Chapter 147

Chapter 147: It Finally Came

First Madam Liu forced the words out through clenched teeth. “Thirty thousand taels was far too much. Ten thousand, at most.”

Shang Xing Yu raised his chin. “Forty thousand!”

First Madam Liu nearly fainted.

First Madam Liu shouted, “Twenty thousand!”

Shang Xing Yu opened his mouth wide like a lion. “Fifty thousand!”

First Madam Liu’s body swayed. Shang Xiu Yuan never expected things to reach this point.

To Shang Xiu Yuan, it was only a bit of dirty water. With Shang Xing Yu’s current reputation, it did not even count as adding insult to injury, because Shang Xing Yu himself was the injury – the stinking stone in a latrine.

Yet now Shang Xing Yu wanted thirty thousand taels for that tiny scrap of reputation. Thirty thousand was not enough – he wanted fifty thousand.

Shang Xiu Yuan thought Shang Xing Yu had gone mad. If Shang Xing Yu took this money, the Shang Residence and the Liu Manor would be enemies for good.

Shang Xiu Yuan scolded, “Shang Xing Yu, enough! First Madam Liu is your elder no matter what. How can you bargain like this?”

Shang Xing Yu looked a little wronged. He glanced at Sheng Zhi Wan and said, “Oh. Then I’ll just go outside and clear my name.”

With that, Shang Xing Yu turned and walked out. He did not pause at all.

First Madam Liu shouted, “You-you stop!”

First Madam Liu shot Shang Xiu Yuan a vicious look. She did not dare provoke Shang Xing Yu, who never played by rules, but she would remember today’s humiliation.

The Liu Manor would remember it too. From now on, the Fengguo General Residence would be the Liu Manor’s greatest enemy.

Shang Xing Yu did not turn around. He only looked back over his shoulder, ready to leave the instant she said no.

Shang Xing Yu asked, “So First Madam Liu will pay me fifty thousand taels?”

First Madam Liu swallowed blood and rage together.

First Madam Liu said, “Yes! Fifty thousand taels!”

Shang Xing Yu turned back with a satisfied nod. “First Madam Liu truly dotes on her daughter. Then I’ll wait here. Go get the silver.”

First Madam Liu’s chest felt like it might explode.

First Madam Liu said stiffly, “The manor may not have that much silver on hand right now.”

Shang Xing Yu nodded. “Mm. That’s easy too. Write an IOU. Princess Qing Ning is here, so let the princess be the witness.”

Shang Xing Yu looked at Sheng Zhi Wan with wide, pleading eyes.

It was the first time Sheng Zhi Wan had seen him be this shameless and difficult. She coughed lightly and nodded.

Sheng Zhi Wan said, “Alright.”

First Madam Liu had no choice. She swallowed her humiliation and wrote the IOU herself.

Under Sheng Zhi Wan’s witness, First Madam Liu signed her name and pressed her thumbprint.

Shang Xing Yu happily tucked the IOU into his robe.

Shang Xing Yu said, “I hope First Madam Liu gathers the fifty thousand soon. Otherwise, I’m truly afraid I won’t be able to control this mouth of mine.”

First Madam Liu said nothing.

Now First Madam Liu did not want to see Shang Xing Yu for even a second. She only wanted to send him out immediately and end this mess. Once it was settled, Sheng Zhi Wan naturally would not stay either.

With An Zhi and Ting Lan, and with An Zhi still holding the box they had carried in earlier, Sheng Zhi Wan returned to the carriage.

Just before Sheng Zhi Wan climbed in, she paused.

Shang Xing Yu and Shang Xiu Yuan stood side by side, waiting for her to go first.

Sheng Zhi Wan’s gaze fell on Shang Xiu Yuan.

Sheng Zhi Wan said, “Young Master Shang, pass a message to Grand General Shang and Madam Shang. Young Master Shang Er’s birth mother died early, and he has no one to protect him. But he saved me, so from now on, I will pay attention to his affairs and intervene when needed.”

Shang Xiu Yuan stiffened. Shang Xing Yu’s eyes turned bright and sparkling.

The princess had not only defended him, she had also said she would protect him. Shang Xing Yu probably did not even need that protection, since he had survived in the Shang Residence for over ten years and had his own ways to deal with Shang Tian Hao and Liang Rao.

