Chapter Fifty-Seven: You Smell Awful!

While everyone else was in a foul mood, Shen Fuyu’s spirits soared. Watching Lady Gu force a smile and try to play hostess again, Shen Fuyu’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “It’s getting late,” she announced. “I don’t have much appetite. I think I’ll go for a walk.”

She was making it abundantly clear she had no intention of humoring Lady Gu!

Lady Gu nearly choked on her own rage and almost stomped her foot then and there. That wretched girl! Wasn’t she supposed to be staying as a guest at the house? Fine, then—she would have to remind that little vixen of her place! Let her recall how she used to bow and scrape, pleading for Lady Gu’s favor.

Shen Fuyu didn’t spare Lady Gu a single glance. She called out to White Lotus, who was lingering nearby, and strode away from the banquet. White Lotus seemed momentarily dazed, but hurried to catch up after being called. Once they had left the crowd behind, she whispered anxiously, “Your Highness, is this really all right?”

“So you’re just hoping things go badly for me, is that it?” Shen Fuyu snapped, turning on her.

“That’s not what I meant!” White Lotus’s eyes reddened instantly. “I’m just worried about you, Your Highness…”

“Are your eyes made of ginger? The lake in the eastern suburbs doesn’t hold as much water as your tears!” Shen Fuyu found her insufferable. She’d scolded and beaten these two simpletons for days, but they never seemed to improve. If they’d been in the service of any other time-traveling heroine, she’d have been sent off to her doom by the third chapter. Was it really so hard to acquire even a little competence, even as minor villains?

She rolled her eyes at White Lotus, then asked, “Where’s Green Tea? Did she run off with a stomachache too?”

White Lotus shuddered and shook her head. “I…I don’t know where Green Tea went.”

“Fine, let’s go see the spectacle,” Shen Fuyu said, unconcerned. She had a pretty good idea what Green Tea was up to, but if she wasn’t back by now, it only meant the task had been botched. “My Sixth Sister is having a public mishap—how could I possibly miss such a scene?”

White Lotus said nothing more, only gritted her teeth and followed Shen Fuyu toward Shen Moyu’s boudoir.

From quite a distance, Shen Fuyu pulled out her own handkerchief, produced two balls of old cotton paper from her storage space, rolled them up, and stuffed them in her nostrils. Then she draped the handkerchief over her face.

The stench was unbearable.

She nearly gagged. After a moment’s composure, she pushed open the door and called out loudly, “Sixth Sister, are you feeling any better? I came to check on you!”

“You! What are you doing here!” Shen Moyu, still indisposed, shrieked at the sight of Shen Fuyu barging in. “You wretch! This is all your fault! It was you! You must have had that little servant of yours swap my medicine packet! Why else would I be so humiliated in front of everyone? It’s all your doing!”

“It reeks in here,” Shen Fuyu replied, not bothering to answer the accusation. She fanned the air disdainfully. “Sixth Sister, you really smell awful right now. I doubt you’ll be able to wash that stench off for weeks. I doubt any man will want you like this.”

“You liar! That’s not true! I’ll marry far better than you ever could!” Shen Moyu gasped, her stomach wracked with pain, hatred burning in her heart. “Don’t get cocky! Who do you think you are? You dare to make a fool of me!”

“Marry better than me, is that it…” Shen Fuyu mused, then said, “Even the Emperor doesn’t suit you—so who do you plan on marrying? A god?”

“Actually, that’s perfect. There are several towns in the south suffering from drought, relying on a single river for water. You could marry the River God, and actually do some good for the people there,” she suggested with a bright smile, moving closer to Shen Moyu. “What do you think?”

“Impossible!” Shen Moyu spat, nearly in tears with rage. “You think you have that kind of power? Don’t forget how you used to grovel on the ground like a dog, begging for favors back home!”

“And why couldn’t I?” Shen Fuyu suddenly seized Shen Moyu’s face. “You bribed Green Tea to put that laxative in the egg custard, didn’t you? You tried to frame me for poisoning Little Fourteen with that trick? Pathetic.”

“If I can slip the medicine back to you without anyone knowing, I could just as easily kill you without a trace.” Her grip tightened, relishing the fury in Shen Moyu’s bloodshot eyes. “Remember this lesson well!”

With that, she flung Shen Moyu to the floor, then smiled brightly. “You hate me, don’t you? Good. I want you to remember, every moment, that no matter how high and mighty you once were, you’re now trampled beneath someone you once thought beneath you. I’ll never let you rise again.”

Ah, what a delightful feeling!

Behind her, Shen Moyu’s shrieks and curses echoed, but Shen Fuyu left, savoring the music of her foe’s humiliation. With the medicine she’d administered, Shen Moyu wouldn’t be enjoying herself for several days. Once outside, where the smell had faded, Shen Fuyu removed the cotton and handkerchief, inhaled a deep breath of fresh air, and glanced back at Shen Moyu’s room, unable to suppress a smile.

No wonder the old matron looked down on her. In terms of temperament alone, Shen Moyu was miles behind Shen Tangyu. Shen Moyu’s impulsiveness always got the better of her; this time, trying to frame Shen Fuyu by drugging Shen Xingyu, her methods were crude and obvious. Especially since Shen Fuyu had her storage space—she could tell the custard was tainted as soon as it arrived and easily nullified such a minor trick.

In turn, she’d slipped a powerful laxative from her own supplies into the bowl Shen Moyu received.

The results were spectacular.

She just hoped Shen Moyu wouldn’t end up completely dehydrated.

After the amusement had died down, Green Tea finally showed up, late and flustered. Seeing Shen Fuyu standing there as though waiting for her, she was instantly unnerved, a sense of foreboding rising in her chest. Forcing a smile, she hurried over. “Your Highness, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

She glanced at White Lotus, but White Lotus kept her head down, clearly offering no support.

Green Tea broke into a cold sweat, not daring to speak without permission.

Shen Fuyu looked her up and down, then sneered, “You look pale. Stomach troubles as well?”

“No…” Green Tea shook her head desperately, so nervous she could barely speak. “Why would Your Highness say that…”

“If not, then why are you sulking? What a bad omen!” Shen Fuyu snapped. “Why am I always surrounded by such useless fools? You can’t even handle the simplest tasks. The two of you are utterly hopeless.”

How tiresome. By rights, someone as combative as she was ought to be a major villain. But to have two such dimwitted minor villains at her side—was that really plausible?