Seeing her silence, the system assumed she was playing right into its hands and went even further: "[A heartless ingrate is certainly undesirable for a traditional ancient woman, but it's perfect for you. It's just a fling, and after you're done, you won't even have to go through the trouble of dumping him; he'll just run off on his own. You'll both have enjoyed some happy times together, and afterwards, you'll embrace a bright future.]"
Xu Wanying remained silent for the third time, but finally couldn't hold back any longer. Her anger reached its peak: [Are you crazy? Do you expect me to be like Granny Liu in ancient times, keeping a mistress?]
The system argued forcefully: "What's wrong with Liu Caihua? Having a mistress is something you can enjoy early. Look how smart Liu Caihua is; she's enjoyed it for so many years. And you call yourself a modern person? Men can keep mistresses, so why can't women?"
[Besides, you had no other choice. Jiang Chengli wasn't home. It was all for energy, for our grand spectacle of gossip. Host, you can rest assured and go!]
Wei Sheng stopped in his tracks. These words were not something he should be listening to, but his legs refused to move forward, and his ears perked up, afraid of missing a single word.
These words were inappropriate, even offensive, but they completely piqued his curiosity, and he was eager to know how his third sister-in-law would respond.
The other three women in the Jiang family stared at each other frantically. Even Cen Ying walked over quickly. They exchanged glances, but none of them spoke.
Everyone's face turned bright red, filled with embarrassment.
Cen couldn't help but curse in her heart: I never thought you were such a magical artifact. Have you no shame? You just lured her daughter-in-law right in front of them!
Xu Wanying scoffed: [System, your suggestion is really tempting. I might have agreed before. But this is ancient times; the laws of propriety are ruthless. I don't want to be drowned in a pig cage.]
The system persisted: [Host, you seem unhappy; your energy gains have been meager lately. It's a case of the bold getting rich and the timid starving. This system can provide you with a free search for obedient, intelligent, and undemanding mistresses, so you can choose the one you prefer and avoid future problems.]
It's truly touching that it could utter the words "free of charge".
You should know that this guy is a miser, and he would even secretly deduct her energy, but in order to let her support a mistress, he has become so generous for the first time.
Xu Wanying remained unmoved: "Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious, and besides, my happiness doesn't depend on men."
[Tsk, host, you're so stubborn. I haven't seen you smile in ages.]
That's because I'm naturally not a big smileer! Don't make malicious assumptions about me!
The system couldn't help but sigh: "Alas, what a pity for this beautiful young wife, forced to live a life of loneliness alone. What kind of person is the third son of the Jiang family, daring to leave his host to endure a life of widowhood? When he returns, host, you should divorce him. That way, you can go and seduce handsome young men without being drowned in a pig cage!"
Xu Wanying was so angry she almost laughed. At first glance, it seemed like the system had given up, but in reality, it seemed to care even more. It was a classic case of retreating to advance, and it was still thinking about getting her to find a man.
The system immediately started acting as a matchmaker, making it sound like a blind date: "Hey, host, what do you think of this real brother-in-law? He's still being kept in the dark by the Wei couple, thinking he's their biological child. He was bullied growing up and is desperately needing love. If you could give him a little love, he could—"
But before it could finish speaking, Xu Wanying rudely interrupted it: "Don't force me to slap you when I'm happiest."
The system fell silent, and Xu Wanying had no more thoughts; complete peace and quiet returned to her ears.
However, the Jiang family's emotions could not be calmed down no matter what.
What kind of situation is this?!
Wei Sheng was the first to react. He blushed, after all, he was still a teenager, and he was one of the people involved in the artifact's story, which made him even more embarrassed.
He hurriedly tried to escape, otherwise he would be exposed.
Whether it was due to being too anxious or too emotional, he tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
The loud "bang" instantly snapped everyone out of their daze.
Cen immediately chased after him and reached out to help him up, but the tall boy jumped up and quickly stood up straight, avoiding her hand.
He bowed repeatedly, turned around and wanted to leave, but was so embarrassed that he couldn't even utter a word of farewell.
Cen Shi composed herself, forced a smile, and took out a silver note from her sleeve, stuffing it into Wei Sheng's hand.
"Child, your parents will probably beat and scold you again in the next few days. Just to be on the safe side, you should stay at an inn for a few days. Jixiang Pavilion is the inn that came with my dowry, so you can stay there. Take the silver notes with you. Don't go back to the courtyard. Go straight out of the manor to Jixiang Pavilion. Even if Cen Jie knows you're there, she won't dare to cause trouble!"
“No, no, no, Aunt, I have a place to stay, I don’t need it—” he quickly declined.
Cen Ying forcefully shoved the object into his hand, patted the back of his hand, and said gently, "Child, you are not yet an adult in my eyes. I know you have suffered, but now is not the time to speak. In a few days, the Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion will definitely resolve this matter and give you justice."
She originally intended to just take a few pictures and leave, after all, Wei Sheng was fifteen years old this year, and mothers and sons in ancient times wouldn't be particularly close.
But when Cen thought about the child in front of her, who had been separated from her for fifteen years and had been suppressed by her half-sister who hated her for fifteen years, she simply couldn't bear it.
She grasped the boy's hand tightly, as if using this gesture to express unspoken words.
Wei Sheng was still in a daze. He didn't know what Cen Ying meant, but when he looked up and saw Cen Shi's gentle and distressed eyes, his heart trembled instantly.
He opened his mouth, and countless guesses and questions flooded in, but he couldn't say anything.
As Cen Ying said, now is not a good time to speak.
"Okay, then I'll wait for Aunt's good news." Wei Sheng didn't pull his hand away, but obediently nodded.
Even until the very end, he still addressed Cen Ying as "aunt," not daring to reveal the slightest bit of his true feelings.
Deep down, he was filled with fear. What if his guesses were all wrong? What if it was just Cen Ying being polite and had nothing to do with what he hoped for? In that case, it would have been better not to change the way he addressed her in the first place.
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