Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times (GL) - Chapter 24

“Benevolence and righteousness? What a laughable display from the Su family. Always preaching about morals and virtue, yet engaging in the filthiest of schemes,” Shen Xingyue said coldly, her gaze fixed on Su Muqiu with a chilling indifference. “Su Muqiu didn’t want to marry and that’s her choice—but she pushed all the blame and scandal onto the most innocent one, Su Muyu. In this matter, Su Muyu is the most blameless, the most passive. It was you and your father who forced her into marrying into the Prince’s manor.”

Su Muxue panicked immediately. She wasn’t truly defending Su Muqiu—she was simply worried that Shen Xingyue’s sharp words would ruin the Su family’s reputation. If that happened, what man of status in the capital would still consider marrying her?

So Su Muxue turned her anger toward Su Muyu instead. She was used to being arrogant in the Su household, and Su Muyu had long been the target of her verbal abuse. Almost instinctively, she pointed a finger at Su Muyu.

“You filthy wretch, how shameless can you be? Did you slander our elder sister in front of Her Ladyship? She’s such a kind person, and you, you vile creature, twisted things to poison Her Ladyship’s mind—you’re a heartless, despicable snake!”

Smack!
A crisp slap rang through the air, silencing everyone around them.

Su Muyu was stunned. She had expected things to unfold as they always had—Su Muxue and Su Muqiu mocking and insulting her while no one stood up for her. She had lived her whole life like this, never once protected, never once defended. She even braced herself, expecting Shen Xingyue to explode in anger and order her to kneel in punishment. But instead of scolding, Shen Xingyue stepped in front of her, shielding her completely. Not only did she stop Su Muxue’s verbal assault—she slapped her in return.

Su Muxue was caught entirely off guard. Never in her wildest imagination had she thought Shen Xingyue would strike her. Enraged and humiliated, she screamed, “Su Muyu, you wretched whore! You seduced Her Ladyship and even made her hit me! Just you wait—I’ll kill you!”

She lunged forward, trying to grab Su Muyu from behind Shen Xingyue.

But Shen Xingyue grabbed Su Muxue by the wrist and threw her to the ground, yelling toward her guard, Ziyi, “What are you waiting for? Restrain this lunatic!”

Several guards rushed over and twisted Su Muxue’s arms behind her back, holding her in place.

Su Muqiu hadn’t expected things to escalate like this. She certainly hadn’t expected Shen Xingyue to turn on her so mercilessly. But she quickly rationalized it—Shen Xingyue must still be upset with her. Tearfully, she pleaded, “Your Ladyship, please don’t take your anger toward me out on the entire Su family. The rest are innocent. I did nothing wrong today—I only wanted to ask Your Ladyship to treat my third sister, Su Muyu, kindly. I don’t understand why you’re suddenly angry, but I beg you to show us mercy.”

Shen Xingyue sneered, staring straight at Su Muqiu. Her gaze made Su Muqiu’s back go cold. She suddenly realized that Shen Xingyue had changed—she wasn’t the same person anymore. She had grown sharper, smarter.

“Innocent? Of everyone in the Su family, you’re the most vile. None of this would have happened today if you and that foul-mouthed sister of yours hadn’t come here uninvited to stir up trouble. Yu’er is my wife. Of course I’ll treat her well. Do I need you to come pretending to play the kind sister? If you were truly kind, would you have thrown your own sister into a pit of fire?”

Su Muqiu tried to speak again, but Shen Xingyue cut her off.

“And don’t even talk to me about innocence. The Su family is anything but. You all act like saints while hiding your filth. Yu’er and I were simply enjoying the plum blossoms when you disgusting lot came barging in, ruining the moment.”

“No, it’s not like that! Your Ladyship, please listen—I swear you’ve been deceived by that lowborn whore!” Su Muxue shouted hysterically. “She wrote a letter to her maidservant of a mother, filled with lies. Every word meant to manipulate you!”

With a sudden burst of strength, Su Muxue managed to shake off one of the guards, pulled a letter from her sleeve, and held it up.

Upon seeing the letter, Su Muyu’s eyes turned red with emotion. She instinctively grabbed onto Shen Xingyue’s sleeve. “That’s a letter I wrote to my mother. How did you get it? What have you done to her?”

“What do you think we did? You convinced Her Ladyship to give your mother all those gifts from the manor. But I took this letter—so I could expose your two-faced lies!” Su Muxue screamed, her voice hoarse. “You disgust me!”

Su Muqiu glanced around and saw that everyone was watching them with scorn and amusement. A wave of regret swept over her. If she had known things would end in such public humiliation, she would never have come to speak with Shen Xingyue.

Seeing that Su Muxue was about to continue making a scene, Su Muqiu quickly snapped, “Muxue, that’s enough! The letter is a private matter of the Su family. Don’t let outsiders laugh at us anymore!”

“I don’t care! Today, I want everyone to see Su Muyu’s disgusting face for what it really is!” Su Muxue screamed. “In her letter, she wrote that Your Ladyship treats her with deep affection, that the royal physician was instructed to help her recover her health, and that everyone in the manor is kind to her. That’s impossible! Everyone in the capital knows that Your Ladyship loathes her—wishes her dead, even!”

The more she spoke, the more agitated she became.

Shen Xingyue shot a glance at the guards restraining Su Muxue. They immediately understood and moved to hold her firmly once more.

She then bent down, picked up the letter from the ground, gently shook off the snow, and handed it back to Su Muyu. Turning to Su Muxue, she gave a cold chuckle and said, “Everything Yu’er wrote in her letter is the truth. Besides, these are private matters between us in our own bedchamber. And yet, you—a young, unmarried girl—seem to have a fascination with other people’s bedroom affairs. Is this the kind of upbringing the Su family instills? Thankfully, Yu’er hasn’t been led astray by people as twisted as you.”

