Chapter 68 How could the exposure not work? I'm your cousin's wife! ...

When Zeng Zhengqing returned, Qingduo couldn't wait to ask him, "What did you talk about, Uncle?"

Zeng Zhengqing shook his head and said, "It's a long story."

Well, that means they don't want to talk about it.

Forget it, if she doesn't want to talk about it, she doesn't want to! The Zeng family's affairs are so mysterious every day, she doesn't know why they make things so heavy for her, she can't be bothered with this trouble!

Qingduo recalled her conversation with Zeng Zhengji and asked Zeng Zhengqing for confirmation: "Your brother said that he never argued with your father. Is that true?"

Zeng Zhengqing said, "Don't even mention him, I haven't either." He looked at Qingduo's wide-open mouth, thought for a moment, and then said, "No, I have had one."

once?

Only once?

No! Are those two brothers some kind of "Great Sage"?

Qingduo raised her hands in shock: "I can't even count the number of times my dad and I have argued! How could you, how could you..."

"Oh? Is Madam quite proud of this?" Zeng Zhengqing raised an eyebrow and asked in return.

"No, that's not it," Qingduo muttered dejectedly. "Compared to you all, I seem so unfilial!"

Zeng Zhengqing chuckled, patted her head, and comforted her, "Whether a person is filial or not is not measured by whether they can argue with their elders. Madam has always had her own principles; you were just expressing yourself."

Qingduo felt she was far inferior to the two brothers and was initially quite down. However, after hearing Zeng Zhengqing's words, her gloom vanished instantly, and she smiled brightly, saying, "You're absolutely right! That's exactly right! I'm very good to my father; I'm definitely not an unfilial daughter!"

Zeng Zhengqing couldn't help but chuckle. Qingduo suddenly remembered something and quietly asked, "Qingqing, what was it about that time you had a fight?"

What could have caused this heavy jar to be overturned, leading to a dispute between him and his father?

Zeng Zhengqing unconsciously touched his nose: "It was too long ago, I've forgotten."

Tsk!

She didn't believe it.

For this kind of "great saint," that argument must be like a large ink stain on a blank sheet of paper, only becoming clearer with time. How could he possibly forget it? Perhaps he's too proud to accept such a stain on his life and refuses to tell himself about it.

"Fine, I won't tell you then. Who cares?" Qingduo crossed her arms, snorted, and walked away without looking back.

Zeng Zhengqing watched her retreating figure and breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew Qingduo didn't believe him, but he was secretly glad that she didn't press him. Otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to think of any excuse to fool her.

He couldn't very well tell her that the argument he had with his father back then was because he didn't want to marry her and was trying to cancel the engagement, could he?

*

Since arriving in Luzhou City, Qingduo had only explored it once, and everything was so new and exciting that she couldn't get enough of it. She had originally planned to go shopping with Huiying today, but Huiying hesitated and said she had something to do and couldn't get away. So Qingduo and Fangqing went out to enjoy themselves.

When they were in Wuzhou, Zeng Zhengqing didn't impose as many restrictions on her, but here, she had to behave properly and follow the Zeng family's requirements. For example, she couldn't show her face when she went out and had to wear a veil to cover it.

At first, having something in front of her face made everything blurry and extremely uncomfortable. But as she wore it, she found that the veiled hat could block the cold wind in this freezing weather, so she happily accepted it.

As she strolled along, buying things, she bought ointment for her father's hand injury, silk thread for Aunt Zhu's embroidery, paper and pens for Lu Nong's writing, a set of martial arts protective gear for Zhu Yi, and gifts for Brother Liu Ke and Sister Miao Wan... The two of them, mistress and servant, carried and slung heavy bags and bundles. Passersby couldn't help but stare, thinking they were some kind of farm woman visiting the city for the first time!

As they walked, Fangqing glanced at Qingduo and suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! Young Madam! Where's the bundle on your back?"

"Huh?" Qingduo turned her head and saw that her back was completely bare. She exclaimed, "Ah!"

