Chapter 20 A Gentle Blade, More Lethal
Wen Xueling held two bamboo tubes in her hand, each containing a gu worm.
These creatures were not easy to find. She had spent a considerable amount of silver to buy these small trinkets from the capital’s black market.
It was said that the marks left by these worms’ bites were extremely similar to the ambiguous red marks between lovers.
The mother and daughter didn’t move their scumbag father onto the bed. They took away his outer robe, leaving him lying on the cold ground in just his undergarments.
The hallucinogenic drug given to her scumbag father was enough to keep him asleep until dawn.
An entire night passed.
Attendants came to knock on the door of Folding Willow Courtyard, their attitude noticeably much better than before.
Last night, this courtyard......had called for water three times.
When Wen Jingshu woke up groggily, he felt drained of energy, as if his body had been hollowed out.
He turned his head and saw Mu Qingyu. Her fair skin was covered in marks from the “activity.”
Wen Jingshu was stunned: “What! He did this?”
The thought of Xie Siyu immediately chilled his expression. He forcefully nudged Mu Qingyu awake, “What happened last night, you must not tell anyone.”
“Otherwise......I cannot guarantee that Ling’er won’t get into trouble.”
Mu Qingyu’s eyes immediately filled with sadness, and tears dripped one by one onto his hand.
She directly turned her back, feigning grievance, “She won't know.”
As soon as her scumbag father left, Mu Qingyu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her face showing no emotion whatsoever.
Wen Xueling, who had been hiding in the wardrobe, came out.
Last night, she had stayed in her mother’s room. Only at dawn did she move her scumbag father, who had been sleeping on the floor all night, onto the bed.
And those marks on her mother’s body, of course, were all drawn by her.
Her scumbag father was in a hurry to attend court and didn’t notice the unusual marks on his neck. He only felt that his colleagues were looking at him with meaningful glances today.
Even the Emperor paid him a few more glances.
This strange feeling persisted until he returned to the Prime Minister’s Estate and went to Qingxin Courtyard to see Xie Siyu, only then understanding the reason.
“Husband, the red marks on your neck are......you, you actually shared a room with her? Did you forget what you promised me? You said you would never touch her!”
“Siyu, listen to my explanation.”
Wen Xueling stood in the rockery pavilion not far from Qingxin Courtyard, watching from afar her scumbag father’s embarrassed state as he was driven out of the courtyard by that woman.
Excellent, just as Mother said.
To sow discord between a man and a woman, one only needs to start from where they care about the most.
What Xie Siyu was most proud of was having kept her scumbag father from returning to Huaxi County for over a decade, abandoning his original wife and children, staying only by her side and guarding her, making all the madams in the capital envious of her good husband.
But now, her mother had been in the mansion for only two days, and he had spent the night in Folding Willow Courtyard, directly slapping her face.
For several days in a row, Xie Siyu did not allow her scumbag father to enter her courtyard.
Wen Jinli had gone to the palace to study with the prince and had not been in the mansion for several days. Wen Jin’an also did not visit to cause trouble again.
After all, her scumbag father had come to Folding Willow Courtyard that night precisely to vent his anger for her.
Wen Xueling carried the nourishing soup her mother had just brewed and came to the Ink Bamboo Courtyard, where her scumbag father resided. She said to the guard, “I’ve come to bring Father his nourishing soup.”
After the incident at Folding Willow Courtyard, the maids and attendants of the Prime Minister’s Estate no longer dared to ignore their mother and daughter.
The moment she stood in her scumbag father’s study, she had a sense of returning to her previous life.
In her previous life, she had been forced by her scumbag father to kneel here, kowtow and admit her mistakes to her stepmother, simply because a single word she said had angered her stepmother, causing her old illness to relapse.
The truth was that Xie Siyu had first insulted her mother, and she had spoken out to defend her, but was falsely accused in return.
This time, she would never repeat the same mistakes.
Starting with......the strategy to alienate her scumbag father and stepmother.
Blizzards had suddenly struck various regions, leaving the common people displaced. Wen Jingshu was vexed by this matter.
Hearing that Wen Xueling had brought nourishing soup, and remembering Mu Qingyu’s cooking skills, he hesitated for a moment but still let her in.
“Father, this is calming soup that Mother has been brewing for several hours. Please taste it and see if it suits your palate.”
