“What?”
Shen Duancheng’s face instantly turned pale.
He remembered now.
Back then, when Murong Ke had ordered him to locate every person on the island bearing the surname Yuan, he had come across Ruan Niang. The moment he saw her extraordinary beauty, he was captivated.
At the time, he knew nothing about the Yuan Family in the capital. He assumed Murong Ke merely intended to deal with refugees, so he secretly brought Ruan Niang into the residence and changed her name.
Later, he took a fancy to several other women as well…
Gradually, the matter slipped from his mind.
Could this pendant really have belonged to Ruan Niang?
“No, no, no. This absolutely cannot have belonged to Ruan Niang.”
“How can it not have belonged to my mother?”
“She was a courtesan. How could she possibly have any connection to a great noble family in the capital? She…”
“Heh.”
Shen Xia let out a cold laugh.
“Have you forgotten? When the Yuan Family was sentenced to exile, the women were turned into prostitutes and the men into slaves.”
The words struck Shen Duancheng like a thunderclap.
“And besides, considering my mother’s talents, it would hardly be surprising if she had once been a young lady of the Yuan Family.”
Shen Xia’s quiet words caused Shen Duancheng’s expression to grow increasingly troubled.
Yes! Ruan Niang had indeed been intelligent.
Back then, it was she who had persuaded him to hand over half of the Shen Family’s wealth to Murong Ke.
Only later did he learn that Murong Ke had already intended to strip him of his power. Had he not acted wisely and surrendered half his fortune early, the Shen Family might have ceased to exist long ago.
The family’s survival owed much to Ruan Niang.
He had once admired her.
Yet every time he remembered that she had come from a brothel and that he had not been her first man, a thorn would lodge itself in his heart.
That was why, when he later learned that his mother had poisoned Ruan Niang to death, he had chosen to turn a blind eye.
“Where is the other half of the jade pendant?” Shen Duancheng continued staring at Shen Xia, calculations rapidly forming in his mind.
“Father, I know exactly what you’re thinking. You believe I’m difficult to control, and if I truly establish ties with the capital, it won’t benefit the Shen Family. That’s why you want the complete pendant so you can find someone else to impersonate me.”
Standing for so long had made Shen Xia tired, so she simply walked over and sat down before calmly exposing his intentions.
Shen Duancheng’s expression darkened, his eyes growing gloomy.
She had seen straight through him.
Indeed, he had planned to give the pendant to Ying’er.
If both of the daughters he valued most could enter the capital, then the Shen Family’s move there would only be a matter of time.
Shen Duancheng opened his mouth, intending to threaten her.
But Shen Xia spoke first.
“I can give you the pendant. But I have conditions.”
Shen Duancheng narrowed his eyes.
“What conditions?”
“I want your guarantee that no one in the Shen Family will trouble me while I remain here. When Shen Yi enters the palace, I will hand over the pendant. Whether you choose someone else to impersonate a descendant of the Yuan Family has nothing to do with me.”
Hopefully, you’ll still be alive by then.
“I…”
“You can lock me up right now and force me to hand over the other half of the pendant. But I’ve been abused for so many years that I no longer care about living. At worst, we’ll perish together. You’ll never obtain the other half, and you’ll lose this opportunity forever.”
Shen Xia turned the tables and threatened Shen Duancheng instead, forcing him to swallow the words he had been about to say.
His fists clenched tightly, his teeth grinding in anger.
Never had he imagined that one day he would be threatened by the daughter he had always despised the most.
Yet judging by her expression, she truly seemed willing to drag them both down together.
Holding the half pendant, Shen Duancheng’s thoughts churned.
Forget it.
For the sake of the Shen Family’s future among the great aristocratic clans, he would take the gamble.
“You had better keep your word. Otherwise, I’ll send you to join your mother.”
His warning was cold and sinister, carrying none of the affection a father should have for his daughter.
Still, letting her live for another month or so in the Shen Family was hardly a difficult matter.
Once Inspector Qin arrived, he would seize the pendant and send her away.
Shen Xia stood, brushed the dust from her clothes, and left without looking back.
In truth, the original host’s mother had never been a descendant of the Yuan Family.
She had merely been the personal maid of a Yuan Family young lady. Having grown up together, the two had been extremely close, and because of that relationship, she had also been given the chance to learn to read and write.
She could have escaped.
But for the sake of her young mistress, she willingly followed the Yuan Family into exile.
And for her young mistress’s sake, she even chose to become a courtesan.
Unfortunately, there were simply too many members of the Yuan Family. She could not protect them, not even the young lady she served.
In the end, she could not even protect herself.
Many members of the Shen Family had played a part in Ruan Niang’s death. Since Shen Xia now inhabited the original host’s body, she would avenge her.
The Yuan Family pendant was a death warrant.
She fully intended to hand it over to Shen Duancheng eventually.
Before that, however, she still intended to make use of it.
Outside, Qianzhu and the others waited anxiously, all assuming Shen Xia was being punished inside.
To their surprise, when the door opened, Shen Xia emerged completely unharmed.
Even more shocking was the order that followed from inside the study.
“From today onward, no one is permitted to cause trouble for Seventh Miss. Keep an eye on Third Miss and Old Madam. If they make a fuss, tell them it is my command.”
Th-this…
The servants exchanged bewildered looks.
Even Qianzhu was deeply shocked.
What exactly had Shen Xia done to receive such preferential treatment?
“Hold the umbrella. It’s time to return.”
Shen Xia’s cool voice snapped Qianzhu from her thoughts.
Startled, she quickly steadied herself.
“Yes, Seventh Miss.”
Carefully holding the umbrella over Shen Xia, Qianzhu stole several glances at her before finally asking,
“Seventh Miss, what exactly was the item you had me send out of the residence tonight?”
Could that item really be the reason Master was suddenly willing to protect her?
Just what was it?
She received no answer.
Instead, Shen Xia gave her a half-smile that wasn’t quite a smile, causing Qianzhu’s expression to stiffen.
Lowering her head at once, she said softly,
“Master’s willingness to protect Seventh Miss is your own achievement. This servant shouldn’t pry.”
“However, there is one thing I still don’t understand. Did you really kill Tao’er?”
Back in the hall, Shen Xia had openly admitted responsibility.
Yet her words, ‘Since Grandmother says I killed them, then I killed them,’ sounded neither like a confession nor entirely like defiance.
What kind of murderer would be so frank about it?
Could she have said it deliberately?
“And what do you think?” Shen Xia asked.
Stopping in her tracks, she bent slightly forward, her chilly gaze sweeping over Qianzhu.
Those dark eyes stared directly at her, enveloping her in an endless coldness.
Qianzhu immediately lowered her head.
“This servant should not be curious about Seventh Miss’s affairs. Let me escort you back.”
Seventh Miss truly seemed like an entirely different person now.
Sometimes, merely meeting her gaze for a moment left Qianzhu feeling deeply unsettled.
But could a person really change so drastically overnight?