Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Since I was a child, my mother often taught me a certain truth-

People are divided into ranks and classes, and the foundation of society is built upon propriety.

This propriety is the distinction between the noble and the lowly.

Take Chen Xi’er, for example. Though we grew up together, she is, in reality, a slave.

Take my Wet Nurse. Though I was raised on her milk, she is actually a person of humble status.

If they were to upset me one day, it would be perfectly acceptable for me to beat them, scold them, sell them off, or even take their lives.

The distinction between superior and inferior is their destiny.

People are divided into ranks, but I could never understand how human emotions could be ranked the same way.

My father was strict, and my mother was a stern woman.

They rarely showed me any warmth.

The one who stayed by my side day and night was my maid, Chen Xi’er; the one who loved and protected me was my Wet Nurse Zou.

I was a well-behaved and gentle child from a young age, because whenever I did something wrong, the fault would invariably fall on Xi’er and my Wet Nurse.

I didn’t want them to be punished, and I never viewed them as lowly people.

It was the same with Liang Zhi. In my heart, he wasn’t just the Xie Family’s groom; he was my friend.

I told him to call me Ah Yuan. At first, he refused, saying he didn’t dare.

I feigned anger and slapped his injured arm.

Liang Zhi winced in pain, letting out a sharp cry.

“Fourth Miss, take it easy!”

I raised my hand and gave him another smack.

This time, the pain brought tears to Liang Zhi’s eyes. He looked at me with utter resentment before finally giving in and calling me softly, “Ah Yuan.”

I nodded with satisfaction and patted his head.

“Good boy.”

Liang Zhi and I stayed in the chicken coop until nearly dawn.

As the first light of morning broke, the city had completely regained its calm. We decided to head back to the Xie Family estate.

Seeing that the road was empty, I stopped as we passed the abandoned pond of a wealthy household. I insisted on cleaning off the chicken droppings and feathers covering my body.

Under my instructions, Liang Zhi used a damp cloth to help wipe the chicken droppings from my hair.

He asked, puzzled, “You can bathe once we’re back at the manor. Why clean up here?”

I huffed. “What do you know? If those young misses at the Chancellor’s Mansion found out I came home with a head full of chicken dung, they’d laugh themselves to death behind my back.”

Perhaps because my usual image was so demure, Liang Zhi couldn’t help but laugh when I rolled my eyes at him.

He said, “I always thought the Fourth Miss was timid. I didn’t realize you were so fierce.”

Liang Zhi had a beautiful smile. His features were well-defined, his eyebrows slightly thick, and when his mouth curled up, his eyes shone clear and bright like crescent moons.

We talked by the pond for a long while that day.

He asked if “Ah Yuan” meant a paper kite.

I glared at him. “Of course not! Haven’t you heard? In the Northern Abyss, there is a fish; in the Southern Sea, there is a Yuan. The Yuan is so large, its size is unknown for thousands of miles. I am a woman like a great eagle!”

To assert my status, I pointed specifically at that abandoned pond and told Liang Zhi, “This pond has washed the chicken dung from my head. From this day forward, its name is the Southern Sea. Remember this place, for one day, lotus flowers will surely bloom here.”

Liang Zhi: “…”