Chapter 40: Coercion

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Yu Shengsheng’s heart felt as though two invisible hands were tearing it apart again and again, leaving her too distressed to speak.

Madam Su reached for her hand, but she instinctively raised her own to avoid her.

“Shengsheng, Mother is begging you just this once—the very last time.”

“Please save your elder brother, will you?”

Yu Shengsheng wanted to ask: What if saving Su Dingqin meant exchanging her own life for his?

But in the end, she did not ask.

She already knew the answer. There was no need to ask a question whose answer was obvious.

The fact that Madam Su had come here to pressure her was answer enough.

Su Yanshu stood silently behind the tree, listening. He waited for a long while, but Yu Shengsheng still refused to give in.

Just as Madam Su was about to become agitated again, Su Yanshu stepped out from behind the tree.

“Mother.”

Madam Su seized his arm. “Yanshu, you came at just the right time. Hurry and talk to Shengsheng. Tell her to save your elder brother.”

Yu Shengsheng spoke first. “Rather than begging me, Madam Su, you should ask the Second Young Master. He is the Crown Prince’s favored man, after all. His Highness surely has more influence than anyone else.”

Madam Su’s eyes lit up. “That’s right, Yanshu. Could you ask the Crown Prince? His Highness can speak to the Red Dragon Guard.”

“The Demon-Quelling Tower is no place for a human being to stay. How could your elder brother possibly endure it...?”

Su Yanshu restrained his irritation. “Mother, go back and rest for now. Shengsheng and I will think of a solution.”

Madam Su still wanted to say more, but Su Yanshu exerted the slightest pressure and squeezed her hand. She swallowed the rest of her words and left, looking back every few steps.

Su Yanshu smiled at Yu Shengsheng, his voice gentle and considerate. “How are your injuries? Do they still hurt?”

He took out a medicine bottle. “Here, take this. Apply it carefully. It will keep the wounds from scarring. It wouldn’t do for a young lady to have scars on her body.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Second Young Master, but there is no need. During my time at the country estate, I received more than a dozen scars.”

Su Yanshu tightened his grip around the medicine bottle, but his smile did not change. “Are you still angry with your second brother? I saw everything that happened today. I don’t blame you.”

Yu Shengsheng looked up in surprise. Su Yanshu lifted a hand and brushed back the hair beside her ear.

“It was Ruzhu.”

Yu Shengsheng’s brows drew together slightly, puzzlement filling her heart. Then, all at once, she understood.

So that was it.

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Su Yanshu continued, “And the matter of the dog being killed last time—it was Ruzhu who lied as well. You were wronged.”

“Don’t worry. Your second brother will not let anyone who wronged you off. I personally killed Ruzhu to avenge you.”

Yu Shengsheng’s heart jolted.

Killed her? Just like that?

She had not even seen Ruzhu again or asked why she had done such a thing, or whether someone had ordered her to.

“What a swift blade you have, Second Young Master. I haven’t even had the chance to see Ruzhu again and find out what really happened.”

Su Yanshu sighed softly. “Who could have ordered her? She simply disliked you from the moment you returned to the residence. She thought you had suddenly risen above your station, and jealousy and resentment took root in her heart. Then, when she was assigned to serve you again, she developed a vicious intent.”

“It was your second brother’s fault for believing only one side of the story last time. If you still feel wronged, tell me what you want. Your second brother will arrange it for you.”

Yu Shengsheng clenched her hands, her heart pounding wildly.

Su Yanshu’s features were handsome, and he resembled Madam Su by six or seven parts. When he smiled, he appeared even more amiable and gentle. Yet it was precisely a man like him who could speak the coldest words with ease.

“There is no need to trouble yourself, Second Young Master. I have suffered no injustice, and I want nothing.” Yu Shengsheng lowered her eyes and curtsied. “If you truly wish to help me, perhaps you could persuade Madam Su to let Nanny Wu come to my courtyard.”

“Can you do that?”

Su Yanshu chuckled. “What difficulty could there be?”

“Didn’t I say this morning that when you marry the heir, I would let her accompany you as part of your dowry?”

