Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times - Chapter 118

Su Changyuan sank heavily into a chair in the front hall, still shaken by what had just happened at the palace. The fear lingered in his heart.

Li Qinglan and Su Yuming hurried into the room. When Li Qinglan saw his pale face, she quickly asked, “Husband, what happened? Why did Her Majesty summon you?”

With trembling hands, Su Changyuan took a sip of tea before he finally spoke. “The Su family was almost finished. The Fifth Princess committed treason and has already been executed. Our family came very close to being placed under house arrest. Her Majesty agreed to let us go only if I divorced Liu Xiang and removed both her and Su Muzhi from the family registry. That’s the only reason we were spared.”

Li Qinglan was confused. “Why would Her Majesty ask for something like that?”

Su Changyuan let out a long sigh. “It’s Shen Xingyue. She doesn’t want Liu Xiang and her daughter to have any more ties to our family. I never cared much for Su Muzhi, but she’s still my daughter. But since Shen Xingyue made the request and brought Her Majesty into it, I had no choice but to agree.”

“At least we’ve managed to protect the Su family,” Li Qinglan murmured, though her eyes welled with tears again. “But what about our Qiu’er? What’s going to happen to her?”

Su Changyuan frowned, clearly annoyed. “You’re barely safe yourself, and you’re still worrying about her? We need to protect ourselves first. Go—both of you—and destroy all the letters you exchanged with Su Muqiu. If they start investigating again, those letters could cost us everything.”

He quickly called for ink and paper and wrote out the formal divorce statement. In it, he released Liu Xiang and stated that she would take Su Muzhi with her. Then, he sent for the clan elder to officially remove their names from the family records. Only after everything was done did Su Changyuan finally feel he could breathe.

While he was still sitting in the front hall, catching his breath, a servant came running in.

“Master! The Grand Princess and the Third Miss have arrived.”

Su Changyuan frowned, then sighed. “Understood.”

Even if he didn’t want to, he had no choice but to greet Shen Xingyue personally. She was favored by the Empress, and right now, he couldn’t afford to offend her.

He took a few deep breaths, forced a smile, and walked outside. From a distance, he bowed and said, “Princess, Princess Consort. I’ve taken care of everything. Here is the divorce letter.”

Shen Xingyue glanced at him and replied with a calm smile. “Lord Su, you’ve acted quickly. In that case, we’ll be taking them with us now.”

“Princess, Princess Consort, I beg you—please speak kindly of us to Her Majesty. I swear our Su family truly knew nothing about what the Fifth Princess was planning,” Su Changyuan pleaded.

“Of course,” Shen Xingyue replied casually. “Don’t worry. Her Majesty is wise. She won’t blame those who are innocent.”

“Well then, we’ll go collect them now. Lord Su, take care,” she added with a light smile, clearly in good spirits.

Shen Xingyue and Su Muyu headed straight to Liu Xiang’s courtyard. Inside the garden, little Zhizhi was playing with several maids and nannies. When she saw them arrive, she came running on her short legs. She hugged Su Muyu’s leg tightly, then let go and ran two more steps to hug Shen Xingyue as well.

“I missed you, Sister,” the little one said sweetly, rubbing her cheek against Shen Xingyue’s leg.

Shen Xingyue picked her up with a laugh. “Did Zhizhi miss both me and your sister? Have you been eating properly?”

“I did! I’ve been eating like a good girl,” the little one said proudly, her round face beaming with joy.

Shen Xingyue chuckled, looking at the girl fondly. With her sister’s child by her side, it felt like there would soon be more little ones in her life.

Just then, Liu Xiang stepped out of her room with a smile. With the help of a few more maids and nannies these days, she was no longer burdened by chores. She had been eating well, and her health had visibly improved.

“Mother, how are you feeling lately?” Su Muyu quickly walked up to her, smiling as she took her hand.

“I’ve been doing well. What about you two?” Liu Xiang asked gently, squeezing her daughter’s hand.

“We’re both fine. We came to bring you and Zhizhi home. You won’t have to come back here again,” Su Muyu said as she looked up at the clear blue sky and let out a long sigh of relief.

Liu Xiang was still a bit confused. “What do you mean, Yu’er?”

Su Muyu gave her a small smile and handed her the divorce letter. “From now on, you and Zhizhi are free. Xingyue has already arranged for you both to stay at the estate outside the capital. There are plenty of rooms, the estate is big, and the scenery is beautiful. Zhizhi will definitely love it there.”

Liu Xiang quickly unfolded the divorce papers and scanned them. When she saw that it also allowed Su Muzhi to leave with her, her eyes immediately turned red with emotion.

“You really got him to agree to this? How did you do it?”

Su Muyu glanced at Shen Xingyue with a smile before replying, “It was Yu’er. She spoke to Her Majesty, and only with Her Majesty’s support did Su Changyuan finally give in.”

“You even brought this to Her Majesty’s attention?” Liu Xiang looked at Shen Xingyue with teary eyes. “Yu’er, we’ve caused you so much trouble again.”

“It’s nothing, Mother,” Shen Xingyue said gently. “The most important thing is that you and Zhizhi can finally leave the Su family. These four maids will continue to take care of you, and there’s a steward at the estate. If you need anything, just let him know directly.”

