Chapter 4, Turning the Tables

"No, please don't..." The struggle of Hong Shao was feeble and weak, her voice of refusal smaller than that of a mosquito. At this moment, Hong Shao had completely lost her will to resist, and could only weakly hold down Wu Yuanming's hand, pleading: "Your Highness, the princess will kill me. You promised to protect me, I beg you to fulfill that promise"

Ping Pong! While Wu Yuanming was sleeping soundly, the door to his study was suddenly smashed open. In his dazed state, Wu Yuanming only heard a woman's sharp and angry scream, followed by a rough hand grabbing his face. Wu Yuanming, who was in a deep slumber, felt a sharp pain and, in a fit of anger, instinctively slapped out without thinking, "Smack!"

"It's hard to say; it could very well be a dinosaur, but it is a fact that her several maidservants are quite beautiful." Upon mentioning beauties, Wu Yuanming's spirits immediately lifted. While stroking his chin and searching through Wu Yingxiong's memories, he said with a lecherous tone, "Especially that one named Hong Shao, she truly makes one drool. Although she is merely a servant, this young master is still very willing to help her shed her maiden status."

No, no! Hong Shao was completely unmoved by Wu Yuanming's temptations, only struggling desperately to resist. It was not that Hong Shao was truly uninterested in wealth and glory; had it been another prince's heir proposing to take her as a concubine, the impoverished Hong Shao would likely have nodded in agreement. However, Wu Yingxiong, the eldest son of the Wu family, was different. Hong Shao was well aware of how ruthless and merciless Princess Jian Ning could be. Moreover, upon entering the Wu residence, Hong Shao had heard about an incident from five years ago—when Wu Yingxiong fell ill, a maid from the outer chambers, feeling pity for him, secretly entered his room in the dead of night to care for the feverish Wu Yingxiong. However, the next day, that maid was sold by Princess Jian Ning to the brothels of the Eight Great Alleys, suffering torment until her death. In her youthful years, Hong Shao wished to live a few more years; how could she dare to accept Wu Yuanming's temptations

What is that foul woman worth? How dare she punish me? Wu Yuanming is indeed born with a rebellious spirit; it is one thing to secretly insult Princess Jianing, the aunt of Emperor Kangxi, but to utter such treasonous words in front of Princess Jianing's confidant is truly a nuisance for someone with a head on their shoulders. As he spoke, Wu Yuanming could no longer contain himself and rushed to embrace the slender waist of Hong Shao, his foul mouth pressing against her face as he kissed her indiscriminately, enticing her by saying: "Miss Hong Shao, you need not be afraid; this young master has not taken a concubine yet. As long as you obediently submit to me, I will certainly take you as my wife, allowing you to enjoy endless wealth and glory." As he spoke, Wu Yuanming could no longer contain himself and rushed to embrace the slender waist of Hong Shao, his foul mouth pressing against her face as he kissed her indiscriminately, enticing her by saying: "Miss Hong Shao, you need not be afraid; this young master has not taken a concubine yet. As long as you obediently submit to me, I will certainly take you as my wife, allowing you to enjoy endless wealth and glory."

"Oh... be gentler, it's my first time..." Soft moans and gasps echoed from the study, while outside, the gray sky was gently showering down flakes of snow, as if the heavens themselves disapproved of the filth in this world and wished to cover it with this heavy snowfall

"Wu Lu, why are you in such a hurry? Do you have feelings for her as well?" Wu Yuanming asked with a mischievous smile. Wu Lu, who was twenty-six and still unmarried, blushed and murmured, "Your Highness, I am thinking of you. After all, the princess is the emperor's own aunt. If you continue to offend her, I fear the emperor will hold you accountable, and you may encounter trouble."

"Is Miss Hong Shao in the study? This servant, Hong Shao, requests an audience." It seems that fate has aligned perfectly; just as Wu Yuanming began to take an interest in Hong Shao, the most beautiful maidservant beside Princess Jianing, her clear voice rang out from outside the study, bringing joy to Wu Yuanming, who called out, "Come in, Miss Hong Shao, please enter quickly." While calling, Wu Yuanming gestured to Wu Lu and Wu Xi in the room, whispering, "You two go out. No matter what happens in the room later, you must not come in, nor can anyone else enter. If this succeeds, this young master will reward you." "Come in, Miss Hong Shao, please enter quickly." While calling, Wu Yuanming gestured to Wu Lu and Wu Xi in the room, whispering, "You two go out. No matter what happens in the room later, you must not come in, nor can anyone else enter. If this succeeds, this young master will reward you."

