The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 63 Fool
"No." Shang Mingshu refused coldly without even raising her eyelids.

Shang Mingshu sent people to follow Mu Mian secretly, wanting to see who would lose control and attack Mu Mian.

She guessed that Shi Houqiong wouldn't do that, as she was afraid that she would use the cotton tree as bait. However, Shi Qingyu was a sinister and vicious person. He couldn't touch Shang Mingshu, not even the person who had ruined their plan. Shi Qingyu would go crazy.

After enduring for two days, I finally couldn't bear it anymore.

She sent people to capture him alive, but failed, so the other party could only put up a desperate resistance.

"Throw the body in front of the Shi family's doorstep, and be careful." Shang Mingshu ordered.

"Yes." The people in the darkness came and went quickly.

The carriage continued to move forward slowly. Soon, Mu Mian caught up with it. She did not continue to chase it, but just knelt down and kowtowed devoutly in the direction of the carriage.

She knew she was safe.

She also knew that Shang Mingshu was not trying to save her on purpose, but just wanted to kill the enemy from her. In any case, she would benefit.

After this, the other party will confirm that Shang Mingshu did send people to follow her, waiting for them to fall into the trap, and they will not take action again.

"My wife, sometimes you are just like the Second Lady, hard on the outside but soft on the inside." He Sui sighed softly.

"I am trying to attack Shi Qingyu." Shang Mingshu explained.

"Yes, yes, it's not because my lady can't turn a blind eye to an innocent life." He Sui smiled and nodded in agreement, then turned distressed, "It's just that if my lady sends the person back to the Shi family, they will be doubly vigilant."

"We want them to be like frightened birds, constantly suspecting that I'm secretly watching them." Shang Mingshu sneered, "When they become unbridled after a long period of tension, that will be the perfect time for us to strike."

The people of the Shi family are used to being unrestrained. Apart from Shi Houqiong, how many of them can stand being restrained?
Just wait, it won’t be long before she can make Shi Houqiong pay the price for framing her family!
When Shang Mingshu returned home, Shang Jinliang paced back and forth in front of the screen wall with his hands behind his back.

Seeing his daughter walk through the gate, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he remembered the reason why his daughter stayed in the Cheng Mansion. In his heart, he sighed that Shang Mingshu had given up Xu Tianxing for Cheng Mian, but he still said a few words of concern: "Is Cheng Sanlang okay? Did the imperial examination go well?"

"It seems fine." Shang Mingshu only answered the first question. There were two more examinations, but she didn't mention a word. However, from Cheng Mian's expression, it was not difficult to guess that he should have performed well.

Shang Jinliang opened his mouth, and finally let out a long sigh: "Settle it down sooner."

"The master has been sighing all day long since his wife rejected the magistrate's wife." He Mai looked at Shang Jinliang who was walking away, and his frustration could be seen from his back.

Shang Mingshu didn't care. She could understand Shang Jinliang's regret and discomfort. As long as Shang Jinliang didn't force her, it would be fine.

In order to let Cheng Mian eat better, Shang Mingshu got up before dawn to prepare food. Many of the food was just left to be prepared at the last minute, and Hemu was asked to deliver it before dawn.

Three days passed in a flash. Shang Mingshu went to look for Madam Cheng as usual, but this time Cheng Mian did not show up. It was Cheng Qin who showed up with an apologetic smile: "Madam San, my second brother took my third brother to visit an elder. I kept you waiting in vain."

Shang Mingshu stared at Cheng Qin for a long time, rather impolitely. His smile was as gentle as ever. She lowered her eyes and said, "Third brother, I'm relieved that you're okay."

"My lady, please ask me..." He Sui didn't believe it. It was really because Cheng Mian cared too much about Shang Mingshu. If he knew that Shang Mingshu was waiting for him in the mansion, his heart would have flown over long ago.

Of course, there were some favors that had to be turned down, but Cheng Qin should have told Shang Mingshu about this long ago and would never have let her wait here until dusk.

So what if she found out? This must be Cheng Mian's intention. Ever since she persuaded Cheng Mian to take the exam again three years later and failed, Shang Mingshu knew that Cheng Mian had made up his mind and no one could change it.

"As usual, ask Hemu to deliver food tomorrow."

That night, Shang Mingshu suffered from insomnia, which was rare. She tossed and turned, half awake and half asleep. She slept for a while before getting up and carefully preparing food.

After delivering the things, she was very tired but not sleepy at all. She was waiting for Hemu to come back and reply.

"My lady, I met Mr. Cheng San. He looked a little pale. I think he looked like most scholars who had taken two exams. By the way, Mr. Cheng has a letter for me to take back to you." Hemu took out a letter and handed it over breathlessly.

Cheng Mian saw that the man was as refined and elegant as jade and bamboo, but he never thought that his handwriting was inconsistent with his personality. It was vigorous and powerful, with the brush pen penetrating through the back of the paper, and it was sharp and imposing.

The letter said that an elder of his passed by the city yesterday, so he had to go to the post station with his brother to pay him a visit. He regretted not meeting her. He then asked her not to go to Cheng Mansion in three days. He had taken three consecutive exams and was really tired. He didn't want Shang Mingshu to see him in an unkempt state.

Shang Mingshu sat beside the beauty in the waterside pavilion, and tapped the polished ebony railing lightly with her hand holding the letter.

She closed her eyes and whispered two words after a long time: "Fool."

She knew that Cheng Mian must be in a bad condition.

He blocked the knife for her. The wound was neither deep nor shallow. It was not an ordinary flesh wound. He just needed to rest for one day before entering the examination hall. There was no way to carry medicine in the examination hall, and there was not even a place to sleep.

I had to concentrate on answering the exam questions, and also endure the pain from my wounds and the mosquito bites at night...

Cheng Mian did enter the examination room with a high fever. His wound became festered after the first exam. After the second exam, he fell headfirst into Cheng She's arms as he walked out of the examination room. He was in a daze but still tried to maintain a bit of clarity, begging Cheng She not to take him home and not to let Shang Mingshu see him.

Since Cheng She didn't agree, he kept holding on until Cheng She nodded, and then he fainted.

The Cheng residence was in a state of chaos the entire night. Doctor Pu tried every means to wake Cheng Mian up but failed. Cheng She even invited all the doctors in the city into the residence.

Everyone thought that Cheng Mian would miss the third exam, but he woke up inexplicably early in the morning. His strong will shocked several doctors. He took advantage of the fact that Cheng Qin and Cheng She were not able to react, dressed neatly and rushed to the examination room alone.

As soon as he entered the examination number, he almost fainted. He bit the tip of his tongue to stimulate himself with the pain. If he fainted at this moment, he would be sent back to the examination room. He finally held on until he got the examination questions.

In this exam on current affairs, he could hardly see the questions clearly. He broke a brush and used the broken end to grind his thigh as an inkstone. Blood seeped out, but he ignored his burning cheeks.

Review the topic, conceive the idea, grind the ink, and start writing.

His whole body was burning, even his breathing was hot, but his mind was unusually clear. His limbs began to feel cold, and whenever his vision began to blur, he would rub his bloody thighs.

Until the last word fell, he forced himself to hand the test paper to the examiner, and then he allowed the last bit of clarity he had been trying to hold on to to be swallowed up and fell down.

"Madam, the Cheng family said that the third master fainted from exhaustion after leaving the examination room. He hasn't woken up yet, but the doctor said that he will be fine if he has a good sleep." The day after the imperial examination, Shang Mingshu sent He Sui to the Cheng family to inquire.

(End of this chapter)