneer.


    Ha, I was just wondering why she didn¡¯t have a backup plan. So, this was what she wanted to do.


    She was afraid that the drug would be discovered, so she planned to seduce him directly?


    Shen Juncheng did not believe that it was an accident when she ran into his arms.


    Su Anan was a cautious girl.


    His eyes darkened slightly. He slowly sat up, coughed a few times, and pretended to be very weak. Then, he feigned surprise and asked, ¡°Madam, are you planning to consummate our marriage?¡±


    Su Anan was abashed. ¡°No, no, I just ¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Shen Juncheng interrupted Su Anan and pretended to be helpless. ¡°Your husband¡¯s body has been getting worse and worse recently. I really have the heart but not the strength. Sigh ¡­¡±


    He wanted to say something but stopped, looking extremely troubled. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a while more, until I¡¯m healthier.¡±


    Su Anan felt extremely embarrassed.


    Indeed, her actions just now could be considered as those of a tiger and a wolf. She had directly pushed him down.


    She closed her eyes and explained again, ¡°I¡¯m really just here to grab something. It¡¯s not what you think.¡±


    She looked very serious and did not fake anything.


    Shen Juncheng did not say anything. He looked at her from the corner of his eye, then covered his mouth and pretended to cough weakly. He asked, ¡°Then what does Madam want?¡±


    ¡°Oh, when I was moving the blanket just now, the bracelet on my wrist slipped onto the bed.¡±


    Su Anan hurried to pick up the things beside him and put them into her sleeve.


    Shen Juncheng squinted his eyes. This was obviously not a bracelet, but an exquisite butterfly jade pendant.


    She had come over so anxiously to take it. Could it be that there was some mystery to this jade pendant?


    Or was it a gift from her sweetheart?


    He thought to himself and did not say anything. He only pretended to cough a few times out of habit.


    Su Anan felt a little uneasy after hearing this series of coughs. She wondered if he had suffered internal injuries because of her recklessness just now.


    ¡°Are you alright? Do you want me to call a doctor for you?¡±


    Shen Juncheng stopped coughing and waved his hand. ¡°No need. It¡¯s an old illness. I¡¯ll be fine after resting for a while.¡±


    Su Anan heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good. Go to bed now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you too.¡±


    Su Anan smiled and thoughtfully closed the curtains before she left.


    When she returned to her bed, she rubbed the jade pendant on her sleeve and thought that she should make a hanging rope and wear it around her neck.


    This jade pendant must not be lost in this world.


    After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the room fell into silence. Su Anan was exhausted after a long day and had fallen asleep.


    However, her dreams were not peaceful.


    It was as if she had returned to that back alley, washing clothes in the hot weather, chopping firewood, and doing endless work.


    She was tired, hot, and dehydrated.


    However, she couldn¡¯t find water no matter how hard she looked. The sun was unusually bright, and she was sweating profusely from the heat, making it difficult for her to move.


    She couldn¡¯t walk anymore and collapsed in the back alley. The hot air had evaporated the moisture in her body, and she was extremely thirsty. At that moment, a man suddenly walked over¡­


    She couldn¡¯t see his face clearly. She only saw him rubbing his hands and revealing a wretched smile. Then, he reached out his hand, as if he wanted to¡­


    ¡°No, no.¡± She retreated in fear. ¡°Don¡¯t come here. Don¡¯t come here¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Su Anan suddenly opened her eyes and sat up. She looked at her clothes subconsciously.


    They were intact and not torn.


    Dragons and phoenixes loved candles and did not put them out all night, illuminating the entire room. Su Anan looked around and took a deep breath to calm her fear.


    It was a dream, just a dream.


    It wasn¡¯t real. She had started over, over again¡­


    She would never return to that back alley again.


    She consoled herself repeatedly, then helplessly hugged her knees.


    Shen Juncheng lifted the bed curtains slightly and looked at her curled up back with a deep gaze.


    Su Anan didn¡¯t realize that she was actually thirsty and hot until the nightmare was over. There was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.


    She got off the bed barefooted. Without even wearing her slippers, she went to the table to get a glass of water and drank it in one gulp.


    She was still thirsty, so she poured two more glasses.


    After drinking three cups in a row, her thirst was slightly sated, but it was still very hot. She was surprised. It was only an April night, why was it so warm?


    He touched her face, it was a little hot.


    She thought to herself, what¡¯s going on?


    She slowly walked back to the bed. Suddenly, she felt as if there were ants gnawing at her body, and her blood seemed to be restless.


    Her legs gave way and she fell in front of the bed.

 Chapter 10

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    The heat waves surged and attacked her rationality. She didn¡¯t feel good. It was like¡­ she had been drugged.


    In her previous life, she had seen many women who had been drugged in the back alley of the Pure Jade brothel.


    Su Anan¡¯s eyes suddenly widened at the thought.


    Could it be that the Qinghe group was worried about her, so they secretly put it in her food?


    But it didn¡¯t make sense. The Qinghe group had come to find her with the goal of removing her completely. It was clear that they were cautious and shouldn¡¯t have been so reckless.


    Moreover, with the extent of her own body¡¯s overturning of seas and rivers, if she really gave it to Shen Juncheng, it would definitely directly cause him to die. Any doctor would be able to find out the problem with a simple examination. This Madam Liu should not be so stupid.


    So, who did this? When did they do it, and what was their purpose?


    Or was there someone else who wanted to harm Shen Juncheng?


    She turned around and looked at the closed curtains on the other side of the bed. The candlelight only reflected a vague and motionless outline. He seemed to be in a deep sleep .


    She had a series of questions, but her body was getting hotter and hotter.


    This drug was extremely strong.


    Su Anan lay in front of the bed and curled up uncomfortably.


    Her blood was so hot that it could burn her lungs, her throat was so dry that it could catch fire, and she wanted something cold.


    She then looked at the other side of the curtains. The person sleeping was completely unaware, and the entire room was filled with her rapid breathing.


    No, she could not do anything to Shen Juncheng.


    She had to go out and call for help.


    She wanted to get up, but her legs were weak. Not only that, but her vision was getting blurrier, and the previous heat gradually turned into nausea and discomfort.


    Someone¡­ someone¡­


    She cried out in pain. Her voice was as weak as a baby beast, whimpering and sobbing. No one could hear her.


    She couldn¡¯t crawl out and she couldn¡¯t shout. She didn¡¯t know how long she had been lying there. In her daze, she seemed to see the bed curtains being pulled open.


    The man groped over and his slightly cold palm covered her forehead. Her vision suddenly turned black and she lost consciousness.


    Shen Juncheng looked at her flushed face and retracted his palm.


    He could endure it.


    It was late at night, and everything was silent.


    Suddenly, a maidservant¡¯s anxious cry broke the silence. ¡°Not good, not good, Young Madam has fainted. Quickly, go find Dr. Lu.¡±


    In an instant, the groom¡¯s room in the east courtyard became disorderly, and the maidservants were busy coming in and out.


    The maidservant¡¯s voice was quite loud, and it instantly startled the guests who were resting in the side courtyard and the west courtyard.


    Shen Juncheng had been living in the countryside for a long time, which was a little remote. Many guests who came over could not make it back in time and had to stay the night.


    At that moment, when they heard the commotion in the East Courtyard and wondered why they were looking for a doctor, everyone thought that Shen Juncheng was dying and quickly got up to watch the commotion.


    In the side courtyard, Liu Shi had not yet gone to bed and was waiting for a good show. Sure enough, it was about to start.


    The master and servant looked at each other, and Liu Shi hurriedly got up and changed into a horse-faced purple dress. The thin lines at the corners of her eyes were lifted with a trace of expectation.


    When they left, Qinghe carefully messed up eldest Madam¡¯s meticulous hair bun on purpose, making it look like she had fallen asleep and had gotten up in a hurry because she was worried and did not have the time to tidy up.


    Madam Liu raised her brows and praised Qinghe for her attention to detail.


    Qinghe smiled flatteringly. It looked like there were close to many benefits.


    Something happened in the East courtyard, and servant girls and manservants shuffled back and forth. Suddenly, someone bumped into the hurrying Qinghe and quickly apologized timidly. Liu Shi¡¯s mind was not on this and she walked straight ahead. Qinghe could not be too calculative and quickly followed.


    As soon as she entered, before she could see who was lying down, Mrs. Liu wailed, ¡°Cheng¡¯er, Cheng¡¯er, what¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t scare your aunt.¡±


    As she howled, she intended to squeeze out a few tears. However, before she could do so, she suddenly heard a warm voice. ¡°Aunt, I¡¯m here. Cheng¡¯er is fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

 Chapter 11

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    ¡°Cheng¡­ Cheng¡¯er?¡±Liu Shi turned around and looked at the person standing in front of her. She was a little confused. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Aunty heard that the maidservant went to call Dr. Lu again, and thought that you¡­¡±


    Shen Juncheng replied, ¡°it wasn¡¯t me, it was the Young Madam. I don¡¯t know why she suddenly fainted. I was anxious, so I asked the servant girl to get a doctor to take a look.¡±


    ¡°Anan?¡± Mrs. Liu was surprised. Why was she the one who fainted?


    ¡°Why did she faint?¡±


    Shen Juncheng pretended to be embarrassed. ¡°Cough, cough, cough, I don¡¯t know. The doctor is examining Anan.¡±


    Liu Shi looked at the bed, and it was indeed Su Anan lying on the bed. Dr. Lu had also been invited and was performing acupuncture on Su Anan.


    Frowning slightly, she cast a questioning gaze at Qinghe, meaning to say, ¡®What did you tell her?¡¯ Why was she the one lying down?¡¯


    Qinghe was at a loss. She had clearly explained things to Su Anan. It was Su Anan who was disobedient and did not drug him. She should not be the one to fall in a coma, right?


    Besides, the medicine wasn¡¯t meant to knock her out.


    Since she didn¡¯t understand, she decided to wait and see. Liu Shi immediately adjusted her expression. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine. When I heard the commotion here, I thought something had happened to you. It scared Aunt Liu.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve troubled you again. I¡¯m unfilial,¡± Shen Juncheng said.


    Liu Shi glanced at him but did not make a sound. However, she could not guess the uncertainties, so she could only order people to quickly bring a seat for the Young Master and then kept staring at Dr. Lu.


    After a while, Dr. Lu took back the silver needles. Su Anan coughed out a mouthful of purple blood. Apparently, she had been poisoned.


    Just then, the guests also arrived. The West Garden was far away, and their walking speed was not as fast asLiu Shi¡¯s.


    As soon as they came in, they saw the bride vomiting blood. Everyone was shocked and asked what was going on, making so much noise that Liu Shi¡¯s head hurt. She waved her hand and said, ¡°Be quiet. Let¡¯s hear what Dr. Lu has to say.¡±


    Dr. Lu put away his silver needles and hurriedly got up to write a prescription. He asked the servant to get the medicine overnight. The situation seemed quite urgent.


    The group of people became even more curious and surrounded the room so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.


    Dr. Lu put away the first aid box and said, ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t panic. TheYoung Madam is fine now. She just needs to rest for a few days.¡± He sighed, ¡°Fortunately, I came in time. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid that the Young Madam would have died from the poison.¡±


    Hearing that the poison was acting up, Liu Shi¡¯s eyes darkened, ¡°Poison acting up? Dr. Lu, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Could the Young Master please bring over the leftovers from Young Madam¡¯s previous meal or cutlery?¡± Dr. Lu asked.


    Shen Juncheng immediately ordered his men to get it.


    A moment later, his men came back and said that the leftovers had been thrown away and the plates were clean. There was only a pot of Heji wine. A servant boy greedily came over and prepared to drink it himself, but he didn¡¯t have the time to drink it entirely.


    Now, they have found it.


    The young maidservant respectfully handed over the jug of wine. Dr. Lu hurriedly went forward to check. He only needed to open the lid and perceive the smell and his expression changed. ¡°Replying to the Marquis Madam, Young Master, I¡¯ve found it. This is the source of the poison.¡±


    ¡°There is a large dose of bliss powder in this wine. A strong person can drink a cup to liven up the mood. However, if a weak person drinks a cup, I¡¯m afraid he can¡¯t withstand the drug and will be poisoned.¡±


    ¡°Young Madam¡¯s body is weak. How could she withstand such strong drugs? that¡¯s why she fainted.¡±


    Upon hearing the word ¡°bliss powder,¡± some of the guests who often hung out in brothels sighed. It was a medicine especially used by brothels to train prostitutes, and its effect could be imagined.

 Chapter 12

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Su Anan was such a beautiful woman. Why would someone give her such a strong drug, a large dose at that?


    Or perhaps, he was actually planning to drug both parties?


    Because wasn¡¯t this wine supposed to be drunk by both bride and groom?


    Everyone had their own speculations, and there were all different versions.


    Shen Juncheng was shocked when he heard what was in the wine pot. ¡°Who, who would be so vicious to put poison in the nuptial wine? Fortunately, my cough was acting up at that time and my wife was understanding and poured me some tea instead. Otherwise¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything else after that, but everyone understood what he meant.


    He was afraid that it was a lie to give it to the Young Madam, but it was true that he was giving it to the Young Master. However, he did not expect that the Young Master did not drink it because of his cough. The water she drank caused the Young Madam to be poisoned.


    To give this kind of aphrodisiac to a sickly person wasn¡¯t his intention clear enough?


    It was the kind that made people die in bed and couldn¡¯t be publicized.


    Liu Shi was silent. If it was Su Anan, she shouldn¡¯t be so stupid to put such a large dose. Didn¡¯t she tell her to only put a little?


    For that sickly person, one drop might be enough to kill him, and the reason couldn¡¯t be found out because the medicinal effect might have worn off long ago.


    Liu Shi was very confident and it was a surefire way, but who would have thought that it was Su Anan who fainted.


    ¡°Aunty, you have to stand up for Anan and Cheng¡¯er. Find out who¡¯s behind this. Who¡¯s so cruel? Cheng¡¯er is already in this state, yet he still wanted to use such a dirty method to kill me on our wedding night. In the end, he unfortunately implicated Anan. Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Shen Juncheng coughed again when he got too agitated.


    Liu Shi had no choice but to suppress her doubts, showing the same pained expression and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Cheng¡¯er. If someone dares to harm you like this, I will definitely seek justice for you. ¡±


    ¡°Thank you, aunty. Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Everyone was waiting for her to send someone to investigate. Liu Shi could only give an order, ¡°Someone, go and bring all the people in the kitchen here. Let¡¯s see who dared to drug the Young Master. Such a daring person.¡±


    In a moment, all the people in the kitchen were brought over. Each and every one of them was wailing. ¡°I¡¯ve been wronged, Young Master. I¡¯ve worked in the manor for many years. If I had any evil intentions, I would have done so long ago. Why did I have to wait until now? I¡¯ve been wronged¡±.


    For a moment, wails of anguish rose and fell. Before Liu Shi could say anything, Shen Juncheng suddenly stood up and said, ¡°Since everyone says they¡¯re innocent, then let¡¯s search them. Whoever has this medicine on them will be the murderer.¡±


    ¡°Search immediately.¡±


    Chao Sheng accepted the order and retreated with a few manservants.


    After a while, Chao Sheng returned and shook his head. He found nothing.


    There was no result even after searching the room.


    One of the guests in the crowd who was watching the show kindly mentioned, ¡°After the food was served, did anyone enter or leave the bridal chamber? It¡¯s also possible that it¡¯s not from the wine?¡±


    The moment these words were said, Qinghe instantly had a bad feeling.


    As expected, a young maidservant immediately came out and said, ¡°Young Master, at midnight, this servant saw Miss Qinghe enter the bridal chamber. She stayed there for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before coming out.¡±


    Another maidservant chimed in, ¡°This servant saw it too. Miss Qinghe went to the bridal chamber.¡±


    The Qinghe group quickly stood up, knelt down, and said in terror, ¡°Young Master, I did go to the bridal chamber, but it was to convey Madam¡¯s orders. Madam was worried about Young Madam¡¯s safety, so she asked me to go there and tell Young Madam that she was safe.¡±


    Shen Juncheng asked Liu Shi, ¡°Aunt, is what she said true?¡±


    Liu Shi narrowed her eyes and finally reacted. It turned out that she was actually targeted.


    Heh, as expected, she wasn¡¯t as innocent as she looked.

 Chapter 13

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Liu Shi¡¯s expression remained calm as she said, ¡°There was such a thing. You suddenly fainted during the wedding ceremony. Upon checking, the doctor said that you were fine. Aunty immediately sent Qinghe to inform Anan that you were safe so that the bride wouldn¡¯t be worried.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Liu Shi furrowed her brows. ¡°Does Cheng¡¯er suspect that it was the Qinghe group¡¯s doing?¡±


    Shen Juncheng replied, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. I know that you¡¯re kind and generous to me. However, Qinghe has not been in the new house before. For the sake of your reputation, it¡¯s better to search the house. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid that someone will make a big fuss out of it and tarnish your reputation for no reason.¡±


    Liu Shi also had a bad feeling about it. She knew that it was not the Qinghe group¡¯s doing, still, she felt uneasy.


    She then covered her handkerchief and said with a sad face, ¡°Ever since you got an eye disease at the age of eight, I¡¯ve been taking care of you day and night. I watched you grow up and arranged a marriage for you. Why would I harm you? Cheng¡¯er, you¡¯re suspecting me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Liu Shi was in tears. Her expression was very sad. She looked pitiful, as if she wanted to say, ¡®I¡¯m doing everything for your good, but in the end you actually doubt me.¡¯


    Immediately, a few madams from the side branches came over to comfort her. Some even accused Shen Juncheng of being insensible. How could he doubt his aunt who had doted on him all the time? Even his marriage, wasn¡¯t it his aunt who had arranged everything for him?


    Everyone was talking at once, as if Shen Juncheng¡¯s insistence on a body search was too much to ask for.


    Truth be told, Mrs Liu, on the surface, always completed her tasks perfectly. It was common knowledge that she was a kind and virtuous woman. How could such a person harm her own nephew?


    Were the people who spoke out for Mrs Liu, actually feeling aggrieved for her?


    They weren¡¯t.


    These people only wanted to grab the opportunity to make a good impression in front of Mrs Liu. She had climbed up to the position of the matriarch of Chen Family. Meanwhile, Shen Jungchen was just an orphan, a hindrance who still held the title of ¡®Prince¡¯.


    When the Qinghe group saw that everyone was leaning toward the Eldest Mistress, they naturally comprehended the situation and immediately started crying even harder to show their loyalty.


    When Shen Juncheng saw this, he seemed to have already guessed the outcome. He said gently, ¡°Aunt, what are you doing? Why would Cheng¡¯er suspect you? I¡¯m just afraid that the guests don¡¯t know your good points and might misunderstand you. Since everyone here is being so reasonable, why would Cheng¡¯er continue to insist on searching Qinghe¡¯s body? Cheng¡¯er trusts you the most.¡±


    Liu Shi wiped her tears with a handkerchief, a trace of pride flashing through her eyes.


    Do you really think these people will stand on your side? How naive.


    She patted Shen Juncheng¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Good child, I know you¡¯re a reasonable person. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely find the culprit behind today¡¯s incident. I won¡¯t let you suffer.¡±


    At that time, she would just get a random maidservant to take the blame.


    Shen Juncheng acted as if he trusted Madam Liu very much, and it was another scene of ¡®benevolence and filial piety¡¯.


    The Qinghe group felt a sense of relief. Under the orders of the Eldest Mistress, they stood up and came over to serve her. However, just as they stood up, they felt a sudden pain in their legs. They stumbled and fell to the ground. All of a sudden, a sachet fell out of their arms. The mouth of the sachet had not been fastened properly, and a medicine bottle coincidentally came out of it.


    For a moment, everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the medicine bottle.


