She is nothing more than a country girl.

Where is she?!

Zhao Sihui was so furious her face looked almost distorted. She grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it violently at the private room's door.

"Ah—"

As Chunlan pushed the door open, a teacup flew straight toward her.

Unable to dodge in time, the cup smashed hard against her forehead, and a stream of blood instantly gushed out.

Looking at Zhao Sihui’s ferocious expression, she didn't dare utter a sound of pain. Pressing her handkerchief against her forehead, she knelt on the floor and shivered.

Ignoring the injury entirely, Zhao Sihui demanded, "Are your legs broken? Why are you only just getting here now? Where are Jiang Lihua and the others?"

"M-Miss, didn't you see them? This maid clearly lured Miss Lihua right here! I only came up after I saw them leave."

"What?!" Zhao Sihui shrieked. "You're saying they left together!"

Chunlan nodded timidly.

"Did they argue?" Zhao Sihui asked, gritting her teeth.

"N—No, i-it's just... Scholar Ni seemed very worried when he looked at Miss Lihua," Chunlan answered honestly.

*Crack—*

Zhao Sihui strode over and slapped Chunlan across the face. "What kind of young lady is she? She's nothing more than a country bumpkin!"

"Y-Yes, yes, Miss is right, she's just a country girl," Chunlan said, holding her cheek and blinking back tears as she fawned.

Zhao Sihui was nearly driven mad with rage.

She hadn't expected Ni温瑜 (Ni Wenyu) to be so obedient to Jiang Lihua. Moreover, he had slept with *her*, yet he wasn't going to give her any explanation at all?

Humph!

Since they were being heartless, she wouldn't be blamed for being unrighteous.

Malice filled Zhao Sihui's eyes.

Glancing down at the kneeling Chunlan, she barked, "Get up! Who are you putting on that pathetic display for? Anyone passing by would think I beat you."

Chunlan immediately scrambled to her feet, smoothed down her hair, wiped the blood from her forehead, and stood submissively behind her.

Only then did a satisfied Zhao Sihui lead her away.

Along the way, Chunlan noticed this wasn't the direction back to the estate. Hesitantly, she asked, "Miss, aren't we heading home?"

"Am I the mistress or are you?" Zhao Sihui snapped impatiently. "Since when do I need to explain my actions to you?"

"This maid wouldn't dare," Chunlan said, dropping back to her knees to plead for mercy.

"Enough, get up and shut your mouth."

Chunlan felt like Zhao Sihui had lost her mind, becoming even more mercurial and erratic than before!

Previously, Zhao Sihui had mostly put on a front of virtue and gentleness, rarely berating the servants openly, only venting her anger behind closed doors.

Yet now, Zhao Sihui threw tantrums and screamed at the drop of a hat, behaving like a deranged shrew. Had something provoked her?

After walking for a quarter of an hour, Zhao Sihui led her to a dilapidated temple.

Seeing a group of men with lecherous gazes inside the ruined shrine, Chunlan grew somewhat frightened and instinctively clung closer to Zhao Sihui. What on earth was Zhao Sihui doing here?

Before long, Chunlan realized what Zhao Sihui's objective was!

Terror gripped her. Lord Prime Minister had always been upright and impartial. If he ever found out her mistress was involved in such vile deeds, the mistress would be finished.

Trembling all over, Chunlan followed closely behind Zhao Sihui, wanting to dissuade her, yet paralyzed by the fear of being beaten.

"Chunlan, if you ever breathe a word of this, I will beat you to death—and your family along with you," Zhao Sihui's chilling voice whispered to her.

Hearing the threat, Chunlan hurriedly waved her hands to pledge her loyalty. "N-No, this maid won't say anything, I swear."

"Hmph, even if you did tell, I wouldn't be afraid. When the time comes, I'll just pin the blame on you and see who people believe—me, the perpetually kind young lady, or you, a cheap servant."

After issuing one last threat and seeing Chunlan's terror-stricken face, Zhao Sihui finally let the matter drop.

"Of course, as long as you serve me well, I won't treat you like that."

It wasn't until Zhao Sihui and Chunlan returned to the estate that they were intercepted by the matron serving Lin Yunxia.

"What do you think you're doing? I am the young miss of the Prime Minister's estate! You lowly dogs dare lay a hand on me?" Zhao Sihui struggled and screamed.

The matron looked at her with undisguised disdain and advised, "This old servant suggests the young miss stops shouting. Madam is the one who ordered us to wait here and escort you back."

"Mother? Why would Mother ask for me?"

The matron sneered. "The young miss will find out once you're there."

The matron hauled Zhao Sihui before Lin Yunxia. "Madam, the young miss has been brought here."

"Very well, you may withdraw."

Lin Yunxia set down her teacup and spoke at a leisurely pace.

The two matrons retreated, dragging Chunlan away with them as well, leaving Zhao Sihui kneeling alone before Lin Yunxia.

"Mother, did you summon Sihui for something?" Zhao Sihui asked timidly, casting an ingratiating glance upward.

"Where have you been? Didn't I explicitly tell you not to leave the estate?" Lin Yunxia asked, glaring at her sideways.

"I—Ah!"

Before Zhao Sihui could finish, Lin Yunxia kicked her squarely in the chest. "Why can't you ever just obey? Hmm?"

"Speak! What were you up to?"

Enduring the pain in her chest, Zhao Sihui crawled forward and hugged Lin Yunxia's legs. "Mother, Sihui went to get revenge for you! Don't you hate Jiang Lihua? Sihui has already hired men to defile her and then kill her."

