Zhou Jinyan personally escorted Shen Yiren and Xiao Ba to the entrance of the General’s Mansion and left his guard, Cang Ming, behind.
Cang Ming hesitated slightly but still bowed in acknowledgment under his master’s gaze.
“If anything happens to Miss Shen, you will be held accountable.”
“Understood.”
“So, does he have to listen to me from now on?” Shen Yiren asked, looking at the man in the carriage.
Zhou Jinyan nodded.
Shen Yiren smiled—she now had a follower in the human world too!
Turning to enter the General’s Mansion, Xiao Ba walked beside Shen Yiren, carrying a jar, while the guard Cang Ming followed behind them.
“Second Miss?” The steward was taken aback upon seeing Shen Yiren. Hadn’t Madam gone to capture the Second Miss? How was it that the Second Miss had returned so boldly, while Madam and the servants sent to capture her were nowhere to be seen?
“And who are these two?”
“You’re the one who’s ‘second.’ I’m the only young lady in the General’s Mansion.” Shen Yiren glanced at the steward. In the mansion, apart from her biological father, everyone had looked down on her original self. Once the Family Head left, the disdain only grew, both openly and covertly.
“Why must the Second Miss still argue about this? The Elderly Lady herself declared that the Eldest Miss is the legitimate daughter, and the Second Miss is the secondary one—both are young ladies of the General’s Mansion.” The steward gave a maid beside him a look, signaling her to inform the Elderly Lady.
“Treating a fake as a treasure—old and blind.” Shen Yiren couldn’t help but marvel at the human race’s talent for inventing words. She said to the steward with a straight face, “Since you don’t acknowledge me, go to the mountain you pledge allegiance to.”
In the demon race, it had always been about proving one’s strength to claim territory. If the lesser demons in the mountain didn’t acknowledge you, you had to quickly leave for another place.
“Cang Ming? Take him to Duke Anguo’s residence. Since he only acknowledges Shen Qingrui as his master, he should stay by Shen Qingrui’s side as a servant.” Shen Yiren gave orders to her follower with practiced ease.
Cang Ming had always followed orders. The Prince had instructed him to obey Miss Shen’s commands and protect her well, so he had to make this trip quickly.
Thus, he grabbed the steward of the General’s Mansion by the collar at the back of his neck and leaped across rooftops and walls.
He tossed the steward at the entrance of Duke Anguo’s residence and relayed the message: “Miss Shen says that since he only acknowledges Shen Qingrui as his master, he should rightfully stay by Shen Qingrui’s side as a servant.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingrui’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot, let alone having a wedding night.
The instigator, Shen Yiren, was currently taking Xiao Ba to forage for food in the kitchen. Xiao Ba could eat dirt, but she, now in a mortal body, couldn’t survive on dirt alone.
“Second Miss, you mustn’t drink that! That’s the pigeon soup stewed for the Elderly Lady!” The cook stood nearby, anxiously wringing her hands.
Shen Yiren was eating heartily, her mouth greasy, while Xiao Ba held a bowl and gulped down the soup in big mouthfuls.
Having waited in vain for Shen Yiren to come to her, the Elderly Lady personally sought her out in the kitchen. She stomped her cane on the ground, clearly furious.
Mammy Lü, who attended to the Elderly Lady, demanded, “Second Miss, why didn’t you go to Fu’an Hall as the Elderly Lady summoned you? Instead, you came to the kitchen to steal food?”
“Well, she has legs and can come here herself, right?” Shen Yiren looked at the Elderly Lady standing at the doorway, who seemed unwilling to enter due to the kitchen’s greasy fumes.
The Elderly Lady was fingering her prayer beads, but dark circles lingered under her eyes—it seemed she hadn’t slept well at night.
Huh? She was also wearing the calming sachet that Shen Yiren’s original self had personally made, hanging from her waist.
“How dare you!” Mammy Lü put on airs again. “Second Miss, why haven’t you risen to greet the Elderly Lady upon seeing her?”
A person in their fifties or sixties expecting her, a Ginseng Spirit who had lived for millennia, to bow? Shen Yiren wiped her mouth, stood up, and walked out.