    Qinghe immediately went to pick up the medicine bottle with widened eyes. However, Chao Sheng¡¯s eyes were sharp and his hands were quick. He was one step faster and managed to grab the medicine bottle and handed it to Doctor Lu.


    Doctor Lu opened the bottle and sniffed it. His expression changed immediately. ¡°This is the bliss powder that Young Madam was given.¡±


    As soon as he said that, everyone fell silent.


    Even if you wanted to protect Mrs Liu, it was impossible to tell a naked lie.


    They had watched the medicine fall from Qinghe¡¯s body, and it was the very poison that had harmed the Young Mistress.

 Chapter 14

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    No. This was clearly not the medicine she had used. Although the one she used was also bliss powder, it was in a green bottle and not in a red one.


    The Qinghe group instantly recalled how a manservant had accidentally knocked her down when they had first arrived. Could it be that the manservant had placed it on her back then?


    She immediately knelt down and cried, ¡°Young Master, Eldest Madam, I¡¯ve been wronged. This medicine really isn¡¯t mine. I was seen by someone on my way here. The person behind the scenes must have taken the opportunity to place it on me. Even if you give me ten times the courage, I wouldn¡¯t dare to harm my master. Young Master, please investigate this further.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Chao Sheng?¡± Shen Juncheng pretended to be surprised.


    Since he could not see, he naturally ¡®did not know¡¯ that the medicine had fallen from the body of a maid belonging to the Qinghe group.Therefore, he had a surprised look on his face.


    Chao Sheng took a step forward and replied, ¡°Young master, a medicine bottle just fell from Qinghe¡¯s body. Doctor Lu opened the bottle and sniffed it. He confirmed that it contained bliss powder. Young Master, Qinghe is the one who drugged it.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Shen Juncheng took a step back in shock. ¡°How could it be? How could it be the Qinghe group? Aunt Yi, I thought you loved me. How could you let the Qinghe group drug me when you clearly know that I¡¯m unwell? I don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    Shen Juncheng looked as if he could not take the blow and started coughing again. That look really made people sympathize with him.


    Not only are you blind, but you also trust your aunt very much. In the end, your aunt wants to harm you, silly child.


    Among those relatives, not all of them were snobbish. There were also some who felt bad about it and comforted him. However, they could not offend Mrs Liu, so they could only smooth things over. ¡°Did a misunderstanding occur? Young Master, don¡¯t get too excited. You don¡¯t look well.¡±


    Shen Juncheng coughed until his face turned red. ¡°Aunt, where is Aunt?¡±


    Liu Shi looked at Shen Juncheng with a dark expression.


    She naturally recalled the time when someone bumped into the Qinghe group when they had arrived.


    No wonder he easily agreed to not conduct the body search. He had a backup plan.


    She had been careless. The sickly invalid was actually so meticulous that he was already a step ahead of her.


    She glanced at the Qinghe group. The maidservant was so stupid that she did not even realize that someone had stuffed something into her. There was no use keeping her.


    ¡°Cheng¡¯er, I¡¯m here.¡± She looked even more surprised than Shen Juncheng. ¡°Why would I harm you? You have to believe me. It¡¯s this maidservant who has ill intentions. I¡¯ve really misjudged you. Don¡¯t worry, Aunty will definitely help you.¡±


    Saying so, she put on a resentful look. ¡°Qinghe, why are you doing this? This Furen has always treated you well. So why did you do this? Because of you, Furen was unjustly framed.¡±


    ¡°Is it because this Furen appointed you as a Tongfang of Young Master? Were you so unwilling to serve him that you decided to kill the Young Master?¡±


    Madam Liu casually made up a reason about why the Qinghe Group would commit the crime.


    ¡°No, Madam, I¡¯m really innocent. I really didn¡¯t drug him. Oh, Young Madam, Young Madam can testify for me. I really don¡¯t have such a drug¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, the Young Madam was currently ¡®unconscious¡¯, and no one could testify for her.


    So what if she was awake? If she was really a witness, how could she explain the medicine that fell from her body? Most people would think that they were in cahoots.


    Mrs. Liu secretly thought that he was really stupid and angrily flicked her sleeves. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything else. You¡¯ve really disappointed me. Guards, Qinghe deliberately plotted to harm the master. You¡¯ve offended your superior. Drag her out and beat him to death.¡±

 Chapter 15

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Qinghe¡¯s eyes instantly widened. She had thought that since she¡¯s been by her master¡¯s side for three years, even if she were to be punished, she¡¯d only be sold off or beaten up. Never would she have thought that the Madam would be so ruthless as to want her to be beaten to death directly.


    Panicked, she quickly crawled over, ¡°Madam, Madam, you can¡¯t do this to me! You know that I¡¯m innocent! The bliss powder was clearly-¡±


    ¡°What are you waiting for?! Drag her out, Nanny Li.¡±


    Liu-Shi immediately interrupted Qinghe¡¯s begging as she gave Nanny Li a meaningful look.


    Nanny Li instantly understood her intentions and quickly went to grab a handkerchief to stuff Qinghe¡¯s mouth shut.


    However, perhaps due to her old age and worsening eyesight, she stumbled as she bent over. This delay gave Qinghe a brief moment to act.


    She looked at Mrs Liu in horror. ¡®Since you want to beat me to death, don¡¯t even think I¡¯ll let you off easily!¡¯ When Nanny Li finally came to shut her mouth, she began roaring, ¡°You¡¯ve wronged this servant as it was you who ordered me to use the drug! You¡¯re the one who clearly despised the Young Master for being scheduled to be appointed the Crown Prince and wanted him to die! Wuwuwuwu¡­¡±


    Nanny Li couldn¡¯t care less about the pain her fall had caused as she quickly ran over to stuff Qinghe¡¯s mouth before fiercely saying, ¡°What are you all just standing there for?! Hurry up and drag this lowly servant away! Even up to the brink of death, she¡¯s still so full of lies that she¡¯d falsely accuse the Madam. Her crimes are unforgivable! Immediately beat her to death!¡±


    Qinghe was then dragged out while whimpering, struggling fiercely until the end.


    The crowd instantly burst into an uproar over Qinghe¡¯s allegation of who ordered her to do what she did.


    Indeed, the waters of the rich and powerful run deep.


    Everyone began looking at each other, as there definitely will be something to talk about after dinner tomorrow.


    Suffice to say, Liu-Shi was so angry, she wanted to strangle Qinghe there and then. They were utterly useless.


    She then hurriedly tried to explain things, saying that Qinghe was making things up and that they were probably just trying to make trouble for her before her death. She also said that even though she didn¡¯t really know her that well, she never thought that Qinghe would be so evil to even almost harm Cheng¡¯er. Her words were mixed with disappointment, pain, and even joy. Her acting was very thorough.


    However, even as she acted out her convincing performance, Shen Juncheng responded so shockingly fast, with rapid coughing spells and other much too quick reactions, and then directly ¡®fainting¡¯ and pretending that he couldn¡¯t hear anything further, made it all for naught, as he totally missed out on Mrs Liu¡¯s heartbreaking finale, with the two lines of tears she managed to squeeze out in her final lament of loneliness.


    The servants had already carried the Young Master back to his room, with Doctor Lu in tow to treat him.


    In order to further solidify her loving image, Mrs Liu had to continue to stay with the crowd and explain things further as they watched her show.


    In the end, everyone who saw had an expression of understanding on their faces. Which family hasn¡¯t had a maidservant take the blame for the master¡¯s crimes?


    She was the scapegoat. Everyone tacitly understood.


    Some people even came to curry favor with her, in order to express their goodwill.


    Liu-Shi maintained a stiff smile all throughout. When she finally left, she also hinted that though today¡¯s incident was an accident, it could also be considered a private family scandal. A servant girl had wanted to murder her master. If it somehow spreads out, it might infer that the Marquis Fu¡¯s family management was lacking, and also that private family scandals shouldn¡¯t be spread out in the first place. She hoped that everyone could understand.


    And everyone did understand. They were also afraid of damaging their own reputation by spreading private family scandals, so everyone was happy to give them face and expressly assured them that they would not spread it blindly.


    Liu-Shi nodded her head in thanks before being supported back to her room by Nanny Li.


    The moment she entered, she completely cast away her loving facade and angrily slammed the table.


    ¡®That Qinghe was utterly incompetent! She couldn¡¯t even handle a small matter properly and even ended up being framed by others, which in turn caused my own reputation to suffer!¡¯


    Although those people all expressed that they believed her, how could she, Liu-Shi, not understand what was really going on?! Wasn¡¯t it only because she was the Matriarch or the Chen Family that those people were feigning to not offend her?


    The good reputation she had worked so hard to cultivate had almost been entirely lost at the hands of a single useless servant. Even caning her to death was letting her off too easily.


    Nanny Li hurriedly came to console her. ¡°Madam, please calm down. Although Qinghe was stupid, it wasn¡¯t all for naught.¡±

 Chapter 16

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    At least this time, they had finally found out that the ¡®sickly invalid¡¯ wasn¡¯t as simple as he looked. Not only did he know of their plan, he also moved to benefit from it too. ¡®Hehe, he¡¯s hidden it well.¡¯


    All these years, they had not fought over anything, to the point that she thought that Shen Juncheng was content to just wait for his death.


    She never expected that he could still struggle like this.


    Liu-Shi flicked her sleeve. ¡®Hmph, I¡¯ve naturally deduced all this.¡¯


    That sickly person stayed in the country for so many years, and although his health wasn¡¯t good, he had not died even until now. Mrs Liu wouldn¡¯t believe it if he didn¡¯t scheme a bit here and there.


    This time, she rashly accepted Qinghe¡¯s proposal because she wanted to test her.


    Nanny Li saw that the Madam was still angry and said, ¡°Furen, there¡¯s no need to be angry anymore. So what if he has his way for a little while more? With that body of his, if he intends to fight you, he still has to find the energy to do so.¡±


    Doctor Lu had personally declared that his health was so poor that his continued living depended entirely on fate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take such a person so seriously, Furen. At most, we can just leave him to die naturally and not taint our hands with him.¡±


    Liu-Shi frowned. She had previously thought of it like that too, but the key point was he still wasn¡¯t dead.


    He would be formally appointed next year, and after that, he would return to his own residence. Then Yan¡¯er¡¯s desire to be the Crown Prince would be hopeless.


    Liu-Shi stomped her feet. She definitely couldn¡¯t do anything more for now, so she could only go back and bide her time.


    After everyone had left, the night slowly returned to silence. Shen Juncheng then thanked Doctor Lu for his services.


    Doctor Lu sighed as he wrote the prescription carefully. He then left only after giving a few instructions.


    ¡°My Lord, Qinghe has already been caned to death,¡± the sound of the tide could be heard as a report was being made in the quiet room.


    Shen Juncheng simply grunted in agreement. If Qinghe hadn¡¯t had the bright idea of claiming the credit, she wouldn¡¯t have been sentenced to death. She was reaping what she sowed.


    ¡°Spread the news tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Because Shen Juncheng was pretending to be unconscious, the two slept separately that night.


    Su Anan, who had been asleep in her bridal chamber, suddenly opened her eyes when everyone had left.


    Truthfully, she had already been awake when Qinghe was discovered and was about to be dragged out to be beaten to death. She had deliberately kept her eyes closed and carefully listened for movement outside her door.


    Cui Yan quickly helped her Young Miss sit up before asking her if she was still feeling unwell.


    Su Anan shook her head. Her flushed face had now turned pale.


    Cui Yan hurriedly went to get some medicine. And while Su Anan was drinking it, she recounted the details of how Madam Liu had Qinghe beaten to death.


    ¡°Miss, you don¡¯t know this, but the First Madam was worried about you as bliss powder was put into the wine pot. That¡¯s a fatal poison!¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, Guye didn¡¯t drink it, otherwise, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯d be in trouble.¡±


    Cui Yan was understandably worried as she never thought that the Eldest Madam would go so far to deal with the Young Master. In the end, she went out for wool but came home shorn.


    Su Anan smiled, ¡°Cui Yan, do you really think that the bliss powder was given by his auntie?¡±


    Cui Yan was speechless.


    She had fallen into a trap!


    Su Anan shared her guess.


    Qinghe shouldn¡¯t have been so rash, and his aunt wasn¡¯t stupid.


    She too had always suspected that someone was out to get Shen Juncheng, but everything changed when she heard Cui Yan say that the poison was in the wine pot.


    At that time, she clearly didn¡¯t want to drink from it, and it was a certain someone who suddenly suggested having a toast with her.


    She realized that that certain someone knew that the wine was poisoned from the very beginning. What was more frightening was it would seem that he also knew of Mrs Liu¡¯s plan as well, and moved to beat her in her own game.


    Sure enough! How could a child from a wealthy family be innocent and ignorant of the ways of the world?


    He was only blind in his eyes, and not in his heart.


    Cui Yan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®Guye had actually used Miss!¡¯


    Su Anan smiled. Was he just using her?


    No, that shouldn¡¯t be the case.

 Chapter 17

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Since he had drugged her, he could have used a heavier dose and directly killed her to save trouble. This way, it could show Mrs. Liu¡¯s viciousness and he could be a little more quiet. He would have one less spy and also not have to bear any responsibility.


    But he didn¡¯t. Instead, he called a doctor for her in time and saved her life.


    Firstly, perhaps it was because if he killed her, he knew that Mrs. Liu would definitely think of ways to stuff people in, and find it troublesome.


    Secondly, he was also telling her that as long as she knew her place, she would be fine.


    He didn¡¯t want to deal with the person that Liu Shi had stuffed in, and hoped that she would see through it and be a law-abiding person.


    Su Anan sighed. She didn¡¯t expect that the rumored sickly man would be so thorough.


    Cuiyan was still angry and muttered, ¡°Guye actually doesn¡¯t care about Miss¡¯s life or death. It¡¯s a good thing that Miss didn¡¯t want to harm him before and went against Eldest Madam¡¯s orders to let this servant deal with the medicine. But Guye didn¡¯t show any mercy and used Miss as a raft. It¡¯s really unfair.¡±


    Su Anan shook her head. There was no reason to be angry. There was no fairness in being controlled by others.


    Moreover, she was Mrs. Liu¡¯s distant relative, so it was natural that Shen Juncheng did not trust her.


    She advised Cuiyan.


    Cuiyan also understood that they were in the lowest position and was only complaining on behalf of the Young Miss.


    ¡°Miss, if this matter is ruined, first Madam will definitely take it out on you tomorrow,¡± she said worriedly.


    This situation was not done well, and her reputation was damaged. According to Mrs. Liu¡¯s temper, she was afraid that Young Miss would suffer.


    Su Anan shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She won¡¯t punish me.¡± At most, she would be scolded.


    At times like this, she needed an informant even more.


    The next day.


    Shen Juncheng claimed to be sick and did not offer tea. Not only could Mrs. Liu not say anything, but she also had to show her magnanimity and personally visit him. After all, they still had to maintain their superficial relationship.


    This time, Madam Liu showed her love to the fullest. She kept explaining that last night was really just Qinghe¡¯s nonsense, so that Shen Juncheng would not take it to heart.


    After a night had passed, Shen Juncheng¡¯s expression naturally became calmer. He expressed that he understood and naturally believed in Aunt Liu.


    Liu Shi laughed. She laughed so hard that she clenched her handkerchief. She was a sickly wolf.


    Su Anan was also poisoned. Although she was awake, she was still weak and didn¡¯t have the time to drink tea.


    Liu Shi affably smiled, smiling until her face was stiff. One or two of them were so weak, they deserved to be a pair.


    She cursed in her heart but put on an impeccable face. After looking at Shen Juncheng, she went to see Su Anan.


    Su Anan was flattered and hurriedly dragged her sick body down to greet her.


    Liu Shi¡¯s face was full of concern and she avoided her bow. She then asked a few questions about her well-being and sent some tonics. After she had given enough face, she gave a look and nanny Li immediately dismissed the servant girls. She closed the door and personally stood guard at the door.


    When there were only the two of them in the room, the smile on Mrs. Liu¡¯s face could no longer be maintained. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Su Anan had already thought of a response. Her eyes turned red and she cried out, ¡°Aunt, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    She told her the response she had thought of. She said that she had followed orders and drugged him, and she had only drugged him a little. However, Shen Juncheng had used the excuse of coughing as an excuse and refused to drink. Her niece had wanted to put the drug in the tea, but he had been blind and accidentally knocked over the original glass.


    The moment she lowered her head to pick up the cup, she saw that he had already picked up the cup and was about to clink it with her. She had no choice but to drink a glass of wine to appease him.


    Su Anan sobbed and said half-heartedly, ¡°Shen Juncheng¡¯s plan has exposed me. Why don¡¯t I take the opportunity to push the blame on him?¡±

 Chapter 18

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Mrs. Liu frowned. ¡°He wanted to clink glasses with you and you really drank it? Don¡¯t you know that he¡¯s blind and can¡¯t see anything? Can¡¯t you just fool him a little?¡±


    Su Anan held back her tears. ¡°How would I know that the wine pot was poisoned? I didn¡¯t think much at that time.¡±


    Liu Shi just looked at her like that, as if trying to distinguish the truth from the lies in her words.


    Su Anan lowered her eyes and pretended not to know anything. ¡°Aunt, this Shen Juncheng looks sickly, but I didn¡¯t expect him to be so bad. He actually tried to poison me. Aunt, you have to stand up for me.¡±


    And he¡¯s even making a decision for you, ha, Mrs. Liu was so angry she almost laughed. ¡°Idiot, when did he want to harm you? He used you to harm me.¡±


    When she had chosen Su Anan, she had felt that Su Anan was not as smart as her sister, Su Pingping.


    But she was the legitimate daughter. It would not be proper to let Shen Juncheng have a mistress to help him up, so she chose Su Anan.


    She didn¡¯t expect her to be so stupid.


    Su Anan pretended to be wronged and wiped her tears quietly.


    The more Liu Shi looked, the angrier she became. She really only had the appearance, but she didn¡¯t have a brain at all. She couldn¡¯t even handle such a small matter.


    If she wasn¡¯t afraid of her reputation being damaged again, Mrs. Liu would have directly slapped her.


    Well, well, well. She couldn¡¯t reveal any more negative rumors about her, so she forced herself to ease her expression and reminded Su Anan again.


    After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Mrs. Liu opened the door and Su Anan stood up to see her off.


    Mrs. Liu once again resumed her kind appearance. ¡°Anan is not feeling well. It¡¯s better for you to go back and have a good rest. Quickly recuperate so you can go and serve your husband.¡±


    Su Anan lowered her head. ¡°Yes, aunty.¡±


    Liu Shi smiled, patted Su Anan¡¯s hand, and turned to leave.


    The maidservants had also left. Madam Liu was going back today. For Shen Juncheng¡¯s sake, she had already stayed in the countryside for three days. It could be said that it had been difficult for her.


    As soon as she left, Cuiyan quickly walked over and said nervously, ¡°Miss, did Second Madam do anything to you?¡±


    Su Anan shook her head and walked into the house. Cuiyan looked around and closed the door.


    In fact, Mrs. Liu had not said much just now. She had only told her to pay more attention to Shen Juncheng and try to send out useful information. Then, she had also hinted that if she did not listen, the Su family would wait and see.


    If you listen to me, I won¡¯t treat you badly. I¡¯ll just give you a slap and give you a sweet date.


    Su Anan knew that she couldn¡¯t escape the mission of being a spy.


    Cuiyan¡¯s face was full of worry. After yesterday, she also knew that Guye was not that simple. But with the Young Miss stuck in the middle, what should she do?


    Su Anan held her forehead and fell into deep thought.


    Shen Yong, the Marquis of Xuanyi, was Shen Juncheng¡¯s second uncle. After he was conferred the title of Marquis and handed over his military power, he seemed to be calm in recent years, but he had secretly taken over Minzhong Chamber of Commerce.


    The three great Chambers of Commerce in the capital, Minzhong, Cai Ying, and the newly developed Yu City.


