The Consequences of Provoking the Male Lead of a Qidian Novel - Chapter 3

It was far from a life-saving measure; it was clearly inviting disaster, making him wish he would die at Xue Gu’s hands sooner.

The Shen household was tranquil in the morning, with only the occasional sound of birds chirping and the footsteps of servants moving to and fro.

At this moment, a suppressed, mocking laugh drifted out from behind the rockery. The words were blurred, and one had to strain their ears to hear them clearly.

“…The Heir to the Marquis of Wu’an threw thousands of gold at the Shengxian Pavilion yesterday, just for the sake of a smile from the head courtesan…”

“I heard that too. The Heir has truly fallen deep. When he was courting the Shen family’s young miss, he never stooped to such fawning, flattering behavior. One day, she will definitely be brought into the Marquis’s residence as a concubine.”

“Won’t the Shen miss cause a scene?”

Following this, another woman covered her mouth with her sleeve, her laughter melodious. “Cause a scene? What scene is there to cause? Even if the Heir were to promote that head courtesan to a legitimate wife, she wouldn’t necessarily dare to complain. Every day the Heir indulges in pleasure in the brothels, behaving recklessly. Even though they are engaged, he doesn’t restrain himself at all. The young miss is head-over-heels for him, never uttering a word of complaint, and never speaking ill of him. She acts like a quivering quail in his presence. Rumor has it that the Great Scholar Shen is very dissatisfied with this match; if anyone brings it up to him, he flies into a rage.”

Shen Youqing stood by the rockery, his eyelashes fluttering. He lowered his eyes and gave a slight, mocking smile, while the voices on the other side continued.

“If he’s dissatisfied, how is there an engagement?”

“Naturally, it was the Shen miss who begged for it. Gossip in the streets says that for the sake of the Heir, she decisively broke off her engagement with the Third Prince. Her father disagreed, but she insisted on using suicide to threaten him. She’s willing to die for the Heir, and now many people are saying that the Shen family has brought this misfortune upon themselves…”

The woman gave a snicker, her tone becoming increasingly disdainful. “You believe that? I see it clearly as her being a social climber who, seeing the Heir’s status, kicked the Third Prince to the curb. How incredibly shallow and foolish. It’s fortunate that the Emperor loathes the Third Prince; otherwise, just for provoking the dignity of the royal family, she would be in for a rough time. Now that the Third Prince has achieved a great victory in pacifying the North and the Emperor has summoned him back to the capital, I see that the good days for this Shen miss are coming to an end.”

Taojin, standing beside him, couldn’t listen any longer. She rolled up her sleeves and said hatefully, “These two loose-lipped gossips… just because they followed their cousin here to stay in the Shen residence for a few days, their ambition has reached the clouds. They even dare to speak disrespectfully of the Young Master. Watch me tear their mouths to shreds.”

Shen Youqing grabbed her sleeve with one hand. “Have you forgotten the rules of hospitality?”

Afterward, he arched an eyebrow at Luyin. Luyin understood instantly, turned, and strode toward the back of the rockery.

“What are you doing?”

“Presumptuous slave! We are the cousin’s maids; watch out, our cousin will…”

Gasps of surprise rose one after another. Ruolan lost her footing on the cobblestone path and tumbled, rubbing her arm which had been yanked in pain, and glared at Luyin.

Luyin said nothing. As his tall figure moved aside, what caught Ruolan’s eyes was a beautiful, refined face that was hard to distinguish as male or female. The facial lines were smooth and soft, the bridge of his nose delicate and straight, and those peach-blossom eyes—as if washed by lake water—narrowed slightly, looking at her with a gentle, leisurely smile.

“Shen… Miss Shen.” Ruolan was terrified; her legs went limp, and her throat felt as if it were blocked by something, unable to speak.

Shen Youqing pretended to reprimand Luyin, glancing at him sideways. “Look how you’ve scared them. Don’t be so rough. Show some mercy to the fair maiden, lest you never find a wife in the future.”

Luyin nodded. “Yes.”

He felt no anger at the discussion about him. The “Shen Youqing” of the original novel was indeed the kind of shallow, fickle person the maids described. He didn’t care how he was viewed in the eyes of the world; after all, he would have to leave this world in the book one day…

However, he was very curious about where the rumor that he had forced his father with suicide had come from.

“Where did you hear the rumor about me attempting suicide?”

“It was… it was something I heard passing by the Shengxian Pavilion that day. The Heir to the Marquis of Wu’an revealed it to everyone while drunk. Servant has no other intention, just seeking justice for you, Miss…”

“Yes, Miss, the Heir is ruining your reputation so badly, we just couldn’t watch any longer.”

Shen Youqing found it noisy and didn’t want to hear their excuses anymore. He waved his hand to let them go.

Taojin pouted, “Cats crying over a dead mouse, feigning compassion.”

“Am I the mouse?”

“You’d be the best-looking mouse of all.” Taojin began to flatter him.

“…”

Shen Youqing walked through the long veranda and turned into the dining hall.

