Miao Chunxiu brushed the stray hairs from her forehead and curled her lip disdainfully. “A bunch of ill-mannered servants! Today, I’ll teach you what kind of grand ceremony should be used to welcome the eldest young lady back to the marquis’s residence.”
Whoosh!
The whip danced through the air in her hand, lashing the people from the marquis’s household one after another.
Screams rang out in quick succession.
Inside the courtyard, Shen Chuyun munched on sunflower seeds, thoroughly enjoying the show. “Chunxiu is far too violent! Just listen to those screams. Aren’t they delightful?”
Beside her, Miao Chuntao was eager to join in. “Miss, I want to go help Chunxiu.”
“Go ahead.” Shen Chuyun waved her hand.
Miao Chuntao immediately leaped into action. By the time she reached the outside, a whip had appeared in her hand as well.
Smack!
Matron Chen was struck across the face again. This time, both sides of her face matched perfectly.
…
While the people from the marquis’s household were being whipped outside the gate, Shen Chuyun remained in the courtyard, calmly eating sunflower seeds and fruit.
She had rescued the Miao sisters on her journey to the capital from an evil cult.
The cult was called the Immortal Sect. Its members claimed to be descendants of celestial beings and dressed themselves in spotless white, yet their actual activities involved murder, arson, and robbery.
The Immortal Sect had set its sights on Shen Chuyun and Doudou, intending to abduct both the girl and the wolf. They even injured Doudou.
Enraged, Shen Chuyun stormed the sect, set fire to one of its branches, and rescued many people.
The Miao sisters were among them.
The two were twins and daughters of the leader of the Three Blades Gang. Because of their beautiful appearances, the Immortal Sect had targeted them. More than a hundred members of their gang had been slaughtered, and the sisters had been captured.
If Shen Chuyun hadn’t appeared, Miao Chunxiu and Miao Chuntao would have become cultivation furnaces for the Immortal Sect.
Grateful for being saved, the sisters had nowhere else to go, so they chose to follow Shen Chuyun and serve as her maids.
As it turned out, the two maids were quite useful.
They were perceptive, efficient, and capable of guarding the household. They could resolve many problems without requiring Shen Chuyun to intervene personally.
Just like now, the two of them were more than enough to deal with the people from the marquis’s household.
Nine years ago, the marquis’s household had publicly declared that she was an ill-fated star and claimed that she had already died.
Returning to the household as its legitimate eldest daughter would make things much more convenient for her.
However, a dead person couldn’t openly return to the marquis’s residence and reclaim her status as the legitimate daughter.
Therefore, after arriving in the capital, she had secretly infiltrated the marquis’s household and poisoned Su Ming’an.
She had then arranged for someone to impersonate a Daoist priest and visit the household, ensuring that Su Zhen and Xu Yuru learned that the supposedly ill-fated girl was still alive.
Back then, Su Zhen and Xu Yuru had used a Daoist priest to falsely brand her an ill-fated star. Now, she could use a Daoist priest to provoke the marquis’s household into making a move as well.
She wanted the household to come and welcome her back, officially acknowledging her as the eldest young lady of the marquis’s residence.
…
Matron Chen had brought people with her under orders from the marquis’s household. She had intended to establish her authority first, making sure Shen Chuyun understood her place and knew better than to act like a legitimate daughter once she entered the marquis’s residence.
Unexpectedly, before she had even met Shen Chuyun, two maids had beaten her and her companions so badly that they were practically crawling on the ground.
Everyone from the marquis’s household was dumbfounded.
Hadn’t they been told that the ill-fated girl was a country bumpkin? That the hunter who had adopted her had died the previous year, leaving her alone in the village to suffer bullying with no one to protect her?
Then where had these two highly skilled maids come from?
At that moment, Matron Chen realized that the information the marquis had obtained was inaccurate.
Seeing that the people from the marquis’s household could no longer fight back and were all kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy, the Miao sisters finally put away their whips.
Miao Chunxiu looked down at them condescendingly.
“Listen carefully! My young lady was born to the legitimate wife of the marquis. She is the true eldest young lady of the Marquis of Anning’s household. If you have come to bring her home, you must treat her with the utmost respect. If you dare show even the slightest disrespect, don’t blame my whip for being merciless. Do you understand?”
