Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Evil will be punished.
After Chu Yuanhe left, visiting cards came to her door one after another. Among them were those from Zhang Wanyan, several wives of officials who had been on good terms with the Zhao family, and some complete strangers who sent her visiting cards under various pretexts.
It is not difficult to guess that, except for Zhang Wanyan, everyone else came to curry favor with her because of the rumors.
No matter how outrageous the rumors among the people were, these officials always had their own informants, and it was not difficult for them to find out that Chu Yuanhe had left the palace to accompany her for a whole day.
If the noble families were skeptical at first, they are now certain and convinced that the two have a close relationship. I'm afraid the real situation of the queen's enthronement is not as grand as His Majesty said.
What is said about the Zhao girl being the most suitable candidate for the empress? That is nonsense. It is simply that His Majesty loves her so much and does not want to be criticized by the court officials, so he is willing to give her enough dignity and honor at all costs.
It is possible that when Ms. Zhao donated money to help the disaster victims and gain fame, it was Your Majesty who was behind the scenes fanning the flames. Later, he helped the county princess to divorce, and then asked the Empress Dowager to issue an imperial decree to cancel the engagement... All of these things now seem to be paving the way for Ms. Zhao to become the queen.
If this is true, then His Majesty truly loves her. If you don't curry favor with her quickly now, you might not have another chance in the future.
Zhao Qingyi didn't want to cause trouble, and she didn't want anyone to use her to make things difficult for Chu Yuanhe. Except for Zhang Wanyan's post, she found excuses to reject all the others. Then she quietly went out from the corner door to inspect the shop. In order to avoid being recognized, she even wore a veil to cover her face.
Zhao Qingyi merged into the bustling crowd and walked quickly, not noticing an old hand reaching out from the street. Suddenly, the other party grabbed her skirt, and the master, servant and three others were frightened and screamed.
The maid quickly helped Zhao Qingyi take two steps back to avoid the man's entanglement. Just as Tan Yue was about to take out a copper coin from her bosom to send the other party away, a dirty face was revealed under the messy hair like weeds.
"Good Samaritan, please..."
Luo crawled on the ground, forcing herself to raise her head, hoping to gain some mercy from the nobleman and reward her with some money. She had been hungry for several days.
But when Luo met the maid's look of surprise and disgust, she froze in place.
She didn't recognize Zhao Qingyi because she was wearing a veil, but she could recognize the people around Zhao Qingyi even if they turned into ashes. How could she end up begging in front of her enemy!
Luo's cloudy pupils trembled violently, and she almost subconsciously stepped back, crawling on the ground with her hands and feet. Fearing Zhao Qingyi's revenge, she desperately pulled her hair to cover her face, trying to pretend that nothing had happened.
But Zhao Qingyi had already recognized her. She lifted the corner of her veil slightly, revealing her fair and beautiful little face. She was living a prosperous life now, just like a peony flower nurtured in a greenhouse, becoming more and more beautiful.
She glanced at Luo and asked Tan Yue to grab a handful of copper coins and throw them into the broken bowl in front of Luo.
Qiao Yue was dissatisfied and felt that there was no need for the county lady to be kind to such people. Luo Shi should have died. Now her family was getting what they deserved.
Zhao Qingyi just smiled. She knew the Luo family too well. Her family had a strange self-esteem. They were obviously inferior to the Zhao family in every way and were always lower than her, but their strong self-esteem was at work. They had to suppress her in everything to show the ability of the Luo family.
When I first got married, Luo loved to set rules. Now that Luo had fallen on hard times, she had to accept my charity. This was probably more painful to her than killing her.
Sure enough, when Luo looked at the handful of copper coins in the broken bowl, her triangular eyes instantly turned red. Her anger and hatred towards Zhao Qingyi pulled her, and she clamored not to accept the other party's charity, but reason forced her to hold the broken bowl in her arms like a treasure with trembling hands.
What can I do if I am unwilling or resentful?
Zhao Qingyi is a noble lady who is high and mighty, the county lord.
And she was just an inconspicuous beggar in the capital.
Ever since the mansion of the Marquis of Zhongyong was raided and Li Susu was imprisoned, she had no time to take care of her. Luo Shi had not seen her daughter for a long time and had not received any assistance. Her previous injuries had not healed and she was left disabled. In order to survive, she could only crawl on the ground like a poor worm and beg for a living on the crowded streets.
Although she was unwilling to admit it, the copper coins Zhao Qingyi gave her were enough to keep her alive for a few days.
Luo watched the backs of Zhao Qingyi, the master and the servant gradually walk away. She hugged the broken bowl tightly and closed her eyes tightly. Turbid tears slid down the corners of her eyes...
Before Mrs. Luo could finish her crying, a group of beggars who were surrounding her rushed over and snatched the broken bowl she was protecting from under her body in a few seconds. Copper coins fell all over the ground, and the beggars shouted and frantically grabbed money from the ground.
Luo pounded the ground with red eyes, wanting them to stop snatching it. That was her money, her money!
