"Mother, I didn't do anything, it was her..." Su Siyuan turned to complain, but before he could speak, he saw a shadow dart past.
Su Yunmo crashed into Zhou Wanyou's arms, her lips pouting and tears falling like a broken string of pearls, "Mother, you're finally here, Momo was so scared, woo woo..."
Zhou Wanyou saw that the child was covered in dirt, her face smudged, like a neglected stray kitten, and her heart ached.
"Baby, don't cry. Tell Mother, did your brother bully you?"
Su Siyuan stomped his foot in anger, "Who bullied her? She bullied me! She pushed me to the ground and then poked me with a stick, and slapped me!"
Zhou Wanyou looked at the boy opposite her, gritting his teeth and looking fierce, then at the little ball in her arms, trembling and not daring to cry loudly. Fire rose to her forehead.
"You've even learned to lie now!"
Su Siyuan was so anxious he wanted to cry. He strode forward and grabbed Su Yunmo's arm.
"Don't pretend to be a good baby, quickly admit it to Mother, or I'll really hit you!"
Su Siyuan flinched and huddled into Zhou Wanyou's arms, trembling, "Brother, don't hit me... I'll admit to anything..."
Su Siyuan: "!!"
This girl was sent by heaven to torment him, absolutely!
Su Yunmo sobbed and looked up, revealing a timid and wronged rosy little face, "Mother, Momo will be good, Mother, don't abandon me, okay?"
Zhou Wanyou held her in her arms and rubbed her, "How could Mother abandon Momo? You are Mother's child, of course you should be by Mother's side."
"But Brother said Momo is a freeloader, that I'm not family, and that he'd sell me to human traffickers."
Su Siyuan glared, "I just said I'd throw you out, not sell you! Why did you change my words!"
Zhou Wanyou narrowed her eyes dangerously, "Oh?"
Su Siyuan: "..."
It's over.
"Someone, give the outside servant twenty strokes, and let all the household staff watch. From now on, anyone who dares to mess around with the young master will be kicked out."
Zhou Wanyou picked up Su Yunmo and turned to walk out, "Lock the third young master in the study. Do not let him out without my order."
Su Siyuan wailed, "Mother~ I was wrong~"
Su Yunmo watched him being dragged away, feeling much better, even the air felt exceptionally fresh.
Zhou Wanyou patted Su Yunmo's head soothingly, "Is the water ready?"
The maid stepped forward, "It's ready."
Zhou Wanyou nodded, carrying Su Yunmo towards the bathing area.
The hot water was already prepared in the bathing area. Zhou Wanyou helped her undress.
As the sleeves were pulled off, her exposed little arms were covered in bruises and scars, whip marks and scrapes too numerous to count. Some had already scabbed over, while others were old.
Zhou Wanyou frowned deeply at this, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
When the child first arrived, she had guessed that her life was not going well when she saw her dull complexion, but she never expected it to be this severe.
Although the General's mansion had no intention of taking her back, out of consideration for their blood ties, they would send some silver to the side courtyard every month.
That money was enough for the child to live without worry, but looking at her now, it was clear she had not been treated well.
Su Yunmo saw the pity in her eyes, and her own eyes flickered, "Mother, I'm hungry."
"Momo, just bear with it a little longer, it will be quick."
Zhou Wanyou placed her in the warm water and gently wiped her body with a towel, her movements not smooth, clearly unaccustomed to such tasks.
But Su Yunmo could clearly feel her careful attention.
Having a mother wasn't bad after all.
Su Yunmo was too dirty, and it took three changes of water to wash her completely clean.
Zhou Wanyou took her out of the water and changed her into new clothes. Looking at the child again, she was completely transformed.
The little one's large, bright eyes blinked, her eyelashes dense and long like butterfly wings.
Her small nose, soft lips, coupled with delicate hands and feet, made her look like a finely crafted porcelain doll.
Zhou Wanyou's eyes lit up. If this little one were to grow up a few more years, it was likely that all the men in the capital would be captivated.
She had truly found a treasure.
Acai came in from outside, "Madam, the guest has arrived. Please go to the front hall."