“A-He, are you settling in well in the house?”

“I am living very well, thank you, Aunt, for your concern. I have been a bother these days.”

Madam Shen was sitting at the table, chatting and laughing with the woman beside her. The Great Scholar Shen was not a man of many words, only chiming in occasionally.

When Shen Youqing entered, the maid had just finished setting the table and stood aside waiting.

“Xiaoxiao is here.” Madam Shen’s lips curved upward.

She was not dressed in the opulent fashion of a wealthy family; her dress was simple and elegant. Although there were fine lines at the corners of her eyes, one could tell she was a beauty in her youth, and with the passage of time, she carried a unique charm.

Having said that, her embroidered shoe kicked the Great Scholar Shen sitting opposite her.

The Great Scholar immediately cleared his throat, his tone stiff. “Sit down now that you’re here.”

His face was handsome; when he wasn’t speaking, his brows were habitually furrowed, leaving people with an impression of dignity and severity. He was a very standard civil official—upright, traditional, and noble, though not pedantic.

Shen Youqing’s face inherited the superior features of both, while his physique followed Madam Shen’s—sloping shoulders and a long neck, the small-boned frame of someone from Jiangnan. Because he was weak and still in his developmental stage, he hadn’t fully matured; he was merely a bit taller than the average girl, and his Adam’s apple was small and indistinct. In a few years, outsiders might be able to see his true gender at a glance.

“I don’t dare to sit. I’m afraid Father will make me roll out with my chair,” Shen Youqing sighed, a trace of faint melancholy in his eyes.

“Enough, if you say any more, you can stand and eat.” Seeing him putting on an act, the Great Scholar couldn’t help but snap back. The next moment, the flesh on his arm was severely pinched by Madam Shen, and he changed to a gentler tone. “Xiaoxiao must be hungry. Someone, bring him some rice porridge.”

Shen Youqing changed his face as well, sitting down with a cheeky grin.

“Xiaoxiao” was his childhood nickname, derived from the fact that he was born at dawn (xiao). A high-ranking monk gave him the name, claiming it would protect him.

Madam Shen felt heartache that he couldn’t grow up like a normal child and had no requirements for him, wishing only for his happiness. Meanwhile, the Great Scholar, knowing he was a boy, never spoiled him.

Not long ago, they had argued over a small matter.

With Madam Shen mediating, their relationship had only just slightly eased.

“Father, Mother, I need to go out tomorrow.”

The Great Scholar’s gaze fell on him with a trace of suspicion. Shen Youqing put down his chopsticks and held up four fingers. “I swear, I absolutely, absolutely will not cause any trouble.” Seeing that the Great Scholar’s expression did not waver, he turned his pleading eyes toward Madam Shen: “The house is so boring. Mother, I haven’t been out to play in a long time.”

“Has the number of times you’ve gone out lately been small?” The Great Scholar was speechless for a moment.

“So, Father, you knew about it.” Shen Youqing laughed, and although the Great Scholar didn’t explicitly say it, he knew he had agreed.

“I am new to the capital; I wonder if Cousin could take me out for a stroll.” The woman’s voice was very soft, hesitant, and uneasy.

Shen Youqing had seen her a few times, but they had hardly spoken a word. Remembering the gossip from the two maids on the road earlier, a strange feeling rose in his heart.

The person before him was timid and quiet, a subtle contrast to those two maids who relied on their status to bully others.

“Next time.”

Lin He nodded, feeling dejected.

Shen Youqing tilted his head to look at her and said diplomatically, “Cousin, your brow looks dark and your constitution is weak with a ‘Seven Killings’ omen; you must be prone to villains, so you had best be careful of those gossiping around you.”

Lin He’s breath slowed, and she then smiled. “Thank you for the warning, Cousin.”

“When did Xiaoxiao learn to read faces?”

Shen Youqing: “I just said it on a whim.”

“You child…” Madam Shen gave a helpless smile.

After the meal, the servants cleared the dishes. Lin He rose, offered her farewells, and left first.

After she had gone, Madam Shen ordered the servants away, deliberated for a moment, and said worriedly, “Xiaoxiao, tell me the truth: do you still like… the Heir to the Marquis of Wu’an?”

Shen Youqing hesitated, unable to answer.

“Your father had already planned out your future—to resign from office when you reached your coming-of-age ceremony and help you escape by faking your death, from then on changing your name and surname. But why on earth did you agree to the Heir’s marriage proposal? Mother still cannot understand. Let the marriage with the Third Prince pass; that was something I arranged when I had a close friendship with his birth mother. You are not a girl, and you shouldn’t have had that engagement anyway, yet you were forced into this connection. Mother has failed you.”

Madam Shen’s tone was filled with guilt, making Shen Youqing feel truly uncomfortable. However, he couldn’t explain the system and the missions, and even if he did, it would only deduct his points.

