"Qianqian, have you ever seen me go easy on you?" Shen Qianmo's tone was ordinary, but the murderous aura he exuded was enough to make people submit.
"Sister." A soft voice called out, and Shen Qianmo suppressed her aura, adopting an innocent and naive demeanor as she looked at the person who had come.
"Second sister, what is it?" Shen Qianmo's voice was clear and melodious. Just by listening to her voice, one might think she was a beauty, but if one saw her face, one would probably be disappointed.
"Tomorrow, some young ladies from official families have arranged to compose poems together. Would you like to go with me, little sister?" Shen Qianxin pretended to be a doting sister who didn't want her to be alone, but a hint of mockery and calculation was hidden deep in her eyes.
"But I don't know how." Shen Qianmo looked troubled, but inwardly she sneered. Shen Qianxin, what a vicious person she is.
Rumors are unreliable, but if all the daughters of officials truly witnessed all of this, then it would be undeniably true. In that case, the good-for-nothing legitimate daughter would be subjected to endless ridicule, while the talented and beautiful illegitimate daughter, Shen Qianxin, would gain attention.
"It's okay. We're just going out for fun. If anything happens, your older sister is here." Shen Qianxin gave a sincere smile and held Shen Qianmo's hand, smiling insincerely.
“Alright then,” Shen Qianmo replied, her bright eyes sparkling.
Seeing Shen Qianxin's smug smile as she left, Shen Qianmo smiled slightly.
Shen Qianxin, you've got a good plan. But I won't let you have your way so easily.
"Miss, why did you agree to go with her? She clearly has ulterior motives!" Qianqian made a face at Shen Qianxin's back and said.
"How can we let her shoot herself in the foot if we don't go?" Shen Qianmo said with a sly smile. Shen Qianxin, you came to me yourself, so don't blame me.
Seeing the smile on her young mistress's face, Qianqian knew that Shen Qianxin was definitely not going to get away with it. Her young mistress was a little devil, and even the old palace master couldn't handle her. How could a mere Shen Qianxin possibly compete with her? No way.
"It's been a long time since I've gone out to flirt with a young lady. After we go to that gathering tomorrow, let's go out and have some fun." Shen Qianmo's eyes revealed a hint of slyness as she smiled.
"Great! Great!" Qianqian clapped her hands excitedly.
Shen Qianmo often disguises herself as a man and goes out to flirt with those pretentious young ladies from wealthy families.
Those so-called ladies from noble families, upon seeing Shen Qianmo's handsome appearance disguised as a man, all secretly cast flirtatious glances their way. On a whim, Shen Qianmo teased them, and later discovered that it was quite amusing. So, she often took Qianqian to the streets to tease those hypocritical ladies from noble families.
Firstly, it was to punish those hypocritical women. Secondly, it was also to relieve her boredom. Speaking of relieving boredom, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't been to Old Man Bi's Strange Doctor's Manor for a long time; she should go and visit it sometime.
"Alright. I'm sleepy, I'm going to go to sleep for a while, don't let those women disturb me." Shen Qianmo yawned lazily, a hint of languor in her bright and mischievous eyes.
"Yes, Miss. If they dare to bother you, I'll teach them a lesson!" Qianqian showed a loyal and protective look, her confident demeanor was extremely cute.
"Silly Qianqian." Shen Qianmo pinched Qianqian's cheek, then yawned and went to take a nap.
She still has to deal with those vulgar, wicked women tomorrow; how can she not be well-rested? She needs a good night's sleep to have the energy for tomorrow. She's not lazy.
Seeing her young mistress's languid demeanor, Qianqian was no longer surprised. Shen Qianmo was always this lazy and cunning when she wasn't doing anything. But when it came to serious matters, she was a completely different story—sharp and decisive.
Chapter Five: Qianqian Gets Beaten
Shen Qianmo leaned against the bed with her eyes half-closed, her dark eyes filled with languor.
With her eyes half-closed, Shen Qianmo drifted into a light sleep. Her martial arts training made her a very light sleeper. The noise outside reached her ears, and she abruptly opened her eyes, like a sleeping lion waking up.
She just wanted to sleep for a while. And they couldn't wait to cause her trouble? Although Qianqian was highly skilled in martial arts, she had already instructed Qianqian not to use her skills after entering the manor, because she knew Qianqian's personality; without martial arts, she might suffer.
"My young lady is taking a nap! Please don't disturb her." Qianqian stood with her hands on her hips in front of Shen Qianmo's courtyard.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you block my way?!" Shen Qianyu looked at Qianqian with disdain. Shen Qianmo, as the legitimate daughter, suppressed her. Did she think even her maid would dare to bully her?
