A Beautiful Duchess with a Dark Heart – Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Sighing Over Shallow Affection

Old Madam Wen couldn’t control her good-for-nothing son, so she could only watch him leave angrily.

Turning to look at her docile daughter-in-law beside her, she didn’t know what to say.

At this moment, Ding Xiang, the senior maid beside her, entered the room and whispered a few words in her ear.

“Wha……What? She?” The old madam was truly thunderstruck, staring at Ding Xiang in disbelief. Seeing Ding Xiang blush and nod in confirmation, her old face also flushed red, turning purple, and she began to tremble with agitation.

“Bring her……Bring her to me!” She ordered, her voice cracking with anger.

Looking around in a daze, she took deep breaths. After a while, she looked at her second daughter-in-law again. “You, go make arrangements. Handle those who can be dealt with. Those who can’t, silence them! There’s a joyous occasion at home, that……Your father is coming back soon, don’t cause any trouble!” The old madam gritted her teeth as she spoke the last sentence.

Wu Shi replied softly and left the room, pondering how to handle this matter.

A maid greeted her. “Madam, Master requests your presence.”

Wu Shi pulled herself together and returned to her room.

✿✿✿

Two sturdy servant women “invited” Fourth Mistress Liu Shi to Old Madam Wen’s room.

As soon as they entered, they threw her onto the floor with a “thud,” turned, and left, closing the door behind them.

Liu Shi knew it was over, she straightened up and knelt, tears streaming down her face…

Old Madam Wen glared at her fiercely for a while, then suddenly rose from her seat and, with a swing of her arm, slapped her across the face. The force of the blow sent Liu Shi sprawling to the ground.

“You wretch! You were orphaned at a young age, I raised you by my side, provided you with food, clothes, and education! I even let you become a mistress in this house, and this is how you repay me?! Ah?! You dare to harm me like this! Slut…slut.”

“Aunt…Si’er deserves to die. Si’er truly…couldn’t help herself! Wuwuwu…Aunt, Si’er has always loved Second Cousin!” Liu Shi covered her face, sobbing uncontrollably, struggling to kneel upright.

“You loved him?!” As soon as Liu Shi sat up straight, Old Madam Wen delivered another vicious slap, the force of which nearly threw out her back.

“He was already married when you came here, what good is love?! Do you know what crime this is? Hmm?! This is adultery, you wretch! You should be drowned in a pig cage, do you understand?!”

“Aunt…Spare Si’er… ” Liu Si was beaten to the ground again, unable to get up.

“The matter has been exposed, and instead of taking your own life back in your room, you waited for me to confront you! What is your face made of?! Hmm?! It must be incredibly thick!” Old Madam Wen bent down, fiercely pinching her face…

Several bloody marks immediately appeared on Liu Shi’s delicate face.

“Aunt, spare me! Spare…” Liu Si’s face and mouth were pinched, her pleas for mercy were muffled and unclear.

“…Spare you? You made a spectacle of yourself in broad daylight, everyone saw it! How can I spare you?!”

Liu Shi’s messy hair covered half her face, she sobbed uncontrollably…lying on the ground, her whole body trembling.

Old Madam Wen looked at her and sighed heavily. She had been by her side for thirty years!

Even a biological daughter wouldn’t stay that long, and she had always been…quite likable.

And…Her heart skipped a beat.

“That second son of mine has always been a philanderer. Just like his good-for-nothing father! Didn’t you know? He’s had so many women! Almost every one of them, before they fell for him, he showered them with promises, treated them with utmost care, and was extremely generous.

But that enthusiasm…lasted only a few days at shortest, a few months at longest.

Who has he truly loved?! Hmm?! Tell me, who has he loved from beginning to end?!” Old Madam Wen roared with tears streaming down her face. “You’re almost forty…You neglect your husband, refuse to bear children, and instead, you fool around with him! What do you think you can achieve?!”

“Wuwuwu…” Liu Si could only lower her head and cry.

“Enough. I truly…raised a cat only to be scratched, raised a dog only to be bitten! Someone, keep her under guard! Once the city gates open, have Second Mistress send her to the estate!”

“No, Aunt…Don’t!”

“Don’t let her spout nonsense here, take her away!” Old Madam Wen glared.

Liu Shi also panicked, sitting up straight, “Aunt! You know I love Second Cousin with all my heart, why won’t you help me?!”

“Help you?! With your background, you dare to dream of him?!” Old Madam Wen’s face was full of disdain.

Seeing that all was lost, Liu Shi became reckless and said in a pretentious tone, “I may not have a good background! But I haven’t been living off your charity for nothing! You took over my family’s wharf, how much silver have you collected over the years? Even if you spent it lavishly for three lifetimes, you wouldn’t be able to finish it!”

