Chapter 5: Upbringing (Revised)

Baoqin had no idea that the current mistress of the Duke's Manor held the young lady in contempt; even if she did know, she believed the young lady would have long ago learned not to care.

Presumably, even if Xu Weishu knew, she wouldn't mind. The original owner's appearance had been somewhat poor—not that her features were unattractive; she resembled her handsome father with particularly exquisite features, but her skin was poor, very coarse, dull and sallow, and no amount of maintenance could help. Her pores were large, and her facial hair was heavy.

Now, however, things were vastly different. Her appearance was becoming increasingly similar to her previous body, growing more beautiful day by day.

Sometimes, Baoqin would feel her heart skip a beat because of her mistress's ever-changing beauty.

As soon as news trickled in, the servants throughout the manor were gossiping. The Duchess had personally gone to plead with the Duke, and the young master had just been carried back to the Pine Garden from the ancestral hall in quite a state. Baoqin hurried over immediately.

In the past, she had been just like her mistress, looking down upon this sudden appearance of a young master. But things were different now. With the Duke gone, only the young lady and the young master remained as the bloodline. In a broader sense, the young lady's only future reliance would be this half-brother.

As soon as she entered the Pine Garden, Baoqin heard the sound of things being smashed and thrown from inside the room. Her footsteps faltered, and her face involuntarily contorted.

The servants all said the young master was arrogant, wild, and unlearned. Despite his young age, he kept twelve beautiful maidservants by his side, spent his days wallowing in perfumes and powders, and even enjoyed wearing women's clothing. His temper was incredibly violent; everyone loathed him and everyone feared him.

Baoqin had always thought it was just the servants' gossipy fabrications. After all, three years ago, the young master had only possessed a bit of childish temperament and a hint of cleverness. Now it seemed... indeed, it was quite improper.

Baoqin took a careful look at the two girls guarding the door. One was Shiliu, who served the Madam Xiao, and the other was a stranger, likely a newcomer. Upon seeing Baoqin, the two politely blocked the door. Shiliu smiled and performed a curtsy, saying, "Sister Baoqin!"

Baoqin hurriedly returned the gesture. Before she could speak, a burst of wailing and howling erupted from inside.

"Second Aunt, Second Aunt, help! It hurts, it hurts so much! You bunch of wicked slaves, are you trying to murder your master?!"

Immediately following this, a page boy came scrambling out of the room, his face marked with two bloody streaks and his eyes red and swollen, looking utterly wretched.

Baoqin froze. Through the crack in the door, she saw the servants kneeling all over the floor, trembling and burying their heads against the ground, not daring to make a sound. Porcelain shards were scattered everywhere, and inside the curtains, the young master was screaming at the top of his lungs. Yu Zhen had run off to seek help, but at this moment, it wasn't even clear what kind of person the young master needed to save him; even though he had been subjected to family discipline, in this Duke's Manor, he was still a master!

In the blink of an eye, a sedan chair arrived from the Mingguang Hall. Madam Xiao lifted the curtain and hurried down, heading straight for the room. She didn't even spare a glance for Baoqin. Upon entering, she began fussing over the young master, calling him "darling" and "little ancestor," which only made the young master's crying louder.

Baoqin: "..."

"Sister Baoqian," Shiliu said with a helpless, bitter smile, "the Madam has always doted on the young master most of all. Look at this mess; I'm afraid we won't be able to get in."

Baoqin sighed inwardly and could only say, "Then I shall take my leave."

She didn't even deliver the medicine. Medicine was something that truly could not be left in the hands of others; otherwise, if any mishap occurred, it would be impossible to explain.

Naturally, she did not believe the current Duchess truly doted on the young master. If she truly loved him, how could she have spoiled him to such an extent? The Duchess's own eldest son had been sent to the Imperial Academy to study from a young age, returning only once every ten days. Her eldest and second daughters had also been taught by nannies and tutors from an early age, raised as if they were sons.

Furthermore, the young master had grown this large without even knowing how to dress or eat for himself, requiring someone to serve him for every little thing. In the past three years, he had not only failed to improve but had actually regressed.

It was only in the eyes of others that Madam Xiao appeared to love this child more, and that the rules previously set by the Duchess were merely being difficult.

Even if a clever person saw through the truth, one was a child orphaned by both parents, and the other was the mistress of the Duke's Manor. Anyone should know which side to choose!

Baoqin frowned, feeling a bit of resentment toward Yu Zhen. Years ago, the Duchess had chosen her, the most capable maid, to look after the young master instead of serving the young lady. What she had wanted was not this nonsensical "son." But on second thought, how could she blame a maid?

The fact that Yu Zhen had managed to live well for three years without being sold off or bribed by the Second Madam was already a testament to her skill.

Baoqin took one last look at the chaotic inner chamber. She caught a glimpse of the young master's face peeking from behind the curtains; his eyes were dark-circled, his complexion was pale and sickly, and he looked quite unhealthy. His eyes were red and swollen, and he shrank back the moment he made eye contact, looking quite wretched and disreputable.

Upon returning to the villa, Baoqin spoke with hesitation. Xu Weishu was not angry; she had vaguely anticipated this situation. She patted Baoqin's face, which was flushed with indignation, and said, "It's fine. My second uncle and second aunt have played the part of the benevolent relatives for over three years. If my brother were to die this time, wouldn't they be losing out?"

With a change of thought, Xu Weishu tossed the chaos of the Duke's Manor to the back of her mind and laughed, "Just you wait, Lady Xue will definitely come."

"Pfft," Baoqin chuckled. "I'm afraid the Second Madam only has those three tricks left. If things don't go her way, she'll either cut our household allowance or have Lady Xue teach the young lady the 'Rules for Women.' What else could there be?"

Xu Weishu said nothing more. She paced back to her study, sat at a desk piled with drawings, and continued working on her designs.

Back when she was still a cute and soft medical student, her professional skills were mediocre. However, while others were working themselves to death worrying about failing exams, she had the leisure to play online games.

She had met a group of great gaming buddies in *JX3*, and later went to *Guixu*, where she could see nothing but vast stretches of water from morning till night. Her medical major had no use there. Eventually, out of sheer boredom, she had developed an amateur hobby—and it was quite a unique one: construction.

Strictly speaking, it should be called design.

For a long time, rumors spread through both the Immortal and Demon realms that Lady Jiuwei had changed professions to become a master craftsman.

Of course, the things Xu Weishu built were not ordinary houses or gardens; she built the Hidden Sword Villa, the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers, the Tang Clan Fortress, the Pure Yang Palace, and the mysterious lands within dungeons.

Sometimes her creative ideas were so numerous that the various mechanisms she produced would even make Brother Zixu admit defeat.

This hobby could not be pursued in the same way now. After all, she had no high-level magical servants to help her, nor did she have unlimited time or land. At most, when she was idle, she could engage in "armchair warfare"—drawing blueprints and designing exquisite, small-scale mechanisms as a pure interest to cultivate her temperament.

After a few strokes of her brush, Xu Weishu hugged Qiuqiu and reclined on the couch. Even in the middle of winter, sleeping under a quilt was the most comfortable. This small study was newly arranged after she arrived, using a very special design. Unlike other rooms, it wasn't dark; it was light-filled, and Xu Weishu loved resting here most of all.

Before long, Baoqin led Lady Xue—the former tutor of the Commandery Princess, whom the current Duchess of England had specifically hired for her—into the study.