After having lunch at the Yun family residence, Shen Wan finally headed back home. She refused all the other gifts the Yun family offered and only took a bolt of light purple Floating Light Brocade with her.
Shanhu was very puzzled by this. “Miss, don’t you like blue the most? Why didn’t you take that one instead?”
Because the brocade was not for her own use.
Shen Wu and Ye Caiwei truly were sisters after all, their tastes were almost identical.
In her previous life, everyone had received a share of the Floating Light Brocade, and the two of them had even fought over the colors. Now that there was only one bolt, Shen Wan wanted to see whether they would fight each other tooth and nail over it.
If they were not driven to fight over their own interests, they would simply join forces against her.
After returning to the Duke Dingguo Manor, before Shen Wan could even ask why the Duchess of Zheng had come to visit, a maid stepped forward and informed her, “The Duchess of Zheng has returned the second young lady’s birth card…”
It was good that it had been returned. Shen Wan quietly let out a sigh of relief, but Shanhu asked, “Why did they return it?”
The maid replied, “They said that last night, many strange things happened at the Zheng Manor. The whole estate was thrown into chaos. Even the Duke of Zheng’s horse foamed at the mouth and collapsed…”
Shen Wan, “…”
Her elder brother had handled this matter far too rashly.
It was practically the same as writing “their horoscopes are incompatible” across the Duke of Zheng’s face.
Could it be that he had really been frightened by her threats?
Feeling somewhat guilty, Shen Wan lifted her skirts and headed toward Shen Li’s study.
The study door was open. As Shen Wan walked in, she heard her elder brother muttering, “I clearly remember putting it here. Where did I stuff it?”
Turning her head, Shen Wan saw Shen Li searching for a book on the shelves.
She walked over.
Shen Li said, “Why has little sister come?”
Shen Wan replied, “Thank you, elder brother, for helping me break off the engagement…”
“Cough! Cough!”
Shen Li suddenly burst into violent coughing.
Shen Wan frowned. “What’s wrong with you, brother?”
What was wrong?
Was his little sister blind?
There was such a huge person sitting there, and she had not noticed at all?
Shen Li rubbed his forehead. “Brother still has a guest here.”
A guest?
Shen Wan’s heart jolted.
She spun around swiftly and saw a man sitting there calmly drinking tea.
The moment she recognized him, Shen Wan nearly exploded on the spot.
It was Xie Jingyu!
Why was he in her brother’s study?!
Thinking about how close Shen Li and Xie Jingyu were, calling each other brothers and getting along extremely well, Shen Wan grew furious. Xie Jingyu clearly knew how much her brother doted on her, yet he had still humiliated her so cruelly. Even beating a dog required consideration for its owner. How could her brother associate with such a bastard? Sooner or later, she would make her brother cut ties with him before he got led astray.
Shen Wan seethed inwardly.
Shen Li whispered, “You were pretty loud just now. What should we do?”
“What else can we do? Silence him forever.”
A murderous glint flashed through Shen Wan’s eyes.
Shen Li, “…”
“As expected of my sister. You’ve got guts.”
There happened to be a dagger displayed on the bookshelf. Shen Li casually picked it up and handed it to Shen Wan. “You go do it. Big brother will dig the hole and bury the body.”
Looking at the dagger being handed to her, Shen Wan seriously doubted whether this was still her real brother.
She looked toward Xie Jingyu, just as he looked back at her.
Their eyes met.
Shen Wan snatched the dagger.
Shen Li was startled. He had only been joking, his sister was not actually going to…
Just as he was about to pull her back, Shen Wan turned and walked out.
And she even took his dagger with her.
Shen Li, “…”
How had he ever thought his little sister actually had the courage to kill the Heir of Prince Jingbei?
The absurdity of his own misunderstanding made Shen Li laugh.
Shen Wan tightly gripped the dagger in her hand.
Just endure it for now. One day, she would drive this dagger straight into that bastard’s heart, grind his bones to dust, and scatter the ashes to vent the hatred in her heart.
Xie Jingyu simply watched Shen Wan leave. His gaze darkened, unreadable emotions hidden deep within his eyes.
Shen Li walked over and coughed lightly. “My sister and I were only joking…”
“I’ll gladly accept this leverage.”
“…”
After leaving the study, Shen Wan tucked away the dagger and headed for Shou’an Hall.
Shen Wu and Ye Caiwei were gathered around the old madam, chatting and laughing.
The moment Shen Wan stepped into the room, Ye Caiwei cried out in amazement.
“Floating Light Brocade!”
The women who had just been crowding around the old madam immediately shifted their attention to Shanhu, who was holding the Floating Light Brocade.
Shen Yao stroked the fabric, unable to put it down because of how smooth it was. “Seeing it once truly surpasses hearing about it a hundred times. Second Sister, where did you get this?”
“Just brought it back from the Yun family.”
