Chapter 21: Qiao’er’s Plot

Chapter 21: Qiao'er's Plot

Wang Manager exerted himself to please Su Youyue with the promise of silver: "I heard that Miss Su was jilted and was so devastated she attempted suicide by hanging. She cried so much that she didn't dare to show her face. The Su family has surely made an enemy of the Lu family now. Without the Su family's interference, dealing with the Lus would be as easy as lifting a finger."

The Su Youyue who was rumored to have been so distraught that she refused to leave her room fell silent.

Noticing the awkward atmosphere after his words, Wang Manager observed the expressions of those in the room. Something was off.

Only then did he realize that although half of Su Youyue's body was hidden behind the table, the chair she sat on was clearly different from the others.

Upon closer inspection, it was not a regular chair but a wheelchair!

In all of Yanjing City, which other young lady from a well-off family could casually produce one hundred taels of silver and also use a wheelchair? Besides Miss Su, who else could it be? If she didn't know Lu Song, who else would?

So the rumors were wrong – Miss Su was actually very beautiful. They'd always described her as a fearsome female demon.

"Are you saying that Lu Song's cousin bought this?" Su Youyue lowered her gaze, hiding her eyes from view.

Wang Manager broke out in a cold sweat. "Yes...indeed."

Mid-sentence, he clapped his hands again. "Oh, wait, it wasn't actually Lu Song's cousin Kang Yun who purchased it. It was registered under her son, Kang Wen's name. The official in charge of the deed at our bank said that the three-year-old is quite remarkable. He signed his name himself, and his handwriting is no worse than someone who has studied for over a decade!"

Upon hearing this, Su Youyue chuckled softly.

By now, there was nothing she didn't understand. After all, she herself had experienced rebirth firsthand.

Before coming here, she thought it was Kang Yun who had been reborn.

She never would have guessed it was actually Lu Wen.

It seemed that in his previous life, he might not have had much of a future, and perhaps even died young. She just didn't know how. It was truly satisfying!

But did he really think that his shops could prosper solely because of the shops and their workers?

This was getting more interesting by the minute. She was now extremely grateful that she hadn't divulged the recipe to anyone back then for confidentiality reasons, and that she alone knew the crucial ingredients for each step of the process.

"Miss, I've told you everything I know..." Manager Wang whispered as a reminder.

Su Youyue waved him off. Jin'er promptly handed over the prepared banknote, causing Manager Wang's face to light up with delight. He quickly took his leave.

"Miss, we've never heard of any cousin from the Lu family, let alone one who's married with a son," Jin'er expressed her confusion.

Su Youyue thought to herself that it would be odd if they had heard of it. The Lus were terrified of whispers about their poverty; they would never acknowledge a poor relative like Kang Yun who sought refuge with them. They had kept this secret well, known only to a few within their inner circle.

This Wang Manager knew due to his extensive network in the business, but even then, he failed to uncover that Kang Wen should actually be called Lu Wen, and was the offspring of Lu Song.

"Let's discuss this when we return," Su Youyue said, relieved now that she understood Lu Wen had also been reborn and had plans in motion.

In her previous life, it was her unconditional love and support for him as if he were her own child that enabled him to live a prosperous life later on.

In this life, without her as his foster mother, would Lu Wen still be able to escape his four years of hiding and living in shame early on, and live a good life just as he did in his previous life?

The carriage began its return journey to the Su residence. As soon as Su Youyue arrived at the estate, before she could reach her own courtyard, a figure suddenly dashed towards her. It was about to collide with her when the man behind her suddenly stepped forward, firmly shielding her from harm.

The figure immediately slammed on the brakes upon seeing this, not daring to crash into the tall man's body.

With his towering back, Su Youyue had to tilt her head upwards to see him entirely. She inexplicably felt a sense of security from him.

How wonderful it would have been if, before her death in her previous life, someone—just one person—had shielded her like this.

In that case, she wouldn't have felt so desperate and cold when she was drowned alive by a group of people...

Su Youyue quickly regained her composure and shook her head. Regardless of who that person was, it couldn't be Xie Yuan. Perhaps she was just traumatized, fantasizing that he would protect her in her previous life.

Now, he was only protecting her because she was his nominal master. If anything were to happen to her, he would suffer the consequences as well.

"Qiao'er? It's actually you! What do you want to do to Miss? !" Jin'er was furious when she recognized the intruder. Although Miss had been ignoring Qiao'er these past few days, she hadn't done anything to harm her. Yet, Qiao'er dared to provoke Miss!

"Wah wah wah... Miss, Qiao'er didn't mean to do anything. I was just too anxious. I wanted to ask, I've served you for ten years, and even if there were no accomplishments, there was hard work. I don't know what I did wrong for you to want to sell me..."

Xie Yuan glanced at the weeping maid before stepping aside to give Su Youyue a clear view.

Su Youyue narrowed her eyes. She had thought about it, but she hadn't said it out loud. Thus, Qiao'er's words were clearly a setup.

"Second Miss, I never expected this. Your elder sister is indeed as rumored – harsh and abusive towards her servants. She lacks any trace of humanity. No wonder the Lu family didn't consider her suitable."

From around the corner, Su Qian and two other elegantly dressed noble ladies emerged.

Upon recognizing their identities, Su Youyue raised an eyebrow, a fleeting glint appearing in her eyes.

These two were both intimate friends of Su Qian's, one being Lin Wanwan, the daughter of Scholar Lin, and the other Xiao Feiyan, the daughter of Marquis Jinghai.

Lin Wanwan was but a faint memory to Su Youyue; what lingered in her mind was Xiao Feiyan, due to the tragic turn her life had taken later on.

Though Great Sheng Kingdom possessed considerable strength, its public safety was far from satisfactory. Even in Yanjing, for a period, human traffickers ran rampant, abducting numerous children and young women.

Xiao Feiyan was the highest-ranking among those abducted back then. The Marquis Jinghai's household had only produced this one daughter in three generations, raising her like a precious treasure. Who would have thought that she would fall into the hands of traffickers and be sold to a brothel in Liaodong, thousands of miles away?

By the time the Marquis Jinghai's residence found her over a year later, the once-healthy maiden had been driven mad and could no longer speak properly. It was said that she had attempted suicide by biting her tongue when forced to entertain clients, but failed, resulting in her current state.

Defying the rumors and criticism from the outside world, the Marquis Jinghai protected his daughter within their estate instead of sending her away. However, one morning, Xiao Feiyan regained consciousness. After having a meal with her parents and siblings, she was discovered dead, submerged in a well...

Su Youyue's memories gradually became clearer.

It was this very case of human trafficking that shocked the entire Great Sheng Empire and allowed the former Crown Prince and Xie Yuan to reclaim their positions. The massive human trafficking organization turned out to be a faction under the authority of the Second Prince, who had garnered the most support after the Crown Prince's dethronement – none other than the powerful Tai Shi Qi, the prince's maternal uncle!

As the investigation dug deeper into the traffickers' network, Tai Shi Qi was thoroughly scrutinized, leading to more shocking cases that rocked the court. Alongside it came the revelation of the false accusations against the deposed Crown Prince.

"Even dismissing a personal maid who had served you for over a decade without any hesitation, Miss Su is indeed too heartless!" Xiao Feiyan looked at Su Youyue with disdain, seemingly holding people like her in contempt.

She had expected Su Youyue to be angered by her words, but to her surprise, the look in the other woman's eyes was filled with compassion.

Xiao Feiyan was taken aback.