I won't be a prince's concubine; I'll cook delicious food and raise two villainous cu

Shen Yu deliberately ran a long way to the riverbank, trying to avoid the gossip in town, but the rumors seemed to have legs and spread faster than she could.

Holding Ya'er's little hand, she was squatting by the river watching the little fish wag their tails when she heard the sound of a group of idle men cracking peanuts. Accompanied by their excited and spittle-flecked voices, they were talking about the earth-shattering event that had just happened down below Mingyue Tower.

"You didn't see it! That swordsman in black jumped down from the second floor with a light touch of his toes, landing as steadily as if he were nailed to the ground, without making a sound!" A rough man slapped his thigh, gesturing excitedly.

"And that precious sword at his waist, the moment he drew it from its sheath, those lackeys of the Li family were so scared their legs trembled, and they all covered their mouths, not daring to utter a sound! Guess why? They were afraid that if they said another word, they would be hacked to pieces! Hahaha..." Another man laughed so hard he almost fell over, causing the people around him to join in the laughter.

"I heard that the Li family's servants originally went after a pretty girl who sells mushrooms, but they ran into a brick wall. Now another group of servants have been beaten and are lying on the ground groaning. Master Li was so angry at home that he rolled his eyes and fainted on the spot. Doctors from Renxintang were rushed to save his life!" Someone whispered, but couldn't hide their excitement as they revealed the news.

"What kind of extraordinary person lives in this Mingyue Tower? They even dare to mess with the Li family, the local tyrants in our town. Aren't they afraid of retaliation?" someone muttered with a puzzled look on their face.

"Who cares who he is! Making that old bastard so angry is a relief for us bullied people!" An old man spat, his face full of satisfaction.

"That's right! That Master Li usually acts like a bully, and even the manager of Mingyue Tower doesn't dare to provoke him. Yet he went and provoked the experts in the tower. In my opinion, he deserves it. I wonder if he will dare to be arrogant again after suffering this loss!" The person next to him chimed in, his tone full of sarcasm.

Shen Yu listened to these words and quietly shook her head, but she knew the whole story.

Bai Yi and Bai Er, who were by Li Xinyu's side, were not ordinary guards. They were handpicked close bodyguards with superb skills. If they were not top-notch, they would not have been able to serve by Prince Yu's side.

In their eyes, the Li family's country servants, who only knew how to bully others, were no different from ants on the ground; crushing them was just a matter of snapping their fingers.

When the appointed time arrived, Shen Yu, holding Ya'er's hand, waited for Li Erlang under the old locust tree outside the study.

She watched Li Erlang walk out of the bookstore, his eyes filled with reluctance to leave the books, yet his steps were brisk, and his hands were empty, having bought nothing. Shen Yu wondered to herself: Did none of the books here meet his standards, or did he not have enough money to buy the books he wanted?

Just as she was about to call out to him, four teenagers, each with a fierce and menacing look, suddenly rushed out of the study.

"Hey! You poor bastard, I'm talking to you, stop right there!" the leader of the group shouted, his tone full of disdain.

The four boys immediately surrounded him, trapping Li Erlang in the middle and staring at him menacingly.

"What do you want?" Li Erlang clenched his fists, his face expressionless, but his eyes were as cold as ice as he stared straight at them.

"What do you want? I just don't like the look of you! Dressed in rags, with patches upon patches on your clothes, you still dare to come to the school to pretend to be cultured? Don't you even take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror!" A boy sneered, his tone extremely sarcastic.

"A poor wretch is a poor wretch, that's his fate. Don't delude yourself into thinking you can rise to the top overnight and change your destiny by reading a few books! Just be a poor wretch and be a poor wretch!" The leader of the group crossed his arms and mocked with a face full of disdain.

The young man leading the group was dressed in a bright red silk robe and wore a crown inlaid with pearls and jade. He exuded an air of wealth and was the spitting image of a spoiled rich young master.

His companions surrounded him, flattering him and joining in verbally abusing Li Erlang.

"Haha, look at him, his eyes are wide with anger, he looks so ridiculous, he dares not say anything!" A boy pointed at Li Erlang and laughed loudly.

"What can he do? Our young master is the son of the richest man in town, Li. If he dares to lay a hand on him, he's probably asking for trouble!" another boy shouted arrogantly, taking advantage of his brother's position.

"Why not just beat him up and teach him a lesson!" someone suggested, their eyes full of malice.

"Go pick up a stone, and I'll smash it a few times!" the leader, Young Master Li, ordered arrogantly.

The four boys were rubbing their hands together, ready to fight, when suddenly a clear voice rose in the distance: "Young Master Li! I heard your father collapsed at home, unconscious, and I'm afraid he's not going to make it!"

"Aren't you going home right away? If you're too late, you might not even get to see them one last time!"

"Moreover, an unfilial son cannot participate in the imperial examinations. If you didn't even get to see your father one last time, you can forget about ever taking the imperial examinations again!"

