Font Size:
“Wuuu… Big brother, are you okay?”
“Wuuu… My little sister has always been weak and sickly since childhood, and now she’s fallen into the pond in the middle of winter. If anything happens to her, how will I ever explain it to Uncle and Aunt?”
As soon as Sheng Nanxi regained consciousness, she heard Sheng Ningxue’s wailing cries.
She squinted her eyes slightly and saw that Sheng Ningxue had already been treated with medicine and changed into clean clothes.
Although her hair was burned unevenly, and her facial burns had only been temporarily treated, she now wore a white gauze hat. With her delicate and fragile figure, she actually looked somewhat ethereal, like an otherworldly beauty.
“Wuuu… Cuiguo, don’t worry about me! Hurry and get a doctor for my little sister!”
“Miss… The imperial physicians are all busy treating the other young masters and ladies. It may take some time before they can attend to her.”
“Wuuu… Then send someone to wait for them! As soon as one of them is free, have them come see my little sister immediately!”
Earlier, Doctor Zhang had already examined Sheng Ningxue. Though her burns were severe, as long as she could obtain the legendary Jade Skin Ointment and apply it for a month, she would fully recover.
Luckily, last year, the Empress Dowager had gifted a bottle of Jade Skin Ointment to the Qin Princess Consort. Sheng Ningxue planned to ask her mother to persuade the Qin Princess Consort to give it up.
Her own injuries were already accounted for, but she wasn’t about to miss this golden opportunity to ruin Sheng Nanxi’s reputation.
She didn’t quite understand how a spark from the charcoal brazier had suddenly leaped onto her, but since many noble sons and daughters had also been affected by the fire, as long as she pinned the blame on Sheng Nanxi, her rival’s reputation would be utterly destroyed.
So what if Sheng Nanxi’s status was far above hers?
In the future, whenever people mentioned the young ladies of the Qin Prince’s household, the first one that would come to mind would be herself—the perfect example of grace and etiquette. Who would still have anything good to say about that little scoundrel Sheng Nanxi?
Sheng Ningxue, ever the white lotus, calculated in her mind but never spoke her thoughts aloud.
Instead, she feigned weakness, swaying as if about to collapse. As Cuiguo reached out to support her, she discreetly pinched the maid’s arm.
Cuiguo’s lips were swollen and red from burns, thickly coated in medicinal ointment, making them look like two sausages.
Her face was filled with pain, and now her hand was also throbbing from Sheng Ningxue’s pinch, but she dared not utter a word.
She could only follow her mistress’s orders and say, aggrievedly:
“M-Miss, y-you know as well as I do… Just now, the Eleventh Miss took advantage of the commotion and deliberately knocked a spark from the charcoal brazier onto your hair…”
“Miss, you always let people bully you without saying a word, always thinking of others. Wuuu… If you keep swallowing your grievances like this, when will it ever end?”
“We should report this to the Qin Princess Consort! She’s always fair and just—she’ll surely give you justice.”
After Cuiguo finished speaking, Sheng Ningxue pretended to panic and quickly interrupted:
“Cuiguo! What are you saying?! Little sister is young and playful—she didn’t do it on purpose! If you say such things again, don’t blame me for being harsh with you!”
Their little act had worked. The people around them, as if suddenly realizing something, began whispering among themselves.
“When the Eleventh Miss was pulled out of the water earlier, she did go near the brazier to warm up. The Fourth Miss was indeed nearby at the time. If you think about it, it really does seem like the Eleventh Miss was being mischievous.”
“The Fourth Miss has always been kindhearted. It wouldn’t be the first time the Eleventh Miss bullied her. It’s not surprising that she would deliberately set her hair on fire.”
“Hah! The last time I visited the Qin Prince’s household, the Eleventh Miss was hiding in the bushes throwing rocks at me! A family full of noble heroes, yet somehow they’ve raised such a little scoundrel.”
“If you ask me, someone should report this to the Qin Princess Consort and have her discipline that brat properly! She’s only three years old and already so full of mischief—if she grows up like this, won’t she turn the whole capital upside down?”
“…”
After all, this wasn’t the first time Sheng Ningxue had tried to smear Sheng Nanxi’s name. Many of the noble sons and daughters present had been “pranked” by her before.
With Sheng Ningxue’s maids deliberately leading the conversation, the crowd truly started believing that Sheng Nanxi was the culprit. One by one, they began criticizing her.
Just then, a lazy male voice sounded from not far away:
“Oh? What’s with the crowd? Are you all gathered here to watch Sheng Ningxue make a fool of herself in public?”
“Pfft—”
Hearing this familiar voice, Sheng Nanxi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
She looked up to see a tall and elegant young man stepping out from the snow-covered trees, dressed in a luxurious red cloak.
It was none other than her third brother, Sheng Yichen.
With his hands behind his back, Sheng Yichen walked forward at an unhurried pace, exuding an air of nonchalance. Yet, the gathered nobles near the warm pavilion couldn’t help but shiver.
Compared to the mischievous original Sheng Nanxi, Sheng Yichen was the true terror of the capital.
With their father being the Qin Prince, no one dared to stand in Sheng Yichen’s way. Those who had provoked him in the past had never ended well.
While people still had the courage to scold the little troublemaker Sheng Nanxi to her face, when faced with the real menace—Sheng Yichen—not a single one dared to utter a word.
Sheng Ningxue was so furious at his crude remark that her whole body trembled. However, she didn’t dare lose her temper in front of everyone. Forcing a smile, she said:
“Third Cousin, you love to joke. How could I possibly do something so disgraceful to the Qin Prince’s household?”
“Disgraceful to the Qin Prince’s household? You? As if you even qualify.”
Sheng Yichen wasn’t buying her act at all. He despised people like Sheng Ningxue—those who pretended to be virtuous while scheming behind the scenes.
Seeing his little sister’s pale face only made his words sharper.
With just a few strides, he reached her and scooped her up into his arms.
Though Sheng Yichen seemed like a careless troublemaker, Sheng Nanxi—having read the entire novel—knew it was all an act.
The truth was, aside from their father, the Qin Prince, all of their brothers were outstanding—one was a top scholar, another a brilliant businessman, and the eldest a war hero who had followed their father into battle.
With such accomplished brothers, Sheng Yichen had deliberately taken on the role of a carefree playboy to avoid drawing too much attention.
According to the novel’s original plot, after the original Sheng Nanxi fell into the water and died, Sheng Yichen blamed himself for failing to protect her. Overcome with grief, he even severed his own arm in mourning.
It was clear—he had loved his little sister dearly.
But because the original Sheng Nanxi had been brainwashed by the Second House for years, she had kept her distance from her own family, which meant she rarely had the chance to bond with her third brother.
Sheng Yichen’s timely arrival was a stroke of luck.
Tomorrow, the Qin Prince’s household would be exiled. Sheng Nanxi had little time left.
She only wanted to wrap up this mess quickly so she could warn Sheng Yichen.
With that in mind, she nuzzled her wet little head against his firm chest, blinking her bright, watery eyes as she whined:
“Wuuu… Brother, take Xi’er home! They’re bad people! They bullied Xi’er!”
Seeing his little sister looking so aggrieved nearly broke Sheng Yichen’s heart.
Without hesitation, he took off his warm cloak and wrapped it around her, his voice dropping into a dangerous tone:
“Hm? Who are ‘they’?”
“Xi’er, point out everyone who bullied you.”
“I’d really like to see who dares to lay a finger on the little princess of the Qin Prince’s household!”