Three days later, as soon as Shen Jinchen stepped into the courtyard, he saw Feng Qin and the steward kneeling at the door.
"Young master, please punish me. I, your humble servant, deserve to die."
"What happened?"
Shen Jinchen spoke coldly.
"us…"
"Young master, you should go back to your own courtyard and take a look."
The butler looked at Shen Jinchen, his face streaked with tears, crying so heartbreakingly.
"She's here?"
Shen Jinchen had probably guessed a bit, so he asked me.
“Here I am, young master. Feng Qin is willing to accept fifty strokes of the cane, plus two months of confinement in a dark room. Please spare my life, young master.”
Fengqin's scalp tingled, her forehead was covered in fine sweat, and her eyes held an unprecedented fear.
"What did she do that makes you so scared?"
Shen Jinchen raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.
"Your subordinate..."
"Your subordinate begs for punishment, young master."
Feng Qin really didn't know how to describe the miserable state of Shen Jinchen's South Courtyard, so she could only apologize.
"Butler, tell me, what did she do?"
Seeing that Feng Qin couldn't give a clear answer, Shen Jinchen glanced at the steward of the villa out of the corner of his eye.
"Young master, you should go and see for yourself."
The butler was also at a loss to explain the situation in the South Courtyard at that moment, so he could only lead the way.
Seeing that they all remained silent, Shen Jinchen stopped asking questions and walked directly to his courtyard.
Entering the courtyard, he finally understood why Feng Qin had been so insistent on apologizing. This was no longer the courtyard he remembered. Everything that had been normal before was now destroyed; not a single thing was left unscathed. In short, everything that could be smashed, broken, or burned had been disposed of.
Shen Jinchen entered the room and looked at his broken bed, table, and chair. He raised an eyebrow and then walked towards his small study.
The same was true; everything was in ruins, and the books on the bookshelf and the two paintings on the wall had all vanished.
"What about those two paintings?"
After touring the courtyard, Shen Jinchen came out and asked only one question.
"It was burned. Your subordinate is incompetent. Please punish me, young master."
Feng Qin knelt down before Shen Jinchen again to beg for forgiveness.
Where is she now?
Shen Jinchen glanced at Feng Qin and asked in a cold voice.
"Sleep in the guest courtyard on the east side."
Feng Qin knew that her young master wanted to ask about the two paintings, so she quickly revealed Cen Xi's current location.
Although the young master did not punish him, he dared not relax for a moment until the young master saw that woman.
"Tear down this courtyard and rebuild it."
After saying this, Shen Jinchen headed towards the guest courtyard on the east side.
After he entered the room, Cen Xi was still sleeping soundly, completely unaware that she had done something wrong. She even had a faint smile on her face, clearly indicating that she was having a good dream.
Shen Jinchen was instantly provoked by her smile.
So he raised the corners of his lips and said to Feng Qin and the butler who had followed him:
"This matter ends here. The things in that courtyard have been stored there for a long time. If they're destroyed, so be it. Some things would be a liability if left behind. Since they've been burned, just pretend they never existed. You may all leave."
"yes."
Fengqin and the steward looked on in disbelief; they never imagined that the young master would so easily dismiss the matter with just a few words.
After Feng Qin and the housekeeper left, Shen Jinchen took off his fox fur coat and white brocade robe, and went to bed after removing his shoes.
After lying next to Cen Xi for a while, his hands finally became restless and tore off the ribbon on Cen Xi's undergarment, then he leaned over and touched her.
Then Cen Xi was successfully woken up by him.
Once you've experienced something once, you're not so bothered by it anymore.
Anyway, whether you go to a brothel once or twice, it's still the same. As long as it doesn't escalate into a relationship issue, Cen Xi has always been easygoing.
So she doesn't feel like she's losing out. Even though she's prepared to be a single lady for life, it doesn't stop her from having men.
Besides, such a handsome man has been ungentlemanly towards her many times; it's hard for her not to be envious.
After a series of actions, Shen Jinchen ordered a bucket of hot water, then raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile:
"Will you wash it yourself, or should I help you?"
"It is an honor for me to have the Prime Minister of a country help me take a bath. I will do it in your stead."
"So you're not opposed to your true form anymore?"
Shen Jinchen tucked Cen Xi's hair behind her ear, then swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bath together.
"We're already this close. If I keep my composure, won't Prime Minister Shen have to scheme against me again, preventing me from even going home?"
Cen Xi smiled and pinched his chest, then turned around and straddled Shen Jinchen, hooking her arms around his neck and beginning her assault.
After the two had their fill of playing in the bathtub, it was already evening.
Cen Xi perfectly embodied the character of a woman who was alluring in bed but vengeful outside of it. After she and Shen Jinchen had just finished getting dressed, she showed Shen Jinchen two paintings: one depicting Feng Qin burning books, and the other depicting Wen Qihe splitting a bed.
"How have your two subordinates been doing while you were away? Do you want me to step in and help them out?"
"The painting skills are excellent, and the figures are very lifelike. It can be compared with the paintings of Lu Youzi, the Grand Tutor of the previous dynasty. If it were sold, it would definitely fetch an astronomical price. It could be worth my entire courtyard. My lady, I will accept your kind offer."
Shen Jinchen chuckled and tapped his head with his bone fan, praising him.
Cen Xi quickly dodged and rolled her eyes. Well, this man has quite the spirit. She messed up his yard like that and even instigated his subordinates to do bad things for him, yet he still remained calm and collected.
Cen Xi truly admired his temperament.
If she could spend money like this scoundrel without caring, she'd be laughing in her sleep.
"Since Prime Minister Shen doesn't care that your courtyard has been damaged by your servants, let's talk about something else. Why did you want to change the formation of my Flying Phoenix Mountain?"
"The formation on your mountain is easy for someone skilled in this art to break, and it's of no benefit to you at all. I'll help you modify it, and your mountain's defenses will be much stronger. I'm doing this to help you."
Shen Jinchen took Cen Xi's hand, a faint smile curving his lips, which gradually deepened.
"Then how do we break this formation? Go and break it for me right now."
Cen Xi withdrew her hand and said coldly.
"Actually, the way to break the formation is in the books in my study. I originally thought that I would give you that book after you came, but you had Fengqin burn it. Unfortunately, it was the book that was burned in your painting."
"That unique copy has existed for five hundred years. It's a marvelous array that Daoist Qingyang researched with his entire life. It's been missing from the world for over three hundred years. I only obtained this unique copy by chance. Qingqing, don't you think it would be a pity to burn it?"
Shen Jinchen sighed and explained helplessly.
"Ha, what a coincidence! You cunning fox, don't try to fool me. Even if it is a unique book, as you say, so what? You've probably already figured out the formation inside, so you must know how to break it. Tell me quickly."
Cen Xi knew it was the Ghost Fiend Formation because she had learned from Bai Po's formation, but she was completely clueless about how to break it. How could she go home if she didn't break it?
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