The Mad Villain Driven to Death - Chapter 19

Chen Luo could not bear the sight of a beauty weeping; his heart instantly ached with pity. He pulled Shen Zhaoxue close and spoke to the several noble sons beside him, “Go quickly and open another private room.”

He kindly supported Shen Zhaoxue as they moved into a private room within the brothel. Only then did Shen Zhaoxue breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that Wan Shenghan likely wouldn’t suspect he was here for the time being.

Chen Luo asked with concern, “Young Master Shen, what difficulties have you encountered?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Zhaoxue began to weep piteously once more, whispering, “The Second Young Master of the Wan family has bullied me for years in the estate. This time, he actually poisoned me and blinded my eyes. Everyone in the household is shielding the culprit. Having nowhere else to turn, I came alone to find Your Highness, the Fifth Prince, hoping you might help me seek justice.”

Only then did Chen Luo realize that Shen Zhaoxue’s eyes were indeed strange. He reached out to test them, and as expected, there was no reaction.

He had some understanding of the Wan family’s affairs. The Eldest Young Master, Wan Shenghan, was quite promising, but the children of the collateral branch were each more useless than the last especially that Second Young Master, Wan Jingyao. He was nearly of age to be capped, yet he spent all day idling about, climbing trees and catching birds.

Although Chen Luo himself was not a studious man, he was of noble birth; even if he never touched politics in his life, he could live comfortably. Consequently, he and his friends looked down on Wan Jingyao, feeling that since he wasn’t even a son of the main Wan branch, he was merely a nouveau riche who overstepped his bounds by riding on the Wan family’s coattails.

Chen Luo examined Shen Zhaoxue’s eyes again. They were beautifully shaped; he vaguely remembered them being full of affection in the past, but now they were like dust-covered pearls, which was a true pity.

However, after staring for a while, a hidden, dark impulse rose within him. He said, “Young Master Shen seeks help for such a heinous act; naturally, I must assist.”

He reached out and placed his hand over the back of Shen Zhaoxue’s.

Shen Zhaoxue instinctively withdrew his hand slightly, though without much force, appearing as if he had been startled.

Chen Luo smoothed over that patch of soft skin soothingly, staring intently at the reaction on his face as he said coaxingly, “Once the matter is settled, how about moving into my estate?”

“The servants in my estate all listen to me; no one will bully you. Furthermore, your nephew, Chen Shi, also visits me frequently. It is inconvenient for you to enter the Palace, and my Imperial Brother has lost his mother how lonely and pitiable he must be in the Palace all by himself.”

He had calculated that with Shen Zhaoxue’s appearance, he must have a soft-hearted and timid temperament; a few words would be enough to coax him back to the estate.

Sure enough, he saw Shen Zhaoxue’s earlobes turn a deep red, as if they were about to bleed—he looked both shamed and frightened, yet he did not dare to pull his hand away.

Chen Luo’s heart itched with desire, and he nearly couldn’t resist becoming more forward. However, Shen Zhaoxue suddenly withdrew his hand, stood up abruptly, and said, “Fifth Prince, please show some self-respect…”

“Fine, fine, fine.” Chen Luo always had plenty of patience for beauties and rarely lost his temper. He thought to himself that the Shen family had, after all, been a prominent clan once; it was normal for a young master of noble birth to have some pride. He said, “Blame it on me being used to the rough ways of my brothers; Young Master Shen might not be accustomed to it. You can reconsider what I said earlier.”

He followed suit and stood up, moving closer to Shen Zhaoxue. Shen Zhaoxue took a step back but was still caught by the wrist.

Chen Luo explained, “You cannot see right now. I will support you as we go to the government office to report the poisoning. With me backing you, you need not fear them sending people to intercept us.”

Shen Zhaoxue lowered his eyes slightly, appearing very submissive, and did not refuse.

Chen Luo thought to himself that this Young Master Shen was truly simple and easy to fool; he was much easier to handle than that Liu Wuyou of the Liu family.

