"Fetch Miss Shen a clean set of clothes," Xiao Beili spoke again.
Someone quietly acknowledged the order.
Xiao Beili glanced at the door behind him, gripped Shen Mingtang's hand, and directly kicked the door open with his foot.
Shen Mingtang was dragged inside by him.
Due to the banquet being held today, every guest room had charcoal burning, making the interior exceptionally warm.
Yet Shen Mingtang remained uneasy. "I still want to go find my mother."
"Change your clothes first," Xiao Beili said impatiently. "Fool, they pushed you into the water—why didn't you fight back? Just let them bully you like that?"
Now that Shen Mingtang was connected to him, her being bullied meant slapping his face.
He would soon find out who dared to be so audacious.
"I also—"
Just as Shen Mingtang was about to explain, she suddenly heard stumbling footsteps at the door. The steps sounded heavy, like those of a man.
A terrifying thought abruptly surfaced in her mind.
She slowly turned her head, her gaze shifting toward the inner room. The next moment, she rushed to the door and bolted it shut.
Shen Mingtang hurried to the inner chamber.
Sure enough, someone was lying on the bed inside. The bed curtains had already been drawn. She stepped forward and lifted them, confirming it was Qin Shi's face.
Qin Shi's chest rose and fell slightly, her breathing steady, no different from being asleep.
Xiao Beili followed her in.
He guessed something. "Is this your mother?"
Shen Mingtang nodded. "It's my mother, but why would she be sleeping so soundly here?"
Normally, although guest rooms were provided for rest, most ladies had maids attending them.
Qin Shi had brought two maids with her to the Liu residence today.
Where were the maids?
When Xiao Beili kicked the door open earlier, it had clearly been left ajar.
Shen Mingtang had no time to ponder further when the door was pushed from the outside several times.
A slimy male voice called out, "Beauty, beauty, are you in there?"
Shen Mingtang closed her eyes.
In her previous life, if nothing had gone wrong, Qin Shi had been sleeping at the Liu residence when a man barged into her room.
That was why Qin Shi was completely neglected by her father, fell seriously ill, and never went out again.
Everything fell into place now.
"Do you know who that is outside?" Shen Mingtang opened her eyes and asked the person beside her.
Xiao Beili nodded. "From the voice, it's the Yuchang Marquis Heir."
Shen Mingtang knew of this heir—the Empress Dowager's nephew, the current Noble Consort's younger brother, and also the maternal uncle of the Third Prince, Hong Wang.
She also knew that this heir was no longer young and was extremely lustful.
Rumor had it that, relying on the influence of the Empress Dowager and the Noble Consort, he had forcibly taken beauties in the capital and been reported to the authorities several times, but the matters always ended unresolved.
Someone had schemed against Qin Shi, and they had used him.
"Shen Mingyue," Shen Mingtang gritted her teeth. "How dare she!"
The only person she could think of was Shen Mingyue. Besides Shen Mingyue, she couldn't imagine who else would use such a vicious method to target Qin Shi.
"Beauty inside, if you don't open the door, I'll kick it down!" the Yuchang Marquis Heir shouted, then lazily ordered his attendants, "Come, break this door down for me."
The servants acknowledged and efficiently rushed forward to ram the door.
The door wasn't particularly sturdy. Under the forceful impact, it soon gave way.
At that moment, Shen Mingtang's cloak was tightened around her, and she was shielded behind Xiao Beili.
Xiao Beili stood with his hands behind his back, silently watching the newcomers.
The Yuchang Marquis Heir stumbled in reeking of alcohol, barely steadying himself. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be seeing things.
"Prince Rui?"
But then he caught sight of the young girl peeking out from behind Prince Rui, and his eyes immediately lit up.
He cupped his hands toward Xiao Beili, "Prince Rui, that beauty was specially prepared for me by the Liu family. If Your Highness wants one too, you should ask the Lius for another. This beauty belongs to me."
When Xiao Beili remained silent, he continued, "As the saying goes, a gentleman doesn't take what others cherish. If Your Highness is interested, we could… share her."
Truth was, the beauty behind him was so exceptionally lovely that he couldn't bear to give her up to Prince Rui.