Shen Wu could not take her eyes off the brocade. “Weren’t you supposed to go to Huguo Temple? Why did you end up at the Yun family’s house instead?”
Shen Wan replied calmly, “The Duchess of Zheng came to the manor, so Mother couldn’t accompany me to Huguo Temple. I was a little scared to go alone, so I changed course and went to the Yun family instead.”
“What a pity that Floating Light Brocade is so precious. Even the Yun family only had a single bolt.”
Shen Wan turned to Ye Caiwei. “Cousin likes light purple the most. I’ll give this bolt of Floating Light Brocade to you.”
Ye Caiwei exclaimed in delight, “To me? Cousin, can you really bear to part with it?”
Shen Wan said, “I can’t really bear to either. I originally wanted to keep it for myself. But Father and Mother are trying to find you a good marriage match. In a few days, the Princess Chang of Shunyang’s manor will be holding a banquet. If you wear a dress made from Floating Light Brocade and perform a dance there, you’ll definitely amaze everyone present.”
Ye Caiwei blushed. “Could it be that Uncle and Aunt think I’m a burden and want to marry me off already?”
Young ladies could be shy, but there was no need to phrase it so unpleasantly.
A faint smile curved Shen Wan’s lips, though it never reached her eyes. “If you don’t want it, then I’ll give it to Third Sister instead. I’ll treat it as an early coming-of-age gift for her.”
Just as Shen Wu was about to accept it, Ye Caiwei quickly said, “I want it! Thank you, Cousin.”
Afraid that Shen Wu would fight her for it, Ye Caiwei immediately took the tray from Shanhu’s hands and had her own maid carry it.
Shanhu could not understand why her young miss was letting the cousin wear a Floating Light Brocade dress first instead of keeping it for herself. But then she remembered how the cousin’s father had died taking an arrow for the Duke, leaving Ye Caiwei without parents. It seemed only right for her young miss to yield a little to her. Besides, the Yun family still had more anyway.
Shen Wu wanted to snatch the brocade back, but she did not dare act openly. She only said, “Second Sister truly treats Cousin very well.”
Shen Wu was only one month older than Ye Caiwei.
Shen Wan smiled. “Without Uncle sacrificing his life to save Father, I wouldn’t have a father anymore. No matter how well I treat Cousin, it’s only proper.”
They had reminded Shen Wan of this countless times before, but this was the first time Shen Wan had ever said it back to them.
Once those words were spoken, Shen Wu’s hope of persuading Shen Wan to give the Floating Light Brocade to her instead was completely crushed. If she wanted the brocade now, she could only get it from Ye Caiwei.
After staying at Shou’an Hall for about fifteen minutes, Shen Wan returned to Mingyue Courtyard.
Inside the room, Hongxiu was arranging flower pots. The moment she saw Shen Wan enter, she quickly stepped forward and bowed. “Greetings, Miss.”
Shen Wan helped her up. “You’re someone I specifically requested from Grandmother. How could I let you do such rough chores? From now on, Shanhu and Yinchuan can handle those things.”
Hongxiu looked bewildered. “But these are part of this servant’s duties…”
If she was not to do those tasks, then why had the second young miss asked the old madam for her?
Seeing her confusion, Shen Wan smiled. “I asked Grandmother for you because your needlework is excellent. Grandmother’s birthday and my maternal grandmother’s birthday are only a month apart. I’m embroidering a Hundred Longevity tapestry for Grandmother, but it wouldn’t be right to favor one over the other. I truly can’t manage both alone. It just so happened that Grandmother wanted to reward me with a maid, so I took the opportunity to ask for you.”
“Following me naturally can’t compare to serving Grandmother, but don’t worry, I won’t treat you unfairly.”
Shen Wan took a gold bracelet out of her dressing box and slipped it onto Hongxiu’s wrist. “This bracelet originally came as a pair. Once the Hundred Longevity tapestry is finished, I’ll reward you with the other one too.”
The heavy gold bracelet on her wrist felt almost unreal to Hongxiu.
She knew the second young miss had always been generous, but she had not expected such generosity, a casual reward was already a gold bracelet.
Earlier, she had been somewhat reluctant to come to Mingyue Courtyard, but now she felt as though a pie had fallen from the heavens straight onto her head.
Hongxiu quickly expressed her loyalty. “This servant will wholeheartedly help Miss embroider the Hundred Longevity tapestry.”
Since Shen Wan would not let her do rough chores like wiping tables or moving things around, Hongxiu suddenly had nothing else to do in the room. Having just accepted the gold bracelet, she wisely hurried off to work on the embroidery.
Seeing Shanhu’s envious expression, Shen Wan lightly tapped her forehead. “Stop envying her. I certainly won’t treat you poorly either.”
“I don’t trust her. When dealing with her in the future, neither you nor Yinchuan should reveal your true feelings to her.”