Chapter 3: 003 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

At the other end of the garden, Qinghua was leading the drunken Ning Lei toward the side room, reminding him as they walked, "The Princess Consort will arrive shortly. The Second Young Master only needs to put on an act; after all, the Eldest Miss will be yours sooner or later."

Ning Lei spat out a mouthful of phlegm in displeasure. "Since when does a mere girl like you get to boss me around on how I do things!"

Qinghua didn't dare say more. She kept her head down and arrived at the side room, but just as she opened the door, an impatient Ning Lei rushed inside. Before she could even close the door, she heard him cursing loudly, "You little wench! Didn't you say your Eldest Miss was still sleeping? Where has she gone now?"

*She was clearly right there on the bed!*

Qinghua answered in her heart, but when she saw that the rosewood daybed inside was actually split into pieces and there wasn't a soul inside, her mind was filled with only two words: *Oh no!*

Seeing how useless Qinghua was, Ning Lei cursed in a fit of rage, "What are you standing there for! Go find her! If you ruin my good business today, see if the Princess Consort doesn't skin you alive!"

"This servant will go report to the Princess Consort immediately." Qinghua scrambled out of the room.

"Get out!" Ning Lei barked. "A bunch of useless things, unable to even handle such a small matter!"

Only Ning Lei remained in the room, cursing incessantly.

It seemed he was truly furious.

At that moment, Duan Yaoyao, who had been hiding on the roof beams for a long time... oh no, she was already the brand-new Shangguan Erya.

Shangguan Erya slowly revealed eyes as black as ink from behind the beam, her gaze staring coldly at the man standing below. When she had transmigrated in her previous life, her eyes had been gouged out and she was blind; to think the first person she would see upon her rebirth would actually be Ning Lei.

Just as in her memories, Ning Lei was not tall, his eyes protruded slightly from their sockets, and his skin was sallow from long-term indulgence in wine and meat; a stench radiated from his very bones.

In truth, with her current cultivation, killing Ning Lei would require no effort at all. In her previous life, she had been restrained by certain hesitations and ties, but now, she simply didn't want him to die too quickly. A brilliant smile curled her red lips; she wanted to play thoroughly with those who had harmed her.

After about half an incense stick's time, someone walked in. Shangguan Erya knit her brows and saw that it was actually Nanny Zhou, the most capable right-hand woman by the Princess Consort's side. She thought to herself, *She certainly arrived quickly!*

Nanny Zhou entered the room and swept a cold gaze across the surroundings. A strange flicker flashed in her eyes before she stepped forward respectfully to bow. "Second Young Master, our Princess Consort is already aware of this matter and has specifically sent this old servant to handle it."

"Handle what?" Ning Lei waved his hand impatiently. "Go back and tell the Princess Consort that I am no longer blessed to be the eldest son-in-law of the Prince Gong Mansion."

Nanny Zhou did not get angry seeing Ning Lei's temper. "This old servant has brought a message for you. The Princess Consort says you are the only choice for the eldest son-in-law of the Prince Gong Mansion. There must be some trickery regarding today's events."

"What trickery could there be? Your Eldest Miss simply ran away herself!" Ning Lei snorted.

Nanny Zhou said expressionlessly, "The Eldest Miss might just be playing around; she can be found. Even if she is hiding, she cannot escape the Duke's manor. Given your status in the manor, it shouldn't be difficult to find her using any pretext."

Ning Lei tilted his head and thought for a moment, his tone softening slightly. "It wouldn't be difficult, but even if I tie her up and bring her back, what's the use?"

"Heh." Nanny Zhou suddenly laughed. "It is merely putting on a play. The Princess Consort said that her not appearing actually saves a lot of trouble."

Ning Lei raised an eyebrow, his face full of doubt. Nanny Zhou leaned in closer and whispered a few words. Immediately after, Ning Lei's expression turned entirely lewd and frivolous as he laughed loudly, "Good, good, good! The Princess Consort truly has a brilliant scheme. It seems even if that Shangguan Erya flees to the ends of the earth, she won't be able to escape the Princess Consort's palm!"

Nanny Zhou smiled. "She won't escape *your* palm, Second Young Master. She will certainly be yours."

Ning Lei found this very gratifying. "Fine, then I'll go have people catch Shangguan Erya and lock her up immediately. I definitely won't let her ruin my good show!"

Nanny Zhou gave a half-bow to let Ning Lei leave first. She stood in the room for a moment longer, but ultimately found nothing, and left with a grim face without a word.

That Princess Consort was indeed a ruthless character!

Although she was far away, Shangguan Erya heard everything Ning Lei said clearly...

*Want to catch me?*

Shangguan Erya gave a cold laugh. *Heh, not a chance!*

As Shangguan Erya leaped away, another dark shadow also flashed out of the window. Neither noticed that Shangguan Erya had secretly doubled back to follow the direction of that dark shadow.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!

Shangguan Erya had long since detected the presence of another person in the room; she had pretended not to know just to see what kind of background the other party had!