He pulled Shen Zhaoxue by the wrist and led him out of the brothel, heading toward the government office.

Shen Zhaoxue trailed half a step behind him, lifting his eyes slightly. In those eyes that could no longer see, there was a trace of coldness hidden within.

Chen Luo was still talking up ahead, his droning making Shen Zhaoxue’s ears ache, but he couldn’t show it too openly.

Chen Luo said, “You were right to come looking for me today. Lord Xu of the Court of State Ceremonies (Dali Si) is my future father-in-law. Judging any case is merely a matter of a single word from me.”

He pulled Shen Zhaoxue to the front of the Dali Si gates. “Here we are.”

“Fifth Prince,” Wan Shenghan’s voice carried a hint of frost, devoid of any respect, as it drifted from ahead. “What do you intend to do, bringing a guest of my estate to this place?”

Shen Zhaoxue stopped dead in his tracks. Chen Luo failed to hold onto his hand for a moment, and their grip broke.

Chen Luo habitually hated an entire family because of one person. In his past life, because he loathed Chen Shi, he had bullied the low-status Shen Zhaoxue along with him—he particularly enjoyed making Shen Zhaoxue crawl on the ground, occasionally splashing hot tea on his face or drawing and writing all over him.

As for Wan Shenghan, he found the man aloof and arrogant, so he looked down on Wan Jingyao by extension.

Now that the person he hated most was standing before him, speaking in such a tone, Chen Luo’s anger flared. He said, “Your ‘good brother’ bullied a pitiable person with no father or mother. Now that he has sought me out because you all remained indifferent, I am here to seek justice for him.”

His words truly sounded impassioned.

Shen Zhaoxue couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, a mocking smile hanging at the corners of his lips.

Chen Luo had his back turned and was unaware, but Wan Shenghan, standing opposite him, saw it clearly.

What bad idea is Shen Zhaoxue cooking up now?

For a moment, Wan Shenghan couldn’t figure it out, but he felt it certainly wasn’t anything good; the Wan family was likely in for some trouble this time.

However, he didn’t really care. His father was indecisive, and he wanted to use this opportunity to make his father harden his heart and sever ties with Wan Rong and the others. If Shen Zhaoxue wanted to retaliate against Wan Jingyao in the future, it would no longer be his concern.

He had originally guessed that Shen Zhaoxue might report to the officials, but he hadn’t expected him to go to Chen Luo first.

Wan Shenghan’s expression was somewhat unsightly as his gaze bypassed Chen Luo to look at Shen Zhaoxue standing behind him.

The youth likely couldn’t perceive that he was being watched. That very faint smile was quickly retracted, and he lowered his eyes again, looking piteously lovely.

Wan Shenghan thought: Is this the expression Shen Zhaoxue used to deceive Chen Luo?

He felt a bit displeased, though he didn’t show much of it. He quickly turned his gaze back and said to Chen Luo, “Young Master Shen is a guest entrusted to the Wan family by his parents. Whatever happens will naturally be handled by my Wan family. We shall not trouble the Fifth Prince this time.”

“If left to you, I fear Young Master Shen’s eyes will have been blinded for nothing,” Chen Luo sneered. “If that worthless cousin of yours doesn’t gouge out his own eyes to apologize, I’m afraid it will be hard to convince the public.”

Chen Luo turned back to grab Shen Zhaoxue’s wrist, intending to bypass Wan Shenghan and head inside.

Wan Shenghan’s gaze abruptly fell upon their joined hands. He spoke instantly, his tone turning cold: “Shen Zhaoxue, come here.”

Shen Zhaoxue actually stopped walking, looking somewhat intimidated.

This timid appearance would surely make anyone who truly cared for Shen Zhaoxue feel pained and angry.

But as Chen Luo looked at him like this, a strange sense of pleasure rose within him. He even wanted to see this cold, moon-like beauty groveling on the ground, wagging his tail and begging for mercy like a dog.

While he was lost in thought staring at Shen Zhaoxue, Wan Shenghan spoke again: “If you still want to return to the Wan family and receive the Wan family’s protection, come here now.”

