Her answer was straightforward, decisive, and without any hesitation.
It seemed as if she had long anticipated the day when the Crown Prince would ask such a question.
The Crown Prince's gaze grew even colder. He stared into her beautiful eyes, full of scrutiny.
"Gu wants the Cheng family to disappear from this world. Is this also your ultimate goal?"
Cheng Simian didn't hesitate for a moment. "Yes."
A long silence ensued.
Only the fragrance of tea mingled with the faint scent of the woman lingered around the Crown Prince's nose.
The Crown Prince was first shocked, then skeptical. But Cheng Simian didn't even blink an eye, and the clarity in her eyes left him deeply confused.
He couldn't figure it out.
The woman in front of him was elegant, cold, and noble. The Marquis of Wude's Mansion had given her the status of a noble lady, yet she wanted to uproot the very family she relied on.
If it was just because of some inner - courtyard conflicts, it wouldn't have been this extreme.
For a moment, the Crown Prince suspected that Cheng Simian was a beauty trap designed by the Cheng family for him.
They might use this talented and gentle lady to win him over, hedging their bets between him and the Eldest Princess to ensure their own safety.
But then he thought again. He felt that Cheng Simian was proud, tenacious, and pure as the bright moon in the mountains. She would never be willing to be a bait to seduce a man.
She wasn't a self - degrading person.
Although the Crown Prince was on guard against her and scrutinized her, he never doubted her character.
"Why?" he finally asked.
For the first time, he felt that a woman was so mysterious.
"Such a family is selfish, hypocritical, greedy, and vicious. My mother spent half of her life in this stinking mire."
Cheng Simian didn't hide the hatred and loathing in her eyes. "Cheng Yong will never be an asset to me. He will only sacrifice me for his own interests. I have the blood of the Cheng family in me. As long as the Cheng family exists, I will inevitably be dragged into the mire. I not only want to save myself but also my mother. If the Cheng family is gone, my mother and I will have a new life."
When she said these words, the Crown Prince felt a chill enveloping him.
He was a bit stunned, and then he realized that he had underestimated the woman in front of him.
What she wanted was not just to beat down the domineering servants, intimidate the restless concubines, and regain the power to manage the household.
The petty strife in the inner courtyard was just a prelude to her ultimate goal.
She was so cold - headed and so clear - sighted. She could see deeper and farther than ordinary noble ladies.
She was calm, astute, good at assessing the situation, and decisive in her actions. She would be a powerful ally to her friends and a dangerous enemy to her foes.
For a moment, the Crown Prince was a bit relieved that she wasn't an enemy.
If she had wanted to protect her family and hidden Dong Xianzhi, the key witness, the case would have been deadlocked, which would have been unfavorable to him.
Maybe the Eldest Princess would have counter - accused Wen Congbai of slander.
Recalling the few meetings he had with Cheng Simian, there was a faint sense of guilt deep in the Crown Prince's heart.
Because of her identity, he had looked at her with prejudice and suspicion.
He had thought that she was just like all the other members of the Cheng family, a bunch of scoundrels.
She wasn't.
She was a pure and innocent flower blooming in the mire.
"Your Highness, the water is at a perfect temperature of seventy percent. It's the best time to taste the tea. If it gets any cooler, the fragrance of the tea will fade."
Cheng Simian caught a glimpse of the changing expressions on the Crown Prince's face from the corner of her eye. Finally, his face returned to calm.
He was weighing the pros and cons.
She pushed the teacup a bit closer to the Crown Prince, trying to test his final attitude.
The Crown Prince's solemn expression softened a bit. He relaxed his frown, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.
"No matter what I do, Gu will never involve innocent people."
This was a promise.
"Your Highness is wise. I thank you in advance."
Cheng Simian was happy, but she just gave a charming smile.
There was no extreme emotion. She was calm and dignified.
Bai Zhi and Luo Cen, who were standing beside them, exchanged a knowing look.
They both thought of the same word.