"No wonder it's so much lighter!"

She immediately recalled her previous experience of being robbed in the street and looked around frantically, shouting, "Thief! Thief!"

"Impossible!" Fang Qing denied immediately. "I was watching from behind the whole time. No one came to steal it. I just realized it was missing. I guess it was left in the shop we were in earlier."

She pulled Qingduo into a nearby alley and unloaded the bags from both of them: "Young Madam, wait for me here, I'll go back and get them."

She didn't feel anything while walking, but as soon as she stopped to rest, Qingduo realized that her legs were gradually losing feeling, like two heavy wooden stakes. She bent down and pounded them, but to little avail, so she craned her neck and looked around for a place to sit.

Her gaze immediately fell on a certain spot, and she quickly dragged her bundle over. It was a fortune-telling stall. She said to the fortune teller, "Brother, my legs hurt so much. I'd like to borrow your stool for a while. I won't sit for free; I'll give you a fortune-telling fee as payment, but you don't need to tell my fortune."

The man said, "I have no merit to accept a reward. Please sit down."

Qingduo thanked her and sat down with a thud, feeling the blood rushing through her legs. She let out a long sigh of relief.

Not long after they sat down, the fortune teller suddenly had a stomachache and needed to relieve himself. Seeing this, she patted her chest and said generously, "Leave it to me! I'll watch it for you! I guarantee you won't be disappointed that I lent you this chair!"

Qingduo changed locations, worried that Fangqing might get anxious if she couldn't find her, so she kept a close eye on the passing crowd. Coincidentally, she didn't see Fangqing, but she did see another familiar face.

She waved and called out, "Xiao Hui, huh?"

Thinking she couldn't see clearly because of the curtain, she lifted it and craned her neck to look ahead:

That person was indeed Zeng Huiying, Zeng Zhengqing's younger cousin!

But who is the man beside her who makes her blush?

*

It's human nature to enjoy watching a spectacle.

Making the excitement even more exciting is Qingduo's nature.

Qingduo thought to herself: This little girl! She didn't go shopping with me because she had a handsome young man to meet. And she just happened to catch me red-handed!

She excitedly rubbed her hands together, eager to see what she could do to make fun of her when she got home tonight.

She could already imagine the astonished look on Huiying's face when she laid everything bare before her: "Sister-in-law, you're amazing! How did you know all this?"

Qingduo was instantly filled with energy. Her back and legs no longer ached, and a flood of brilliant ideas rushed into her head. She immediately shouted in a shrill voice, "Fortune telling! Fortune telling! Marriage fortune telling! Free fortune telling! Those who are destined to find it, come!"

Her shout drew everyone's attention, including Huiying and her companion. They stopped in their tracks and looked over, seemingly quite intrigued.

Just as "Tang Taigong" was about to feel smug after seeing the fish take the bait, one passerby after another surrounded the table, blocking his view: "Hey, tell us your fortune!"

"I was here first! Calculate my number first!"

You're such a big idiot!

Qingduo waved impatiently to shoo the guest away: "Sorry, we are not destined to be together, I can't tell you."

What about me?

"No!" she refused outright.

People turned and left dejectedly. Huiying and her companion were walking towards them when they saw everyone had dispersed. After hesitating for a moment, they also turned and left.

This is terrible!

Qingduo hurriedly called out, "Hey, hey, hey, you two! Yes, it's you! I felt a connection with you from afar! Come quickly, come quickly!"

Huiying sat down at the table, looking at her with a puzzled expression: "Why does your voice sound...so familiar?"

Qingduo was startled: Oh no! I was in such a hurry to call them back that I forgot to change my voice!

She immediately replied softly, "How could that be? They all say my voice is the most unique!" She quickly changed the subject: "Which aspect would you like to be considered, young lady?"

"I, I want to calculate..." Huiying glanced at the man beside her, and before she could finish speaking, both of them blushed.

