Chapter 375 The Betraying Maid

"Qicui, you've come at the right time," Leng Rushuang said in a low voice. "Take Young Master Cheng to the back door in the southeast corner, and be careful to avoid being seen by others..."

Qi Cui is Leng Ru Shuang's head maid and the maid she trusts the most.

Only this head maid knew that she was unwilling to get married and that she had repeatedly gone to see Cheng Zhao.

"Miss!" Qi Cui stepped into the bridal chamber and closed the door behind her. "There are matchmakers everywhere outside. Young Master Cheng can't leave at all. Things have already come to this point. The guests have all arrived. Now everyone in Huzhou knows that the eldest daughter of the Leng family and this year's top scorer in the imperial examination have tied the knot. Why should Young Master Cheng leave?"

Leng Rushuang narrowed her eyes: "What, are you disobeying my orders, Miss?"

Qi Cui lowered her head: "What this servant means is that Miss and Young Master are destined to be together, and they were meant to be husband and wife..."

She lowered her head and walked to Cheng Zhao's side. "Young master, let me help you undress. Please put your wedding attire back on quickly."

She reached out and started to take off Cheng Zhao's clothes.

Cheng Zhao never expected a maid to make such a bold move. Forced to retreat, she stumbled and fell onto the wedding bed.

“Young master, you have to take these clothes off.”

Qi Cui lay down on the bed, deliberately stroking Cheng Zhao's chest with her soft hands.

"After the young master and young lady get married, I will also belong to the young master. Please do not avoid me..."

"Smack!!"

A resounding slap landed hard on Qi Cui's face.

Leng Rushuang stood by the bed, her face ashen.

She was desperately trying to distance herself from Cheng Zhao, but her personal maid shamelessly clung to her.

She vaguely understood why she had tried so hard to stop this from happening, yet was still powerless to do so; it turned out that a traitor had appeared in her life.

"Miss!" Qi Cui knelt down with a thud. "I did all this for your own good, for your health, for your marriage. I had no other choice but to do this..."

"Get out of here!" Leng Rushuang pointed at the door. "From now on, you are not allowed to enter my courtyard without my permission!"

Qi Cui crawled over and grabbed Leng Rushuang's skirt: "Miss said that I would be part of your dowry when you got married. How could you send me away on our wedding day... Miss, please give me another chance. I will never dare to do it again. From now on, without your orders, I will never go near the groom again..."

Just then.

The servants greeted him in unison from the doorway: "Master!"

Leng Rushuang's expression changed instantly. She shook off Qi Cui, who was grabbing her skirt, and looked up at Cheng Zhao: "Quick, hide! Pretend you're gone! Quick! Hide behind the screen!"

Cheng Zhao got out of bed and straightened his clothes.

He spoke calmly: "Since Master Leng is here, I'll make things clear and handle this matter properly without damaging the Leng family's reputation."

He was caught off guard when he was looking at the rankings.

But now, after so much time, he has a plan in mind.

Seeing Cheng Zhao's calm demeanor, Leng Rushuang instantly panicked: "My father is an extremely domineering person. Once he's made up his mind, no one can change it... cough cough, no matter what you say, he won't listen. Hide, hide quickly, and whatever you do, don't let my father find out!"

At that moment, the footsteps outside the door stopped.

Master Leng gently knocked on the door.

The maid kneeling on the ground immediately shouted, "Master, Miss and Master have woken up!"

Leng Rushuang felt a metallic taste in her throat; she never expected Qi Cui to be so bold.

She couldn't hold back and kicked Qi Cui in the chest.

However, she was chronically ill and had very little strength, so she posed no threat to Qi Cui at all. Qi Cui got up from the ground and went straight to open the door, moving very quickly, as if she was afraid that Cheng Zhao would run away.

The door opened, and Master Leng stood in the doorway. Seeing the two people standing inside, he sighed almost imperceptibly.

