Free Web NovelChapter 152: Chapter 152
Chapter 152
"I really don’t understand why the General’s manor doesn’t appreciate you. How dare they bully you? In fact, in this case, they should be treating you very well for helping Young General defeat the bandits."
The middle-aged man, who had always admired Liu Sun, said earnestly. Initially, everyone in the capital had criticized Liu Sun. If not for the hard work of the Liu family, such news wouldn’t have come to light. Of course, this assistance gave Liu Sun a bit of a foothold.
"What happened, Concubine Liu?" The middle-aged man’s wife, who had been listening with great interest, joined the conversation.
Gossiping was her specialty, but Liu Sun remained evasive, unwilling to speak.
"Please, Uncle, Aunt, don’t ask about it anymore. Right now, I’m just a minor concubine. Speaking carelessly wouldn’t be good." Her answer didn’t really answer the question but implicitly confirmed that something had indeed happened in the manor.
"Concubine Liu, don’t be so modest. No matter what happens, we always believe you. You’re a kind-hearted woman, unlike others who are only envious of each other. Look at the Villainess Qin. What has become of her now? She used to act as if she wanted to fight with you, but in the end, she ended up as the wife of a poor commoner. Those who do evil always face retribution," the shopkeeper’s wife continued, coaxing Liu Sun to speak about the events in the manor.
The young woman hesitated slightly before pretending to fall into the other party’s trap and began to tell her story.
"At the manor, the third concubine miscarried. She accuses me of being responsible, claiming that my handkerchief was found at the scene. Now, Young General has given me a chance to prove my innocence. If I can’t, I will have to accept punishment," Liu Sun said with a sorrowful expression.
Those who saw her felt great pity for Liu Sun, as she looked like a little angel being bullied.
"Actually, I didn’t do it, but I don’t know how my handkerchief ended up there." ƒгeewёbnovel.com
"This must be someone’s evil scheme. Someone must have deliberately framed you!" Hearing the intriguing story, the shopkeeper’s wife started to exclaim loudly.
In truth, she shouldn’t be doing this, but she knew the other person’s nature well. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have started at this shop. Her aim was to spread the news widely, so choosing this place to disseminate it was a right move.
"This matter... I don’t know. But now, I want to prove my innocence so that my husband can understand. I am not that kind of woman, and I am certainly not foolish. How could I not know how much my husband loves his family? To harm his child would be akin to suicide. I, Liu Sun, would never do such a thing. Even if I wanted to win his favor, I would use my own abilities, not schemes to harm others."
Liu Sun declared firmly, her voice unconsciously rising a bit.
Of course, Liu Sun knew, but the surrounding people didn’t. Hearing her raised voice, everyone gathered around, eager to hear more about the news to spread it for their own amusement.
"Concubine Liu, keep trying. I believe your goodness will help you find the culprit soon."
"The culprit must be in the manor. You will surely find them."
"Poor Concubine Liu, if there is anything we can do to help, just let us know. We will surely assist you."
"That’s right. If it’s something we can do to help... us common folk will do our best to help."
Many people stepped forward, admiring her demeanor. As the daughter of a high-ranking official, she was remarkably humble and friendly with the common folk, even giving money to beggars. Her unique demeanor made people love her even more.
Having successfully executed her plan, Liu Sun left, stating that she must find the real culprit. Despite her efforts, she never found the actual perpetrator, but she realized there was a traitor within her own manor!
Now, Liu Sun’s quarters were filled with many servants. She had four servants in total—one from the Liu family, in whom she had great confidence, and three provided by her husband, Young General. He did this to show everyone how much he cared for her, giving her four personal servants, equivalent to the secondary wife.
Thus, there were three servants sent from the Young General’s manor who might be loyal to the other wives or concubines. Liu Sun bit her lip lightly. This decision was indeed very crucial for her.
If she chose someone who wasn’t a traitor, it would mean she was still harboring the spy and losing someone Young General had genuinely sent to help her. The more she thought about it, the more troubled she became.
"Seventh Concubine, are you going to let this continue? I heard even Old Master knows about it now. If it continues..."
"I’m thinking about it," Liu Sun massaged her temples lightly. The path ahead seemed incredibly difficult.
Initially, she thought that being with an extraordinary man like Young General would be something many people envied. But now, everything felt quite the opposite. When everyone was chasing after Young General, she was ahead of them, standing proudly beside the man everyone in the Region dreamed of.
Ah, but not everyone wanted to be in the Young General’s manor. There was one particularly malicious woman, and a foolish one who behaved rudely in front of many people, clearly unsuited for the position of Young General’s principal wife. However... was she really like that now?