As soon as the study door was pulled open, Wu Yuanming's triangular eyes immediately sparkled, and drool began to spill from the corners of his mouth. Before him stood Hong Shao, renowned as the most beautiful woman of the Wu residence. With her delicate oval face, large eyes, and long eyelashes, her rosy little mouth evoked an irresistible urge to kiss from anyone who laid eyes on her. Although she wore a maid's outfit that was relatively thin, it accentuated her exquisite curves. Wu Yuanming could not help but curse his past self in his heart, "I was truly pitifully foolish before; such a beautiful maid was right beside me, yet I failed to take action. No wonder Old Jin wrote me off as a eunuch."

"Wu Lu, Wu Xi, why did you close the door?" Until this moment, the overly complacent Hong Shao realized that something was amiss. Just as Hong Shao was about to go over and open the door, Wu Yuanming had already grabbed her, lifting the petite and delicate Hong Shao like an eagle catching a chick, and pulled her over to the charcoal brazier, pressing her down to sit. Wu Yuanming leered and said, "Miss Hong Shao, it was I, the young master, who instructed them to close the door. Look how heavily it is snowing outside; how can we keep the warmth if the door is left open?"

"What do I have to be afraid of?" Wu Yuanming said with great confidence, almost letting the words slip out. However, being inherently suspicious, he quickly guessed the true intention of Hong Shao with a slight blink. This little girl was pretending to cry; how could she possibly obediently listen to him and offer her body? Asking him to find Princess Jianning was merely a way to buy her time to escape! Seeing Wu Yuanming's momentum falter, the cunning little girl Hong Shao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that her tears and threats had taken effect, yet her face continued to show even more sorrow. But Hong Shao could not be happy for long, as Wu Yuanming, who was never a good person, quickly turned his thoughts and had already devised a plan.

"Shameless! Obscene! Despicable!" Hong Shao trembled with anger, while secretly feeling afraid. If Wu Yuanming truly dragged her to confront Princess Jian Ning, he would naturally have the upper hand with his false evidence. If the ruthless Princess Jian Ning mistakenly believed that she was scheming for the position of the concubine of the heir to the Prince of Pingxi, not only would she face a fate worse than death, but her family would also surely fall victim to the cruel and heartless master! Upon thinking of this, Hong Shao's beautiful little face turned somewhat pale. If the ruthless Princess Jian Ning mistakenly believed that she was scheming for the position of the concubine of the heir to the Prince of Pingxi, not only would she face a fate worse than death, but her family would also surely fall victim to the cruel and heartless master! Upon thinking of this, Hong Shao's beautiful little face turned somewhat pale.

"Your Highness, the princess requests your presence in the back room for a discussion." The room was relatively dimly lit, and Hong Shao did not notice Wu Yuanming's beast-like expression. She merely spoke politely to Wu Yuanming as per Princess Jianning's instructions, "Please hurry, Your Highness is in urgent need of your attention."

Damn it! Wu Yuanming was feeling irritable because he had no woman to sleep with, and he cursed loudly: "Why hasn't that damn woman come to pay her respects to me? It's been fifteen years since we got married, and I don't even know what she looks like, whether she is beautiful or ugly, yet I have to go pay my respects to her every day?"

"It's nothing, just a maid, right? The court won't be idle enough to meddle in my private affairs," Wu Yuanming understood that Kangxi's primary goal at present was to deal with Aobai. Before eliminating Aobai, he would never take the risk of touching a single hair on himself—Kangxi was also afraid of forcing Wu Sangui and Aobai into an alliance, so Wu Yuanming could act without restraint. As he waved his hand to command the door to be opened, he whispered with a lewd smile, "Rest assured, you and your son are loyal to this heir, and I will not treat you unfairly. The maid Hong Shao belongs to this heir, and the other three maids by the princess—Xiangxi, Linghe, and Yunxiu—are also quite good-looking. Each of you three brothers will have one, just wait and see." Wu Yuanming's tone was almost like that of a robber dividing spoils. Wu Lu and Wu Xi, both bachelors, were immediately flushed with excitement at Wu Yuanming's temptation, feeling secretly delighted while maintaining a polite demeanor, and hurriedly opened the door, saying, "Heir, I dare not."

Wu Lu and Wu Xi have stopped talking because Wu Yingxiong has a timid personality, while Princess Jianing is strong-willed and inherently discriminates against Han people. Therefore, in the fifteen years of their marriage, Wu Yingxiong has not only never shared a bed with Princess Jianing, but even every time they meet, they speak through a beaded curtain. Thus, it is not an exaggeration for Wu Yuanming to say that he does not know what his wife, whom he has been married to for fifteen years, looks like. After a moment of awkwardness, the straightforward Wu Xi finally forced a smile and said: "There is no need for the heir to worry; the four maidservants by the princess's side are all as beautiful as celestial beings, with national beauty and heavenly fragrance, as you know. Since the maidservants are so beautiful, the princess must be even more beautiful than them."

