Murong Manor was even grander and more imposing than the Shen Residence.
Escorted by guards, Shen Xia was led through a long series of corridors before finally being brought to a room.
Separated by a screen, she could hear voices coming from inside.
“Reporting to Your Excellency, Li Xiao has already been confined within the Shen Residence. Should this subordinate go and…”
“We’ll discuss that later,” Murong Ke interrupted.
“Kneel!”
Someone shoved Shen Xia from behind and forced her to the floor.
“Your Excellency, Shen Duancheng’s daughter has been brought here.”
After a long silence from behind the screen, Murong Ke finally spoke in a cold voice.
“Shen Duancheng’s daughter? Then tell me, what was your purpose in approaching the Tenth Prince?”
Murong Ke’s people moved quickly.
As expected, he had been monitoring Li Xiao the entire time.
Realizing this, Shen Xia immediately lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly.
“Greetings, Prefect Murong.”
At that moment, she appeared every bit the timid and cowardly young girl.
“I… I only thought the Tenth Prince was pitiful, so I wanted to help him a little.”
“Heh.”
Murong Ke let out several cold laughs.
“You’ve already been brought before me, yet you still dare to lie. Men, drag her away, give her thirty strokes of the board, and throw her into the dungeon.”
“Your Excellency, I’m telling the truth! Thirty strokes will kill me. Please spare me!”
Shen Xia raised her head abruptly, panic filling her voice.
“Insolence! Do you think your little tricks can escape His Excellency’s sharp eyes? Weren’t you quite arrogant when you injured Young Master Tang? Weren’t you very capable then? Why are you acting so timid and frightened now?”
One of the attendants spoke with obvious disgust and stepped forward to drag her away.
“No!”
Shen Xia shrank back.
After grinding her teeth and hesitating for a long moment, she finally spoke.
“Your Excellency, I admit my guilt. I shouldn’t have meddled in the Tenth Prince’s affairs. He’s a criminal exiled to Nanli Island and deserves ten thousand deaths. I also shouldn’t have injured Young Master Tang. I only…”
“You only what? Speak honestly at once. How could a mere young woman have the courage to do such things? Was someone directing you from behind the scenes?”
At last, Murong Ke emerged from behind the screen.
Dressed in official robes, he had a gaunt face with sharply protruding cheekbones. Faint veins could even be seen beneath his skin.
It was the face of a man obsessed with power, someone who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
At that moment, he looked down at Shen Xia with undisguised contempt and disdain.
Shen Xia lifted her chin slightly. She looked terrified inside, yet was desperately trying to maintain her composure.
“It… it was my father who told me to act against Tang Wen. He dislikes the Tang Family and wants to humiliate them.”
Murong Ke exchanged a glance with his subordinates.
Shen Duancheng was indeed a scheming man. If he had instructed her to do such a thing, it was entirely plausible.
“So approaching the Tenth Prince was also Shen Duancheng’s idea?”
“No, that wasn’t my father’s idea. I wanted to curry favor with the Tenth Prince myself.”
Shen Xia hurriedly shook her head.
“You? You wanted to curry favor with the Tenth Prince?”
Murong Ke’s tone rose slightly as his sharp gaze settled on her once more.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Xia continued.
“Yes, your Excellency knows that my father has many daughters. I’m merely a daughter born of a concubine, and my situation within the residence is extremely difficult. I’ve already come of age. If I don’t start planning for my own future, my ending will be miserable.”
“The Tenth Prince may have been exiled, but he is still a prince. If I treat him well and the Emperor someday remembers him and brings him back to the capital, perhaps I’ll benefit from it too.”
As she spoke, hope appeared in her eyes, as though she were envisioning a bright future.
The attendant beside Murong Ke burst out laughing.
“Your Excellency, Shen Duancheng is a brute, and the daughter he raised is an idiot.”
“Exactly! Astonishingly stupid.”
Wasn’t she?
A lowly concubine-born daughter with ambitions higher than the heavens, dreaming of attaching herself to a prince.
Did she even understand what kind of prince Li Xiao was?
He would never rise again in this lifetime.
The moment the remnants of the Jiang Family were found, he would die.
And everyone connected to him would meet a gruesome end as well.