    The chairman of Min Zhong, Zhou Qing, was actually Shen Yong¡¯s godson.


    One could imagine how rich Shen Yong was. Even though he only held a nominal position in the court, there were still many people fawning over him.


    The Su family was also subordinate to the Minzhong Chamber of Commerce, but it was just a small side branch. It was too easy for Liu Shi to squash them to death.


    Therefore, if she wanted to no longer be controlled by others, she first had to have enough capital to make it so that the Su family no longer relied on the Marquis Xuanyi¡¯s residence.


    Her fingers subconsciously twisted the handkerchief. Suddenly, she thought of someone.


    If he was involved, the Su family might gain a new backer.


    And it just so happened that in her previous life, she had also learned some information. Perhaps it was because of that person¡¯s good fortune.


    Su Anan planned to talk to her father in detail when she returned home.


    In the East courtyard, Shen Juncheng sat under the banba tree, looking at the golden loquats and listening to the report of Chao Sheng.


    Naturally, Shen Juncheng could not hide from Liu Shi¡¯s previous warning and Su Anan¡¯s use as a spy.


    With his index finger on the armrest, he remembered that Su Anan did not poison him last night, nor did she have any intention to harm him.


    After a pause, he said, ¡°Just send someone to her courtyard to keep an eye on her. If she¡¯s obedient, don¡¯t bother with her. If she¡¯s not¡­ get rid of her.¡±

 Chapter 19

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Chao Sheng accepted the order and left.


    Last night¡¯s scheme was the beginning of his declaration of war against the second household.


    After enduring for ten years, it was time to retaliate.


    As the wind blew, the loquats swayed. Shen Juncheng looked at the plump loquats and said,


    ¡°Come out, Your Highness.¡±


    As soon as he spoke, the Young Master dressed in blue walked in from the door. He waved his folding fan and said with a smile,


    ¡°Brother Shen, you don¡¯t have enough compassion for women.¡±


    That dainty wife of his could rest assured that he would get rid of her if she didn¡¯t listen to him. No matter what, he would at least get rid of her after they had sex. Otherwise, it would be a waste.


    He kept his folding fan and said shamelessly,


    ¡°Except for the previous time when you rounded up the house, otherwise, you¡¯ll lose out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already a second marriage.¡±


    Shen Juncheng glanced at him and ignored his teasing tone.


    His Highness touched his nose and deliberately asked,


    ¡°Could it be that brother Shen is really sick?¡±


    Shen Juncheng shot him a sharp look, and the man laughed loudly. It turned out that brother Shen found it offensive.


    He sat down and skillfully poured himself a cup of tea, gossiping,


    ¡°Then Liu-Shi left?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, I heard that last night on the wedding night, your good aunt gave a strong aphrodisiac to liven up the mood for your nephew. Unfortunately, the groom did not get it, but the bride drank it by mistake and got poisoned. Now, the tea houses outside are all talking about it with great interest.¡±


    There were different opinions, and some people had added fuel to the fire. Liu Shi¡¯s reputation had spread far and wide.


    Did Liu Shi think that after beating up those people last night, the news wouldn¡¯t spread?


    When she arrived in the capital and heard the news, it would definitely be a surprise.


    His Highness had a playful look on his face. He didn¡¯t ask about the previous night¡¯s events, but only said,


    ¡°You¡¯re too impatient, aunt.¡±


    ¡°She should be anxious,¡± Shen Juncheng replied indifferently.


    There was still one more year before he would reach the crown. At that time, he would definitely return to Marquis Fu and obtain the position of Crown Prince. She didn¡¯t want to give this position to him, so she was in a hurry.


    His Highness shrugged his shoulders. Brother Shen was planning to make a move.


    Shen Juncheng ignored his expression and asked,


    ¡°Your Highness, why have you come?¡±


    The one who was addressed as ¡°Your Highness¡± was the seventh prince of King Xian, Prince Song Xingyuan. This year, he had already been conferred the title of King and moved out of the palace.


    He raised his eyebrows and smiled.


    ¡°This time, I have a favor to ask of brother Shen.¡±


    He stated his request.


    Shen Juncheng raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°You¡¯re a Prince, but you¡¯re smuggling salt? Just how much money do you need?¡±


    Song Xingyuan sat casually, his expression still as lazy as ever.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I¡¯m very poor.¡±


    Shen Juncheng smiled faintly.


    ¡°The king of leisure is poor?¡±


    Of course, he didn¡¯t believe it. There was probably no Prince who was as rich as him, but he also couldn¡¯t pretend like he was poor and complain about it every day.


    They had so much money, but they only used it to recruit soldiers and buy horses.


    Seeing that he was silent, Song Xingyuan couldn¡¯t help but knock on the table.


    ¡°Hey, ask your Boyan to open the back door. The tax will still be the same.¡±


    Boyan was one of Shen Juncheng¡¯s most trusted aides and the president of the Chamber of Commerce in Yudu. However, the real master behind the Chamber of Commerce was Leng Moyan.


    It was also Shen Juncheng. The name Leng Moyan was just another identity he used that made it easier for him to walk around.


    Not many people knew that he was also Leng Moyan. The prince in front of him was unusual. He had been able to recognize him. He had no idea how he did it.


    The Chamber of Commerce in Yu city had been developing rapidly in the space of two years. There was no doubt that Shen Juncheng had a good business mind. Now, Yu city was already comparable to Min Zhong and had a very profitable business. Water transportation.


    Therefore, when King Xian wanted to smuggle salt, he set his eyes on the water transportation in Yu city.


    Shen Juncheng paused and raised his eyebrows.


    ¡± 50 ¨C 50.¡±


    Song Xingyuan stomped his feet.


    ¡°Shen Juncheng, you¡¯ve gone too far. You¡¯re just helping me transport it.¡±


    Shen Juncheng smiled and said,


    ¡°That¡¯s illegal. The reputation that our Chamber of Commerce has worked so hard to build will collapse if we¡¯re caught. Besides, it¡¯s such a high-risk thing. I¡¯m afraid no one except Yu city will accept it. So, it¡¯s only a 50 ¨C 50 split. Don¡¯t get too excited.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t done more illegal things than this king over the years, and I haven¡¯t seen your reputation collapse. You just want to loot a burning house. Don¡¯t you know that this king is a Wangye? This could get me killed.¡±


    Shen Juncheng¡¯s expression was indifferent as he explained the risks in detail. The Imperial court had indeed been very strict recently. The Emperor intended to monitor the illegal salt and was wantonly reorganizing it. Now, all the people who relied on this to make a fortune had stopped at the moment. Only Song Xingyuan still dared to commit crimes against all odds. If he didn¡¯t collect more benefits, he would suffer a considerable loss.


    Song Xingyuan narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Oh right, I¡¯ve made some progress with locating uncle Cui as you asked.¡±


    Shen Juncheng frowned.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°En, why would this king lie to you? He¡¯s right here ¡­¡±


    Song Xingyuan held back his words and didn¡¯t say anything for a long time.


    ¡°Four-six,¡± Shen Juncheng replied.


    Song Xingyuan raised his eyebrows. As expected, this information was valuable.


    10% more was 10% more. He didn¡¯t keep her in suspense and said,


    ¡°In the early years, he seemed to have been hunted down and then fled to Mount Han to take refuge, and then there was no news. This king has already sent people to investigate, but Mount Han is a thousand li away. The return trip will probably take several months. Just wait patiently.If there¡¯s any news, I¡¯ll immediately inform you. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Although Shen Juncheng had his own channels, if he wanted to investigate the subsequent arrangements and changes of his father¡¯s loyal generals on the battlefield, it would be faster for Song Xingyuan to do it.


    Sure enough, he had not been able to find anything for two years, but he had found something in just three months.


    If he could find that person, his father¡¯s case would be redressed, and he would be able to take a crucial step forward!


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said sincerely.


    Song Xingyuan immediately took the opportunity to bargain.


    ¡°You have to be sincere when you thank me, for example, your Commission ¡­¡±


    In response, Shen Juncheng¡¯s signature smile was gentle.


    ¡°Then, Yu city may not have the honor of helping Your Highness move this batch of goods.¡±


    Song Xingyuan shut his mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re good.¡±


    Shen Juncheng raised his eyebrows and called Chao Sheng over. He asked her to let Boyan know when the goods would be delivered and to discuss it with him later.


    When Song Xingyuan saw Chao, he instantly opened his small folding fan again and threw a flirtatious look at her. The word ¡°Xi Xi¡± stimulated Chao so much that she wanted to draw her sword.


    The stern look made Song Xingyuan squint his eyes. He waved his folding fan and said in a flirtatious manner,


    ¡°Tsk, so cold. This Prince likes it.¡±


    Shen Juncheng raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like her sunrise sword technique as well.¡±


    Song Xingyuan¡¯s smile froze.


    Chao Sheng simply ignored him, saluted her master, and then jumped out of the courtyard gate, her figure swift and unrestrained.


    Song Xingyuan sighed and waved his folding fan. Next time, he would also train some female guards.


    Shen Juncheng chased the guests away after he had finished his business.


    Song Xingyuan tutted and asked seriously,


    ¡°I still have serious business to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Min Zhong Chamber of Commerce has decided to make the first move. After all, Yu city only emerged two years ago and its Foundation is not as deep as Min Zhong¡¯s. Moreover, Zhou Qing is not stupid. I¡¯ve received news that he plans to join forces with another Chamber of Commerce to suppress you. Do you have to hold on?¡±

 Chapter 20 - Cousins Visit

    Chapter 20 Cousin¡¯s Visit


    It was rare to see him so serious. Shen Juncheng smiled.


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have a countermeasure in mind. I can still hold on for the time being.¡±


    Song Xingyuan raised his eyebrows.


    He stood up.


    ¡°Tell me if you can¡¯t take it anymore. We¡¯ve known each other for so many years, so I¡¯ll definitely help you if I can.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll need your help when the time comes. I won¡¯t stand on ceremony,¡± Shen Juncheng replied.


    Song Xingyuan smiled and returned to his lazy appearance. He waved his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    Shen Juncheng did not turn around. Instead, he gave him a friendly reminder.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been a little too active recently. Qingjing Pavilion has noticed you.¡±


    Qingjing was Song Xingyuan¡¯s third brother. He was also the most popular person in the fight for the throne.


    Recently, Song Xingyuan had been secretly recruiting soldiers and building up his own forces. No matter how secretive he was, it was inevitable that he would make mistakes.


    Song Xingyuan was indifferent as he curled his lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After this, I won¡¯t do anything for the time being.¡±


    With that said, he folded his fan and walked away elegantly.


    The courtyard returned to silence, leaving only Shen Juncheng, who continued to stare at the Golden loquats in a daze, his eyes distant.


    He had moved to this village for ten years, and there was not a single moment that he had not thought of avenging his father.


    Back then, she had bullied him because he was young and really thought that he was ignorant.


    He just didn¡¯t have the ability.


    Now, he was gradually developing and the secret agent was also established. It was time to reveal Shen Yong¡¯s true colors step by step.


    Just as Song Xingyuan was about to reach the door, a father and daughter pair suddenly walked over. The old man¡¯s hair was half-white and he was in high spirits, while the young girl was pretty and lovely. She was wearing an apricot-yellow dress as she walked over happily.


    When they saw him, they all bowed. ¡°Greetings, Your Highness.¡±


    Song Xingyuan waved his hand, indicating that the two of them didn¡¯t need to be so polite.


    He knew both of them. One was Liang Guangwen, brother Shen¡¯s uncle¡¯s master and doctor. The other was his daughter, Liang Mingyu, who was also brother Shen¡¯s childhood sweetheart.


    After politely exchanging pleasantries with Liang Guangwen, Song Hangyuan praised the young lady who was becoming more and more beautiful, ¡°Miss Yu¡¯er is getting more and more beautiful.¡±


    Liang Mingyu immediately lowered her head shyly. ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t tease Yuler anymore.¡±


    Song Xingyuan laughed heartily.


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t hold you up from re-examining brother Shen. Goodbye,¡± he said after exchanging pleasantries.


    Liang Guangwen hurriedly sent him off respectfully, looking at Song Hangyuan¡¯s back as he left, his murky eyes clear.


    Qing Jing Xuan.


    ¡°Cousin.¡±


    Liang Mingyu saw Shen Juncheng in the courtyard, dressed in white, and immediately walked over happily.


    She hadn¡¯t seen her cousin for a long time, and she missed him.


    Shen Juncheng knew that they were coming, so a servant had already informed him and prepared tea. He stood up and said, ¡°Uncle, Yu¡¯er, sit.¡±


    Liang Guangwen was actually Shen Juncheng¡¯s distant uncle. However, because of his kindness in helping him in the past, as well as his guidance over the years, Shen Juncheng usually addressed him as uncle, as he felt closer to him.


    Liang Guangwen stroked his beard. After he sat down, he said with concern, ¡°Cheng ¡®er, how have you been? Do your eyes still feel uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Uncle. Cheng¡¯er is fine.¡±


    In fact, his eyes had been completely healed a year ago. They would not be pierced by white light until they cried. The reason why they were still covered with white gauze was just to fool people.


    ¡°Take off the white veil, I¡¯ll show you again,¡± Liang Guangwen said.


    Shen Juncheng acknowledged and removed the White veil.


    Perhaps it was because of his eye disease, but his pupils were different from ordinary people. The color was a little light, which made people feel a little cold, but his pupils were very bright. Under the soft sunlight, they were like the ripples reflected on the water.

 Chapter 21 - Uncle

    Chapter 21 Uncle


    Liang Mingyu was stunned. Although she knew that her cousin was handsome, she felt that he had become much better looking after not seeing him for half a year.


    Liang Guangwen looked left and right, then took his pulse to make sure that he was not feeling unwell, then he said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s


    good.¡±


    ¡°However, don¡¯t be careless. Even if you¡¯ve healed, you still need some time to slowly recover. Remember, you can¡¯t be out in the sun for too long.¡±


    ¡°Cheng¡¯er understands.¡±


    Liang Mingyu was drinking tea at the side. Seeing the two of them stop talking, she quickly asked, ¡°Cousin, I heard that Mrs. Liu drugged you last night. Are you okay?¡±


    Shen Juncheng smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not the one who was drugged. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Mingyu pursed her lips and said angrily, Iit must be the bride who drugged you.¡±


    ¡°I knew it. They are in cahoots. Su Anan is Mrs. Liu¡¯s niece. She must be up to no good.¡±


    Liang Mingyu didn¡¯t believe the rumors about a servant girl. She thought that Mrs. Liu had deliberately sacrificed a servant girl to protect Su Anan.


    ¡°It¡¯s not Su Anan,¡± Shen Juncheng explained.


    Mingyu had a simple personality and was straightforward. Shen Juncheng did not intend to explain the whole story to her.


    In Mingyu¡¯s eyes, her cousin was already married and was starting to protect her, even though he knew that that person was a spy.


    Liang Mingyu was unhappy.


    She had been sad for a long time when her cousin suddenly got married.


    Liang Guangwen saw through his daughter¡¯s thoughts and said helplessly, ¡°The reason is not as simple as you think. Alright, listen to me. Go find Yue Luo and I¡¯ll take you to play after. I have something to tell Cheng¡¯er,¡±


    Liang Mingyu made an ¡°oh¡± sound and got up obediently. She had always avoided her father and brother Shen when they were discussing important matters.


    She wasn¡¯t interested in what they would be talking about anyway.


    Shen Juncheng smiled. ¡°The purple peonies in Yalan residence have bloomed. Yu¡¯er, don¡¯t you like peonies? Have Yue Luo accompany you to enjoy them.¡±


    Liang Mingyu¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Okay, then can I take some back and make them into sachets?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Liang Mingyu thanked him sweetly and left happily.


    There were many varieties of peonies, but Wei Zi was rare. Her cousin was generous enough to allow her to pick them. It seemed like he really doted on her.


    Liang Mingyu¡¯s mood brightened up again, and she hummed a little tune as she went to find Yue Luo.


    Once she left, Liang Guangwen got down to business. ¡°What happened last night?¡±


    Shen Juncheng briefly explained what had taken place the night prior.


    After Liang Guangwen finished listening, he stroked his beard and pondered. Liu Shi had always been a cautious person, and she loved her reputation so much. Last night, she rashly used that kind of scheme, so it could be seen that she had the intention of testing the waters.


    After so many years, she did not really believe that Cheng¡¯er was a sickly person who was completely useless. This could be considered her unique sense of smell.


    Liang Guangwen sighed. ¡°This way, you¡¯ve completely opened up a war with Chen Yong. In order to prevent you from returning to the capital smoothly, they will definitely think of ways to harm you. You have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, uncle,¡± Shen Juncheng assured him.


    Liang Guangwen believed in his nephew¡¯s ability and asked, ¡°That Concubine Su from last night really didn¡¯t interfere?¡±


    Shen Juncheng shook his head.


    Su Anan did not do anything, but he had used her.


    Liang Guangwen frowned. ¡°Even so, you can¡¯t let your guard down. Mrs. Liu chose someone to send here, so she can¡¯t stand on the same line as you. Maybe she didn¡¯t do anything last night and was just retreating in order to gain your trust.¡±


    Furthermore, he had heard that Concubine Su was extremely beautiful. Perhaps she was trying to use her beauty to test Cheng¡¯er¡¯s eyesight. Shen Juncheng smiled faintly. ¡°Cheng¡¯er understands. Don¡¯t worry, uncle.¡±

 Chapter 22 - Provocation

    Chapter 22 Provocation


    After talking about last night, the two of them started discussing the current situation.


    The old Emperor seemed to be at his wit¡¯s end. The seven princes were fighting fiercely for the position of heir, and each prince was secretly roping in their own forces.


    If they wanted to fight for the throne, they could not lack money. The three Chambers of Commerce were the most important things that they had secretly roped in.


    According to the investigation, Chen Yong had already secretly sought refuge with the third Prince of King Jing, and only then did Yingshang seek refuge with the second Prince, King Shun.


    Only Yu City, sigh, was tied together with that idle King


    Liang Guangwen sighed. Although that Prince Xian was indeed somewhat shrewd, his background was too weak. He hoped that Cheng¡¯er¡¯s vision was accurate. Otherwise, if he followed the wrong master, not only would he be implicated, but there would also be no hope for revenge.


    Liang Mingyu found Yue Luo and was happily pulling her to admire the flowers. When they passed by the Raindrop Pavilion, they saw a girl walking leisurely. The servant girl behind her was holding a tray.


    Liang Mingyu came to Shen villa every year and she knew almost all of the people in the villa. The one she didn¡¯t know must be Su Anan.


    ¡°Miss Mingyu, this is the Young Madam,¡± Yue Luo introduced.


    She pursed her lips, her face full of anticipation. Young Madam my ass, it¡¯s just an empty title. Cousin won¡¯t admit it.


    She didn¡¯t want to meet Su Anan and was about to leave with Yue Luo when Su Anan suddenly looked in her direction. Liang Mingyu was stunned.


    From the previous angle, she was looking at her side profile, so she could only see her rough figure and not her face. But when she turned her head, Mingyu saw her clearly.


    She was a very beautiful woman, wearing an elegant jasmine wide-sleeved dress. Her skin was fair, and her eyes were full of emotions, different from Liang Mingyu¡¯s beauty.


    Liang Mingyu was pretty and cute, while Su Anan was charming, the kind that men liked.


    She didn¡¯t expect Su Anan to be so beautiful.


    When she heard that she was the most beautiful woman in Luo City, she thought that it was an exaggeration. After all, many rumors were exaggerated. Only now did she know that it was not.


    With such a beautiful person by her cousin¡¯s side, what if he really fell in love with her?


    Su Anan also saw Liang Mingyu. She was an unfamiliar woman, but she knew Yue Luo. She had even brought her breakfast this morning.


