006 Bullying Him
Su Niao wanted Xie Chenyan dead!
Earlier, she had deliberately bought many things on the street and kept most of her guards hidden in the shadows, putting on the appearance of easy prey—all to lure out the bandits lurking along this road.
She knew that bandits frequently plagued the mountain road from Yunzhou Prefecture to Jinin County, so she thought to try using them to kill Xie Chenyan.
And indeed, the bandits came, and Xie Chenyan, her newly taken servant, did step forward to meet them… yet those dozen or so bandits were no match for him alone.
Even the guards in the carriage, who had been instructed beforehand to hold back, were startled, staring in surprise at the man in plain cloth.
Born of the countryside, yet possessing such martial skill!
Su Niao was equally stunned, her mouth agape.
She watched helplessly as Xie Chenyan used a fallen bandit's blade to kill five of them, sending the rest fleeing in panic… Her plan to kill by another's hand had fallen through.
A thought flashed through her mind: have the guards behind her strike now, kill Xie Chenyan here, and pin it on the bandits.
But the next instant she jolted awake: these guards were all Su family men. If anyone ever learned she had mobilized her guards to kill a commoner, suspicion would arise—it would be digging her own grave.
Not to mention… the guards the Su family had given her might not even be a match for Xie Chenyan!
How had she just entertained such a foolish notion?
Su Niao raised her eyes to Xie Chenyan outside the carriage, clenching her fists secretly.
Back then, a single cup of poisoned wine had taken her life; now, he proved this hard to kill!
She let the carriage curtain fall and retreated inside, her face cold as ice.
Lichun assumed her young mistress was frightened and hurried to soothe her without pause.
Chen Yan discarded the long blade and returned to the carriage, overhearing the maid inside coaxing as if comforting a child: "It's alright, it's alright. Miss needn't be afraid."
And so he recalled that when the bandits had appeared, a pair of eyes had peered out from the gap in the carriage curtain, watching the scene outside.
Like a small, startled creature.
A moment later, the man's calm voice sounded from beyond the curtain: "May I ask how I should address you, miss?"
As a servant, inquiring after his master's title was only natural.
Su Niao hadn't mentioned it earlier, thinking he wouldn't survive anyway… but now he had lived through it, hale and whole.
She ground her teeth silently. Lichun glanced at her mistress and spoke up: "The master's surname is Su. Ask nothing else you shouldn't."
By the time the sun set, the carriage rolled into Ping'an Lane in Jinin County, and only then did Chen Yan realize that the Su Garden this Miss Su was headed to sat diagonally across from his own home, not far away.
That grand estate occupying most of the lane had been cleaned and prepared days prior, said to be for the owner's extended stay—he'd never imagined it was her.
When the carriage stopped at the Su Garden's gate, with neighbors up and down the lane gathering to watch from near and far, Chen Yan jumped down and asked Su Niao whether he might take the Blood Ginseng home to his aunt for her medicine, then return to await her orders.
He said: "My home is just across the way, not far."
Su Niao glanced in that direction through her veil and gave an "oh": "Go on, then."
She added: "Be quick about it. You're a Su family servant now—don't think of shirking."
With that, she cast a look at the place on Chen Yan's arm wrapped in torn cloth—a wound from the earlier clash with the bandits.
The assassination had failed. Recalling his skill, Su Niao pondered briefly, then, as Lichun brought out the Blood Ginseng, she reached over and snapped off a small piece with a crisp crack. "Consider this compensation for your injury. Take it back and use it in medicine for your family."
It didn't matter that the item wasn't particularly valuable—the main thing was to win him over first before she could bide her time and strike.
Chen Yan looked at the piece of Blood Ginseng, hesitated for a moment, then reached out to accept it. "Thank you, miss."
………………
On a July evening, when people were out cooling off, Su Niao entered the courtyard and gave it a general once-over. She was fairly satisfied.
Though she wasn't the Su family's biological daughter, they had raised her for over a decade, and now that she had voluntarily stepped aside, her adoptive parents—burdened by guilt—would not be stingy with her in material matters.
There were servants and guards in the courtyard. Su Niao quietly counted—there were over thirty of them—but even combined, they probably wouldn't be a match for Xie Chenyan.