The people from the marquis’s household lowered their heads, unable to hide their anger, and answered in unison, “We understand.”
Miao Chuntao barked, “Speak louder! Haven’t you eaten?”
The people immediately raised their voices. “We understand!”
The marquis’s carriage had attracted the villagers’ attention when it entered the village. Curious onlookers had followed it to see what was happening. When they saw the people from the marquis’s household being whipped by the Miao sisters, they began whispering among themselves.
“After Hunter Shen died, that girl, Shen Yaya, left the village and wandered outside. Who knows what she went through? But when she returned three years later, she seemed like a completely different person. Not only did she change her name to Shen Chuyun, she also brought back two fierce and savage maids who beat people at the slightest disagreement.”
“On the first day she returned, she beat up the village chief’s son. On the second day, she beat up Donkey Egg’s mother. Yesterday, she beat Scholar Zhang, and today she’s gone even further by daring to beat people from the Marquis of Anning’s household! She really has some nerve!”
“But Shen Yaya is truly lucky. She has somehow transformed into the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Anning’s household. Hunter Shen really knew how to pick up a child! What a pity he died so early and couldn’t enjoy the good life with her at the marquis’s residence.”
“Enjoy the good life? What nonsense! She’s a legitimate daughter whose own mother is dead, and before she’s even returned to the marquis’s residence, she’s already beaten the people who came to fetch her. Just wait. Her stepmother will surely make her suffer!”
“…”
The villagers continued gossiping, each adding their own comments.
Miao Chunxiu swept her gaze over them. Pointing her whip at the crowd, she threatened arrogantly, “If any of you dare say another bad word about my young lady, don’t blame my whip for having no eyes!”
The villagers immediately scattered like frightened birds.
Miao Chuntao planted one hand on her hip and held her whip in the other as she addressed the people from the marquis’s household.
“If you want to see the eldest young lady, you must kneel and beg for an audience. Behave yourselves and follow the proper etiquette, and she’ll naturally agree to see you.”
Matron Chen’s face was swollen badly. Hearing those words, she felt utterly humiliated. She was about to put up another show of resistance when Miao Chuntao threateningly raised her whip and snapped it through the air.
Crack!
Matron Chen trembled in fright and immediately dropped to her knees. She kowtowed and shouted loudly, “This old servant, Chen Cuihua, has come under the marquis’s orders to respectfully welcome the eldest young lady home!”
The others quickly followed suit, kneeling and kowtowing as they shouted, “We respectfully welcome the eldest young lady home!”
Only then were the Miao sisters satisfied.
Shen Chuyun’s slightly childish voice rang out from inside the courtyard.
“Let them in.”
The Miao sisters answered, and Miao Chunxiu turned to the people from the marquis’s household.
“You may enter now. Treat the eldest young lady with respect. If you dare show even the slightest disrespect, you’ll get another taste of our whips.”
The Miao sisters pushed open the courtyard gate and entered first. The people from the marquis’s household scrambled after them, practically rolling and crawling in their haste.
Once inside, they lowered their heads and stared at their toes, not daring to look Shen Chuyun in the eye.
Shen Chuyun put down the sunflower seeds in her hand and rose from the reclining chair.
“Raise your heads. Let this young lady have a good look at you.”
Only then did the people from the marquis’s household dare to lift their heads.
When they saw the girl standing before them, a flash of amazement crossed their eyes.
She wore a light purple dress and carried herself with a carefree, unrestrained air. Her features were delicate and charming, her eyes bright, her teeth white, and her skin fair as snow. When she smiled, shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks, giving her a sweet and obedient appearance.
How could this girl possibly be a rustic country bumpkin? She looked every bit as lovely as the pampered young ladies raised in powerful aristocratic families.
“Oh my! How did you all get so badly injured?” Shen Chuyun covered her mouth and chuckled. Then she gave Miao Chunxiu a mild, almost insincere scolding. “You two were far too heavy-handed! After all, these people were sent by my father. No matter how ill-mannered they are, you should at least show my father some respect. When beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. And you shouldn’t hit people in the face. How embarrassing! Next time, hit places covered by clothing. No one will see the injuries there, so they won’t have to lose face.”
The people from the marquis’s household were speechless.
