Volume 1, Chapter 23: Drawing Blood for the House of the Marquis of Chengen

This Zhilan Courtyard was a property that Xie Yu, the second brother, had secretly purchased in the capital. Because he was constantly making their father angry and frequently being thrown out of the house, he decided to simply set up a residence of his own.

Since Xie Ying often scolded him, Xie Yu dared not tell his eldest sister, but he did confide in Xie Shu. It became a secret hideaway for the two siblings in the capital. Now, it served as the perfect place to settle Lianyu.

"Baizhi," Luliu beckoned to the girl approaching them, then introduced Lianyu, who stood behind her. "The Third Young Lady bought him from Yuechun Pavilion. He will be staying here for the time being. Please find a doctor to tend to his wounds, and once he has recovered, assign him some cleaning chores."

"Him?" Baizhi tilted her head, looking at Lianyu’s frail, fragile appearance, and blurted out, "He looks like a delicate stage actor; what use is he? I’m afraid a gust of wind might blow him over."

"Nonsense! He’ll be fine after a few days of rest." Luliu poked Baizhi on the forehead; she had been with the Second Young Master for too long and had grown quite loose-tongued.

The oversized robe Lianyu wore hung loosely on his frame, giving him an unexpectedly alluring charm. Baizhi often followed Xie Yu on his escapades and was accustomed to the Second Young Master’s habit of playing the hero to save beauties, but she hadn’t expected the Third Young Lady to share the same penchant.

"Ouch." Feeling the sting on her forehead, Baizhi rubbed her head and promptly agreed, "Very well, as you say, sister. I will find a doctor shortly."

Lianyu stood to the side, obediently allowing them to make arrangements. As long as he didn’t have to serve those people back at Yuechun Pavilion, he felt incredibly fortunate.

"I, your servant, will obey," Lianyu replied.

"What is this talk of 'servant'? Once you enter this courtyard, you are one of our own. I arrived before you, so just call me sister," said Baizhi. She was the youngest, barely fourteen, yet she possessed the precocious nature of someone who desperately wanted to play the elder. Seeing a newcomer, she was feeling quite pleased with herself.

Although Lianyu could not remember his own age, he looked at the girl before him and guessed he must be several years her senior. After a brief pause, he sweetened his tone and called out, "Sister Baizhi."

"Hehe, quite sensible," Baizhi beamed.

Luliu then added a reminder: "In a few days, tidy up the courtyard properly. I heard from the Third Young Lady that the Second Young Master might be returning soon."

"Really!" Baizhi was even happier. With the Second Young Master back, things were bound to get lively!

Luliu watched her carefree demeanor, and the tension she had carried for days finally eased for a moment. She was still just a child, after all.

Having settled Lianyu, Luliu did not linger and hurried out of the courtyard; after all, there was likely a tough battle ahead once they reached the Marquis of Chengen’s manor.

"Is the Young Lady asleep?" Luliu asked as the carriage curtain was lowered.

Uncle Li nodded, signaled for silence, and whispered, "She is."

"Then let’s go. To the Marquis of Chengen’s manor. We shouldn’t keep Aunt Zhao and the others waiting too long."

They hadn’t had time to settle the people from General Zhenyuan’s estate yesterday, and they were likely still waiting at the gates of the Marquis’s manor even now. Luliu climbed into the carriage, and as the wheels began to turn slowly, the sky was already tinged with orange.

Inside the Zhilan Courtyard, Lianyu lay in a small servant’s room, his fingertips gently tracing the red crescent-shaped mark on his wrist; it must have been a birthmark. A flash of fragmented scenes in his mind suddenly gave him a headache. If only he could remember who he was.

For a moment, the face that looked like a celestial being appeared before him. If he weren't just a prostitute bought and sold at will, would she still find him dirty? He longed to get closer to her once more.

In the carriage, Xie Shu slept fitfully, plagued by many dreams—the bloody scenes, the vicious assassins, and Ning Rongsheng’s hideous face as he tried to strangle her, all flashing before her eyes.

The nightmares were endless. But what of it?

Xie Shu opened her eyes and rubbed her temples. Heaven had given her a chance at rebirth. In this life, she would be the nightmare of everyone in the Marquis of Chengen’s manor.

"Get out of the way! The Young Lady Consort is here—how dare you block her!"

Barely awake, Xie Shu heard a commotion outside. The fifty-six members of General Zhenyuan’s household, carrying their bundles and driving their carts, had completely surrounded the Marquis of Chengen’s manor. Many curious onlookers had already gathered nearby.

"What Young Lady Consort? Our Marquis hasn't even held a wedding; there is no such person, we've never even heard of her!" At the main gate, the gatekeeper Wang Mazi and several guards stood firm, blocking the entrance to prevent the general's household from entering.

Uncle Li held the reins, and seeing Luliu being shoved, he prepared to rush forward to teach these dogs who relied on their master’s power a lesson.

Then, a mocking voice drifted from the carriage: "The Marquis of Chengen’s manor certainly keeps a lot of guard dogs!"

"I am the Young Lady Consort personally bestowed by His Majesty." Xie Shu stretched, then stepped out of the carriage with composure. Her face, radiant and captivating, was filled with disdain.

Before her, the members of the general's household parted to form a path, as if they had been waiting for Xie Shu to arrive. Once she stepped onto the high threshold, her sharp gaze swept over the men, pinning them to the spot. She said coldly, "If you cannot even heed an imperial decree, then these two ears of yours are of no use."

Before the leader, Wang Mazi, could respond, Xie Shu drew a gem-encrusted dagger from her waist. With a swift motion, in the blink of an eye, half of his bloodied ear fell to the ground.

Blood splattered onto the jade floor tiles of the manor, turning them a bright red.

"Ahhhhh! My ear, my ear!" The pain hit like a tidal wave. Wang Mazi clutched his head and rolled on the ground, but the more he rolled, the more the severed earlobe throbbed!

The guards behind him drew their swords and blocked the gate, yet they dared not lay a finger on Xie Shu. Although they were acting under the orders of the Marchioness to block the gate and give Xie Shu a hard time, she was, after all, the Young Lady Consort personally appointed by His Majesty.

The servant waiting to the side lost his composure. He pointed at the severed ear on the ground and screamed in terror, "Murder! Murder! The Young Lady Consort has committed murder!"

"The Third Young Lady of the Xie family is too ruthless!" some in the crowd whispered.

The opinions of others? Xie Shu did not care. What she wanted was exactly this fear. In this world, only fear could make people submit. She would force the Marquis of Chengen’s manor to kneel at her feet.

Luliu couldn't help but tremble. Since when had her young lady become so valiant?

Xie Shu wiped the blood from her dagger with her sleeve. This had been a gift her eldest sister received at the royal hunting grounds when she was ten, simply because Xie Shu had taken a liking to the red gems embedded in it and cried until she got it to play with. Her sister had doted on her and given it to her.

From this day on, she would use this very dagger to draw blood from the Marquis of Chengen.

All of this was witnessed clearly by Lady Li, who was hiding behind the gate! Seeing Xie Shu inflict injury without hesitation, Lady Li was terrified. But immediately, her hatred deepened even further.

That slut! How dare she humiliate their Marquis of Chengen’s manor to this extent!