The man snapped at Shen Siyi, “What nonsense.”

He gave an awkward cough, then motioned for his two guards to leave and stand watch outside the door.

Shen Siyi nonchalantly sat down beside him and poured herself a cup of tea.

“It’s a good thing you were here today. Otherwise, I would have beaten that poor scholar black and blue.”

The man watched her coolly. “And here I thought you’d learned something. Instead, you pick a man like that? Are you planning to ruin your reputation for good?”

Shen Siyi downed the tea in one go and slammed the cup back on the table.

“Hey! I’ve told you a dozen times, my hand was forced. Besides, if you’d just been willing to help me, would I need to be out here looking for someone else?”

With that, she leaned in closer with a grin. Her stunning face suddenly loomed large, making the man flinch back slightly and frown.

“What are you doing now?”

“You have a crush on me, don’t you?” Shen Siyi said, her eyes curving into smiling crescents that seemed to twinkle like little stars. “Why else would you have come to my rescue?”

If that poor scholar had actually gone to the government, Shen Siyi would have had to find a way to deal with the trouble.

But the man just sneered. “Don’t flatter yourself. I got rid of him for my own sake.”

If the scholar had reported this to the government, he could have easily exposed the man’s meeting with an official here. That would have tipped off his targets and jeopardized the court’s mission to purge corrupt officials.

The man’s gaze turned dark and cold as he looked at Shen Siyi. “In fact, you nearly ruined my plans.”

Shen Siyi pursed her lips and stood up, having no intention of arguing with him further.

“You disturbed my sleep last time, didn’t you? So we’re even. Anyway, thank you for today. I’m off. And I hope everything goes smoothly for you.”

As she reached the door, the man glanced over, watching her as she left.

A strange feeling washed over him.

‘This woman… she didn’t even ask for my name. It means she truly doesn’t care who I am. She just wants to find someone, anyone, to escape the oppression of the Qi Mansion.’

And yet… after their last encounter, he’d had her investigated. He’d learned her name was Shen Siyi, and that she wasn’t a legitimate daughter of the Qi family, but an orphan Mrs. Qi had taken in.

“No wonder she’s so ill-mannered.” The man shook his head, finished the last of his tea, and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, he noticed a smudge of red on the rim of the teacup. A lip print.

He instantly remembered—Shen Siyi had just used his cup!

For some unknown reason, a faint blush crept up the man’s handsome face. He gritted his teeth and muttered, “Shameless!”

After returning to the Qi Mansion, Shen Siyi was just about to go get some rest.

But then she heard crying and angry shouting coming from the adjacent courtyard, where Qi Jingchun lived.

Her maid, Anxiang, came running over. “Miss, you’re back! Please, hurry back to your room. You don’t want to get on Mrs. Qi’s bad side right now.”

Shen Siyi stood in the courtyard, listening intently to the sounds from next door. Her younger sister, Qi Jingchun, was crying wretchedly. Mrs. Qi must be punishing her again.

The woman had a particularly cruel way of punishing her own daughter in the confines of this great house.

Whenever Qi Jingchun was disobedient, Mrs. Qi would take a silver needle and pierce her fingertips. She would only prick them slightly, so there were no serious wounds, but the pain was excruciating, and Qi Jingchun’s shrill cries would fill the air every time.

Mrs. Qi did this because she believed it was the only way to terrorize Qi Jingchun into complete obedience.

And besides, the wounds on her fingertips would heal in three or four days, making them difficult for outsiders to notice.

Qi Jingchun’s cries grew more and more desperate. Shen Siyi couldn’t bear to listen any longer and rushed to intervene.

But Anxiang grabbed her arm, stopping her. “Miss, you can’t! Mrs. Qi ordered Jing Chun to go on a boat trip with Marquis Tongping. She was punished just for uttering a single word of protest. If you go, you’ll be berated as well!”

