Chapter 4: Brother! We’re Being Exiled! 

Sheng Yichen’s voice was terrifyingly low.

The warm pavilion instantly fell into silence. Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

These people had taken advantage of Sheng Nanxi’s young age to bully her, but none of them would dare provoke Sheng Yichen.

Just as Sheng Nanxi was about to speak up and complain, the maid Cuizhu hurriedly interrupted in a trembling voice:

“T-Third Young Master, please forgive this servant for speaking bluntly. Just now, the young ladies were playing in the warm pavilion. The Eleventh Miss, perhaps on a whim, wanted to prank the Sixth Miss…”

“She… she tried to push the Sixth Miss into the water when she wasn’t paying attention, but ended up slipping herself and falling in instead.”

“Then, she accidentally knocked over a brazier, and the fire caught onto the Sixth Miss’s hair. That… that’s how so many young masters and ladies ended up covered in sparks and had no choice but to jump into the water to put out the flames.”

Cuizhu suppressed her fear of Sheng Yichen and, seemingly resigned to her fate, continued speaking:

“Master, we are truly being wronged! The young princess has such a noble status—no matter how bold we were, we wouldn’t dare bully her!”

“Heh… So you’re saying that my sister pushed the Sixth Miss into the water?”

Sheng Yichen glanced at Cuizhu, whose face was covered in blisters but whose eyes were darting around evasively. His brows lifted slightly, his tone full of mockery.

Then, looking at his little sister shaking her head silently in his arms, his suspicions were confirmed.

From the moment he picked up Sheng Nanxi, he had been using his inner energy to dry her clothes. Now, she was mostly dry.

However, her small, weary face still made his heart ache.

Holding Xi’er even tighter in his arms, Sheng Yichen raised an eyebrow and whistled into the air.

“Sheng Liu, come do some work!”

“Woof—”

From the nearby bushes, a large snow-white dog with a lion-like nose and broad mouth leaped out.

The dog gave Sheng Yichen a resentful look, seemingly very dissatisfied with its new name.

But the moment it met his sharp gaze, it shuddered and obediently charged toward the stunned Sheng Ningxue.

“Ah—help!”

“Sheng Yichen! What are you doing?! You actually named your dog Sheng Liu and ordered it to ram into me?! If Aunt finds out, she definitely won’t—”

Splash!

Splash!

“Oh no! Sixth Miss was pushed into the water by Third Young Master’s dog! Someone, hurry and save her!”

The warm pavilion descended into chaos once again. Though this was the second time she had fallen in, Sheng Ningxue still couldn’t escape gulping down several mouthfuls of water.

Only after thrashing around and scraping herself in several places was she finally pulled out again.

“Cough, cough… T-Third Brother, is this how you bully your own sister?!”

Sheng Ningxue lay on the grass, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared at Sheng Yichen.

She was now completely drenched, her hat had flown off somewhere, and her face, burned and swollen, looked utterly pitiful.

Yet, because Sheng Yichen was present, no one dared step forward to help her.

“That’s right, I’m bullying you. So what?”

Sheng Yichen casually held his little sister in one arm, his left hand resting on his hip—radiating the aura of an untouchable tyrant.

“Didn’t you just say that my Xi’er pushed you into the water? Well, now my dog pushed you into the water too. What, are you going to accuse me of bullying you as well?”

“Putting aside whether my little sister actually pushed you—remember last year’s palace banquet? My little sister and the Ninth Princess were playing in the imperial garden, and the Ninth Princess accidentally fell into the water. Back then, people also claimed it was my sister who pushed her.”

“But His Majesty didn’t scold my sister even once. Instead, he praised her for being lively and gifted her plenty of gold and jewelry.”

Sheng Yichen’s lips curved into a dangerous smirk, his voice ice-cold:

“What? Do you think you’re more noble than the Ninth Princess? My little sister can play around with the Ninth Princess but not with you?”

Although everyone knew that the emperor favored the younger generation of Qin Wang Manor in hopes of spoiling them into uselessness, the noble sons and daughters present didn’t understand such political intricacies. They were immediately intimidated by his words.

Sheng Ningxue, on the other hand, trembled with rage.

This little tyrant—how could he speak so recklessly?!

