The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

Returning our attention to the standoff, Xue Liao had exhausted them completely.

He moved with incredible speed, like a ghost, flitting around them. He was right next to them, yet they couldn't touch Xue Liao even a fraction of his presence.

Soon, the five of them were exhausted. Under the scorching sun, their patience was not as good as it had been at the beginning, and their steps were even a little unsteady.

Xue Liao's lips curled into a triumphant smile.

He seized the opportunity, suddenly turned around, and launched a surprise attack.

This time, it was a head-on confrontation.

As expected, before long, all five of them were knocked to the ground and unable to move.

Xue Liao leaped down from mid-air, took two steps, and bowed respectfully. "Second Prince, in this case, may I stay in the Crimson King's Palace?"

Chu Chouchi stared at him, picked up the teacup, blew on the tea foam, slowly took a sip, and then put the teacup down before saying in a low voice, "Your abilities are not bad. Tonight, help me with a matter. If you do a good job, I will allow you to stay."

"Your Highness, please speak!"

Chu Chouchi's eyes darkened, a cold frost appearing in his black pupils. "I am truly displeased with Prime Minister Shen and Miss Shen in the Prime Minister's residence."

Xue Liao looked up in confusion, and after a long while, nodded thoughtfully.

He suddenly stood up, turned and walked outside, saying, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will take their heads tonight."

Chu Chou's dark eyes were veiled with coldness, and he did not raise his hand to stop him.

Just as Xue Liao was about to step out of the courtyard, a girl's clear voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Your Highness, you mustn't kill anyone!"

If she finds out, won't she hate him?

"..."

Chu Chouchi's fingertips trembled suddenly, and he quickly looked up, "Wait a minute!"

Xue Liao paused, turned around with a puzzled look in his eyes, and asked, "Does Your Highness have any further instructions?"

Chu Chouchi took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, seemingly trying to calm his inner turmoil. "It's enough to give them a fright; there's no need to take their lives. Besides..."

He pursed his lips and continued, "Take a torch and burn down the Tu Prince's mansion for me. Just burn the valuable parts."

Yesterday I got so drunk that I neglected my duties. Even if I can't burn down his drug-making facility, burning down another one would at least appease his anger.

Rare Phoebe zhennan wood?

Ha, he insisted on turning it into a pile of ashes.

"Yes!" Xue Liao turned and left.

Chu Chouchi lowered his eyes, his well-defined index finger lightly tapping the wooden carving on the table, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"I've found you an excellent bodyguard, you should be happy, right?"

......

Under the boundless night sky, two people sat in the pavilion, quietly gazing at the moon, the aroma of tea wafting gently in the air.

Holding a teacup, Shen Zhizhi asked casually, "Brother, I don't remember anything when Mother passed away. Do you know what kind of person she was?"

Because Shen Hongsheng mentioned the original owner's mother, Shen Zhizhi was curious and still wanted to try to get some information about the original owner's mother from Shen Chao.

After all, the original text did not describe the original owner's mother in much detail; apart from knowing that she was a concubine, nothing else was known.

"I was very young then, and I don't remember many things clearly."

Shen Chao took a sip of tea, a faint smile playing on his lips. "All I know is that Aunt Lin was suddenly brought into the mansion by Father. She is an extremely passionate and outgoing person."

At that time, Madam Su was favored, and my mother was bullied by her. It was Aunt Lin who stood up for her. After enduring the family rules, she and my mother developed a deep mutual respect and became very close.

Su family?

After much deliberation, Shen Zhizhi had a vague recollection of what had happened.

That was Shen Qinshou's biological mother—Su Rou.

This person is practically a carbon copy of Shen Qinshou; gentle and tender in public, arrogant and domineering in private, completely fooling Shen Hongsheng.

In other words, she framed Aunt Lin in various ways in front of Shen Hongsheng, but Aunt Lin was incredibly stubborn and refused to back down.

When Shen Hongsheng confronted him, he stubbornly refused to admit his mistake.

This caused Shen Hongsheng to feel that he had lost all his male dignity, and he was extremely resentful of Aunt Lin. Naturally, he would not have any good feelings towards his daughter, and even to the point of disgust.

But, the wicked will eventually be punished by Heaven.

At some point, Su contracted smallpox, and no doctor in the city dared to treat her.

Fearing infection, Shen Hongsheng ordered Su Shi to be thrown out, and she passed away in resentment and pain.

Shen Zhizhi pulled herself out of her thoughts, lowered her eyes, and stared at the foam on the surface of the teacup. "Does my elder brother know why my mother passed away?"

"Sigh." Shen Chao sighed deeply, pondered for a moment, and then said.

“When I was a little older, my mother told me that Aunt Lin was not poisoned, nor was she framed. She died peacefully overnight without any warning.”

Shen Zhizhi was stunned, her eyes filled with doubt. "Didn't the doctor diagnose the cause?"

“No.” Shen Chao pondered for a while, as if thinking about something, and then slowly shook his head. “At that time, the doctors were also helpless and could not find the cause of the disease.”

Seeing that he really couldn't say anything more, Shen Zhizhi didn't press him further, but felt a little sad.

Even from Shen Chao's few descriptions, she could tell that this Aunt Lin was a different kind of woman from those of the feudal era. She must have her own thoughts and was definitely not a woman who would fight for favor and be jealous.

Unfortunately, she was born in the wrong era. In this era, one could only survive by depending on men. A woman like her who entered this secluded mansion would only be skinned alive and devoured.

Shen Chao turned his head and saw that she was no longer speaking, so he assumed that she was in a bad mood.

He hurriedly said, "However, you should have something left behind by Aunt Lin."

"Things?" Shen Zhizhi looked up, her eyes filled with astonishment and confusion.

Seeing her bewildered expression, Shen Chao was slightly surprised. "Have you forgotten? When you were a child, you always carried that makeup box with you, and you wouldn't let anyone touch it."

Shen Zhizhi still looked confused.

Shen Chao stared at her intently for a long time before reaching out to pat her back comfortingly, "Since you've forgotten, don't think about it anymore. Perhaps it wasn't important."

Shen Chao assumed that she was too young to remember things at that time, and that she might have accidentally lost the makeup box while playing and didn't know where she had put it.

Shen Zhizhi frowned, somewhat speechless.

Since she transmigrated to this world, she hasn't stayed in her room for long and hadn't really noticed the makeup box there. It seems she'll have to go back and look for it.

"Brother, it's late, so I'll head back to my courtyard now. We can talk another day."

After finishing the last sip of tea, Shen Zhizhi was eager to find the makeup box. She turned around and ran out of the pavilion, not forgetting to say goodbye to Shen Chao as she ran.

"Slow down! Be careful not to fall in the dark!"

As soon as Shen Chao finished speaking, the petite figure in front of him suddenly staggered and fell to the ground with a muffled groan.

Shen Chao: ? ? ?

The girl lying on the ground not far away slowly raised her hand, her voice mournful and weak:

"Brother, you really are my brother."

......