Chapter 11

On the morning after the dust settled, a commotion woke me.

I could faintly hear a woman crying and a man cursing.

After washing and dressing in haste, I went outside to watch the excitement.

Shen Shuo stood in the courtyard with his arms folded.

Lan’er lay sprawled on the ground while Qi Sanyuan slapped her again and again.

When I appeared, Shen Shuo pointed at Lan’er.

“Miss Hua, your laundry maid tried to climb into my bed.

“Don’t you owe me an explanation?”

I nodded to show that he had a point.

Then I earnestly counseled Lan’er.

“He likes men. Try to be understanding.”

Shen Shuo broke into a violent coughing fit. Still coughing, he pointed a trembling finger at me.

“What grudge do you have against me?!”

I gave him a look that said, I understand. Keep it quiet.

As for Lan’er, she was in a truly sorry state.

Her leg had already been broken, and Qi Sanyuan had delivered a relentless barrage of slaps.

Her once lovely little face now resembled a muddy ball, complete with a string of snot.

Qi Sanyuan cursed her viciously.

“You jinx! How dare you cuckold me!

“I’ll sell you to a brothel this very day!”

Just as Qi Sanyuan tried to kick her a few more times,

Lan’er suddenly went mad. She seized his leg and dragged him to the ground, then lunged forward and sank her teeth into his neck.

Blood gushed out at once.

By the time Shen Shuo’s attendants pulled them apart, a gaping hole had been torn in Qi Sanyuan’s neck, and he could no longer speak.

Lan’er threw back her blood-smeared mouth and laughed wildly. Then, still laughing, she abruptly went limp and died.

I stared, dumbfounded!

Just how obsessed was the author with that ending?

No matter how wildly the plot twisted,

someone absolutely had to keel over at the end…

Qi Sanyuan survived, but his speech was permanently slurred. He remained sickly and dependent on medicine for the rest of his life.

His parents took him back to the countryside. Before leaving, they looked at me as if they wanted to speak.

I waved a hand. Every kindness and grievance between us had scattered like smoke.

After the Crown Prince began governing as regent, he placed the Hua family in important positions.

Barring the unexpected, the Hua family would be secure for at least three generations.

At last, my life of happy idleness could continue.

But I soon grew bored.

So, on a dark and windy night, I secretly left my parents a letter.

Then I slipped away with Xiaomei, my fat orange cat, and a highly skilled female bodyguard I had hired.

The world was vast. I wanted to see it all.

The End

Extra One

In the middle of the night, my bodyguard accompanied me to the privy to take care of a personal need.

As I squatted there with nothing else to do, I struck up a conversation.

“Tell me, miss. Do I pay you more, or does the Third Prince?”

Caught completely off guard, she answered,

“Naturally, the Third—

“Uh… how did you know?”

The corner of my mouth curved.

“Half of it was deduction. The other half was a bluff.”

Extra Two

Several days later, after dealing with everything on his end, Shen Shuo caught up with us.

“Take me along, Hero Hua.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“You pay for your own food and lodging.”

Shen Shuo laughed helplessly.

“Money-grubber!”

Back in the capital, the Crown Prince stared at the token of military command before him, the corner of his mouth twitching as he read the letter.

It was very short, only a single line.

“I’m done trying. Remember to send my salary on time!”

As for what happened after that?

Tch. Who cared?

(End of Story)