Sheng Lengshuang arrived, arms crossed, and said coolly, "I apologize, Miss Sima. I don't discuss matters alone with people I'm not familiar with. Most importantly, I have no interest whatsoever in what Miss Sima has to say."
Sima Min was stunned. She hadn't expected Sheng Lengshuang to say such a thing. "Eldest Miss Sheng, this matter concerns you greatly."
"And so what?" Sheng Lengshuang scoffed. "Does the fact that something concerns me mean I'm obligated to know about it?"
Sima Min found it hard to believe what she was hearing. She didn't know how to react. This was something that concerned Sheng Lengshuang; shouldn't she be eager to know? Why would she say this?
"Miss Sima, there is truly nothing for me to discuss with you." With that, Sheng Lengshuang took Mo Lingxi's hand and boarded the carriage.
Mo Lingxi, after helping Xiao Feng into the carriage, heard Sima Min's words.
"Prince Mingrui, the matter I have is related to Eldest Miss Sheng."
Mo Lingxi ignored her and directly entered the carriage.
The carriage then slowly departed.
Sima Min stood frozen, her mind a muddle. She couldn't comprehend why these two were so indifferent and had left so abruptly.
"Miss, in my humble opinion, Eldest Miss Sheng is deliberately playing hard to get, intending to extort you," the maid said disdainfully. "A crude woman raised in the countryside dares to treat you like this. It's truly excessive."
Sima Min lowered her eyes, concealing the malice and calculation within them. She also felt that Sheng Lengshuang was doing this deliberately. This was something that concerned Sheng Lengshuang; she couldn't possibly be indifferent.
The only possibility was that Sheng Lengshuang wanted to extort something from her, which was why she was acting this way.
If Sheng Lengshuang knew Sima Min's thoughts, she would have retorted fiercely.
She glanced at the solicitous Mo Lingxi. "Prince Mingrui, have you ever heard the saying, 'He who offers flattery without reason is either a thief or a traitor'?"
Mo Lingxi massaged her with just the right amount of force, his eyes gentle. "I am indeed offering my solicitousness with a purpose. I wonder what your thoughts are."
Before Sheng Lengshuang could say anything, she heard her son's indignant words.
"Mother, you can't easily forgive Father. Father is so troublesome and so bad..." Xiao Feng's words were cut short as Mo Lingxi covered his mouth.
"Son, how can you slander your father like this?"
Xiao Feng made muffled sounds, looking at Mo Lingxi with extreme dissatisfaction. Clearly, Father was the bad one, but he refused to admit it.
Mo Lingxi felt that in the future, when he interacted with his wife, it would be best if Xiao Feng wasn't present, otherwise, who knew what this child would do.
Sheng Lengshuang watched the father and son's interaction with a smile, enjoying the rare peace.
Suddenly, a commotion arose, drawing Sheng Lengshuang's attention.
She lifted the carriage curtain and poked her head out to look ahead.
She saw several masked figures, swords in hand, hacking at anyone they encountered, causing screams and panic.
"Run! They're killing people!"
"Help! Help! Someone save me!"
Just as Sheng Lengshuang was about to have her hidden guards assist, she suddenly heard the masked figures shouting loudly.
"As long as Sheng Lengshuang is not dead, we will kill people on the streets every day!"
Sheng Lengshuang's heart sank. Before she could do anything, she saw Mo Lingxi, who had appeared before the masked figures at some unknown time, swiftly and ruthlessly dispatching several of them, leaving one alive.
Seeing Mo Lingxi hand the survivor over to the hidden guards, carefully protecting Xiao Feng, she wondered if this was orchestrated by the black hand or a scheme by Zhou Wenxing and others.
"Nine City Military Command, strengthen patrols!" Mo Lingxi stood with his hands behind his back, his face tinged with anger. "Anyone suspicious found will be arrested and thrown into prison. Those who resist will be executed on the spot!"
The survivor cried miserably, some cradling their injured or deceased family members.
"Sheng Lengshuang wants you to die! Go and die! It's all because of you that my family suffered this!"
"Your Highness Prince Mingrui, please execute Sheng Lengshuang! If it weren't for her, this wouldn't have happened!"
"Silence!" Mo Lingxi's stern shout instantly silenced the scene.
Mo Lingxi's imposing presence commanded respect. He narrowed his fierce black eyes. "If Sheng Lengshuang hadn't kindly offered to open a school, would you have had the opportunity to attend? Ungrateful wretches!"
"Enough, why bother with them? Human nature is inherently like this," the calm Sheng Lengshuang signaled him not to say more. "We should be going back."
Mo Lingxi knew she didn't care about this, but he couldn't bear to see her suffer such injustice. He felt immense heartache. "I will handle this matter properly."
With that, he returned to the carriage.
The carriage continued on its way towards the Sheng family's residence.
Sheng Lengshuang ignored the citizens' screams, curses, and cries. She gently patted Xiao Feng, who was unhappy in her arms, and said to Mo Lingxi, "There's no need to argue with these people. It's understandable for them to have such thoughts after what they've been through."
Mo Lingxi took her hand and was about to comfort her when his son pulled his hand away.
"It's Father again!" Xiao Feng sat in Sheng Lengshuang's arms, looking unhappily at Mo Lingxi. "This incident is definitely related to Father again, otherwise Mother wouldn't have suffered like this."
Hearing this, a thought flashed through Mo Lingxi's mind. "Xiao Feng, do you have a prejudice against Father?"
Xiao Feng denied it. "I'm on Mother's side. Everything is secondary to Mother."
Mo Lingxi pondered for a moment and leaned closer to Sheng Lengshuang. "Wife, you must help me. Xiao Feng, for some reason, has a prejudice against me. If this continues, it will affect our family's happiness."
Sheng Lengshuang glanced at him and said unhurriedly, "Look at what Prince Mingrui is saying. You and I have no relationship, so how can there be talk of family happiness?"
Mo Lingxi knew very well that this situation could not continue, or it would truly affect his relationship with his wife.
"Wife, you know best that this is a temporary measure. My body and soul belong only to you, so how could I do anything to betray you?"
Sheng Lengshuang's lips curved upwards. She asked Xiao Feng, "Son, what do you think of Father's words?"
Xiao Feng, like a little adult, propped his chin on his hand. "Mother, Xiao Feng thinks Father's words are very fake. If Father truly devoted himself to Mother, he wouldn't have made Mother so sad and unhappy."
Mo Lingxi: "..." This was truly his good son.
Just as Sheng Lengshuang was about to say something, she saw her son being tossed out by his own father. She immediately exclaimed, "Mo Lingxi, that's your son!"
"Don't worry, wife, the hidden guards will catch him." This leaky little cotton jacket really couldn't be kept.
Sheng Lengshuang lifted the carriage curtain and happened to see the hidden guards catching Xiao Feng. The heavy stone in her heart was lifted.
"Mother, Father is too much. He treated Xiao Feng like this. Xiao Feng was so scared." Xiao Feng's face turned red with anger. "Mother, you must teach Father a good lesson and let Father understand that Xiao Feng is the most, most important person in Mother's heart."