Zhou Wanyou covered Su Yunmo's head with a towel and gently rubbed it, "So soon? Tell them to wait a moment, Momo hasn't eaten yet."
Acai, "I'm afraid they can't wait. His Highness Prince Cheng has personally come to apprehend rebels, and the people have entered our mansion."
A cold glint flashed across Su Yunmo's eyes, hiding countless forbearance and hatred.
She clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and slowly suppressed all her emotions.
"A new official makes three fires. Since it's the Prince himself coming, we naturally can't refuse." Zhou Wanyou's tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
She threw the wet towel aside, "Momo, go eat first, then go rest after you're done. Be good."
Zhou Wanyou kissed Su Yunmo on the cheek, instructed Acai to stay and take her to eat, and then left.
"I still have some things to wash up, Sister Acai, please wait for me outside." Su Yunmo lowered her eyes, her fingers fiddling with the teeth of the comb.
Acai wanted to help her, but seeing her acting like a little adult, she didn't insist.
The door closed again.
A cold light flashed in Su Yunmo's eyes, and she jumped out the window.
She wanted to see for herself how majestic Prince Cheng, who had climbed over her corpse, was now!
Bypassing the back garden, she hadn't reached the front hall when she heard fighting sounds from behind the rockery.
"You think this list is enough to bring down Prince Cheng? How could His Majesty believe you."
Su Yunmo stopped in her tracks.
After a moment's thought, she changed direction.
The closer she got to the rockery, the stronger the smell of blood became.
Behind the rockery, a young man stood on a huge rock.
He was only about ten years old, dressed in blue brocade, his chest stained with blood, with other bloodstains all over his clothes. Bodies were piled at his feet.
He ignored the taunts of his enemies, and with a flick of his wrist, two more enemies fell.
Su Yunmo hid in the shadows.
She remembered that the person shouting was a dark guard under Ye Jingcheng, ranked among the top in martial arts.
If that was the case, was this young man the rebel who had escaped into the mansion?
The dark guard watched the young man kill everyone and sneered, "You're out of strength, aren't you?"
This person was heavily injured and had taken the Wan Jin San, which was the king of poisons.
Even with his deep internal energy, after fighting more than ten people, the poison should have already attacked his heart.
The young man stood leaning on his sword, still not replying.
His robe had a finger mark on it, left by the last dark guard to die.
The young man flipped his wrist, and his long sword drew an afterimage in the air. The robe with the finger mark was cut off at a corner.
"Putting on a show!" The dark guard scoffed disdainfully and leaped forward.
The young man lowered his gaze, standing still. When the person got close, his raven-black hair suddenly flew up with the sword wind. The sword was invisible, and it struck and retracted in an instant.
The dark guard hadn't even seen the young man's movements clearly. When he saw the sword, before he could react, he cried out in shock, "Impossible!"
Before his voice fell, a blood line appeared from the center of his forehead to his nose and philtrum. Then, with a crisp "crack," his entire body was split in two from the middle, and a torrent of blood splattered everywhere.
The young man indifferently flicked his sword, his voice as clear and cold as ice crystals shattering on a high mountain.
"Too much talk!"
The dark guard, now in two pieces, finally crashed to the ground.
The young man sheathed his sword. In the fierce gleam of the sword, his previously hidden face was finally revealed.
Su Yunmo's eyes widened in amazement.
He had red lips and white teeth, a face like a peach blossom, and a pair of dark eyes that seemed to hold the brilliant light of ten thousand ages. His very being exuded an irresistible cold and arrogant aura.
But the next moment.
A drop of blood, it was unknown when it had splashed onto the young man's face, slid down his cheek. The young man's eyes, bright as stars, dimmed. His subsequent expression instantly shattered Su Yunmo's good impression.
The young man began to frown and vigorously rub his cheek, his look of disgust so intense that he seemed to want to scrub off an entire layer of his perfect skin.
After finally cleaning it, he looked at the dark guard's corpse on the ground. The young man flipped his hand, and the sword was drawn again. With the tip of the sword raised, it pierced through the jaw, and the tongue of the dead man was cut off.