"Miss Hong Shao, why must you go to such lengths?" Wu Yuanming, who had committed numerous misdeeds in the twenty-first century, had never caused a death. Upon arriving in this chaotic world where lives were as cheap as grass, he was naturally unaccustomed to it at first. (Readers: What if he got used to it?) He was startled by Hong Shao, and in his panic, Wu Yuanming waved his hands repeatedly, speaking incoherently, "Miss Hong Shao, why must you do this? You are so beautiful; it would be such a pity to die. Even if you truly wish to die, you should wait until we have been intimate first... Ugh, Miss Hong Shao, please do not act recklessly. I genuinely wish to take you as my concubine! You know, I have never slept with that wretched Jian Ning, so you will not be lonely in the future."

"You are lying! All these years, you haven't even dared to speak loudly to Her Highness the Princess, so how can you protect me?" Despite her shock and fear, the young girl Hong Shao's mind remained exceptionally agile. With a quick turn of her eyes, she said, "If you can truly protect me, then go and tell Her Highness the Princess right now that you want to take me as a concubine. I will comply with everything you say. Do you dare to do it?"

"Let’s go, we need to confront this." Wu Yuanming, who was adept at reading people's expressions, noticed that Hong Shao had already shown signs of wavering. He snatched the sword from the terrified and dazed Hong Shao's hand, grabbed her small hand, and dragged her outside. "Come on, if you think this young master is wronging you, then go find Princess Jianning to seek justice. Let’s see if she will kill you!"

At this moment, the clever girl Hong Shao had already noticed that Wu Yuanming's gaze towards her was inappropriate. However, the impression left on Hong Shao by Wu Yingxiong's previously cowardly and ineffectual character was too deep, so she never imagined that Wu Yingxiong would have ulterior motives towards her. Coupled with the biting cold wind outside, Hong Shao, dressed lightly, walked into Wu Yuanming's study. Just as Hong Shao stepped inside, the bachelor Wu Lu and Wu Xi, moved by Wu Yuanming's promises, simultaneously exited and closed the door behind them, leaving Little Red Riding Hood Hong Shao alone with the Big Bad Wolf Wu Yuanming in the study. Therefore, Hong Shao never imagined that Wu Yingxiong would have ulterior motives towards her. Coupled with the biting cold wind outside, Hong Shao, dressed lightly, walked into Wu Yuanming's study. Just as Hong Shao stepped inside, the bachelor Wu Lu and Wu Xi, moved by Wu Yuanming's promises, simultaneously exited and closed the door behind them, leaving Little Red Riding Hood Hong Shao alone with the Big Bad Wolf Wu Yuanming in the study.

"Very well, let us confront Princess Jian Ning directly," Wu Yuanming paused his shouting and said with a low, sinister smile, "I have Wu Lu and Wu Xi outside as witnesses for this son of the world, do you have anyone to vouch for you?" Upon saying this, Wu Yuanming changed to a lecherous expression and whispered, "Little treasure Hong Shao, if you obediently submit to this son of the world, I will ensure your safety and well-being; if you do not comply, hum hum!"

"Help! The female flower thief is stealing flowers!" Wu Yuanming, whose shamelessness rivals the walls of the Forbidden City, shouted loudly, his voice filled with panic as if he were facing imminent humiliation, rather than the delicate girl, Hong Shao, before him. His cries were so convincing that they startled Wu Lu and Wu Xi, who were eavesdropping outside, leaving them at a loss and almost ready to burst through the door—yet their actions froze upon hearing Wu Yuanming's next outburst. Wu Yuanming shouted, "Quick, come! Hong Shao is trying to force me to take her as a concubine, she is trying to violate this young master!" Almost ready to burst through the door—yet their actions froze upon hearing Wu Yuanming's next outburst. Wu Yuanming shouted, "Quick, come! Hong Shao is trying to force me to take her as a concubine, she is trying to violate this young master!"

"You... you are talking nonsense, you are spouting lies," Hong Shao said, almost unable to hold back her words due to Wu Yuanming's shameless accusations. With her face flushed, Hong Shao continued, "When did I ever force you to take me as a concubine? How could I possibly be the one to steal flowers from you?"