“Master Leng.” Cheng Zhao walked over, his voice calm and his expression cold. “I think we made things very clear that day. It was a misunderstanding that I caught the embroidered ball, and the marriage was canceled that day. Master Leng arranged the marriage against my wishes and forcibly kidnapped the newly appointed scholar in broad daylight. If I take this to the authorities, does Master Leng know what the consequences will be?”

"Father!" Leng Rushuang said sharply, enduring her discomfort, "If you insist on binding me with Young Master Cheng, then I can only be your daughter in the next life!"

"Alright!" Master Leng sighed. "The prefect already knows about this, and the prefect's wife has come over too. Young Master Cheng, why didn't you say earlier that Madam Sui is your aunt?"

If he had known earlier, he would never have resorted to such a drastic measure.

The Leng family, being mere merchants, would never dare to offend Lady Sui, whom the Emperor himself had appointed.

A hint of guilt flashed across Cheng Zhao's face.

This matter still alarmed my second aunt, and he dragged her down again.

He didn't know when he would be able to repay his aunt's kindness.

A look of astonishment flashed across Leng Rushuang's face. Was this Young Master Cheng actually Madam Sui's nephew?

Is Lady Sui the woman who led Young Master Cheng to the embroidery tower that day, had a pleasant conversation with her parents, and then canceled the marriage?

Therefore, it is indeed true that the Leng family has climbed the social ladder.

Fortunately, no major mistake was made.

"Young Master Cheng, this way please."

The attitude of the wealthy man changed completely in an instant.

First, Cheng Zhao was the nephew of Lady Sui; second, Cheng Zhao was the top scorer in the provincial examination; and finally, even the prefect's wife intervened.

He had to be respectful, otherwise, the Leng family would be in deep trouble this time.

No matter how respectful Master Leng's attitude was, the Leng family still became the biggest joke in the entire city of Huzhou.

Aside from members of the Leng family, most of the guests at the wedding banquet were business partners. They cooperated with each other, but they were also competitors. They were all happy to watch the spectacle unfold in the Leng family.

"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect it to be a forced marriage."

"Master Leng is too cunning. He actually tried to catch a son-in-law after the exam results were announced. He almost succeeded."

"A sickly girl wants to become in-laws with Madam Sui? Isn't that just wishful thinking?"

"..."

"Although Huzhou is a large place, not many scholars pass the imperial examinations each year. Since Cheng Zhao is the top scorer in the provincial examination, he will surely become a Juren this August. He will bring glory to Huzhou, and his success will benefit the people of Huzhou." The Prefect's wife said coldly, "You planned this marriage before Cheng Zhao even passed the Juren examination, letting him indulge in romantic affairs. Isn't that causing Huzhou to lose a Juren? Do you know your mistake?!"

Even the wealthy man, Leng, felt like crying.

Many scholars, after passing the county-level imperial examination, would immediately get married so that they could focus on the provincial-level examination. This was a common practice. How could the prefect's wife say that it would affect a scholar's chances of passing the provincial-level examination?

But since the prefect's wife had spoken, he had no choice but to lower his head and say, "I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong!"

The prefect's wife looked at the guests who were watching the commotion and said calmly, "The wedding banquet is over. The marriage between the Cheng and Leng families is obviously invalid. Everyone, please disperse."

"yes!"

The crowd bowed in agreement, then lowered their heads and silently dispersed.

They were also eager to leave, as this was a rare and unusual event in Huzhou City, something they would talk about for a long time.

Cheng Wanwan looked at the prefect's wife gratefully: "Thank you for coming to my rescue, Madam."

Although she could solve it herself, it would require a lot of talking and effort, unlike the prefect's wife who could solve the problem so quickly.

The prefect's wife smiled and said, "It was Old Master Qian who sent a visiting card to the prefect and mentioned the Leng family's matter. It's not quite right for the prefect to be involved in a marriage, so I shamelessly came. Luckily, I made it in time."

Cheng Wanwan silently made a note of Old Master Qian's name. Not only did he send her an invitation, but he also went to the government office to ask for help. It seemed that she would have to meet with Old Master Qian and have a good talk.