Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Prince Qin Yu

“Unreasonable!” Qi Shu Xian had never heard such absurd words.

Mother and Eldest Sister had been right. Imperial House status, proud and arrogant. He used to think Sheng Zhi Wan was gentle and kind, so he coaxed and pampered her.

Now, did marrying him mean his whole family had to hold her up like some lofty Princess?

Qi Shu Xian felt deeply displeased. Yet when he thought of their past, he still said coldly, “Think it through carefully. If you go and admit your wrong to Mother and Eldest Sister, I won’t argue with you. Otherwise, I won’t step into this place again.”

He turned and shot Sheng Zhi Wan a cold glance, then strode out of Ping Lan Residence.

If she refused to admit her wrong for one day, he would keep her cold for one day. He wanted to see how many days she could endure.

“Princess…” An Zhi and Ting Lan saw Sheng Zhi Wan stay silent for a long time, and they looked at her with worry.

Sheng Zhi Wan came back to herself and signaled that she was fine.

She only felt confused about how blind she had been before. Out of all her choices, how had she ended up liking Qi Shu Xian?

“It’s good that he won’t come.” Sheng Zhi Wan’s voice stayed steady. “I was going to divorce him anyway. This saved me the trouble of finding excuses to deal with him.”

As she spoke, she looked at the maids across the courtyard who were trembling with fear. It seemed she needed to replace them quickly.

But maids who were capable fighters and loyal were not that easy to find.

Sheng Zhi Wan lowered her gaze and thought it over and over, until she finally remembered a place she had heard of in her previous life.

“Right. Where is Huan Zhu?” Sheng Zhi Wan suddenly asked.

Since yesterday, she had not seen Huan Zhu in the courtyard.

“Huan Zhu said she didn’t feel well. She’s lying down in her room right now.” A fourth-rank maidservant reported.

Although Sheng Zhi Wan had demoted Huan Zhu to fourth-rank yesterday, Huan Zhu’s former influence still remained. Sheng Zhi Wan had not promoted anyone else yet, so everyone in the courtyard believed Huan Zhu was only out of favor for the moment.

They thought that once the master’s anger faded, Huan Zhu would be promoted again.

Not only others thought so. Huan Zhu herself thought so too. After all, she had grown up with Princess and had come out of the palace. Princess had always treated her like a real sister.

In the past, when Princess and the Heir Apparent argued, Huan Zhu had often passed messages between them and helped them make up again.

This time, Huan Zhu believed Princess had only been furious with the Heir Apparent and had taken it out on her. Once Princess thought it through and realized Huan Zhu truly meant well, Princess would surely bring her back.

Huan Zhu pretended to be sick now only to give Princess a step down.

Sheng Zhi Wan understood Huan Zhu’s thoughts after only a moment. But Huan Zhu had guessed wrong. Sheng Zhi Wan had not promoted anyone only because she still had not found someone useful.

“Go tell her that if she can’t even get out of bed, then she doesn’t need to serve here anymore. Ping Lan Residence can’t accommodate a body as delicate as hers,” Sheng Zhi Wan said.

“Yes, Princess.” The maid went trembling.

Sure enough, by dinner time, Sheng Zhi Wan saw Huan Zhu cleaning in the courtyard alongside the other fourth-rank maidservants.

Other than her long, dark expression and the way she kept glancing over at Sheng Zhi Wan, she did not look sick at all.

Sheng Zhi Wan ignored her completely. She treated Huan Zhu exactly as she treated the other maids.

A fourth-rank maidservant wanted to sulk and wait for Sheng Zhi Wan to coax her?

Dream on.

Sheng Zhi Wan slept peacefully through the night.

The next day, she still did not plan to go to Madam Cui to pay her respects.

After An Zhi and Ting Lan dressed her hair and makeup, Sheng Zhi Wan went out again.

The carriage went straight to Gathering Sages Teahouse.

Gathering Sages Teahouse was the most famous and most luxurious teahouse in Sheng Kingdom. It had branches in every province and prefecture, and the one in capital city was larger and grander than all the rest. Naturally, it also charged more.

Anyone who could come here was either rich or noble.

Sheng Zhi Wan directly took a Heaven-Ranked Private Room on the third floor.

When she ordered tea, she specified the Jade-Bi Red Clay Ding Mao Teapot. The Tea Steward bowed and withdrew.

Sheng Zhi Wan listened to the drifting zither music from downstairs while she waited for someone to arrive.

But then a group of people entered downstairs, noisy as they took their seats.

“Xiu Yuan, I heard your good second brother drove away another tutor yesterday. That makes three this month, doesn’t it? If you ask me, why even bother with that useless dandy?”

“They’re both General Shang’s sons, so how could the difference be this big? If Xiu Yuan is a cloud in the sky, then Shang Er… is mud on the ground. Just touching it feels dirty. I heard that some days ago, he even did it with five women at once…”

“Brother Zhang!” The handsome young man surrounded by the crowd looked displeased.

The man called Brother Zhang immediately shut his mouth, embarrassed, but the others did not need to hear more. Their faces already showed contempt and disgust.

Ting Lan also remembered rumors she had heard not long ago. Her face flushed with shame, and she quickly lowered the window support.

She could not let this filthy mess dirty Princess’s ears.

Sheng Zhi Wan narrowed her eyes. “Shang Er…”

Shang Xing Yu.

Who would have thought it? The useless dandy everyone called mud on the ground.

In Sheng Zhi Wan’s previous life, ten years later, the western frontier fell into chaos. When everyone was helpless, Shang Xing Yu rose with a fierce and absolute presence. In only two months, he drove out the barbarians, recovered lost land, and became the Prince Qin Yu who ruled one side.