"What?!" Lin Yunxia's face turned livid with fury. "Right now, immediately, go call those men back!"

"Why? It's too late, Mother. By now, Jiang Lihua is probably already dead."

With another vicious kick, Lin Yunxia sent her sprawling. "You useless, incompetent wretch! If any trouble comes of this, I will hold you solely responsible."

With that, Lin Yunxia hurried out in a panic, pausing at the threshold only to instruct the guards to seal the doors and forbid Zhao Sihui from stepping outside.

Knocked to the floor, Zhao Sihui didn't get up this time. She simply lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling.

She couldn't understand how things had come to this. All she had done was fall in love with Ni Wenyu.

Meanwhile, on Jiang Lihua's side.

As she and Ni Wenyu walked down the street, several thugs suddenly materialized out of nowhere, snatched their money pouches, and bolted.

"Stop right there!" Ni Wenyu immediately gave chase.

Left behind because she ran slowly, Jiang Lihua was struck on the back of the head with a sap, stuffed into a burlap sack, and carried away.

When she finally regained consciousness, she found herself trapped in a ruined room reeking of cockroaches and rats.

Surrounding her were several predatory men, drooling as they leered at her with obscene hunger.

Jiang Lihua knew that panicking now was useless; only absolute calmness could forge a way out.

It was obvious these men had been hired. She didn't bother asking the foolish question of who had paid them, knowing they either wouldn't tell or had merely taken money without knowing the client's true identity.

Men like these acted solely for profit, so she cut straight to the point.

"As long as you let me go, whatever amount that person paid you, I will pay you ten times over."

"T-Ten times!" Predictably, the men were tempted, though they immediately glared at her viciously. "Are you tricking us just to buy time?"

"No, I genuinely have money. What good is money compared to life? I see things clearly—you only live once. What use is wealth if you're dead?" Jiang Lihua said, putting a grave earnestness into her voice.

Seeing them hesitate, she knew they were wavering, so she pressed on.

"I am sworn sisters with the young lady of General Su's grand estate, and my cousin is the martial brother of the current Third Imperial Prince. I am not lying to you."

Hearing the part about "what good is money if you're dead," the men had initially thought it made a lot of sense and had even begun reflecting on their own lives.

But upon hearing Jiang Lihua's formidable background, sudden panic gripped them.

"Y-You really are sworn sisters with General Su's daughter? And your cousin is the Third Prince's martial brother?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Jiang Lihua nodded. "That's right. If you let me go, I will reward you handsomely. I know you were tricked as well."

"The person who hired you must have told you I was just an insignificant country girl, right?"

At those words, the men widened their eyes in shock, pointing at her incredulously. "Y-You... how did you know?"

She had guessed correctly.

Though these men loved money, their demeanor betrayed the fact that they were not hardened, desperate criminals.

They wouldn't risk their lives for a paltry sum, which led Jiang Lihua to deduce they had no idea who she really was.

"By now, quite a few people are searching for me. What do you think? I'll give you ten times the pay, you let me go, I won't hold you accountable, and the moment we step out of here, we are strangers."

"Are you keeping your word?" The leader stared at her warily, trying to judge whether her words were true or false.

"If I'm lying, may heaven strike me down with lightning and ensure I die a wretched death."

Without wasting breath, Jiang Lihua swore a direct oath.

She knew these ancients placed immense stock in such severe curses, and those with guilty consciences generally dared not utter them.

Sure enough, her oath relaxed the men visibly.

The leader spoke up. "We're just taking money to do a job. That young lady claimed you were a rustic who seduced her husband, and she paid us to ruin you and then kill you."

"Do you know who that young lady is?" Jiang Lihua asked.

"No idea. She was dressed quite nicely, and a little maid followed right behind her," the man replied, adding with a lewd grin, "Though I could tell that woman was lying about a few things. You're still a maiden—where on earth would you get a husband?"

*Uh...*

Jiang Lihua had no intention of discussing how these ancients judged such matters, nor was it appropriate to debate it with thugs.

"I know who it is now. Untie my ropes. How much did she pay you?"

Hearing a request to untie the ropes, the man frowned in reluctance.

"Are a whole room of you afraid you can't handle a single young woman?" Jiang Lihua challenged.

After a brief hesitation, the man who had been speaking motioned for someone else to step forward and untie her.

The man who approached muttered fiercely, "If you dare trick us, we'll kill you even if it costs us our lives."

Jiang Lihua looked up at him.

He looked quite young, perhaps in his early twenties.

His features weren't bad-looking either, properly proportioned, save for some dirt smeared across his face and his ragged clothing. Had he been born into a decent family, he might have cut the figure of a handsome young scholar!

"I won't trick you. How much did she pay?" Jiang Lihua stretched her limbs as the ropes fell away.

"One hundred taels."

*Sigh...* That was disgracefully cheap!

Jiang Lihua retrieved a thousand-tael bank note from her spatial dimension and tossed it to him. "Take it. This is a thousand taels."

Shock flickered in the man's eyes. When they had abducted her and searched her body, they hadn't found a single coin on her. Where had she pulled this thousand-tael note from?

Dazed, he accepted the paper bill and stammered, "T-Thank you!"

Hearing him express gratitude, Jiang Lihua felt a momentary flicker of surprise.

Before she could question him further, a lookout burst breathlessly into the room. "B-Boss Hua! A whole troop of guards just arrived and surrounded the place!"