Zhou Jinyan personally escorted Shen Yiren and Xiao Ba to the gates of the General's Estate, leaving his guard, Cang Ming, behind.
Cang Ming hesitated for a moment, but under his master’s steady gaze, he bowed his head and acknowledged the order.
"If Miss Shen suffers even the slightest mishap, I shall hold you accountable."
"This subordinate understands."
"So, does he have to listen to me from now on?" Shen Yiren asked, looking at the man in the carriage.
Zhou Jinyan nodded.
Shen Yiren beamed. She had a henchman in the human realm!
She turned and walked into the General's Estate, Xiao Ba following beside her clutching a jar, while Cang Ming trailed behind them.
"Second Miss?" The steward froze when he saw Shen Yiren. Hadn't Madam gone to seize her? Why was the Second Miss returning so brazenly, while the Madam and the servants sent to fetch her were nowhere to be seen? "Who are these two?"
"You're the second one; I am the only Miss in the General's Estate." Shen Yiren shot the steward a sharp glance. Her predecessor had been looked down upon by everyone in the household—save for her father—and once the head of the house was away, they had been even more blatant with their scorn.
"Why must you still argue over this, Second Miss? The Old Madame herself has declared the Eldest Miss the legitimate daughter and you the secondary one; both are misses of the General's Estate." The steward signaled to a maid, ordering her to go notify the Old Madame.
"Treating trash like treasure, blind as a bat." Shen Yiren couldn't help but marvel at the human knack for creating expressions. She said to the steward with a straight face, "Since you don't recognize me as your master, go find a hill that does."
In the Demon race, one always claimed a mountain by merit; if the minor demons within didn't acknowledge you, you simply cleared off to another territory.
"Cang Ming? Drag him to the Duke of Anguo Estate. Since he only recognizes Shen Qingrui as his master, he should stay by Shen Qingrui's side as a servant," she commanded her new subordinate with practiced ease.
Cang Ming was used to following orders. The Prince had told him to obey Miss Shen and ensure her safety, so he moved quickly. He grabbed the back of the steward's collar with one hand and vaulted over the walls, disappearing into the distance.
He dropped the steward at the gates of the Duke of Anguo Estate and delivered the message: "Miss Shen says that since you only recognize Shen Qingrui as your master, you belong by her side acting as her servant."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingrui’s eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted on the spot—so much for her wedding night.
The culprit, Shen Yiren, was currently in the kitchen scavenging for food with Xiao Ba. Xiao Ba was fine with eating dirt, but she was now a mortal of flesh and blood and needed something better.
"Second Miss, you can't! You absolutely cannot drink that! That is the squab soup being simmered for the Old Madame!" the cook cried out in frantic anxiety.
Shen Yiren was enjoying the meal, her lips slick with grease, while Xiao Ba clutched a bowl, gulping down the soup in large mouthfuls.
The Old Madame, who had been waiting in vain for Shen Yiren to appear, arrived at the kitchen herself. She slammed her cane against the floor, her rage palpable.
Old Madame’s attendant, Mother Lü, snapped, "Second Miss, the Old Madame summoned you to Fuan Hall. Why did you not go, but instead came here to the kitchen to steal food?"
"I have my own two legs to walk with, don't I?" Shen Yiren looked toward the Old Madame, who stood at the entrance, seemingly refusing to step inside due to the kitchen fumes.
The woman was twisting her prayer beads, yet there were dark circles under her eyes. It seemed she hadn't been sleeping well at night.
Huh? She was even wearing the calming sachet that the previous owner had made herself.
"How insolent!" Mother Lü put on airs again. "You see the Old Madame and you refuse to bow?"
A woman in her fifties expecting her—a ten-thousand-year-old Ginseng Spirit—to bow? Shen Yiren wiped her mouth, stood up, and walked over.
Seeing her approach, the Old Madame scowled and began to scold: "You ran away from your wedding—fine. But why go to the Duke of Anguo Estate to cause such a scene at the ceremony? You have brought utter disgrace upon the General's Estate and severed the goodwill between our two houses! Shen Yiren, the General's Estate raised you for two years, and this is the ingrate we produced?"