Shen Zhaoxue didn’t move for a long while, merely biting his lower lip and whispering, “His Highness said I could move to his estate to stay temporarily; I don’t need your family’s protection.”

Chen Luo was overjoyed. He had been talking for ages without getting a nod of agreement from Shen Zhaoxue; he hadn’t expected a little provocation from Wan Shenghan would do the trick.

Once Shen Zhaoxue entered his estate, leaving would be harder than ascending to heaven.

Chen Luo tightened his grip on Shen Zhaoxue’s wrist, about to taunt Wan Shenghan, when he heard the other man speak first. “Shen Zhaoxue, I told you last time—don’t think you can try to provoke me this way.”

Chen Luo was displeased. “Wan Shenghan, who are you trying to threaten—”

Before he could finish, Shen Zhaoxue suddenly broke free from his hand and submissively felt his way over toward Wan Shenghan.

Wan Shenghan grabbed his wrist with a cold face, pulling him to his side. He said irritably to Chen Luo, “Thank you, Fifth Prince, for looking after my guest today. We shall not disturb you further. Farewell.”

The Wan family carriage was parked nearby. Wan Shenghan stuffed Shen Zhaoxue into the cabin. The coldness on his face hadn’t yet dissipated as he pulled the ear warmers from his robe and tossed them onto Shen Zhaoxue’s lap. “Do you not want your ears anymore?”

The carriage was already moving, traveling through the noisy streets and alleys toward the Wan Estate.

The weak expression on Shen Zhaoxue’s face vanished completely. The chaotic noise made his ears very uncomfortable, and a ringing had already begun.

He leaned against the carriage wall for a while, looking irritable, trying to alleviate the discomfort in his ears.

Wan Shenghan said indifferently, “We will discuss things when we get back. Put the ear warmers on first.”

“If you truly end up both deaf and blind, I really will throw you out.”

Despite the words, Shen Zhaoxue didn’t believe a single word of it. He only said, “I am waiting for the day you throw me away.”

He put on the ear warmers, blocking out all sound, and finally returned to silence.

Meeting Chen Luo had been enough; he never truly intended for him to help report to the officials.

Chen Luo enjoyed seeing people humiliated. The more lowly and pitiable a person was before him, the more he wanted to bully them, and the more easily his desires were sparked.

In his past life, Shen Zhaoxue had understood the man’s nature perfectly. Therefore, no matter how long he was bullied, he never bowed his head, refusing to give Chen Luo the sense of submission he craved.

Over time, Chen Luo had lost interest in him.

But now, Chen Luo was still useful.

The toxins in Shen Zhaoxue’s body hadn’t been fully cleared. After running around all day and dealing with people like Chen Luo, his body and mind were exhausted. In the blink of an eye, he leaned against the carriage wall and fell fast asleep.

Wan Shenghan watched him quietly for a while. After a moment, he reached out and touched Shen Zhaoxue’s forehead with the back of his hand.

He wasn’t running a fever again, but his complexion was truly ghastly and his lips were very pale.

Wan Shenghan retracted his gaze and looked at the receding scenery outside the window, lost in thought.

The carriage remained parked outside the Wan Estate for an hour, during which Shen Zhaoxue showed no signs of waking.

Wan Shenghan closed the book in his hand and set it down. After observing Shen Zhaoxue’s sleeping eyes for a moment, he quickly moved, leaning over to pick him up and carry him out of the carriage.

When they entered the estate, Wan Jingyao was squatting at the gate. Seeing his cousin return, he immediately stood up to meet him.

He had intended to ask if Shen Zhaoxue had really gone to report to the officials, but before he could speak, he saw the youth sleeping soundly in the other man’s arms.

His features were truly enchanting. Even though his face was this pale, while sleeping so peacefully, he was still as eye-catching as an immortal or a spirit.

Wan Jingyao couldn’t help but stare for a few more moments, only to hear Wan Shenghan say coldly: “If you feel guilty, then gouge out your own eyes to make amends.”