Murong Ke said sternly, “How dare you speculate about the Emperor’s intentions. It seems you no longer value your head.”
“Please don’t cut off my head, Your Excellency.”
Terrified, Shen Xia immediately kowtowed.
“I was forced into this. Recently, my father became determined to secure a palace selection slot for my Second Sister. He even planned to offer me to Inspector Qin. I had no choice but to take desperate measures for my own future.”
Shen Duancheng had set his sights on Inspector Qin?
A subtle change flickered across Murong Ke’s eyes.
One of his attendants quickly stepped forward.
“Your Excellency, this subordinate recalls that Shen Duancheng has been asking around recently about Inspector Qin’s preferences.”
“Didn’t you already advise him to abandon any thoughts regarding the palace selection? Yet he’s still making moves behind your back. Could it be that he truly intends to move his entire family to the capital?”
“Hmph. A crude brute who started as a pirate actually wants to go to the capital? If he leaves, who will earn money for us?”
The final sentence caused Murong Ke’s expression to darken considerably.
“What else has your father been doing? Speak honestly.”
Shen Xia’s face turned deathly pale as she shook her head.
“I… I don’t know anything else. My father said that if I became Inspector Qin’s concubine, my Second Sister would be able to enter the palace. If she succeeded in winning favor there, the Shen Family could eventually leave Nanli Island.”
“So the dog that appears loyal actually wants to run away.”
Murong Ke’s voice grew noticeably colder.
“Continue.”
“I truly don’t know anything else. The reason I’ve caused such chaos within the Shen Family recently is because I don’t want to become Inspector Qin’s concubine. I heard he’s already over fifty years old.”
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.
Her voice choked with sobs.
“I’ve always obeyed my father. Whatever he told me to do, I did. Why does he still have to sacrifice me to pave the way for my Second Sister?”
“Your Excellency, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have set my sights on the Tenth Prince. Please spare me.”
By the end, she was kowtowing once again.
“Your Excellency, another message has arrived from Shen Duancheng,” a servant reported. “He says his seventh daughter is a disaster. You may dispose of her however you wish. If you are not satisfied, he is even willing to kill her himself.”
The moment Shen Xia heard this, panic completely overtook her.
She crawled forward, trying to grab Murong Ke’s robes.
“Your Excellency, you’re a benevolent man. Please spare my life.”
Murong Ke lowered his gaze and looked at her. A calculating gleam flashed through his eyes.
Leaning down slightly, he asked probingly, “Your father treats you this way. Do you hate him?”
At those words, overwhelming hatred instantly surged into Shen Xia’s eyes.
Her fingers dug deeply into the floor.
Grinding her teeth, she remained silent.
“If I could save your life, how would you repay me?”
The temptation in his voice was unmistakable.
Shen Xia immediately looked up.
“As long as Your Excellency spares my life, I’ll do anything.”
Murong Ke’s expression softened.
“What if I ordered you to monitor your father?”
“I’ll do it. I’ll do it. As long as I can live, I’ll do anything.”
Shen Xia nodded frantically.
“Very good, you’re sensible. I like that.”
“Besides that, there’s another matter I need you to handle. I heard that when you dealt with Tang Wen today, the Tenth Prince actually cooperated with you. Are the two of you close?”
At that question, Shen Xia shook her head.
“My relationship with the Tenth Prince isn’t particularly close, but he is grateful for the help I’ve given him over the past few days.”
“Oh?”
Murong Ke exchanged another look with his subordinates, all of them calculating silently.
He personally helped Shen Xia to her feet.
“You’re a clever girl. I can give you an opportunity. However, you must follow my orders and report every move made by both your father and the Tenth Prince.”
“If I obey you, does that mean I won’t die and won’t have to marry Inspector Qin?”
Shen Xia’s face was full of innocent hope.
“Of course! In fact, I can even promise you this: one day, the Shen Family may be yours to command.”
Murong Ke spoke in a persuasive tone.
“I’ll do it! I’ll do anything you ask!”
Shen Xia nodded eagerly, her eyes filled with admiration and flattery toward him.
“Mu Sheng, bring over a bowl of medicine.”
Murong Ke turned to the man beside him.
“Yes, Your Excellency.”