Young Master
Arriving in the courtyard before the main hall, the person in front paused, and Su Xi followed suit, gazing at the magnificent hall of the Shen Mansion, wafting the faint scent of incense. Three walls of the hall were draped with embroidered gauze curtains made of Sichuan brocade, and the floor was covered with a gilded carpet with floral and bird patterns. Screens separated the inner halls on either side, each with a maid serving meals. In the center of the hall, several members of the Shen family gathered around a round ebony table, enjoying breakfast. They seemed to have finished their meal when two maids emerged from behind the screen, carrying bowls and trays to help their masters rinse their mouths.
How could these girls, used to seeing poor and destitute families, have ever seen such extravagant scenes? Each of them stretched their necks to look inside, imagining that one day they would be promoted to the head maid of the Shen Mansion, or even be able to marry into the Shen family and live a life of luxury every day.
Along with them, Suxi also kept looking into the hall, but she wasn't imagining anything unrealistic. Having grown up accustomed to these splendid days and being very familiar with the Shen Mansion, she wasn't curious at all, but she couldn't help but murmur in her heart.
Suxi remembered that on this day in his previous life, Chen Yunqiu was clearly eating in the hall. But why today...
Just as he was thinking, the sound of a cane hitting the ground clunked. Everyone glanced at him in panic, lowered their heads and fell silent, not daring to overstep their bounds. Only Su Xi glanced sideways at the few people who had emerged from the hall and were standing at the stairs. Hatred surged in his heart, making it almost impossible to remain calm.
"Mrs. Shen, Madam Shen, Young Master Shen, the maids I carefully selected are all here. Would you like to take a look?"
The human trafficker put on a flattering smile and took the gold nugget handed to him by the housekeeper, his mouth almost grinning from ear to ear.
"Mrs. Lin, go and take a look and select a few suitable ones to stay in my yard. Pick out two beautiful ones for my eldest brother to be his concubines. As for the rest, it's up to you to decide whether to clean up or send them away."
Hearing this, many of the young girls looked up at the steps. They saw the old woman, her hair tied up in silver, with a gold hairpin inlaid with jade, and dressed in a golden brown gown. She looked elegant and majestic. They heard the creaking of Buddhist beads twisted in her hands, and were so frightened that they were speechless. However, Suxi was well aware of the malicious intentions hidden beneath this old woman's majesty.
While working at the Shen residence, she had witnessed Madam Shen ordering a young maidservant to be beaten to death for spilling milk she was applying to her face. She even ordered all the new servants and maids to watch as a warning to others. That day, nearly all the newly arrived maids were terrified as they watched helplessly as the lively young girl was reduced to a bloody mess, carried by several servants and thrown into the dry well in the backyard. Before her arrival, countless similar tragedies had occurred in the Shen residence.
Feeling filled with resentment, Suxi looked up at the still charming middle-aged woman Lin and the tall, thin man standing beside her, looking down at her with lustful eyes.
Not only the old lady, but also Shen Wenzhao, the eldest son of the Shen family, has a lot of dirty thoughts. Shen Wenzhao is not good at writing, and he is not good at dealing with things. He often hangs out in brothels and wine shops. However, he has countless concubines at the tender age, and he is a complete playboy. And Lin...
It has only been three months since Suxi arrived at the Shen Mansion. He has always known that the Lin family is cowardly. For many years, the power of the family has been held by the old lady. However, he did not know why Lin always favored Shen Wenzhao and ignored Shen Yunqiu, both of whom were Lin's sons. It would be fine if everyone in the Shen family was snobbish, but why did his biological mother act like this?
Shen Yunqiu had never mentioned these to her before.
Sure enough, when Lin heard Madam Shen's disdainful tone of command, her face immediately darkened, but she had to nod and bow obediently, turned around and walked down the stairs passing through rows of girls with double buns.
"You, you, and you, go to the eldest brother's room."