Women were his heaven, especially such an outstanding beauty.
"Get out." Xiao Beili said calmly.
The Marquis Heir felt displeased at being spoken to like this – this was rightfully his beauty.
Although Prince Rui was an imperial prince, by seniority, Prince Rui should actually address him as uncle. Moreover, since Prince Rui's return to the capital, he hadn't gained the Emperor's favor at all.
His own nephew was the most likely candidate to inherit the throne in the future.
Thinking this, the Marquis Heir grew bolder. "Prince Rui, I've already made concessions. If you don't know what's good for you, aren't you afraid I'll impeach you before the Emperor?"
He patted his chest, "Don't forget, the Empress Dowager is my aunt."
Shen Mingtang had already found Qin Shi and had long released her earlier anxiety.
Watching the Marquis Heir jumping around excitedly while Xiao Beili's expression grew increasingly unpleasant, she somehow felt like laughing.
Just then, an exquisite dagger was suddenly presented before her.
Shen Mingtang looked up in confusion.
"What?"
Xiao Beili curled his lips, "Practice your courage. Kill him."
Seeing the arrogant smile in the man's eyes, Shen Mingtang felt a chill creeping up her spine.
She had almost forgotten – while it was true that Xiao Beili repaid kindness, he was never merciful.
Killing someone – he really would do it.
"What, afraid?" Xiao Beili raised an eyebrow. "Miss Shen, you asked for my protection. I can't very well protect a useless waste, can I?"
With that, he shoved the dagger into Shen Mingtang's hand and pushed her forward.
"Go on." Xiao Beili said.
Shen Mingtang staggered a few steps clutching the dagger, looking at the Marquis Heir who was only steps away.
Seeing their interaction, the Marquis Heir grew even more excited than before. He rubbed his hands together, eyes shining.
He hadn't heard what Xiao Beili said.
"I never knew Prince Rui had such… stimulating tastes." The Heir smiled until his eyes curved, reaching out to touch Shen Mingtang's face. "I'll broaden my horizons today… Ah!"
Just as his hand was about to touch Shen Mingtang's cheek, the dagger in her hand moved.
The dagger stabbed fiercely toward the Marquis Heir's heart.
But her strength was ultimately no match for a man's. The Marquis Heir instinctively raised his arm to block, so the dagger slashed across his forearm.
The Marquis Heir stared in disbelief at his bleeding arm, the pain dawning late and twisting his expression.
"You bitch! How dare you stab me!" He jumped around howling. "Guards! Tie her up for me! I'll make her beg for death!"
But no one came in from outside.
Shen Mingtang looked up and glanced outside, only to see Prince Rui's guards already pinning the Yuchang Marquis Heir's servant to the ground, rendering him immobile.
Her gaze fell upon the bloodstained dagger, and for some reason, a surge of courage gradually welled up within her.
So what if she killed someone?
So what if she killed someone!
Having been reborn, she would never again be that timid Shen Mingtang. She needed to grow stronger to protect herself and her mother.
Seeing that his servant outside wasn't coming to his aid, the Yuchang Marquis Heir, both in pain and fury, stepped forward himself to seize Shen Mingtang.
"This heir will kill you—"
Mid-sentence, he met Shen Mingtang's lifted gaze and was momentarily frozen in place by the ferocity in her eyes.
At that moment, he truly felt the young girl before him genuinely wished to kill him.
Shen Mingtang slowly raised the dagger and took a step forward.
With each step she advanced, the Yuchang Marquis Heir involuntarily retreated a step.
"You… just wait, this heir will make you pay." The Yuchang Marquis Heir quickly glanced at Prince Rui, who was lounging casually in a chair, and seeing the prince's indifference, his heart sank even further.
Without hesitation, he clutched his injured arm, turned, and fled.
In his panic, his legs gave way, causing him to stumble, and his swift escape quickly turned into a clumsy, scrambling retreat.
Shen Mingtang moved to pursue him.
Xiao Beili had, at some point, positioned himself behind her. "Enough. I'm satisfied that you dared to kill him."
"If I had truly killed him, wouldn't Wangye face trouble?" Shen Mingtang asked softly.
"So what if I did," Xiao Beili sneered coldly.