Leaving the Prince's mansion is like entering a dragon's den or a tiger's lair; without some cunning and resourcefulness, you won't even know how you died.

Not to mention that there was a menacing Shen Jinshu behind her, who was by no means a kind soul.

As Song Zhiyu walked out of the village, he subconsciously looked up at the back mountain, which was the stronghold of Qingfeng Village.

She killed their third leader last time, and even mentioned the name of the Marquis of Chengen's mansion. Originally, she wanted to divert the trouble, but she didn't expect the people of Qingfeng Village to be so patient and not make a move.

With the day approaching when the imperial court will send troops to suppress the bandits, it seems she needs to add fuel to the fire.

Song Zhiyu handed the letter hidden in his sleeve to Lu Bai, saying, "Send someone to deliver this letter to Qingfeng Village, and be sure to show your relationship with the Marquis of Chengen's mansion."

Given the vengeful nature of the leader of Qingfeng Village, she didn't believe he could tolerate such humiliation.

*

Qingfeng Village.

"Brother, the Marquis of Chengen's mansion is far too arrogant. They haven't even avenged Third Brother yet, and they dare to openly provoke our Qingfeng Village. Do they really think I'm afraid of them?" The man who spoke was burly, with dark skin, a full beard, and a heavy, sharp broadsword slung over his shoulder. His chest heaved with anger.

The man addressed as "Big Brother" by the bearded man gripped the letter tightly, his knuckles cracking, revealing a fierce expression. "Hmph! If it weren't for the sake of Prince Li, I would have already razed the Shen family to the ground."

He already harbored resentment towards the Marquis of Chengen's mansion because of the matter concerning the third son, but he couldn't retaliate because of the Prince of Li's face, so he put it aside for the time being.

Unexpectedly, the Marquis of Chengen's family was ungrateful and dared to provoke him. If he continued to tolerate this, he would truly become a coward.

However, things have been unsettled in the capital recently, and they have robbed two batches of government silver en route, which is a time when they are hated by everyone. It would be unwise to rush into the capital.

But it was absolutely impossible for him to swallow his anger.

Seeing this, the bearded man's eyes darted around. "Brother, since we can't touch the Marquis of Chengen right now, let's target his son and daughter. Even if the Prince of Li finds out about this later, he won't be able to say anything."

The king still needs their financial support, so he naturally understands which is more important.

“I’ve heard that the fourth son of the Marquis of Chengen is a good-for-nothing playboy who spends his days fooling around and is utterly hopeless. We might as well start by taking action against him.” The bearded man made a throat-slitting gesture, his eyes gleaming with malice.

But he was just a useless son; he's dead now, and I doubt the Marquis of Cheng'en would dare say anything.

The chieftain thought it made sense. He was hot-tempered and couldn't tolerate being provoked. "We'll do it your way, but I'll leave him alive. I'll take him back to the village and torture him properly, to avenge Third Brother."

"Understood." The bearded man readily agreed and excitedly went out the door, already pondering how to secretly bring the person to the village.

Shen Yanxi was clearly unaware that he was being targeted.

*

On the other side, the Marquis of Chengen's residence.

Mother Shen was worried about Shen Jinshu, who was confined to the Buddhist hall, and would run there every few days, fearing that she was not doing well.

Today, she brought a food box again, and just as she reached the front door, Ye Rou called her back.

"Is Madam going to visit the eldest young lady? May I accompany you?"

Seeing that Madam Chen looked over with a slightly puzzled expression, Ye Rou covered her mouth and chuckled, explaining, "I have met Miss a few times, and I feel an immense sense of kinship with her."

Furthermore, Rushan keeps mentioning his younger sister to me, so I thought I'd go with Madam to see the eldest young lady, so that Rushan can feel at ease.”

After saying that, she turned around and opened the food box in the maid's hand, "I also made some pastries, which I would like to take to Miss to try."

The pastries were small and exquisite, with an excellent appearance. They also had a faint fragrance of osmanthus. Even Chen's mother, who was not particularly fond of food, was tempted.

"You've put your heart into this." Mother Shen, unsuspecting, nodded with a look of satisfaction, her impression of Ye Rou improving even further.

"Your Excellency has taken great care of me and Rushan, and I am naturally grateful. This is nothing." Ye Rou smiled gently, closed the food box, and walked intimately beside Madam Shen.

The two walked out the door chatting and laughing, and before they could even get into the carriage, they bumped into Song Zhiyu, who had just returned to the mansion.

"Zhiyu is back." For some reason, when she met Song Zhiyu's calm eyes, Chen's mother felt inexplicably guilty and said dryly.

"Second Miss, Madam and I are on our way to visit Eldest Miss. Would you like to come with us?"

Seeing that Song Zhiyu remained silent and walked straight past them into the mansion, Ye Rou persisted, "After all, the eldest young lady is your sister, and it was because of you that she was confined by the Empress Dowager. It wouldn't be right for the second young lady not to go and see her."

The moment she saw Song Zhiyu, she was reminded of the humiliation she suffered at the auction. She felt intense hatred in her heart, but her face remained smiling.

However, her words, though seemingly gentle, were actually quite sarcastic and unpleasant to hear.

"Shen Jinshu was confined to his quarters because he used underhanded methods in an attempt to win the championship, but he didn't expect to ruin himself. Don't try to pin all the blame on me."

Moreover, the decree of confinement was issued by the Empress Dowager. Is Madam Ye's dissatisfaction a questioning of the Empress Dowager's judgment? Song Zhiyu did not want to pay attention to Ye Rou's words, but she insisted on making trouble. She really has forgotten the pain once the wound has healed.

Ye Rou's expression changed drastically, and she immediately retorted, "I didn't mean that!"

If she dares to agree to that today, she'll likely be accused by Song Zhiyu of questioning the Empress Dowager's decision, thus thoroughly offending the Empress Dowager.

This woman is really hard to deal with; no wonder Shu'er suffered at her hands.

Ye Rou gritted her teeth secretly, becoming even more wary of Song Zhiyu.

She forced a smile and added, "I was just too concerned about the eldest young lady and lost my composure for a moment. I hope the second young lady won't take offense."

Song Zhiyu had a strange expression. Meeting Ye Rou's astonished gaze, she said jokingly, "Madam Ye has no connection with eldest sister, yet she cares about her so much. I suppose it's because you two look alike."

Standing next to Madam Shen, anyone who didn't know the situation would think you were the eldest sister's mother.

Upon hearing this, Ye Rou's face turned pale instantly, as if her thoughts had been exposed. Her lips trembled slightly. "What you said, Second Miss, is so unreasonable. Who in the capital doesn't know that Madam is the eldest young lady's mother? How could she be mistaken?"

Song Zhiyu chuckled, admiring Ye Rou's pale face with great interest, and said nothing more.

If they notice something amiss now and become on guard, how will they continue their good show?