Chapter 102 Heartbroken
Sheng Huai'an noticed Yu Shu's hesitant expression.
He felt annoyed by being disturbed while reading.
But Yu Shu had recently won his favor, and he didn't want her to worry or be afraid, so he casually said, "If you don't want to go, then don't go. If Mother calls you at this time, it's definitely not a good thing."
His face looked terrible, and Yu Shu didn't dare ask him why he was so certain.
She just smiled and stood up, saying, "If I don't go, I'm afraid Madam will have a problem with Master, thinking that I'm so unrestrained because of Master's favor. I'll go and come back quickly."
Sheng Huai'an said, "You went by your own choice. Don't come crying to me if you get punished."
Yu Shu forced a smile: "No, that won't happen."
She thought Sheng Huai'an would offer her another piece of advice, but she didn't expect him to say something like that.
Following behind the servant, Yu Shu walked to Rongshou Hall.
As soon as she entered the courtyard of Rongshou Hall, she saw Jia standing in the middle of the courtyard glaring at her. Wang Mama stood behind Jia with her head down, and her expression was not visible.
Looking around, the sweeping maidservant's eyes occasionally glanced at them with malice and resentment, and it seemed that countless pairs of eyes were lurking in the shadows, spying on them.
The entire courtyard was eerily quiet, without a single human sound, which made the sounds of sweeping and the wind rustling through the leaves all the more loud.
Everything about it gave her a chilling feeling.
"Kneel down!" Jia suddenly said.
Yu Shu didn't struggle and knelt down directly.
"Do you know why I called you here?" Jia asked.
Yu Shu then dared to look up at her and respectfully said, "This servant does not know, but this servant will obey any orders from Madam."
"Listen to me?" Madam Jia sneered, then suddenly roared hysterically, "If you listened to me, you should have advised Huai'an to focus on his studies and wait until he became the top scholar before dragging him around! But what about you, you slut? The moment I touch your body, you go limp and don't know your place. How can you face me?"
These were harsh words, especially since they were said in public. No matter how much Yu Shu told herself to be patient, she couldn't help feeling embarrassed.
Her face flushed red as she shook her head and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Madam, please calm down! I didn't mean to! I was just doing my duty to serve you, Master. I had no right to refuse!"
"Oh...is that so?" Madam Jia sneered again, her voice chilling. "Since you say no, I believe you."
Yu Shu's eyes lit up with joy, but before she could say "Thank you, Madam," she heard Jia Shi say, "But it's not that I'm wronging you for delaying Huai'an's studies. Slap yourself a hundred times, and when you realize your mistake, go back."
A hundred slaps?
Is Madam Jia trying to disfigure her so she can no longer attract the Second Master? If she loses favor, will she be kicked out of the study?
Yu Shu's eyes were filled with fear, her lips were tightly pressed together, and her hands, hidden in her sleeves, unconsciously clenched.
Under Jia's watchful eye, knowing she wouldn't be able to leave without suffering a great loss, she gritted her teeth, hardened her heart, and slapped herself across the face.
Madam Jia was still dissatisfied: "Why are you hitting me so lightly? Haven't you eaten enough?"
Yu Shu increased the force.
Madam Jia pressed further, saying, "I'm only letting you do it yourself to save face! If you're not willing to hurt yourself, I'll have someone else do it for you!"
"..."
Jia kept finding fault, and Yushu slapped herself repeatedly across the face. Her pretty, fair face quickly swelled up, and her lips cracked, oozing a trickle of bright red blood.
But since Jia didn't say to stop, Yushu dared not stop.
After delivering a hundred slaps, Jia endured the pain and delivered a dozen more before casually saying, "That's enough."
At this moment, Yu Shu's face was so swollen that it was unrecognizable. She didn't even need to touch it; even just opening her mouth to speak was excruciatingly painful.
Looking at her wretched face, Madam Jia was finally satisfied: "Get out! From now on, serve the men well and rein in your licentious nature. Don't think I don't know what you've done!"