Qingduo chuckled inwardly, then said in a serious tone, "You two are here to have your marriage predicted, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, both of them blushed even more. The man said to Huiying, "Miss Zeng, actually, this matter is no longer a matter of fate, but of people's hearts. I think... we don't need to calculate it anymore."

Huiying looked up and met his eyes, then said softly, "Brother Yin is right. In that case, let's go!" With that, the two got up to leave.

What they couldn't see was the speechless expression on Qingduo's face. She had gone to great lengths to attract them, but this man not only gave her a glimpse of a tender and affectionate scene, but also ruined all her hard work with just one sentence!

How could she accept this?

Huiying hadn't walked far when she heard the "fortune teller" behind her sighing repeatedly: "Oh dear! Difficult! Difficult!"

She stopped abruptly and couldn't help but ask, "What is it that you mean, Master?"

Qingduo feigned seriousness: "Although you two are deeply in love, there may be obstacles from your families!"

At first glance, this man looked about the same as she had before she got married. If it weren't for her engagement to Zeng Zhengqing, the Zeng family probably wouldn't have even considered her, let alone this poor boy.

The old man doesn't seem like an easy person to talk to. It's going to be very difficult for this couple to be together.

Huiying was indeed anxious. She immediately turned around and asked, "Please enlighten me, Master!"

Having the experience of a "youthful face sorcerer," Qingduo remained completely calm and began her signature move again: bending her fingers, her thumb moving from her index finger to her little finger, and then back again, all while muttering incantations in a serious tone.

"Hmm... I think I see... a wall, no, not a wall, it's bricks! Ah! It's a human face! What a stinky face!"

She turned to Huiying and said, "Little girl, think about it, is there anyone in your family with a grumpy face? Someone who would stop you!"

When Huiying thought of someone with a stern face, her first thought was her father. But she didn't want to admit that her beloved father was a "grumpy" person. Then she thought again, and now, the only one who could stop them was her father.

She had to bite the bullet and admit that the person with the worst attitude in the family was her father.

She had considered that her father might object to their relationship. The fortune teller's words struck a chord with her, and she couldn't help but sigh, whispering, "Your prediction was truly accurate."

nonsense!

How could it not work?

I'm your cousin's wife!

Qingduo tried hard to suppress her laughter, then muttered to herself for a while, pretending to talk, before finally saying, "There is a way to resolve this. I just calculated that a benefactor has come to your side. This benefactor seems to be from the north, um. She is blessed with good fortune and everything goes smoothly for her. You should spend more time with her, and you will naturally benefit from her good luck..."

Qingduo became increasingly carried away with her words, forgetting to conceal her true voice. Huiying stared at her intently for a while before interrupting her long-winded rambling: "You wouldn't... be Qingduo's sister-in-law, would you?"

Qingduo was so frightened that she suddenly stopped talking, shook her head frantically, and then raised her voice in a high-pitched voice: "No!"

The real fortune teller rushed back: "Madam, thank you for watching my stall." Turning around and seeing Huiying and the others, he was taken aback: "This is..."

Qingduo's mind raced, and she stammered, "Well, well..."

"Young Madam!" Fang Qing exclaimed, panting, carrying a bundle. "I've finally found you! Why did you change locations?"

She looked down and saw Huiying, and exclaimed in surprise, "Third Miss? What are you doing here?"

Fang Qing looked at Hui Ying, then at Qing Duo: "Young Madam, what exactly is going on?"

All eyes were on Qingduo, and she resignedly closed her eyes.

Qingduo lifted the curtain, an awkward smile on her face: "Hello, Xiao Huiying!"

*

Zeng Residence.

"How have you thought about what I told you yesterday?" Zeng Yong asked.

"I've made up my mind," Zeng Zhengqing said.

Zeng Yong was very pleased: "That's right! That's how it should be! How could we miss the path of the imperial examination? Our Zeng family members should take the imperial examination and seek an official career. Zhengji has always respected and loved you and didn't want to cause you any conflict or upset you unnecessarily. Now that you've finally come to your senses, he can go and take the exam with peace of mind. That's wonderful!"

Zeng Zhengqing replied, "Zhengji cannot go."