“You’re lying! That’s impossible! You clearly loved my elder sister!” Su Muxue barked back stubbornly.

Shen Xingyue sneered. “Trees are dead, but people are alive. People change. The person I used to be—well, he must’ve been blind to have fallen for someone like your sister, with her false modesty and calculating heart. But now I’ve seen the light. What’s the problem with that?”

“You… you… how could this be possible?” Su Muxue still couldn’t accept it. She sank to her knees in the snow, trying to crawl toward Su Muqiu for help. Su Muqiu wished nothing more than to disown her disgraceful sister—but at that moment, she couldn’t make that move. If she did, wouldn’t that be admitting everything Shen Xingyue had said was true?

“Why wouldn’t it be possible?” Shen Xingyue’s voice grew sharper. “Su Muxue, Su Muyu is now my Princess Consort. Today, you insulted her—a subject slandering her superior. And your Su family had the audacity to swap the bride and send a different daughter to marry into the royal house. Does the Su family think so little of the imperial family?”

Her words weren’t loud, but they carried immense weight. The nearby nobles and young heirs who had gathered to watch immediately lowered their heads, afraid Shen Xingyue might group them among those who had no respect for royalty.

Hearing this, Su Muqiu felt a chill down her spine and quickly knelt to plead, “Your Ladyship, please don’t be so severe. It’s true—our Su family was at fault in the earlier matter. Muxue is still young and ignorant, and she offended the Princess Consort. We’re ready to accept your punishment. But to say we disrespect the imperial family—that, Your Ladyship, we could never bear.”

Su Muxue was stunned as well. Her arms ached from being pinned behind her, her knees were soaked and numb from the snow. She had only wanted to see Su Muyu humiliated—how did she end up becoming the one disgraced instead?

“Oh? Since the Su family failed to teach Su Muxue proper manners, then I, as a noblewoman, will take on the unpleasant task of teaching her. That way, she won’t dare overstep her bounds again,” Shen Xingyue said coldly, then looked to Wenyu, her loyal retainer.

Wenyu immediately understood. He had long realized that, in Her Ladyship’s eyes, only the Princess Consort mattered now. Anyone who opposed the Princess Consort was challenging the entire royal household—and should be dealt with swiftly. He signaled to one of the sturdy, broad-shouldered matrons accompanying them, and the woman stepped forward and began to slap Su Muxue across the face.

Smack! Smack!

The sharp slaps echoed through the plum garden, accompanied by Su Muxue’s cries.

Shen Xingyue said coolly, “We’ll stop when you truly realize your wrongdoing.”

There were two reasons for her actions. First, to remind these young aristocrats that though the original Shen Xingyue may have been reckless, she was still a princess of the bl00d. Status and hierarchy mattered—no one should dare treat the Ankang royal house lightly. Second, to make it clear that Su Muyu was not some neglected concubine, as the rumors claimed. Even if Shen Xingyue wasn’t present at future gatherings, no one would dare look down on Su Muyu again.

“Stop—please stop! I won’t do it again! I truly won’t!” Su Muxue finally broke down after more than twenty slaps, sobbing and begging for mercy.

Shen Xingyue raised a hand, signaling the matron to stop. Her expression remained cold as she stared at Su Muxue. “Do you admit your wrongdoing now?”

“I—I do. I truly know I was wrong. Please, Your Ladyship, show mercy. I won’t ever do it again,” Su Muxue choked out between sobs. She even knocked her head against the ground in a desperate plea. Her face burned with pain. That matron had great strength—Su Muxue genuinely feared she might be disfigured.

“Begging me is useless,” Shen Xingyue said calmly. “Only if the Princess Consort is willing to forgive you will I let this go.”

Her demeanor was worlds apart from the foolish, frivolous noblewoman of the past. Even the onlookers began to feel a sense of awe toward her.

Su Muxue’s gaze turned venomous, but in the end, she swallowed her pride. Through tears, she pleaded with Su Muyu, “It was my fault. I misspoke. Please, Your Highness, be merciful. Don’t stoop to my level—I truly know I was wrong and will never do it again.”

Su Muyu had always expected to be the one kneeling on the ground, humiliated. Yet now, it was Su Muqiu and Su Muxue on their knees, with Su Muxue begging her for forgiveness. Su Muyu couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of relief. She had thought her days of peace were over—but Shen Xingyue had actually stood up for her.

It left her with mixed feelings. Back in the Su household, only her mother would defend her when she was punished. In the royal manor, she had always endured things alone. No one had ever stood in front of her like this—not until Shen Xingyue. But then, why had she treated her so cruelly before? Even if Shen Xingyue had helped her this time, it would be difficult for Su Muyu to fully trust her again.

She looked at Su Muxue and said coldly, “Since Fourth Sister has begged so earnestly, I’ll show mercy this once.”

Then she turned to Shen Xingyue and said, “Your Ladyship—perhaps, on my account, we could let them off this time?”

Shen Xingyue’s tone immediately softened. “Very well—since you ask, we’ll do it your way.”

She then shot one last glare at Su Muxue and Su Muqiu.

In the distance, Princess Shen Yijia, the Fifth Princess, hurried over. She had heard something was happening in the plum garden and assumed Shen Xingyue was up to her usual antics. But upon arriving and seeing the scene before her, even she was momentarily stunned.

Weren’t those the two women rumored to be Shen Xingyue’s unattainable loves—now kneeling in the snow?