Chapter 31: Doesn’t He Look Like Our Uncle?

The new steward had always served General Su, but he had been recently promoted after the former steward was dismissed.

He had seen Prince Zian a few times before, and each time, it was rather odd. Every time he encountered the seventh prince, the prince seemed to be in a bit of a sorry state.

Yes… each time, the prince’s body and face were, more or less, covered in bruises.

Prince Zian: “…I’m looking for my uncle.”

“Oh, so you’re here for the eldest young master. He’s not at the residence right now.”

“Where did he go?”

The new steward replied, “He left the estate this afternoon. I’m not sure exactly where he went.”

Prince Zian frowned. What should he do now?

【Tonight is the little beauty’s poison phase】

【Brother, head to the Shen Residence!】

Holding Ah Bao, Prince Zian said, “Ah Bao, big brother is taking you to the Shen Residence to see if Uncle is there. I’ve got something important to discuss with him.”

Ah Bao calmed down. 【Alright, alright, big brother. This time, we’re really on the right track!】

Prince Zian twitched the corner of his mouth.

He couldn’t tell Ah Bao that he could hear her thoughts, could he?

He had to come up with a proper excuse to visit Uncle.

Sigh.

He really was quite clever!

So smart.

As soon as Prince Zian arrived at the Shen Residence, even before making his presence known, he saw a figure hurrying away from the estate, heading straight for the outskirts of the capital.

“Huh? Sister, did you see that figure just now? Doesn’t that look like Uncle?” Prince Zian rubbed his eyes, but the figure had already disappeared into the distance.

Ah Bao widened her big, round eyes and pressed her little lips together.

【It does!】

【Uncle is going to find that little beauty, Ranran. She must not be at the Shen Residence. Something’s going to happen to her.】

【Brother, follow him!】

“It’s so late, and Uncle’s moving so fast. Something must be wrong. Let’s go, big brother will take you to check it out.”

【Brother, for once your brain isn’t going to waste!】

Exactly.

Prince Zian chuckled inwardly. He really was sharp.

Carrying Ah Bao, Prince Zian followed closely behind Su Jinye as they left the capital.

It seemed that Su Jinye was in such a hurry, distracted even, that he didn’t notice someone trailing him.

However, Prince Zian’s martial skills were not as good as Su Jinye’s. Fortunately, Su Jinye wasn’t moving too fast; otherwise, Prince Zian might not have been able to keep up.

At the foot of Mount Taibai, Prince Zian was panting heavily, sure that Su Jinye had already ascended the mountain.

“So… so tired.”

【Brother, you big dummy! Mother always tells you to train properly, but you slack off. Now you’re falling behind at a critical moment.】

“Once I return to the palace, I will definitely train hard this time.”

It was only when he needed his skills that he regretted not practicing enough.

The moonlight was faint, casting a cold, desolate glow over the mountain forest.

Shen Yunran had been crouching on the mountain for an hour and finally found a stalk of Star-Moon Grass on a small slope.

Star-Moon Grass was an incredibly rare herb with miraculous healing properties for external injuries.

Suddenly, Su Jinye’s handsome face flashed in her mind, and Shen Yunran’s heart clenched.

“Su Jinye, from now on, I owe you nothing,” Shen Yunran took a deep breath, recalling an incident years ago when her father had punished her. She had been whipped and locked in the woodshed for three days and nights.

That time, she thought she was going to die, but it was Su Jinye who had carried her out of the woodshed and applied medicine to her wounds.

He had saved her.

He had said, “Ranran, remember this favor and repay it someday.”

Now, since she intended to break off the engagement, she no longer wanted to owe him any favors.

“Su Jinye…” Shen Yunran became lost in thought. Her foot slipped, and she tumbled down the slope, hitting her head on a rock and losing consciousness.

“Second Miss, the eldest Miss… she… she seems to have fainted.”

Not far away, behind a large rock, Shen Congyue was hiding with a man dressed in black.

It was the man in black who spoke.

Shen Congyue shot him a fierce glare. “Idiot! If she’s fainted, why are you trembling? Isn’t this the perfect opportunity? Hurry up and do it!”

The man in black hesitated for a moment.

“Do you not want the money? That sum is more than you could earn in three lifetimes.”

Gritting his teeth, the man in black said, “I’ll do it.”

Humans die for wealth, and birds die for food.

Sorry, Miss.

The man in black took out a small black box from his waist, opened it, and a small red snake slithered out.

The snake was as thin as a thumb, moving nimbly. It seemed to sense the scent of blood, flicking its tongue as it slithered toward Shen Yunran.

The little red snake slowly approached Shen Yunran and bit her arm.

Shen Yunran was jolted awake by the sudden sharp pain.

She slowly opened her eyes and heard a rustling sound nearby.

Through her blurry vision, she saw the little red snake slithering away.

Sitting up, Shen Yunran felt dizzy, and her arm was numb. Looking down, she saw two small puncture marks on her arm.

She knew she had been bitten by a venomous snake.

At this moment, her body was extremely weak, and she didn’t even have the strength to stand up.

“Sister.” Footsteps drew near.

Shen Yunran raised her head and saw Shen Congyue. She was startled, “Congyue, what are you doing here?”

“To be honest, I followed you here. Oh my, sister! You’ve been bitten by a venomous snake? From the looks of it, you don’t have much time left.”

“Congyue, you…” From the moment she saw Shen Congyue, Shen Yunran had already guessed what was happening.

“What about me? That snake bite wasn’t my doing. It’s just your bad luck.” Shen Congyue slowly approached, standing in front of her. “Don’t think I don’t know. The reason you came here tonight was to gather herbs for Brother Ye.”

Over the past month of observing Shen Yunran, Shen Congyue had noticed that she often came to Mount Taibai to gather herbs.

“All these years, you’ve been helping beggars and refugees, treating people for free. Everyone knows that the legitimate daughter of the Shen family is beautiful and kind-hearted, a perfect young lady.

But don’t think I don’t know your real motive.

You’re doing all this to get Brother Ye’s attention, aren’t you?

Too bad, no matter how much you do, Brother Ye won’t spare you a glance.

Because Brother Ye loves me. Even if I’m pregnant with another man’s child, he only loves me. After all, I am the one who once saved his life.”

A trace of helplessness appeared on Shen Yunran’s pale face. “Life-saving benefactor…”

She muttered, her head aching, as vague, unclear images flashed through her mind like scenes from a movie.

“Shen Congyue, it wasn’t you,” Shen Yunran took deep breaths and suddenly looked up at her. “The person who saved Su Jinye all those years ago—it wasn’t you.”

Shen Congyue was stunned, but then sneered, “I didn’t expect that, instead of hitting your head and losing your memory, you knocked it back in.

Even if it wasn’t me, who else would know besides you and me?

What, do you plan to tell Brother Ye yourself that it was you who saved him all those years ago? And then beg for his pity and affection?”

Shen Yunran slowly closed her eyes. She did like Su Jinye—she had liked him since they were young.

She knew it was foolish, but no matter how much she liked him, she would never use the fact that she saved him to gain his sympathy.

Love should never rely on favors; it should be based on mutual understanding and feelings.

—