"You! You're talking nonsense!" Upon hearing this, Li Xiaolang's face turned as white as paper. He hurriedly turned his head to look around and soon spotted Shen Yu in the crowd.

At this moment, Shen Yu had deliberately disguised herself as a short, bearded young man, holding Ya'er's hand as she stood to the side. Young Master Li, enraged, raised his fist, ready to rush over and teach her a lesson.

Li Erlang, who had been silent and patient all along, suddenly moved. He stepped forward and blocked Shen Yu's path, shoving Li Xiaolangjun to the ground.

"You! You dare push me! Hit me! Hit me to death!" Li Xiaolang fell to the ground, wincing in pain, and pointed at Li Erlang, shouting angrily.

Shen Yu immediately rushed forward and pulled Li Erlang behind her, shielding him completely.

"Who dares to touch him!" she shouted sternly, deliberately puffing out her chest and putting on a fearless and bold appearance, but inside she was already in a complete panic.

She only wanted to stay far away from the Li family, but she ended up offending Master Li first and now his son. This is really a big problem.

I'm afraid I'll never be able to come to this town again!

On your way home today, be careful to hide your tracks and avoid being spotted by the Li family.

Fortunately, all three of them were unfamiliar faces, so no one should be able to recognize them...

Shen Yu glared at him, her fierce demeanor resembling that of a mother wolf protecting her cubs.

Her fierce gaze actually intimidated the three teenagers. Just then, the Li family's servants rushed over in a panic.

"Young master! Young master! Come home with us quickly, the master has really fainted..." the servant shouted breathlessly.

Only then did Li Xiaolang realize that what he had just said was actually true!

He screamed "Ah!" in fright and scrambled to his feet. With the help of the servants, his legs were so weak he could barely stand. He hurriedly tried to get home.

But after taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped. He wanted to turn around and say something harsh, but he found that Shen Yu and the others had already disappeared from his sight.

Li Xiaolangjun was so angry that his teeth were clenched so tightly they were practically grinding. He secretly vowed that if he ever encountered them again, he would definitely take his revenge!

Young Master Li stumbled and staggered all the way home. As soon as he entered the door, he knelt down with a thud and burst into tears, wailing, "Father—Father, what will I do if you leave?—Father, don't die, I don't want you to die—"

His crying, ironically, woke up the unconscious Master Li. Master Li propped himself up, pounded the bed, and gasped, "You little beast! You've gone too far! You actually want me dead? I'm still alive, not dead yet!"

Finally, the terrified young man Li was locked in the ancestral hall by Master Li and forced to kneel and reflect on his actions for half a month.

On the other side, Shen Yu, along with Li Erlang and Ya'er, successfully met with Old Man Wu.

She took out half a pound of mushrooms that she had prepared beforehand and handed them to Old Man Wu. She then took out twenty coins and said, "Grandpa, please accept these mushrooms and these twenty coins for the carriage fare. Please don't think it's too little."

Old Wu circled around Shen Yu, looking her up and down from all angles, making Shen Yu's cheeks flush and her whole body feel uncomfortable.

She raised her hand to wipe the soot off her chin, lowered her head and remained silent, but Old Wu suddenly burst into laughter.

"So, the whole thing that's been making headlines in town was your doing, little girl? You actually came up with such a brilliant idea! Amazing! Brilliant! Haha..."

Faced with Old Wu's praise, Shen Yu dared not respond and quickly waved her hand.

She helped Li Erlang and Ya'er climb onto the donkey cart and anxiously said to Old Man Wu, "Grandpa, only you know the whole story, you must keep it a secret for me!"

Shen Yu knew that Old Wu loved to drink liquor, and she was afraid that he would drink too much in town and let the secret slip.

Old Wu stroked his beard and said in a pretentious tone, "Keeping this a secret isn't difficult for me, but how do you plan to thank me?"

Shen Yu blinked, looking completely innocent. "What do you want? I really don't have anything valuable on me."

She spread her hands, making up her mind that she could not spend a single penny of the silver in her arms; she had to save it.

Moreover, she felt that bribing the old man with money might not be enough to keep him quiet.

Old Wu glared at her, thinking to himself: This little girl is quite cunning!

Want to shut him up, but don't want to pay the price?

However, this girl is indeed quite capable, managing to turn the town upside down.

Old Wu flicked the reins and said, "Let me think about it! Get in the carriage first!"

The donkey cart slowly made its way back to the village, its wheels rolling over the dirt road.

As the sun gradually set, its orange-red afterglow spilled onto the donkey cart. Ya'er lay on Shen Yu's lap, sleeping soundly, her little mouth slightly pouting.

Shen Yu turned to look at Li Erlang beside her. He had been silent ever since they came out of the bookstore, without saying a word.

Shen Yu pondered that perhaps the foul language used by the Li family boy at the study today had hurt the pride of this proud young scholar.