TEFSCBSS Chapter 42

Chapter 42: An Invitation from Shanshi Village

After the banquet at the Grand Princess’s residence ended, Su Yao waited outside for quite some time. She was determined that if Su Li came out, she would drag her onto the carriage and take her back to the Prime Minister’s residence by any means necessary.

However, Han Yueyi and Wang Bokao seemed to have anticipated her plan and also waited outside the door, pestering Su Yao with their relentless questions.

“Hey, were you born from a rock or something?”

“Who exactly are your foster parents?”

“You—”

Su Yao could no longer tolerate it. It seemed that taking Su Li away today was impossible, so she had no choice but to return to the Prime Minister’s residence.

When she arrived back home, her face was dark with frustration. Cui Zhu, the maid who came to greet her, trembled slightly. She had no idea what had happened, but remembering what happened to other maids who had spoken out at the wrong time, she wisely chose to remain silent and simply followed behind Su Yao.

The group of young ladies and maids passed through layers of courtyards before finally arriving at Prime Minister Su’s study. With a wave of her hand, Su Yao dismissed the maids, and then entered alone to report the events of the day.

Prime Minister Su narrowed his eyes. “So the Grand Princess is protecting her?”

“Yes. No matter what Su Li did, the Grand Princess praised her endlessly. She even turned a perfectly good banquet into a game. I have no idea what she was thinking.”

Su Yao cursed inwardly. What kind of decent person turns a banquet into a game? Banquets should be about beauty contests, dazzling performances, and elegant festivities! Turning it into some chaotic gathering was utterly ridiculous—like a noisy marketplace!

Prime Minister Su remained calm. “She’s the Grand Princess. She has always acted without restraint. I’m not surprised she’d host such an unorthodox banquet.” He seemed to recall something, then sneered, “Her protection of Su Li is probably related to Zhao Yue’er! Hmph!”

Zhao Yue’er was Prime Minister Su’s late wife. She had passed away many years ago, though the exact circumstances of her death remained a mystery—publicly, it was declared an illness. Afterward, Su Li was locked away in the residence, leaving the Grand Princess no opportunity to care for her even if she had wanted to.

“Even in death, she still causes trouble for us!”

Prime Minister Su was visibly irritated. If not for his greater ambitions, he would never have married Zhao Yue’er in the first place. She had forced his beloved woman to wait in the shadows for years, only to find him again on her deathbed.

Because of this, he showered Su Yao with endless affection and guilt. He gave her only the best of everything, hired the most prestigious instructors to teach her etiquette, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and only brought her back to the capital when she was nearly of age.

His daughter was meant to be a dazzling gem—one that would blind everyone the moment she stepped into the spotlight!

Yet Su Li had ruined everything!

Su Li wasn’t even his real daughter. Allowing her to live under the Su family’s name was already an act of great generosity. And now she thought she could spread her wings and fly?

Prime Minister Su’s eyes gleamed coldly. “You said she opened a shop?”

“Yes, a script shop called ‘West Pavilion.’ Supposedly, it’s for playing games.”

“Games? Hmph. Just some petty tricks. Give it a few days, and I’ll make sure she has no place left in this city!”

Su Yao laughed along with him. Su Li was nothing more than a lowly commoner now. Destroying her little shop would be as easy as crushing an ant.

With that, their “loving father-daughter moment” concluded, both feeling quite satisfied and looking forward to the day Su Li would come crawling back, begging for mercy.

The next morning, after waking up, Su Li dragged Liu the Butcher.

“Old Liu, here are a few invitations. Deliver them.”

“Invitations? What for?”

“A new script is ready. These are for the top three players, and I also want to invite a few friends to watch the show.”

What?! A new script already?!

Just as Su Li finished speaking, Wang Bokao stepped inside, his eyes widening with excitement. He immediately started pestering her with questions.

“Hey, hey! What’s the new script about? Tell me!”

“Go away. Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“I can help!”

“The new script launches the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, I’m hosting a competition to determine the last three spots.” Su Li continued writing down the competition rules, completely ignoring him.

Realizing he wasn’t getting any answers from Su Li, Wang Bokao turned to Liu the Butcher. “Hey, you’re delivering these to the top three, right? Well, no need for me—I’m already here!”

“Come on, let me take a look at the invitation!”

Liu the Butcher rolled his eyes but still tossed him the one with his name on it.

Wang Bokao eagerly tore open the envelope. The moment he pulled out the invitation, his expression shifted. The paper was stained with dried blood, carrying a faint scent of decay. His brow furrowed—this script was not going to be a simple one. A tragedy, perhaps?

Liu the Butcher, however, remained unfazed. He sniffed the air and scoffed, “Chicken blood again, huh?”

Internally, though, he was just as curious. He watched impatiently as Wang Bokao stood frozen, staring at the letter. Come on, open it already! Let me see!

Having played in the script shop together many times, the two had developed a sense of mutual understanding. Wang Bokao could feel an eerie chill in the air and finally snapped out of his daze. He swiftly unfolded the letter.

Scattered drops of blood covered the page, exuding an air of sorrow. Twisted, distorted characters filled the paper, crammed together as if they were trying to escape. Their hatred, resentment, and anguish formed a single, ominous word: “Shan” (善).

A suffocating silence fell over them.

This is an invitation? Are we sure it’s not a death notice?

Liu the Butcher sneaked a glance at Su Li, who was still busy writing. A shiver ran down his spine. Yep, best not to mess with Su Li. The atmosphere is too perfect—it’s downright chilling.

If it were just blood and violence, that wouldn’t be too scary. But this… this was something far more sinister. The eerie blend of normalcy and horror made it even more unsettling.

Good thing he was a butcher.

He turned to look at Wang Bokao, expecting him to be terrified. Instead, the guy was practically glowing with excitement.

Wang Bokao carefully examined the writing and soon discovered a hidden message—it was an invitation:

“Shanshi Village Sacrificial Ritual—An Honored Guest is Invited to Attend.”

“Wait, why is the recipient’s name blank?” Wang Bokao asked.

Su Li finally looked up. “Oh, the invitations are blank because you three might not all be available on the launch day. You can give them to someone else or even sell them if you want.”

“Makes sense.” But he wasn’t giving him away—he had nothing but free time!

Grinning, he snatched another invitation from Liu the Butcher’s hands. “I’ll deliver this to the Third Prince. You won’t be able to get in anyway.”

Liu the Butcher didn’t mind and simply left with the remaining invitation.

Su Li, seeing how eager Wang Bokao was, handed him another stack of letters. “Here. These are promotion flyers for tomorrow’s competition. Just give them to the guests from yesterday’s banquet. You’ve got nothing better to do anyway, right?”

Wang Bokao: …Do you always order me around so naturally?

As if reading his thoughts, Su Li leaned in and whispered, “This script was made just for you—full of ghosts and spirits. You’re going to love it!”

His eyes lit up instantly. Say no more!

Meanwhile, Zhao Si finished putting up a massive poster at the entrance and set off a string of firecrackers, officially announcing the event.

Back at the Prime Minister’s residence, Su Xiang’s lips curled into a cold smile. He turned to Su Yi and issued a chilling command.