The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 789 Escape from Marriage
Tong Huaqiong thought that Miss Lin, who was about to get married, and Gu Dashu would never cross paths in their lives.

They were quickly proven wrong.

Two days before Miss Lin's wedding, it snowed again in Shengjing.

The snow was so heavy that even the prefect organized all the merchants to shovel it.

Gu Dashu opened a fur shop in Shengjing, specializing in selling the finest carpets, wool, and felt from the northern deserts.
A few days ago, a silk shop nearby caught fire, and half of the shop was burned down. If it weren't for a snowfall, half the street could have been burned down.

Gu Dashu dared not be careless, fearing that his own shop would suffer the same fate.

After all, his shop was full of flammable materials. If it caught fire, even if he called for help in the dead of winter, it would be too late. And even if someone did come, it would be freezing cold, so where would he get water?

Despite the staff working in shifts day and night to check on things, Gu Dashu himself remained uneasy.

He simply lived in the shop and personally looked after it.

During the heavy snow, the roads were slippery and the weather was cold. There were hardly any customers all day. As soon as it got dark, Gu Dashu ordered his staff to close the shop.

Having been traumatized by the fire at the shop next door, Gu Dashu dared not sleep too soundly even when he was sleeping in the shop.

At night, Gu Dashu was awakened by a slight noise.

He sat up straight instantly.

Although the sound was faint and quickly disappeared, Gu Dashu still heard it.

This was all thanks to Gu Dashu's two years as a spy in the northern desert, which honed his keen hearing.

Gu Dashu put on his clothes, got out of bed, picked up an iron rod, and silently walked in the direction from which the sound had come.

There were no lights on.

If he is a thief, he will capture him alive.

If it's a rat, kill it.

Gu Dashu arrived at the warehouse where the blankets were stored, and the blankets in the corner made a rustling sound again.

"Who goes there?" Gu Dashu held up an iron rod in one hand and pulled back the blanket with the other.

Since there were no lamps, it was impossible to see what was inside in the darkness.

"Manager Gu, spare my life!"

It was an unfamiliar female voice.

Gu Dashu lit the lamp, and a beautiful young girl was curled up in the blanket.

The girl was dressed in thin clothes, and although she was wrapped in a blanket, she was still shivering, whether from the cold or from fear, it was hard to tell.

Tears still clung to her pale face.

Because Gu Dashu had been a spy in the northern desert, the girl's frail appearance did not evoke any pity in him; on the contrary, it made him very wary.

He was genuinely worried that the Fourth Prince of the Northern Desert—no, the current King of the Northern Desert—had sent a beautiful assassin to kill him.

After all, he was regarded by the prince of Mobei as a lowly merchant from Dasheng, yet he managed to fool the prince completely, and the information he conveyed almost led to the destruction of Mobei.

The prince of the northern desert hated him to death.

Even when he came to Shengjing to beg for surrender, he still called him brother, but Gu Dashu knew that the prince of Mobei wished him dead.

A cold glint appeared in Gu Dashu's eyes as he asked, "Who are you?"

The girl clearly knew him.

If she really was sent by the King of the Northern Desert, don't blame him for being ruthless.

Gu Dashu harbored murderous intent.

Miss Lin had always been adept at reading people's expressions, and the murderous intent in Gu Dashu's eyes did not escape her notice. She hadn't intended to hide her identity anyway. With tears welling in her eyes, Miss Lin choked out, "Manager Gu, I am a member of the Lin family. I saw you at the surrender banquet in the Northern Desert Palace, so I recognize you."

Those members of the Lin family who could attend the palace banquet were either young ladies or maids of the Lin family.

Gu Dashu asked, "Are you a young lady or a maid from the Lin family? What brings you to my shop?"

With tears welling up in her eyes, Lin Xiaoyan said with a heart full of grievances, "I am a concubine's daughter in the Lin family. A few days ago, I had a quarrel with my legitimate sister, and my heartless stepmother wanted to marry me off to an old man as her second wife. This old man is a minor official in the court, and the wedding date is set for the day after tomorrow. After the wedding, I will be sent to the border with the old man. I didn't want to marry the old man, so I ran away."

“I have lived under my stepmother’s control since I was a child. I always obeyed her and never talked back when she hit or scolded me. I am prettier than my younger sister who was born of the main wife. She always suspected that I would ruin my sister’s good marriage. No matter how humble I was, she never let me go.”

"woooooo"

Miss Lin was already quite pitiful-looking, and after hastily escaping from the Lin family mansion, dressed in thin clothes, she appeared even more pitiful.

Gu Dashu was not very familiar with the Lin family.

Madam Lin has visited the mansion these days; she seems to be a very kind person.

Because the scheme by Miss Lin against Miss Lin was a scandal in the Lin family, the Lin family kept the news a closely guarded secret, except for a very few people.

Tong Huaqiong wouldn't gossip about this with her son, so Gu Dashu was unaware of the complicated relationship between Miss Lin and Miss Lin Er.

Seeing how pitiful Miss Lin looked, he didn't believe it at first because he wasn't sure if the person in front of him was Miss Lin.

At this moment, the clerk who was left behind heard the commotion and came to the storeroom. He was carrying a lamp, and together with the lamp that Gu Dashu had lit on the table, the two lamps instantly illuminated the room.

Upon seeing the girl sitting in the blanket, the waiter exclaimed, "Isn't this Miss Lin?"

This waiter was transferred from Jufulai. Miss Lin is a VIP guest of Jufulai, so he naturally recognizes her.

Miss Lin raised her head and timidly glanced at the waiter, tears instantly streaming down her face.

She knew that Gu Dashu suspected her identity, but now that identity had been revealed.

Given Gu Dashu's righteousness, he will definitely step in to save her.

"How did you get into my shop?" Gu Dashu asked.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Miss Lin said, "Princess Ning is my cousin. I originally wanted to go to the Ning Prince's Mansion to ask my cousin for help. My stepmother keeps a close eye on me. I finally managed to escape, but I was afraid that my stepmother's people would catch me and take me back. I hid all the way. When I arrived at your shop, it was snowing heavily. I couldn't stand the cold, so I mingled with the customers and squeezed in."

Miss Lin's words contained exaggeration.

She did indeed intend to go to the Prince Ning's residence to find her cousin.

However, fearing she would be discovered halfway, she deliberately took a detour and hid in Gu Dashu's shop.

Gu Dashu was well-known in Shengjing for his righteousness and for rescuing many women and children from the border regions who had been captured by the people of the northern deserts when he was a spy there.

Miss Lin plans to play the victim to evoke Gu Dashu's sympathy and get him to escort her to Prince Ning's mansion.

Princess Consort's cousin is having a hard time in the mansion these days, constantly fighting with the concubines. She hasn't conceived in the two years since she got married, but last month, Prince Ning's most favored concubine gave birth to a son.

My cousin needs help now.

She was confident she could persuade her cousin to let Prince Ning take her as a concubine.

She was prettier and smarter than her cousin, and her father was a marquis. She was confident that she could win over the Prince of Ning.

Prince Ning's favor will allow her to break the deadlock. At that time, the entire Lin family will support her to replace her cousin as the empress. When Prince Ning ascends the throne, even her stepmother, who hates her, will drag her maternal family, the Marquis of Dingxin's mansion, to support her as empress.

Who will remember the shameful things she did in the Lin family then?

"Brother Gu, please help me."

Miss Lin raised her pretty face, her eyes red from crying.

The way they address each other changes accordingly.

She's already in such a terrible situation, Gu Dashu will definitely help her.