232 Defending the servan (1/2)
Chapter 232: Defending the servant
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
The horsekeeper Elderly Zhang was an ideal servant. He was loyal, trustworthy and tight-lipped. He would only acknowledge Shangguan Nu as his master. His only love in life was caring for the horses and he never made any friends.
It was such a person who actually attracted the Mistress' attention. He gladly did anything for her. Whenever he saw her, his heart would beat wildly and his face become flushed with teenage embarrassment.
Elderly Zhang was a lonely man. After contemplating for some time, Gu Shenwei could understand why he acted in the way he did. However, he could not understand Luo Ningcha's actions. Even though she had not punished Elderly Zhang, letting him go was akin to showing mercy to a killer. This was unprecedented.
Gu Shenwei returned the wooden board and passed it to Maid Lotus. The two shared such a close bond that they needed no words to understand each other. Maid Lotus took her leave. On the surface, it seemed as if she was going to return the wooden board. However, she was going to copy the inscriptions on the board and keep it later. She would never give it to Lady Meng or Shangguan Ru.
The Golden Roc Fort experienced some turbulent times. This piece of wooden board could save one's life. It was an important bargaining chip; they had to hold on firmly to it.
Luo Ningcha was not in a stable condition. Gu Shenwei was quiet that night. After Maid Lotus had returned, she claimed that Lady Meng was in happy spirits and that Miss would not need to doubt her personal safety. Luo Ningcha was relieved but he gave a strange order. Maid Lotus was to stay outside. Slave Huan would have to stay in the house.
Gu Shenwei was embarrassed; he was not a child anymore. He was already 17 years old. If he were to stay in his lady master's room the whole night, it would invite much criticism. It would not be good for Luo Ningcha's current situation.
Luo Ningcha did not care about all of this. In her eyes, men, women and children were all the same. Since Gu Shenwei was a servant, he would have to listen to her orders. She had already treated Slave Huan as a substitute for Mama Xue. She would be relying on him to protect her in the most dangerous situations.
That night, Gu Shenwei stayed because of this very reason. Miss and Maid Cui laid on the bed, with the front of the bed acting as a screen. The killers first left and then returned secretly. They did this in order to keep themselves from being seen or heard by other people. They stood in the corner of the room all night, protecting their master.
He started to understand that being a maid of the Miss must be a terrible experience. Luo Ningcha woke up several times in the night and Maid Cui practically kept her eyes open the whole time. She was prepared to help her master arrange the corners of her blanket, massage her waist and bring tea at any time. It was pitch-dark in the house but Maid Cui seemed to move with ease.
Gu Shenwei was not spared from the uncomfortable experience either. Luo Ningcha would wake up in shock at random times, calling: ”Are you there?” Following which, she would only go back to sleep when Slave Huan replied in the affirmative.
The next day, Gu Shenwei had not mentioned his own plan. Luo Ningcha seemed to be in a confused state of mind. She would agree to everything that Gu Shenwei said. However, Gu Shenwei would rather wait for the situation to stabilize--when Luo Ningcha had understood the conditions facing her--before trying to persuade her.
He wanted not a hasty act but a decisive course of action that would end the battle. Moreover, the Eighth Young Master had only been forgotten temporarily. He would have to deal with attacks that would come at anytime.
In the afternoon, Lady Meng sent one of her men asking Slave Huan to meet her.
Luo Ningcha would have preferred Slave Huan to stay by her side and not go anywhere else. However, she was terrified of Lady Meng. Before leaving, she ordered: ”Go tell Lady Meng that I am extremely saddened by my father's death. When I am feeling better, I will pay my respects to her at the Inner Residence personally. Slave Huan, you are best at reading people's expressions. You must find out what the Lady is thinking. Does she want to take revenge against me? I have already returned the wooden board...”
After listening to the Miss' rantings, Gu Shenwei went to meet Lady Meng. At the moment he entered the Inner Residence, Shangguan Ru came up to him. She greeted him with a smile and later said in a small voice: ”Follow me closely. Don't fall behind.”
That time when the Supreme King was gripped by a killing desire, Shangguan Ru also reminded him in this manner. Gu Shenwei thus understood that Lady Meng did not have simple intentions in asking to meet him.
Lady Meng stopped pretending to be friendly. She told the killer that she had known everything. Shangguan Fei had written a letter to her explaining everything. This included how Slave Huan had played a two-handed game between Shangguan Fei and his sister. Moreover, Lady Meng was angry with Slave Huan for not killing the Eighth Young Mistress when news of Bighead Kingpin's death came.
”I thought you were a smarter than that.” Lady Meng started. She did not ask Shangguan Ru to leave. She had decided to expose Slave Huan's true intentions in front of her daughter. ”I trusted you and gave you a chance. I entrusted my dearest daughter to you but you have let me down.”
Gu Shenwei sat quietly on the floor. He knew that arguing with Lady Meng would be useless. This woman was not Luo Ningcha and would not be swayed by a few words. However, if Gu Shenwei was so willing, he could have killed everyone in the house. He did not do this. Instead, he chose to seek Shangguan Ru's protection.
Before meeting Lady Meng, Gu Shenwei simply went up to Shangguan Ru admitting that he had once betrayed her. He confessed that before the negotiations with the Horned Dragon Society he had pledged loyalty to Shangguan Fei and asked him for his help in killing Ye Silang at the place of negotiations.
Even so, Shangguan Ru cared only about one thing. ”Master Yu...”
”I knew nothing about that.” Gu Shenwei denied immediately. He was speaking the truth. No one could have predicted Shangguan Fei's move. ”I was Master Yu's archenemy, but I remembered my promise--I have never thought of killing him.” However, this was a lie. He had never made a move because he hadn't had the right chance.
When Shangguan Yushi first tried to assassinate Slave Huan, Shangguan Ru had made the two swear never to fight each other again. The ”promise” Gu Shenwei mentioned pointed to this matter.