The most beautiful women were overjoyed upon hearing this. They lifted their skirts and gently brushed them before following the housekeeper towards the south courtyard. Although most of these women knew Shen Wenzhao's dandy nature, they were willing to serve as bed maids, hoping to gain the young master's favor and become a concubine. Moreover, even if they were just a concubine, if they tried to please the master, the small amount of money they could get from him would be enough for a poor family to save for half a lifetime.
"You, you, and the two behind you, go serve in the old lady's courtyard."
Through the tall women in front, Suxi saw that Chunzhi had also been selected. At the same time, Chunzhi also turned around, with a look of pride on her face.
But Suxi felt something was strange.
In her previous life, Chunzhi clearly did not go to the old lady's yard, but was responsible for taking care of the flower garden.
Su Xi was a little absent-minded. He put his hand into his sleeve and touched the bracelet. He thought that although this object had magical powers, it could not be exactly the same.
Soon, the people who were chosen bowed and left with the servants.
"The rest of you will be responsible for sweeping the yard. As for your specific responsibilities, the housekeeper will explain them to you one by one later."
"yes."
The remaining eight people lined up in two rows and bowed, but Su Xi couldn't help but clench his hands and became nervous in an instant.
As expected, Lin, who was about to leave, suddenly stopped, looked over, pushed aside the woman in front of her and stopped in front of her.
His chin was roughly lifted up by two fingers wearing sharp armor. Su Xi frowned in pain and looked up to meet Lin's angry eyes.
Being carefully scrutinized by Lin holding her chin for a long while, Suxi counted down amid the gloating laughter of the other maids.
"Three—two—one—"
Lin suddenly swung her hand, pushing the skinny little maid to the ground. When she turned to the trafficker, her face was already terribly cold: "What's wrong with you? How dare you bring this kind of stuff into the Shen Mansion? What do you think our Shen family is? A den of beggars?"
Hearing Lin's angry shout, Old Madam Shen also opened her eyes that were pretending to be asleep and slowly raised her eyes to look over here.
"Madam Shen, please calm down. I have absolutely no such intention!" The trafficker was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and fell to his knees. "Madam Shen, you don't know. This girl is a little ugly, but she is very smart. She can count with numbers, copy and paint, and has some knowledge. I heard that she offended her master in the capital and fled here. I think such a rare girl, although ugly, can be kept as a toy to relieve my boredom..."
"Keep her? If you want to relieve your boredom, a bird that can mimic human speech is enough. What's the point of having her? It's an eyesore! If you dare to act so presumptuously and bring in some weird people again, you can't do this business anymore!"
"Yes, yes..." The human trafficker responded with an extremely forced smile, lowering his body and not daring to look up.
Still furious, Lin patted her chest in frustration, flicked her sleeves, and ordered the servants, "What are you waiting for? Get this unlucky girl out!"
"etc!"
Several burly servants were walking forward with sticks in their hands, but they suddenly stopped when they heard the words. They turned around and looked at the old woman who was walking slowly towards them with a cane, somewhat at a loss.
"Mrs. Lin, why are you so angry? This girl is a little ugly, but she's not completely useless." Old Madam Shen glanced sideways at Su Xi, who was slumped at her feet. She tried her best to suppress the disgust on her face and smiled as she dismissed the servants. "The doctor gave us a definite warning a while ago that our second brother will definitely not survive the New Year. This girl has a sinister look on her face, so it's a good thing to have her buried with him. Why not give her to our second brother as a concubine? That way, while he's still alive, we can leave a descendant for our Shen family. What do you think?"
This was the second time Suxi had heard these words. Looking up, she saw a strange look flash across Lin's face, and she gathered her sleeves and brushed them toward the old lady.
"My mother is very thoughtful and my daughter-in-law is entirely up to her."
Madam Shen nodded in satisfaction, glanced at Su Xi indifferently and said, "Get up."
Su Xi then dared to stand up, but found that the eyes of the maids who came into the mansion with her had changed, as if she was no longer a living person in their eyes, but a bride who was nailed into a coffin alive in a bright red wedding dress.
Looking away, Su Xi felt a knot in his heart, a knot that was neither up nor down, making him feel very uncomfortable. It wasn't because of the sympathetic looks from others, but because of what Old Madam Shen said.
