The Female Cannon Fodder With Boundless Merits
Chapter 288 - 292: Conflict in the Inner Residence (18)

Chapter 288: Chapter 292: Conflict in the Inner Residence (18)

"Miss, the Second Prince is here, and the elder princess is with him. The Lord and Madam are having a nice chat with them," said Kai Xin, Su Ying’s personal maid, coming back from the front courtyard to share the news.

She thought her mistress would be happy to hear this news.

In their view, marrying into the Royal Family was a tremendous blessing, but what she saw was Su Ying’s sullen expression.

Only a few people in Duke Ying Mansion knew that Su Ying did not want to marry the Second Prince, for the matter involved the nobility and could not be discussed openly, thus even Su Ying’s personal maid was unaware of her mistress’s thoughts.

Su Ying slammed the teacup she was holding on the ground and yelled, "Get out..."

The maid, who had hoped to be commended, was startled. She bowed her head, not daring to say a word, and quickly ran out.

Su Ying’s pretty face turned pale, her lovely lips inadvertently bitten so hard that they bore blood marks, and her fists at her side clenched and unclenched.

Determination flashed in her eyes, and suddenly she moved quickly.

First, she rummaged through the Dark Pavilion in her bedroom, gathering the wealth she had secretly accumulated over the years.

It included the monthly allowance from the estate and the gold and silver jewelry her mother had given her.

Carefully counted, it was a sizable fortune.

Su Ying rolled these items in a cloth, preparing to leave the house later and exchange them for more easily transportable large-denomination silver notes.

She had decided to leave.

Given the reputation of Duke Ying Mansion, even if she had high aspirations, she had no way to achieve them.

Never mind aspiring to the Crown Prince, even a better household would not recruit her into their family.

Her mother’s time spent at Chu Building was already a known secret among the ladies in the Capital.

Logically, considering her current situation, the fact that the Second Prince still insisted on marrying her could be considered genuine affection.

It seemed that the Second Prince was indeed the best she could choose.

But... Su Ying had a secret she had told no one.

The Second Prince, Murong Ya, was mentally ill.

She had once inadvertently witnessed him during an episode. Murong Ya’s eyes were bloodshot, his entire being bloody, covered with the blood of the servants he had slain.

At that moment, he looked like a demon just emerged from Hell.

Normally, he hid it very well. Aside from the rumors of his cruelty, no one knew that each time he had an episode, he had to drink fresh blood.

Su Ying could see that Murong Ya had some genuine feelings for her, but compared to her own life, she was still scared, very scared.

She had thought that since her stepfather had some influence in front of the Emperor, even if someone else went in her stead, penetrating the loophole not specified in the imperial decree, Your Majesty, for the sake of her stepfather’s face, would have to reluctantly accept it.

The Second Prince, who lacked the Emperor’s favor, naturally was not a concern.

But she had never expected things to develop to this point...

She could not stay in Duke Ying Mansion.

Su Ying suddenly thought of her biological father in Huainan—perhaps she could seek refuge with him.

From the few words her mother had said, she knew her father was a resourceful and dashing man, only separated from her mother because she could not tolerate his taking concubines.

Su Ying moved quickly, packing and then hurrying outside.

But before she had made it far, in the garden, she bumped right into Su Shi, Zhu Liusha, and others accompanying the Second Prince and the elder princess as they walked this way.

"Ah Yin, you’re just in time, I...." Murong Ya was the first to see Su Ying. His eyes lit up, and he quickened his pace to meet her.

Su Ying displayed no joy, instead revealing a ghastly expression, and Murong Ya’s skepticism gradually rose as he noticed the conspicuous package she quickly hid behind her back.

Murong Ya’s gaze flickered, and he asked gently, "Ah Yin, where are you hurrying off to?"

Su Ying’s heart trembled. Despite Murong Ya’s sunny and smiling demeanor, she spontaneously felt an extreme sense of danger.

"I wasn’t thinking of going anywhere..."

Su Shi furrowed his brows deeply, raising his voice seriously, "What’s with the panic? Where have all your usual manners gone?"

The elder princess raised her eyebrows arrogantly, pulling the corners of her mouth back in a non-smiling smirk, then haughtily glanced aside and averted her gaze.

If it weren’t for her nephew’s sincere invitation, she wouldn’t have come at all.

Having a mother from Chu Building, it was no wonder her daughter hadn’t turned out well. With such posture, how could she be worthy of her nephew?

Zhu Liusha was dissatisfied with her husband scolding Su Ying, feeling very uncomfortable inside, but she held her tongue in the presence of others.

As for the Second Prince, her prospective son-in-law, Zhu Liusha was initially dissatisfied, but over time, influenced by Su Shi’s analysis, she actually came to think he wasn’t too bad.

It was just a temper issue, she thought her daughter, whom she had educated herself, could certainly handle him.

Men had hearts as hard as rocks, but they couldn’t withstand a woman’s gentleness, especially since the Second Prince was fond of Su Ying.

Zhu Liusha signaled with raised eyebrows several times to Su Ying, but the fearful Su Ying didn’t catch on at all.

She trembled, suddenly making a foolish decision.

She turned and ran.

Murong Ya, with his long arms and legs, immediately reached out and grabbed, but instead of catching her, he hooked the package Su Ying tightly clutched in her hand.

The package burst open, scattering its contents all over the ground.

Suddenly, the whole space was filled with a silence so eerie it was chilling.

Murong Ya suddenly burst out laughing.

That demeanor, however, made Su Ying shiver like a sieve. The man before her overlapped with the terrifying, red-eyed man she remembered.

"How can you be scared of me, Ah Yin..."

At Duke Ying Mansion, the festive lanterns and decorations made Gai Yinyin think of her own daughter, who was reaching marriageable age.

She couldn’t help but worry.

She disliked socializing, and in the Capital, she didn’t know any of the ladies and young misses, only now realizing this drawback.

She wanted to meet some promising young men, but felt utterly clueless about where to start.

However, she soon had no energy to concern herself with her daughter.

Because the same thing had unexpectedly happened to her.

In the main hall, her daughter sat opposite a broad, rugged man with a dark face, clearly enjoying their conversation.

His features struck her as familiar.

As soon as Gai Yinyin appeared, the man sprang up like a monkey, his face turning a shade of red even though it was dark.

The man behaved awkwardly, fiddling with his clothes and looking around, but he did not step forward.

Such behavior made Su Li cringe.

Gai Yinyin glanced curiously at the man, simply wondering why a man was in her house, without a trace of another thought.

Lin Ge’s initially joyful and bashful mood fell into a deep abyss when Gai Yinyin’s puzzled look swept over him.

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