The Elderly Lady saw her come out and began to accuse with a stern face, “You ran away from the marriage, fine, but why did you have to go to Duke Anguo’s mansion and cause a scene at the wedding hall? You’ve shamed our General’s Mansion and damaged the harmony between our two families! Shen Yiren, after two years of careful upbringing in the General’s Mansion, is this how you repay us—with such ingratitude!”
Shen Yiren stared at the pouch hanging from her waist. The stitching wasn’t particularly fine, but it had been sewn stitch by stitch by the original owner in a cramped side courtyard, lit only by a lamp. Inside were sandalwood, albizia flowers, and sour jujube seeds—all meant to soothe the nerves and aid sleep…
The sandalwood was expensive, exhausting the original owner’s meager savings. The albizia flowers were gathered by hand, and the sour jujubes were knocked down with a bamboo pole.
She reached toward the Elderly Lady’s waist and yanked off the pouch.
The Elderly Lady staggered from the force.
Mammy Lü quickly steadied her and scolded again, “Second Miss, are you trying to harm the Elderly Lady?”
“Stop barking, or I’ll lock you up.” Shen Yiren turned to the Elderly Lady. “You curse me with your mouth, yet you use this pouch for soothing nerves and sleep without a hint of hesitation.”
She gave a cold smile. “Why can’t you sleep? Too many guilty deeds weighing on your conscience?”
The Elderly Lady’s face darkened frighteningly. How had this girl grown so bold after just one outing?
But so what? She was still her grandmother, her elder!
“Shen Yiren, kneel before me.”
Shen Yiren ignored her. The Elderly Lady ordered Mammy Lü to force her down.
But Shen Yiren was quicker. She grabbed Mammy Lü by the back of the neck and, with a slight exertion of force, pressed the elderly mammy to her knees, bit by bit.
“See? Kneeling.”
“E-Elderly Lady…” Mammy Lü felt as if a mountain were pressing on the back of her neck, pain contorting her face.
This crude girl raised in the countryside truly had brute strength!
“Shen Yiren!” The Elderly Lady stamped her cane again, her chest heaving with anger as if she were struggling to breathe.
“That’s me.”
“Guards!” The Elderly Lady called for the servants. Today, she refused to believe she couldn’t suppress this disrespectful wretch, Shen Yiren. “Seize her for me!”
A tall, straight figure stepped in front of Shen Yiren.
Her little brother had returned. She no longer needed to act.
Cang Ming raised his sword to block the advancing servants. Intimidated by his imposing presence, they halted in their tracks.
The Elderly Lady demanded, “Shen Yiren, is this the adulterer who helped you run away from the marriage? You dare bring him into our home? Fine! Tie them both up, along with that boy in the kitchen! Drown them in the pond! Our Shen family will act as if Shen Yiren never existed!”
Cang Ming produced a token. “I am Prince Duan’s personal guard. Who dares act recklessly?”
Shen Yiren’s eyes widened. “?”
Wasn’t he her little brother?
“Prince Duan?” The Elderly Lady didn’t believe it. “What Prince Duan? Seize them!”
“Wait! Mother-in-law! Wait!” Lady Shen, who had arrived late, rushed over and grabbed the Elderly Lady’s arm. “He truly is Prince Duan’s man. Yiren was also personally escorted back to the mansion by Prince Duan.”
The Elderly Lady stopped the servants and asked the guard before her, “What is Yiren’s relationship with Prince Duan?”
Cang Ming was merely a guard. How would he know about his master’s affairs? He remained silent, simply gripping his sword and standing beside Shen Yiren.
Seeing that she couldn’t have them seized, the Elderly Lady suppressed her anger and continued questioning, “Shen Yiren, the matter of you eloping and running away from the marriage is still unresolved. And what of your chastity? Is it still intact?”
“A woman’s chastity is paramount. Other matters can wait, but your chastity must be verified now. If you are no longer pure, you cannot remain in the Shen family and disgrace the General’s Mansion!”
Lady Shen also felt this matter was significant and cooperated by summoning experienced mammies from the estate, determined to conduct an examination.
However, Prince Duan’s guards posed a slight challenge.
The Elderly Lady spoke up: “Sir Guard, even an impartial official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. As Prince Duan’s guard, you cannot obstruct us from handling our family affairs.”
Cang Ming: “The Prince has ordered that Miss Shen must not suffer the slightest harm.”
Lady Shen: “It’s merely an examination of her person. What harm could possibly come of it?”