Feng Shuying said bluntly, "Then I must trouble Uncle to have Aunt slap herself ten times as an apology, and then return everything she has taken from me over the years."
Lin Shuzheng was stunned.
She certainly had the nerve to say that!
He glared at her and asked, "Do you even know what you're saying?"
Feng Shuying replied, "I do. Uncle just said you wouldn't let anyone bully me anymore, yet Aunt has done nothing but beat and scold me all these years."
"Just moments ago, Aunt was still hurling insults at me. It’s only right that she shows some sincerity and apologizes to me, isn't it?"
"And after the apology, it’s only fair she returns the property she claimed to be 'safekeeping' for me because I was 'young and ignorant'!"
Lin Shuzheng was speechless.
He felt that Feng Shuying was a bit different from the girl in his memory. In the past, whenever he spoke like this, she would immediately obey him.
But today, she actually demanded he return the money. How was that possible!
Lin Shuzheng looked at Feng Shuying and said, "Shuying, your aunt is your elder…"
"Ah!" Lin Wanting shrieked. Feng Shuying had drawn the knife across her neck once more.
If this cut had been a bit higher, it would have slashed Lin Wanting’s face; a bit lower, and it would have slit her throat.
Feng Shuying said with an agitated expression, "So everything Uncle said just now was a lie!"
"In your heart, is everything Aunt does to me always right, no matter what?"
"Chu Wang said that if I cannot bring a generous dowry when I marry him, he will curse me to death with his Mingge before the wedding!"
"Since I’m going to die either way, I might as well take my cousin down with me today!"
As she spoke, she raised the knife, looking as if she were about to plunge it into Lin Wanting’s throat.
Lin Shuzheng and Madam Hua shouted simultaneously, "Stop!"
Feng Shuying looked at them, and Madam Hua said urgently, "Let’s talk this through calmly!"
With reddened eyes, Feng Shuying demanded, "Apologize!"
Madam Hua gnashed her teeth in hatred, but she was unwilling to slap herself.
Lin Wanting cried out in panic, "Mother, save me!"
She was truly terrified now. Feng Shuying’s life was worthless—it didn't matter if she died—but Lin Wanting couldn't die!
Chen Wang had promised her that if she handled this matter well, he would marry her as his primary consort.
Everyone knew that Chen Wang was the Emperor’s most favored son. If she became the Princess of Chen Wang, she would become the Empress, the Mother of the World, once he ascended the throne!
No matter how unwilling Madam Hua was, she had no choice but to say, "Shuying, I’m sorry. I was too impatient when I was disciplining you, which caused you to misunderstand me."
"You were young before, so I helped you manage the inheritance left by your parents."
"Rest assured, when you marry Chu Wang, I will definitely give you all the property your parents left behind to take with you as your dowry."
Feng Shuying turned to Lin Shuzheng and asked, "Uncle, is this true?"
Lin Shuzheng replied, "Of course it’s true. With me here, not a single penny of what your parents left will be withheld from you."
Feng Shuying sniffled and said, "I’ll believe you once you put it in writing."
Lin Shuzheng: "…"
He glanced at Feng Shuying and saw the girl’s eyes filled with tears and her body trembling; she was clearly terrified.
He felt reassured again. She was still the same pushover as before, just driven to desperation by Chu Wang, which gave her the momentary courage to come home and cause a scene.
He said, "You child, you won't even trust your own uncle. Fine, I will do as you wish."
He then had someone bring brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and wrote a pledge stating he would return all the assets left by her parents.
Feng Shuying scanned the document. Seeing no traps in the wording, she reached out and took the pledge.
After securing the paper, the short blade in her hand seemed to slip accidentally, slicing across Lin Shuzheng’s palm.
The moment she cut him, the tip of the blade flickered slightly, collecting Lin Shuzheng’s blood into a small vial hidden in her sleeve.
Lin Shuzheng looked at her, and she said in a fluster, "Uncle, I really didn't mean to hurt you! Are you okay?"
As she spoke, she brandished the knife wildly, nearly catching Lin Shuzheng’s throat.
Lin Shuzheng scrambled back several steps in fright. "I believe you didn't mean it! Just stay right there and don't move!"
Feng Shuying gave an "oh" but then said, "Uncle, I have no clothes to wear!"
Fearing she would wave the knife at him again, Lin Shuzheng immediately shouted, "Have your aunt make some for you!"
Feng Shuying waved the knife once more. "Uncle, in all the years I've been at Lin Fu, Aunt has never given me my monthly allowance."
Lin Shuzheng pulled a hundred-tael silver note from his robe and tossed it to her. "I'll make it up to you!"
After catching the note, Feng Shuying sniffled and said, "Uncle is so kind!"
Having secured what she wanted, she knew when to stop. Clutching the silver note and the written pledge, she turned and headed back to her room to rest.
She seemed to have completely forgotten about her demand for Madam Hua to slap herself.
Once she was gone, Madam Hua rushed to help Lin Wanting up. "Wanting, are you alright?"
Lin Wanting had been truly traumatized today. She wept, "Mother, that bitch Feng Shuying has gone mad!"
Madam Hua said hatefully, "What audacity! She dared to use a knife on us today; who knows if she'll set the house on fire tomorrow!"
She turned to Lin Shuzheng. "Master, we must teach Feng Shuying a lesson!"
Before she could finish, Lin Shuzheng slapped her. "I warned you before not to push things too far, but you wouldn't listen!"
"Even a cornered rabbit will bite, let alone a human!"
Madam Hua felt wronged. "If I hadn't taken money from Feng Shuying to pave your way, how could you have been promoted so quickly?"
"Besides, with Chu Wang's Mingge, it's impossible for Feng Shuying to survive the marriage. What does it matter if we went a bit overboard?"
Lin Shuzheng didn't answer her. He simply said, "No matter when she dies, we mustn't be too obvious on the surface."
"Now that she has been betrothed to Chu Wang, there are plenty of people who want her dead. We don't need to lift a finger."
Lin Wanting bit her lip, her hands clenched into fists. Even if many people outside wanted Feng Shuying dead, after what she did today, she had to die by her hand!
Otherwise, how could she become the Princess of Chen Wang?
Meanwhile, Feng Shuying had returned to her courtyard. Looking at the dilapidated little place, she let out a faint smirk.
The courtyard was barely more than a roof with four leaking walls; it was essentially no different from the livestock sheds she had seen while traveling in her past life.
The people of Lin Fu truly knew how to sink to new lows.
Under these circumstances, what could she do to change her situation?
Resting her chin in one hand and propping up her elbow with the other, she quickly thought of a plan.
With a light chuckle, she paced around her broken courtyard and found a fire starter in her room.
She ripped down the curtains, set them ablaze, and in an instant, the flames soared toward the sky…