From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

"It's her!"

When they saw the faces behind the masks, both Zhe Liu and Chen Shi were greatly surprised.

She is not the second wife.

But this person was also from the Jing'an Marquis's household, and of equally high status. She appeared to be in her thirties, with sharp features—she was none other than the First Madam!

How could this happen?

Chen Shi was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized what was happening.

Yes, the reason he thought it was the second wife was because he saw the piece of cloth at the second wife's place.

The old woman made it clear that it was a gift from the palace, and ordinary people didn't receive it.

Chen Shi was thus further convinced that the person behind the snake mask was the Second Madam.

But the First Madam was clearly not an ordinary person.

In fact, since it was a gift from the palace, there was no reason to give it only to the second wife; all three wives of the Marquis of Jing'an should have received it.

The second wife, a devout Buddhist, disliked luxury, and the cloth was immediately stored away in the storeroom. The first wife, on the other hand, had it cut up and made into a garment, which she then wore.

After figuring this out, Chen Shi realized that he had been careless and had mistaken the target.

However, since the other party turned out to be the First Madam, it wasn't a complete waste of effort.

"Damn it!"

The First Madam cursed and hurriedly covered her face with her sleeve.

Then, he used his movement technique, like a snake or python skimming the ground, and suddenly shot into the distance.

She wants to escape.

Zhe Liu looked at Chen Shi, who shook his head slightly.

The First Madam is extremely fast; if she's determined to escape, the two of them might not be able to catch her. The key question is, even if they do catch her, what will they do next?

Kill the First Madam? What good would that do Chen Shi?

Moreover, she was, after all, the eldest wife of the Marquis of Jing'an's family, and the Marquis's family would definitely investigate the cause of her death, which would be a huge problem for Chen Shi.

Since that's the case, we might as well let the First Madam go for now.

Anyway, we already know her identity.

Immediately afterwards, the two left, just like the previous two times, and found a secluded place to wait.

"What do you plan to do about it?"

Remove the mask and ask Zhe Liu a question.

"have no idea."

Chen Shi frowned and said something after a long while.

According to his original plan, whether he wanted to expose the Second Madam's identity to get closer to her or to use her as leverage or a threat, he needed to rely on the Second Madam as a powerful figure to deal with Gu Chengze.

But to my surprise, the other party turned out to be the First Madam.

Although they are both ladies and have equal status in the Marquis's mansion, the difference lies in their prefixes.

When Chen Shi was preparing to find another patron, he had already screened his options, and his targets were only a few.

The First Lady was not among them.

He is from the second wife's side, while the first wife is the matriarch of the first wife's family. If Chen Shi were to switch allegiance to the first wife, he would be betraying his master.

No one can tolerate a servant who betrays his master. At that time, not only Gu Chengze, but even Xiao Fengxiao, who is the second wife, will probably not let him off the hook.

That would be a losing proposition.

Since we can't rely on the First Madam, what's the point of exposing her?

The First Madam holds a prestigious position, and knowing her secrets is like having leverage over her; it will definitely be useful. However, the matter arose suddenly, and Chen Shi needs to think carefully about how to proceed.

That's why he said he didn't know.

Although things went somewhat awry after the matter was completed, it wasn't without its gains.

After daybreak, Chen Shi and Zhe Liu entered the city.

Chen Shi returned directly to the Marquis's residence, while Zhe Liu, as usual, disappeared into the crowd once again.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

"So it was him."

In a private room on the second floor of Wanxing Restaurant, Chen Shi frowned slightly after hearing the news brought by Wu Gang.

Last night, the authorities captured the escaped leader of the Duanhunling mountain stronghold. Wu Gang personally interrogated him, and after severe torture, the leader confessed that it was Gu Chenglie who ordered him to steal the batch of medicinal herbs.

Otherwise, even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to rob the Jing'an Marquis's mansion.

"That's right."

Chen Shi nodded, not particularly surprised.

Being in charge of purchasing medicinal herbs is a lucrative position, coveted by countless people throughout the Marquis's household and even the Gu family clan.

After the medicinal herbs were stolen last month, Chen Shi investigated from all sides to find out who coveted the position and to figure out who was secretly sabotaging him. It was then that he learned that the previous manager was actually Gu Chenglie's man!

