Chapter 28: Scheming

Chapter 28: Scheming

When the master and servant returned to the courtyard leaning on each other, dusk had already settled over the grounds, and everything around them was shrouded in gloom.

The pair groped their way into the room in the pitch dark, their bodies aching all over and stomachs rumbling with hunger.

Luckily, they had once again dodged danger this night.

Both were eternal optimists, so looking like a mess mattered little; instead, they felt the relief of having cheated death.

Chuliu lit the lamp, then, grimacing in pain, pulled an oil-paper bundle from his chest. Grinning like an idiot, he shuffled over to Shen Yichen.

"Luckily, Master Shen's husband had Big Brother Wei pack us some pastries, or we'd be going hungry tonight."

His goofy look, with his face black and blue, was heartbreaking to see, yet he seemed totally unaware of it himself.

But when the oil paper was opened, he wilted.

"Aw, they're smashed."

Shen Yichen glanced at him, then picked up a broken piece and shoved it into his mouth.

"Crushed or not, it's still osmanthus cake, isn't it? Once it's in your mouth, you chew it up anyway, right?"

He said this and let out a contented sigh.

"Delicious."

Chuliu's eyes immediately lit up, and he joined in eating.

Compared to going hungry, this lot in life was far better than many before.

Besides, tonight had been a close call. Chuliu couldn't help but look at his young master in awe.

His young master was getting better and better.

Even in such a terrible predicament tonight, his young master had managed to turn things around. He had thought they would be bullied to death by Third Young Master.

Speaking of just now—in just a few words, Shen Yichen had made Shen Qinglan glare daggers at Shen Yuzhu and left Shen Yuzhu stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Unfortunately, before Shen Yuzhu could respond, a young attendant from Wang Shuci's side hurried over to summon Shen Qinglan away.

And so the frenzied bullying fizzled out.

Shen Yichen couldn't care less about Shen Qinglan's resentful glare, though he did feel a flicker of caution toward Shen Yuzhu's gloomy stare.

But what occupied Shen Yichen's mind at the moment was what Lady Zhongyong had actually done.

His instinct told him it must be related to Cheng Yi.

With that thought, even his aches and pains seemed to fade.

Meanwhile, after being called back by Wang Shuci, Shen Qinglan threw a tantrum, smashing things.

He simply couldn't figure out why his father and his dad had so many reservations. Wasn't Shen Yichen just a helpless bastard?

Hadn't he always been free to vent on him since childhood? Why does it have to stop now, of all times?

Wang Shuci's frustration was no less than his son's. Over and over, that bastard had gotten the better of them and outmaneuvered them so completely. But with Shen Yunhe having given the order, there was nothing he could do.

Fortunately, the bastard still wasn't married off, so there were plenty of ways to punish him.

With that thought, he calmed down and comforted his son.

"Lan'er, don't be angry anymore. You're always so hot-headed—how can your dad rest easy letting you get married?"

"But Dad, I can't even attend the imperial banquet hosted by Aunt Empress anymore! How can I not be angry?"

In previous years, he had been the one pampered and favored endlessly at this time. Thanks to his aunt the Empress, countless people would suck up to him.

Shen Qinglan ate up that feeling of being the center of everyone's attention.

But this year, because of that bastard Shen Yichen, he couldn't go.

Wang Shuci also ground his teeth in fury, but he was more rational.

"It's just as well that you can't go."

"Dad~"

"The broken engagement can't be hidden. I've already spread word that it was that bitch Zhang Miaomiao's bastard who was at fault, but there's no avoiding gossipy tongues wagging behind our backs and bad-mouthing you. If rumors spread and work against you, going would only bring you humiliation."

It was also that day's quarrel that had burned all bridges. Otherwise, with both families calling off the engagement gracefully, he wouldn't have needed to worry about the Yong'an Marquis's household spreading word of the matter of Qinglan's hair.

At the end of the day, it was still that bastard's fault.

After hearing this, Shen Qinglan was naturally angry and annoyed, but he then brought up Shen Yuzhu, saying he had found a hair-growth remedy.

But Wang Shuci was clearly more level-headed.

His Qinglan hadn't lost his hair due to some strange illness—it had been cut. So he only needed to wait patiently a few months for it to grow back.

Moreover, the Mid-Autumn Festival imperial banquet was only a month away. Even with the most miraculous hair-growth medicine, it would be impossible for the hair to grow back to its original waist-length in such a short time.

Clearly, this hair-growth remedy was nothing but a pointless gesture.

If Qinglan actually accepted it, it would only let Shen Yuzhu get credit for nothing.

After hearing his dad's analysis, Shen Qinglan grew angry.

