Chapter 137: Do I Look Like a Good-for-Nothing to You?

"I know you don't have a fever, but you don't seem quite right."

Zhong Li was dead serious. His chopsticks were not as straight as he was—no, that wasn't right—even the bed planks weren't as rigid as Zhong Li!

"Heh." Chu Ge sneered.

The day passed in a blur.

That night, Zhong Li, with great self-awareness, did not share the bed with Chu Ge. Instead, he sat alone on a meditation cushion, contemplating the mysteries of life. Questions about women kept swirling in his mind: Why are women's tempers so unpredictable? Why do women say one thing and mean another? Why… and so on.

Zhong Li felt that if some brilliant person could engrave such thoughts into a book, it would surely be a supreme contribution to the world. The problems of human emotional disputes were truly an urgent matter!

When Chu Ge woke up, only the lingering scent of Zhong Li remained in the room. Clearly, he had already left.

Chu Ge looked at herself in the bronze mirror. She couldn't go back for the post-wedding visit looking like this.

A smile crept onto her lips, growing increasingly audacious.

Black, white, red, green, blue—every color imaginable. She smeared them onto her face, bit by bit, until it was evenly coated in a way that was both hideous and jarring.

"Mission accomplished!"

Chu Ge stretched, letting out a light, breezy sigh. With her ugly face, she called out, "Laifu! Prepare the sedan chair!"

"Right away, Your Highness!"

The mere thought of the faces of those people in the mansion upon her return made Chu Ge want to scoff.

Along the way, Laifu drove the carriage while Chu Ge closed her eyes in the sedan to rest and sneak in a nap.

"Your Highness, we have arrived."

Laifu tapped the curtain of the sedan to remind her.

Chu Ge opened her eyes, looking completely disoriented. "Hmm? We're here? So soon? Fine."

She sleepily stretched her numb limbs, accepting the reality of their arrival. With one blink, she stepped into her new role.

"Well? Are you not going to lift the curtain for your Princess?"

The words that spilled out were thirty percent arrogant and seventy percent foolish.

"Father! Eldest Uncle! Second Uncle! Auntie! Second Aunt! Little Aunt! Ge'er is back!" And back to cause trouble, she added to herself.

As expected, no one came to greet her. The only person to emerge was the estate's steward.

"The Lady Consort and His Highness the Crown Prince are in the main hall. Please wait a moment, Your Highness, while I go and announce your arrival."

Chu Ge needed to play the fool convincingly, and she had no intention of letting the Marquis of Chu's estate remain peaceful.

"Sister is here too? Then I must hurry in even faster!"

Ignoring the servant's attempts to stop her, she moved quickly, trotting all the way to the hall. Among the dozen servants along the way, not one managed to block her path.

"Big Sister! Big Sister!..." Chu Ge’s cries echoed long before she reached the hall.

Chu You’s heart tightened, but then she thought, *It’s just an idiot, why be nervous?*

"Your Highness, my sister’s mind is a bit... unwell. Please, do not take offense." Chu You immediately furrowed her brows, wearing an expression of deep concern, playing the part of a loving sister. In reality, she was hoping more than anyone that Chu Ge would commit a grave blunder.

The Marquis of Chu chimed in, "Your Highness, my second daughter is truly not fit for public company. Later..."

Before he could finish, a thick, cloying scent of rouge and powder wafted into the hall, causing everyone to cover their noses.

"Father! Your daughter has missed you so much!" Chu Ge moved with the grace of a toad.

When everyone caught sight of Chu Ge’s face, they first laughed, then covered their faces in shame. How could they let the Crown Prince see the Marquis’s estate in such a state?

The Marquis of Chu composed himself. "Ge'er, we are currently discussing important matters with your sister and brother-in-law. Why don't you go play in the garden?"

*Trying to brush me aside?* She scoffed. *Such a cliché method.* "No! Your daughter is staying right here!"

"Chu Ge!" The Marquis, unable to save face, glared at her with a fierce expression, his tone heavy with irritation.

"Waaaah... Father is being mean to me!"

Making a scene was the original Chu Ge’s specialty, and the current Chu Ge’s performance far exceeded the original.

"Is this the Second Young Lady of the Marquis's estate?" The question from Crown Prince Qi Ming made everyone present harbor their own secret thoughts.

The people he had hired couldn't have lied. A person who was supposed to be dead—resurrected? Qi Ming didn't believe it.

Upon hearing Qi Ming’s curiosity about Chu Ge, Chu You could no longer sit still. "As everyone knows, my sister married His Highness the Prince of Qi a few days ago."

Chu You’s worries were different from Qi Ming’s, but misunderstandings are often coincidental. Regardless of how ugly Chu Ge was, Chu You noticed that the Crown Prince’s gaze had been fixed on her sister ever since she entered.

Chu You’s jealousy began to ferment.

Qi Ming curled his lips. *Heh, interesting.*

On the wedding day, he had indeed heard that the Chu estate had secretly swapped the bride. He had assumed that Chu Ge’s marriage into the Qi estate would be nothing more than a memorial tablet, yet the person was still alive.

That made sense; if it were only a memorial tablet, news would have spread throughout the city long ago.

Chu You promptly changed the subject. "I didn't expect our post-wedding visits to fall on the same day. Oh, that's right! Where is the Prince of Qi? Didn't he accompany you, Sister?"

Chu Ge sneered inwardly. This low-level tactic of changing the subject usually involved bragging about fathers, mothers, or siblings. Now that they were married, it was about husbands and children. Chu You learned fast.

With Chu Ge’s multicolored face, it was impossible to discern her expression, and no one cared what she looked like anyway.

"Husband... Husband doesn't like me... *sob, sob, sob*..."

The amusement in Chu You’s eyes was quickly masked by concern. "Oh? Is that so? No wonder you came back to your maiden home alone today..." She even squeezed out a crocodile tear.

Chu Ge was shocked by this skill once again. Playing the victim was despicable, but one had to admit it was effective.

Look at the Marquis and the Crown Prince—both abandoned Chu Ge to comfort Chu You.

How could Chu Ge let Chu You have her way? This was the vicious sister who had once wanted to kill the original little sweetheart!

"Waaah!..." An earth-shattering wail erupted from the hall. Anyone who didn't know better would think the Marquis had suddenly dropped dead and the young ladies were mourning.

The sudden shift in atmosphere drew everyone’s attention. Chu You’s hand, holding a handkerchief, froze in mid-air, her eyes fixed intently on Chu Ge.

"Sister, why are you crying? Father is still with us, and the weather is so lovely today; you shouldn't cry." Chu You tried her best to play the part of the good sister.

The moment Chu You finished speaking, Chu Ge’s wailing stopped. "Sister, you mustn't curse Father like that. Although, Father is getting on in years."

Chu You hurriedly looked toward the Marquis. Sure enough, his face was as dark as soot, his expression stiff. "You'er, after being married, to say such things... it breaks Father’s heart."

The Marquis only had two daughters in this generation. He had originally planned to pass his estate to Chu You, but hearing her words, he realized she was only waiting for him to die to split the inheritance. He felt a wave of profound disappointment toward her.

"Huh? Father, why is your face so dark? Sister, stop cursing Father. Father will be healthy and live a long life!"

Playing the part of the fool, Chu Ge’s words were airtight. If Chu You didn't know that Chu Ge was usually a hooligan, she would have absolutely believed her. After all, a fool doesn't use their brain to think; they just blurt out their first thoughts.