Shen Liu left with his people, knowing they were heading outside, so Cai Xiu didn’t follow. Seeing no one around, she erged from the shadows and walked to the door of the rock garden study.
Seeing that the door of the rock garden study was not locked, she had no thought of entering. Since Shen Liu was not inside, why would she go in? Her thoughts rely turned to Lian Manman.
This was precisely a good opportunity to deal with Lian Manman! Moreover, if this opportunity is missed, there might never be another chance.
Lian Manman was a guest and wouldn’t stay in Nian Garden. She had few opportunities to sche against Lian Manman. Besides, Shen Liu wouldn’t stay long in Nian Garden; once everything was settled there, he would leave. At that ti, she would leave too.
Shen Liu rarely took these maids with him when he went out. Who knows when she would get another chance to go out with Shen Liu, and who knows when she would see Lian Manman again.
Cai Xiu told herself not to miss this opportunity and that she must use it to deal with Lian Manman, ensuring she would et her end, or at least be crippled.
With her mind made up, Cai Xiu quickly utilized her connections to set up a trap. She herself had to play the crucial role of luring Lian Manman into the trap, as the other maids and won in Nian Garden were too afraid to approach the study near the rock garden, no matter how close they pretended to be to her.
Even if she found soone to reluctantly lead Lian Manman to the area, fear would likely cause them to give themselves away.
Cai Xiu set up the trap intending success, leaving no room for failure. Naturally, the most reliable person to ensure its success was herself.
Things proceeded smoothly, just as she had anticipated. Even heaven seed to help her. Lian Manman’s two maids went off to play with Shen Jin’s maids, and Lian Manman headed to Xiao Shan Ju, accompanied only by a young maid from the Lotus Pavilion.
She distracted that young maid, leaving Lian Manman alone. Cai Xiu then personally took action, deliberately running a part of the way to avoid arousing Lian Manman’s suspicion. When Lian Manman heard Xiao Qi was in trouble, she really lost her composure and fell into the trap Cai Xiu had set.
What she didn’t expect was that in such a sudden and unprepared situation, Lian Manman still managed to grab her and tear a piece of her collar.
Cai Xiu hadn’t anticipated this, but perhaps she couldn’t be blad. After all, the young girls she usually encountered were all so fragile.
Cai Xiu knew that the piece of collar in Lian Manman’s hand was a liability. However, things had proceeded this far, and she didn’t consider abandoning her plan. She had an excuse ready: if Shen Liu asked, she would say she had a quarrel with Lian Manman and that Lian Manman tore her collar.
She believed that in Shen Liu’s mind, no matter how good a little country girl from outside was, she couldn’t compare to her. At least for now, she couldn’t compare. In the future... she wouldn’t let there be a future for Lian Manman and Shen Liu.
For now, she was confident that her importance in Shen Liu’s heart was greater. Her mother had served Shen Liu’s mother since she was young, and she had served Shen Liu since she was a child. Her needlework was unmatched, not just in Shen Mansion, but in the entire Liaodong Prefecture, even throughout the Great Ming Dynasty. Shen Liu’s clothes were once managed by her mother with her help, and then solely by her.
No one could serve Shen Liu as well as she could, and she wouldn’t allow anyone to do better in this regard.
As for Lian Manman, entering the study in the rock garden was as good as stepping into a coffin. She was sure, given Shen Liu’s personality, that he wouldn’t allow Lian Manman to say anything and would send soone to silence her.
She, however, hadn’t even set foot inside that study, nor dared to glance into it. She knew what should and shouldn’t be done.
Even if Shen Liu asked her afterward, he wouldn’t suspect her. Her loyalty was evident to Shen Liu, which was one reason he treated her better than other maids. A more significant possibility was that Shen Liu wouldn’t ask her anything at all.
Cai Xiu was fully confident that this trap could decisively harm Lian Manman. As for Lian Manman’s brothers and the Lian Family, they didn’t matter to her at all. She believed they amounted to nothing in front of Shen Liu. The trap’s impact on her was negligible; it might even give her a chance to express her feelings to Shen Liu. If that happened, Shen Liu would be even more reluctant and unable to bear blaming her.
Although the plan was made in haste, its execution was nearly perfect.
Yet the final outco was entirely unexpected for her.
Lian Manman, cornered in the rock garden study, was not anxious, guilty, or scared at all. It was as if the study was just an ordinary place. Even when hearing that trespassers would be killed, Lian Manman didn’t even frown. As she predicted, Shen Liu appeared but did not order to seize Lian Manman. Instead, he instructed the servants who wanted to grab Lian Manman to stop, even though they said Lian Manman had intruded into the study. Shen Jiu also defended Lian Manman outright when he arrived without asking anything.
And now, Lian Manman was personally accompanied by Shen Jin to the Lotus Pavilion to rest and recover, while she knelt here, facing Shen Liu’s anger and questioning.
Things shouldn’t have been like this; sothing must have gone wrong. Cai Xiu shouted in her mind, questioning why a re country girl like Lian Manman was treated so favorably by the Shen brothers.
"...It shouldn’t be like this...," Cai Xiu murmured to herself.
Shen Liu sat on the chair, observing Cai Xiu’s dazed expression, a cold smile curling at his lips.
"Then what should it be, Cai Xiu?"
*******
Here’s the second update, asking for support through pink slips, subscription to the original version, and recomndation votes. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian) to cast your recomndation and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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