    She paused for a moment. Seeing that there was no movement from the other side, she did not come over to say hello. Since Yue Luo was following them, they must be Shen Juncheng¡¯s guests, right?


    It was better not to talk to her without permission, in case people thought he had ulterior motives and was trying to get information or inquire for secrets.


    When she turned around to leave, Liang Mingyu was even more indignant. What? She didn¡¯t even come to say hello when she saw a guest and just left. How impolite.


    As expected, she came from a small family.


    She only has a body. Hmph, I¡¯ll go and meet her.


    She pulled Yue Luo. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see the Young Mistress.¡±


    Yue Luo knew of Miss Mingyu¡¯s personality and was afraid of causing trouble. She wanted to stop her, but Liang Mingyu gave her a reassuring look. ¡°Aiya, I know what I¡¯m doing. Yue Luo, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The next moment, Liang Mingyu walked over.


    ¡°This must be big sister, right?¡± She blinked and said cheekily, ¡°I¡¯m Yu¡¯er, big brother Shen¡¯s cousin.¡±


    Su Anan looked at the pretty girl in front of her and tried to recall.


    It seemed that after Shen Juncheng moved to the countryside, all of his relatives stopped interacting with him. Only a distant uncle from his maternal family would visit him occasionally.


    From the young girl¡¯s introduction, she must be his distant cousin.


    She nodded slightly and called out, ¡°Miss Yu¡¯er.¡± She didn¡¯t presumptuously call her cousin.

 Chapter 23 - Provocation (2)

    Chapter 23 Provocation (2)


    Liang Mingyu raised her brows. At least she knew her own limitations and was aware that she wasn¡¯t fit to call her cousin.


    She smiled. ¡°Sister, you can just call me Yu¡¯er.¡±


    She took a step forward and looked curiously at the tray in Cui Yan¡¯s hands. She asked, ¡°Sister, what are you holding?¡±


    Cui Yan said, ¡°Miss, this is Luohan Snow Pear Tea. Guye¡¯s cough seemed quite serious yesterday. Miss was worried, so she got out of bed early in the morning and personally brewed the Luohan Snow Pear Tea. I hope it will be of help to Guye.¡±


    The Luohan fruit had the effect of nourishing the lungs and stopping coughs. The pear could also be used to achieve the same results. If the two were boiled together and consumed, one¡¯s lungs could be nourished and also have a relief from the coughing.


    Yesterday, Shen Juncheng¡¯s cough had broken out twice in a row and he had fainted again. Su Anan had sent Mrs Liu off early in the morning and thought that she should come over to take a look.


    It was one thing for people to not like her, but it was also another thing to show her face. So, she asked Cui Yan to boil the tea to show her concern.


    When Liang Mingyu heard that the tea was personally brewed, she instantly felt that she was trying to please her for no reason. She must be up to no good. Could she have poisoned her cousin¡¯s tea?


    She said, ¡°Elder Sister is so considerate. However, Cousin must be talking to Father at this time. Even if Elder Sister goes over, you will still have to wait. Why don¡¯t you talk to Yuler for a while? Let the servant girl send this tea over.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she motioned for Yue Luo to go forward and receive it.


    Su Anan saw the suspicion in her eyes for a moment. Well, she was Mrs Liu¡¯s relative. No matter how she explained, it would be useless.


    If this soup was given to her, it would not be able to reach Shen Juncheng.


    Although she knew that it would be a waste to send it over, she still had to go through the process. Otherwise, no one would know that Cui Yan had been waiting for an hour.


    She smiled.¡±It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll send it over personally some other time. After all, I still want to see how my husband is doing. I¡¯m a little worried because I couldn¡¯t meet him.¡±


    Husband!


    Liang Mingyu felt that the word ¡®husband¡¯ was ear-piercing. Fine, you can give it to him.


    She glanced at the white soup bowl and snorted to herself. So what if she sends it over? Cousin would definitely not drink it.


    She revealed a harmless smile and said, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll send you off later. I feel like I¡¯ve hit it off with you at first sight. Let¡¯s have a chat.¡±


    Hit it off at first sight?


    Su Anan didn¡¯t agree with her. They chatted for a while. Although she seemed to be friendly, she could sense that she didn¡¯t like her.


    Fine. Since it was nothing major, they could have a chat.


    The two of them sat in the Raindrop Pavilion.


    The maidservants served tea and melon seeds. Liang Mingyu pulled her aside and chatted happily.


    To be exact, she was the only one chatting happily, and Su Anan only listened.


    She spent most of her time talking about Shen Juncheng, about how he had an illness when he was young, and how she had accompanied him every year when he was recuperating in the countryside.


    The two of them could be considered childhood sweethearts who grew up together and had a deep relationship.


    The meaning behind her words was crystal clear.


    Cousin values me and dotes on me. Who the hell are you? You¡¯d better be aware of your identity and stop jumping around.


    Her tone unconsciously rose, with an arrogance that could not be concealed.


    Su Anan curled her lips. She knew it. The reason why she wanted to talk with her so badly was just to show off.


    ¡®Sigh, you can show off as much as you want. I don¡¯t care how good your relationship is. I¡¯m not jealous. If you can get Shen Juncheng to accept you, I¡¯ll raise both my hands in approval.¡¯


    Liang Mingyu spoke for a long time, but the other party just looked calm and even smiled.¡±Yu¡¯er, you must be thirsty after talking so much. Come, have a cup of tea.¡±


    Liang Mingyu was speechless.


    It was like punching on cotton.


    She stopped talking and sipped her tea quietly. From the corner of her eye, she saw Su Anan taking a sip of her tea too. The beauty was so elegant and graceful that she was really pleasing to the eye.


    Unfortunately, when she met someone more beautiful than herself, Liang Mingyu only felt that her beauty was eye-piercing and painful to see.


    Suddenly, she smiled and praised, ¡°Everyone says that you are the most beautiful woman in Luo City. I can see that you really live up to your reputation. You really are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Even more beautiful than the performers on the stage.¡±


    Su Anan stopped drinking her tea.


    The little girl¡¯s face was pure and innocent, but her words directly compared her to an actress.


    Was he insulting her lowly status?


    Instead of getting angry, she smiled and said, ¡°Really? Yu ¡®er isn¡¯t bad either. You are lively and cute, and you have a crisp voice. You are even better than Ningzhi from Yuefang Pavilion.¡±


    Yuefang Pavilion¡¯s Ningyi was a singer.


    In Luo city, everyone knew how sweet and melodious Ningzhi¡¯s voice was.


    Liang Mingyu¡¯s face instantly darkened. This woman actually dared to compare her to a low-class singer.


    How hateful!


    Yue Luo saw that the atmosphere was not right and quickly interrupted, ¡°Furen, I think Young Master and Uncle should have already finished their discussion. If you don¡¯t send your tea, I¡¯m afraid it will get cold.¡±


    Liang Mingyu rolled her eyes, suppressed her impatience, and put on a fake smile. She went up toSsu Anan and took her hand affectionately.¡±If Yue Luo hadn¡¯t reminded me, I would have forgotten that you¡¯re here to serve tea. Go on then, Yu¡¯er won¡¯t hold you up any longer.¡±


    Su Anan felt a chill on the back of her hand. She never expected a young girl¡¯s hand to be so cold.


    She wasn¡¯t used to such intimate actions. Perhaps it was because of Su Pingping¡¯s influence, but she always held her hand affectionately like this. However, in her heart, she was only thinking about scheming against her.


    She lowered her head to take a look, then pretended to brush her hand away and left with a smile.


    Liang Mingyu looked at her back, a hint of slyness flashing through her eyes. Let¡¯s see how you¡¯ll suffer tonight.


    After walking out of the Raindrop Pavilion, Cui Yan said angrily, ¡°That miss Yu¡¯er has gone a little too far.¡±


    She looked so innocent and pure that she did not expect her to compare Miss to an actress, although Miss had never offended her.


    Su Anan said indifferently, ¡°Who said I didn¡¯t offend her? I actually did.¡±


    The first thing Yu ¡®er called her was ¡®Sister¡¯ instead of ¡®Cousin-in-law¡¯. After that, she started showing off. How could Su Anan not understand that this girl was probably in love with Shen Juncheng?


    Putting aside her status, just the fact that she was married to Shen Juncheng was enough to offend her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t think too much. She only comes here once in a while anyway. Just avoid her in the future.¡± Su Anan didn¡¯t take it to heart. She didn¡¯t think much of it.


    Since the Young Lady was not angry, Cui Yan did not say anything more. The master and servant pair went to the Qingjing Pavilion.


    When she reached the door, she was stopped by Chao Sheng, saying that the Young Master was still talking with his uncle and should not be disturbed.


    Su Anan looked at the sky. It was already noon.


    It seemed that the talk was a lie, and the absence was real.


    Forget it, it was just a process. It was the first day of marriage, so it wasn¡¯t good to be too cold. It was fine as long as the intention was there.


    I was


    She left the cup of tea behind and asked about her husband¡¯s health, then left quietly.


    Liang Guangwen and Shen Juncheng, who were in the dark, looked at the departing figure and retracted their gazes.


    Liang Guangwen said, ¡°She appears to be obedient, but has a sharp tongue. Her thoughts¡­ Those are even more difficult to


    tell.¡±


    What happened in the Raindrop Pavilion had already spread to Qing Jing Xuan. Mingyu¡¯er was not willing to suffer any losses.


    Shen Juncheng replied indifferently, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Whether she¡¯s obedient, sharp-tongued, or harboring evil intentions, Cheng¡¯er will get rid of her if she doesn¡¯t know her place.¡±

 Chapter 24 - Harsh Diet

    Chapter 24 Harsh Diet


    He had said that in an unusually indifferent tone.


    Liang Guangwen nodded his head in satisfaction. He liked the decisiveness of his disciple.


    Neither wavered by beauty nor trapped by lust. Calm, self-restrained and smart.


    At noon, it was time for lunch. Shuang Man came to Yalan residence to invite Miss Mingyu to Liu Xu Pavilion for a meal.


    Yue Luo and Shuang Man were Shen Juncheng¡¯s maidservants, and they were on good terms with Liang Mingyu.


    Liang Mingyu often came over when she was young. It was always the two of them and Chao Sheng who played with her. Therefore, she also treated the two of them as her older sisters and was very close to them.


    When Mingyu saw the blooming peonies, her mood became much better. Seeing that Shuang Man had also come, she pulled her to pick the flowers.


    Shuang Man had a sweet tongue and was used to praising people. The three of them talked and laughed before Liang Mingyu got up to eat.


    She passed by the Raindrop Pavilion and saw that the kitchen was also sending food to the Young Mistress in the East Garden.


    Liang Mingyu stopped the servant and lifted the lid to look at the dishes. There were three dishes and a soup, all home-cooked.


    However, three dishes and one soup were all extravagant for a stupid spy. She ordered, ¡°Go, change it to cabbage and tofu soup, and don¡¯t add meat to the meal in the future.¡±


    ¡°If she asks, just say that the village is short of money, and that it¡¯s the same for the Young Master¡¯s food. If she can¡¯t eat it, there¡¯s a special stove in the East Garden, and she can use her own dowry to cook food.¡±


    Yue Luo and Shuang Man looked at each other. Yue Luo was about to say something, but Shuang Man gave the servant girl who brought the food a look. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear Miss Mingyu¡¯s orders? Go quickly.¡±


    The maidservant immediately understood and went to change the dishes.


    Once they reached the Flowing Goblin Pavilion, Liang Mingyu¡¯s taste buds were hooked. There were plenty of dishes such as Hall of Gold and Jade, crystal shrimp dumplings, double-rolled wings, Eight Treasure crispy duck, and so on. Those were all her favorite dishes.


    Liang Guangwen laughed at her.¡±That¡¯s enough, stop being so greedy. Go wash your hands and eat. Your cousin asked the kitchen to prepare this according to your taste.¡±


    Liang Mingyu smiled brightly. ¡°Thank you, Cousin. You¡¯re the best.¡±


    Shen Juncheng smiled slightly, his eyes gentle. Mingyu had grown up with him, and because of the help from his master, Shen Juncheng treated her like family.


    The atmosphere was harmonious, and they had a good chat. Liang Mingyu looked at her kind cousin and suddenly asked, ¡°Oh right, cousin, will you be going to the East Garden tonight?¡±


    Shen Juncheng glanced at her.¡±Why do you


    ask?¡±


    Liang Mingyu pouted. ¡°I was just asking.¡±


    Although Su Anan was sent by Mrs Liu, her cousin was not actually blind, so how could he not see that she was really beautiful?


    ¡°I won¡¯t go. Last night, it was just a show put on by Mrs Liu,¡± Shen Juncheng said lightly.


    He would not go there in the future and leave her to her own devices.


    When Liang Mingyu heard that he wasn¡¯t going, her mood soared again. Tsk tsk, so what if she¡¯s pretty? Her cousin didn¡¯t like her.


    While the atmosphere at this side of the dining hall was joyous and harmonious, the East courtyard could be described as miserable.


    Cui Yan looked at the boiled Chinese cabbage and tofu, as well as the egg soup that was as light as water. She was so angry that she wanted to argue with the servant girl who delivered the vegetables.


    No matter how poor the Shen Villa was, it was impossible for them to be poorer than ordinary families. She glanced at the servants¡¯ dishes. They all had a piece of meat each, but when it came to the Young Lady, there was only cabbage and tofu left. They were clearly bullying her Young Lady.


    The maidservant explained faintly, saying that Shen Villa was already short of money. In addition to the excessive expenses at the wedding, they had overdrawn the limit given by the Marquis¡¯ wife, so the villa really had no money and only had these dishes.

 Chapter 25 - A Little Cold

    Chapter 25 A Little Cold


    Recently, their business has been on the decline, and although Cai Ying and Min Zhong both had put in a lot of effort, their two families could still do more.


    While he was mulling things over, he suddenly heard a disturbance outside the garden.


    ¡°Young Master, Young Master! This servant is begging you! Begging you! Please help the Young Miss find a doctor!¡±


    He frowned slightly. ¡°Chao Sheng.¡±


    Chao Sheng immediately came to report. ¡°Young Master, it¡¯s the Young Mistress¡¯ servant girl who¡¯s arguing with the manservant at the door. She said that the Young Mistress is sick. She makes it sound like it¡¯s very serious so she hopes we can help her find a doctor to take a look.¡±


    ¡®Sick?¡¯


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t she fine all day long? Why did she only fall sick during the night?¡¯


    ¡®Was she using this excuse to lure him over?¡¯


    Shen Juncheng was slightly dumbfounded. When he heard about her from Yue Luo, he thought that she was a quiet person. He didn¡¯t expect her to be so vulgar.


    Yun Yun flicked her sleeve. ¡°Ask Yue Luo to go and see if she¡¯s really sick. If she is, find a doctor. If she isn¡¯t, inform me.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have time to deal with such petty tricks. If she can¡¯t remain obedient, he would simply eliminate her directly. Yue Luo accepted his order and left with Cui Yan.


    After a few moments, Yue Luo returned. ¡°Young Master, the Young Madam seems to be really sick.¡±


    By that time, Shen Juncheng was just about to take a bath. His hand was already unbuckling his belt when he heard the report, which made him pause. ¡®Was she really sick?¡¯


    ¡°With what?¡±


    Yue Luo replied respectfully, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I just heard the Young Mistress complaining that she was cold. She was already covered by several layers of blankets, but when I touched her hand, it was very warm. Maybe she¡¯s running a fever from being chilled by the wind.¡±


    ¡®Indeed, she is delicate. The temperature only slightly dipped today, and yet she¡¯s already caught a chill.¡¯


    But he continued to undress. ¡°If it¡¯s just a cold, just go find a doctor for her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Young Master.¡± Yue Luo took her leave.


    Just as she was walking out the room, she suddenly heard the Young Master say, ¡°Hold on.¡±


    ¡°Did you check if her face was red along with her warm palms?¡± ¡°Young Master, her face wasn¡¯t red. In fact, she was pale and shivering.¡±


    Shen Juncheng frowned and stopped undressing himself. He then fastened his belt again and put on the white veil that covered his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll go there personally.¡±


    Yue Luo was stunned but quickly led the way.


    Cui Yan wished that she could pile everything in the room and set it ablaze if only it could keep out the cold for her Young Miss. Seeing that she was still complaining about how cold she was, anxious tears started to fall from her face.


    ¡°Miss! Miss! What¡¯s wrong?! Miss, please don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    That night, not long after she had fallen asleep, she heard a clatter from next door so she quickly got up to check.


    As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw the Young Miss sitting in front of the closet. She reasoned that she felt cold so she went to get a blanket, but because it was too dark, she accidentally knocked over the chair.


    Cui Yan then hurriedly helped her back to the bed and then went to the closet to take out a winter blanket. The Young Miss was clearly wrapped up tightly already, but she still felt too cold. Cui Yan touched her forehead again with her hands, but found that she was running hot. Extremely hot! However, her arms and back were very cold.


    How could there be such an illness where the palms and forehead are hot, while the rest of the body was cold? She immediately went to the Qingjing Pavilion to find the Young Master.


    She was still unfamiliar with the area they were in so how could a little servant girl like her find a doctor?


    It was then that footsteps could be heard just outside the door. Occasionally, coughs could also be heard. When the door was pushed open, Cui Yan turned to see the Young Master had come in. She immediately went on her knees and kowtowed hard, ¡°Young Master! Young Master! I beg of you! Please find a doctor for the Miss. She¡¯s really sick.¡±


    Shen Juncheng caught a glimpse of the person on the bed from the corner of his eyes, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Yue Lueo quickly came forward to pull Cui Yan up. ¡°Get up quickly, Cui Yan. Don¡¯t block the Young Master from checking the Young Madam¡¯s pulse.¡±


    Cui Yan¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. ¡°Does the Young Master know how to take a pulse?¡±


    Yue Luo explained, ¡°The Young Master¡¯s health has always been poor since he was a child, and he¡¯s always been susceptible to cold winds too. He¡¯s been in contact with doctors for such a long time that he¡¯s learned some medical expertise himself. Don¡¯t make such a fuss or you¡¯ll disturb him.¡±


    Cui Yan quickly stood up and moved aside. She¡¯s always thought that this Young Master was weak, although if one was exposed to medicine for over ten years, it¡¯s understandable if he learned some things about medicine. Moreover, pulse-reading relied on feeling, so it should still be fine even if he couldn¡¯t see.


    She quickly wiped away her tears and held in her sobs. She was afraid she¡¯d disturb him.


    Shen Juncheng¡¯s master was Liang Guangwen, so his medical skills weren¡¯t bad.


    He extended his cane, pretending to not be able to see when he started to move forward. He also didn¡¯t forget to pretend to be weak, and made sure to cough twice. When he reached the bed, he sat down and grabbed Su Anan¡¯s wrist.


    Her wrist was cold, but the palm was hot. When he felt her pulse with his fingertips, he finally understood what happened.


    ¡®Yu¡¯er is too ridiculous!¡¯


    ¡®She actually used frost powder!¡¯


    Frost powder was a poison that immediately melted into the body of a person who had a normal body temperature when it made contact. One would typically only feel cold without any other symptoms, but six hours later, the poison would take full effect after it had fully gotten into the bloodstream.


    Liang Mingyu¡¯s father was proficient in medicine, so it was only natural that his daughter wasn¡¯t ignorant of the subject as well. In fact, Yu¡¯er was so talented in using poisons that she often carried poison to play tricks on other people.


    ¡®She must have used it at noon today.¡¯


    Shen Juncheng frowned. The amount of poison was well controlled, so it intended to only make people cold for a single night. The next day, the poison would have gradually dissipated, and then they would be fine.


    He believed that Yuler wouldn¡¯t go so far, but what Yu¡¯er didn¡¯t expect was that Su Anan wasn¡¯t exactly normal.


