Chapter 97 Imprisoned Love

In response to Ye Mingzhu's question, Sheng Yunche quickly retorted, "How would I know?"

Ye Mingzhu: "...?"

Seeing his nonchalant demeanor, which actually concealed a smug "I will never let you catch me red-handed and let you retaliate," Ye Mingzhu felt a headache and helplessness.

She's not the kind of person who uses verbal traps or anything like that!

She simply ignored him and said directly to Baozan, "Go and find out the maiden name of Miss Xiang Wu. Make sure you find out the exact name."

"Yes." Baozan accepted the order without further ado and left.

Sheng Yunche asked, "Why are you asking about this?"

Ye Mingzhu mimicked his soft hum, said nothing, and simply picked up a small mooncake and stuffed it into his mouth, hoping to shut him up.

Sheng Yunche ate the mooncake politely in a few bites, leaving her rather helpless.

Simple information is easy to obtain, and Baozan returned in no time.

She found out that Xiang Wu's maiden name was Xiang Hongying.

As the only girl in the family, she was very spoiled. She loved watching polo matches and would occasionally play a game herself.

Baozan glanced at Sheng Yunche and said, "Madam, I overheard something. Sheng Huai'an and Miss Xiang seem to be getting along quite well. Miss Xiang said she's just waiting for Sheng Huai'an to come and propose marriage. Should we try to sabotage it?"

Ruyi quickly pushed her away, saying, "We are just servants. Don't talk nonsense about destruction. The young...madam has her own considerations."

Sheng Yunche glanced at Ruyi with his phoenix eyes.

Ruyi immediately lowered her head.

"I understand, I'll consider it," Ye Mingzhu replied, waving for Baozan and Ruyi to leave.

Xiang Hongying...

As she silently repeated the name in her heart, her suspicions were confirmed.

She said that the fifth daughter of the Xiang family gave her a familiar feeling, and she really was the heroine of the novel "Extreme Pampering: The Poor General Doesn't Want Me Anymore"...

When she was taking notes and compiling all the storybooks she saw in the storybook space into a book for memorization, she was deeply impressed by this particular storybook.

This story is unique in that it has no "third party" supporting characters and focuses purely on the emotional entanglements between the male and female protagonists.

Unexpectedly, she encountered the heroine of the story so soon, and in such a way.

In the storybook, Xiang Hongying had a crush on a handsome young man, and she tried her best to win him over with her parents. Finally, she got to meet him.

However, she did not expect that this very meeting would enrage the poor general who secretly loved her.

Dissatisfied with her dating someone else, he abducted her while she was asleep at night, imprisoned her in a carefully decorated house, and forced her to live with him as if they were husband and wife.

In the middle of the story, the poor general learned that Xiang Hongying had a lover. When he couldn't get the information out of her, he tied her to the bed with ropes and wouldn't let her get off. He then made his demands on her, imprisoning her for nine days and nine nights.

The storybook says that it was during those nine days and nine nights that Xiang Hongying became pregnant, and from then on, her feelings for the poor general changed...

After that, she cooked for him, bore him children, and never thought of running away again. She also grew to cherish the love and warmth he gave her, and they eventually got together.

So, could Sheng Huai'an be the white moonlight prince from the storybook?

Very likely!

Since that's the case, Sheng Huai'an's matchmaking attempt is bound to fail, so she shouldn't need to remind Xiang Hongying to be careful of that scumbag Sheng Huai'an.

But that poor general doesn't seem like a good person either. Should she warn Xiang Hongying to be careful of him?

Ye Mingzhu hesitated.

In the storybook, Xiang Hongying is the female protagonist. Unlike Sheng Wan'er and Qin Xuefei, who both met tragic ends, she is not a character who was betrayed and rejected.

The general from humble beginnings not only loved her deeply, but he loved her to the point of madness.

Xiang Hongying seems to have been happy later on... she should have been happy, right?

Ye Mingzhu pondered, finding it difficult to make a judgment for the time being.

If it were her, she would definitely want to kill the man who forced her and would never spend her life with him. But everyone has their own thoughts, and perhaps Xiang Hongying is different from her?

Even though Sheng Yunche was notorious in Yanjing City, didn't she sometimes think he was alright?

Thinking of this, Ye Mingzhu felt a jolt of fear and raised her hand to rub her arm, trying to get rid of the goosebumps.

Sheng Yunche looked down at her and took her hand: "Are you cold?"

"Hmm..." Ye Mingzhu responded casually, answering irrelevantly, "Terrible."

Sheng Yunche: "What?"

"Ah..." Ye Mingzhu reacted quickly and changed the subject, "Lord Duke, I heard that the chefs at Jingyuan are especially skilled in imperial cuisine, and their roasted venison is a specialty. Shall we have lunch here?"

"Venus meat?" Sheng Yunche chuckled lightly, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Agreed."

This time, Ye Mingzhu didn't notice the smile in his eyes.

She was thinking about something else: Lianyu's operation should go smoothly, and Yushu shouldn't miss this opportunity that he had arranged for her, right?

...

At the entrance of Jingyuan Garden.

Sheng Huai'an glanced back at the plaque of Jingyuan Garden, straightened his sleeves, and looked quite pleased with himself.

Although he disliked a woman as rude as Xiang Hongying, he had to admit that she had great insight. Not only could she see the beauty in his heart, but she also loved him passionately, just like... Ye Mingzhu in the past.

However, Xiang Hongying was much better than Ye Mingzhu. Although she was a concubine's daughter, she had a father who was the Minister of War and was quite favored at home. Presumably, the dowry her family gave her would not be small, and she could barely be a match for him.

It's not impossible to propose marriage to the Xiang family.

A wife can be married and kept at home; if one wants to seek pleasure, one can simply take several concubines.

As he pondered this, Sheng Huai'an boarded the carriage.

Just as Yu Shu was about to get into the carriage, a small pebble suddenly hit her arm, causing her to pause.

She turned her head alertly, but couldn't see anyone in the direction the pebble had come from. Then she heard a clear bird song and immediately understood what had happened.

She got into the carriage, but before she could even settle in, Sheng Huai'an impatiently knocked on the carriage, signaling the driver to set off immediately.

Losing her balance, Yu Shu let out a soft gasp and fell to the ground, landing right next to Sheng Huai'an's legs.

"Why is it so slow to get on the carriage?" Sheng Huai'an was both impatient and amused by her. He pointed at her with his fan and said, "Look at you, you're making a fool of yourself. A servant is a servant, nothing you do is respectable."

Yu Shu paused for a moment, then quickly regained her gentle smile. After standing up, she said reproachfully, "This servant is lowly and of course cannot compare to you, Second Master."

Sheng Huai'an said "Of course" and gestured for her to make him some tea.

He was gentle and refined in front of outsiders, but Yu Shu was already his woman, and she would depend on him for the rest of her life. She dared not betray him, so he didn't need to hide anything from her.

So what if I'm dissatisfied? I'll just have to bear it.

Jingyuan is located in the far suburbs of Beijing, and the route passes through several dense forests.

Sheng Huai'an leaned back on the soft pillows, enjoying Yu Shu's attentive service. Looking out the car window at the lush green mountains and forests, he felt quite happy and wished he could compose a poem immediately.

Suddenly, a dark shadow darted out from the forest and burst into his field of vision.

His bloodthirsty eyes stared at him like those of a wild beast.

His heart skipped a beat. The next moment, a dark figure, carrying a strong smell of blood, swept into the carriage, and a dripping embroidered spring knife was pressed against his vulnerable neck.

The horse neighed, and Yu Shu's scream pierced his eardrums.