Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Having a Child

Pregnant with my ex-husband's brother's child by Cao Deng Da Ren

Chapter 1

Today is the beginning of summer. The cicadas on the tung trees are chirping and screaming, disturbing people's minds.

On the official road to Jianye, two teams of private soldiers with scimitars on their waists rode their horses with their heads held high, clearing the way for a simple carriage with green curtains.

The wind, sand and dust rolled in, and the sound of horse hooves was deafening.

When the common people saw this, they all gave way.

They looked at each other and whispered to each other, wondering which aristocratic family had come to the city to visit relatives.

"To dare to ride a horse in Jianye, he must be a nobleman with ties to the Cui family."

The Cui family of Jianye, the capital, was the most powerful and aristocratic family in the State of Wu. They were as wealthy as princes and held a high status.

A hundred years ago, the Cui family single-handedly supported the Li family's ascension to the throne, assisted the Li family in establishing the foundation of the country, pacifying the world, and ending the chaotic situation of "aristocratic families ruling one side and ruling each region".

It also saved the people of Wu from the dire straits and prevented them from having to endure the misery of war and disaster.

"I haven't heard that the Cui family has left the city recently. Where did this noble person come from?"

"Have you forgotten? Jianye has the prestigious Cui family, and Lanhe County also has the smaller Cui family!"

Having said this, everyone came back to their senses as if they had just woken up from a dream.

Initially, in order to divide the states and counties, the Cui family of Wudong was split into several branches. The clan members were ordered to govern the local areas and were not allowed to return to the family without permission.

In the capital of Jianye, only the descendants of the eldest son's family were stationed there to assist the imperial power.

The Cui family claimed that they were helping the emperor of the Li family to govern the world, but in fact they wanted to take the opportunity to send away the children of the Cui family's side branches and only consolidate the bloodline of the Cui family's main branch and eldest house.

This is to prevent the Cui family from becoming too large and each of them having their own ambitions, competing with their own family for power in Jianye City.

By then, people will be divided and internal strife will continue, which will be the beginning of the decline of a family.

In order to convince the Cui family to split up the family, the old clan leader Cui Weng drove all of them out of the capital, regardless of whether they were legitimate descendants or side branches, leaving only the descendants of the eldest wife.

Mr. Cui also set an example by sending his second legitimate son to Lanhe County to fend for himself.

After all, everyone in the clan knew that the Cui family had few descendants, and Mr. Cui only had two legitimate sons.

The eldest son died in the battlefield a few years ago, and the only bloodline left behind was the eldest grandson Cui Jue.

The second son was weak and died of illness in Lanhe, leaving behind only his second grandson Cui Ming.

Cui Ming, the second grandson of the direct line, suffered from coughing since childhood. He lived in the backyard, was often sick, took medicine frequently, and seldom went out to entertain guests or meet people.

Mr. Cui felt sorry for the second branch, but the rules had been set. Even though he heard that Cui Ming was weak, like his father, he did not recall him back to Jianye.

Mr. Cui was so willing to abandon even his own son, who dared to say anything against him? Knowing that the old patriarch was determined to drive out the side branches, the other branches dared not make any noise. Instead, they packed their bags and fled to the local prefectures and counties to become kings of the mountains.

…

The troops on the official road raised their flags, and the family emblem was rolled in the wind, and the seal-scripted character "Cui" was clearly visible.

The people knew very well that it was the relatives of Xiao Cui from Lanhe who had traveled thousands of miles back to the capital to visit their relatives.

-

Inside the carriage, green curtains fluttered, and the shadows of a few trumpet creepers, illuminated by the bright sunlight of the sunny day, leaked into the carriage, emitting sparse shadows and a faint fragrance.

The petals fell onto a scroll and were swept away by the woman's slender white fingertips. A moment later, a soft and gentle voice was heard.

"Qiu Gui, what time is it?"

"My lady, it's already 3 p.m." The maid, who was two years older than her, looked up at her young mistress, Su Li.

Su Li was beautiful, with almond-shaped eyes like autumn water and willow-shaped eyebrows like dark mountains. She was sixteen years old this year, having come of age at the beginning of last year, and her slender figure had already begun to stretch.

Su Li's figure is not tall, but she has a slender waist and well-proportioned curves. However, her cheeks still have a bit of the plumpness of a rosy-cheeked girl, making her look childish and immature, as beautiful as a peach or plum that secretes honey.

Whenever Qiu Gui looked at his young lady, he would be amazed by her beauty. But Su Li, such a beautiful girl, had such a tortuous marriage.

"Madam actually wants you to do such a ridiculous thing. It's really..."

Qiu Gui was so angry when she thought about the behavior of Xiao Cui's family that she stood up for Su Li.

Su Li put down the book, raised her finger and pressed it on Qiu Gui's pursed lips to stop her from making any sound.