    Shen Juncheng only found out because he was checking her pulse. ¡®This heart disease is probably congenital in nature, and perhaps, since she¡¯s lived a carefree life till now, the disease never manifested symptoms much.¡¯


    Unfortunately, the frost powder acted like a spark that triggered the heart disease to flare up. This was why she looked so seriously ill.


    If she really stayed like this all night, he was afraid things wouldn¡¯t end well for her¡­


    However, if he were to save her, he would have to waste one of his precious heart protection pills.


    So Shen Juncheng hesitated. ¡®Should I save her?¡¯


    It¡¯s just an informant of the Liu Family. Why not take advantage of this and¡­


    Su Anan¡¯s consciousness was already fading. She felt so cold that her teeth were chattering as she was curled up tight in thick quilts.


    In a daze, she felt like she had returned to that poor alley on that day that it was snowing


    That certain day was also so cold. No matter how tightly she wrapped her tattered cloak around herself, it couldn¡¯t block the pervasive chill. She felt extremely cold and afraid.


    It was the feeling of nearing death. She could clearly feel her life slipping away, freezing bit by bit.


    However, she didn¡¯t want to die!


    She wanted to live so badly! She wanted to hear Cui Yan call her to eat steaming hot red bean barley soup again. She wanted to hear her mother lovingly say, ¡°Anan, come quickly. Put on a cloak so you don¡¯t catch a cold.¡±


    A warm memory came over her, which made it seem she returned to her childhood. Back to her mother¡¯s side.


    ¡°Mother, mother¡­!


    ¡°I¡¯m so cold!¡± Su Anan shouted deliriously. ¡°Mother, mother¡­!¡±


    Shen Juncheng lowered his eyes and looked at her.


    Her face was pale as she was curled up into a small ball, looking extremely fragile.


    Suddenly, the warm colors in her memory faded, and her mother¡¯s figure disappeared.


    Su Anan abruptly opened her eyes.


    Her eyesight was still blurry so she couldn¡¯t really see anything clearly. All she could see was something white in front of her.


    That white reminded her of the gently falling snow before her death in her previous life. Slowly burying her in the dirt.

 Chapter 26 - Do You Want to Save Her?

    Chapter 26 Do You Want to Save Her?


    Recently, their business has been on the decline, and although Cai Ying and Min Zhong both had put in a lot of effort, their two families could still do more.


    While he was mulling things over, he suddenly heard a disturbance outside the garden.


    ¡°Young Master, Young Master! This servant is begging you! Begging you! Please help the Young Miss find a doctor!¡±


    He frowned slightly. ¡°Chao Sheng.¡±


    Chao Sheng immediately came to report. ¡°Young Master, it¡¯s the Young Mistress¡¯ servant girl who¡¯s arguing with the manservant at the door. She said that the Young Mistress is sick. She makes it sound like it¡¯s very serious so she hopes we can help her find a doctor to take a look.¡±


    ¡®Sick?¡¯


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t she fine all day long? Why did she only fall sick during the night?¡¯


    ¡®Was she using this excuse to lure him over?¡¯


    Shen Juncheng was slightly dumbfounded. When he heard about her from Yue Luo, he thought that she was a quiet person. He didn¡¯t expect her to be so vulgar.


    Yun Yun flicked her sleeve. ¡°Ask Yue Luo to go and see if she¡¯s really sick. If she is, find a doctor. If she isn¡¯t, inform me.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have time to deal with such petty tricks. If she can¡¯t remain obedient, he would simply eliminate her directly.


    Yue Luo accepted his order and left with Cui Yan.


    After a few moments, Yue Luo returned. ¡°Young Master, the Young Madam seems to be really sick.¡±


    By that time, Shen Juncheng was just about to take a bath. His hand was already unbuckling his belt when he heard the report, which made him pause. ¡®Was she really sick?¡¯


    ¡°With what?¡±


    Yue Luo replied respectfully, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I just heard the Young Mistress complaining that she was cold. She was already covered by several layers of blankets, but when I touched her hand, it was very warm. Maybe she¡¯s running a fever from being chilled by the wind.¡¯


    ¡®Indeed, she is delicate. The temperature only slightly dipped today, and yet she¡¯s already caught a chill.¡¯


    But he continued to undress. ¡°If it¡¯s just a cold, just go find a doctor for her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Young Master.¡± Yue Luo took her leave.


    Just as she was walking out the room, she suddenly heard the Young Master say, ¡°Hold on.¡±


    ¡°Did you check if her face was red along with her warm palms?¡±


    ¡°Young Master, her face wasn¡¯t red. In fact, she was pale and shivering.¡±


    Shen Juncheng frowned and stopped undressing himself. He then fastened his belt again and put on the white veil that covered his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll go there personally.¡±


    Yue Luo was stunned but quickly led the way. Cui Yan wished that she could pile everything in the room and set it ablaze if only it could keep out the cold for her Young Miss. Seeing that she was still complaining about how cold she was, anxious tears started to fall from her face.


    ¡°Miss! Miss! What¡¯s wrong?! Miss, please don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    That night, not long after she had fallen asleep, she heard a clatter from next door so she quickly got up to check.


    As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw the Young Miss sitting in front of the closet. She reasoned that she felt cold so she went to get a blanket, but because it was too dark, she accidentally knocked over the chair.


    Cui Yan then hurriedly helped her back to the bed and then went to the closet to take out a winter blanket. The Young Miss was clearly wrapped up tightly already, but she still felt too cold. Cui Yan touched her forehead again with her hands, but found that she was running hot. Extremely hot! However, her arms and back were very cold.


    How could there be such an illness where the palms and forehead are hot, while the rest of the body was cold? She immediately went to the Qingjing Pavilion to find the Young Master.


    She was still unfamiliar with the area they were in so how could a little servant girl like her find a doctor?


    It was then that footsteps could be heard just outside the door. Occasionally, coughs could also be heard. When the door was pushed open, Cui Yan turned to see the Young Master had come in. She immediately went on her knees and kowtowed hard, ¡°Young Master! Young Master! I beg of you! Please find a doctor for the Miss. She¡¯s really sick.¡±


    Shen Juncheng caught a glimpse of the person on the bed from the corner of his eyes, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Yue Lueo quickly came forward to pull Cui Yan up. ¡°Get up quickly, Cui Yan. Don¡¯t block the Young Master from checking the Young Madam¡¯s pulse.¡±


    Cui Yan¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. ¡°Does the Young Master know how to take a pulse?¡±


    Yue Luo explained, ¡°The Young Master¡¯s health has always been poor since he was a child, and he¡¯s always been susceptible to cold winds too. He¡¯s been in contact with doctors for such a long time that he¡¯s learned some medical expertise himself. Don¡¯t make such a fuss or you¡¯ll disturb him.¡±


    Cui Yan quickly stood up and moved aside. She¡¯s always thought that this Young Master was weak, although if one was exposed to medicine for over ten years, it¡¯s understandable if he learned some things about medicine. Moreover, pulse-reading relied on feeling, so it should still be fine even if he couldn¡¯t see.


    She quickly wiped away her tears and held in her sobs. She was afraid she¡¯d disturb him.


    Shen Juncheng¡¯s master was Liang Guangwen, so his medical skills weren¡¯t bad.


    He extended his cane, pretending to not be able to see when he started to move forward. He also didn¡¯t forget to pretend to be weak, and made sure to cough twice.


    When he reached the bed, he sat down and grabbed Su Anan¡¯s wrist.


    Her wrist was cold, but the palm was hot. When he felt her pulse with his fingertips, he finally understood what happened.


    ¡®Yu¡¯er is too ridiculous!¡¯


    ¡®She actually used frost powder!¡¯


    Frost powder was a poison that immediately melted into the body of a person who had a normal body temperature when it made contact. One would typically only feel cold without any other symptoms, but six hours later, the poison would take full effect after it had fully gotten into the bloodstream.


    Liang Mingyu¡¯s father was proficient in medicine, so it was only natural that his daughter wasn¡¯t ignorant of the subject as well. In fact, Yu¡¯er was so talented in using poisons that she often carried poison to play tricks on other people.


    ¡®She must have used it at noon today.¡¯


    Shen Juncheng frowned. The amount of poison was well controlled, so it intended to only make people cold for a single night. The next day, the poison would have gradually dissipated, and then they would be fine.


    He believed that Yu¡¯er wouldn¡¯t go so far, but what Yuler didn¡¯t expect was that Su Anan wasn¡¯t exactly normal.


    Shen Juncheng only found out because he was checking her pulse.


    ¡®This heart disease is probably congenital in nature, and perhaps, since she¡¯s lived a carefree life till now, the disease never manifested symptoms much.¡¯


    Unfortunately, the frost powder acted like a spark that triggered the heart disease to flare up. This was why she looked so seriously ill.


    If she really stayed like this all night, he was afraid things wouldn¡¯t end well for her¡­


    However, if he were to save her, he would have to waste one of his precious heart protection pills.


    So Shen Juncheng hesitated. ¡®Should I save her?¡¯


    It¡¯s just an informant of the Liu Family. Why not take advantage of this and¡­


    Su Anan¡¯s consciousness was already fading. She felt so cold that her teeth were chattering as she was curled up tight in thick quilts.


    In a daze, she felt like she had returned to that poor alley on that day that it was snowing


    That certain day was also so cold. No matter how tightly she wrapped her tattered cloak around herself, it couldn¡¯t block the pervasive chill. She felt extremely cold and afraid.


    It was the feeling of nearing death. She could clearly feel her life slipping away, freezing bit by bit.


    However, she didn¡¯t want to die!


    jeve


    She wanted to live so badly! She wanted to hear Cui Yan call her to eat steaming hot red bean barley soup again. She wanted to hear her mother lovingly say, ¡°Anan, come quickly. Put on a cloak so you don¡¯t catch a cold.¡±


    A warm memory came over her, which made it seem she returned to her childhood. Back to her mother¡¯s side.


    ¡®Mother, mother¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m so cold!¡± Su Anan shouted deliriously. ¡°Mother, mother¡­!¡±


    Shen Juncheng lowered his eyes and looked at her.


    Her face was pale as she was curled up into a small ball, looking extremely fragile.


    Suddenly, the warm colors in her memory faded, and her mother¡¯s figure disappeared.


    Su Anan abruptly opened her eyes.


    Her eyesight was still blurry so she couldn¡¯t really see anything clearly. All she could see was something white in front of her.


    That white reminded her of the gently falling snow before her death in her previous life. Slowly burying her in the dirt.

 Chapter 27 - Decided to Save Her

    Chapter 27 Decided to Save Her


    Still in a daze, her mother¡¯s gentle voice rang out again, ¡°Anan, on the day it first snows, you can make a wish.¡±


    ¡°The snow goddess will listen to you and help you realize your dreams.¡±


    Will it come true?


    It did.


    Suddenly, she reached out and accurately latched on to the ¡°white snow¡±.


    Shen Juncheng frowned slightly. He wasn¡¯t used to other people touching him, so had decided to throw her off. He was about to do so when he heard her soft pleading voice, ¡°Save me, save me¡­¡±


    She tightly clutched at his sleeve, as if she was holding on for dear life.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die. I¡¯ve only just come back¡­ Can you save me?¡±


    Her voice was as pitiful as the cry of a baby beast, ¡°Snow Goddess, please save me¡­¡±


    Shen Juncheng had stopped trying to flick her away. Her last sentence seemed to have overlapped with another one, buried deep in his memory.


    In the cold snow, the darkness of the night was like a giant beast that devoured people, and when the darkness fell, it seemed to have no end.


    A boy could be seen curled up in a similar way, as he kept on making wishes to the snow.


    ¡°Snow Goddess, please save me. I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    Though the boy never believed in those folk legends, and even his mother had said they were rubbish, on that particular day, no one believed in them more than himself.


    Because they were his only hope.


    He couldn¡¯t die. He definitely couldn¡¯t die.


    Hence, he stubbornly made his wish over and over again.


    But no one answered.


    Only the cold and cruel wind did, by blowing away his weak wish.


    As he fell onto the snow, he watched as the last colors of his life faded before muttering, ¡°Father, Mother. Cheng¡¯er is so cold¡­¡±


    When he woke up again, his eyes had been covered with a white cloth. From then on, his world lost its light.


    ¡°Guye, Guye, how is the Young Miss?!¡±


    Hearing her Miss¡¯ muttering and begging, Cui Yan¡¯s heart ached. She ignored Yue Luo¡¯s instructions and stepped forward to anxiously ask, taking Shen Juncheng out of his reverie.


    When he looked down, he saw that she was still holding on to his sleeve tightly. Just like how he held on to that handful of white snow all those years ago. On to that glimmer of hope.


    Carefully. Humbly. Faithfully.


    However, that handful of snow eventually melted away from his fingertips.


    Shen Juncheng suddenly closed his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s just got affected by the cold winds and is running a fever.¡±


    ¡°I have a prescription of medicinal herbs left by a doctor in my room. It is very useful. Let Yue Luo take you to prepare it. You can boil them yourself. After your Young Lady takes it, she¡¯ll be fine tomorrow.¡±


    Cui Yan heaved a sigh of relief and immediately offered her thanks. She knelt down and kowtowed a few more times, then she quickly followed Yue Luo out to get the medicine ready. When Cui Yan left, Shen Juncheng ordered Chao Sheng to get a bottle of medicine from his study.


    Chao Sheng was slightly surprised. A Heart Protection Pill? Wasn¡¯t that her master¡¯s medicine? Was he intending to save her?


    Chao Sheng stopped trying to guess her master¡¯s intentions and just followed his orders. She closed the door as she left.


    Shen Juncheng had the urge to take back his sleeve.


    However, Su Anan held on so tightly that he couldn¡¯t do it even if he tried. He frowned and gave up on doing so.


    Instead, he took a small porcelain bottle and poured out a pill the size of a red bean. He pinched Su Anan¡¯s mouth open and threw it in. Then, he raised her chin up until he saw her swallowing


    This was the antidote for the frost powder, but after taking it, he still needed to use his inner energy to activate its effects as soon as possible, because if the frost poison managed to invade her heart, saving her wouldn¡¯t be easy anymore.


    Since Su Anan obviously didn¡¯t have any inner energy, she needed someone to help her do it. So he coursed his inner energy into his palms and held on to her dantian for half an hour to help her absorb the elixir. Then, he used the Qichong(1) point, Xinshu point, and the Shenshu point to promote her blood circulation and to accelerate her absorption of the elixir.


    It wasn¡¯t difficult at all, but the key was that the location of one of these acupuncture points was a little inconvenient, and as he needed to be in direct contact with her dantian, he had to take out her clothing in that area.


    [1] Qichong point is an acupuncture point situated in the pubic area.

 Chapter 28 - A Warm Hug

    Chapter 28 A Warm Hug


    Chao Sheng was very quick in bringing back the bottle of Heart Protection Pills. After which, Shen Juncheng poured one out and fed it to Su Anan. He then said, ¡°Chao Sheng, go call Chao Xi over.¡±


    ¡®Chao Xi was also a woman, so it¡¯s more convenient.¡¯


    ¡°Young Master, Chao Xi is out on a mission to help Prince Xian. She¡¯s not in the Shen Manor,¡± Chao Sheng replied.


    Shen Juncheng frowned. That guy was in such a hurry to get rid of this batch of goods. ¡°Then, you¡­¡± Chao Sheng stood there respectfully.


    Shen Juncheng was about to say, ¡°Then you transfer your internal energy,¡± but on second thought, he realized that Chao Sheng was also a stranger to Su Anan.


    After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly sighed and decided to no longer mind.


    No matter how much she might dislike it, she was still his wife after all, even if it was only for show. He couldn¡¯t let just anybody touch her body.


    So, he just sat there on the edge of the bed and turned his head away from her. He then took out the blanket and began fumbling to untie her clothes.


    ¡°This woman¡¯s waist is slender, and her skin is as smooth as fine silk¡¯


    Shen Juncheng closed his eyes and tried to ignore the sensation of touching her. He then began to concentrate on pouring his inner energy into her to activate the medicine.


    Su Anan felt like she had fallen into a dark glacial crevasse. It was cold and dark everywhere, so she began to look for any source of light.


    Suddenly, a beam of light descended in front of her. In it, a familiar figure stood. She was overjoyed and ran forward desperately. She rushed into the beam of light and embraced the figure tightly. Ah! She took a deep breath. It was so warm, like the first days of June. He was neither arrogant nor impatient, and he had a faint smell of medicines on him. It made her feel at ease¡­


    Shen Juncheng¡¯s eyes suddenly widened as he forgot to continue pouring out his inner energy.


    Cui Yan finally finished boiling the medicine and hurriedly brought it over. When she pushed open the door, she coincidentally met the Young Master coming out. She then hurriedly bowed.


    Shen Juncheng glanced at her and said, ¡°Go ahead and have your Young Miss drink the medicine.¡±


    His voice was inexplicably cold, as if he was very unhappy. Cui Yan subconsciously looked but only saw the Young Master¡¯s cold back and the folds of his billowing robes. Cui Yan couldn¡¯t care less though. She shrugged it off as her making him unhappy as she had disturbed him in the middle of the night.


    She then focused her thoughts and quickly got to having her Young Miss take the medicine.


    After having her drink it, the Young Miss seemed to have gotten much better instantly. She was no longer shivering and crying out that she was cold. And there even was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. After seeing this, Cui Yan let out a sigh of relief as her worried heart was able to relax.


    She didn¡¯t expect the Young Master¡¯s medicine to be so effective.


    But she didn¡¯t dare go to sleep again and stayed by the Young Miss¡¯ side the entire night.


    After Shen Juncheng returned to his room, he immediately ordered his servants to prepare a bath for him before quickly taking off his clothes.


    After he finished bathing, he glanced at his white veil and the clothes he¡¯d worn. He frowned, then called for Chao Sheng to order her to throw them away.


    Chao Sheng was surprised. ¡®Why is the Master getting rid of his clothes for no reason? Could it be because the Young Madam had pulled his sleeve when she was unconscious?¡¯.


    ¡®Sigh! Master¡¯s obsession for cleanliness is getting worse.¡¯


    Chao Sheng obediently took them away.


    The night finally returned to silence, with even the sound of barking dogs slowly fading away.


    However, Shen Juncheng tossed and turned on his bed. He kept feeling that there was still a scent and warmth on his hand that wasn¡¯t there before.


    ¡®And that touch¡­¡¯


    He turned again while recalling that scene. He couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed. ¡®Damn it! I shouldn¡¯t have saved her!¡¯


    The next day.


    The day was cloudy, a cool breeze blew past the willows in the East Garden.


    Su Anan sat in front of the window, looking at the willow sway, deep in thought.


    Her paleness from yesterday had vanished while her normal blush returned. The wind blew past her skirt, offering a glimpse of her slender figure.


    She had only been there for three days.


    On the first night, she was drugged with an aphrodisiac, and the heat caused her to faint.


    And the next night, she was poisoned with a frost poison, that made her so cold it felt like she fell inside an ice cellar.


    The alternating hot and cold experiences had slightly dispirited her. As she looked at the birds freely flying in the skies, she deeply sighed.

 Chapter 29 - A Taste that Makes One Reluctant to Part

    Chapter 29 A Taste that Makes One Reluctant to Part


    Cuiyan walked over and saw the Young Miss sitting outside. She quickly went to get a cloak and said worriedly,


    ¡°Miss, the weather is bad today. Your fever went down yesterday. You can¡¯t let the cold air in.¡±


    Su Anan looked back and smiled.


    ¡°Cuiyan, I think I dreamed of my mother last night.¡±


    She dreamed that she had returned to her mother¡¯s arms, surrounded by a faint medicinal fragrance. It was reassuring to her, so warm, and so nostalgic.


    Cuiyan, who was putting on her cloak, paused.


