Chapter Fifty-Eight: With You in My Life, I Have Enough

Shen Qingnian took the paper package and held it up to the oil lamp for a closer look. She found a black, iron-like object inside, along with two pieces of paper.

It's clear that Ping An deliberately let it in.

She looked up at Ling'er, and the two exchanged glances.

She looked towards the doorway again.

Ling'er walked to the door, peeked out and looked around to make sure no one was around before quickly closing the door.

Shen Qingnian then lowered the bed curtains, covering the bed completely.

In this way, even if Xie Yanzhi eavesdropped at the door again as before, he wouldn't be able to hear or see anything.

Shen Qingnian then took her own handkerchief and spread it on the bed, then picked up the paper package and turned it over.

A key fell in front of me, followed by two pieces of paper.

Shen Qingnian picked up one of the photos and her eyes welled up with tears.

This letter was written to her by Xiao Huaiyi.

The letter said that after she and Xie Yanzhi left, he suddenly realized that she might have been coerced by Xie Yanzhi and had no choice in the matter.

If she doesn't want to stay in the Marquis's mansion, she can go to a courtyard in Tongzhou. It's his mother's old courtyard, and the key is right in front of her.

Time was short, so he couldn't say much more, but he hoped she would take care of herself.

Shen Qingnian picked up another piece of paper, a silver note for three thousand taels of silver. Her tears flowed again.

She thought she had fallen into a dead end, but Xiao Huaiyi prepared a way out for her!

With this money, the journey would be covered, and once they reached Tongzhou, the remaining money would be enough for her and Ling'er to live on for a long time.

Shen Qingnian's heavy heart suddenly felt a surge of joy.

Now she has a place to go and some money. But if she doesn't want to be caught by Xie Yanzhi, she needs to prepare two new travel permits.

But she's being watched closely now, so she definitely can't go out openly to get a travel permit.

There should be a black market in the capital selling fake travel permits, but she and Ling'er are not familiar with the black market. They are women, so what if they encounter bad people?

As I pondered these thoughts, the night passed by.

The next morning, Shen Qingnian went to Aunt Su's courtyard.

She wanted to sound out her aunt first, to see if she could ask her to help issue a travel permit.

As soon as she entered the room, Aunt Su got up from the couch and warmly took Shen Qingnian's hand: "Nian'er, you're finally feeling better."

Shen Qingnian curtsied and said softly, "I'm sorry to have worried my aunt."

Aunt Su pulled Shen Qingnian to sit on the couch and instructed Qiu Ye, "Qiu Ye, go and brew a pot of this year's new tea for Miss Biao."

As she spoke, she raised her hand and used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Shen Qingnian's forehead: "You've just recovered from your illness, so you need to rest more."

Shen Qingnian was about to speak when she noticed a red patch on Aunt Su's wrist, as if she had been injured.

She grabbed Aunt Su's hand: "Aunt, let me see, what happened to your hand?"

Aunt Su's expression changed drastically, and she pulled her hand back, not wanting Shen Qingnian to see it: "It's nothing, it's probably just a mosquito bite."

Hearing her flimsy excuse, Shen Qingnian wanted to see more clearly: "Aunt, it's still spring, where did these mosquitoes come from?"

After saying that, he grabbed Aunt Su's hand, ignored her struggles, and rolled up her sleeve to take a look.

After seeing it clearly, Shen Qingnian's heart clenched tightly.

The red marks on Aunt Su's wrists were clearly from being twisted, and there were also some bluish-purple marks higher up, which looked like old wounds.

If you look closely, there are tiny holes in those bluish-purple areas, which look like they were pricked by needles.

Shen Qingnian was both angry and heartbroken.

My aunt was clearly being abused, but she was still the second wife's concubine, and she had her cousin Xie Zhao by her side, so who would dare to abuse her?

"Aunt, who did this?"

Aunt Su withdrew her hand, quickly pulled down her sleeve to cover herself, and shook her head: "It's nothing, I bumped into it by accident."

"Nonsense, there are needle marks on it. Did you prick yourself with a needle?"