Still, just the fact that Sheng Zhi Wan was willing to shield him was enough to make Shang Xing Yu grin in his dreams.

After she spoke, Sheng Zhi Wan climbed into the carriage and left.

Shang Xiu Yuan never expected Shang Xing Yu to gain such fortune. Shang Xing Yu had only happened to save Princess Qing Ning, yet she now indulged him and sheltered him.

Shang Xing Yu swung up onto his horse and said, “Elder Brother, you should hurry back. I still have things to do, so I won’t return today.”

Before Shang Xiu Yuan could even come back to himself, Shang Xing Yu was already gone, leaving only a trail of dust.

Sheng Zhi Wan did not return to the Duke Residence. Instead, she went to see Shopkeeper Lin.

Shang Xing Yu did not care about his reputation, but it was still better if it improved.

Sheng Zhi Wan told Shopkeeper Lin to spread word that Shang Xing Yu had used a whip when he saved the girl. Second Miss Liu’s serious illness was because she fell into the water. In truth, the Liu Manor had only gone to the General Residence to offer thanks, and the talk of marriage was completely made up.

After Sheng Zhi Wan handled all of that, she returned to the Duke Residence.

All the way back, Ting Lan wanted to ask why Sheng Zhi Wan had gotten involved, but after remembering An Zhi’s earlier scolding, Ting Lan forced herself to hold it in.

An Zhi had said Ting Lan was good in every way except that Ting Lan could never resist curiosity. [But Ting Lan really was curious!]

Two days later, Sheng Zhi Wan had someone gather news again. As expected, the dirty rumors about Shang Xing Yu had lessened quite a bit.

Shopkeeper Lin even found some people who had been there that day and had them speak up. Because of that, quite a few people began praising Shang Xing Yu.

Some said, “His reputation was bad, but he truly saved someone. Otherwise, with so many people there, why didn’t anyone else do it?”

Others said, “He even considered the miss’s reputation. He didn’t jump into the water and haul her out himself. He used a whip and protected her name.”

Once the story spread, people started thinking even more. If something with so many witnesses could be twisted into that, what about all the other stories from the past?

Were those old scandals misunderstandings too?

After this, many people began to doubt the earlier tales about Young Master Shang Er, and they suspected some of those “outrageous deeds” were just rumors.

Sheng Zhi Wan was fairly satisfied with how she handled it. She told Shopkeeper Lin’s people to keep spreading the word.

But that afternoon, the Duke Residence received an oral decree from an Imperial Palace eunuch. The eunuch named Qi Shu Xian and Sheng Zhi Wan and ordered them to receive the decree.

At the time, Sheng Zhi Wan was boiling tea with An Zhi, Ting Lan, Liu Shang, and the others around a small stove. A faint tea fragrance rose in the air.

When Sheng Zhi Wan heard the report, she paused. The chance for an amicable divorce that Sheng Zhi Wan had waited for so long had finally come.

Sheng Zhi Wan had Ting Lan bring a lake-blue dress, and she changed into it. Ting Lan applied light rouge and powder, making Sheng Zhi Wan’s already clear skin look even fairer.

Her dark hair, like a waterfall, was pinned back with a Phoenix Jade Hairpin. A white fox-fur cloak framed her face and made it look small.

Everyone else in the Duke Residence stood in the flower hall according to rank. Only Madam Cui was absent, since she was gravely ill.

When they saw Sheng Zhi Wan walking toward them from afar, many of them were so stunned that they forgot to breathe for a moment.

Only after Sheng Zhi Wan stopped beside Qi Shu Xian did Qi Shu Xian come back to himself.

Qi Shu Xian looked at the eunuch and said, “Please read the oral decree, Eunuch.”

The eunuch read the decree aloud.

Just as Sheng Zhi Wan had expected, Imperial Father planned to reopen the Imperial Hunting Grounds. Tomorrow, all sons of officials and nobles of the third rank and above had to accompany the court to the Hunting Lodge to watch the hunt.

Most likely, Qi Shu Xian, just like in Sheng Zhi Wan’s previous life, had received Imperial Father’s hint to use the hunt to intimidate the Northern Di envoy.

But this time, Sheng Zhi Wan would not remind Qi Shu Xian of anything at all…