    ¡°Miss ¡­¡±


    Su Anan¡¯s eyes were gentle. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not sad. I¡¯m just sighing.¡±


    She looked up at Cuiyan¡¯s bloodshot eyes and said with heartache,


    ¡°You¡¯ve been watching over me the whole night. You¡¯ve worked hard. Go and rest for a while. ¡°


    Cuiyan shook her head, her heart dejected.


    The Young Miss must be too lonely, that¡¯s why she said she missed Madam.


    She refused to go, only saying that staying up for a night was nothing, as long as she was fine.


    Then, she turned around and brought over a bowl of warm medicine, urging,


    ¡°Miss, quickly drink the medicine.¡± Su Anan took the black medicine and didn¡¯t touch it.


    Cuiyan thought that the Young Miss was afraid of suffering and hurriedly said,


    ¡°Young Madam, this medicine is quite useful. After taking one dose yesterday, your fever went down. Although it¡¯s a little bitter, good medicine tastes bitter.¡±


    The previous night, Shen Juncheng had taken her pulse and saved her. Cuiyan had told her about it when she had just woken up. However, at that time, her head was hurting badly and she had not been able to organize her thoughts.


    After sitting in the courtyard and thinking for a long time, she also understood the cause and effect.


    ¡°Cuiyan, do you really think that I was infected with the cold wind yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Miss?¡±


    Su Anan put down the medicine.


    ¡°It¡¯s just poison.¡±


    Cuiyan¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Poisoned? What poison? Young Miss, when were you poisoned?¡±


    She had eaten with the Young Miss yesterday, so why was she fine?


    Su Anan explained.


    Even if she was a little delicate, how could she have been infected by just a cold wind?


    The bone-chilling cold last night did not seem to be just a cold wind.


    She suddenly remembered that Liang Mingyu had affectionately held her hand before she left. The back of her hand was so cold that it made her shiver.


    She had thought that the little girl was just showing off and did not have any bad intentions. She did not expect that she would actually drug her directly.


    She was the one who was dazzled by it.


    Su Anan couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this young lady was really Shen Juncheng¡¯s cousin when she saw that such a delicate young lady could carry poison with her.


    As for Shen Juncheng, it was understandable that he was familiar with medicine, but judging from his indifferent attitude yesterday, was he so responsible that he had to personally come to take her pulse in the middle of the night?


    Under normal circumstances, a doctor should have been invited, but he had come in person. This could only mean one thing, he knew that she was poisoned and it wasn¡¯t a cold wind.


    Cuiyan also remembered that in the raindrop pavilion, Miss Yu ¡®er had come up and suddenly pulled the Lady affectionately.


    It turned out that she was the one who had poisoned her at that time. She was such a beautiful girl, but she didn¡¯t expect her to be so vicious.


    She clutched her handkerchief, her eyes watery, and suddenly, she knelt.


    ¡°Miss, you can scold this servant. It¡¯s all this servant¡¯s fault.¡±


    It was all because she had persuaded the young lady to marry back then that she had ended up in such a situation.


    She was poisoned on the wedding night and was killed the next day. How could there be any peace? At this moment, Cuiyan regretted that she had persuaded the Young Lady to marry.


    Su Anan helped her up and comforted her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not as bad as you think.¡±


    Shen Juncheng did not seem to be a cruel person. She could tell that from the way he came to save her the previous night.


    ¡°Perhaps as long as we obediently become invisible people and don¡¯t do anything for Mrs. Liu, our days will also be stable and peaceful.¡±

 Chapter 30 - Returning Home

    Chapter 30 Returning Home


    Cuiyan¡¯s nose was red from crying, but she could only hope so.


    After taking the medicine for the Young Miss, Cuiyan went back to rest under Su Anan¡¯s request.


    There were still two servant girls in the garden who could be ordered around. No matter what, she still had the title of Young Madam.


    Lunch was still light and she was not picky. She did not have a good appetite, but after eating, she looked out of the window at the willow branches.


    It was said that this was Shen Juncheng¡¯s old courtyard. However, the courtyard was simple and there was only an old willow tree in it. The room was even worse. Other than being wide, there was only one word to describe it, poor.


    However, despite being so poor, his cousin was dressed luxuriously.


    Yun Shuibi¡¯s clothes, the high-quality bracelet on her wrist, the Jade hairpin in her hair, and the pendant on her waist all showed that she lived a good life.


    This was interesting. Shen Zhuang was poor, but this distant cousin was so rich.


    Shen Juncheng was probably more complicated than she had imagined.


    Su Anan rested her chin on her hand and thought of Shen Juncheng¡¯s death in her previous life.


    Did such a shrewd man really die of illness? Or was there another hidden story?


    She couldn¡¯t guess, and she was too lazy to guess. Right now, she didn¡¯t have the time to care about others. She had to plan for herself.


    A day passed by quickly, and night fell again.


    Chao Sheng, dressed in a black robe, returned quietly. There was still a bean lamp burning in Qingjing Pavilion¡¯s study room, which vaguely reflected the figures of the master and servant.


    ¡°Young master, I¡¯ve found it.¡± Chao Sheng lowered her voice and reported respectfully. ¡°Minzhong has obtained a large amount of illegal salt and bribed an informant. They plan to mix it with the ships we are using to trade cloth in the North fortress.¡±


    On this trip, they would pass by Quanzhou, and the Quanzhou Navy Governor had just received them. Every time they were investigated, they would be particularly strict. This time, they would definitely be waiting early to investigate them.


    If they found out, they would be sentenced to death. The person in charge of this trip, as well as the entire Chamber of Commerce, would be implicated.


    Who asked the old Emperor to crack down on salt smuggling so hard? Now that there was salt smuggling, it was equivalent to committing crimes against the crown.


    ¡°Is the information reliable?¡± Shen Juncheng asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a message from Xiaoliu, so it should be reliable,¡± said Chao Sheng.


    Xiaoliu was one of Boyan¡¯s spies in Minzhong.


    Shen Juncheng¡¯s brows furrowed as he tapped his fingertips on the table.


    ¡°Does Caiying also have something to ship out currently?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, every year on the 4th of April, that¡¯s when the West Pass produces pottery, ¡°Chao Sheng replied.


    Shen Juncheng smirked.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s change the date to that day.¡±


    Chao Sheng understood hermaster¡¯s intention.


    ¡°Remember not to alert the enemy and let them bribe us successfully,¡± Shen Juncheng reminded.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    Shen Juncheng waved his hand, and Chao Sheng receded. The night was slightly cold, and the moonlight shone on the white-robed Young Master by the window, making him look even more isolated.


    Two days later, it was time for Su Anan to return.


    Shen Juncheng had sent someone over the previous day and had said that he was not in good health so could not accompany them when he returned home. He had sent Yue Luo and a coachman to accompany him, which could be seen as a shabby lineup.


    Su Anan understood that it would be strange if he went back with her.


    Therefore, she didn¡¯t mind at all and remained calm. She got up early in the morning and packed up, then got on the carriage and went back to the mansion.


    After a day¡¯s rest, Su Anan looked much better. When they arrived at the SU family¡¯s mansion, Su Anan was waiting for her father in the front hall.


    Suddenly, a burst of laughter came. Su Anan turned around and her body stiffened.


    It was her father and Su Nian, her step-sister, who walked toward her.


    Su Nian was wearing a pink and peach-colored dress and a plum-colored glass hairpin in her hair. She followed her father with a sweet smile on her face. During this period, she even affectionately called out ¡°father¡±, in a gentle and well-behaved way, just like she had been in the past.

 Chapter 31 - Su Nians Sneer

    Chapter 31 Su Nian¡¯s Sneer


    Su Anan suddenly clenched her fists, not because her father had changed to pampering his other daughter after she was married, but because of the plum flower hairpin in Su Nian¡¯s hair.


    That was the dowry her mother had left for her.


    Unfortunately, Su Sheng thought that Shen Juncheng was incompetent and embezzled a lot of money.


    This time, she had come to think about whether she could get it back, but she had never thought that her father would reward it to another daughter so quickly.


    Su Anan suddenly felt like laughing.


    ¡°Big sister, you¡¯re back.¡± Su Nian trotted forward and held Su Anan¡¯s arm affectionately. Then she asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t my brother-in-law come back with you?¡±


    She looked to the left and then sighed. ¡°Why is it just you at home? Brother-in-law doesn¡¯t care about you at all.¡±


    She seemed to be complaining about Shen Juncheng¡¯s wrongdoings for her, but the hidden joy in her voice was really ugly.


    Su Nian had been suppressed for too long. In the past, she had a beautiful daughter, Su Anan, and a gentle and lovely second daughter, Su Pingping. Her father had never seen her.


    Now, one of them was married, while the other¡¯s reputation was ruined because she had eloped with someone. Finally, the tables had turned and it was her turn.


    In these three days, she finally understood what it meant to be a real young miss, and her mind immediately drifted away.


    Seeing Su Anan come back alone, she couldn¡¯t help but mock her.


    Su Anan didn¡¯t say anything. She pushed her hand away and looked at her. When she turned her head, the beads on the hairpin clattered even more clearly.


    A 16 year old girl should have a pure and innocent face, but Su Anan¡¯s eyes were sharp.


    Su Nian felt her hair stand on end from her stare and took a step back. Coincidentally, Su Sheng walked in as well. She quickly hid behind her father.


    Su Sheng looked at the two servant girls behind Su Anan. They didn¡¯t bring any gifts and didn¡¯t say anything.


    Anyway, Shen villa was probably not rich. He heard that on the day of their wedding, Shen Juncheng¡¯s old illness had acted up continuously, so he had no energy to accompany An¡¯an home. So, he said calmly, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Have a seat.¡± He then instructed the maidservants to make tea.


    Su Anan pursed her lips and stood in place, looking straight at Su Sheng.


    She didn¡¯t believe that Shen Juncheng didn¡¯t spread the news of her being poisoned on their wedding night. However, her father didn¡¯t even ask her about her health.


    She sighed in her heart. This father-daughter relationship was really cold. She had only been married for three days.


    Su Nian saw that Su Anan kept staring at her father, and her father was already unhappy. A flash of smugness appeared in her eyes. Suddenly, she had an idea and immediately went forward to say deliberately, ¡°Elder sister, father asked you to sit, why are you staring at father with such hatred?¡±


    ¡°But, are you still blaming father?¡±


    She deliberately mentioned Su Anan¡¯s dissatisfaction in front of Yue Luo to attract her attention so that she could go back and tell him that the Shen family didn¡¯t like her.


    She also made Su Sheng unhappy and sped up the conflict between the father and daughter.


    Then she sighed, acting like he was sensible and considerate. ¡°Eldest sister, you know that this marriage is not something father can control. Besides, father has raised you for a long time. How could he let you get married and even cause you to hate him?¡±


    ¡°If younger sister could share father¡¯s worries, younger sister will definitely not let father worry at all.¡±


    Su Sheng looked at Su Nian with admiration.

 Chapter 32 - Getting the Dowry Back

    Chapter 32 Getting the Dowry Back


    He looked at Su Anan, who was still standing in the hall, and rubbed the ring on his thumb with his right hand, which was a sign of his anger.


    Su Nian gave Su Anan a provocative look, trying to make Su Anan angry and argue with her father later.


    Su Anan was a pretty girl, but she was actually stupid. Otherwise, Su Pingping would have been able to coax her.


    Su Nian was excited to watch the show, but the next second, Su Anan raised her eyebrows and gave a generous smile.


    Then, she bowed slightly to her father and said respectfully, ¡°How could that be? It¡¯s only natural for parents and matchmakers to agree. Father has raised Anan for so long, how could Anan not know how to repay him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking at father just now, and I feel that after not seeing you for a few days, you seem to have lost some weight. Anan is just worried that you¡¯re unwell.¡±


    Su Sheng was surprised. He was indeed a little upset the day before yesterday, so it was inevitable that he was not in good spirits. However, he was much better today.


    After all, she was his daughter who had grown up under his nose. She had always been well-behaved and it was impossible for her to be so insensible. Su Sheng¡¯s anger dissipated and he explained, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just felt a cold wind the day before yesterday. There¡¯s no need to worry. Sit down and be quiet.¡±


    Su Anan nodded and was about to sit down. She pretended to be surprised and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s mother? Why didn¡¯t she come out?¡±


    The mother she spoke of was Su Pingping¡¯s birth mother, and also the mistress who was later promoted to the official position, Liu Shi.


    At first, she didn¡¯t know that Su Pingping and Liu Shi didn¡¯t like her so much. She had really called Liu Shi her mother.


    Su Sheng didn¡¯t want to talk about her. ¡°She hasn¡¯t been in good health recently, so she¡¯s been accompanying your sister in the ancestral hall every day, copying Buddhist scriptures and praying for the good of the family,¡± he said casually.


    Su Anan understood that because of Su Pingping, Liu Shi was also punished. She went to the ancestral hall to copy the scriptures and was locked up.


    ¡°No wonder,¡± she said with a smile.


    ¡°No wonder what?¡±


    Su Anan raised her eyes. ¡°No wonder no one is in charge of the back of the house. This little concubine¡¯s daughter has forgotten her position. She doesn¡¯t even greet her daughter and even calls her sister.¡±


    A concubine¡¯s daughter was not qualified to call her sister, so she had to call her Young Miss.


    Her attitude was very natural, with a trace of her previous arrogance.¡±Father, don¡¯t you think so? If this is spread out that the Su family does not distinguish between hierarchy and the daughter of a concubine oversteps etiquette, others will say that our family is improper.¡±


    was


    Hearing this, Su Sheng frowned. Anan was right. There was a clear hierarchy between the young and the old. A concubine¡¯s daughter was a concubine¡¯s daughter. She could not call the Young Miss her sister.


    After all, he was a man and didn¡¯t notice many details. Liu Shi was also locked up by him and no one was around to remind him, so he didn¡¯t realize.


    These past few days, he had only been thinking about how to train Su Nian as soon as possible so that she could be sent to the Minister of Revenue as a concubine and win over some power. He had forgotten to knock her down.


    Su Sheng immediately coughed and his face darkened. ¡°Niannian, hurry up and bow to your sister.¡±


    Su Nian¡¯s eyes widened. She had never expected that Su Anan would not only not be angry, but also take the opportunity to belittle her.


    She had underestimated her.


    Su Nian was also very flexible. She immediately bowed and apologized, saying that she was too happy to see the eldest Young Lady return to the manor and forgot the rules. She hoped that the eldest Young Lady would forgive her.


    Su Anan walked up to her with a smile. Just when Su Nian thought that Su Anan was pretending to be generous and reached out to help her up, she suddenly felt her hair loosen.


    The precious plum blossom glazed hairpin that she had just obtained was gone.


    She ignored the rules and subconsciously went forward to snatch it. ¡°This is a gift from my father.¡±


    Su Anan dodged Su Nian¡¯s hand as if she had a premonition. She pretended to be surprised. ¡°Father, if I remember correctly, this plum blossom hairpin was something that mother left behind when she was still alive, right?¡±


    She questioned, ¡°Mother, didn¡¯t she say that she¡¯d leave these for her daughter¡¯s dowry in the future? You also said that you would leave it to me, so why is it now on my step sister¡¯s head?¡±


    Su Sheng frowned. He really didn¡¯t know that it was Anan¡¯s mother ¡®s.


    He only randomly picked a few pieces of jewelry from the warehouse and gave them to Su Nian, giving her two pieces that were presentable.


    He beat around the bush and said, ¡°It¡¯s probably because the dowry was accounted for. There was nothing left out. Since it¡¯s your mother¡¯s relic, you should take it back.¡±


    But as soon as he said that, Su Anan suddenly burst into tears.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just this hairpin. I still remember that she used to love wearing gold buyao, jade bracelets, pearl hairpins¡­,¡± She cried. She named a few accessories in a row.


    Su Anan¡¯s mother, who came from the Feng family, used to be a businesswoman. She was afraid that her daughter would be aggrieved when she married Su Sheng, so her maternal family gave her a lot of dowry, but her mother didn¡¯t touch them, saying that they were for her.


    However, in her previous life, these dowries did not fall into her hands, and in this life, her father had even embezzled the most valuable items.


    Su Anan had been thinking about how to get it back from her father, but now that Su Nian had brought it out, she had an excuse.


    Thus, she cried even more sadly and said, ¡°Daughter remembered that mother would often gently hug me and her hair ornaments were very beautiful. At that time, daughter was bored and counted. Just the hair ornaments, mother had ten of them. Each of them are filled with memories of my mother.¡±


    She seemed to have fallen into a beautiful memory and her eyes were clear. ¡°But when my dowry was stored in Shen Manor the day before yesterday, these jewelries were not counted. Father, did you forget to bring them to Anan?¡±


    Su Sheng frowned at her words. He did not forget. He had deliberately left the box empty and kept the most valuable things.


    No one was afraid of having more money. Anan had only married into a small place and her future would be like that. Su Sheng was not stupid. Why would he give her so much dowry?


    However, she cried and questioned him, as if she didn¡¯t guess her father¡¯s intentions. She was just purely guessing if her father had forgotten.


    Anan might have only thought of the relics, but to outsiders, it sounded as if he looked down on the Shen family and deliberately withheld the dowry.


    Sure enough, he saw that the Shen family¡¯s servant girl, Yue Luo, who previously had her head lowered, had already raised her eyes and looked over. There was a thoughtful look between her brows, as if she was planning to go back and say something.


    Rumors in the countryside were the easiest to exaggerate, and if they were to spread, it would leave a bad reputation.


    Su Sheng¡¯s expression was unsightly. He didn¡¯t expect that such a small hairpin would involve the dowry.


    Su Sheng glanced at Su Nian and became even more unhappy. She was brainless and didn¡¯t know how to keep a low profile. She was in such a hurry to show off.


    He couldn¡¯t back down now. In the face of his daughter¡¯s ¡°simple¡± question, he had to show magnanimity and say, ¡°Is that so? Maybe the person in charge of the storeroom was changed. I don¡¯t know which of the things were left behind by your mother and it was a mistake. Anan, go to the storeroom and take a look at what else was left for you by your mother. Take them all with you.¡±


    Su Anan quickly wiped her tears and bowed to thank him.

 Chapter 33 - Persuading Him to Switch

    Chapter 33 Persuading Him to Switch


    Sides


    Su Sheng didn¡¯t doubt Su Anan because Su Anan really loved her mother. He remembered that she had kept the handkerchief with her a few years after the Feng family¡¯s death.


    Therefore, there was no doubt in his mind that she just wanted to get her mother¡¯s relics.


    Yue Luo¡¯s gaze fell on the Young Mistress¡¯s back.


    Su Nian broke the pearl hairpin and was left to the side. She was extremely indignant.


    Suddenly, she thought of Su Pingping¡¯s scandal. At that time, Su Pingping had howled that it was Su Anan who had harmed her. She had thought that Su Pingping was just exonerating herself. After all, Su Anan had always listened to Su Pingping.


    Now that she thought about it, Su Anan might not be such a simple girl. Forget it, she had to endure it.


    Su Anan took a seat, glanced at Su Nian¡¯s figure, and sighed in her heart.


    Do you think that father is suddenly so good to you because he wants to help you choose young talents?


    Wrong, she was only sent to be a concubine.


    Even if she had some brains, she would not be thinking about how to target her since she was already married. Instead, she would be thinking about how to prove her own value and make her father reconsider.


    Su Anan might have said something if Su Nian had mocked her before she went on stage, but now, she decided not to.


    Others might not appreciate it.


    After lunch, Su Anan sent Cui Yan and Yue Luo away, cut a grape vine in Zhilan Pavilion, and planted it in the yard.


    She said that the grapes were planted for her by her mother, and she missed them when she couldn¡¯t see them.


