The young man lying on the low couch didn’t move at all.

Luo Sheng frowned.

Had today been too simple and crude, frightening her young nephew?

Hong Dou reminded from the side: “Miss, Young Master Xu truly fainted. When you said to bring him back to the estate, this servant noticed he wanted to struggle, so I gave him a hand chop.”

Shi Yan, who hadn’t said a word the whole time, silently shook his head.

Young Master Xu, this unlucky child, was really having a terrible day today.

Luo Sheng nodded at Hong Dou: “Well done.”

She had thought her young nephew had gained some awareness and thus didn’t resist, but it turned out Hong Dou had knocked him unconscious.

From this, it seemed teaching her young nephew would be a long and arduous journey.

“Kou’er, go fetch a physician.”

Hong Dou quickly said: “No need for a physician, let this servant do it!”

The little maid’s hand shot out quick as lightning and fiercely pinched the young man’s philtrum.

Xu Xi let out a muffled groan and slowly came to.

Seeing the completely unfamiliar environment, Xu Xi suddenly sat up.

“Where is this?”

“This is the Grand Commander’s estate.” Hong Dou smiled as she explained.

“Grand Commander’s estate?” Xu Xi murmured, his expression suddenly changing. He glared at Luo Sheng, his eyes blazing with fury. “You actually, actually really brought me here! How can there be such a shameless woman in this world—”

Shi Yan, listening, just shook his head.

This kid’s brain didn’t work well, but his guts were quite large.

Sure enough, Hong Dou’s palm came swinging: “Impudent! How dare you speak to our miss like that—”

“Hong Dou.” Luo Sheng called out lightly.

Hong Dou stopped talking but continued glaring furiously at Xu Xi.

Luo Sheng turned her head and instructed Kou’er: “Go fetch a physician to examine Young Master Xu’s injuries.”

“No need!” Xu Xi refused without thinking.

Kou’er didn’t give Xu Xi even a glance and turned to leave.

Luo Sheng looked at the young man’s fierce expression, her tone indifferent: “Don’t make a fuss. After the physician examines you and your father comes to collect you, I’ll let you go. If not, you might as well stay.”

“You think your family can really cover the sky with one hand? I’m at least the eldest young master of the Marquis of Changchun’s household—”

“An eldest young master who gets beaten every day.” Luo Sheng picked up his words indifferently.

Xu Xi was so angry his face turned deathly pale: “What business is it of yours!”

Luo Sheng sat down, her expression detached: “You getting beaten isn’t my business, but you letting a stepmother treat you like a fool—that is my business.”

“Even if I’m being treated like a fool by my stepmother, what business is it of yours?” Xu Xi shouted.

After hearing Luo Sheng’s exchange with Yang Shi today, plus those onlookers’ idle gossip, the young man’s view of Yang Shi had wavered slightly.

But this small wavering wasn’t enough to transform his perception of his stepmother.

Xu Xi thought he’d stump Luo Sheng, but unexpectedly the girl opposite smiled lazily and said matter-of-factly: “Because I don’t have a mother. I can’t stand seeing someone who lost their birth mother being raised into a fool by a stepmother without even realizing it.”

What kind of twisted logic was this?

Xu Xi said angrily: “My stepmother isn’t as bad as you say.”

When did he become a fool?

“Let me ask you—when you made mistakes as a child, how did your stepmother treat you?”

Hearing this, Xu Xi gained confidence: “My stepmother was gentle and kind to me, never once raising her voice at me.”

“Then when you didn’t study properly, how did your stepmother treat you?”

Xu Xi became even more spirited: “When I skipped classes and Father beat me with a rod, Stepmother personally applied medicine to my wounds.”

“Oh, then when you repeatedly misbehaved and drove away your tutors, what did your stepmother do?”

“Stepmother would hire even better tutors for me!” The more Xu Xi spoke, the more detestable he found the girl before him. Clearly, he and his stepmother had a good relationship, yet she insisted on sowing discord.

