Chapter 469: Young Master of the Shen Family

Chapter 469: Young Master of the Shen Family

"Liang Po, you must be scared," a pleasant voice suddenly spoke up, soothing Liang Po's nerves. She then realized the carriage had already pulled up beside her.

"Please, get in and sit for a moment."

Liang Po, indeed shaken, her legs turning to jelly, climbed into the carriage without further hesitation.

When she saw three young ladies inside the carriage, she was taken aback. She hadn’t heard that the neglected Miss, who hadn’t lived in the estate for years, could afford two maids.

When that woman was expelled, she had been penniless.

As Liang Po made out the features of the person in the middle, she was completely dumbfounded.

A thought flickered hazily through her mind.

Perhaps… everyone in the estate had been wrong about the soon-to-arrive Miss!

The carriage finally stopped in front of the Shen residence.

Though not a high-ranking family, the Shen family was considered a military household. The two stone lions in front of the residence were imposing, and the plaque above the door, with its bold and flowing calligraphy, added to the grandeur.

As soon as the carriage stopped, the guards at the front gate looked over curiously. When Su Youyue and her group followed Liang Po into the estate, many more curious and mocking gazes were cast their way.

Jin was still curious but remained silent.

It wasn’t that she had truly become quiet; Miss had given her a task before they arrived.

She barely knew a few phrases in the Dongrong language and would have to pretend to be mute for a while to avoid giving herself away.

Now that Lai Po Zi and Zhu Po Zi were dead, there was certainly no one left who would know whether she was truly mute.

The front hall of the Shen residence was more bustling than usual, and a youth’s furious voice suddenly rang out from inside.

"Why aren’t they here yet? Is that little bastard trying to avoid the marriage?"

Beside him, another youth, whose face was almost identical to his, twirled a folding fan in his hand. The sharp blades hidden in the fan’s ribs glinted. His cold gaze spoke volumes. "If she dares to run away from the marriage, I’ll sever her tendons and send her to the Ding’an Houfu."

Sitting opposite the two, a slightly more composed youth on the right side of the main seat chuckled. "Why are you so impatient, Third and Fourth? She’s just a country bumpkin from the countryside who doesn’t understand etiquette. She must be curious about everything in the Holy City and got delayed."

"Enough," Madam Fang, who had been listening for a while, finally spoke. Her voice was steady, but even though she was scolding them, there was no tone of rebuke.

The arrogant youth, hearing this, suddenly became agitated. "Does she even deserve to be our elder sister? In this life, I, Shen Yuanyang, have only one sister, Zhuyu! As for Shen Nan’nan, that little bastard, if she dares to think of herself as my sister, my Thunderbolt won’t be merciful!"

Su Yuansong’s sinister voice also chimed in. "Having her replace Elder Sister and marry into the Ding’an Houfu is already her fortune. What the Shen family gives her, she can take. What we don’t give, she better not dream of. Otherwise, she’ll regret it."

Listening to the harsh words of her three sons, Madam Fang instead showed a satisfied expression. Even her youngest son, barely five years old, was closest to Zhuyu, the eldest sister.

As their mother, she couldn’t help but feel pleased by how close her five children were.

Finally, she nodded. "If you don’t want to call her elder sister, then don’t. After all, she was raised in the countryside and probably won’t be presentable. When she’s called over for a few words of warning, she’ll likely fall in line and not cause any trouble. We should marry her off to the Ding’an Houfu as soon as possible."

She narrowed her eyes, calculating why they were still not there when a servant boy rushed in to report that Liang Po had arrived with the person.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the hall became more tense, especially from Fourth Young Master Shen Yuanyang, who seemed more ready for a fight than a family reunion, a white-tasseled spear in his hand.

Madam Fang frowned slightly.

Only Mother Li had arrived with the others? Were Lai Po Zi and Zhu Po Zi not back yet?

It wasn’t long before Mother Li arrived with the group.

Almost everyone in the room instinctively looked over and was simultaneously stunned.

They had seen fifteen or sixteen-year-old village girls before. Each of them had been poorly raised, with rough skin, rustic clothes, and an overall small-minded aura. They were worlds apart from the girls of the Holy City who had been raised with lavish care.

But the three girls in front of them each had an outstanding aura, far from ordinary. Especially the one in the middle.

Although she wore a light blue pleated skirt, her skin was as white and transparent as snow, her eyebrows and eyes bright, her gaze shimmering like autumn water reflecting golden light, dazzlingly beautiful. Her lips were like cinnabar, and her entire face exuded a perfectly balanced, incomparably stunning beauty.

Even the light blue pleated skirt seemed to take on a fresh, sky-like charm because of her presence.

Such beauty truly deserved the term "peerless elegance." This was far from the "country bumpkin" everyone had described.

Everyone in the hall, ready to treat Shen Nan Nan coldly, was momentarily stunned, their eyes filled with admiration. At this moment, it wasn’t because of her identity, but purely her extraordinary beauty.

The servants nearby also had their eyes wide open.

Was this really the country-raised, farm-working eldest miss that everyone had described? She looked even more radiant than Miss Zhu Yu.

Madam Fang was the first to recover. Her eyes immediately flashed with strong disgust. She hadn’t expected the daughter of that lowly woman to have such beauty. But what of it? She was indeed raised in the countryside, with no manners at all. She didn’t even greet her elders.

“Miss, this is the Great Elder Lady, your mother,” Mother Li reminded.

Su Youyue surveyed the hall and, without any noticeable movement, had already discerned the three Shen family young masters of similar age that Zhe Jing had mentioned. She then gave a slight bow and said, “Miss Shen.”

The twins were the third young master Shen Yuansong and the fourth young master Shen Yuanyang of the Shen family. The one opposite them should be the second young master, Shen Yuanfeng. There was also a fifth young master, Shen Yuan Zhen, who was only five years old and wasn’t here at the moment.

Su Youyue’s clear and melodious voice was like jade beads falling, exceptionally pleasant to the ear.

But as soon as her voice fell, everyone’s expression in the room changed slightly.

Not only was her tone vastly different from what the Shen family had expected—that she would be submissive—but even the address she used didn’t give face to Madam Fang and Mother Li.

Madam Fang didn’t want her to call herself mother, but whether she wanted to or not was one thing. The fact that this girl dared to refuse was another. Madam Fang’s composure almost slipped, and she was about to reprimand her outright.

But Shen Yuanyang was faster. He recovered and slammed his long spear onto the ground with a clang. “Sure enough, the country bumpkin has no manners! Who allowed you to speak to your mother in this manner!”

How could such upbringing and manners possibly compare to Sister Zhu Yu? She didn’t even measure up to half a finger of Sister Zhu Yu!

To have this ill-mannered thing listed under Mother’s name as her elder sister and recorded in the Shen family’s genealogy made him feel sick.