Did this so-called ill-fated star even hear herself? Was that something a normal person would say?
The Miao sisters, however, responded with complete seriousness.
“Yes, Miss. We were wrong. We’ll do better next time.”
Shen Chuyun nodded with satisfaction before turning to Matron Chen.
“Your name is Chen Cuihua, right?”
Matron Chen answered respectfully, “To answer the eldest young lady, this old servant is indeed named Chen Cuihua.”
Shen Chuyun smiled faintly. “I heard I have an older brother who shares the same mother as me. How is he doing now?”
She had arrived in the capital five days earlier. When she had secretly infiltrated the marquis’s household to poison Su Ming’an, she had intended to take the opportunity to reunite with her brother.
However, she discovered that he wasn’t at the residence. After breaking his leg, he had been sent to a country estate by Xu Yuru under the pretext of recuperating.
As for which estate he had been sent to, she didn’t know yet. The marquis’s household had three country estates, and only Xu Yuru and Su Zhen knew where her brother had been taken.
When Shen Chuyun asked about Su Linzhou, Matron Chen’s eyes flickered.
“The heir is doing quite well.”
Shen Chuyun smiled lightly. “But I heard the heir fell off his horse and broke his leg.”
Matron Chen forced a false smile. “That did happen, but the heir has already recovered and is no longer in any danger.”
Shen Chuyun’s eyes lit up. “Oh? Then will I be able to see my brother when I return? I used to envy other people who had older brothers to dote on them. Now I have a brother of my own, too. I’m so happy!”
Matron Chen’s smile stiffened slightly.
The heir had been sent to a country estate and wasn’t at the residence. This ill-fated girl wouldn’t be able to see him after returning.
Never mind. She would placate the girl for now and trick her into returning to the marquis’s household first.
Once she was inside, there would be plenty of ways to deal with her.
“Of course, Eldest Young Lady. Once you return to the marquis’s residence, you’ll be able to see the heir. You’ll have a brother to dote on you.”
“Don’t lie to me, okay? You must make sure I get to see my brother. If I can’t see him, I’ll get angry, and when I get angry, I feel like hitting people.” Shen Chuyun delivered the words lightly, as though they were nothing of consequence.
At the mention of hitting people, Matron Chen inexplicably shivered.
“It’s getting late. Let’s hurry back to the marquis’s residence,” Shen Chuyun said.
With that, she picked up the bone whistle hanging around her neck and blew into it.
Whoosh!
A white blur came running down from the back mountain and quickly entered the courtyard.
When Matron Chen and the others recognized what it was, they screamed in fright.
“A wolf! There’s a wolf!”
“Shut up!” Shen Chuyun shouted. “You’re all a bunch of cowards. What are you screaming for? This is my pet. Its name is Doudou, and it’s very timid. If you frighten it, I’ll hold you responsible!”
The people from the marquis’s household trembled all over.
This ill-fated girl actually kept a wolf as a pet?
Shen Chuyun couldn’t be bothered to entertain them any longer. She instructed the Miao sisters to pack her belongings, then led the white wolf out of the courtyard and climbed into the carriage.
The people from the marquis’s household watched as the Miao sisters carried two large chests and strapped two enormous backpacks onto their backs before climbing into the carriage.
Matron Chen swallowed nervously.
“This eldest young lady is far too strange.”
The carriage slowly left the small mountain village.
Shen Chuyun opened the window and glanced at the village gradually receding into the distance.
There really had been a hunter surnamed Shen living here. Nine years ago, he had found an abandoned baby girl and named her Shen Yaya. After the hunter died, the villagers bullied Shen Yaya until she was forced to leave.
Later, Shen Yaya was abducted by human traffickers and sold to a brothel. Half a year ago, she escaped from the brothel, only to fall into the hands of the Immortal Sect because of her bad luck.
She had died inside the Immortal Sect.
Shen Chuyun withdrew her gaze.
Before the real Shen Yaya died, she had begged Shen Chuyun to bring her back to this village and bury her beside her adoptive father.
That was why Shen Chuyun had come to this village and taken Shen Yaya’s place.
She had buried the real Shen Yaya’s ashes beside Hunter Shen’s grave.
An hour and a half later, the carriage finally arrived at the gates of the Marquis of Anning’s residence.