With a cold snort, Shen Guangzong turned and left.
Shen Qiyin stood there watching his receding figure. Her eyes, which had been smiling, now darkened, becoming as deep and unfathomable as a bottomless pool.
If the father and mother are tigers and leopards that devour their own bodies for sustenance, then Shen Guangzong is the jackal hiding behind them.
It wasn't that he couldn't bear to eat, but rather that he hadn't had a chance to sit down at the table.
In her previous life, before Shen Qiyin was sent to the manor, Shen Guangzong had visited her. He thought she was asleep, but in fact she was awake.
I could clearly hear his conversation with his grandmother, her tone full of regret.
He said, "What a waste of such a good piece!"
Old Madam Shen was puzzled and asked him in return, "The Feng family has already come to annul the engagement, what use is this girl now?"
"Grandmother, don't you see her face? What man in this world doesn't crave pleasure and beauty? I've now passed the provincial examination, and it's only a matter of time before I pass the imperial examination. After the palace examination, I'll be appointed, and I'll have to make some connections with everyone involved."
"With this girl's looks, I'm not afraid that those noblemen won't be tempted. At that time, everything will be negotiable."
"What a pity, sigh..."
Shen Guangzong let out a soft sigh, yet it seemed to carry the force of a thunderbolt, striking heavily on Shen Qiyin's heart.
She had a question at that time.
If someone wants to do evil but doesn't have the chance to, does that mean they are an evil person?
For example, in this life, up to now, Shen Guangzong has only turned a blind eye to her difficult situation, but he hasn't reached the point of offering her up to some old geezer.
So, does he have to take action before he's considered a bad person?
Chen Xiyin couldn't understand it.
But she didn't care.
Just do it!
She compromised and endured hardship her whole life, and her main goal in this life was to do whatever she wanted.
Shen Guangzong was an eyesore to her, so she was going to get rid of him.
If the trajectory of his life in this life does not deviate from that of his previous life, then Shen Guangzong will pass the imperial examination as he wished.
Of course, he only reached the level of a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination) and never advanced further.
What she wanted to do was prevent him from even becoming a successful candidate in the imperial examinations!
Turning her gaze away, Shen Qiyin walked back to the Begonia Courtyard alone.
We lingered at Zhuijin Hall for a while. Although the night was getting deeper, the moonlight was shining brightly, illuminating the road clearly.
She paused, looked up, and stopped.
The bright moon hangs high in the sky, nearly full; in two days it will be the fifteenth, the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The anniversary of her death.
Honeysuckle stood not far away, holding a lantern, looking dazed.
She had come to see what was going on outside Zhuijin Hall because her mistress hadn't returned yet, but she bumped into her mistress, who was standing alone and forlorn under the moonlight.
It was as if they were admiring the moon, or perhaps they were thinking about something else through that jade disc.
The night breeze lifted her thin skirt, outlining her graceful and slender figure.
There was still some distance between them, and Ren Dong couldn't see the expression on her face, but she had a strange feeling that her young mistress was sad...
Like a little yellow dog she had seen at the village entrance before.
Unable to find its way home and soaked to the bone in the rain, its fur clinging wetly to its body, it made one want to go over, pet its head, take it home, give it a good bath, and feed it bones for the rest of its life.
Honeysuckle thought this way, and so she did it.
She dropped the lantern and ran towards Shen Qiyin with red eyes.
When Shen Qiyin heard footsteps and looked over, she saw a figure rush into her arms, causing her to stumble and take two steps back before regaining her balance.
"Honeysuckle?" What's wrong?
Honeysuckle buried her head in her arms and shook her head.
She was two years younger than Shen Qiyin. She had never been well-fed or clothed since childhood, so she hadn't grown much. At this moment, she was nestled in front of Shen Qiyin and only reached her chin. It was hard to tell who was comforting whom.
Shen Qiyin wanted to pat her head and ask her who had bullied her, but instead she felt a small hand pat her head.
Honeysuckle's voice also came in a muffled tone: "...This servant will definitely make something of herself in the future!"
He's made something of himself; he'll protect Miss and prevent her from ending up like this again.
She must study hard and learn to read and write, and learn music from her master... In short, she must do her best to fulfill everything that the young lady has arranged for her.
Shen Qiyin's hand hovered in the air. After a moment of stunned silence, she gently straightened Ren Dong's hair and said softly, "Okay, my Ren Dong will definitely amount to something."
"Miss, I was at the music hall today, and the master asked me whether I wanted to learn the xiao or the dizi."
"So what did you choose?"
"Flute." She remembered listening to the old blind man in the village tell them stories when she was a child. The heroes and knights in those stories played the flute and even used it as a weapon. They were very powerful.
Shen Qiyin was unaware of Ren Dong's thoughts, and simply said, "If you like it, just learn to be happy."
Actually, she also felt that the flute was more suitable for honeysuckle.
The sound of the xiao (vertical flute) was mournful, while the sound of the dizi (Chinese flute) was clear and melodious.
One is a desperate situation, the other is a chance for survival.
"My teacher taught me a beginner's piece," Ren Dong recalled with great enthusiasm, but then the tone began to decline, and she said listlessly, "But he said I played it like a funeral procession."
"He might be jealous of you."
"ah?!"
"You were able to make a sound on your first try, which shows how talented you are."
"..."
Miss probably wouldn't lie to herself, right?
The two chatted as they returned to the Begonia Courtyard, unaware that a dark shadow flashed past from behind the flower bushes not far away.
Inside the Eagle Perching Pavilion.
Xiao Yan paused in his flipping through the files, then looked up, his dark eyes sharp: "She said she didn't accept any consultation fees?"
Feng Liu lowered his head: "Yes."
That's how his subordinates reported back; he didn't dare change a single word.
"What about the silver?"
"Half was given to the doctor named Dazhuang, and the other half was deposited into Tongbao Money Shop by her."
After hearing this, Xiao Yan's gaze turned deep, his eyes fixed on the mask on the table with a gloomy expression.
It was the result of Chen Xiyin's passing.
The corner of the mask was embroidered with a begonia flower, with silvery-white petals and bright red stamens, a style that Xiao Yan had never seen before.
“My lord, there is one more thing…” Feng Liu hesitated.
"speak."
“…Yes.” Feng Liu said carefully, “After Miss Shen finished depositing the silver, she even pawned the box that contained the silver.”
Xiao Yan raised his eyes, a rare ripple appearing in his deep gaze: "Is she desperate for money?"
Feng Liu's lips twitched slightly.
He couldn't understand it either; what kind of well-bred young lady could do such a thing?
Thinking of the intelligence report about the Shen family's situation tonight, Feng Liu added, "Miss Shen also took some money from Old Madam Shen, saying she wanted to bribe our Thousand Eagle Guard so she could visit Shen Cang in prison."
He now has some doubts about whether the silver will actually end up in their hands.
As soon as he finished speaking, a night breeze suddenly rose, blowing open the half-closed window.
The autumn wind blew in, scattering a few loose pages of paper on the table.
Feng Liu stepped forward and picked it up.
But when he inadvertently saw the contents of two pages, he suddenly stopped moving and stood there, bent over.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
