The guard, who had been pushed aside, was puzzled when he saw his mistress lift the beggar's dirty hair that was covering his face, burst into tears, and call out "Third Brother!" as she and the beggar embraced and wept bitterly.

......

The guards, coachman, and several servants looked at each other, then their gazes finally settled on the two people who were embracing and weeping bitterly.

The two guards who had just beaten up the beggar exchanged a strained glance. So... he really was the lady's brother!

"Third Brother, what are you doing here?"

After Wang and Wang Sanlang had cried enough, they finally remembered to ask about the important matter.

Speaking of this, Wang Sanlang wanted to cry again, his eyes brimming with tears as he looked at Wang Shi, "Sister, I never imagined that woman could be so cruel!"

Wang Sanlang, feeling both aggrieved and resentful, recounted his experiences over the past few days to Wang Shi.

After their travel expenses were stolen in Longshi, he and Wang Cuihua had no money to pay for their room and were kicked out by the innkeeper, leaving them to beg for food.

"That Wang Cuihua has an enormous appetite!"

Even now, Wang Sanlang still grits his teeth when he talks about it.

He didn't eat a single bite of the food he ordered; it all went into Wang Cuihua's stomach, and Wang Cuihua even complained that he hadn't ordered enough.

That wasn't all. When he had money, Wang Cuihua treated him with tenderness and care. But when he lost his money, she scolded him for being useless and gradually started beating him. He was starving every day, how could he possibly be a match for Wang Cuihua, who was as strong as an ox! He was beaten black and blue every day.

Seeing that he could get more food than usual despite his injured state, Wang Cuihua beat and kicked him even more.

He begged for food during the day and was beaten at night; his life was simply inhuman!

A few days later, Wang Cuihua hooked up with a wealthy businessman who was passing by. She wanted to run away with him, but Wang Sanlang naturally disagreed.

He ended up in such a miserable state because of Wang Cuihua, so how could he let Wang Cuihua have an easy life? He would rather be beaten by Wang Cuihua every day than let her suffer with him!

When Wang Shi didn't see Wang Cuihua by her third brother's side, she knew that Wang Cuihua must have run away with someone in the end, but reality was even crueler than she thought.

Wang Cuihua was annoyed by Wang Sanlang's persistent pestering, and fearing that he would ruin her relationship with the wealthy merchant, she tricked him into selling himself.

"Sold!"

Wang could hardly believe what she was hearing; Wang Sanlang was so aggrieved and filled with resentment.

The family that bought him was a variety show performer. They bought him because their monkeys had run away, and they even said they would skin him, put monkey skin on him, and make him jump through hoops of fire.

Wang felt a chill run down her spine and didn't want to hear any more. She quickly asked him how he escaped.

“My ministers were asleep. They set fire to the entertainment venue and escaped in the chaos.”

Wang Sanlang wiped away his tears. After escaping, he begged all the way to the capital and finally returned to the palace. In the middle of the night, he was starving and freezing.

When he saw his father return from outside, his eyes welled up with tears, and he screamed and rushed towards him. However, the care and warmth he had imagined were nowhere to be found. Instead, his father beat him violently while screaming in terror, "Ghost! Ghost!"

Then, the gatekeeper, who heard the commotion, ran over, pulled him off his father, and threw him out. His father fled into the house and ordered the gatekeeper to close the door tightly!

Wang: "......"

Her mother decided to assume that her father was not present the night her third brother died, so her father always believed that her third brother was really dead.

Feeling a little awkward, Wang coughed and asked, "Have you gone to see your third sister-in-law and mother?"

"I've looked for him." Wang Sanlang felt even more aggrieved. His wife spat a face full of phlegm at him, and his mother didn't recognize him either.

Wang was not surprised by this. Wang Sanlang grabbed Wang's sleeve and said, "Sister, I've been following you for several days now, and I was afraid you wouldn't recognize me! Sister, you won't abandon your brother, will you?"

Wang's eyebrows twitched. So it turned out that the person who had been following her these past few days was actually her third brother!

When she met her third brother's pleading, tearful eyes, Wang closed her own eyes. Oh well, he's her own brother!

However, Wang suddenly had an idea. Wasn't Xu Yan recruiting employees? Why didn't she put her third brother in one of them?

Wang gave Wang Sanlang some silver, told him to wash up and change his clothes, and then go to Xu's shop to apply for a job. She also whispered her plan to Wang Sanlang.

The idea was to have Wang Sanlang tamper with Xu Ji's fabrics, causing people who received clothes from them to experience itchy skin, and then see if anyone would still order clothes from them in the future.

Wang Sanlang naturally agreed. Anyone who dared to compete with her sister for the title of Marquis of Changxing would be made unable to stay in the capital!

"Hey, isn't my sister coming back to the city with me?"

Wang Sanlang looked at Wang Shi with a puzzled expression. Wang Shi glanced in the direction of Famen Temple and said, "I'll go offer incense."

Curse them to death!

Wang Sanlang happily returned to the city with the silver in his pocket, while Wang Shi got back into the carriage and told the driver to continue the journey.

However, they hadn't gone far when a band of mountain bandits rushed out. Although the four guards tried their best to resist, they were no match for the many hands. Wang and the others were tied up tightly, their mouths stuffed with rags, their heads covered with black cloths, and they were put into garbage cans in batches and transported into the city.

After a bumpy ride, Wang's hands and feet ached from being bound. With great difficulty, the black cloth was finally torn off, and after her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw a greasy old man.

The greasy old man approached her step by step, frightening her so much that she screamed in panic, "What do you want! Did Xu Yan and the others send you here?!"

The greasy old man stopped in front of her, and when he smiled, he became even greasier. "We weren't sent by Xu Yan. We're here to kidnap Xu Yan."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!