"Qiu Gui, be careful with your words. Now that we're in Jianye City, the Wudong Great Cui family is in charge. Our family has strict rules and regulations, and we value etiquette above all else. If you commit a verbal offense, I won't be able to protect you."

Qiu Gui naturally knew what was important and what was not. She nodded reluctantly and said nothing more.

Su Li was distracted by Qiu Gui's words and couldn't read the book.

She couldn't help but be dazed, remembering what happened before she came here.

The Su family that Su Li belongs to is not an unknown family. It is also a prominent aristocratic family in Lanhe County. However, its family background and reputation are far inferior to those of famous nobles like the Cui family.

In fact, Su Li is not the real eldest daughter of the Su family. She is a substitute for Su Youli, the third daughter of the Su family.

Su Youli, the real legitimate daughter of the Su family, had an enviable happy marriage because she had seen Mr. Cui fall ill when she was young and helped call a doctor to save Mr. Cui's life.

Cui Wengcheng was grateful for the kindness of this little girl. Seeing that Su Youli was only four years old but smart and clever, he wanted to make friends with the Su family and immediately arranged a marriage for his second grandson, Cui Ming.

Everyone in the Su family knew that Cui Ming, the son of Mr. Cui's second son, had been weak and sickly since childhood and was bedridden. A wandering Taoist priest even calculated that he would not live past the age of twenty. However, in order to marry into the Cui family, the Su family still gladly agreed to the marriage and waited for Su Youli to grow up so that the two could get married successfully.

Unfortunately, Su Youli is a miserable girl who is not lucky enough to enjoy the grace of a wealthy family.

When she was six years old, Su Youli drowned while swimming and never grew up.

In order to keep this good marriage, the Su family decided to keep it secret and find a young lady from the countryside who looked like their third daughter to replace Sanniang.

This girl is Su Li today.

Coincidentally, her surname is also Su, and she and Su Youli are truly destined to be together.

Su Li closed the book, knowing full well that she was nothing more than an imposter. She had to abide by her duties and not be exposed. Especially since her grandmother was in the hands of the Su family, if she wanted her family to be safe, she had to submit to their manipulation.

Su Li originally thought that as long as she followed the rules and married into the second branch of the Cui family, and facilitated this marriage for the Su family, she would be able to seize the opportunity to escape with her grandmother and get out of the control of the Su family.

But as the old saying goes, "A hemp rope breaks at its thinnest point, and misfortune favors the unfortunate." Cui Ming was not lucky enough to marry, and died of illness on his wedding night, ending the lineage of the Cui family's second branch...

Su Li couldn't even consummate her marriage and became a widow.

The escape plan was also interrupted.

The Su family had been scheming for many years just to climb up the social ladder of the powerful Cui family, so they naturally did not want Su Lida to return home and choose another husband.

After the two families discussed it, they came up with a stupid idea.

After Cui Ming died, Su Li's mother-in-law came to see her.

The Second Lady said to her in a friendly manner, "Lili, have you ever heard of Wu Dongyulang's name?"

Lili was Su Sanniang's childhood nickname, and her family often called her that to show affection.

"Madam, are you referring to... our eldest son?"

Su Li naturally knew this person.

The only person who could represent the Wudong Cui family was Cui Jue, the eldest grandson of the first wife.

Cui Jue is twenty-four years old this year, and he is already famous all over the world.

He is born as gentle as jade, with emerald green pines and a majestic bearing.

At the age of fourteen, Cui Jue was full of talent and famous in the capital. He was taken by Cui Weng to serve as an official.

At eighteen, the young man, full of zeal, was already able to wield a gun or a sword, following his father into battle to break through the enemy lines. By the time he was in his early twenties, he had already achieved remarkable military success...

Such a man of both literary and martial talents must be the dream lover of countless young girls.

Unfortunately, Cui Jue was already over 20 years old, but the position of wife was still vacant. Some people also speculated that the Li Dynasty intended to use the legitimate princess to win over the Cui family and form an alliance with the aristocratic family.

The reason why Cui Jue kept himself chaste was only for the purpose of marrying a princess in the future.

He was the pride of the Cui family, someone she could never reach.

Even in the entire Lanhe County, no one dared to disrespect the genius of the Cui family.

Su Li didn't understand why her mother-in-law mentioned her to her that handsome and charming cousin from the first house...

The Second Wife patted Su Li's hand and said to her, "My son had a miserable life. He passed away without even leaving behind any offspring. However, the Lanhe Cui family's roots cannot be cut off. The Second Branch must have a successor."

Su Li understood her mother-in-law's implication and answered obediently, "Madam, do you want to adopt a child from a branch family?"

