After Sheng Jiayu and Sheng Jialan left, the flower leaves trembled, and a man sprang up from the flower bushes with a carp-like leap.

“Cousin Luo is indeed still so terrifying!” Sheng Sanlang, who had heard the conversation between Luo Sheng and her servant, wiped his face, feeling a wave of lingering fear.

In a foul mood, he had drunk a pot of wine early in the morning and then collapsed in the flower bushes to brood. Afterward, he heard voices faintly drifting from the lakeside.

Originally he had wanted to greet them out of courtesy— Sheng Sanlang shuddered and shook his head, brushing off the flower petals and leaves from his body before quickly departing.

After Luo Sheng returned to her room, Hong Dou asked somewhat hesitantly: “Miss, will speaking that way really lure the snake from its hole?”

Luo Sheng gazed at the banana plant outside the window, her expression calm: “We have to try and see.”

She couldn’t guarantee that others would definitely act according to her intentions, but since the other party was a venomous snake that had already bitten someone, if an opportunity arose, they would very likely strike again.

Hong Dou tilted her head, looking at Luo Sheng with great confusion: “Why go to such trouble? In the past, Miss wouldn’t have done it this way.”

Luo Sheng withdrew her gaze and looked at Hong Dou, her lips curving in a smile: “Oh? What was I like before?”

She was born beautiful, and her smile should have been bright and radiant, but at this moment her eyes were deep and profound, the smile not reaching the depths of her eyes, making her entire person seem cold and distant.

Hong Dou looked at her and couldn’t help but feel a wave of heartache.

Thinking about how carefree and unrestrained her miss used to be—after walking through death’s door and drinking Meng Po’s soup, she had become so cautious.

Hong Dou decided to encourage her miss. Waving her hand, she said: “In the past, you wouldn’t have even thought about it. If you felt Second Young Miss Cousin wasn’t good, you’d strip her naked, give her a beating, and toss her onto the street.”

Luo Sheng’s eyes flickered slightly: “I’ve done that before?”

“More or less.” Hong Dou spoke vaguely.

“Be specific.”

Hong Dou bit her lip: “This servant was afraid bringing it up would make Miss angry. It was that time when a little hussy in the manor was throwing flirtatious glances at Young Master Si—”

Luo Sheng interrupted Hong Dou: “Who is Young Master Si again?”

Hong Dou covered her forehead, her face full of heartache: “Miss has even forgotten Young Master Si? Young Master Si is the male concubine you snatched back while strolling the streets.”

Even as composed as Luo Sheng was, her expression contorted for a moment.

Male concubine?

Listening to this Miss Luo’s past—why did she feel her title of commandery princess was wasted?

“Forget it, let’s not discuss this. Go see if those two little maids have returned from gathering information.” Luo Sheng felt she needed to compose herself.

Hong Dou placed a small dish of candied fruits in front of Luo Sheng and said with a grin: “Miss, eating some candied fruit will improve your mood. This servant will go check right away.”

The little maid turned and went out, leaving Luo Sheng in a daze for a while. She picked up a piece of candied fruit and put it in her mouth.

The sweet and sour plum wasn’t particularly palatable to Luo Sheng.

She stared at the plum between her fingertips, her thoughts drifting even further.

She had once carved green plums into flower shapes to make candied fruits to cheer her mother up. Now she was trapped in Jinsha as Miss Luo—who knew how her parents and relatives were doing.

After subtly probing Hong Dou, Luo Sheng didn’t dare casually mention the Prince of Zhennan’s manor to others.

From Hong Dou’s complete ignorance of the Prince of Zhennan’s manor, and from the layers of government soldiers surrounding the manor that she had seen that night, she actually already had a guess about her family’s fate.

But she was still unwilling to accept it—she had to go and see for herself!

Luo Sheng’s fingertips turned cold, and the plum fell back onto the dish.

Hong Dou rushed in energetically, followed by the two little maids.

The two little maids hurried to curtsy upon seeing Luo Sheng. Compared to yesterday’s trepidation, today they showed a trace of excitement.

