Chapter 201

Chapter 201: Completely Shameless

A dandy begged to marry into the Princess’s household with a little over five hundred thousand taels. He would keep her trapped and still gain benefits for himself.

Emperor Chong Sheng would never refuse such a deal.

Sheng Zhi Wan looked at him. “But I am a divorced woman. If you marry into the Princess’s household, aren’t you afraid of being cursed and mocked?”

Shang Xing Yu did not care at all. “Why would a useless playboy like me be afraid of anything?”

Shang Xing Yu said, “I’m only afraid it will bring gossip onto the Princess.”

In Shang Xing Yu’s eyes, he was a thousand times better than Qi Shu Xian in every way. Yet the people outside did not know that.

They would laugh at the Princess and say that after leaving Qi Shu Xian, she could only marry someone like him, a dandy.

Just imagining it made Shang Xing Yu’s handsome face darken.

Sheng Zhi Wan met his eyes and made up her mind. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care.”

Sheng Zhi Wan said, “You should keep these things for now. Give them to me on the day we set the engagement.”

In the end, Sheng Zhi Wan pushed the wooden box back to him.

She wanted it, but before the matter was settled, anything could change. It was better not to touch it yet.

But the moment she pushed it halfway, Shang Xing Yu immediately stepped back several paces. “Princess, what are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re going to regret it!”

Shang Xing Yu shook his head hard. “That won’t do. Once words leave your mouth, even four horses can’t drag them back. Since I already gave this away, it belongs to Princess.”

Shang Xing Yu even forced the issue. “At worst, on the day we set the engagement, I’ll have my people come one by one to meet Princess.”

Sheng Zhi Wan could only nod. Since she had decided, she would not change again. “Then leave it with me for safekeeping first.”

Shang Xing Yu nodded quickly. “Mm.”

Shang Xing Yu’s heart thudded wildly.

The moment he imagined the Princess’s name being tied to his name soon, he could not help wanting to laugh.

It seemed he could not give all that silver to Emperor Chong Sheng either. He needed to keep some as dowry, and he also had to reclaim the dowry his mother had left behind.

Most important of all was achievement.

How could he build merit in the shortest time, so he would not be a useless good-for-nothing?

Suppressing bandits? No, that would not be enough. His merits needed to be bigger than Qi Shu Xian’s.

Then… Northern Di?

Shang Xing Yu was still thinking when Sheng Zhi Wan asked, “What are you smiling about?”

Sheng Zhi Wan added, “There’s one more thing.”

Shang Xing Yu snapped back at once.

Sheng Zhi Wan asked, “Do you have someone watching beside Imperial Father?”

Shang Xing Yu froze. “How did Princess know?”

Sheng Zhi Wan said, “From the last imperial hunt. If you only learned then that the red fox would be the top prize, you wouldn’t have taken Ye Rong and the others to risk it.”

Sheng Zhi Wan continued, “But you insisted on bringing them, so you must have had complete confidence ahead of time.”

Shang Xing Yu blurted, “Princess is so smart!”

Then Shang Xing Yu said, “But it isn’t really a spy. I just happened to help someone with a small favor and grabbed hold of his weakness.”

Shang Xing Yu explained, “Once in a while, I make him do little things, like pass along some unimportant messages.”

As Shang Xing Yu spoke, he felt a little guilty.

Recently, the things he had made that person do… seemed to be watching Qi Shu Xian.

That was why he had known about Qi Shu Xian asking Emperor Chong Sheng to make the red fox the top prize.

Sheng Zhi Wan was thinking about more important matters and did not notice his guilt. “After the cotton-burning incident, did Third Imperial Brother meet Imperial Father alone, or did anything else happen?”

Shang Xing Yu stared. “Princess thinks His Majesty also knew about Mo Bei?”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s voice sank. “Perhaps.”

Imperial Father had always cared about his reputation. If not for what happened later in her last life, she would never have suspected this far.

But now, she even suspected the truth behind her own death. What was there left that she dared not suspect?

Shang Xing Yu answered, “All right. I’ll go ask around.”

