Chapter 6: I Never Asked for Your Trust

Su Yanshu stepped inside, his expression filled with fury.

He remembered when Yu Shengsheng had first returned home. She had been so delighted by the clothes her mother prepared, her eyes curved into crescents of joy, touching the fabrics with such careful, delicate reverence. That little sight had ached his heart, making him wish he could have the finest garments in all of the capital brought for her to try on.

But now, the clothes were the same, yet she met them with a cold face, seemingly only interested in the finery of the palace.

"The ornate gowns bestowed by the Empress are exquisite; naturally, what Mother prepared cannot compare. To have left home for only a year and already become so vain and shallow."

Madame Su whispered a soft rebuke: "Yanshu, you must not speak to your sister that way!"

"Mother, there is nothing wrong with her. Just now... it was merely menstrual blood. Not only did she soil the boots Ah Yi made for me, but to bring such unclean blood into the ancestral hall is an insult to our ancestors."

Madame Su was startled: "Shengsheng, you..."

Hearing this, Yu Shengsheng closed her eyes slightly and raised her hands to unfasten her outer robe, her movements slow yet resolute.

Even between biological siblings, there is a boundary between men and women. Su Yanshu’s expression shifted, and just as he was about to turn away and berate her for being shameless, his eyes suddenly widened.

As Yu Shengsheng unfastened her outer garment, she was not wearing silk underclothes beneath, but the very same set she had been wearing a year ago when she was dragged away from the hunting grounds.

Back then, the garment had been brand new. Now, it was filthy, tattered, and stained with dried blood.

Yu Shengsheng did not stop. She kicked off her shoes; they were soaked with blood, and her white socks had turned entirely red.

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Su Yanshu could not help but take a step back. The sight of the crimson red reminded him of the back of Yu Shengsheng’s robes, stained with her own blood a year ago.

At that time, she had been wearing this very same outfit.

Now, those whip marks still remained.

He stumbled against the edge of a table, struggling to steady his mind. Even Su Zhiyi, who had followed him in, pressed her lips into a thin line. Madame Su covered her mouth, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Yu Shengsheng looked straight at Su Yanshu: "Second Young Master, are you satisfied now?"

Su Yanshu opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

How could it be... how could she have been injured like this?

Yu Shengsheng lowered her gaze, her long lashes veiling the emotions in her eyes. She had no interest in observing the shock or suspicion of these people.

Madame Su sobbed uncontrollably: "My poor Shengsheng, how much have you suffered? It is Mother’s fault, Mother didn't know..."

Su Yanshu breathed heavily and shook his head in denial: "Impossible! Which noble lady in the capital has not been trained in etiquette? Though the palace matrons are strict, they know their limits; they would never do such a thing."

"Furthermore, Great Yuan governs through filial piety. The Crown Prince is benevolent and the Empress is virtuous—how could they allow their subordinates to commit such acts?"

Yu Shengsheng chuckled softly as she fastened the last button: "The Empress is indeed virtuous; naturally, she had to vent her anger on behalf of Miss Su. As the culprit who failed to shoot her and instead frightened her horse, are you truly surprised that I received such punishment?"

Su Zhiyi’s eyes widened slightly. Her hands gripped the armrests tightly, her breathing shallow, as if she might shatter at any moment.

One was smiling, while the other had tears brimming in her lashes.

Su Yanshu found the sight blinding. Previously, it was Ah Yi who could walk, run, and ride, free and spirited, while it was Shengsheng who had been timid and frail!

Now...

A surge of anger rose in Su Yanshu’s heart. She was clearly doing this on purpose! She hadn't said a word in the ancestral hall, nor when he questioned her, but insisted on waiting until now, in front of the whole family, simply to slap him in the face!

Su Yanshu ground the words out through his teeth: "You wore these clothes underneath just to play the victim, to make us all feel guilty?"

Yu Shengsheng’s eyes were cold as she softly questioned: "What does the Second Young Master have to feel guilty about? Is it because of those dozens of lashes back then? Or because you knew I was innocent and framed?"

Su Yanshu’s face turned deathly pale: "You! There is no need to bring up the past. Regardless of anything else, I trust the Crown Prince and the Empress."

The Crown Prince, the Empress—Yu Shengsheng’s heart trembled, her eyes filled with icy coldness. Those two people, held in such high regard, were demons behind closed doors!

Throughout this past year, they had tortured and humiliated her in every way possible; had they ever treated her like a human being?

Yet, her own flesh and blood never believed her.

"I never dared to hope for your trust," Yu Shengsheng said, looking down at the blood-stained socks she stood upon. "Apologies, Madame Su, I have soiled your floor again."