Even if it were his birth mother, she probably wouldn’t treat him more gently than his stepmother did.

Seeing the young man stubbornly unable to distinguish good from bad, Luo Sheng let out a long sigh in her heart.

It hurt, made her angry, and made her feel even more heartache for her eldest sister.

But the more it was like this, the more she needed to properly educate this useless nephew.

“Then how does your stepmother treat your two younger brothers and sister?” This time, Luo Sheng softened her tone.

Xu Xi froze, involuntarily recalling how when his sister was young and impatient with playing the zither, Stepmother punished her by making her count beans until she cried and begged to play the zither instead.

He also remembered once when Third Brother mischievously got ink on their tutor’s beard. Stepmother beat Third Brother’s palms until they were swollen and made him kneel before the tutor to apologize. Only after the tutor nodded and agreed to continue teaching did she allow a maid to apply medicine to Third Brother.

That time, even Second Brother was punished. Stepmother said Second Brother hadn’t properly supervised Third Brother.

These memories had all been buried deep in the river of his past. When they happened, he’d turned a blind eye, even feeling touched by how differently his stepmother treated him. But when this detestable girl brought them up, he suddenly remembered everything.

He had to admit that Stepmother treated him differently from his siblings.

If this had been when he was young, he would have unhesitatingly felt Stepmother treated him well. But now, meeting the girl’s mocking gaze, he hesitated.

“You made mistakes without being criticized, and from then on weren’t afraid to make more mistakes. You skipped classes and were treated gently, and from then on viewed skipping as routine. You drove away tutors only to have new ones arrive, and from then on didn’t understand respecting teachers and valuing learning, becoming a fool who only knows how to fight and has no academic achievement.”

Luo Sheng said this much, then smiled coldly: “You think your stepmother treats you well, yet you’ve grown into someone even you yourself aren’t satisfied with. You think your stepmother is harsh with her biological children, yet they’ve become outstanding. What is good and what is bad? Outsiders saying more won’t help—you should think it over carefully.”

What is good and what is bad?

Xu Xi suddenly lost the energy to argue and furrowed his brow in thought.

Kou’er quickly led a physician in.

“Examine him.” Luo Sheng stood up and went outside.

Outside, the sunlight remained bright—it was truly the best season.

“Sheng’er—” Grand Commander Luo hurried over, stepping through the courtyard gate of the Leisurely Cloud Courtyard.

“Father is walking in such a hurry—is something the matter?” Luo Sheng went up to meet him and considerately asked.

Grand Commander Luo’s mouth twitched fiercely.

Sheng’er was really becoming more and more composed. Last time when she pulled off Prince Kaiyang’s belt, at least she knew to quickly confess to him.

“Sheng’er, I heard you brought the eldest young master of the Marquis of Changchun’s household back?”

Luo Sheng nodded without changing expression: “Yes.”

“Nonsense—quickly send him back.”

“Father, rest assured. Your daughter is just doing a good deed by bringing Young Master Xu back to the estate to treat his injuries, lest he be delayed by his stepmother. Once the Marquis of Changchun comes to collect him, I’ll release him.”

“Really?”

Luo Sheng smiled slightly: “When have I ever deceived Father? Don’t you know I detest stepmothers the most?”

Grand Commander Luo touched his nose.

This he believed. A few years ago, a matchmaker had come to propose marriage to him. After Sheng’er found out, she killed her way to the matchmaker’s house and threw the matchmaker straight into the neighbor’s pigsty.

Since then, no matchmaker had ever crossed the Luo estate’s threshold again.

As long as Sheng’er was willing to release him, it was fine.

Thinking this, Grand Commander Luo glanced at Shi Yan and probed: “I find that young man familiar—is he Prince Kaiyang’s personal guard?”

“Yes.” Luo Sheng wondered why the topic suddenly shifted to Shi Yan.

Grand Commander Luo cleared his throat: “Even though it seems he came voluntarily, he’s still Prince Kaiyang’s man. Better send him back as well.”

Shi Yan: ??

Who came voluntarily!