Shang Xing Yu hesitated, then asked, “Princess won’t ask who that person is?”

Sheng Zhi Wan said calmly, “After we marry, Young Master Shang Er can tell me then.”

After they marry?

The moment Shang Xing Yu heard those words, his mind scattered to all the words connected to them. Marriage, husband and wife, cross-cup wine… bridal, bridal chamber…

Shang Xing Yu could not help glancing over.

In the candlelight, the Princess’s lips looked… tempting.

Shang Xing Yu suddenly stood up.

Sheng Zhi Wan froze. “What is it?”

Shang Xing Yu said stiffly, “It’s late. I should go.”

Sheng Zhi Wan nodded. “…All right.”

There truly was nothing else to discuss, but Shang Xing Yu’s sudden rise and abrupt farewell still left Sheng Zhi Wan a little confused.

Then her eyes swept past him by accident.

In the next instant, Sheng Zhi Wan’s expression stiffened.

Shang Xing Yu seemed to feel it too. He did not dare linger for a second longer. He rushed out through the window, and in a flash, his figure vanished into the darkness.

He had said it himself. He was young and strong, better than Qi Shu Xian in every way.

But being too good… seemed like it could be a problem too…

Sheng Zhi Wan sat there for a long time before the heat on her face finally faded.

He was not just a dandy. He was downright lewd.

That night, Sheng Zhi Wan dreamed a mess of chaotic things. When she woke, she heard Ting Lan’s furious voice outside.

Sheng Zhi Wan got up. “What happened?”

An Zhi hurried in with warm water. Ting Lan’s anger still had not faded.

Those people were truly spouting nonsense. Her Princess was such a good woman that even if every man in the world came to match her, it would still feel like the men were getting the better deal. What right did they have to be picky?

If anyone was picky, it should be her Princess!

Ting Lan choked as she spoke. “Someone outside is spreading rumors. They said the Empress Dowager is choosing a husband for you, but everyone who was picked refused…”

Ting Lan’s tears fell in drops.

In truth, what those people said was even uglier, but Ting Lan could not bear to repeat it.

Sheng Zhi Wan lifted her brows.

She had guessed this would happen, but she had not expected the news to spread so quickly. Someone was deliberately leaking it.

Sheng Zhi Wan thought of the people Grandmother had summoned into the palace, and she began to suspect someone.

But it should not have been that.

No matter how much First Madam Liu hated her, anyone with even a little brain would know the news absolutely could not come from her mouth. Otherwise, she would not only offend Sheng Zhi Wan, she would offend Grandmother as well.

So it could only be someone foolish enough to do it.

“Liu… Yan?”

In a teahouse private room, Shang Xing Yu stared at the message his subordinate delivered, and his eyes turned grim and cold.

If Sheng Zhi Wan had been there, she would have been shocked to see this side of him.

After living for so many years in the Shang Residence without protection, he had not only learned to disguise himself as a useless playboy. He had also learned to be ruthless.

When someone threatened the line he would not cross, he always struck to kill.

For example, there was the Prince Qi rebellion case four years ago. If Prince Qi’s stupid son had not tried to snatch a famous courtesan from him over a baseless rumor, and if that son had not tried to kill him, Shang Xing Yu would not have sent Prince Qi’s whole family to their deaths.

And Bai Xiao Xiao…

It was one thing that Bai Xiao Xiao had gotten pregnant and wanted him to be the fool who took the blame. He did not even mind acting out a little scene with her.

But she had let the Princess see it.

That was absolutely unforgivable, so he could only ruin Bai Xiao Xiao’s reputation to prove his own innocence.

Other than those matters, Shang Xing Yu believed he was a fairly broad-minded person.

Even when the Liu Family had latched onto him and plotted such a disgusting thing as forcing him to marry a concubine-born daughter, he had only made them pay some silver and then let it go.

But what Liu Yan was doing now made him very unhappy.

Shang Xing Yu tipped his head back and drank the tea in his cup. When he loosened his fingers again, the fine celadon-glazed cup crumbled into powder and scattered like dust.