Mu Qingyu’s cooking skills were naturally beyond reproach.
After delivering the soup, Wen Xueling left the study and didn’t linger.
Her scumbag father was very surprised. He had thought she would try to get close to him, but she left without saying anything.
For several consecutive days, the soup never ceased coming.
From the respectful attitude of the guards at the study entrance, one could see the change in her scumbag father’s attitude. However, although the soup was finished every time, he himself never came to Folding Willow Courtyard again.
Wen Xueling knew that he was putting on a show for Xie Siyu.
It wasn’t until the night of the capital’s first snow that Wen Jingshu was once again driven out of Qingxin Courtyard by Xie Siyu.
Returning to his study, he waited a long time but didn’t see Wen Xueling bring soup. When he asked, he learned she had fallen ill.
The cold front enveloped the capital with wind and snow.
Although it wasn’t as bone-chillingly cold as the Northern Frontier, it was still very difficult for common people without stoves in their homes to get through the night.
Wen Jingshu frowned as soon as he stepped into the room.
It was too cold.
Wen Xueling’s room was empty, and the bedding on the bed was nowhere to be found.
He turned and went to Mu Qingyu’s room, where he saw the mother and daughter huddled together, seeking warmth from each other.
“Father, don’t come closer!”
Wen Xueling coughed as she spoke, “Mother and I have caught a cold. Father, please don't come near......cough cough...lest you catch it too.”
“What’s going on?” Wen Jingshu’s expression was not good.
Perhaps the soup deliveries of the past few days had made her scumbag father a little more humane, and he began to inquire about the affairs of Folding Willow Courtyard.
When the butler, wearing a thick brocade padded coat, rushed over, boards had already been set up in the courtyard.
“Prime Minister......” He saw the setup and knelt on the ground in a panic.
Also summoned were the cook who had previously sent sour, spoiled food and other maids and servants who had intentionally withheld daily necessities from Folding Willow Courtyard.
“Masters are masters. When is it your turn to bully them?”
Most of the minor and major affairs of the Prime Minister’s Estate were managed and allocated by the butler, but the true decision-maker in the inner quarters was Xie Siyu.
Wen Jingshu naturally knew this, but he couldn’t bear to punish her, so he could only vent his anger on others.
Furthermore, his people had investigated another matter.
The Warm Fragrance Garden where Wen Xueling and her mother previously lived was actually the private residence of General Liang Jue, the General-of-Pacifying-the-Nation.
During this period, Liang Jue had caused him a great deal of trouble.
His actions tonight, killing the chicken to warn monkeys, were also intentionally performed for Wen Xueling and her mother to see.
Hearing the wailing in the courtyard, Wen Xueling’s eyes darkened. See, as long as you know how to manipulate people’s hearts, someone will hand you a knife, letting you kill as you please.
Suddenly, the door to the room was opened from the outside.
Maids and attendants quickly set up a warming stove in the room, brought in newly made thick quilts, and even pasted an extra layer on the windows.
In just a moment, the room had undergone a complete transformation.
The attendant serving Wen Jingshu quickly said, “Prime Minister, the warming stove and new quilts for Miss’s room have also been prepared properly.”
“Mm.” Wen Jingshu’s gaze was fixed on Wen Xueling’s face, trying to discern something from it.
He stood up and said to Mu Qingyu, “You rest well. I have something to ask Ling’er.”
Mu Qingyu looked at her daughter with worry. Wen Xueling winked at her, signaling her to be at ease.
She followed her scumbag father to the study.
As soon as they entered, Wen Jingshu’s expression changed. His gaze became sharp and penetrating, staring intently into Wen Xueling’s eyes.
“What is your connection with the General-of-Pacifying-the-Nation’s Estate?”
She looked up, feigning confusion, “General-of-Pacifying-the-Nation’s Estate? Ling’er doesn’t know what Father means. I’ve never had any connection with anyone from a General’s Estate.”
“You’re still quibbling!” Wen Jingshu saw that she wasn’t speaking, and the feigned cordiality on his lips disappeared, leaving only a cold, scrutinizing gaze.
“Father, daughter truly doesn’t know General-of-Pacifying-the-Nation’s Estate......”
Her voice choked, her eyes red, as she clutched her sleeves.
She appeared to be frightened by her scumbag father’s words, but in a place where his gaze couldn’t reach, a mocking smile quietly appeared in her eyes.
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