Volume 1, Chapter 47: What a Pity, You'll Never Have This Chance Again

Xie Shu let out a soft "tsk," saying, "How is it that the Heir of the Marquis cannot even put on his own trousers? If outsiders were to see this, how utterly shameful it would be!"

"Who is there! Who let her in? Drive her out! Drive her out!" Upon seeing the intruder, Ning Rongsheng immediately gritted his teeth, wishing he could flay the woman before him and peel her tendons so she could experience this agonizing, bone-deep pain firsthand.

Xie Shu had only been guessing, but seeing the fierce, murderous glare in Ning Rongsheng’s eyes and his expression of absolute rage, she understood instantly: Ning Rongsheng was truly crippled!

Following this, Xie Shu cast a contemptuous glance down at Ning Rongsheng’s lower body. The trousers hurriedly pulled onto him were not even tied at the waist, hanging loosely and slouching against his hips as if nothing was left there at all. She let out a light laugh and said, "I was merely speaking casually, why must the Heir be so furious?"

"Get out! Get out of my sight!" Ning Rongsheng snatched a pillow and hurled it at her. "Someone come, throw her out!"

"Shh—" Xie Shu pressed a fingertip against her red lips, making a silencing gesture, and covered her ears slightly as she said, "So noisy. Speak louder, and you might even wake the Marquis of Chengen, letting him see what his precious, beloved only son has been reduced to."

"My Lord Heir?" Hearing the commotion, Xiao Jiuer called out from outside the door, though he dared not step inside.

After all, Ning Rongsheng was in the middle of a furious rage, and Xiao Jiuer feared being implicated.

"Xie Shu, what on earth are you trying to do!" Ning Rongsheng lowered his voice, sitting up with great difficulty as he pulled a blanket from the side to cover his waist.

Xie Shu paced back and forth around the room as if nonchalantly, looking about before finally halting her steps at the threshold of the side study. "Naturally, I came to see if the Heir's injuries have healed."

With that, Xie Shu began to toy with a celadon vase sitting on the cabinet, only for it to slip carelessly from her hand and crash straight onto the floor.

*Clang—*

It shattered into countless pieces.

"Oh my, my hands are slippery." Xie Shu tilted her head, sticking out her tongue with an expression of utter innocence on her face.

"What on earth are you trying to do!" Ning Rongsheng’s vision went dark. He had been feeling anxious just a moment ago; this vase was a blue-and-white porcelain piece from the Luzhou kilns, worth thousands of pieces of gold! It was a birthday gift bestowed upon him by the Marquis of Chengen!

Of course Xie Shu knew. In her past life, Ning Rongsheng had cherished this vase endlessly, carefully wiping it down several times every single day.

"I am a person who always holds grudges." Xie Shu spun around and walked over to another shelf. Her fingertips grazed a crystal cup, she gave it a gentle push, and once again, it shattered all over the floor.

"Ning Rongsheng, since you dared to drug me, you should have just used outright poison." Xie Shu turned her head coldly, her gaze filled with a boundless chill. "Unfortunately, you will never have that chance again."

Clutching the quilt, Ning Rongsheng felt his wounds faintly throbbing anew from the anger Xie Shu caused him. Now trapped within the Marquis's estate, he was uncertain whether Xie Shu knew that he had been permanently disabled. With so many gossipy people in the mansion, if Xie Shu were to loudly spread the news, he—the Heir of the Marquis of Chengen—would surely lose all his dignity. More importantly...

How could a crippled man continue to serve as the heir? The Marquis of Chengen certainly would not allow it.

Because of this, Ning Rongsheng could only grit his teeth and endure, watching helplessly as Xie Shu wantonly smashed various items throughout the room.

"If there is a next time, I will surely poison you to death." Ning Rongsheng blurted out suddenly, every single word dripping with resentment.

Xie Shu did not care. She merely glanced sideways at Ning Rongsheng, lifted her foot, and stepped directly into the side study. Stopping in her tracks, she looked up to see a painting of court ladies wandering through the mountains hanging on the wall.

"This painting is not bad." With a stretch of her arm, Xie Shu ripped the entire painting down. The hanging cord snapped, and the fine painting was casually rolled up by Xie Shu and stuffed into Lvlian's arms. "Hang this in my room later."

Ning Rongsheng did not care about this painting at all. It was merely a decorative piece hung up by the servants of their own accord, not the work of any famous master. It just so happened that a space on the wall of this room was empty, and someone happened to bring this painting along.

"There is nothing much left of value in this room anyway." Xie Shu leisurely took another stroll, smashing nearly everything that could possibly be broken.

After reducing the place to a complete mess, she turned to look at Ning Rongsheng, who was half-reclining on the bed, and smiled. "Very well, that is all for today."