When she heard it in her previous life, she felt nothing in her heart, and was even thankful that the Second Young Master Shen was dying, so she wouldn't have to take revenge. But when she heard it again today, she felt a completely different mood.
Was Shen Yunqiu truly nearing death? Was the old lady simply exaggerating? After all, the Shen Yunqiu she knew in her previous life was simply frail and taking daily medication. When she asked, he'd simply said he was weak and would recover with care. So, at the time, she hadn't taken the Shen Mansion's assertion to heart, figuring it was simply that Shen Yunqiu was unwelcome and everyone was hoping for his death.
Following the servants who led the way, she reached the familiar West Garden of the Shen Mansion, and she shared this thought. The Shen Mansion was a large, three-story house, facing south. The main courtyard housed Master Shen and his wife. The South Garden, which received the most sunlight, was designated by the old lady for the eldest son. The East Garden contained a pavilion where the old lady chanted sutras and worshipped Buddha daily. The North Garden housed the side rooms for the servants, and the most remote and desolate West Garden was designated for the youngest son, under the pretext of a quiet and suitable place for self-cultivation.
Stepping through the crescent-shaped archway of the West Garden's peeling wall, Suxi surveyed the area. While still familiar, it seemed even more desolate than his previous visit. It was September, the golden autumn season, and the ground was covered in fallen leaves from the enormous sycamore tree near the corner of the courtyard. Layers of fallen leaves piled one upon another, creating a rustling sound with every step. In the center of the courtyard, three stone benches beside a stone table were covered in a thick layer of dust. Moss grew on the rockery beside the table. The artificial stream seemed to have long ceased flowing, its surface littered with spiderwebs and the corpses of insects. Yet, the two servants guarding the garden gate hadn't bothered to clean up. Instead, they leaned against the door and slept soundly, reeking heavily of alcohol.
As they walked along, Suxi almost suspected his memory was distorted, until the servant who led the way slammed open the door to the main house in the West Garden. He showed no respect for his master at all, only a perfunctory bow, and spoke in a lazy tone: "Young Master, this is the maid that the old lady has chosen for you. The old lady loves you and wants to leave you with a successor so that you will have someone to look after you when you get there, so you won't be too lonely."
These words pierced Suxi's heart, and he clenched his fists. He peered through the servant's slowly lowering arm at the forlorn figure leaning against the ebony wheelchair. It was mid-afternoon, the sun shining brightly. Mottled shadows filtered through the half-open window, completely enveloping the figure, as if she were gilded in a golden glow. Whether it was the cold draft through the cracks or the overly pale sunlight, the atmosphere in the room felt eerily heavy, almost oppressive and suffocating.
The two stood blankly at the door for a long time. The person inside seemed to have heard the voices belatedly, opened his half-closed eyes, pushed the wooden wheel and turned around.
Suxi finally saw Shen Yunqiu again, the living Shen Yunqiu.
With his back to the sunlight, the man was wearing a plain white robe, with messy hair hanging behind his head. He was clearly in his prime, but his hair was already half white, with clusters of silver hair hidden among the black hair. Coupled with his scarlet lips, high nose bridge, and narrow eyelashes shadowed by his brow arch, there was an indescribable incongruity, yet he was particularly charming.
He was so fascinated by the sight that he met the slowly raised gaze of the person opposite him. Su Xi's heart skipped a beat and he quickly withdrew his gaze, feeling a little afraid for a moment.
In the past, she never knew when Shen Yunqiu had so many white hairs, and she had never seen those bright and beautiful eyes become so cold, gloomy and terrifying.
Before Suxi could figure out what was going on, the man's deep and hoarse voice rang out.
"Take your people and get out. Don't make me say it a second time."
"Young Master, this is the old lady's order. I dare not disobey."
As if he was already accustomed to Shen Yunqiu's behavior, the servant was not afraid at all and stood there motionless, as if he was very pleased with the helpless, furious and embarrassed look of the man in front of him.
"I told you to take your people away---"
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