“I really don’t know how to thank you enough.”

“There’s no need for thanks. We’re family. If there’s anything you want to bring, have the maids pack it. Don’t worry about anything,” Shen Xingyue said with a warm smile, waving Wenyou and the others over to help.

“Alright. I’ll go with Nanny Zheng and see what we should take,” Liu Xiang said, then quickly went to gather her things with the nanny.

Little Zhizhi, full of energy, ran off on her tiny legs to pack up her favorite toys.

Even though Liu Xiang didn’t own anything valuable, she had lived in this small courtyard for a long time and had grown attached to it. Many of the old, worn belongings held memories. She couldn’t bear to leave them behind, so they packed them all to take along.

After a while, Zhizhi ran back, holding onto Su Muyu’s leg.

“Sister, why are we packing everything?” she asked curiously.

Su Muyu picked her up and kissed her soft, chubby cheek. “Because from now on, Zhizhi is free. Whatever you want to do or wherever you want to go, I’ll help you do it. We’re going to a beautiful place, and we’ll never have to live here again. Doesn’t that make you happy?”

“Yes!” the little girl shouted, kicking her legs with excitement.

Shen Xingyue came over, gently pinching her tiny hand, and joined Su Muyu in teasing the little one.

With the help of the Wang Manor’s staff, everything was packed and ready within the hour.

Su Muyu supported her mother, while Shen Xingyue carried the happy little dumpling in her arms. Together, they left the courtyard.

Before leaving, Shen Xingyue asked Wenyou to inform Su Changyuan, offering him a final gesture of courtesy. Then the group boarded the carriage and set off for the estate outside the capital.

Inside the carriage, Zhizhi couldn’t hide her excitement. It was midday, the sun was warm, and she leaned against the window, watching the scenery go by.

“Big Sister Shen, look! So many little birds!”

Shen Xingyue pinched her cheek and asked softly, “Are the little birds cute?”

“They’re so cute! I like birds. I also like cats and dogs,” Zhizhi said, counting on her fingers.

Shen Xingyue laughed. “We have cats and dogs at the estate. If you want, we can raise a few for you to play with.”

“Really? Thank you, Big Sister Shen!” the little girl said sweetly.

Liu Xiang, who hadn’t left the Su household in years, quietly lifted the curtain on her side. Su Muyu helped her pull it open a little more so she could see outside. Liu Xiang’s eyes reddened again as she gazed at the passing landscape, overcome by emotion.

“I haven’t been outside in so many years. Being able to enjoy this view feels really nice,” Liu Xiang said softly as she looked out at the landscape.

“Don’t worry, Mother. Things will only get better from now on,” Su Muyu said with a warm smile.

Back at the Su residence, Concubine Zhou noticed movement in Liu Xiang’s courtyard. She sent someone to secretly check on it a few times. But when she heard that Shen Xingyue and the others were there, she didn’t dare go near and stir up trouble. Only after they had all left did she sneak over with a few older maids.

When she arrived, she saw that the courtyard was completely empty. The doors were still open, but all the daily-use items had been taken. It clearly didn’t look like they were just visiting the Wang Manor for a short stay.

Panicked, she rushed to report to Su Changyuan.

“Master, Liu Xiang and her people are gone. They even took all their things with them. It really doesn’t look like they’re just staying at the Princess’s manor.”

Su Changyuan was still mentally exhausted from his visit to the palace that morning. When he saw Concubine Zhou, he shot her a glare and said, “Forget about Liu Xiang. She has a good daughter who married the Grand Princess, and now she’s under the protection of Her Majesty. You should be more worried about our own Su family. We don’t know how many more people will be dragged into the Fifth Princess’s case.”

“But, Master, are you really going to let the Grand Princess just take them away?” Concubine Zhou asked anxiously.

“Let her?” Su Changyuan scoffed. “I didn’t just let her—I personally wrote the divorce letter. You all had better behave yourselves these next few days. If anyone stirs up trouble now, they could ruin us all. I’m warning you, Shen Xingyue isn’t the same as before. Don’t even think about messing with anyone from Ankang Palace.”

He clenched the teacup in his hand, wanting to throw it to vent his anger, but worried someone might overhear. He swallowed his frustration and gently set the cup back down.

Meanwhile, Shen Xingyue and the others had arrived at the estate just outside the capital. The land was wide and open, surrounded by hills and streams, and filled with rows of fruit trees. Zhizhi looked around in wonder and excitement, then took off running with her little legs.

“Zhizhi, slow down! Wait for us!” Liu Xiang called out, smiling as she watched her youngest daughter run ahead.

“Come quickly, Mama! I see a little sheep over there!” the child shouted with joy, running even faster. It was her first time seeing a live sheep up close.

But the sheep was actually much bigger than she expected. Shen Xingyue was afraid the animal might scare or bump into the little girl, so she quickly walked over and scooped her up into her arms.

“I’ll carry you so we can see it together,” she said gently.

The farmer in charge of tending the sheep saw them and quickly stepped forward to greet her.

“Greetings, Grand Princess,” he said respectfully, bowing.

“There’s no need for formalities,” Shen Xingyue replied with a smile. “I’m just bringing my little sister over to see the sheep. She’s still young and hasn’t seen one in person before.”

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