Yu Shengsheng’s heart plunged.

“Wasn’t it said that the heir was injured in Shunchang...?”

“What does an injury matter? The Southern Shun Prince is a man of such honor and stature. Do you think the heir would enter the capital unprepared? The journey may be delayed by a few days, but it will not prevent the wedding.”

“Besides, His Highness the Crown Prince has already sent someone to escort him here.”

A thin sheen of sweat formed in Yu Shengsheng’s palms.

So she still could not avoid it after all?

“Since you mentioned what happened in Shunchang, Second Brother also doesn’t believe it had anything to do with Elder Brother. What did Commander Hao say when you went to the Demon-Quelling Tower?”

Yu Shengsheng guessed that this was the true reason Su Yanshu had said so much.

“Commander Hao asked me about my relationship with the Shen family and whether I had offended anyone. He also asked whether I was simply unlucky.”

“I had been taken away to learn the rules, and just after returning to the residence, something like this happened.”

Su Yanshu’s smile froze for an instant before spreading faintly again. “How could that be? Shengsheng, you are the daughter of our Su family, and you will soon become the consort of the Southern Shun Prince’s heir. How could you possibly be unlucky?”

“How did you come to know Commander Hao? He actually let you return. Your second brother was rushing about outside, asking people for help, when he heard that you had already come home.”

“I don’t know Commander Hao at all. I only learned of him this time.” Yu Shengsheng met his gaze directly. “He had probably heard some rumors about me and knew that I had harmed my sisters, so he already had some impression of me.”

Su Yanshu gave a soft laugh. “After one visit to the Demon-Quelling Tower, Shengsheng’s tongue has become much sharper.”

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“Mother asked you to go there once. In my opinion, you should go again. The first visit makes strangers of you; the second makes acquaintances. Commander Hao probably knows that you are going to marry Heir Kong, so he will likely show you some consideration.”

Hearing him mention marriage and Heir Kong again and again, Yu Shengsheng felt a smoldering anger begin to rise.

“If Commander Hao says that I must remain there in exchange for releasing the young general, what do you think I should do, Second Young Master?”

Su Yanshu’s pupils contracted slightly, and his lips pressed into a tight line.

That question truly required careful consideration.

If Yu Shengsheng remained there, what would happen to her marriage with Kong Dezhao? Other matters could be suppressed or explained away with an excuse, but if she really stayed at the Demon-Quelling Tower for several days, it would be impossible to keep it hidden.

Would Kong Dezhao still agree to marry a woman like that as his consort?

And if the political marriage failed, how would he answer to the Crown Prince?

For a moment, countless questions flashed through Su Yanshu’s mind.

“Do this, Shengsheng. Go and ask first. Explain the situation on Elder Brother’s behalf. I don’t think Commander Hao is an unreasonable man. He should not make you take Elder Brother’s place. But if he truly does...” Su Yanshu paused, his expression turning solemn. “Your second brother cannot let you remain there. I will think of another way.”

Golden Leopard gave a brief laugh. “The commander-in-chief is not an unreasonable man? Who gave him the nerve to say that?”

Su Yanshu glanced at her.

Golden Leopard rolled her eyes.

Yu Shengsheng had not wanted to agree, but Nanny Wu was in Madam Su’s hands. Besides, she also wanted to ask Hao Mengye exactly what was happening on Kong Dezhao’s side.

After considering this, she finally nodded. “Very well. I’ll go there. But please, Second Young Master, help me with this. When I return, I hope to see Nanny Wu.”

Su Yanshu agreed at once. “All right.”

He immediately ordered his personal page to prepare a carriage and send Yu Shengsheng to the Demon-Quelling Tower.

Once the carriage had disappeared into the distance, the smile on his face became difficult to read.

She had actually agreed.

Now it remained to be seen whether the matter could be accomplished. If it truly succeeded, then this younger sister of his would have to be viewed in an entirely new light.

He turned his head toward the guard behind him, his voice indifferent.

“Keep a closer eye on that little maid. Kill her when she is alone.”

That wild girl was truly beginning to irritate him.

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