Shen Qingnian was a little anxious. Seeing Aunt Su's evasive manner, she suddenly had a guess in her mind.

"Was it the Second Madam who ordered it?"

Seeing that Shen Qingnian had guessed it immediately, Aunt Su simply held her hand and comforted her, "It's all over now, I'm fine."

"Aunt!" Shen Qingnian desperately wanted Aunt Su to stop making herself suffer like this.

Just then, Qiu Ye brought in tea. When she saw that Shen Qingnian had discovered Aunt Su's injury, tears immediately streamed down her face.

“Miss, ever since the Second Master became paralyzed, the Second Madam has started to find excuses to torment the concubine.”

"The second wife always chooses the best places to hide, so outsiders have no idea of ​​the torment that the concubine suffers every day."

As Qiu Ye spoke, she was already sobbing uncontrollably. Over the years, the Second Madam had tormented the two of them quite a bit, and now that someone had finally noticed their grievances, she was crying uncontrollably.

"Aunt, why don't you tell the old lady, or tell Cousin Xie Zhao?" Shen Qingnian was a little confused as to why she had to let herself be tormented like this.

“The concubine doesn’t want to implicate the young master. More importantly, the second madam is using the second master to threaten the concubine.”

"What's going on?" Shen Qingnian asked again. What secret is hidden here?

Qiuye wiped away her tears and continued, "If Auntie doesn't tolerate the Second Madam's torment and dares to tell others about these things, the Second Madam will not allow Auntie to see the Second Master."

Shen Qingnian looked at Aunt Su wiping away tears with her handkerchief and couldn't understand it.

"Is Second Master that important that you're willing to endure all this?"

"Mrs. Lin is his first wife, she will take good care of him."

Is Second Master really that important? When Aunt Su heard this, she remembered when Second Master asked her if she was willing to be with him, and she nodded.

She was suddenly lifted onto the tall horse by a large hand. His broad chest embraced her, and he carried her away on the wind, with bursts of hearty laughter echoing behind them.

She turned around and saw those venomous eyes staring at her, but the Second Master had taken her away, and that man could no longer hurt her.

"Second Master saved my life, I must stay by his side. As long as Second Madam allows me to see him even once, I can endure any hardship," Aunt Su said firmly.

Shen Qingnian couldn't help but sigh. Being a concubine meant living at the mercy of the mistress. How could she possibly endure such a life?

"Aunt, have you ever regretted becoming someone's concubine?" Shen Qingnian asked, seeing how heartbroken she was.

Aunt Su thought about it and figured she probably didn't regret it.

"Second Master treated me very well; he never looked down on me. I have no regrets about being with him."

"Nian'er, as long as he treats you as his wife, what does it matter if you're a concubine?"

She once wanted to be that man's wife, but he treated her like a concubine and wanted to sell her to a brothel.

It wasn't until she met the Second Master that she received everything a wife should have, and she was granted the title of the legal wife.

She recalled that time when the Second Master's clothes were slightly open, he held her in his arms, and whispered in her ear, "Shiyu, having you in my life is enough."

Aunt Su knew that Shen Qingnian definitely did not want to be someone's concubine, just like she had been in the past.

Aunt Su smiled, hoping that Shen Qingnian could achieve what she herself had failed to achieve in her youth.

When Shen Qingnian saw that Aunt Su's lips curled up when the Second Master was mentioned, she guessed that she must love the Second Master very deeply.

But she didn't love Xie Yanzhi, and Xie Yanzhi wouldn't treat her as his wife, otherwise he wouldn't have taken liberties with her so many times.

We need to find another way to get the travel permit. My aunt's situation is already so bad; if we ask her for help again, and Xie Yanzhi finds out later, I'm afraid...

Shen Qingnian thought of her mother again. She was loved by her father because of her beauty, but was eventually abandoned because her beauty faded with age.

Aunt was loved and pampered by the Second Master, but after losing the Second Master as her support, her life became so unsatisfactory.

Therefore, women still have to rely on themselves.

Perhaps there is someone else who can help her get a travel permit.