Chapter 511: The Treasure the Shen Family Wants

Chapter 511: The Treasure the Shen Family Wants

Upon hearing this, the two maids flinched, looking at Shen Nan in terror.

Shen Yuanfeng was instantly enraged. This woman actually dared to threaten someone right in front of him!

She really thinks she's the Young Miss of the Shen family!

"Shen Nan, you have no right to punish anyone in the Shen family as you see fit!" Shen Yuanfeng shouted angrily.

The two frightened maids hesitated for a moment, but quickly apologized.

"Please have mercy, Young Miss. It was this servant's fault... Qingluo, I'm sorry for what I said about you. Please, don't hold a grudge against us."

Although Shen Yuanfeng was right—Shen Nan technically had no authority to punish them—but no matter how capable the second young master was, he couldn't protect them every moment!

If they ever ran into Shen Nan again, they might end up disfigured for life. They couldn't afford to take that risk!

Shen Nan looked at Qingluo.

Qingluo was stunned. She hadn't expected that even though the second young master was protecting the maids, Shen Nan would still insist on standing up for her and make them apologize.

Noticing Shen Nan looking at her, Qingluo quickly snapped out of her daze. "Thank you, Young Miss, for standing up for this servant. I believe what you said was absolutely right."

She had once felt a bit of inferiority because she came from the countryside, but now, she no longer thought that way.

The world operates on cause and effect, and everyone has their own unique purpose in life.

Seeing that Qingluo was no longer taking it to heart, Shen Nan slowly nodded. "Qingluo is generous and won't hold it against you this time, but if there's a next time, it won't be so easy for you to get away."

The two maids breathed a huge sigh of relief, their faces filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Young Miss Shen, thank you, Qingluo."

Shen Yuanfeng took a deep breath, his anger flaring.

Cen Yuan, standing next to him, watched in silent surprise.

He had originally thought that the Young Miss who returned from the countryside was just a country girl, but now, he wasn't so sure.

No ordinary country girl could cause such a stir in a powerful family that had been in the Capital for decades, leaving them helpless.

As Shen Nan was about to leave, Shen Yuanfeng could no longer contain his temper. "Shen Nan, I didn't give you permission to leave!"

Shen Nan stopped in her tracks and turned back, speaking leisurely. "What, did you not hear them? The maids themselves admitted that they deliberately mocked my senior maid just now. Is there something wrong with me, as your elder sister, asking them to apologize?"

She slowly scrutinized Shen Yuanfeng from head to toe. "If I remember correctly, I am now your elder sister. By the rules of seniority, since when does a younger brother get to decide whether his elder sister can leave?"

Shen Yuanfeng was taken aback, realizing he had never truly considered her as his sister.

So he sneered. "Shen Nan, and you have the nerve to talk to me about seniority? What about when you made Father so angry that he fell ill?"

Shen Nan chuckled behind her hand. "That's your father, not mine."

With that, she turned on her heel and strode away, leaving him fuming.

"..."

"Shen Nan, hold it!"

Shen Yuanfeng clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, his anger barely contained.

Cen Yuan quickly held onto him. "Cough... Yuanfeng, don't let this sharp-tongued and disrespectful woman get under your skin."

"Brother Cen, as you can see, I wasn't exaggerating. Such a rude and disrespectful woman, who lacks filial piety and fraternal respect, is rare in this world. Where is the virtue in her to be the eldest daughter of our Shen family? I’ll never acknowledge her as my elder sister, not in a million years! I really wish I could drive her out of the Shen family!"

Shen Yuanfeng felt that ever since he met Shen Nan Nan, his romanticized ideas about beautiful women were completely shattered.

Cen Yuan nodded in agreement, but secretly thought to himself.

Shen Yuanfeng doesn’t seem like the 'smiling tiger' he used to be. Instead, it was Shen Nan Nan's light smile that had stolen that title.

This woman is truly extraordinary—she even disowns her own father, showing no fear at all.

Seeing Shen Yuanfeng getting too angry, he quickly changed the subject. "Brother Shen, let's talk about the person you were investigating. You need to hurry up! Many people are searching for the whereabouts of the veiled beauty, and the time to select this year's offering to the Holy Sect is approaching."

Mentioning this important matter helped Shen Yuanfeng calm down, but even so, his brows remained furrowed. "How could I not want to find her sooner? I've spent thousands of taels and almost all of my manpower searching for her, but she seems to have vanished from the world. It's really giving me a headache."

"Sigh, if she were that easy to find, how could so many families have failed to locate her? I'd say this veiled woman is a rare treasure. It's only natural that she's hard to find," Cen Yuan comforted.

Shen Yuanfeng's expression darkened, and though he didn't speak, he seemed to silently agree with Cen Yuan's words.

This woman was indeed a mysterious treasure, constantly weighing on his mind, making him restless. If he could find her, he would thank the heavens. These past few days, he had been so anxious that he even considered burning incense at the ancestral tomb, praying for the ancestors to bless the Shen family this time.

As they were talking, another young man walked in, frowning and sighing.

"Oh, Yuansong, it's been a long time since we've seen you. What a busy man you are," Cen Yuan greeted with a smile upon recognizing him.

Shen Yuanfeng also expressed concern. "Yuansong is back."

If the veiled beauty is a treasure, then the ammunition Shen Yuansong was developing was the treasure the Shen family desperately sought.

If Shen Yuansong could successfully develop any ammunition, there would be no need to search for the elusive veiled beauty. The entire Shen family would rise to greatness, and the offering to the Holy Sect would become a trivial matter.

Shen Yuansong was also aware of this, which was why he had practically been living at the military workshop, working day and night on the ammunition.

It’s rare for him to come home these days.

With dark circles under his eyes, he managed a weak smile and greeted them. "Second brother, Brother Cen."

Seeing his expression, Shen Yuanfeng knew there was likely no progress.

This matter wasn't a secret, and he had mentioned it to Cen Yuan before, so he asked directly. "Yuansong, still no progress?"

He had heard from his father that the court highly valued talents like Yuansong, and several officials had been eager to speak with him when he arrived.

Shen Yuansong felt as if a giant stone was pressing on his chest, and he let out a heavy sigh. "A couple of days ago, I identified one of the ingredients in the ammunition formula."

Shen Yuanfeng was pleasantly surprised by this significant progress. "Really?"

Shen Yuansong nodded. When he and the officials at the military workshop confirmed that sulfur was one of the ingredients, they were thrilled for an entire day, but they soon hit a stumbling block. The remaining ingredients were still a mystery.

Now, it felt like a weight was pressing down on both his chest and his mind. Even the air felt heavy and oppressive.

Seeing his expression, Cen Yuan asked, "Are you facing another difficulty now?"