Chapter 607 - 613

Han Yu must have had his reasons for saying so, and Su Wenyue realized it as soon as she heard it. It seemed that Mrs. Shao wasn’t just being arrogant, but intentionally targeting her, and this had to involve something related to Han Yu’s affairs outside.

Su Wenyue looked at Han Yu, waiting for him to clarify her confusion. It wasn’t out of mere curiosity; to be able to handle the relationships in the backyard with ease, she needed to understand the cause and effect of events. For instance, when Mrs. Shao had inexplicably provoked her today, she had initially been baffled. If it weren’t for her quick wit and strong combat power, she could have been crushed by Mrs. Shao. Not everyone was as clever as she was, she thought with a chuckle, somewhat praising herself.

Han Yu himself did not want Su Wenyue to worry too much, which is why he hadn’t revealed everything to her. However, he had not expected Liu Xuan to be so despicable, targeting his wife when left with no other way to reach him—no different from the people at the Imperial Court back then.

“I originally thought that the City Lord Mansion was friendly towards us, otherwise, we wouldn’t have accepted your allegiance. The City Lord’s wife did seem very enthusiastic, but given Mrs. Shao’s behavior today, I’m afraid there are internal conflicts within the City Lord Mansion,” Su Wenyue said, hitting the nail on the head as she spoke.

Han Yu nodded, “City Lord Liu Wenyong’s second son, Liu Xuan, lacks virtue but excels in using schemes and winning people’s hearts. His wife’s family is quite influential in Peicheng, so his ambition is especially great. He is not willing to submit to others, aspiring not only to push down his brothers for total control over the City Lord Mansion but also to seek power beyond, dissatisfied with just lending us a place in Peicheng without actual allegiance to the City Lord.”

“Liu Xuan’s ambition is indeed grand, but since he dared to have Mrs. Shao act so blatantly, disregarding even the City Lord’s wife, he must have something to rely on. Be careful,” Su Wenyue said with a worried expression.

She faintly remembered Liu Xuan having some success at one point but wasn’t very clear about the specifics; at that time, she had been indulging in the pleasures of the backyard and, being far removed, didn’t concern herself much with such external affairs. The only reason she had an impression of Liu Xuan was that he had been quite notable at the time, occasionally mentioned by the servants.

Thinking back, Liu Xuan must have been the victor among the three brothers. Ironically, Han Yu and Liu Xiu had their hopes set on the legitimate eldest son, Liu Qin. This added complications to the situation.

Having thought of this, Su Wenyue shared what she knew and her thoughts with Han Yu, hoping to offer him some reference and assistance. Even if they couldn’t reconcile with Liu Xuan, at the very least, they should have added precautions, planned countermeasures, and secured a retreat in advance. In her previous life, Han Yu and Liu Xiu had succeeded, although she didn’t know the exact process. This life had become unpredictable because of her rebirth, and Su Wenyue dreaded those changes the most.

Upon hearing Su Wenyue’s words, a deeper shade crossed Han Yu’s eyes, and his face took on a serious light. He and Liu Xiu had indeed sensed that Liu Xuan’s influence in Peicheng was too strong, but now it seemed he was even more difficult to deal with than they had imagined. The fact that Liu Wenyong clearly favored his kind and generous eldest son without any indication of changing his mind, systematically suppressing Liu Xuan’s power, yet Liu Xuan still managed to succeed, suggested that Liu Xuan’s control extended beyond what they had uncovered.

With these thoughts, Han Yu stood up immediately: “I still have some things to deal with, you rest here. I’m afraid I won’t be back too early, so don’t wait for me.”

After saying this, Han Yu hurriedly walked outside, thinking his plans had been meticulous. Only after his wife’s reminder did he realize they were far from adequate. A single misstep and they could suffer a great fall — after all, their resources were limited after the previous battle with the Imperial Court, and they couldn’t afford another setback, which was why they had sought refuge in Peicheng.

“I understand. Be careful as well, since Liu Xuan has dared to target me so openly, he probably won’t be merciful towards you either. Don’t let anyone take advantage of a vulnerable moment,” Su Wenyue cautioned, worried as she watched Han Yu leave and then went to check on the little ones.

Inside the City Lord Mansion, the City Lord’s wife, usually helpless against Mrs. Shao, seized the opportunity to reprimand Mrs. Shao for a serious transgression. It was not something that could be overlooked lightly, and after a stern rebuke and a punishment for Mrs. Shao, she was finally let go. However, that was as far as she could go, given the power of Mrs. Shao’s mother’s family — it was a sigh of relief for her.

Following Mrs. Shao out of the main room, servant girls walked on eggshells, glancing at the Second Young Lady whose expression was quite ugly. Everyone braced themselves, knowing that Mrs. Shao had suffered consecutive setbacks today, an unprecedented event that likely left her fuming.

“Young lady, although those despicable people are hateful, you still have your mother’s family to support you. Anyone who angers you will just get their comeuppance later; don’t harm your health over this,” they said as they entered the room, the maid and Nanny speaking earnestly.

“What do I have to be angry about? I’m not the least bit upset,” Mrs. Shao replied, her angry expression disappearing as soon as she entered the room, speaking emotionlessly.

The maid and Nanny, thinking she was speaking sarcastically, knew Mrs. Shao’s temperament well — she never tolerated any slights. Today, she had been ridiculed by Madam Han in front of everyone, scolded by the City Lord’s wife for a long time, and even punished. Such calmness was extremely abnormal; they thought she must have been driven crazy by anger to behave like this.

Seeing the concern and worry in the eyes of the Nanny and head maid, Mrs. Shao’s expression softened a bit: “You don’t need to speculate. Your young lady here hasn’t gone mad or lost her reason. Since I behaved as I did at the banquet, I expected the consequences. I’ve always been domineering, and the City Lord’s wife hates me enough to not pass up the chance to make things difficult for me with the evidence she had. As for Madam Han, she really surprised me, such a formidable and interesting woman.”@@novelbin@@

The maid and Nanny, reassured by Mrs. Shao’s response, relaxed but furrowed their brows at the mention of Su Wenyue, also showing some doubts.

“Young lady, since that Mrs. Su was so presumptuous, are you really going to let her off so easily? In any case, she offended you,” the Nanny and maid reminisced about the scenes from the banquet — although people dared not openly mock the young lady, their glances were clearly filled with ridicule and disdain, all because of Mrs. Su. They were not content to let Su Wenyue off the hook so easily.

Yet, Mrs. Shao did not react as usual, instead, a cold smile played on her lips: “Some people must be hoping that I’d deal with Mrs. Su. Why should I oblige them?”

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