Cen Yu's face turned pale, his eyes glaring hatefully at Xiao Man, "What exactly do you want, so that you'll break off the engagement with Mo Han?"
"Why should I break off the engagement?"
"You don't deserve her!"
"How dare you!" Yin Zhu reprimanded, "What are you, to speak to my young lady like that? My young lady is a first-rank princess personally bestowed by His Majesty. You, a commoner, dare to slander a princess. Are you dissatisfied with His Majesty?"
"Princess Yongning truly has a capable retinue, even her maidservant is so sharp-tongued!" Cen Yu stepped forward, "You know very well that the Emperor detests alliances between powerful officials and their families. Yet, you've become engaged to Mo Han. You don't love him at all, otherwise, how could you bear to ruin his great future?"
"Do you know if I love him?" Xiao Man propped her chin with one hand, looking at Cen Yu with amusement, "Do you perhaps love him?"
Cen Yu's face instantly turned pale, "You... what nonsense are you spouting?"
Seeing Cen Yu's demeanor, Xiao Man's smile vanished, and the atmosphere turned cold, "Naturally, it's nonsense. Vile and despicable wretches like you are unworthy of loving him?"
The words "vile and despicable" kept swirling in Cen Yu's mind, stripping away his face and dignity, throwing them to the ground and trampling on them fiercely. Su Dan Novels.
"What exactly do you want?"
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," Xiao Man said slowly, "I, Xiao Man, have never been one to swallow my grievances. The moment you made your first move against me, I should have knocked out all your teeth, one by one."
Cen Yu gritted his teeth, glaring at Xiao Man. He knew Xiao Man had seen through his true colors, but since she hadn't acted, he had assumed she was soft-hearted, unable to retaliate even after being bullied so severely, thus looking down on her even more.
"You should be grateful to Wen Mo Yu. She acted as a shield for you, and because Mo Han has few friends, and I didn't want to upset him, I tolerated you repeatedly. I never expected you not only to show no remorse but to become even more audacious. Do you truly think I, Xiao Man, am made of clay with no temper?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Cen Yu said calmly.
"You pride yourself on being Mo Han's friend, yet under the guise of his well-being, you repeatedly harm him. Cen Yu, do you truly consider Mo Han your friend?"
"Everyone in this world might hurt him, but I never will!"
"You won't?" Xiao Man laughed, a laugh full of mockery, "You drove a wedge between me and Wen Mo Yu, incited her to attack me repeatedly, forcing Mo Han to be caught between me and Wen Mo Yu, in a difficult position, ultimately compelling him to strike down Wen Mo Yu. He's a man who values loyalty and righteousness. Even if Wen Mo Yu wasn't his biological sister, after more than a decade of living together, was there truly no affection?"
"You think you understand him so well, yet you don't realize that when he was forced to kill Wen Mo Yu, he was also shedding his own flesh and blood?"
Cen Yu's face was frosty, and he quietly watched Xiao Man. In his eyes, Xiao Man's emotional outburst was merely an act. Mo Han did have feelings for Wen Mo Yu, but those feelings had long since been worn away as Wen Mo Yu repeatedly challenged his bottom line.
"I'll ask one more time, do you want to break off the engagement with Mo Han?"
"No!" Xiao Man raised her head high and said coldly, "Matters between him and me are not for outsiders to meddle in."
Cen Yu flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.
Xiao Man did not stop him, "Within ten days, the Cen family, the wealthiest merchants in the Imperial Capital, will cease to exist!"
Cen Yu's footsteps paused for a moment, then he left without further hesitation. It was Xiao Man who attacked the Cen family, and Prince Qin was likely helping from behind the scenes. Xiao Man couldn't possibly think that with Prince Qin's help, she could control everything with a single hand, could she!
"Miss, you're just letting him go?" Yin Zhu was puzzled. With Miss's temperament, wouldn't she have beaten him severely before throwing him out?
"After all, he is Mo Han's friend. On the surface, we can't make the rift too wide."
"Lord Wen is truly unlucky to have such a friend!"
Xiao Man chuckled, "People all have their selfish desires. Some can control theirs, while others cannot. That's why there are gentlemen and villains in this world."
"He schemed against you so much, and yet you let him go. This maidservant is not happy."
"Little girl," Xiao Man flicked Yin Zhu's nose, "He will soon go from being the richest man in the capital to having nothing. That is his greatest punishment!"
"That's more like it. If villains don't face retribution, good people are too pitiful."
Cen Yu walked out with a dark expression. Just as he reached the entrance of the General's mansion, he encountered Xiao Zhen returning from court.
Cen Yu gave a perfunctory bow and headed straight out. However, as he passed Xiao Zhen, he was stopped.
"Does the General have business?"
Xiao Zhen glanced indifferently at Cen Yu, then suddenly clenched his fist and punched Cen Yu in the lower abdomen. Cen Yu, caught off guard, took the full force of the blow and was sent flying, crashing against the screen wall. The sturdy screen wall showed small cracks, indicating that Xiao Zhen's punch held no restraint.
Cen Yu fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He looked up at Xiao Zhen, but Xiao Zhen's foot was already coming down. Cen Yu, startled, rolled on the ground, dodging Xiao Zhen's foot. However, having absorbed the full force of Xiao Zhen's punch, his internal organs ached as if displaced, leaving him with no strength to resist Xiao Zhen.
The guards of the General's mansion immediately closed the main gate, preventing their General from beating a civilian in public. Even if Cen Yu wanted to escape, there was no way.
Xiao Zhen stretched his limbs, cracking his knuckles, "I've wanted to beat you, you son of a bitch, for a long time. You just walked right into it, so I won't be polite!"
Xiao Zhen practiced the path of masculine strength, specializing in direct confrontation. His martial arts were solid. Even if Cen Yu were uninjured, he wouldn't fare well against Xiao Zhen, let alone when he was already severely injured by Xiao Zhen!
"The dignified General protecting the nation resorts to such despicable sneak attacks. Won't you be laughed at if word gets out!"
Xiao Zhen sneered, "Who dares to laugh? For so many years, only my daughter has bullied others. Who dares to lay a finger on her? I never expected you, you son of a bitch, with your head full of schemes, to dare to plot against my daughter again and again. Do you know that the graves of those who have bullied my daughter in the past are already covered in taller grass than you!"
Xiao Zhen stomped his foot fiercely towards Cen Yu. Cen Yu narrowly dodged, only to see the ground cracking under Xiao Zhen's stomp. If that kick had landed on him, his bones would have been shattered!
Everyone said Xiao Zhen was fiercely protective of his own, but he had only heard rumors. After all, Xiao Zhen had been in the army for many years and rarely returned home, while Xiao Man frequently caused trouble. One day she would beat the dogs of the Zhang family, and the next she would thrash the sheep of the Li family, yet the Zhang or Li families never bothered Xiao Man. Back then, he thought it was because the Zhang and Li families feared the Xiao family's status. He never expected it was Xiao Zhen secretly guarding his daughter!