Cen Xi couldn't bear to watch his dramatic performance, but she became interested in the "Pearl" he was talking about.

How beautiful must that girl be to have captivated this guy so much that he's resorting to both soft and hard tactics?

"Zhuzhu is beautiful? She..., did she have any other men before you?"

"Yes, but I don't care. She's really a good girl. I was pretty ridiculous before I met her. I'm not that kind of shallow person."

Feng Qin didn't know why Cen Xi asked that, but he really wanted to marry Zhu Zhu.

"How good? If you can put it nicely, this princess can help you cover up your lie, and maybe even help you get a bigger bonus. You know your young master's nature, I might be able to help you swindle a large sum of money."

Cen Xi's eyes sparkled as she smiled meaningfully.

“I don’t believe you, I won’t tell you! Mistress, you’re definitely up to no good. If you tell me, I estimate I’ll have to pay you a lot of money.”

Fengqin instinctively became wary the moment she saw the smile on her lips.

"I don't like you, but I like beautiful women, especially those with tragic backstories. I have an overwhelming sense of compassion. Just tell me, don't worry, this princess always keeps her word."

When Cen Xi is in a bad mood, she wants to hear stories, so now she has to force Feng Qin to tell one.

"you…"

Feng Qin was a little confused. He felt that he didn't know whether to speak or not.

Because he simply couldn't guess what Cen Xi's decision would be after hearing it.

"I don't need you. I'll give you five counts of time. If you don't tell me, after your young master comes back, I'll tell him that I've fallen for you and that you'll move into the princess's mansion and live with me as my little husband. If he doesn't strangle you, I'm not a Cen."

Cen Xi found teasing Feng Qin particularly interesting. Now that Bai Ze from Haicheng had left, she could just listen to the stories and watch the excitement from outside.

"Mistress! Can't you just let me go?"

"cannot!"

"Ah! Hahaha! You and the young master are a match made in heaven, both of you are utterly shameless!"

Seeing that she couldn't escape, Fengqin sat down on the ground, pretending to struggle in her death throes.

"To talk or not to talk? I'm starting to count."

"one."

"two."

"I'll tell you, but there's really not much to tell. Zhuzhu used to be a lady from a respectable family, but she was an illegitimate daughter. In the inner quarters, she was bullied terribly by her grandmother. After her mother died, her stepmother found someone to ruin her reputation. In the end, her family couldn't tolerate her anymore. Under her stepmother's insistence, her family held a funeral for her and then sold her into a brothel as a maid."

"When I took a liking to her, she was in a brothel, being bullied by her own brother. I lent a hand to her, and that's how our relationship began."

“She has a kind of protective instinct about her. Every time I go to a brothel, I would go and see her, listen to her play the zither. Over time, we developed feelings for each other. I didn’t want her to stay in a place like a brothel, and I wanted to give her a home. So when I left the capital this time, I told her to wait for me, and that I would marry her when I got back.”

When Fengqin talked about Zhuzhu, the playful smile on his face turned into seriousness and heartache, showing that he was truly moved this time.

"She really looks tragic. Is she pretty? Does she have a melancholic beauty?"

Cen Xi loves looking at beautiful women. Judging from what he said, she must be an extremely beautiful woman, otherwise she wouldn't be so disliked by her family.

"Your description is so apt, Madam. It is a kind of melancholy beauty. Every time I see her, I want to smooth her furrowed brow and give her a peaceful old age."

Fengqin felt gratified that Cenxi understood why he liked Zhuzhu.

"Alright, we'll remember this. I'll go back and see you, Zhuzhu. I won't say a word to your young master until I see him. I won't say anything nice or bad. This princess wants to see if you're lying or not."

After hearing such a brief story, Cen Xi's desire to tease Feng Qin diminished considerably.

She thought she should go to Haicheng again; maybe she could be of some help.

Although she harbored deep resentment towards Shen Jinchen, she could still distinguish between internal and external matters. She would drive out the external enemy first before settling accounts with that scoundrel.

“How could I possibly lie? I haven’t done anything wrong, and I’ve always been obedient to you. Why do you find fault with me?”

Feng Qin felt wronged. He really thought he had tried his best to please this woman, so why did it always seem to be so ineffective?

"Because of you... because you're Shen Jinchen's person, and everything you say and do puts him first, so naturally you won't get any favors from me. I don't think you're stupid, so why can't you understand this?"

Cen Xi looked at him with a mocking expression.

"Okay, fine! I will definitely play dead from now on. Just ignore me like a blade of grass."

Feng Qin glanced at Cen Xi in disbelief, then reluctantly gave in.

"No, leave! I have no one else to rely on right now, so you'll have to be my conscript for the time being. If you want to marry Zhuzhu, you'll have to obey me from this moment on."

Cen Xi rejected his words without hesitation. Feng Qin was quite capable; it would be foolish for her not to use such a useful person. Besides, she held his lifeline in her hands. If she didn't squeeze out every last drop of value from him, her threat would have been in vain.

"My goodness, mistress, can't you just let me go?"

Feng Qin let out a long sigh, feeling so frustrated she wanted to scratch the wall.

"No way!"

"Why? I really haven't offended you."

"Because your young master offended me."

Cen Xi watched Feng Qin's frustration with a smile, her arms crossed. The more upset he was, the happier she felt.

Feng Qin, with a constipated expression, said: "..."

"Speechless now, huh? If you have nothing to say, then come with me to Haicheng to help out. Let those damned Di Rong people pay the price, and it would be best if we could storm the royal court."

After Cen Xi realized that Feng Qin was no longer of any value to tease, he decided to drag him to war.

"Madam, your ambitions are truly lofty. Aren't you dissatisfied with the young master? Why are you still helping him?"

Feng Qin's mood was like a rollercoaster. He really didn't understand what kind of taste his young master had in this woman.

What should he do if he's now driven to the point of wanting to kill his master?

Damn, this woman is too difficult to deal with.

"If I want to help, I will. Why do I need to ask why? Why are you being so indecisive?"

Seeing Feng Qin angry, Cen Xi became even more calm and composed.

"I apologize for speaking out of turn. Whatever the mistress says goes. If you point east, I will never go west. If you tell me to eat grass, I will never eat mud. From now on, I will definitely be the most obedient subordinate."

Feng Qin felt there was really no need to say another word, otherwise she would continue to be tormented by this female demon.

"Hmm, that's more like my obedient subordinate. Let's go, get on the horse! Bai Ze and the others have probably already started fighting. You and I should go and be his soldiers for once."

Cen Xi was very satisfied to see that Feng Qin had completely given up. He nodded, gave an order, mounted his horse, and rode away.