"Hmph! I knew he was up to no good."

Wang Shuci sighed inwardly at his precious child's innocence, so easily fooled.

It was precisely for this reason that he didn't want his Lan'er to enter the imperial palace's inner quarters.

Otherwise, as the Empress's own brother, making Lan'er the Fifth Prince's consort would be well within reach. Why would he have settled for the Young Marquis of Yong'an, who did whatever his mother said?

It was precisely because he was easy to push around.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans, and now everything was ruined. Fortunately, that scoundrel wasn't a good match anyway.

"Lan'er, don't be angry. He's nothing but a worthless piece of trash. At his age now, if he wants to marry a good husband, he'll have to kowtow to us father and son no matter what. He can't make any waves."

So no matter how much Shen Yuzhu schemed, it was useless. In Wang Shuci's eyes, he was far easier to handle than that reckless madman Shen Yichen.

Little did he know that Shen Yuzhu was thinking the exact same thing at that moment.

That idiot Shen Qinglan was also much easier to push around than Shen Yichen.

"Yuzhu [Shen Yuzhu], instigated by that bastard, can Wang Shuci still take you into the palace?"

Yan Qiushui's face showed worry, and his heart was filled with resentment. His Yuzhu was as refined as jade in a breeze, a hundred times, a thousand times better than that bastard Shen Yichen, yet he had been robbed of the status of legitimate eldest son for so many years.

Now that Yuzhu had come of age, had it not been for that dead wretch stealing his identity, his Yuzhu would have had matchmakers beating down his door. Why would he have had to stay hidden all these years, and now struggle so hard just to secure a good marriage?

Shen Yuzhu's expression was grim, but he remained far calmer than Yan Qiushui.

"Dad, have you forgotten? In the end, Father has the final say in this residence."

As long as Shen Yunhe spoke up, Wang Shuci would have no choice but to grit his teeth and agree.

And as long as he was given a chance to shine, he would seize it.

But Yan Qiushui was somewhat worried.

"Wang Shuci is so domineering and unreasonable. Your father has been deferential to him all these years, and he's gradually come to look down on me more and more. He won't listen to my words."

If it weren't for that, why would he have had to kowtow and curry favor with that wretch all these years?

Thinking of these humiliations, Yan Qiushui felt he hated Wang Shuci even more than the deceased Gong Sunyin.

A sardonic smile curled at the corner of Shen Yuzhu's lips.

He mused that his father, at his age, was still so naive, still harboring expectations for a man as cold-hearted as his father.

Father doesn't value you—how could that be because Wang Shuci pressured him?

It's simply that you have no power or influence behind you, so you're insignificant.

If only he had a backing as powerful as the Wang family's, how could Father have slighted him in the slightest?

Back then, the Gong family might not have even had a chance.

A man's callousness is etched into his bones; their knack for weighing costs and benefits seems innate. If you fail to see this clearly, you'll only plunge yourself into an irredeemable abyss.

Shen Yuzhu knew exactly what he wanted, so his aim was clear.

It was power he wanted, not love.

And having seen through his father's true nature, convincing him wouldn't be hard.

"Dad, you just need to find a way to get Father to come to your courtyard before the palace feast. When the time comes, I'll have my own ways to convince him to take me to the palace."

Seeing that he had a scheme in mind, Yan Qiushui could only agree.

But getting Shen Yunhe to come to his courtyard was no easy task.

Now that he was old and losing his looks, and with that Wang bastard pressuring him, Shen Yunhe had long since stopped treating him as well as he used to.

"Since you're so sure of yourself, Dad will do his best to help you."

Even if it meant pulling out the tricks he used to seduce him back then, he'd swallow his pride and do it.

Everyone had their own agendas. Now, as for Shen Yichen, after applying the wound-healing medicine that Cheng Yi had sent earlier, the pain in his body lessened considerably.

As for the mark around his neck, after Chuliu had bandaged it up, it wasn't serious, and as long as he was a bit careful, his collar would cover it.

After applying the medicine, Shen Yichen handed the wound medicine to Chuliu and shooed him into the outer room before lying down himself.

He was mulling over the day's events.

He needed to come up with a fail-safe plan, or else certain people wouldn't leave him alone.

He didn't care much about himself—after all, his reputation had been ruined for quite some time.

But Cheng Yi was innocent in all this.

He didn't want to drag Cheng Yi into being criticized and ridiculed because of him.

A person that good deserved to be in the spotlight, to be looked up to by the world, not dragged down by someone like him.

Just as he was thinking this, a faint noise came from the window.

Shen Yichen's internal alarm bells went off immediately. He whipped his head around and saw a tall figure blocking out almost all the light in the room.