“Mother, it has nothing to do with you. You know, I was deeply in love with the Third Prince before, but after all, there was no fate between us. As for the Heir…” Shen Youqing rubbed his chin, continuing to make up a story: “Actually, I once had a premonition dream, and many things in it have been verified. Believe me, marrying the Heir was not my wish; it was just a life-saving measure to avoid disaster.”

According to the original book, it was the exact opposite: “Shen Youqing” and the Heir were in cahoots, colluding together. It was far from a life-saving measure; it was clearly inviting disaster, making him wish he would die at Xue Gu’s hands sooner.

“Really?”

The Great Scholar was also half-convinced. “The Marchioness passed away, and the Heir must observe three years of mourning. By the time he marries, you will have already come of age and changed your identity. If you stay quiet during this time, you can save trouble. What disaster are you trying to avoid?”

Shen Youqing improvised with a straight face: “In the dream, the Emperor will select some women to enter the palace in a year, and I unfortunately became one of them. But now that I have an engagement with the Heir, the Marquis has great merit and status; the Emperor will not easily offend him. This marriage is beneficial to me without any harm.” Mixing truth with lies, the credibility increased.

Madam Shen heard this, shocked, and believed it completely. “So that was it. I thought Xiaoxiao had lost his heart again.”

Shen Youqing pouted and yawned. “I’m not a fool; how could I like him?”

“Whether what you say is true or not, you are not to see him again until your coming-of-age ceremony.” The Great Scholar frowned.

Shen Youqing laughed dismissively: “Understood.”

He had only met Li Xu a few times, and every time they met, Li Xu tried to get handsy with him. Shen Youqing was annoyed beyond measure, so he repeatedly claimed to be sick whenever he was asked to meet. Over time, Li Xu had immersed himself in the tender care of brothel girls and rarely bothered him.

The mission given by the system was only to be engaged to Li Xu; it didn’t force him to fulfill the duties of a “fiancée.” He wouldn’t have close dealings or collude with Li Xu like in the original novel.

Opening the system panel, Shen Youqing scanned it from beginning to end.

“Big brother, are you really not offering a discount? Your items are just too expensive; this isn’t how you should be extorting people. Are you hoping I’ll spend all my points on these props and stay here for the rest of my life to work for you?”

He currently only had two thousand points. Items in the shop: an ordinary dagger for 50 points, a piece of candy for 100 points, healing medicine for 300 points… The pricing was chaotic.

The system’s cold, mechanical voice sounded in his mind: “The protagonist’s mood index is too low; there is no discount.”

Shen Youqing gave a bitter laugh: “He’s already won a battle; can’t he be happy? Are you sure your detection isn’t wrong?”

“No.”

“Then how do I raise his mood index?”

Heh, as expected of a male lead in a self-anointed, halo-bearing, refreshing novel where the whole universe revolves around him—even his mood can affect the discounts on the items he buys.

“If the host wants to increase the protagonist’s mood index, you can start from the following three aspects. First, increase the protagonist’s satisfaction value, i.e., trigger plot points such as slapping the faces of villains and cannon fodder, winning the hearts of women, and increasing his reputation among the people. Second…”

Oh, so it’s serving Xue Gu as a beast of burden again? Think again!

Shen Youqing immediately interrupted: “Okay, shut up, I get it.”

He had previously gritted his teeth and spent a hundred points at full price to exchange for a special spice. According to the system, if one smelled this spice for a long time, it could induce hallucinations; it was actually colorless, non-toxic, and water-soluble.

It seemed like it was worth the cost now; perhaps it would be very useful for saving his life in the future.

Shen Youqing returned to his quarters and searched high and low for the spice, but it was nowhere to be found.

Taojin asked him curiously: “What is the Young Master looking for?”

“A small container of spice, the white one. Have you seen it?”

Taojin took a deep breath and pursed her lips: “It wouldn’t be the purple container that was kept with the other spices, would it?”

Shen Youqing nodded joyfully, a hopeful light bursting in his eyes.

Taojin scratched her head, feeling guilty: “At that time, the Heir asked you for a gift. Before you went out, you told me to just get some spices and stuff them into a sachet to send to his mansion… and I didn’t want the Heir to get any benefit, so I specially chose a few spices that didn’t smell that good…” Taojin drooped her brows and apologized sincerely: “Young Master, I was wrong.”

After hearing this, Shen Youqing waved his hand, knowing clearly that it wasn’t Taojin’s fault. It was clearly his own playfulness and laziness that led to the spice, which cost several hundred points, being wasted. However, now that the spice was in Li Xu’s hands, he didn’t know what would happen.

“It’s fine; I’ll buy more later.”

At this moment, Luyin pushed the door open.

“Young Master, news just arrived: the Heir to the Marquis of Wu’an suddenly lost his senses yesterday and mistook the fish pond in the courtyard for a bathhouse, jumping into it. His current state is unknown.” Luyin appeared with the bombshell news, his tone indifferent, reporting the situation with no waves, as usual.

As soon as the words fell, Shen Youqing’s back stiffened, his lips parted slightly, unable to make a sound.