Suddenly, he came up with an even more interesting idea.
"Big brother, I heard that the Prince of Li has countless concubines in his backyard. Some of them didn't go there voluntarily, but they've won the prince's great favor."
Sure enough, the two brothers thought alike.
...
Late at night, the Prince of Li looked at the trembling concubine on the bed. His heart fluttered like a young lad's.
God knows how much he had adored this concubine when he first saw her on the street. He felt like a lovesick youth again. He'd immediately brought her back to his mansion and even held a feast for her.
However, she was so uncooperative. Even after all this time, she still refused to share a bed with him.
Today, he'd been irritated in the palace and was looking for an outlet. And here she was, just in time.
He lost his patience and resorted to threats instead. "If you don't submit to me, I'll kill your entire clan tomorrow."
These words filled Yao'er's eyes with fear. She'd always hoped to resist and wait for someone to rescue her.
But things didn't go as she'd hoped. Before she knew it, this old man was about to force himself on her.
She gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with tears, her willow eyebrows knitted tightly, her face as pale as paper, and her cherry - like lips slightly bitten. "Your Highness, please let me go. I can repay the money you've spent on me."
This made the Prince of Li burst into laughter as if he'd heard the funniest joke.
"My daughter is the current imperial consort dowager. Do you think I lack that bit of money?"
Although she'd heard the servants in the mansion mention this before, Yao'er thought they were just gossiping. Now she realized it was true. She felt desperate. Was she really going to lose her virginity today?
She slowly closed her eyes, ready to face what was coming. At this moment, she'd already made up her mind. The man in front of her just wanted to possess her. If she let him have his way, she could protect her family. After that, she'd end her own life.
With this thought in mind, she lay still on the bed.
Finally, the Prince of Li was delighted.
"Why didn't you do this earlier? Don't worry. After we're done, I'll definitely send someone to take care of your family, and I can even let your elder brother enter the court as an official."
Just as he was about to pounce on her, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck, as if something had pierced him. Then he collapsed to the ground and fainted.
Seeing this, Yao'er's eyes widened in surprise.
Before she could think further, a face appeared at the window. Under the moonlight, the face was so charming that it made her heart flutter.
"Miss, are you okay?"
"Ah... Ah, I'm fine. Did big brother just save me?"
Shi Li smiled gently. His gentle and elegant image was deeply engraved in Yao'er's heart.
"Yes, it's me. If you don't want to suffer here anymore, come with me quickly. I'll take you away."
Without hesitation, Yao'er opened the door and followed him.
At the door, she finally saw the whole figure of her benefactor. The tall and straight man stood there against the moonlight, as if he were a god who had unfortunately fallen into the mortal world just to rescue her from the sufferings of this world.
Seeing the woman in a daze, Shi Li touched his face in confusion. Was there something on his face?
"Miss, what's wrong with you?"
The woman came back to her senses in a hurry. Her face flushed slightly, but thanks to the cover of the night, no one could notice.
"I... I'm fine. Thank you, young master, for saving my life today. This little girl is willing to repay you with her life."
Shi Li raised his eyebrows and asked.
"Do you still have family members at home? The Prince of Li is always vengeful. If you leave today, he may retaliate against your family."
Hearing this, Yao'er's face turned pale.
"Maybe it's better for me to end my own life. In this way, I won't drag my parents and relatives down."
Shi Li had just managed to rescue her. How could he let her die so easily?
After thinking carefully, he came up with a good idea.
"I'll take you back first. Stay at home tomorrow. Someone will come to rescue you. But are you willing to trust me?"
The two of them had just met. They didn't even know each other's names.
But Yao'er still nodded without hesitation when she heard this.
"I'm willing to trust you, young master. Since you've saved me, you surely won't let me die easily."
Shi Li nodded. He really admired her courage.
He gave a signal to the people in the dark, and then took Yao'er away.
When Shi An heard the news and rushed over, the whole yard was quiet. There was only a fainted man lying in the room.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. A shadow guard in the dark brought a fire - starter.
"My lord, shall we act?"
"Of course. Since he likes to persecute others so much, let him taste this kind of pain."
The shadow guard responded and threw the fire - starter onto the bed in the room. Instantly, the fire spread. The fire snakes quickly swallowed the bed. Just as the Prince of Li was about to wake up, the two of them slipped away.
When the Prince of Li woke up, he saw the fire around him and panicked. He ran out in a hurry and even wet his pants out of fear.
He glared around. There wasn't even a single servant. If he'd died in there just now, maybe no one would have known.
Thinking of this, he roared, "Are you all dead? Can't you see the fire here? Why don't you come quickly?"
After a while, a group of maids and servants rushed to put out the fire. The Prince of Li looked around but didn't see the person he was looking for. He immediately flew into a rage and blamed it all on Yao'er.
"Good! You slut. Just wait. I'll come for you tomorrow. This time, I'll make your whole family pay for your stupid behavior."
Shi Muyuan was sleeping soundly when she suddenly heard a noise from outside. All her sleepiness disappeared. She walked out of the room irritably.
"Who is it? So unmannered. You've ruined my sleep."
Xiao Xiao quickly stepped forward and put an outer robe on her.
"My lord, it's a letter from the two young masters. The things were also sent by them."
Shi Muyuan suddenly woke up. Looking at the mountain - like pile of things in front of her, she suddenly noticed something wrong.
"The Prince of Li's mansion shouldn't have so many tributes. I remember these were the tributes from the Western Regions and other countries a few years ago. There's even something the late emperor bestowed on Concubine Dowager Rui."
"Yes, the elder young master said that Concubine Dowager Rui owes you money. These are the interests."
Shi Muyuan twitched the corner of her mouth. There were far too many things, and their value was dozens of times more than the amount she'd lent out.