But Shen Siyi couldn’t stand by and do nothing. “Marquis Tongping is over forty! He’s far older than Jing Chun—he could be her father. His own sons are her age! That Mrs. Qi… she’s truly gone mad.”

With that, she went straight to the adjacent courtyard. Shen Siyi shoved aside the old woman blocking the doorway and stormed into the room.

Mrs. Qi had large, sharp eyes, high cheekbones, and a gaze that radiated cruelty. One look was enough to know she was not someone to be crossed.

Kneeling before her was Qi Jingchun, her hands covered in blood. She was trembling so violently from the pain that she had collapsed on the floor, unable to rise.

When she turned and saw Shen Siyi, she choked out, “Sister…”

Mrs. Qi glared at Shen Siyi, her voice dripping with displeasure. “What are you doing here? Such insolence. I am teaching your sister a lesson. Get out.”

She would not use such punishments on Shen Siyi, because she was relying on Shen Siyi’s beauty to build connections with the powerful, and couldn’t allow her to be marred in any way.

Qi Jingchun, however, was not so fortunate.

Shen Siyi rushed forward to help Qi Jingchun up. She saw that the wounds on her fingers were worse than ever before.

Mrs. Qi was truly determined to beat Qi Jingchun into submission.

“Mrs. Qi, how far are you going to take this? Can’t you see what you’ve done to my sister’s hands!” Shen Siyi accused angrily.

She never called Mrs. Qi “Mother,” because she felt the woman didn’t deserve the title.

Initially, she had thought Mrs. Qi was a good person. It was only after coming to the mansion that she realized Mrs. Qi had only brought her home to groom her, all because she was taken with her beauty.

Thus, she could never bring herself to call her “Mother.”

Mrs. Qi slammed her hand on the table. “Insolence! If your sister had just been obedient, would I need to do this? It’s clear to me now. She’s spent too much time with you, and now she dares to defy my commands. She’s completely forgotten her place!”

Shen Siyi frowned. “She’s not a kitten or a puppy. She’s a living person! And people have their own thoughts. She certainly has the right to refuse something she doesn’t want to do.”

“Say one more word!” Mrs. Qi shot to her feet, pointing a finger at Shen Siyi. “Don’t think for a second that I wouldn’t dare punish you!”

Fearing Shen Siyi would be punished with her, Qi Jingchun shielded her. “Sister, please, say no more! Mother, I was wrong. I’ll go on the boat trip with Marquis Tongping. I beg you, please don’t be angry.”

Seeing her submit, Mrs. Qi let out a cold snort.

“It’s good that you’ve come to your senses. I am your mother; would I ever harm you? Marquis Tongping may be a bit old, but he is in need of a new wife. Once you marry him, you will be a Marchioness. Your future will be one of immeasurable wealth and glory.”

Shen Siyi retorted immediately. “You make it sound so simple, Mrs. Qi. Let’s not even mention the fact that Marquis Tongping has already had three wives die. And what about his children? He has six sons and nine daughters, not to mention countless concubines in his mansion.”

“Even if my sister marries him, do you really think her position as Marchioness would be secure? As soon as Marquis Tongping dies, his title will pass to his eldest son from his first wife. My sister would be left to live at the mercy of her own stepson!”

Mrs. Qi stared at her coldly. “What do you know? A woman needs a child of her own to secure her place. As long as she can give birth to a son, she’ll have nothing to fear.”

Just then, a maid rushed in. “Ma’am, a messenger just arrived from Marquis Tongping! He says he hopes to go on the boat trip with the young miss first thing tomorrow morning.”

Mrs. Qi froze, her eyes falling on Qi Jingchun’s blood-streaked fingers.

‘She had been a bit too harsh. She’d thought they had half a month until the boat trip… who could have guessed Marquis Tongping would suddenly change his plans?’

Qi Jingchun flinched and shrank into Shen Siyi’s embrace.

Shen Siyi gently comforted her, then made a bold decision.

“Mrs. Qi, I will go in my sister’s place.”

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