The Second Madam's thoughts shifted. "After all, children from side branches aren't close enough. Your father-in-law and Cui Jue's father were brothers from the same mother. In the entire Cui family, only our Second Branch and First Branch share the same bloodline, and are the closest. Besides, even if I were to adopt a child from a side branch, he wouldn't necessarily be filial to you in the future, as he's not related to you by birth."

Su Li pursed her lips slightly. She vaguely guessed something, but it was hard to believe. She couldn't help but frowned: "What does Madam mean?"

The Second Lady knew that Su Li was just a young lady from a declining aristocratic family and was easy to control. However, this matter was somewhat contrary to common customs, so she was reluctant to speak up.

After hesitating for a moment, the Second Madam said, "Li Li, have you ever heard of the eldest son of the first house inheriting the second house's ancestral line? Cui Jue is the eldest grandson of the first house. He will help support the first house in the future. It is impossible for one son to inherit two ancestral lines..."

"In that case, I've discussed it with the old patriarch. The second branch's heirs are dwindling, and they're on the verge of extinction. It just so happens that Cui Jue hasn't married yet, so he won't have any issues with his wife's family. Rather than letting those familiar maids take advantage of him, it's better to give me a son from the second branch before the wedding."

Mr. Cui felt guilty towards his second son, Cui Jingting. If he had not established rules, forcibly separated the two branches, and driven Cui Jingting to Lanhe, he would not have caught a cold on the way and his condition would have worsened, and he would not have passed away at the age of thirty.

Now that his son has also passed away due to illness, the second branch of the family truly has no one to inherit the incense, and the family line is about to die out...

The second wife was not stupid. She deliberately took advantage of Mr. Cui's guilt towards the second house and made a shocking proposal.

The Second Lady knew that after the death of the legitimate son Cui Ming, the Second Wife was left an orphan and a widow, without even her own children. No matter how pitiful she was, she was just an outsider.

If the Second Madam wants to enjoy her old age in peace and not be eaten by those wolf-like uncles, she must have something to rely on.

For example, a descendant with Cui Jue's blood... In this case, for the sake of the child, Cui Jue will definitely take care of the second wife, and the second wife will have a foothold.

Instead of adopting those useless branches, it is better to encourage the honest Su Li to cling tightly to Cui Jue, the big tree of protection.

The second wife seemed reasonable, but she didn't treat Su Li as a human being at all, and even asked her to openly hook up with Cui Jue.

Su Li's lips turned pale and she said nothing.

Seeing this, the Second Madam advised, "I've already informed the Su family. Your parents are hoping you'll have a child who can support you in the future. Lili, I've watched you grow up, so naturally I love you like my own daughter... You don't know the hardships of a widow. Having a child at your side to show filial piety is the only way to get through the long nights. I'm doing this for your own good."

Su Li looked up: "Does the eldest son of the Cui family know about this matter?"

The Second Lady was delighted to know she had agreed, but soon, she felt troubled again. "Mr. Cui, out of pity for the Second House, will of course agree. But as for Cui Jue... I think Lili will have to put in some effort to please the Young Master."

Su Li understood.

In other words, if Cui Jue was really as upright and handsome as the rumors said, he might be completely unaware of this matter.

"Li Li is born with a beautiful face. Even if it's Cui Jue, he won't humiliate you. Why should you be afraid?"

Seeing her in such a dilemma, the Second Madam wiped away her tears again. "A Ming left so hastily, entering the underworld at such a young age. My heart aches every time I think about it. Lili, I beg you, but you don't want A Ming to be alone at his grave in the future, without even children or grandchildren to burn incense to him, do you?"

Su Li's grandmother was still in the hands of the Su family. She knew she had no way out and could only murmur, "I'll leave it to Madam to arrange."

With this, the delicate girl, along with her personal maid Qiu Gui, set out on the journey to get married.

The Second Lady and Mr. Cui still had some dignity left, so they didn't tell anyone that Su Li was Cui Ming's new wife. After all, the capital was far away from Lanhe, and no one had ever seen Su Li's appearance, so it was very easy to conceal the truth.

Therefore, they only said to the outside world: A distant cousin from the Su family came to visit the Cui family and hoped that Cui Jue would take care of her.

If Su Li can really succeed, after she becomes pregnant, she will be sent back to the Cui family in Lanhe to be well taken care of, and will not cause any trouble to Cui Jue.

After all, the Second Madam regarded Cui Jue as her backer and hoped that he would become the supreme and noble head of the Cui family in the future. She did not want to ruin this cousin who had a promising future.

…

The carriage was rolling along the bumpy road, which gave Su Li a headache.

Su Li thought of the past, pressed her forehead, and remained silent for a long time.

Outsiders thought she was visiting relatives, but only Su Li knew why she came to Wu Dong's family this time.

The purpose is to... borrow sperm to have a child.

Borrowing the elegant and graceful eldest son Cui Jue's...

Yuanyang, essence.