Farmer girl swaps husbands: buys a sickly villain and pampers him

Chapter 230 First meeting
Su Rende was riding through the long street with his personal guards when suddenly a figure rushed out from the side.

The man spread his hands, blocking Su Rende's path.

Su Rende quickly tightened the reins and looked sharply at the girl in front of him: "Little girl, do you know how dangerous it is to rush out like this?"

"Are you the Great General Who Protects the Nation?" Su Yaoguang looked at the man in front of her with admiration.

The man before me was tall and imposing, with regular features and an air of righteousness. He wore armor and had a large sword at his waist, looking quite imposing.

"It's me." Su Rende saw that the little girl was well-behaved and beautiful, with lovely eyes, and looked at him with a very innocent and pure gaze, so he softened his tone.

Su Yaoguang knelt down and said to Su Rende, "Please punish me, General!"

Su Rende was puzzled: "What crime have you committed? Even if you are guilty, you should go to the Jingzhao Prefecture, why are you coming to me, the general?"

“This woman has committed the crime of offending the General’s Mansion,” Su Yaoguang said, beckoning to Cui Hongxiu beside her.

Cui Hongxiu came out.

Su Yaoguang removed the veil from Cui Hongxiu's face, revealing her red and swollen face.

"Hiss... How did this little girl's face turn like that?"

"She's been beaten, hasn't she? Who hit her so hard, leaving a young girl's face like this? If she's disfigured, how will she ever get married?"

The people nearby were talking about it.

Su Rende was even more confused.

"Young lady, just tell me directly what this woman's face has to do with the General's Mansion." The attendant behind her couldn't stand it anymore and asked for the reason directly.

Su Yaoguang looked around, then hesitated, "General, perhaps we should find another place to talk?"

“No need, let’s just say it here, and make it clear in front of everyone,” Su Rende said.

"I am the owner of Taoyao Fang. Yesterday..." Su Yaoguang began her story from yesterday, recounting everything in detail. Every sentence implied that they were tactless, failed to recognize a distinguished person, and offended the servants of the General's Mansion. Furthermore, she claimed that they had not served the women of the General's Mansion properly when they came to provide services. Every sentence she uttered implied that she was in the wrong, and that Taoyao Fang was at fault, but everyone could tell that the General's Mansion was abusing its power.

"Little girl, do you dare to come with me to the General's Mansion for a confrontation?" Su Rende said coldly.

“General, it’s alright. You’ve been fighting on the border, bringing us peace and prosperity. It’s normal for the women in your household to have a temper. We’re just ordinary people. A few slaps and a few disfigurements don’t matter.” Su Yaoguang’s eyes reddened.

“I kill the enemy to serve my country; that is my duty. I will never allow anyone in my household to oppress the people. If what you said today is true, I will give you an explanation. Come, follow me to the General's Mansion,” Su Rende said.

"General, you are wise." Su Yaoguang pulled Cui Hongxiu forward.

Su Rende looked at Su Yaoguang in front of him: "Can you ride a horse?"

Su Yaoguang nodded: "I know a little."

"Li Dali, give the horse to this little girl to ride, and you walk back yourself."

"Yes."

Su Yaoguang rode her horse behind Su Rende.

For some reason, Su Rende found the girl very pleasing to the eye and very endearing.

The young girl said in the street that the general's mansion was oppressing the people. He should be angry, but he couldn't be angry at all.

As a general, he had been fighting on the border for years and only returned to the capital half a year ago. Over the years, he had seen all sorts of schemes and plots. If he couldn't even see through a little girl's little schemes, he would have died at the hands of the enemy long ago.

However, even though he knew the girl was deliberately scheming, and he disliked people who were deep-seated and full of scheming, he didn't hate her at all.

I also think she's quite cute.

“You little girl, aren’t you afraid that I’ll kill you in a fit of anger for saying that the General’s Mansion is abusing its power in the street?” Su Rende asked.

“The general is not one to kill innocent people indiscriminately. I am just an ordinary citizen. If the general wanted to kill me, it would be as easy as crushing an ant, but you wouldn’t.”

What makes you think I'll stand up for you?

"General, you are a fair man. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so beloved by so many soldiers."

Su Rende felt comforted by the praise.

As they spoke, they arrived at the general's mansion.

Su Rende led Su Yaoguang and Cui Hongxiu directly into the inner courtyard.