    The two maidservants left as ordered. Su Anan looked at their backs and turned to enter the room. ¡°Father, your daughter has something to tell you.¡±


    Su Sheng was about to go to the shop to check out the business. He paused when he heard her and looked at his daughter¡¯s serious expression. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the study.¡±


    The two of them entered the study. Su Sheng sat down and asked, ¡°Did your aunt ask you to be the spy?¡±


    Su Anan also sat down and poured a cup of tea for her father. ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    Su Sheng took it and said, ¡°Our family¡¯s business needs to look up to your aunt. Since you¡¯re going to marry him, just do as she says.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just checking if he¡¯s really sick and blind. There¡¯s nothing else. You don¡¯t have to worry. If you can really give me any useful information, your aunt will not treat you badly.¡±


    However, Su An¡¯s face was serious. ¡°Father, do you really think that Shen Juncheng is so easy to spy on?¡±


    Su Sheng furrowed his brows. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Su Anan briefly explained the poisoning on the wedding night. Su Sheng was surprised. ¡°What? It was Shen Juncheng who framed her?¡±


    When the news came out the next day, he thought that Mrs. Liu couldn¡¯t hold back and took action on the wedding night. After all, he was clear about Mrs. Liu¡¯s conduct and did not doubt that it was something she would do.


    But he did not think that Liu Shi was actually framed.


    Since that was the case, it seemed that Shen Juncheng was not a stupid and sickly person. At the very least, he was somewhat shrewd.


    Su Anan continued, ¡°Father, you know what kind of person my aunt is. She is narrow minded, jealous, and unscrupulous in order to achieve her goals. Shen Juncheng was able to live until next year even though he was sick. Do you think that¡¯s all he is capable of?¡±


    Su Sheng put down his cup and his face turned serious. ¡°What did you find out?¡±


    Su Anan pretended to be mysterious. ¡°I didn¡¯t find out anything. It¡¯s just that I saw a dark shadow at night and I suspect that Shen Juncheng is not simple. I was even poisoned the second night after I got married.¡±


    Su Anan said that Liang Mingyu¡¯s plot was Shen Juncheng¡¯s test and that the situation was extremely dangerous. She said that if her daughter had not been obedient at that time, she would not have seen you.


    She did not even see the black shadow and was already making things up. If she wanted her father to change sides, she had to raise Shen Juncheng¡¯s status so that her father would take him seriously.

 Chapter 34 - Going to the Other Team

    Chapter 34 Going to the Other Team


    Sure enough, Su Sheng frowned. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you have to inform your aunt quickly and ask her to be on guard.¡±


    ¡°Father, if Shen Juncheng is really a shrewd man, do you think we can pass the news to him?¡± Su Anan asked. ¡°Your daughter has only been married for three days, and she has already walked past the gates of hell twice.¡±


    Father Su flicked his sleeves. ¡°Then what should I do?¡± If they did not spread the news, in the future, if Shen Juncheng was really capable and killed Lady Liu instead, wouldn¡¯t they have no one to rely on?


    Su Anan had been waiting for her father to ask this question. With a serious face, she said, ¡°Your daughter has an idea.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Tell me about it.¡±


    Su Anan lowered her voice and revealed her plan.


    Father Su was shocked. After all, it was his younger daughter¡¯s thoughts. She was simply messing around. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s as simple as you think? Our family¡¯s source of goods comes from Min Zhong. You actually persuaded me to switch sides to his family. Aren¡¯t you cutting off the Su family¡¯s way of living?¡±


    ¡°Father,¡± Su Anan said calmly, ¡°please don¡¯t be angry. Let me analyze this.¡±


    The Su family relied on Min Zhong to do well, but Min Zhong¡¯s Commission was also very high. Furthermore, the supply channels given to his father were limited. Her father had always wanted to open a branch shop of the Su family in the capital, but he had not been able to do so. It was all because Min Zhong did not give him the opportunity.


    Did her father not have any complaints at all?


    There was, there was definitely. Her father was just helpless.


    In addition, Mrs. Liu chose her to be a spy, if the news she sent was not enough, she would threaten their business.


    If Shen Juncheng was really a cunning person, how could they easily find out useful information? At that time, if Liu Shi thought that she did not do her best, Shen Juncheng would alert the enemy and offend both sides. The first to fall would be the Su family, who was caught in the middle and had no importance.


    This was not a long term solution.


    Su Anan said, ¡°Father, I don¡¯t think Shen Juncheng is a cruel man. He has saved your daughter at least twice. So, we can¡¯t do anything to him if we want the Su family to be safe.¡±


    If we don¡¯t want to be controlled by Mrs. Liu, we can only find another backer.


    And this backer was the one who had suddenly risen to power recently, Yu City.


    Since ancient times, the young had surpassed the old. In just three years, Yu Du had the momentum to be comparable to Min Zhong. One could see that the future was terrifying.


    Besides, Su Anan knew for sure that Yu City would annex the other two Chambers of Commerce in the future. One of them would be the most powerful one in the capital.


    Furthermore, he had the support of the Hong sect and the Prince. His future was bright.


    At that time, the Su family would also be affected, and their business would plummet, so they could only be reduced to sending their Shu daughters to curry favor with them.


    However, Su Sheng was now cautious and firmly believed that it was not feasible. Although he was not happy with the treatment in Min Zhong, he was not stupid enough to leave.


    Besides, why would Yu Du accept the goodwill of his family? They might think that he was an informer. This was not right.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not right for me to join them,¡± Su Anan continued. ¡°So, we need to prepare a gift to get Yu City to agree to be our shelter.¡± ¡°What gift?¡±


    Su Sheng thought that his daughter was going to give him a gift. He was about to say that it was useless because the city of Yu would not lack any rare treasures. But he was surprised when Su Anan told him her idea.


    What Su Anan wanted to give him was not something valuable, but a piece of information that even he had no idea about.


    She said that she had accidentally found out from the grapevine that Cai Ying and Min Zhong were suppressing Yu City and had bribed an informant to add salt to the batch of cloth they were going to send out of the North fortress. They planned to arrest them under the name of smuggling and take down Yu City step by step.

 Chapter 35 - Bringing out Leng Moyan

    Chapter 35 Bringing out Leng Moyan


    Su Anan knew in her previous life that there was a traitor in Yu City.


    In his previous life, after guild leader Yu Du found out about the plans of the two guilds, he decided to beat them at their own game and purposely changed the time of the trip to travel with Cai Ying.


    A batch of pottery would be delivered to the West Pass on the 4th of April every year, so Yu Du did not suspect anything.


    After leaving the West Pass and the North fortress, they had to travel together for a while. After passing the port of Lin ¡®an, they would then part ways and usually rest at the port for a night.


    In his previous life, Yu Du had made use of that night to knock out the guards of the ship and planned to move the smuggled salt onto the ship to beat them at their own game. When the ship was out of the port for inspection, they would be caught red-handed.


    But who knew that during the transportation, the Navy governor of Lin ¡®an, Cai Mingwei, would make a sudden inspection? He happened to see Yu Du transporting salt to Cai Ying¡¯s place and arrested him on the spot.


    Only then did the people of Yu City realize that they had been deceived.


    The messenger understood their plan and had deliberately passed on this information. From the very start, he had just been doing things for the other party and leading them to the trap.


    Su Anan remembered that the person in charge of the operation was Fu Hao, Yu Du¡¯s second-in-command. In order not to drag Yu Du down, he took all the responsibility by himself, saying that it was all because of his own greed. In the end, he was executed and Yu Du was hurt.


    The Emperor hated smuggling. Such an action was equivalent to despising the law and offending the Emperor. It could be imagined that with an imperial decree, Yu City was forced to stop all kinds of businesses. In just a few months, it had been swallowed up badly.


    Then when everyone thought that Yu City had fallen, it rose again two years later.


    Therefore, if he could help avoid this trap in advance and disclose this information, Yu City would only develop faster. His father had provided such an important piece of information, so it would not be difficult for him to ask for protection.


    Not only that, but they could also discuss terms, dividends, channels, and supplies. Yu Du had all of these, not worse than Min Zhong.


    Su Sheng¡¯s eyes widened in shock after Su Anan¡¯s calm analysis.


    ¡°Where did you get this information?¡±


    Su Sheng didn¡¯t believe any rumors.


    How could a girl know the direction of the Chamber of Commerce in Yu City, as well as its plans and inside information, without leaving her house? He couldn¡¯t figure out any of this information.


    Su Sheng even wondered if she was still his daughter.


    Su Anan knew that she couldn¡¯t fool her father with this rumor, so she pretended to be timid and said,


    ¡°To be honest with you, father, this news is not from a small source. Someone kindly told


    me.¡±


    Su Sheng was suspicious.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Su Anan said the lines that she had prepared.


    The gist of it was that a few days before she got married, she went out to pray once and accidentally saved a man in black who was wearing a mask. That man seemed to be being hunted down and was hiding under her carriage. She was afraid, so she didn¡¯t say anything and took the man out of the city.


    That time, she had indeed returned late and saved someone.


    However, the person she saved was not a man in black. He was just a sick scholar. She gave him some silver and asked the people around her to help find a doctor.


    However, she couldn¡¯t say that now. She had to say that a woman couldn¡¯t have heard of such a person¡¯s name.


    Su Sheng didn¡¯t believe her.


    ¡°So the man in black told you the news because he was grateful to you?¡±


    Su Anan said innocently,


    ¡°Yes, he did. I don¡¯t know how he knew that I was scared when I married him. Last night, the man in black showed up again and told me the news. He said that it was a way to repay my kindness.¡±


    Su Anan added,


    ¡°When the man in black showed up yesterday, I was scared to death. He was wearing a mask of a green-faced evil spirit. It was really scary at night.¡±


    ¡°The mask of the green-faced evil spirit and the black clothes?¡±


    Su Sheng suddenly thought of something and asked,


    ¡°Does he have a Jade flute on his waist?¡±


    Su Anan pretended to recall.


    ¡°I think¡­¡±


    Su Sheng furrowed his brows.


    The mask of the green-faced evil spirit and the Jade flute. Could it be the leader of the Hong sect, Leng Moyan?

 Chapter 36

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    It was rumored that Leng Moyan was extremely ugly, so he never showed his real face to anyone. He would always wear a mask whenever he walked around. Gradually, the mask became his unique feature. When the green-faced evil spirit was mentioned, everyone in the black and white sects would know about it.


    Ever since he took over the Hong sect, the Hong sect had been rising to the top. Now, it could be considered the number one sect in the underworld. They even had the most terrifying intelligence network.


    Su Sheng frowned. Anan was an unmarried woman, so it was impossible for her to have heard of Leng Moyan. Therefore, unless she saw him with her own eyes, she would not know who he was.


    Then this made sense.


    He had heard that Leng Moyan was ruthless, but he had a principle that he would never owe anyone a favor.


    As long as he owed her even a little, he would repay her double. So, perhaps in order to repay her kindness, he revealed this information to her.


    After all, the Hong sect¡¯s main focus was their intelligence network.


    Su Sheng fell into deep thought. If the information was reliable, he would be doing Yu Du a huge favor by disclosing it. Then, not to mention getting their protection, wouldn¡¯t he be able to negotiate terms?


    Min Zhong had never attached much importance to the Su family. All the good business lines had been done by the main branch or direct line. It was too difficult for side branches like them to stand out in Min Zhong.


    Su Sheng had always been ambitious, and the news provided by Su Anan was a great bait.


    Su Sheng didn¡¯t give a reply on the spot, but said that he would think about it. He also told Su Anan not to tell a third person about it, nor to mention that she had saved the Man in Black.


    A woman saving a man, if word got out, it would damage her reputation.


    Su Anan nodded and said,¡±Then I¡¯ll go back if there¡¯s nothing else. Father, please consider it carefully.¡±


    Su Sheng nodded.


    Su Anan took her leave and pretended to suddenly remember something. ¡°Father, I¡¯ll go to the storeroom to see if there are any of mother¡¯s belongings left behind.¡±


    Su Sheng was thinking about something, so he waved his hand and told her to go ahead.


    How could she be in the mood to think about the relics now? IfAnan¡¯s plan was successful, she would get much more than these relics.


    Coincidentally, Cuiyan and Yue Luo had also cut the grape branches. They had also taken away the lily of the valley and other flowers that she had raised before.


    The three of them left, and their shadows were cast in the corridor.


    Su Sheng looked at his daughter¡¯s back from the window, and his eyes suddenly darkened.


    Anan¡¯s words just now had surprised him. His daughter¡¯s thoughts were very clear, and her calm appearance really surprised him.


    When did Anan grow so fast?


    Su Anan walked calmly, ignoring the eyes behind her, and disappeared around the corner of the corridor.


    She knew that her father was suspicious, but so what? The information she gave was true and she had explained it. She had also analyzed the pros and cons.


    She believed that her father would go to Yu City.


    No one knew better than her that her father was actually very ambitious, but he had always been pretending.


    He had probably thought of leaving long ago, but the time had not come yet.


    Su Anan¡¯s move was just to bring forward the time of her father¡¯s departure and to find a more stable backer.


    Passing by the garden, Su Anan stopped and looked at the red begonia swaying in the wind.


    Su Anan couldn¡¯t restrain herself in front of the wind, her alluring beauty slightly covered in light rouge.


    The flowers were like cut ribbons, and the branches were like light silk.


    She could still vaguely remember the time when she was playing under the begonia flowers and reciting this poem about the silk begonia. Her father had once praised her dotingly.


    Time flew by. She had grown up and gotten married. Her father had also changed.


    Although her father was cold, Su Anan still had to help. Not only did she not want to be held back by Liu Shi, but she also hoped that the Su family would not be sacrificed in the future battle between the three Chambers of Commerce.


    After all, her father had indeed raised her for sixteen years, and she should repay his kindness.


    She also understood that if a woman was not valued by her husband¡¯s family, it would not benefit her if her family fell.


    How could she not understand the principle of ¡°one rises and one falls, one loses.¡±


    She and the Su family were on the same side for the time being and could not be separated.


    She went to the storeroom and took her mother¡¯s belongings. The box was full of them. The servant boy carried them and placed them in the carriage.


    When she came, she had empty hands, and when she left, they were full. Cuiyan secretly gave her Miss a look, meaning that her Miss was really great.


    Su Anan smiled and motioned for her to stop talking.


    How could Cuiyan not understand? She changed the topic and asked Yue Luo to see if the grapevines could be kept.


    Yue Luo smiled and said that as long as they were watered, moisturized, shaded, and controlled the temperature appropriately, it would take about half a month to take root.


    Cuiyan was surprised. From Yue Luo¡¯s tone, she seemed to know how to grow flowers.


    Yue Luo smiled. She only knew a little.


    Su Anan didn¡¯t say anything, and her thoughts seemed to have drifted away.


    The carriage shook, and the curtain rose and fell. Through the gap, one could see the poor alley.


    It was still as damp and gloomy as ever, standing behind the sun. The darkness covered all the filth in the depths of the alley.


    Su Anan was in a trance. She had once been in that alley¡­


    Time was kind to her, and in the blink of an eye, she was back.


    Reining in her thoughts, she looked at the group of beggars at the entrance of the alley and subconsciously searched around. Then, she thought of something and gave up.


    As soon as she put down the curtain, a thin figure ran out of the alley, followed by a few young beggars who were chasing after him in anger.


    As they chased, one shouted, ¡°Kid, don¡¯t you know what filial piety is? You¡¯re begging in this area. Don¡¯t you know the rules? Hurry up and take out the steamed buns.¡±


    The thin figure was anxious and ran around. Suddenly, he bumped into Su Anan¡¯s carriage and startled the horse. The horse neighed and the beggars were startled.


    The coachman tightened the reins and steadied the horse. He turned his head and saw a few beggars fighting over the horse. He cursed, ¡°Are you looking for death?¡±


    The beggars¡¯ attitudes changed immediately. Looking at the carriage, the beggars thought the one inside could be considered a rich man and was not someone they could provoke. They quickly apologized, saying that they had accidentally bumped into the carriage while chasing the child and hoped that the noble would forgive them and not hold it against them.


    Then, he said to the little brat who had rolled to the bottom of the carriage and was crazily eating the steamed bun, ¡°Kid, come out! Did you hear me? Give us back our food, and I¡¯ll let you off.¡±


    As he said that, the other two men dragged him away.


    The kid was probably very hungry, so he hid below, his mouth full of steamed buns, and said vaguely, ¡°I¡¯m not coming out. This is my steamed bun. A kind person gave it to me. You¡¯re the ones who want to snatch it from me.¡±


    The beggar spat. ¡°So what if someone gave it to you? This is my territory.¡± He gave a look, and the other two beggars quickly went under the carriage to drag him out.


    The boy struggled hard, but he couldn¡¯t resist the two men¡¯s strength. He turned his head and was pulled out. It was so loud that he touched the edge of the carriage. Cuiyan opened a gap to take a look, and Su Anan also looked at him curiously.


    With this one look, she was stunned.


    It was him.


    ¡°Stop.¡± She immediately stopped the two beggars who were dragging the child. Then, she threw a piece of silver from her purse and said, ¡°Take it, it¡¯s enough for you to buy food. This child, don¡¯t move.¡±

 Chapter 37

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    The beggar¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw the silver. He could buy so many steamed buns with it. Who would still want the two steamed buns in the kid¡¯s hands?


    The few of them immediately thanked him, let go of the child, and left.


    Su Anan was leaning against the window, and the corner of the curtain was lifted up slighly. However, the wind blew the curtain up and her face was revealed.


    The child who was munching on his bun was instantly stunned.


    He had never seen such a celestial being in his life.


    More importantly, this heavenly immortal even smiled at him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    He helplessly swallowed the steamed bun and stammered, ¡°L-Li San.¡±


    So, his name was Li San.


    He was still the same as he was in her previous life. He was as thin as a bamboo pole and looked like he would fall if the slightest wind blew. His clothes were ragged and his hair was scaly. Only his eyes were the same as in her previous life.


    He was bright and full of energy, clear and transparent. No matter what he experienced, he seemed to be full of hope for life.


    When she had first fallen into poverty, she had not been able to get anything. Just when she was about to starve to death, it was this man who had given her half of his black steamed bun.


    He had even said in disdain, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to get food if you beg like this. You have to find another place. There are many gangs here, even if you get something, you definitely won¡¯t be able to keep it.¡±


    She thanked him and never forgot this kind young man.


    She had thought that the next time she got something, she would give him some. However, there was never a next time.


    There were deaths in the slums, fights, and snatching of food, but no one from the government cared. A straw mat swept away his figure, leaving only a pool of blood.


    Even though she died soon after, she could not forget that kind face and those clear eyes.


    When she passed by the slums earlier, she subconsciously searched for him. She recalled that he had once said that he was not begging in the slums earlier on. She was thinking of looking for an opportunity to go out and look for him, but she did not expect to meet him so coincidentally.


    She smiled, her expression as gentle as water. ¡°Do you still have a family?¡±


    Li San shook his head in a daze.


    Su Anan paused and turned to Moonfall. She asked politely, ¡°Moonfall, my yard is big, but I don¡¯t have many servants. This man is really pitiful. I wonder if I can buy him back and make him a rough manservant?¡±


    Moonfall was surprised that the young mistress would ask a maidservant about this. She replied respectfully, ¡°You can make the decision, Young Mistress. Yue Luo is just a servant. You don¡¯t need to ask for my opinion.¡±


    Although she was a servant, she had the right to speak in Shen villa.


    Su Anan could tell that Shen Juncheng trusted Yue Luo and Shuang Man. They were in charge of all the trivial matters in the villa.


    She had just arrived and was not well-liked by Shen Juncheng, so it was better to be careful.


    Since Moonfall wanted her to make her own decision, she turned to Li San and said, ¡°Li San, my courtyard is still lacking an odd-job worker. Would you be willing to follow me back to the manor?¡±


    Li San¡¯s eyes widened. Was the fairy going to buy him?