"I don't care. You're not allowed to go in!" Qianqian stubbornly blocked the entrance to the courtyard. The young lady always slept very lightly and often had nightmares, so she didn't like to be disturbed when she was resting.
"Slap." With a raised hand, she slapped Qianqian's cheek, which immediately swelled up. Shen Qianyu looked at Qianqian's swollen cheek with a smug expression.
"You lowly maid, how dare you stop me!" Shen Qianyu looked at Qianqian with an arrogant and smug expression. If she couldn't beat Shen Qianmo, she would take her anger out on her servant. Hmph!
"What is this eldest sister doing?!" Her tone was filled with anger, and Shen Qianmo's dark eyes were filled with rage as she looked at Shen Qianyu with a sharp gaze.
"Third sister, why are you so angry? Do you think I can't even discipline a little maid?" Shen Qianyu saw the anger in Shen Qianmo's eyes and felt a sense of fear. But when she thought of the difference in their status and the hatred she had felt for Shen Qianmo over the years, she still raised her chin and said arrogantly.
"Qianqian, does it hurt?" Shen Qianmo's eyes fell on Qianqian's swollen cheeks. He tenderly cupped Qianqian's cheeks in his hands, his eyes filled with heartache.
"Waaah, Miss, she hit me!" Qianqian had been with Shen Qianmo since she was a child. Shen Qianmo had always treated her like a younger sister and had never let her suffer any grievances. Now that she had been hit by Shen Qianyu, she was naturally very aggrieved. If it weren't for the young lady's repeated instructions not to use violence, she would have been very rude to Shen Qianyu long ago.
"You hit Qianqian?" Her gaze shifted from Qianqian's cheek to Shen Qianyu, her eyes darkening as she tried her best to suppress her anger.
"So what if I hit her?" Shen Qianyu felt a surge of pleasure when she saw Shen Qianmo's expression. If she couldn't hit Shen Qianmo, she would hit her maid. She just wanted to make her suffer!
"Third sister, I am a young lady, after all. Beating a maid shouldn't be a big deal, right?" Shen Qianyu raised her eyebrows triumphantly as she saw Shen Qianmo remain silent.
Shen Qianmo looked at Shen Qianyu and gently raised a smile, but deep in her eyes was a chilling look. "Qianqian is like my own sister. I really can't bear to see her get beaten. Seeing her face so swollen, I'd better apply some medicine for her first. I won't chat with my elder sister today."
"Oh, I'll come back to see you another day, sister." Shen Qianyu looked at Shen Qianmo's appearance, then at Qianqian's swollen cheeks, and like a victorious rooster, happily led a large group of maids away.
"I can't control what other people's maids do, but if you dare to hit Qianqian, you'll have to pay the price!" Shen Qianmo's eyes turned cold as she spoke to Shen Qianyu's retreating figure.
"Qianqian, come back to the house with me. I'll help you apply the medicine." When Shen Qianmo looked at Qianqian, his dark eyes gradually lightened, filled with heartache. "You silly girl, I told you not to use violence, but I didn't tell you to let others bully you like this."
"Waaah. Miss still loves Qianqian the most." Qianqian held Shen Qianmo's hand, her face full of gratitude.
"Silly Qianqian, if Miss doesn't love you, who will?" Shen Qianmo gently flicked Qianqian's nose, took out a holy medicine for treating external injuries from her bag, and applied it to Qianqian's nose.
Looking at Qianqian's swollen cheeks, Shen Qianmo's eyes were filled with heartache. Then, her gaze darkened, and a cold smile appeared on her lips.
"Alright, alright, stop standing here, go down!" Shen Qianyu had slapped Qianqian during the day and was feeling quite smug in front of Shen Qianmo, so she sent the servants away to rest early.
The smile on her face suddenly froze. A terrifying man wearing a bronze mask appeared before her. She was so scared that she wanted to scream, but the man silenced her by pressing her pressure point, making it impossible for her to make a sound.
"The Prime Minister's daughter's hands are indeed delicate and tender." A neutral voice came from under the bronze mask, carrying a sinister feeling that made Shen Qianyu feel a sense of fear.
Shen Qianmo's eyes, hidden behind her bronze mask, were icy cold. These were the very hands that dared to strike Qianqian today! She had said that anyone who harmed Qianqian would meet a bad end. Since Shen Qianmo dared to hit Qianqian, then she would cripple her hands!