Opening the way with silver—it worked most of the time.

“Speak.” Luo Sheng got straight to the point.

One little maid hurried to say: “Reporting to Young Miss Cousin, this servant went to inquire. Miss Qian is the daughter of Scholar Qian. Last year, Scholar Qian arranged a marriage for her with his student. Who knew Miss Qian had her heart set on Second Young Master Su and absolutely refused to marry the other man. Seeing her wedding day approaching yet unable to disobey her parents’ orders, she actually hanged herself…”

The other little maid, fearing her companion would steal all the credit, interjected: “This servant had her elder brother go inquire. Besides what Qinghong mentioned that everyone outside knows, this servant’s elder brother discovered something else.”

Luo Sheng looked at the maid who had spoken, her expression bland.

The little maid didn’t dare keep them in suspense and hurried to say: “This servant’s elder brother heard from the Qian family’s coachman that this Miss Qian once encountered Second Young Master Su on the road. Her infatuation blazed, and she chased after Second Young Master Su all the way to outside the Su manor before leaving.”

Speaking of this, the little maid covered her mouth and laughed: “Although there are quite a few young ladies in Jinsha who secretly admire Second Young Master Su, those who dare to openly chase after someone like this Miss Qian are still rare—”

The maid beside her yanked her hard: “Hancui!”

The maid called Hancui suddenly realized: the Young Miss Cousin before her had done things even more jaw-dropping than Miss Qian.

Oh no, in her haste to speak, how had she forgotten this!

The little maid turned pale with fright and looked at Luo Sheng trembling.

Luo Sheng’s expression remained bland as she instructed Hong Dou: “Get two taels of silver for Hancui.”

Hong Dou naturally complied.

Only after receiving the reward silver did Hancui’s complexion improve.

Qinghong stared at the silver ingot in Hancui’s hand with great envy.

Two taels of silver—equivalent to several months of her wages.

“Get another tael for Qinghong.” After giving this instruction, Luo Sheng indicated the two little maids could withdraw.

The two little maids who had received reward silver walked out and sat in the covered corridor, looking at each other in disbelief.

Hancui pinched the silver ingot incredulously: “We got four taels of silver just like that?”

Two taels yesterday, two taels today—added together, it was more than her wages for half a year.

This was private money she didn’t need to hand over to her parents.

Qinghong rested her chin on her hand and looked back at the door, murmuring: “Why do I feel Young Miss Cousin isn’t so… bad?”

Hancui spat: “She’s good just because she gives money?”

Qinghong carefully put away the silver ingot and rolled her eyes: “A master who gives money isn’t good, but a master who beats and scolds you is? Besides, it’s not about the money…”

As for what else made her feel this way, she couldn’t say clearly.

Inside the room, Hong Dou didn’t feel distressed about the silver given away. Instead, she sighed: “Miss has become much better at budgeting than before.”

Luo Sheng’s brows furrowed.

Casually rewarding maids with seven or eight taels of silver was called budgeting?

Hong Dou hurried to console her: “Has Miss forgotten? We don’t have much of anything else, but we have plenty of silver.”

When the Grand Commander sent Miss away, he gave quite a few banknotes. Unfortunately, of all the little companions who used to go shopping with Miss, only she alone was permitted to come along.

Thinking of Kou’er, the other senior maid who nearly cried herself blind before their departure, Hong Dou felt another wave of relief.

Luo Sheng had no interest in how much wealth Miss Luo possessed. She waved her hand, indicating Hong Dou could withdraw.

The soft sound of the door closing came, sounding particularly clear in the now solitary room.

Luo Sheng sat upright at the square table, lost in thought.

Miss Luo had “hanged herself” because of Second Young Master Su, and Miss Qian had also hanged herself because of Second Young Master Su.

Such a coincidence was truly chilling.

She pressed her lips together slightly and, dipping her finger in tea water on the tabletop, wrote two characters.

Those two characters were precisely: Su Yao.