With Yueqian back in the capital, Liu Sun had her people keep an ear out for news about her. Although Yueqian had previously made it clear she wanted nothing to do with Young General anymore, how could she believe it? If Yueqian truly wanted to return, she would undoubtedly become the principal wife. Then, wouldn’t Liu Sun look foolish?
However, after having people monitor the other party’s movements, they found no indication that Yueqian wanted to approach Young General. They heard that Furen Deng, Young General’s mother, had gone to see her and openly expressed her desire for Yueqian to become the principal daughter-in-law. Yet Yueqian declined and instead toured the capital with her husband, showing everyone how much she loved him.While Liu Sun initially wanted to laugh at this, she now felt she was a step behind Yueqian!
As the daughter of the principal wife, Yueqian was perfect in every way. In the past, did she really need to make such a show with Young General? Of course not. The position of the principal wife of the Young General’s manor was already hers. Even though she was considered spoiled, the only problems she ever had were related to Young General.
Though some of it was Liu Sun’s own scheming, could the plan of a concubine’s daughter be that successful? Could she, as a concubine’s daughter, really outmatch the power of a principal wife’s daughter? Upon reflection, Liu Sun increasingly realized that she might have just been a pawn in Yueqian’s game all along.
So... if Young General was still so attached, wasn’t it because he knew he was just a pawn that the woman wanted to get rid of?!
No matter how much she wanted to laugh, she couldn’t do it. Liu Sun’s face twisted slightly, but her body suddenly stood up instead.
"Miss, where are you going? Are you investigating the handkerchief again today? Shall I inform..."
"No need. Today, it will just be the two of us," Liu Sun said calmly. She didn’t dress up further, wearing only a cloak and a hat to cover herself completely. This time, her goal wasn’t to go to the market to create a stir.
The beautiful woman took only her trusted maid to the entrance of a modest manor. In this small manor, compared to the number of people, it seemed too big for just four residents.
"Seventh Concubine, this place..." the maid asked, looking up at her mistress with a face full of disbelief.
"Don’t tell anyone about today and keep quiet," Liu Sun instructed her maid, who had been with her since childhood. They knew each other’s temperaments well. What Liu Xun was originally like, what she planned, these two master and maid knew best.
"Yes, miss." Although she didn’t understand, the maid had great trust in her mistress. Whatever the other party asked of her or what she believed, she would do. For a maid who had received such opportunities, she was willing to die to improve Miss Liu Sun’s well-being.
Liu Sun saw the confidence in her maid and nodded once, signaling her assurance that she had thought this through. She then led her into the manor, which surprisingly had no guards at the gate!
Creak!
The large door opened, revealing the beauty of the manor’s interior. Although it was a bit small for someone from a prominent family like hers, the garden was a place where she could walk peacefully, without having to constantly read others’ expressions or be wary of every movement. This place seemed like a dream she could never reach.
"Who is it?" A thin child’s voice called out.
Liu Sun looked at the young girl, whose hands were covered in small cuts. The girl reminded her of herself during her early training, experimenting and learning through trial and error. When she met the determined eyes of the girl, Liu Sun felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if this girl could become a good friend.
"And who are you?"
"I am a servant of Miss Yueqian, here to look after Miss Mu. Are you a guest from the Tang household?" The small girl was actually Qu Yi. She didn’t know many people in the capital, but most who came to the manor were acquaintances of her mistress.
Previously, Eldest Young Miss Tang often visited to play with young miss. Today, two women had entered; one clearly looked like a mistress, and the other like a servant, similar to herself. Hence, Liu Sun spoke kindly to the other party.
"What is your name?" Liu Sun, unwilling to let go of her feelings, sensed that she could befriend this young girl. She decided to use this feeling to build a relationship.
Of course, if Liu Sun were to rescue Qu Yi from her plight, she would earn Qu Yi’s deep trust and loyalty. However, those friendships had already been claimed by someone else. No matter how friendly Liu Sun appeared, she couldn’t earn the absolute respect and devotion that she believed she deserved.
"My name is Qu Yi." Though she didn’t understand why this young miss was asking for her name, Qu Yi dared not be impolite.
"It’s a nice name," Liu Sun complimented, smiling sweetly at her. This display of friendliness puzzled her maid slightly.
After all, the girl in front of them was a servant of Eldest Young Miss Qin. The two people should not be too friendly with each other, as it might bring trouble to themselves. Miss Qin and her young miss had always been rivals. Yet here her young miss was, visiting and showing a strong desire to befriend a servant.Who knew what her young miss and this maid were truly aiming for?