Yes, such a lucrative position, how could one possibly hold onto it without a powerful backer?

Now that Wu Gang is telling him that Gu Chenglie ordered the bandits to steal the medicinal herbs, it makes perfect sense.

Although the patriarch declared that Ah Qing's matter was over, Gu Chenglie harbored resentment.

As fate would have it, Chen Shi snatched another job from his subordinate. Putting aside the benefits of tens of thousands of taels of silver every year, how could Gu Chenglie possibly let it go so easily, just for the sake of saving face?

"Since that's the case..."

But if Gu Chenglie directly ordered the bandits of Duanhunling, why would the First Madam be there? And why would she appear as a member of the Fufeng Society?

Could it be that the First Madam has another mission?

The specifics of the mission should become clear once the chief is interrogated further.

But the sudden and unusual mention of the Fufeng Association inevitably arouses suspicion.

Chen Shi thought about it and decided it was better to avoid trouble.

After all, now that he already knew that the First Madam was a member of the Fufeng Society, it no longer mattered what she was doing in Duanhun Territory.

After drinking with Wu Gang, on the way back to the Marquis's residence, Chen Shi's face was gloomy.

What he's really worried about now is how Gu Chengze and Xiao Fengxiao will deal with the situation as time goes by and the 'injury' is almost healed.

"Manager! You...you're back."

As he pondered this, he returned to his duty room. Just as he reached the door, Dongqing hurriedly came out to greet him.

He secretly winked at Chen Shi, but just as he was about to say something, he swallowed it back.

Chen Shi looked up and saw an unfamiliar servant standing at the door.

After a slight hesitation, he stepped into the duty room.

The seat that originally belonged to him was now occupied by a young man, none other than Gu Chenglie.

really.

In fact, Chen Shi already understood what Dong Qing meant: he was telling him not to come in.

But if he doesn't come in, wouldn't he implicate Dongqing, who secretly reported the news?

Most importantly, you can't escape what you can't avoid; what you have to face will eventually come.

"Greetings, Third Master."

Chen Shi stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and maintained a respectful yet humble expression.

"You dog of a servant, are your knees so hard? You don't even know how to kneel and kowtow before your master!"

Gu Chenglie sat there casually and immediately began to rebuke.

"Third Master, you may have forgotten, but while I am indeed a servant in this manor, I am also a ninth-rank martial artist certified by the imperial court, and I have the privilege of not kneeling before officials."

Chen Shi replied, straightening his posture.

If one does not kneel before an official, how much less should one kneel before others?

Even though Chen Shi was still a slave, as a warrior, no one could make him kneel unless Heaven, Earth, the Sovereign, his teacher, or his parents did not want to!

Ultimately, he's from the second wife's family, so why should he be afraid of the first wife's family?

"A mere ninth-rank martial artist dares to be so arrogant; he is truly a vicious dog raised by Xiao Fengxiao."

Gu Chenglie snorted coldly, took a box from the servant next to him, and threw it directly at Chen Shi's feet.

With a clatter, the lid of the box fell off, and a handful of ginseng roots fell out.

"You dog of a lackey! Is this the job you've done?! I ordered top-grade wild ginseng, and you dared to try and fool me with a few ginseng rootlets! Tell me, did you embezzle some of it?!"

"Third Master is joking."

Chen Shi picked up the ginseng rootlets, examined them, and calmly snorted.

"Whether it's ordinary medicinal herbs delivered to the medicine shop or precious tonics delivered directly to each courtyard, everything is recorded here, and the other party must sign and affix their seal during the handover. If you have any questions, Third Master, just check the register."

"What are you investigating! Do you think I would deliberately frame you, you lackey!"

Enraged, Gu Chenglie swept everything off the table.

"How could Third Master do such a despicable thing? Perhaps he has misremembered."

Chen Shi stood still, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"you……"

Gu Chenglie froze for a moment, his face growing increasingly gloomy as he looked at Chen Shi.

Unable to find fault, and unable to do anything about it for the time being, he suddenly let out a cold snort, got up, and left.

"You sly lackey, don't be so smug. I have plenty of ways to deal with you!"

As he reached the door, Gu Chenglie said something in a somber tone.

"See Third Master off."

Chen Shi shouted, his brows furrowing as he watched Gu Chenglie's departing figure.

That bastard is probably up to something again.