The maid Mei'er softly advised, "Miss, this matter cannot be rushed. You know best that Sheng Lengshuang has Prince Ming Rui and the Sheng family protecting her, and the current Emperor greatly favors her. Under the current circumstances, if..."
*Slap.*
Sima Min forcefully slapped her, and not satisfied, struck her several more times. She said with furious anger, "What do you think you are? Just a lowly servant, daring to lecture me."
She had worked so hard for so many years, even killing her father, all to become the most noble woman. Who knew things would turn out like this.
It shouldn't have been like this.
According to her plan, Sheng Lengshuang and anyone who obstructed her would have been dealt with by her. Moreover, nothing would be traced back to her, and no one would investigate her.
So why did things turn out this way?
No matter how angry and displeased Mei'er was, she obediently admitted her mistake, "Please forgive me, Miss. It was this servant's foolishness to speak out of turn."
Sima Min, still enraged, kicked her hard in the chest, "I don't care what method you use, but capture Sheng Lengshuang and her son within the shortest possible time."
She wanted to torture Sheng Lengshuang and her son to death, and make Sheng Lengshuang witness firsthand how her son died a tragic death before her eyes.
Mei'er swallowed the blood in her mouth and responded with a "Yes," then retreated.
As soon as she reached outside the courtyard, a group of young men with ordinary faces greeted her.
Seeing Mei'er in this state, he was heartbroken and supported her, "Sima Min hit you? I'll go settle the score with her!"
Mei'er stopped him and advised, "Don't! You know how much the Master values Sima Min. If anything were to happen to Sima Min, the Master would not let us off lightly."
The young man was furious. He said hatefully, "When this matter is resolved, I will make Sima Min pay. By the way, the Master wants us to capture Sheng Lengshuang as soon as possible."
Mei'er's eyes were filled with jealousy, "If it weren't for Sheng Lengshuang's good background... or rather, if General Sheng and his wife had no children, then someone like her, a lowly peasant, wouldn't even be fit to carry your shoes."
The young man agreed wholeheartedly, "Alright, I'll take you to get medicine applied. From now on, let others serve Sima Min. You shouldn't be serving her; she should be serving you."
When the Master lost interest in Sima Min, he would make this贱人 understand the consequences of hurting Mei'er.
...
On this day.
After Sheng Lengshuang finished her class at the academy and was preparing to return to the Sheng family, Tao Li and Old Master Tao, along with a few others, appeared before her.
"Oh, it's been a while since we last met. I wonder how you've been, Old Ghost?" she said with a smile.
Old Ghost, hidden in the shadows, chuckled heartily, "Sheng Lengshuang, you won't escape today. I've already found out that Prince Ming Rui has gone to the military camp, and you only have a few hidden guards around you."
Sheng Lengshuang said "oh" and calmly replied, "Are you implying that I can't deal with you alone? Old Ghost, don't forget, the poison you've taken was formulated by me. Without my antidote, you won't have an easy time, will you?"
Hearing this, Old Ghost wished he could chop Sheng Lengshuang into pieces and devour her. For days, he had tried countless methods but still couldn't detoxify himself, which resulted in his occasional weakness.
He, who was unparalleled in his mastery of poisons, had never imagined he would one day fall into the hands of a贱人.
This was a great humiliation!
"Sheng Lengshuang, the only time you can be proud is now. Tao Li, you all go, capture Sheng Lengshuang alive. As long as she's alive, you can torture her as you please!"
At his command, Tao Li, Old Master Tao, and the others crawled like reptiles, moving rapidly towards Sheng Lengshuang.
Sheng Lengshuang took a few steps back and threw a handful of pale pink powder.
"It's useless," Old Ghost said sinisterly. "After last time, I specifically made adjustments to Tao Li and the others. Now, they are immune to your powder."
"Is that so?" Sheng Lengshuang was remarkably calm. She sprinkled several types of powder around herself.
Old Ghost's brow twitched inexplicably, a bad premonition creeping in. He dismissed it as overthinking. He had been diligently cultivating Tao Li and the others recently, and had researched various poisons. He would never fall into Sheng Lengshuang's hands again.
But—
*Bang bang bang.*
Tao Li and the others suddenly collapsed to the ground, powerless, convulsing as if having an epileptic fit. This greatly shocked Old Ghost, "What did you do to them?"
Sheng Lengshuang spread her hands innocently, "I just used some powder, as you saw. I didn't expect them to be so useless, collapsing from just a little powder."
She sighed lightly, "This only goes to show how useless you are. If it were me, I would cultivate the most formidable puppets. But look at you... tsk tsk tsk, I'm almost embarrassed to say that you, like me, play with poisons, and I truly fear shame."
Old Ghost's gaze towards her changed dramatically. Just as he was about to leave, several hidden guards appeared and surrounded him.
"Just a few hidden guards..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he rolled off the roof and landed on the ground, crashing at Sheng Lengshuang's feet.
"Oh, isn't this Old Ghost?" Sheng Lengshuang crossed her arms and coolly glanced at him, her smile as mocking as could be. "Didn't you say your poison skills were the best in the world? How is it that you've fallen into my hands twice?"
"You...贱人, what did you do to me?" Old Ghost was somewhat flustered.
Sheng Lengshuang pointed to the powder around her, "Did you think I only sprinkled this powder for self-preservation? Please use that pig brain of yours. You also play with poisons, wouldn't you seize the opportunity to deal with the opponent?"
Old Ghost truly hadn't expected to fall into Sheng Lengshuang's hands again. He had made thorough preparations this time, but why did he still fall into this贱人's hands?
It shouldn't have been like this.
He recalled that after he became famous, he had never lost a battle. He had always been able to deal with anyone he wished.
"Sheng Lengshuang, you'd better let me go, or my master will make you pay," he threatened fiercely.
Sheng Lengshuang no longer spoke to him, but stood there with her eyes half-closed, lost in thought.
"Sheng Lengshuang!" Old Ghost roared.
Sheng Lengshuang still ignored him.
Old Ghost felt a strange sense of unease, as if something very bad was quietly unfolding. "Sheng Lengshuang, have you gone mute?"
Sheng Lengshuang remained unaffected, still ignoring Old Ghost.
Old Ghost increasingly felt that Sheng Lengshuang was plotting something. "What do you want to do?"
This time, Sheng Lengshuang addressed him, "I want to see if you have any value. Old Ghost, I'll ask you, have you told anyone else your method of refining puppets?"
Old Ghost was not foolish. Upon hearing this, he had a guess, "This is one of my core skills. I would never tell anyone else."
"Then, when you were refining puppets, was anyone watching?" Sheng Lengshuang asked.