Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Just a Child

Sheng Zhi Wan spoke coldly, reaching for a porcelain vase glazed in winter-green and hurled it to the floor before Qi Shu Xian’s feet.

Crash!

The crisp sound echoed as fragments scattered like sharp stars. It mirrored the scene from moments ago when Qi Shu Xian, filled with fury, swept a teacup to the ground. Only now, it was Sheng Zhi Wan who stood demanding answers.

What right did Qi Shu Xian have to question her?

Or did he truly believe that once married, even her possessions became his to command?

Men always regarded women as mere belongings—taking not only their persons but also their worth, using them freely and discarding them at will.

But by what right?

A mocking gleam flashed in Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes.

Qi Shu Xian finally noticed the objects scattered around. Paintings, decorative pieces, jewelry—each one delicate and exquisite. Yet, just now, Sheng Zhi Wan had claimed these treasures were fake.

What did that mean?

Though Sheng Zhi Wan had meticulously prepared past exam materials, enabling him to become the honored Triple First Scholar, Qi Shu Xian’s mind was not dull. He quickly grasped the implication behind her words.

“Nonsense!” Qi Shu Xian’s voice turned icy. “Your dowry is kept safely in the Storehouse, the keys guarded by your own people. How could they become fakes? Even if they did, it must be your servants who erred!”

Despite knowing his family faced hardships, Qi Shu Xian refused to believe that his parents, sister, or younger siblings would touch Sheng Zhi Wan’s dowry.

She was clearly causing trouble, just as she had before—complaining to His Majesty to deny him the rewards he deserved, all to force Meng Yang away.

This scheme, however, was even crueler, slandering Duke Qi’s household by claiming her dowry had been switched with fakes.

Qi Shu Xian felt deeply disappointed.

The innocent girl who once gazed at him with adoring eyes had now adopted these twisted schemes typical of inner-court battles.

“Huan Zhu, repeat what you said just now,” Sheng Zhi Wan instructed calmly.

Huan Zhu knelt, choking back tears. “Recently, Young Master Shu Lang often visited the Storehouse to view the calligraphy and paintings. Sometimes he complained of thirst or heat and sent me away briefly… Aside from that, I swear, no one else was allowed inside!”

Shu Lang?

“Enough!” Qi Shu Xian’s anger flared again. “When will you stop this madness? Must you unsettle everyone in Duke Qi’s mansion? Shu Lang is merely a child of ten—gentle, obedient, and always respectful towards you, his sister-in-law. Yet now, you’re determined to ruin even his reputation?”

“Whether I’m ruining his name or not, a simple investigation will show clearly,” Sheng Zhi Wan responded calmly.

In her previous life, this “gentle and obedient” Shu Lang had forced a three-year-old girl from the slums to crawl on the ground like a dog, forcing her elder brother to lick his feet. After enduring a month of torment, the little girl died.

Seeking revenge, her brother had tried to assassinate Shu Lang at Duke Qi’s gate. Instead, Shu Lang heartlessly pushed An Zhi, whom Sheng Zhi Wan had sent to deliver cakes, into harm’s way.

An Zhi survived but lost sight in one eye forever.

Enraged, Sheng Zhi Wan publicly slapped Shu Lang and dragged him to kneel in the ancestral hall. Yet before Shu Lang could apologize to the victim’s brother, the young boy mysteriously drowned in the river.

Later, Sheng Zhi Wan discovered that this was not the first time. Every two weeks, a girl from the slums met her death due to Shu Lang’s cruelty.

Horrified, she reported it to Duke Qi, only for him to mildly punish Shu Lang with confinement. Instead, Madam Cui feigned illness, forcing Sheng Zhi Wan to stay awake, copying scriptures outside her room night after night.

Shu Lang’s hatred for her only deepened, leading to her near violation by his so-called “friends,” thwarted only by Qi Shu Xian’s timely intervention.

How could Sheng Zhi Wan forget to settle this debt?

Exposing Shu Lang now was merely the beginning…

“No!” Qi Shu Xian’s voice rose furiously. “Shu Lang couldn’t possibly have done this! Investigating him would make outsiders think the worst!”

Sheng Zhi Wan lifted her gaze to meet Qi Shu Xian’s burning eyes. “Duke Qi’s household must be desperately short of silver these days, isn’t that so?”

Taken aback by her sudden change in topic, Qi Shu Xian faltered. “What?”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s lips curved slightly, her words clear and deliberate. “Just now, you stormed in accusing me because I donated my dowry, enraged that the silver you assumed belonged to Duke Qi’s household had slipped away.”

“I never—” Qi Shu Xian’s face darkened, attempting to protest, but Sheng Zhi Wan gave him no chance.

She stepped forward boldly. “Now, I give you a perfectly honorable way to claim all my private wealth. If you prove this matter has nothing to do with your beloved younger brother, I will personally apologize, admit my wrongdoing, and willingly hand over every piece of my dowry to the household.”

“Ridiculous! Since when did Duke Qi’s mansion ever need your dowry?” Qi Shu Xian snapped, sharply feeling the scrutinizing gazes upon him.

If kept private, supplementing household expenses with Sheng Zhi Wan’s dowry wouldn’t matter.

But if word spread, Duke Qi’s dignity would crumble entirely.