When had Ning Rongsheng ever suffered such humiliation, having his own room smashed to pieces by a woman! Yet he could not even make a public fuss about it, especially since this was within the Marquis of Chengen's estate! Inside his own courtyard!

"Xie Shu, just you wait. Sooner or later, you will be crying and begging me." Ning Rongsheng uttered harsh threats. When the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet arrived, he would surely turn the tables; by then, he wanted to see what kind of tricks Xie Shu could possibly pull!

When that time came, the General Zhenyuan's Manor would be dragged down to destruction with her!

"Then I shall look forward to it greatly." Xie Shu had already stepped one foot across the threshold. Hearing Ning Rongsheng's words, she turned her head back, her incomparably charming face filled with mockery. "Ning Rongsheng, you must make sure you live until that day."

Once outside the courtyard gates, Xie Shu quickened her pace considerably. The act she had just put on had kept her heart in her throat; only a fool like Ning Rongsheng would simply sit by and watch her smash all those things to pieces.

Even if he had genuinely called someone in to throw her out, Xie Shu would never have run to the Marquis of Chengen to complain.

After all, Ning Rongsheng’s manhood had been crippled by her own hands.

If the Marquis of Chengen were to find out, he would surely harbor a deep hatred for her. For all she knew, she could be buried secretly in the middle of the night.

When it came to certain matters, an old fox like the Marquis of Chengen would likely act with even greater ruthlessness.

"My Lady Heir's Wife, walk a bit slower. These paths with loose gravel are easy to twist an ankle on." Lvlian, clutching the painting, trotted along behind her all the way until she managed to catch up.

"Faster, faster, my throat is so parched." Xie Shu rubbed her throat; putting on such a grand facade for so long had truly been uncomfortable.

Yet, fearing that Ning Rongsheng might grow suspicious, she had had no choice but to spout nonsense just to distract his attention.

Inside Lanting Courtyard:

Xiao Jiuer held a broom, sweeping up the shattered debris on the floor. His master could not even get out of bed and was resting to recover his health, only to suffer such a calamity yet again—it was truly pitiful.

Inside the room, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive. As Xiao Jiuer worked, he did not even dare to breathe heavily.

However, just as Ning Rongsheng was being driven to a headache by his anger, massaging his temples, a sudden thought flashed through his mind: "Whose painting was that hanging in the side study?"

"A painting?" Xiao Jiuer glanced toward the side study, unable to recall for a moment.

Still, he usually dusted the painting and had often found himself gazing blankly at the court ladies depicted on it, so he remembered a little. Pondering for a moment, he replied, "It was probably found in the storeroom. The signature on the painting only bore a single character, 'Ye.' Who painted it remains a mystery."

"'Ye'?" Ning Rongsheng vaguely recalled that there indeed seemed to be such a signature on it.

What on earth was the meaning of this? Would Xie Shu take an interest in a painting for no reason at all?

For some reason, Ning Rongsheng always felt something was amiss, yet he simply could not put his finger on it.

Xiao Jiuer swept up the very last patch of the floor, brushed his hands against his sleeves, and asked, "Lord Heir, should we replace the things in this room?"

If they were to be replaced, he would likely need to inform Madam Li so she could open the storeroom.

"At this hour, Mother should be resting. After we have finished dinner, you can go and borrow the keys to the storeroom. They do not need to be overly precious things, as long as they are usable," Ning Rongsheng nodded and replied. He had never mistreated himself.

If something was broken, they would simply replace it with new ones.

What was so difficult about that? Hmph, did Xie Shu think this could upset him? How laughable.

Only the blue-and-white porcelain vase—that was truly a pity.

"Right, do not mention what happened just now to my mother. Just say that I took a sudden fancy to novelty items and wanted a change," Ning Rongsheng thought for a moment before adding a warning, "Don't give her cause to worry."

More than fearing that Madam Li would worry, Ning Rongsheng was afraid that his mother would become consumed by anger and do something reckless.

Having received his instructions, Xiao Jiuer waited until dusk before hastily setting out.

The keys to the storeroom were always kept personally by Madam Li and were never casually handed over to outsiders.

Unless it was for her Sheng'er.

The night was hazy. Holding a lantern and accompanied by two junior servants, Xiao Jiuer entered the storeroom, checking against the inventory list to find some furnishings and utensils.

"Be careful! If you break any of the master's things, I'll have you sold off!" Xiao Jiuer let out a cold snort, glaring and reprimanding a servant who was being clumsy and heavy-handed.

"Yes, yes, yes," the servant quickly withdrew his hand.

However, it seemed to him that he had just caught sight of a human figure flickering past.

Rubbing his eyes, the figure was gone. Perhaps he was just seeing things.