He'd lost his memory, but not his martial arts. Utterly infuriating!
After Su Niao had washed up and changed her clothes, Lichun came in to say that some neighbors had come to greet her.
Since she was a new resident, the more warm-hearted neighbors nearby had taken the initiative to come say hello. Su Niao couldn't be bothered with pleasantries with those common folk, but she knew she'd be staying for a while and needed to maintain the facade of a beautiful, kind-hearted young lady of means.
That way, once she killed Xie Chenyan, no one would suspect her.
With that thought in mind, Su Niao forced herself to go out.
The neighbors were indeed very enthusiastic, chattering away as they gathered at the front gate.
"I'd heard the Su estate was a distinguished household, but seeing the people in person today—it's truly an eye-opener."
"I caught a glimpse of the young lady when she got out of the carriage today. That fabric of hers—I reckon you couldn't buy it even with money."
Su Niao felt contempt in her heart, but the moment she lifted her veil, she revealed an impeccable smile and took the initiative to exchange pleasantries. Then she saw the neighbors' eyes suddenly go wide!
"Heavens! To think someone could be born with such beauty!"
"She puts the Jin family's young lady completely to shame… Even a celestial maiden must be no more than this."
Su Niao was long accustomed to others being stunned by her face, but hearing these words still pleased her.
Though they were unsophisticated, at least they had good taste.
Lichun brought out fruits and pastries with two maidservants to distribute among the neighbors. Seeing the exquisite refreshments, the crowd immediately showered her with more flattery, and some enthusiastically brought out amber-colored dried fruit from their own homes as return gifts.
By the time Chen Yan returned to the Su estate after delivering the Blood Ginseng, he saw that the young lady of the house had already bid farewell to the neighbors and turned to enter the courtyard.
The guard at the gate recognized Chen Yan, knowing he was a retainer the young lady had taken in, and let him through without question.
Chen Yan had just stepped through the gate when he saw Miss Su—who moments ago had been outside smiling and receiving praise from the neighbors—throw the dried fruit they'd given her into the trash bin beside her with undisguised disgust in her eyes.
Chen Yan glanced at the dried fruit in the bamboo bin—the kind the neighbors rarely splurged on in their daily lives—and silently averted his gaze.
Truly a spoiled, pampered young lady.
Su Niao wasn't short of people to do work. Making Xie Chenyan a servant was half to bully him and vent her anger, and half to make it convenient to find an opportunity to kill him.
The first attempt had failed, so she could only quietly make new plans. But kill him she must… and in the meantime, she could take the chance to vent her frustrations.
So, she deliberately made Xie Chenyan fetch her foot-washing water.
Even with his amnesia, judging by how he'd stopped her from whipping that thief on the street earlier, she knew the core of him hadn't changed. Noble and righteous? Hah…
Su Niao thought to herself that when she made him fetch the water for washing her feet, he must have felt utterly humiliated.
However, Xie Chenyan quickly brought in the wooden basin, calmly setting it on the ground without any trace of anger or humiliation on his face.
Su Niao suddenly recalled how, in her previous life, she had orchestrated for him to be captured and tormented for her amusement.
Even as a prisoner, he had dared to rebuke her, refusing to utter a single word of begging or admission of fault, even when she had him tortured until his skin split open.
Seeing his infuriatingly aloof and self-possessed demeanor, Su Niao had sneered and driven everyone else out, forcing a potent aphrodisiac down his throat, determined to shatter his sanctimonious mask.
Yet even as the drug ravaged him, leaving his breathing ragged and his blood surging, he still refused to yield, instead cursing her as absurd, frivolous, and utterly shameless!
Su Niao had been driven mad with rage at the time and had taken matters into her own hands… deliberately, while he was bound tightly by chains, she tormented him to the point where he was suspended between pleasure and agony, suffering beyond endurance…
But even as his expression twisted nearly beyond recognition, even when she cruelly told him that she would let him go if he would only relent… the man merely stared at her with those bloodshot eyes, as if looking at a dead woman.
In the end, she truly was poisoned to death by his orders…
What infuriated her was that even without his memories, he still possessed formidable martial skills and had not been killed by the bandits. Otherwise, she might have tried poison on him too.
But poisoning a man to death would be troublesome if investigated.
How annoying…