Asking her if she was nobler than the Ninth Princess—how was she even supposed to respond to that?!

Sheng Ningxue no longer wanted to argue. She swayed slightly and then collapsed onto the ground.

“Miss! This is bad! The young miss has fainted! You all, hurry and find a soft sedan chair to carry her back!”

The servants were in a frantic mess, but Sheng Yichen remained unfazed.

“Huh? I was just asking you a question. Why aren’t you answering? Tell me, is my little sister innocent or not?”

Sheng Ningxue remained motionless, continuing to play dead, praying that her maid would carry her away quickly.

Sheng Yichen wasn’t truly a useless playboy—how could he not see through such petty tricks?

Without hesitation, he strode out while carrying Sheng Nanxi. As he passed Sheng Ningxue, he deliberately stepped hard on her hand.

Crack—

“Mmm…”

A faint sound of bones fracturing echoed. Even though she bit down hard on her lip, Sheng Ningxue couldn’t suppress a muffled cry of pain.

“Oh? So you can speak after all.”

Sheng Yichen’s smirk widened.

“You all heard that, right? I just asked if my little sister was innocent, and she personally confirmed it. Since there’s nothing left to say, I’ll be on my way.”

With that, Sheng Yichen carried his little sister away, leaving behind a group of stunned, silent spectators and an enraged Sheng Ningxue, who was trembling with fury.

Good heavens! Who asks questions like that?!

That was a cry of pain, not an admission of guilt!

The onlookers secretly complained in their hearts but didn’t dare breathe too loudly. They only hoped this walking disaster would leave as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, nestled in her third brother’s arms, Sheng Nanxi thoroughly enjoyed watching her so-called playboy brother deal with evildoers. It was so satisfying.

If she had still harbored any thoughts of abandoning this family and running away when she first transmigrated, those ideas were completely gone now.

She was just a three-year-old child—going out alone would be incredibly inconvenient.

Besides, according to the plot of the novel, the young men of Qin Wang Manor were all extraordinarily talented and treated their younger sister like a precious treasure.

Not only would saving them turn them into valuable allies, but their deep love for their little sister alone was worth her effort to protect this entire family.

But now, there was a more pressing issue—how could she warn her family that Qin Wang Manor was about to be raided and exiled?

Sheng Nanxi’s obsidian-like eyes darted around as her mind raced with possibilities.

That’s it!

According to the novel’s storyline, the Imperial Uncle was currently using today’s flower-viewing banquet as an opportunity to conspire with the second branch of the family to frame the main branch of Qin Wang Manor.

If she could lead her third brother there to overhear their secret plot, wouldn’t that solve everything?

With that in mind, Sheng Nanxi immediately reached out her chubby little arms, wrapping them around Sheng Yichen’s neck as she pitifully pleaded:

“Third Brother, I dropped my wooden horse at Meixiang Courtyard. Can you take me there to get it?”

“Right now! Secretly! Eldest Sister doesn’t allow me to play with such things. If she finds out, I… I’ll be punished again…”

She lowered her head just enough for him to see the fresh needle marks on her tiny fingers.

Sheng Yichen’s heart nearly shattered at the sight.

“Alright, alright… Brother will go get your wooden horse right now. At your age, you should be able to play with whatever you want! I’ll make sure to give Sheng Ningxue a proper warning so she never bullies you again!”

Furious on her behalf, Sheng Yichen still made sure to tread lightly, carefully avoiding the manor’s hidden guards as he carried his little sister toward Meixiang Courtyard.

“Hmm? Brother, don’t you think this rock looks a little strange?”

Sheng Nanxi deliberately guided Sheng Yichen to the spot where the conspiracy was taking place and pointed at a particular rock with a curious expression.

Usually, Sheng Yichen wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but after hearing his little sister’s comment, he suddenly found the rock rather suspicious.

Just as he hesitated, the little girl in his arms raised her tiny palm and smacked a specific spot on the rock.

To his astonishment, what had appeared to be a solid rock suddenly split apart—

Revealing a massive hidden chamber!

Inside, multiple doors led to other concealed rooms.

From one of the doors, voices could be heard, and what they were saying sent shivers down Sheng Yichen’s spine.