Chapter 79 Not That Excited

But since it was Liu Rumei who spoke, Sheng Huai'an didn't want to spoil the mood, so he said, "Sister-in-law, let's sit down and talk."

The two held hands and sat down on the low couch.

The candlelight cast shadows on the wall, making the two people appear to be snuggled together, even though there was a table between them.

Liu Rumei glanced at the shadow, then turned to Sheng Huai'an: "Jinzhu and Yinzhu are people my mother arranged to be by my side. It's difficult to win them both over using ordinary methods. What I mean is... why don't you make them your concubines as well?"

"What?" Sheng Huai'an exclaimed in surprise, "I already betrayed you by touching Yu Shu, and you still want me to favor two more maids?"

His eyes were filled with doubt, and he asked incredulously, "Sister-in-law, do you really have me in your heart?"

"What do you think?" Liu Rumei said, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want you to touch other women either. When you took Yushu before, I didn't tell you, but I was heartbroken. I've been your sister-in-law for several years, and I'll be your sister-in-law for life. I'm not someone who can openly stay by your side."

"I will..."

“I know that once you pass the imperial examination and enter officialdom, you might be able to come up with a good way for us to stay together for life. But Huai’an, ever since that incident at the dry well, I’ve had nightmares every night. I… just want to see you a few more times.”

Sheng Huai'an was stunned.

After a long while, he looked at Liu Rumei with a complicated expression.

Previously, Liu Rumei was as indifferent as a chrysanthemum, and didn't care about anything.

To him, she was like a kite soaring high in the sky; even when he pulled the string very carefully, he often felt that he couldn't grasp her.

He had always longed for her to have him in her heart and eyes, like an ordinary woman, and to regard him as her only world.

Now his idea seemed to have come true, but when he met her tearful eyes and saw her pitiful longing for him, he found himself not so excited.

It was as if the fairy he longed for had descended from her pedestal, and he discovered that she also ate grains and cereals.

However, he still loved her.

She loved him more than he loved her.

“Okay,” he replied.

...

Sheng Huai'an came quickly and left quickly.

Liu Rumei sat alone in her room when she suddenly heard Xique ask, "Madam, why did you let Second Master take Jinzhu and Yinzhu as his wives? Even if Second Master doesn't change his mind, aren't you afraid it will affect his imperial examination?"

"I can't think that far ahead," Liu Rumei said calmly. "Even with Granny Chen around, having her keep an eye on those two maids isn't a long-term solution. Men are like dogs; if you feed them too much or starve them too much, they'll disappear without a trace. I have to control the degree of whether I see them or not before I feel at ease."

"As for Sheng Huai'an's imperial examination, ha..." Liu Rumei chuckled and continued, "Before Jia discovered our scandalous affair, the smoother his career went, the better it was for me. But now that Jia knows, the moment he passes the imperial examination will be the moment Jia gets rid of me."

Magpie seemed to understand and quickly asked, "The reason Madam Jia is keeping you around now is only because you are beneficial to her son's imperial examination. Once Second Master no longer needs your help, she will get rid of you as a stain on Second Master's reputation, so as not to affect Second Master's future marriage prospects, right?"

Liu Rumei nodded: "Yes."

The magpie was terrified: "What do we do then?"

us?

Liu Rumei asked herself a question in her heart, then smiled and said, "We... just need to get rid of Jia Shi as soon as possible, so she can no longer be an obstacle for me. However, getting rid of Jia Shi will only be foolproof with the cooperation of Jinzhu and Yinzhu, which is why I made that suggestion. If you want to be taken as a concubine, I won't stop you. Do you want to?"

This time, the magpie remained silent for a long time.

Liu Rumei looked up to the side, only to find that the spot where the magpie had been standing was empty; there was no one else in the room except her…

She then realized that the magpie was dead.

He died in this room.

He was smothered to death by Sheng Huai'an.

...

Several more days passed.

The "half-month period" has arrived.

As soon as the Bizhu flower bloomed, Sheng Yunche urged Ye Mingzhu to use the flower in medicine.

It happened to be his day off, and he made sure she drank the medicine completely before going to Su Xue Tang to handle official business.

As soon as he left, Ye Mingzhu beckoned Baozan: "Quickly, I need to induce vomiting."

The Jade Pearl Flower was just used as a decoy for the Zi Gu poison; who knows what harm it might cause if one drank it?

Baozan was both worried and sympathetic. She couldn't help but laugh out loud with schadenfreude: "Miss, you really brought this on yourself."

Ye Mingzhu: "...If you can't speak, then don't speak."

"Oh," Baozan replied honestly.

Looking at Ruixiang and the other two, although they didn't laugh, they would have laughed out loud.

Ye Mingzhu had a bit of a headache, but also found it funny.

Having lived a second life, she took great care of her health. After waking up from the fall into the water, she used the Zi Gu (a type of venomous insect) to treat herself, and her body recovered long ago without any lingering illness.

But Sheng Yunche didn't believe it, so she could only accept his "good intentions".

How can it not be considered a good intention?

Baozan is right. If she hadn't been unwilling to expose the secret of the Longevity Gu and hadn't used the Jade Pearl Flower as a pretext to deceive him, she wouldn't be suffering like this now.

The wedding day had to be postponed for another month, which he was actually very unwilling to do. His eyes, as he left, seemed to want to kill her…

Thinking of this, Ye Mingzhu didn't want to continue thinking about it. She pinched her burning ears to hide her embarrassment and changed the subject, saying, "I wonder how Yanzhi is doing."

As luck would have it, just as she finished asking her question, Yanzhi's voice rang out from the doorway, requesting an audience.

Ye Mingzhu quickly let Yanzhi in and asked, "What's the situation at the Sheng residence these past few days? Did you make any progress today?"

Yanzhi said, "Yes, there has been progress."

In summary, there are a few points regarding the Sheng family's situation.

First, Liu Rumei suggested that Sheng Huai'an accept Jinzhu and Yinzhu as servants, and Sheng Huai'an followed her suggestion and actually took both maids into his household.

Jinzhu was overjoyed, while Yinzhu, who was already engaged, was in great pain. However, both maids were indeed used by Liu Rumei.

Together with Granny Chen, they began to do their best to cover up the scandals of Liu Rumei and Sheng Huai'an.

Because of the two maids' allegiance, Liu Rumei seemed to be plotting to poison Jia Shi and kill her.

Secondly, after resuming their regular meetings, Liu Rumei offered Sheng Huai'an some more incentives. Their interactions became more intimate, but they didn't take it to the next level.

Liu Rumei seems to want to go out, using her bad mood as an excuse to avoid taking things to the next level with Sheng Huai'an at Qinghui Garden. Sheng Huai'an is trying to find a solution, and the two may sneak out later.

Third, after Sheng Huai'an accepted the gold and silver beads, he never touched them again. He also kept it a secret from Liu Rumei, saying that he had treated Yu Shu the same way, never touching her again after the first time.

The reality is that as soon as Yu Shu uses the aphrodisiac, he loses control of himself. He both despises and cooperates.

Now that Yu Shu has run out of aphrodisiac pills, should we send some more to her?

...After hearing Yanzhi's words, Ye Mingzhu was utterly dumbfounded.

Sheng Huai'an actually took in two more maids, and it was Liu Rumei who suggested it?

She truly hadn't expected that revealing their shameful affair to Jia would push them to this point... Could she perhaps make use of Yinzhu's matter?

Suddenly remembering something, Ye Mingzhu asked Baozan, "I asked you to investigate Granny Chen's situation, did you find out?"