"Is Madam here?" Su Rende asked.

The servant said nervously, "The lady is entertaining several ladies in the backyard."

“You said I had something to discuss with her, and asked her to come over,” Su Rende said. “Oh, and call that hot water bottle over too.”

"Yes."

Su Yaoguang and Cui Hongxiu stood in the middle of the hall.

Su Rende turned around and saw that she was still standing. He pointed to the opposite side and said, "Let's sit down and talk! After we find out the truth, if it's true, this general will stand up for you."

"Actually, I had no other choice but to come to the general. I am just an ordinary citizen who has offended the general's family, and I am very frightened. I came here to apologize and hope to be forgiven by the general's family so that I can live a peaceful life in the future."

"You came to see me in the street, which means everyone knows that your Peach Blossom Abode has been bullied by the General's Mansion. If anyone causes trouble again, the General's Mansion will be the first to be suspected. You have inquired about my character before and know that I am not the kind of person who covers up for others. You can use me to give the inner quarters a warning, and they will naturally behave themselves."

Su Yaoguang: "..."

This general is very clever; he's nothing like the barbarian from those folk tales.

She did think so.

She had inquired about the general's temperament beforehand and knew that he was someone who would not tolerate any dissent.

Since that woman wants to cause trouble for Taoyaofang, the only option is to target the person who is in charge.

A beautiful woman led an old woman in. The old woman was none other than the one who had started the trouble.

The old woman's eyes flashed with unease when she saw Su Yaoguang and Cui Hongxiu. "General, you're back," the beautiful woman said softly. "I've had the servants prepare the meal; please bring it up immediately. General, are we having guests?"

"You don't know them?" Su Rende asked calmly.

"I don't recognize her." The beautiful woman's gaze lingered on Cui Hongxiu. "This young lady, however, looks somewhat familiar."

"This girl came to your house yesterday to do your skincare, and you said she left injuries on you, that you slapped her twenty times, and that's why you had someone beat your face like this. Now you're saying you don't recognize her?"

"So it was her. This woman offended the General's Mansion outside, and I was furious. I found an excuse to slap her twenty times, hoping to teach her a lesson and stop her from talking nonsense outside. She even went to the General for help," Madam Pang said angrily.

“I have not offended the General’s Mansion,” Cui Hongxiu said. “I beg the General to do justice for me.”

"Don't you Taoyaofang people talk badly about the General's Mansion outside?" Pang said confidently.

“General, you are wise. This humble woman and Taoyao Fang admire and worship you. How could we dare to offend the General’s Mansion? We have never mentioned the General’s Mansion before. Yesterday, it was this old woman who deliberately caused trouble for Taoyao Fang. We did not say a single word about the General’s Mansion.”

"Who told you, Madam, that we offended the General's Mansion?" Su Yaoguang asked.

Pang looked at the hot water bottle next to her.

Tang Pozi knelt down with a thud and apologized to Su Rende, saying, "It's all my fault. I was wronged at Taoyaofang yesterday. Knowing that you are always soft-hearted, I lied to you and used you to vent my anger. If you want to blame someone, blame me. You knew nothing about it."

"How dare you lie to me!" Madam Pang's face was full of disbelief. "General, I really didn't know anything about it."

“You’re in charge of the General’s Mansion, yet you’ve been fooled by an old servant. This old servant can’t be kept any longer,” Su Rende said. “He’s the one you brought from your maiden home, so it’s not good to sell him. Send him directly to the estate.”

"General, could you spare her this time? Having learned her lesson, I believe she won't dare to do it again." After saying this, Madam Pang turned to Su Yaoguang and said, "Ladies, I didn't expect this old servant to be so bold as to slander you. To make amends, I'm willing to pay you one hundred taels of silver to help you recover. What do you think?"

Su Yaoguang looked at Cui Hongxiu: "Do you accept this kind of compensation?"

Cui Hongxiu nodded: "I'm willing."

It would be foolish not to take the money.

Under the tutelage of their employer, everyone in Taoyaofang knew that silver was a valuable thing.

Since she'd already been beaten, not taking the money wouldn't change anything. Besides, with Doctor Jiang there, her face wouldn't be scarred, so this money was essentially free.

"Thank you, General, thank you, Madam," Su Yaoguang said. "Then we won't disturb you any longer."

Looking at the little girl's sweet smile, Su Rende's heart melted.