Zeng Yong frowned: "Yuan Bai, how can you still be confused? Everything I said to you yesterday was for nothing."

"When your father was young, he studied very hard, and his ambition was so firm! As his older brother, I admired him greatly. But fate was cruel, and he had an accident, so he could never realize his ambition. As his sons, you should naturally take up his unfulfilled wish! What kind of man runs away from it?" Zeng Yong's words grew increasingly stern.

Zeng Zhengqing said, "To be honest, when you talked to me about these things yesterday, I wavered for a moment. I wondered if my insistence was wrong? Had I misunderstood Father's thoughts? But when I calmed down,"

“I did nothing wrong,” he continued slowly.

“The family business was entirely supported by Grandmother and you. Even my business skills were taught to me by you. My father knew the expectations the whole family had for him, and he carried that pressure, studying desperately. But tell me, what did he get in the end after all that hard work?”

"Ha!" he said bitterly, "It's nothing more than a shame I can never overcome, a shame I can never erase!"

"He went from being the pride and joy of his family to becoming a disgrace that everyone avoids!"

"I suppose my father also felt that his life was not worthwhile, which is why he didn't want Zhengji to become the next him!"

Zeng Yong remained silent for a while before sighing, "No one could have predicted what happened back then! Your father and I grew up together, and even today, I dare to say this: your father was wronged, and he would never have bribed the examiners!"

"That was a muddled case to begin with, but due to the circumstances, we had no choice but to deal with it severely. Alas, in the end, he was just unlucky!"

“It’s not just that he’s unlucky; in my opinion, our Zeng family just doesn’t have that kind of fate!” Zeng Zhengqing said coldly.

Zeng Yong slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily, "Nonsense!"

Zeng Zhengqing stared directly at Zeng Yong's face, showing no fear: "If it weren't for a lack of luck, why has no one in the family been able to enter officialdom since my great-great-grandfather?"

"Since the Zeng family doesn't have that kind of luck, why should I agree? Why should I let my own brother get involved in this mess?"

"In the end, passing the imperial examinations depends on individual ability. It's not that our family lacks luck; it's just that we haven't encountered any promising talents before!" Zeng Yong said.

“Zhengji is just like your father in both temperament and talent! I took him to meet several famous teachers, and they all said he has great potential and a high chance of passing the exam. Tell me, with such talent, how can I, as his uncle, let him be ruined in my hands and have his talent buried in vain?”

"Who can say for sure about these things? What if he fails the exam? Will you let him off easily? Will you use the 'Zeng family' as an excuse to force him to go back to the exam hall again and again? By the time he is tormented to the point of being unable to breathe, he will have already fallen into a bottomless abyss and will not be able to climb out!"

Zeng Zhengqing sneered, "In the end, do you care about his own future, or do you want him to satisfy the inflated and resentful obsession of the entire family?"

"Is he Zeng Zhengji, or just a tool to realize the Zeng family's ambitions?"

"Smack!"

A resounding slap landed on Zeng Zhengqing's face.

Zeng Yong angrily said, "How dare you say such spineless words! Today, I will teach you a lesson on behalf of your father!"

"You've already judged him as incapable before he even entered the examination hall. How can you be a proper older brother? You criticize me and the family for pressuring him, but what about you? Do you think you're honorable?"

“You completely disregard what he thinks and are single-mindedly trying to stop him, acting solely on your own thoughts. Is this what you mean by making him 'Zeng Zhengji'?”

He shouted, "Zeng Zhengqing! I'm warning you, your brother is not a puppet in your hands! You can't control him!"

What can I do?

"what do I do?"

Zeng Zhengqing gave a bitter smile.

"Am I supposed to just stand by and watch him, my own brother, follow in our father's footsteps and kill his wife and children like him?"

-----------------------

Author's Note: In the past: Zeng Zhengqing: Father! I want to cancel the engagement!

Now: Zeng Zhengqing: It smells so good!

[Next chapter will be released at 7:00 AM on Sunday]