Old Madam Wen was taken aback, then sneered, “The wharf?! How laughable! The Liu family was schemed against, their boat capsized, and the entire family perished! If it weren’t for me, you would have been sold to a brothel long ago! Haha…Perhaps, going there would actually fulfill your desires! You shameless wretch, drag her away!”

Servant women covered Liu Si’s mouth and dragged her away.

✿✿✿

Wu Shi returned to her room, Wen Feng was lounging there, one foot resting on a nearby chair.

Even after such a humiliating incident, his charm remained indescribable.

✿✿✿

With a slender figure, he had reached middle age without a trace of excess weight.

His face was as fair as jade, his peach blossom eyes slightly upturned at the corners. His nose was high and long, his lips thin and pink.

When he wanted to please someone, he was charismatic, attentive, and generous, making you feel like you were the most important person in the world!

Wu Shi had been married to him for so many years, yet every time she saw him, she still felt as if it were their first encounter…Her heart couldn’t help but race.

“Husband…” Her voice was soft and gentle.

“Did you do this?” Wen Feng asked coldly.

Wu Shi was stunned for a moment before understanding what her husband was referring to.

She felt incredibly wronged, her eyes reddening. “Master! Heaven can bear witness! How could I do such a thing?!”

“In this entire household, besides you, who else would know, who else has the ability to do this?!”

Wu Shi’s voice sharpened with agitation, “Master! Not only am I not a jealous woman! Even if I felt…that Liu Shi was inappropriate, I wouldn’t humiliate my own husband, or even risk his life, on the eve of our son’s wedding?!”

Wen Feng thought about it: It was indeed true!

But today, it was too dangerous, too humiliating…

Wu Shi continued, “Master, you are romantic and uninhibited, you love beauty. I knew this before I married you. You haven’t denied me any due respect, what else do I have to complain about?!

I’ve arranged for you countless beautiful women! We are husband and wife, if your reputation or body were to suffer, what would I gain?! You can’t wrongly accuse…”

Tears streamed down her face.

Wen Feng sighed, “Ah, I was blinded by anger! I trust you…” Thinking about it further, he was still frustrated. “Go and investigate, what happened?! The lock outside…who locked it?!”

He was practically fuming!

To avoid attracting attention, he and Liu Shi hadn’t brought anyone with them.

Moreover, they waited until nightfall, when the garden was deserted, before going there.

The courtyard gate of Hibiscus Pavilion was left ajar, their plan was to return to their respective rooms after they were done.

It was supposed to be a seamless and discreet affair!

Just as they were about to enjoy a second round of pleasure, the fire started. The fire spread so quickly! If they hadn’t escaped, they would have burned to death inside…

The lamp was extinguished, and in their panic, they couldn’t even find their clothes or shoes!

They managed to escape to the courtyard…only to discover that the gate was locked from the outside!

They were caught red-handed, stark naked, by those who came to put out the fire!

Damn it!

Who locked the gate?!

This was an attempt on his life!

Compared to that, the humiliation was nothing!

If I find out who it was, I’ll cut them into a thousand pieces!

He recalled the scream…Hmm, it should be her! A woman. Who could it be? He carefully considered all the women he had been involved with at home, which one of them was so fierce?

Wu Shi replied softly and left the room.

Nurse Song, Old Madam Wen’s trusted servant, approached Wu Shi and informed her of the old madam’s decision regarding Liu Shi.

Wu Shi nodded in agreement, then said to Nurse Song with a slight hesitation, “Please, Nurse Song, could you go in and tell Second Master…”

Nurse Song nodded and went inside.

Wu Shi said to the servant women around her, “At dawn, have Wu Qi send this wretch away! Tell those people at the estate to double their efforts…to ‘take care’ of her!”

A sinister smile appeared on her usually kind and gentle face. In the past, none of those women her husband had grown tired of, those within her sphere of influence, had met a good end!

This Liu Shi was the most hateful, at her age, she still dared to seduce her husband, ruining his reputation and nearly costing him his life, and even doing so right before her eldest son’s wedding!

Hmph, she would not be spared!

Nurse Song went inside and relayed Old Madam Wen’s decision regarding Liu Si to Wen Feng.

After listening, Wen Feng paused for a moment, then snorted, remaining silent…

He got into bed and went to sleep.

Wen Hua is a scum.

I’m sorry, the next chapter I posted yesterday may be under review due to wording issues, and it hasn’t been released yet because I’m on holiday. The subsequent updates will also be delayed…

Happy National Day!

Tomorrow, I plan to go to Tiananmen Square to see the flower beds and join in the festivities. There will definitely be a lot of people, but I wonder how many security personnel there will be?