Yu Shu dared not disobey and kowtowed in response, "Yes."
Even such simple actions and words caused her great pain, making her tremble.
Suppressing her hatred, she left Rongshou Hall feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
Back in the study in the front yard, Yu Shu first found a gauze scarf and covered her face to hide her bruised and battered face.
When Sheng Huai'an saw her return, his gaze fell on the veil on her face, and he frowned and asked, "What happened to your face? Let me see."
Yu Shu hesitated for a moment, glanced at him, then lowered her eyes and untied the veil.
"Hiss..." Sheng Huai'an gasped sharply, then said in a complicated voice, "Keep wearing it."
Yu Shu chuckled inwardly, then obediently put the scarf back on.
As night fell, Sheng Huai'an wanted it again.
Yu Shu was somewhat surprised, not expecting that he would actually think highly of her.
But when the two were making love, he made her lie face down on the desk and not turn around. Knowing that he didn't want her to see her face and spoil his mood, and that he only used her as a tool for sexual release, Yu Shu sneered inwardly.
The last vestige of warmth and hope in her heart was shattered, and she decided that from now on she would rely solely on herself.
But to her surprise, another unexpected event occurred.
...
Two incense sticks in advance.
Liu Rumei sat in front of the dressing table, glanced at her haggard reflection in the dim bronze mirror, and turned to Chen Mama to confirm: "You really found out that the Second Master went on a date with Miss Xiang from the Ministry of War's residence?"
"Yes," said Granny Chen. "They said they were going to Jingyuan Garden in the suburbs of Beijing."
What was the result?
"This old servant also inquired and said that there has been no news from Miss Xiang Wu, so she probably didn't take a liking to Second Master."
"Heh..." Liu Rumei chuckled softly, then her laughter grew louder and louder until tears streamed down her face. "This is what he kept telling me about loving me to the bone! He married Ye Mingzhu without consulting me, saying it was so the Ye family's medicine could cure my illness, and the same goes for Xiang Wu Miss..."
At this point, Liu Rumei suddenly fell silent.
There's no need to voice the embarrassment that's hidden in your heart.
Otherwise, are we just going to wait for others to sympathize with us?
She doesn't need sympathy.
She looked at Granny Chen with a cold expression: "Granny, take Hao'er to the wet nurse and light one of my usual calming incense sticks so she can rest with Hao'er as soon as possible. After you've taken Hao'er there, you should go and rest too."
She then looked at Jinzhu and Yinzhu: "You two, you don't need to serve me here tonight. I want to be alone tonight."
Granny Chen and Jinzhu and Yinzhu quickly responded.
After everyone left, Liu Rumei sat in front of the dressing table for a while until all the sounds outside ceased, then picked up a lamp and got up to go outside.
Walking into the artificial hill behind the magnolia tree, she expressionlessly opened the secret passage mechanism.
Sheng Huai'an always took the initiative to come to Qinghui Garden to find her. She had never walked through this secret passage that connected to the study in the front yard before, and this was the first time.
The pitch-black secret passage resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast, sending chills down one's spine.
She hesitated for a moment before stepping into the pitch-black secret passage.
The oil lamp in her hand could only illuminate a small area. She felt as if she were walking on a dark, sunless seabed, and even her heart grew colder.
But she never imagined her heart could grow even colder.
The long secret passage eventually came to an end. She walked out from behind the multi-treasure pavilion, expecting to see Sheng Huai'an engrossed in his studies, but instead, she heard a series of ambiguous, low breaths coming from the inner room of the study.
That voice belonged to Sheng Huai'an.
The sounds he made when he made love with the gold and silver pearls after she finally convinced him to accept them were exactly the same!
But he said he looked down on Yu Shu.
He said he wouldn't touch any woman who wasn't arranged by her!
Supporting Duobaoge and standing still, Liu Rumei suddenly laughed out loud. As she laughed, her eyes gradually became indifferent.
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