Chapter 538: The Unraveling Alliance (Patreon)

Chapter 538: The Unraveling Alliance

Hou Shi remained silent, but there was something she hadn't mentioned. During these days, she had secretly been in contact with the escort official in the middle of the night. Even though she was cautious, she couldn't guarantee that no one had seen them.

When they arrived in the southwest, no matter who whispered into the second master's ear, she feared that she wouldn't even be considered a servant in the Shu family. She would become the target of everyone's humiliation and torment, and wouldn't survive for long.

So whenever she had the opportunity, she severed that connection.

Shu Yu didn't say anything about Hou Shi's choice and they resumed their journey after resting enough.

With the two mule carts, both Shu Yu, Hou Shi, and the Sixth Miss, as well as the escort official, found the journey much easier, except for the members of the Shu family.

They continued for another two days until the Shu family members couldn't bear it any longer.

The fifth Miss, who had always been quiet, suddenly collapsed, startling everyone.

When the escort official approached to examine her, they discovered that she had been bitten by insects at some point. The insects were obviously poisonous, and after holding on for a while, the poison rapidly took effect. Within fifteen minutes, she had passed away.

This incident shocked everyone.

Shu Yu wasn't familiar with the fifth Miss and only saw her as someone who was often gloomy and silent.

However, Hou Shi harbored a strong dislike for the fifth Miss.

The fifth Miss's mother was a niece of the old madam Shu family, but she was not favored and could only become the second master's concubine.

However, she was a noble concubine, to the extent that the fifth Miss considered herself superior to ordinary illegitimate daughters.

Naturally, she didn't dare to offend the legitimate daughters in the family, but among the illegitimate daughters, only the Sixth Miss had a lower status than her. So the fifth Miss often bullied and manipulated the Sixth Miss, using her as a pawn.

Because of this, the Sixth Miss had been punished by the biased Old madam Shu several times, and if it weren't for Hou Shi, she might not have survived until today.

Hou Shi showed no emotional response to the fifth Miss's death, but after learning that she had been bitten by poisonous insects, she tightened the bandages on her wrists and ankles, preventing herself from getting bitten as well.

The mother of the fifth Miss wailed in grief and almost passed out at the time, taking a long while to recover.

However, with the fifth Miss gone, the alliance among the illegitimate daughters completely fell apart.

The second Miss first clashed with the Sixth Miss, and with the fifth Miss gone, she found herself all alone.

Shu Yu couldn't understand. The journey of exile was already difficult, and accidents could easily happen. Why were the members of the Shu family not focused on surviving but instead had the time and energy to form factions and step on each other?

Had they become so accustomed to internal struggles in the Shu family that they felt uncomfortable without fighting each other for even a day?

The second Miss, now in a difficult position , had lost her mother long ago, her doting father had been beheaded, and the family matriarch old madam , had passed away a few days ago. She was also beautiful.

Despite her intelligence and competence, she was now powerless.

So it didn't take long for her to attract the attention of one of the escort officials.

The escort official didn't force himself upon her, but rather threatened and enticed her several times.

Naturally, the second Miss refused, but she couldn't hold on for more than two days. Under the ostracism led by the legitimate daughters, especially the eldest Miss, she eventually ended up joining forces with the escort official.

Shu Yu hadn't paid attention to this, but today, during lunchtime, she saw the second Miss discreetly taking out a steamed bun. That's when she became aware of the situation.

As she watched the white bun in the second Miss's hand, Shu Yu fell into contemplation.

The second Miss was much more ruthless than she had imagined.

Chapter 539: Taking the Lead