tallest building

Chapter 160 In the Dark

Cui Baozhu's stepmother had always harbored the idea of ​​marrying her off to the mentally challenged son of the Marquis of Fengxian, hoping to gain a powerful in-law relationship and allow her husband to advance his career.

Cui Baozhu was naturally unwilling, and even threatened to kill herself.

Her stepmother was afraid of pushing her too far, so she didn't dare to be too forceful.

But his wicked intentions never died, and he tried every means to force her to submit.

However, Cui's father recently received news that he was very likely to be transferred to Jiangya County.

That place was not only poor and remote, but also plagued by bandits, so he naturally didn't want to go there.

So stepmother Leng rekindled her old idea, thinking that as long as the marriage was arranged, Cui's father would naturally not need to be transferred out.

Even if it's a transfer to another region, one should still aim for a lucrative position.

So he and his father lowered their stance and pleaded earnestly.

Cui Baozhu, a young woman, could be ruthless towards her stepmother, but she always felt somewhat reluctant to be kind to her biological father.

Moreover, these two people used sweet words to coax her into believing that the Fengxian Marquis family was very kind and benevolent, and that although the young master was somewhat foolish, he would surely listen to her in everything after marrying into the family.

Besides, once you have your own child, what does it matter if you have a husband? With money and support, isn't life the same?
Such a silly husband is actually a good thing; he may philander, but he's not fickle, which is a blessing in disguise.

She also said that the whole family now depends on her, and as long as she agrees, she will be the family's number one contributor.

In short, it was all very elaborate and eloquent.

After saying all that, he started to scare her, saying that if she went to the remote and impoverished countryside, let alone marry into a noble family, it would be difficult for her to even marry a scholar.

Most of them wasted their entire lives in remote mountain valleys and coastal areas, their eyes straining to see if they could ever return to the capital.

With such back and forth, even a heartless person would be coaxed into turning around. Not to mention Cui Baozhu, who was just a teenage girl, whose heart was already somewhat wavering.

What kind of person is her stepmother? She could tell what Cui Baozhu was thinking just by observing her words and expressions.

So they hurriedly went to the Marquis of Fengxian's house to inform them and discuss the marriage. In the entire capital, it seemed only their family was so eager for the bride to marry into the family.

As luck would have it, Cui Baozhu's wet nurse was working as a maid at Fengxian's house at that time.

Hearing the servants talking about it, he hurriedly came to inform her.

The wet nurse was genuinely kind to her, but how could Madam Leng tolerate Cui Baozhu having such a person by her side? So after marrying into the family, she deliberately found an excuse to get rid of her.

It was a strange coincidence that the wet nurse happened to work for the Marquis of Fengxian's family and knew their background. It was as if it were fate.

She told Cui Baozhu these words, which was like a bolt from the blue for Cui Baozhu.

Previously, she had only regarded the youngest son of the Marquis of Fengxian as a fool. Marrying a fool was against her true feelings, but since it concerned the honor and disgrace of her family and her future life, it was not a bad way to compromise.

She never expected this fool to be so cruel. If she married him, forget about enjoying a peaceful life; she might not even be able to survive. Even if the Marquis family spared her life out of consideration for their reputation, how could she possibly escape the torment she would suffer daily?
Moreover, they must put on a smiling face in front of others and not let their family scandals be exposed.

In this way, one would feel as if they were living in purgatory, and it would be better to die.

Therefore, he left home under the pretext of relaxing, sent his maid away, and went to the river to commit suicide.

“No wonder the youngest son of the Marquis of Fengxian is already over twenty and still unmarried. Given their family’s status and position, even a fool wouldn’t necessarily be unable to find a wife. I suppose there’s something even more serious than this,” Sang Er said. “It’s truly a tragedy.”

The medicine was ready by then, and Abbess Jing'an and Huiming brought it in.

"This bowl is for this young lady," Jing'an said, pointing to the darkest bowl of medicine. "This bowl is for that lady, and the remaining two bowls are for you two."

"Thank you very much, Master. You've worked hard." Wen Mingqian stood up to express his gratitude.

“Amitabha, it is our duty as monks to be compassionate,” Jing’an said. “Although this young lady has taken the medicine and Zhao Da Sao, she will most likely still have a high fever. She should be covered with a blanket to sweat it out, drink plenty of warm water, and avoid getting chilled. If she gets too hot and starts talking nonsense, crush the pills and feed them to her.”

Jing'an explained everything in detail, and then gave Zhao Pokuang a few doses of medicine before leaving. By then, it was already completely dark.

After everyone drank the medicine, Wen Mingqian first discussed it with Cui Baozhu.

“Miss Cui, your family must not know you are here and are probably looking for you everywhere. I think we should inform them no matter what.” Wen Mingqian was more thoughtful.

"No, Madam Wen, I beg you, don't let them know, I don't want to see them," Cui Baozhu said, crying.

"Don't worry, they definitely can't take you away in your current state," Wen Mingqian reassured him. "But if they don't find out, they'll definitely send us back, and you won't be able to stay here any longer even if you want to."

Cui Baozhu knew that what she said made sense, so she stopped trying to stop her.

Wen Mingqian then said to Zhao Pokang, "Sister Zhao, thank you so much for today. It's getting late, you should go back and take care of your family. You can have these clothes, since I have no one to wear them anyway. You'll probably be sick for a few days after you go back. Take this medicine with you and take good care of yourself. Here's some money for you, it should help you through some days."

Don't be foolish. If you overwork yourself and ruin your health, who will your family rely on?

“My lady, this is not right, this is not right! You have already given me these clothes, and the nun has given me this medicine, that is enough. I am strong and healthy, this is nothing to worry about.”

“I’m determined to do this, so don’t try to stop me, or I’ll feel uneasy,” Wen Mingqian said. “Sang Er, you and Sister Zhao go out together and hire a carriage to take her home. Then you go to the Cui residence to report the news.”

"Understood, I will definitely handle it properly." Sang Er took the ten taels of silver from Wen Mingqian, put on her clothes, and pulled Sister Zhao out.

"Wait!" Cui Baozhu called out to them, taking a gold hairpin from her hair. "I don't have anything extra on me, so I'll give this hairpin to this sister-in-law. Although it's not enough to repay the life-saving grace, it's still a token of my appreciation. If I survive in the future, I'll continue to repay you."

Sister Zhao naturally refused to accept them, so Sang Er accepted them all for her: "These little things are nothing to Miss Cui and my mother, but they can save you in an emergency, so why don't you accept them?"

He then forcibly dragged her out, bought her a lot of snacks and cooked food with his own money on the street, and followed Zhao Pokuang to her house.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a bare house, but it was kept very clean.

Sang Er couldn't stay any longer. She said a few words to Zhao Pokuang's husband, left her things, and then left.