If only she were his daughter.

However, he injured his head and lost his memory, so he couldn't remember his past at all.

He inquired everywhere, even in the military camp, but during those years of constant warfare, everyone who knew him died on the battlefield, and his other brothers did not know his background.

During those years, there was constant warfare, and because of the presence of spies, many of their important books were burned, making it impossible to investigate.

Pang sent someone to pay the silver.

Su Yaoguang left with Cui Hongxiu.

Pang felt uneasy when she saw Su Rende staring at Su Yaoguang's back.

Could the general have taken a liking to that woman?
The general had refused to marry for years, and despite her best efforts to please him, she could never get close to him. Some said he had been wounded in the battlefield, and she believed it. But today, the way he looked at that young girl was so intense; it didn't seem like he was uninterested in women.

Could it be that she has brought trouble upon herself?
"General, Granny Tang is getting old. Could you please not send her to the estate? I will discipline her properly. I won't let her do such a foolish thing again. Granny Tang has suffered too much and is a bit greedy for small gains. But, no matter what, she is still a member of my family."

"As a general, once I speak, it is a military order that must be carried out. If my words are not up to standard, what prestige do I have left in this general's mansion?"

"But……"

“If you can’t bear to part with her, go with her to the estate. Since you’re worried about her, you can take care of her yourself.”

With a dark face, Madam Pang said unwillingly, "I understand, I will do as the general says."

"You should be more careful in the future and not easily believe the words of those wicked servants."

"Yes."

Su Rende strode away.

Pang said angrily, "After all these years, he still won't give me any face. Even a stone would melt if it were warmed, does he have a heart at all? My husband gave his life to save him back then. He clearly promised to take good care of my daughter and me. But he still refuses to marry me."

“Madam, if this continues, he will be seduced by other vixens, and you, the mistress of the general’s mansion, will become a mere figurehead. There will be no place for you here.”

“But he doesn’t want to marry me, he doesn’t even want to touch me, what can I do?” Pang said angrily. “Haven’t I been attentive enough to him all these years?”

"The general is a responsible man. Once you've slept with him, he'll have to take responsibility whether he wants to or not. Madam, you might as well just go for the drastic measure."

“You’re right. I can’t just sit here and wait to die. He can afford to wait, but can I? I’m not young anymore. If I don’t find a way, I won’t be able to have a child to inherit the general’s mansion.”

Taoyaofang. Zhang Zhaodi paced back and forth at the entrance until she saw Su Yaoguang and Cui Hongxiu returning in a carriage, then she strode forward to greet them.

“My darling daughter, you really worried me to death. Everyone was talking about how you stopped the Protector General in the street and even went to his mansion to confront him. Although I heard that the Protector General is an upright man, you were going to sue his family. Who knows if he would protect his own? Luckily you came back safely, thank God.”

“I think that the General Who Protects the Nation lives up to his reputation; he is indeed an upright man,” Su Yaoguang said. “Now that the matter has been resolved, Mother, you don’t need to worry.”

“Master, I also received a hundred taels of silver as compensation!” Cui Hongxiu waved the purse in her hand. “The master said to keep it for me as compensation.”

“You deserve this. Such a beautiful face, beaten like this, you must have been so desperate and scared! We were the ones who provoked that old woman, but you're the one suffering.” Zhang Zhaodi touched Cui Hongxiu’s cheek. “Don’t go to work these next few days, just rest well. You’ll still get paid. Apply the ointment Jing’er gave you every day, it won’t leave a scar.”

Cui Hongxiu's eyes reddened: "The head of the household and the master have been so good to me. I would rather never marry than leave Taoyaofang."

"What's this little girl thinking?" Zhang Zhaodi said. "Stop crying, or your wound will hurt even more if it gets wet with tears."

After Su Yaoguang returned, everyone gathered around her to describe what had just happened.

Various rumors have already spread in the city. However, many of these rumors are exaggerated, so it's more accurate to ask the person directly involved.

“That general’s wife is quite pretty,” Su Yaoguang said.

“That’s not the general’s wife,” the old woman next to him said. “General Su doesn’t have a wife. That woman is the wife of the man who saved General Su’s life. It is said that General Su was being chased by enemy troops and fell off a cliff. He was rescued by a hunter. The hunter died at the hands of the pursuers while trying to distract them. His last words were that the general should take care of his wife and daughter.”