The shadow gradually moved toward him, silent and soundless. He should have been alarmed, but in an instant, he relaxed.

It was because the familiar silhouette, carrying a familiar scent, came to him.

The sudden panic dissipated without warning.

Even Shen Yichen himself found it absurd that he trusted this person so much.

And also, wasn't this person getting addicted to climbing over walls? Was he really not afraid of being caught by Minister Shen?

"Cheng Yi?"

"It's me."

Cheng Yi strode to the bedside, slightly turning to let the moonlight fall on Shen Yichen, and only then could he see his condition clearly.

"You're injured?"

Seeing the gauze wrapped around his neck, Cheng Yi's expression suddenly darkened, and his voice carried a hint of menace.

"I'm fine," Shen Yichen quickly spoke to reassure him. "It's just a minor scratch."

But Cheng Yi only pressed his lips together in silence.

He was thinking of the many things he had learned today, wondering how much suffering the person before him had endured to make it to this day.

Losing his loved ones at such a young age, and with his only father treating him like this, it was hard to imagine what had kept him going.

He wanted to tell him that from now on, he would protect him, that no one would be allowed to bully him, and that he would help him uncover the truth and seek justice for him.

But Cheng Yi feared that doing so might be too abrupt.

For a moment, he didn't know how to speak, and just stood there.

Seeing that he remained silent, only looking down at him, Shen Yichen thought he was angry, and a warmth he couldn't quite name welled up in his chest, feeling as if something was swelling inside him.

He couldn't help but soften his voice.

"I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, take a look?"

As he spoke, he began to untie the gauze around his neck to show Cheng Yi.

Cheng Yi, quick as a flash, reached out and pressed his hand down.

"No need."

He took the opportunity to hold his slender wrist, then naturally sat down beside him.

For reasons unknown, Cheng Yi did not let go of his hand.

"I believe you."

Shen Yichen's face flushed red as he held his hand, a heat he couldn't suppress spreading across his cheeks. Fortunately, the room was dim, and Cheng Yi probably couldn't tell.

Cheng Yi's palm was broad, carrying a slight chill, yet Shen Yichen inexplicably felt warmth from it—so much so that he was reluctant to pull away. Even with his face burning, he wanted to keep being held like this.

He didn't ask why Cheng Yi had come again, but softly recounted the events of his return that day in a few brief words.

Shen Yichen glossed over what Shen Qinglan had done to him with a few light words, but he emphasized Shen Qinglan's fury after being stopped.

"You did something, didn't you?"

The moment he asked, Shen Yichen grew anxious, afraid he was reading too much into it, yet unable to suppress a spark of hope.

Cheng Yi let out a low chuckle at his expression.

"It was me."

His little husband was truly clever, figuring it out immediately.

Cheng Yi then told him about how he had asked his mother for help.

But he also worried Shen Yichen might overthink, since not every young man would want to be married without the grand procession, and not everyone could accept such an unconventional way of doing things.

Yet to his surprise, Shen Yichen's eyes sparkled with admiration at his brilliant plan.

No wonder those brothers had looked so constipated.

The Marquis Zhongyong's mansion's "discourteous request" couldn't have come at a better time—it was absolutely brilliant.

To ride a horse, he'd have to show himself in public, and he'd have to appear perfectly unharmed, or all those underhanded schemes would be exposed.

Cheng Yi had not only protected him tonight but also shielded him from most future troubles.

If they wanted to deal with him now, they'd have to resort to underhanded means.

Grateful in his heart, he felt some of his awkwardness fade.

"Thank you."

The more he got to know him, the more he saw how good he was.

But besides saying thank you, he had nothing else to give.

"As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

Cheng Yi had come tonight partly on a whim, partly out of worry that Wang Shuci and his father might bully him.

Seeing that he was unharmed put his mind at ease.

"Rest well. If anything comes up, have Chuliu go find Wei Xiao."

With that, Cheng Yi turned to go.

For some reason, Shen Yichen suddenly felt a deep reluctance to let him go.

On a whim, he grabbed Cheng Yi's hand just as he was pulling away.

Cheng Yi looked down at him, a hint of confusion in his eyes, his voice unusually gentle.

"Is there anything else?"

Shen Yichen felt his cheeks burn, embarrassment and shame washing over him as he thought he must have been crazy to do something so bold.

"I..."

Stupid mouth, what was he supposed to say!

"Hmm?"

"Can... can you stay with me a little longer?"

A wave of heat rushed over him as Shen Yichen couldn't believe he'd actually said such a thing.

Who?

Who said that?

It definitely wasn't me!