Peace and prosperity in the country.
...
When Cheng Simian returned to the Marquis of Wude's Mansion, Nanny Chen told her that Cheng Yong had flown into a rage after getting drunk and beaten up two concubines.
One had her leg broken, and the other vomited blood. She was carried out and was still in a coma.
Cheng Simian sneered.
Cheng Yong had messed up the Eldest Princess's errand, been dismissed from his official post, and been belittled by the Eldest Princess. He had become a pariah on the street.
He was supposed to invite Liang Yuchuan to a banquet the next day, but Liang Yuchuan was afraid of getting involved and sent a servant to say that he had something to do and couldn't come.
He was in a bad mood, so he took it out on the people around him when he got home.
The harder he hit, the more frustrated he was.
Cheng Simian called the new steward.
He was Nanny Chen's son, in his forties, strong and capable.
Previously, when Yu Qiaor was in charge, the people around Nanny Chen had been oppressed, and he had been guarding the stable for eight years.
After Steward Liu was beaten to death, Cheng Simian had promoted him.
Cheng Simian gave him a silver note worth two thousand taels.
"Go and find the families of the two concubines. Give each family a thousand taels. Let them take the concubines away. The slave contracts will be nullified. Even if the two concubines remarry, the Marquis's Mansion won't interfere."
Steward Chen quickly took the silver note and went to do the errand.
Nanny Chen smiled. "The eldest miss has handled this matter properly. By giving the money, appeasing the families of the two concubines, canceling the slave contracts, and giving them their freedom and allowing them to remarry, the families of the two concubines will surely be grateful."
As she spoke, she felt sorry for Cheng Simian. "The Marquis is so muddled and violent. He has done such a beastly thing, but it's the eldest miss who has to clean up his mess. I bet even if he knows about it, he won't be able to get angry with you."
Cheng Simian smiled faintly. "The immoral things were done by my father, and the money comes from the public funds. I spend the money and gain a good reputation. I'm not at a loss at all."
Nanny Chen felt relieved and was very pleased. "The eldest miss has grown up and can handle things independently."
Cheng Simian could already sense the coming storm from the Crown Prince.
Cheng Yong wouldn't be able to jump around for long.
The innocent people in the Marquis's Mansion shouldn't be involved in the upcoming disaster.
These two concubines had only been in the mansion for the past one or two years. One was nineteen, and the other was twenty. They were in their prime and hadn't given birth yet.
Cheng Simian took out the roster of the mansion.
She was going to dismiss more people.
Empty the Marquis's Mansion and disperse all the family wealth to let all the innocent people avoid this disaster.
The next day, Cheng Yong woke up from his drunken stupor.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw his youngest daughter, Cheng Siyi, taking care of him without taking off her clothes.
Her face was sallow from staying up all night, with dark circles under her eyes, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
Cheng Yong felt a warm feeling in his heart. He looked around the room and found that there was no one else beside him except Cheng Siyi.
Cheng Simian didn't even come?
She was so inferior to Siyi, even though they were both his daughters!
Cheng Siyi cried softly and weakly. "It's good that father is okay. Mother was so worried, but elder sister refused to lift mother's house arrest. No matter how much mother begged, it was useless."
She was just a mouthpiece for Yu Qiaor.
Cheng Yong already had resentment towards Cheng Simian. After hearing this, he was even more furious.
He jumped up from the bed, didn't even wash his face, and rushed out angrily.
When he passed by the courtyard where the two concubines lived, he was shocked. "What's going on? Why is there no one in the courtyard?"
He went in and searched around, but the two concubines were gone.
Cheng Siyi quickly fanned the flames. "Father just beat them a few times, but elder sister gave them silver, canceled their slave contracts, and let the families of the two concubines take them away. She even allowed them to remarry."
This was like adding fuel to the fire.
Cheng Simian was having breakfast with Lady Rong when Cheng Yong came in menacingly.
Behind him, followed Cheng Siyi, who was eager to watch the show.