"Young Master, the time for you to pay your respects to Her Highness the Princess has already passed," Wu Lu reminded softly. Wu Lu, along with his brothers Wu Shou and Wu Xi, was born in the household of Wu Sangui and had unwavering loyalty to Wu Yuanming. They had long been accustomed to the previously timid and cowardly Wu Yingxiong. Today, noticing that Wu Yuanming had forgotten to pay his daily respects to Princess Jianing, Wu Lu cautiously reminded him: "Young Master, since the Princess returned home last night, you have yet to pay your respects to her. Last night, you also caused trouble for her wet nurse's son. If you do not go to pay your respects soon, she may take the opportunity to make an issue of it."

"Miss Hong Shao, why not yield to this young master?" Wu Yuanming leered as he slowly advanced, his lascivious demeanor now indistinguishable from that of a beast. In a moment of desperation, Hong Shao dashed to the wall, seized the decorative sword hanging there, and held it to her neck, crying out, "If you come any closer, I will die right before you. After all, losing my virtue is also death; I might as well die preserving my purity!"

"Young Master, that Hong Shao is the most favored maid by the princess, and she was personally bestowed upon the princess by the Empress Dowager. You must not act recklessly. " Wu Lu vaguely guessed what Wu Yuanming intended to do and quickly reminded him: "Last night, Young Master, you dealt with Huang Er because you had leverage over him and were not afraid of the princess's reproach. However, Hong Shao has done nothing wrong. If you were to harm her, the consequences would be unimaginable"

It is unknown how much time has passed before the moans and gasps in the study finally ceased. Wu Yuanming, completely satisfied after a night without sleep and exhausted, embraced the soft body of Hong Shao and fell into a deep, contented sleep. Meanwhile, the physically drained Hong Shao, filled with worries, closed her tear-filled eyes and pretended to doze off, deeply anxious about the terrifying future. However, not long after, the equally fatigued Hong Shao finally leaned against Wu Yuanming's chest and fell into a drowsy sleep. Even so, glistening tears still lingered on her long eyelashes.

"Miss Hong Shao, please do not be anxious, come in and speak." Wu Yuanming stood up from the bed and sat down beside the charcoal stove, beckoning to Hong Shao, "Miss Hong Shao, come over to the fire to talk, it is freezing outside, be careful not to catch a chill."

Of course. Wu Yuanming cradled the red peony in his arms while gently laying the tearful little girl on the bed, and he whispered with a smile: "You will soon be my woman. How could I, Wu Yuanming, ever bear to let my woman die?"

With a tearing sound, Wu Yuanming ripped open his shirt, exposing his bare chest. Hong Shao, on the opposite side, mistakenly thought that Wu Yuanming was about to pounce on her in a fit of beastly rage. Terrified, she forgot her tears and raised her sword, trembling as she aimed it at Wu Yuanming's chest, exclaiming, "Hey, you... don't act recklessly, don't force me!" However, Wu Yuanming's next move nearly caused Hong Shao to faint from shock.

Damn it, it's that perverted old hag again! Lao Jin's description of her was not unjustified!" Wu Yuanming cursed under his breath and then comforted Hong Shao, saying: "Little Hong Shao, you have me to protect you, so you need not be afraid. Rest assured, within three days, this young master will make your princess mother obedient and compliant, you can be at ease.

As they spoke, Wu Yuanming seized the soft and delicate little hand of Hong Shao and began to rub it indecently, startling Hong Shao into pulling her hand away with all her might, exclaiming: "Your Highness, you cannot do this. If the princess finds out, not only will I be punished, but you will also not escape the princess's punishment."

If only a beautiful girl could accompany me to sleep, preferably one who has not yet blossomed! Wu Yuanming lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, continuously howling in his heart, resembling a beast in heat. In fact, it is not entirely Wu Yuanming's fault for being overwhelmed by desire; the main reason is that in the twenty-first century, he had an older brother who owned a nightclub. Thus, having the advantage of proximity, Wu Yuanming developed the habit of sleeping with hostesses every night before he even turned twenty. Suddenly being asked to sleep alone made him somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Hong Shao, being a woman, was naturally at a disadvantage compared to the strong and robust Wu Yuanming. With a sharp "tear," Wu Yuanming ripped apart the thin garment covering Hong Shao's chest, exposing a pair of pure and flawless breasts to the biting cold air. Overwhelmed by a mix of shame and anger, Hong Shao suddenly found an unexpected surge of strength, forcefully pushing Wu Yuanming away. With tears streaming down her face, she rushed to the door, desperate to escape, but Wu Lu and Wu Xi had already locked the door from the outside, blocking her only path to safety.

"Your Highness, as a lowly servant, I should not refuse you, but you are well aware of the princess's temperament." Hong Shao replied tearfully, her voice choked with emotion: "If I agree to your request, the princess will certainly not spare me. It would not only be my life at stake, but also the lives of my parents and younger brother. Therefore, I would rather die alone than implicate my family."