Madame Su shook her head, unable to stop her weeping. Su Zhiyi quickly ordered: "I have new shoes and socks in my room, bring them all for my sister!"

Yu Shengsheng refused: "There is no need."

She did not want to touch anything belonging to Su Zhiyi; she could not afford to provoke her.

Su Zhiyi froze, biting her lip: "Is Sister blaming me?"

"I wouldn't dare," Yu Shengsheng said, not even looking at her. "I will wear my own."

Madame Su hurriedly ordered someone to go to her former courtyard to fetch them.

Yu Shengsheng went into the inner room to change, and the others retreated to the outer chamber.

Su Yanshu clenched his fingers: "How did she become like this? She was clearly so docile, but now she is so confrontational. She is using her wounds as a blade to cut at our hearts!"

Su Dingqin gritted his teeth in anger: "Those people, how dared they?"

Su Yanshu was surprised: "What do you mean, Eldest Brother? Do you believe her words? That was the Empress's villa! How virtuous and magnanimous is the Empress? The Crown Prince is the same; how could I not know this?"

Su Zhiyi sighed softly: "If the injuries were mine, I would have borne them—after all, I am accustomed to such things. But Sister is different; we have always wanted to cherish and protect her..."

The tension in the brothers' hearts eased slightly: That was true. When Ah Yi learned martial arts as a child, she suffered many injuries; how could she be as fragile as Shengsheng? She grew up in the countryside and had been abused by her foster parents many times; surely... she must be used to it by now?

Su Dingqin patted Su Zhiyi’s shoulder: "She grew up in the countryside; it is normal for her to be a bit rough and tumble."

Footsteps sounded outside the door, and Matron Wei, who served the Old Madam, entered and bowed.

"Madame, the Old Madam requests that you bring the young masters and the young lady there for breakfast."

The Old Madam had always been lenient with them and usually did not require morning and evening greetings. That she called for them all to go today was surely because of Yu Shengsheng’s return to the manor.

As the group entered the Old Madam’s courtyard, Su Yanshu whispered to Yu Shengsheng as they approached the steps: "Grandmother is old. Even if you are unhappy, you must endure it and not act out in front of her."

Yu Shengsheng did not even blink: "I have never acted out."

Su Yanshu frowned. Su Zhiyi turned to look at him: "Second Brother, don't keep lecturing Sister. Why would she be unhappy? I bet she will be very happy."

Having said this, she winked at Yu Shengsheng.

Yu Shengsheng felt there was a hidden meaning behind her words, and a sense of vigilance arose in her heart.

The Old Madam feared the heat, and there were many blocks of ice in the room, making it feel cool as soon as they entered.

In the outer room, several maids and matrons were setting the table.

Madame Su led them into the inner room. The Old Madam sat on the couch, eyes half-closed, while a matron combed her hair.

She was over fifty; her temples were streaked with white, and the lines around her eyes added a sense of sharpness and authority. Hearing their greetings, she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the group and landing on Yu Shengsheng.

"Come forward."

Yu Shengsheng lowered her head and walked forward with measured, dignified steps.

The Old Madam nodded slightly: "Indeed, she is looking well. Much better than when she first entered the manor; those lessons in etiquette were not in vain."

"Reward her."

With a wave of her hand, a person kneeling on the side holding a jewelry box crawled forward to Yu Shengsheng.

Yu Shengsheng kept her eyes downcast. Even when faced with the box full of jewels, her lashes did not flutter.

But as her gaze swept over the person holding the box, a tempest of fury surged in the depths of her dark eyes. Her heart felt as if it were being crushed by a heavy mountain, leaving her unable to catch even a breath.

Her eyes turned crimson and stung with pain as she stared at the face that was offering her a gentle smile.

"Pick something from inside!" the Old Madam’s voice seemed to come from far away.

Yu Shengsheng’s reason slowly returned. She gripped the hand of the servant—Nanny Wu—and suppressed her emotions to ask: "Nanny Wu, why are you here?"

Why was she here, working as a lowly servant?

She had thought that when Nanny Wu was brought over, even if she wasn't treated with great favor, she would at least be treated decently on the surface.

How could this be? How could it be!

Yu Shengsheng reached out to help Nanny Wu up, but the Old Madam looked into the mirror.

"That piece doesn't look good. Change it for another."

Nanny Wu crawled away again.

Yu Shengsheng’s hands were left empty, and her heart felt empty along with them.

Su Zhiyi smiled gently and pushed her wheelchair over: "I told you, Sister would definitely be happy."