Shen Yiren stared at the sachet on the Old Madame's waist. The stitching wasn't perfect, but it had been sewn stitch by stitch by the previous owner, sitting under a lamp in a cramped side courtyard. Inside were sandalwood, mimosa flowers, and jujube seeds for calming the nerves…
Sandalwood was expensive; the girl had spent all her savings on it, picked the mimosa flowers herself, and knocked the jujube seeds down with a bamboo pole.
She reached out and snatched the sachet from the Old Madame’s waist.
The Old Madame stumbled from the sudden tug.
Mother Lü hurried to steady her, reprimanding her again: "Is the Second Miss trying to harm the Old Madame!"
"Shut your barking, or I'll have you locked away," Shen Yiren said, looking at the Old Madame. "You curse me with your mouth, yet you don't seem to have any qualms about using a sachet that soothes the nerves and helps you sleep."
She smirked. "Why can’t you sleep well, then? Done too many heartless things?"
The Old Madame’s face turned an ugly shade of black. How had the girl become so bold after being gone for only a short while? Regardless, she was still her grandmother, her elder!
"Shen Yiren, get on your knees!"
Shen Yiren ignored her, so the Old Madame ordered Mother Lü to step forward and force her down.
Shen Yiren was faster; she clamped her hand onto the back of Mother Lü’s neck and, with a slight force, pushed the elderly woman down until her knees hit the floor.
"There, she's kneeling."
"Old… Old Madame…" Mother Lü felt as if a mountain were crushing her neck, her face contorted in agony. This vulgar girl raised in the countryside had terrifying raw strength!
"Shen Yiren!" The Old Madame slammed her cane again, her chest heaving with such fury it seemed she couldn't catch her breath.
"That's me."
"Someone, come!" The Old Madame summoned the servants. She didn't believe she couldn't suppress this disrespectful brat today. "Hold her down!"
A straight, imposing figure blocked the path in front of Shen Yiren.
Her henchman had returned; she didn't need to lift a finger.
Cang Ming drew his sword, barring the servants’ way. Seeing his intimidating aura, the servants stopped in their tracks.
The Old Madame demanded, "Shen Yiren, is this the adulterer who helped you run away? You dare bring him into our home? Very well, bind them all! And that boy in the kitchen, bind him too and throw him into the pond! From this day on, the Shen family acts as if Shen Yiren never existed!"
Cang Ming revealed his medallion: "I am a personal guard to Prince Duan. Who dares to act recklessly?"
Shen Yiren’s eyes widened: "?"
Wasn't he her henchman?
"Prince Duan?" The Old Madame didn't believe it. "What Prince Duan? Seize them!"
"Wait! Mother-in-law! Mother-in-law, wait!" Madam Shen rushed over, catching the Old Madame’s arm. "He really is one of Prince Duan’s men! Yiren was even returned to the estate by the Prince himself."
The Old Madame called off the servants and asked the guard: "What is the relationship between Yiren and Prince Duan?"
Cang Ming was only a guard; he knew nothing of his master’s private business. He remained silent, merely gripping his sword and standing by Shen Yiren’s side.
Seeing that she couldn't seize them, the Old Madame seethed with suppressed fury. "Shen Yiren, the matter of your elopement hasn't been settled yet. And what of your virtue? Is your purity still intact?"
"A woman's chastity is paramount. Other things can wait, but we must verify your purity now. If you are no longer pure, you cannot remain in the Shen family; you bring shame upon the door of the General’s Estate!"
Madam Shen also felt the matter was grave and cooperated, calling for the most experienced matrons in the estate. They were determined to conduct an inspection.
However, Prince Duan’s guard was a problem.
The Old Madame spoke up: "Lord Guard, even an honest official finds it hard to settle domestic affairs. Even if you are Prince Duan’s guard, you cannot interfere in our family matters."
Cang Ming: "The Prince ordered that Miss Shen must not suffer the slightest mishap."
Madam Shen: "It’s just an examination of her body. What sort of 'mishap' could that possibly be?"