    He got so excited, he began to stammer, ¡°D-do you promise to give me food to eat?¡±


    Su Anan smiled. ¡°Food, accommodation, and monthly salary.¡±


    Li San immediately replied, ¡°I¡¯m willing! I¡¯m very willing!¡±


    Moonfall looked up and saw Li San¡¯s appearance, as well as the pity in the Young Mistress¡¯ eyes. She sighed in her heart. The young mistress was too kind. She had never seen pain and suffering. There were many beggars like this. How many would the Young Mistress buy?


    Beggars were mostly bandits and were very lazy. Otherwise, why would people with hands and legs become beggars?


    Besides, beggars were not trained by human traffickers. He was afraid that he would not be good at being a slave. So, after some hesitation, Moonfall tactfully advised her. If Madam really felt sorry for him, she could just give him some money.

 Chapter 38

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    However, it would be slightly inappropriate to buy him back as a servant.


    Su Anan knew what Yue Luo meant. She was probably afraid that she would buy one today and another tomorrow out of kindness and make Shen villa a mess.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s inappropriate,¡± she promised. ¡°But I promise I¡¯ll only buy this one. I won¡¯t buy another in the future, okay?¡±


    With that said, Yue Luo went quiet and simply said,


    ¡°Young Mistress, you can make the decision.¡±


    Su Anan gave her a friendly smile.


    She then instructed Li San to sit at the front of the carriage and follow her back.


    Li San looked at the clean carriage and then at his dirty body. He scratched his head and said,


    ¡°This lowly one will just run back, I don¡¯t dare to dirty the Young Lady¡¯s carriage.¡±


    Su Anan didn¡¯t say anything, but Cuiyan stuck her head out and said,


    ¡°I told you to sit. You can¡¯t run faster than four legs.¡±


    Li San smiled awkwardly and climbed to the front of the carriage. The coachman glanced at him and did not say anything. He whipped the horse, and it neighed and quickly left the city.


    They didn¡¯t notice that when the carriage had just driven off a few dozen meters, a Young Master in luxurious clothes walked out of Yufeng Street.


    The noble young master touched his chin and revealed a playful smile. Then, he summoned his servant and ordered,


    ¡°Go, investigate whose little lady that was.¡±


    She was so beautiful that he was stunned the moment the curtain was lifted.


    When the servant saw the eldest Young Master¡¯s expression, he knew that his Young Master was tempted again, so he quickly went out to ask.


    The Young Master looked at the back of the carriage as it left, his eyes filled with determination.


    Tsk tsk, Luo city really had such a beauty. Brother Junxu didn¡¯t lie to him.


    When they arrived at Shen Manor, the sky was already filled with sunlight that reflected on the paved road.


    After returning, Yue Luo bade farewell to the Young Mistress. The first thing she did was to go to Qingjing Pavilion and tell her master what had happened today.


    This included how she had been sent to Zhilan court and how the Young Mistress and her father had talked for half an hour in the study.


    Shen Juncheng was making tea. His movements were slow and unhurried. His fingers were fair and slender. It was a beautiful pair of hands.


    He didn¡¯t pay much attention when he heard her talking to her father for half an hour.


    After all, his daughter was married and was not living well, so he went back to complain. What else could he talk about?


    However, he raised his eyebrows slightly when she asked for the dowry back.


    It wasn¡¯t as if he hadn¡¯t investigated Su Sheng before. He was a snob who clung to power. He raised a group of daughters in hopes of using them to build connections in the future.


    He had thought that Su Anan must have thought that he was a kind father and would listen to everything he said. He didn¡¯t expect that she would see through him and even know how to ask for his dowry. She was not stupid.


    After Yue Luo finished speaking, she mentioned that the young mistress had bought a young beggar child to be her servant.


    Shen Juncheng did not mind.


    ¡°Just keep an eye on her. If she¡¯s obedient, then she can stay.¡±


    Yue Luo understood and left respectfully.


    After bringing Li San over, Cuiyan let him take a bath first to tidy up his appearance. Then, she went to find a set of servant¡¯s clothes and handed it to Li San.


    Li San thanked him and went to take a shower.


    The dirty water was changed three times before the dust on him faded. When he was brought to Su Anan, the dinner had already started.


    Su Anan put down her bowl and chopsticks and looked at Li San in surprise.


    She didn¡¯t expect Li San to look so handsome after washing up.


    However, he was too small and was even shorter than Cuiyan. When she met him in her previous life, it was four years later. He was already an adult and was much taller than he was now.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fourteen this year,¡± Li San replied shyly.


    Fourteen?


    Cuiyan and Su Anan looked at each other. They had thought that he would be 11 or 12 years old, but he was already 14.


    Su Anan put away her surprise and said a few words of concern. Hearing that his name was Li San because he was the third son in his family, she said,


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a new name, alright?¡±


    The name Li San had a strong city aura, and it was not appropriate to be the name of a servant.


    Li San nodded. ¡°Okay, okay. Please give me a name, Young Mistress.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s Li Liang?¡± Su Anan asked after some thought.


    Gentle and humble, that was the feeling Li San gave her.


    Li San agreed excitedly. Sister fairy had given him a name, and he felt that it was good no matter what it was.


    Su Anan smiled and called a servant over to take him down to get familiar with the place.


    ¡°Young Miss, why do you want to buy a beggar?¡± Cuiyan asked curiously after she saw that the person had left.


    ¡°Li Liang is not just a beggar,¡± Su Anan said.


    He had grown up in the market, and no one was more familiar with the life of the lower class than him. Also, she knew that Li Liang was a tactful person in her previous life. He was quite clever and had many small channels. He also sold information for money.


    Therefore, Su Anan wanted to find a reliable person to help her run around. After all, she couldn¡¯t go out all the time.


    After a lifetime, she knew some opportunities and always wanted to buy some businesses for herself so that she would no longer rely on her father¡¯s family.


    Su Anan didn¡¯t explain much and just asked her to be nicer to Li Liang.


    After Su Anan left, Su Sheng pondered for three days and finally decided to give it a try.


    The next morning, he went to see the president of the Yu Du Chamber of Commerce.


    Boyan was surprised.


    Why did the young master¡¯s father-in-law come here? and why was he so secretive?


    After hesitating for a while, he still accepted the invitation. The meeting lasted for 15 minutes before Boyan left in a hurry.


    Shen villa.


    ¡°What?¡± Shen Juncheng was equally surprised. ¡°Are Su Sheng¡¯s words true?¡±


    ¡°Young Master, it should be true,¡± Boyan replied.


    Because Su Sheng had also threatened to use this information in exchange for him to join Minzhong and get its protection. He also wanted the management rights of The Cloth Shop in Luo city.


    His appetite was a little big.


    If he wasn¡¯t confident in the authenticity of the news, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to have such a big appetite.


    Shen Juncheng frowned.


    ¡°Have you gone to investigate?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent people to investigate. We¡¯ll probably get some news tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Verify it as soon as possible. I want a definite result.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After Boyan had left, Shen Juncheng frowned. If the news was true, how did Su Sheng know?


    His connections were so small that he couldn¡¯t find out about such confidential matters.


    Unless someone told him?


    However, this was such a huge piece of news. Anyone could go to the capital of Yu to do him a favor, so why should he tell Su Sheng and ask him to do it?


    It didn¡¯t make sense.


    Shen Juncheng was deep in thought. Suddenly, he remembered that Yue Luo had said that Su Anan had talked with Su Sheng for half an hour in the study after she returned home two days ago.


    He shook his head as soon as he thought about it.


    According to the investigation, Su Anan had never left her house before she got married. She was a typical girl in her boudoir. How could she know such confidential things?


    Forget it.


    Shen Juncheng stopped his thoughts from spreading and quietly waited for the results of Boyan¡¯s verification.


    Before the next day, Yushi Boyan had already found out that Xiaoliu had betrayed him.


    He had secretly used his brother-in-law¡¯s name to purchase properties and had also secretly taken in two beautiful concubines.


    The sudden influx of wealth meant that he had been discovered and had been instigated by the other party, taking the other party¡¯s benefits.


    Boyan felt ashamed. He had chosen this person, but he had made a mistake. He knelt immediately and said,


    ¡°Young master, this subordinate will personally end his life.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± said Shen Juncheng, remaining calm. ¡°Don¡¯t alert the enemy. Just stick to the plan.¡±


    However, he had given him such a big gift so he had to give him something in return to relieve his guilt.


    When Boyan heard his Young Master¡¯s plan, he immediately went to get it done.


    Coincidentally, some time ago, he had secretly robbed a batch of goods from Min Zhong.


    Shen Juncheng looked at the lonely moon in the sky and seemed to be deep in thought. After a while, he suddenly asked,


    ¡°What has she been doing these past few days?¡±

 Chapter 39

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    Yue Luo paused for a moment before realizing who this ¡°she¡± was.


    She quickly said respectfully, ¡°Young master, the Young Mistress hasn¡¯t stepped out of the garden for the past few days. She¡¯s been growing flowers in the East Garden.¡±


    ¡°Growing flowers?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Young Mistress brought back some grape branches, a few pots of orchids, and some flower seeds when she went to her mother¡¯s house the last time. She said that the East Garden was empty, so she wanted to plant some plants for aesthetic purposes.¡±


    Shen Juncheng continued, ¡°Does she have any complaints about the food she has been eating these days?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Yue Luo shook her head.


    These days, Young Madam ate whatever he gave her and didn¡¯t even give her any special treatment.


    Yue Luo was also surprised. The Young Mistress was rich and could have given her special treatment.


    Shen Juncheng was aware of Mingyu¡¯s little trick, but he was just testing Su Anan to see if she would feel aggrieved and want to go back.


    He didn¡¯t expect her to be able to endure it.


    He flicked his sleeves.¡±Let¡¯s go to the East courtyard.¡±


    Yue Luo was surprised that the Young Master actually took the initiative to go to the East courtyard. She quickly motioned for Shuangman to get the Young Master¡¯s cane and the white veil to cover his eyes, and followed him.


    The night sky filled the air, and the moonlight quietly arrived.


    When they arrived at the East Garden, only Li Liang was guarding the door seriously.


    He had never seen the Young Master before, but judging from his clothing and the white veil covering his eyes, he could guess who he was. He hurriedly took out the etiquette he had learned in the past few days and respectfully greeted,¡±Young Master.¡±


    Shen Juncheng glanced at him but did not reply. He walked past him.


    When he reached the courtyard, he stopped.


    The originally empty yard was now filled with a few flowers, grape vines, and a small fence. Most importantly, there were even vegetable seedlings ¡­


    The cold place was suddenly filled with smoke and fire.


    There was no maidservant guarding the door, so the people inside did not know that someone had come outside.


    Yue Luo stepped forward and gently knocked on the door. ¡°Young Madam, Young Master is here.¡±


    Su Anan, who was taking a bath in the side room, was stunned. Why did Shen Juncheng suddenly come?


    Not having the time to be surprised, she hurriedly asked Cuiyan to go out and welcome him. She quickly got up and wiped her body with a large towel.


    Cuiyan opened the door and bowed slightly. ¡°Greetings, Young Master.¡±


    Shuangman saw that Su Anan didn¡¯t come out to welcome her. She frowned.¡±Where¡¯s the Young Mistress? Why didn¡¯t she come out to welcome the Young Master?¡±


    ¡°The Young Lady didn¡¯t know that the Young Master would suddenly come over, so she was preparing to rest early. Thus, she is currently taking a bath,¡± Cuiyan explained.


    ¡°But then she heard that Young Master was coming, Young Lady is already changing.¡±


    Shuangman took a glance. It wasn¡¯t even 11 and she was already taking a bath and going to bed?


    She glanced at the side room and thought to herself, ¡°There must be something fishy.¡±


    She was still looking for an excuse to make things difficult for her when Shen Juncheng raised his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let her take a bath and change her clothes first. I¡¯ll sit for a while. You can all leave.¡±


    Yue Luo and Shuangman agreed, but Cuiyan was a little uneasy. She didn¡¯t know why the Young Master had suddenly come.


    Looking at the position of the penthouse, she could only follow them and leave.


    Su Anan heard Shen Juncheng¡¯s words and knew that he was waiting in the room. Without delay, she dried her body and hurriedly changed into her sleeping clothes.


    She didn¡¯t have time to completely dry her hair, so she could only wipe it casually to stop it from dripping. Then, she temporarily piled it on the left side of her shoulder.


    When she pushed open the door to the side room, she saw that Shen Juncheng was already sitting at the table. The candlelight elongated his thin shadow and cast it on the half-screen, making it a little dark.


    She took a look and slowly walked over. She said apologetically, ¡°Husband, I was just taking a bath and didn¡¯t know that you would suddenly come. I didn¡¯t come to welcome you, please don¡¯t blame me.¡±


    Shen Juncheng looked up and was caught off guard by her snow-white silk shirt. Her black hair was slightly scattered and hung casually on the left side of her shoulder. There were faint water marks on her thin fabric, which stuck tightly to her body. He could vaguely see the bright color of her undergarments and the slight rising and falling curves under the thin clothes.


    For a moment, the night he saved her a few days ago flashed through his mind ¡­


    Su Anan was still standing there. She walked over and sat opposite him.¡±Why are you looking for me, my husband?¡±


    Shen Juncheng came back to his senses and collected his thoughts. ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to ask you. The last time you went back, I was not in good health and did not go back with you. Was father-in-law angry?¡±


    Su Anan was surprised. She didn¡¯t know what he meant by that day, so she said gently, ¡°How could that be? Father knows that husband¡¯s health is not good, but he did not blame you. Instead, he even told me to take care of you when I return.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Anan said without changing her expression.


    ¡°I heard that you brought some flowers back from your parents¡¯ house,¡± Shen Juncheng asked with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, these were the things that my mother loved when she was alive. I saw that this courtyard was empty and just happened to be returning home, so I thought of bringing some back to plant in the courtyard.¡±


    Shen Juncheng hummed in acknowledgment. ¡°If you like to garden, the flowers in the flower shop are not bad. Especially the azaleas. I heard that they are especially good. You can go and buy some, Madam.¡±


    She responded obediently, but she was surprised. What did Shen Juncheng mean by this? He even started talking about planting flowers with her.


    She had thought that he was here to make trouble because she had touched his yard. She had wanted to explain herself, but he had suggested that she plant more.


    Shen Juncheng had been observing her expression ever since he had finished speaking. After chatting for a while, he teased her, ¡°I heard from Yue Luo that after Madam returned home, she had a long conversation with her father-in-law in the study room. Were you complaining that your husband had treated you badly?¡±


    Su Anan paused and looked at him suspiciously.


    Did he ask this because he thought that she was in the study discussing with her father how to harm him? Was that why he was testing her?


    Immediately, she smiled gently and said, ¡°How could that be? I came to the Shen family and lived a very ¡®stable¡¯ life. How could I feel that I am being treated unfairly? Husband is overthinking. I was just reminiscing about the old days with my father.¡±


    Shen Juncheng looked at her and said in a playful tone, ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Su Anan smiled without any emotion. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ha, he retracted his gaze, ended the conversation, and planned to go back.


    Su Anan suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°Husband, please wait. I have a request.¡±


    He stopped and did not move.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Qingming Festival in a few days,¡± Su Anan said. ¡°Can I go to the East Spring Temple to burn incense for my mother?¡±


    In the past, her father would take them back to the ancestral grave to pay respects to their ancestors during Qingming. However, the ancestral grave was a little far away and they had to stay for two nights before they could return. Therefore, this year, they could only go to the temple and chant Sutras for their mother.


    ¡°You can go,¡± Shen Juncheng replied casually.


    ¡°Thank you, my husband.¡±


    Shen Juncheng turned around, and Su Anan stood up to see him off.


    After all, she had moved into the room and the previous layout had been messed up. Perhaps Shen Juncheng didn¡¯t know this, so he still followed the original route. She saw that he would hit a flower pot in the next second, and Su Anan quickly took the flower pot away.


    Shen Juncheng looked down at her and continued walking.


    He pushed the door open and saw Yue Luo and Shuangman standing guard outside. Cuiyan was sent away.


    Shen Juncheng stepped over the threshold, and Su Anan followed him obediently. She was going to walk him out of the garden.

 Chapter 40

    Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation


    However, she did not expect Shen Juncheng to not leave after passing the threshold. Instead, he suddenly turned around and stopped.


    Su Anan had already stepped out and almost bumped into Shen Juncheng.


    Fortunately, she reacted quickly and quickly retracted her foot. However, her body leaned forward due to inertia, and she subconsciously reached out her hands to hold his waist.


    Shen Juncheng¡¯s body tensed up and he looked down at her.


    When Yue Luo saw this, she quickly stepped forward to help her up and said, ¡°Young Madam, be careful.¡±


    Su Anan blushed and stepped back to keep a distance. She smiled apologetically at Yue Luo and explained, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was going to walk you to the door, but you suddenly turned around. I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Shen Juncheng turned around and interrupted her. ¡°There¡¯s no need to send me off. Madam, go back and rest. ¡±


    ¡°Yes, my husband, please walk slowly,¡± Su Anan said.


    Shen Juncheng left, and so did Yue Luo and Shuangman. However, before they left, Shuangman turned around to look.


    Humph, as expected, she¡¯s not content with her place. She¡¯s dressed like this and almost ran into Young Master¡¯s arms. Shuangman doesn¡¯t believe that she didn¡¯t do it on purpose.


    No, she had to tell Miss Mingyu the next time she came.


    As soon as the Young Master left, Cuiyan hurried over to ask.


    Su Anan shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He just asked me about what happened on the day I returned home. He also suggested that I buy some more flowers. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Cuiyan was surprised. Young Master actually came to ask about these trivial matters. Wouldn¡¯t it be fine if he sent Yue Luo to ask?


    She didn¡¯t understand, but it was fine as long as she was fine. Cuiyan went to help Miss dry her hair.


    Su Anan suddenly fell into a daze. Just a moment ago, when they were so close, she seemed to smell a faint medicinal scent on Shen Juncheng.


    Surprisingly, it smelled like her mother in her dream.


    In her dream, she was sick, and her mother coaxed her to drink medicine. She remembered that the smell of the medicine had been spreading, and it was warm and comfortable.


    She sighed. It must be an illusion. How could he have her mother¡¯s scent on him? She must have missed her mother too much.


    Shen Juncheng returned to Qingjing Pavilion and took off the white veil covering his eyes, looking pensive.


    It shouldn¡¯t be her.


    He had deliberately mentioned Du Juan, who was at the flower shop, but she had not reacted at all and was very calm.


    The flower shop was not a flower shop, but in fact, it was the Hong sect¡¯s intelligence network and the pavilion of the assassins.


    Moreover, azaleas were not flowers, but the lady boss inside. Every spy under him was named after a flower.


    If she was really the one who sent the news to Su Sheng, how could she not know that she was going to the flower shop?


    Also, when he mentioned the two moments when they had a secret meeting at home, she was just in a hurry to explain as if she was afraid that he would misunderstand. She was not flustered or shocked.


    The excuse of being blind was a good one. It allowed him to observe people¡¯s most genuine reactions when he asked them questions.


    After all, who would hide their expressions in front of a blind man?


    So, she probably didn¡¯t tell Su Sheng. That would be interesting. Who was it that told Su Sheng?


    ¡°Chao Sheng, go and find out who Su Sheng has been in contact with recently and who he is close to.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After Chao Sheng left, Yue Luo came to report that the bath water was ready. Shen Juncheng hummed in acknowledgment and went to the side room.


    When he lifted the belt, he suddenly remembered the scene when he left and rushed over¡­


    He frowned and felt that his arms seemed to be stained with a trace of her scent.


    He didn¡¯t know what incense she used, but he didn¡¯t like it.


    After the bath, he wanted to let Yue Luo take care of the clothes, but when he saw the golden snow wave pattern on the robe, he gave up.


    After all, he quite liked the style of the clothes.


    He had just put it on¡­


    In the blink of an eye, it was the Qingming Festival.