But she hadn't eaten for a long time, and she was old and disabled, so she couldn't stop this group of crazy beggars at all. Luo burst into tears, and in the end she could only barely protect two copper coins, and refused to let go even though other beggars punched and kicked her.
The beggars were tired of fighting and finally dispersed like a tide, leaving only Luo, with a bruised face and nose, lying on the ground, protecting two copper coins and dying.
After making sure everyone was far away, Luo slowly opened his palm...
Before she could see clearly, another figure rushed over and snatched away the last copper coin she had hidden.
The bitter smile that had just appeared on Luo's face disappeared in an instant.
"This is mine! Mine!"
A sharp female voice pierced the sky, followed by rampant laughter, "Don't even think about stealing my things! Don't even think about it! I'm the mother of the top scholar, no one can snatch it from me! Hahahaha..."
Luo's face was filled with horror. Even though the voice was sharp and shrill, she still recognized the other person. She looked at the crazy woman in front of her in disbelief.
Zhao Manyi was wearing a tattered shirt full of patches, and her long, cascading hair was messy and dirty, making her look like a beggar like herself. However, what caught people's attention the most was the hideous scar on her face. Not only that, but every visible part of her body was covered with bruises of varying sizes. It was not difficult to imagine what she had experienced along the way.
The next moment, the horror on Luo's face disappeared, replaced by a hearty smile, with the corners of his dry mouth almost stretching to his ears.
"Hahahaha... you deserve this day... you bitch, you deserve this day too! Hahahaha..."
Zhao Manyi, this cheating bitch, has harmed her son and confused her Li family's bloodline. Now she has met this end. It's really heartbreaking!
Luo's laughter annoyed Zhao Manyi. She glared at the person in front of her for a long time before she recognized him. Suddenly, she dropped the copper coins, squatted down, and grabbed Luo's clothes tightly, her eyes blazing with anger. "It's you...it's you! Give me back my Jun brother! Give me back my Jun brother!"
Zhao Manyi's change came too suddenly, and Luo was caught off guard and was strangled by her.
"Give me back my Jun brother! Give me back my Jun brother!"
Zhao Manyi's mind was filled with her son who was the top scholar. When she thought of the old hag Luo who drove away her Jun'er, she wanted to kill Luo!
She was crazy now, but she was young and strong, and soon she strangled Luo Shi so hard that she couldn't breathe and rolled her eyes.
When Li Susu arrived, she saw that her mother was about to faint. She screamed and rushed over, wrestling with Zhao Manyi, and they scratched each other's faces.
Bright red blood oozed from her face, and Zhao Manyi finally calmed down. She relaxed, grabbed Li Susu's arm again, and eagerly asked about Jun Ge'er's whereabouts. She also said that her Jun Ge'er would be the top scorer in the imperial examination in the future, and scolded the Li family for not recognizing their wealth.
But all that was just Zhao Manyi's dream. Li Susu didn't want to get entangled with her too much, so she said she didn't know, which earned her a slap in the face from Zhao Manyi.
She was crazy now, and she hit people with extra force. Li Susu staggered after being hit by her.
"Whether you admit it or not, Jun Ge'er is Li Che's biological son! If you kill him, your Li family will be extinct!" Zhao Manyi said harshly and was about to strangle Li Susu's neck again.
She begged all the way from Qiantang to Shangjing just to find Jun Ge'er, but she searched all over Shangjing and asked people everywhere, but everyone treated her as a lunatic and either drove her away or beat and scolded her.
Zhao Manyi can endure it all. As long as she can find her Jun brother, she is willing to endure any hardship.
But what makes the Li family so lucky?
Why didn't Luo and Li Susu tell her Jun'er's whereabouts? They were all Jun'er's relatives, so why did they want to harm her Jun'er?
The more Zhao Manyi thought about it, the more hateful she became. She wished she could strangle the mother and daughter to death on the spot to avenge her Jun Ge'er.
Seeing that Li Susu was being strangled to the point of breathing out more than breathing in, Luo was terrified and cried, saying that Jun'er was in Zhao Qingyi's hands, and if she had the ability, she should go to Zhao Qingyi and ask for her son back.
Hearing this name, Zhao Manyi loosened her grip.
Li Susu took the opportunity to break free and trembled together with Luo. The mother and daughter racked their brains to recall which farms were under Zhao Qingyi's name, and told Zhao Manyi everything they knew, asking her to find them herself if she had the ability.
Zhao Manyi remembered all of them in her mind, and ran away like a madman again, still muttering that she was the number one scholar's mother and would be granted an imperial decree in the future.
Luo's mother and daughter looked at her receding back, both breathed a sigh of relief, and burst into tears again.
The mansion of the Earl of Loyalty and Bravery was raided, and Li Susu thought she was doomed. However, on the eve of the raid, Liang Shisan gave her a letter of divorce, divorcing her from the mansion. The moment she received the letter of divorce, Li Susu felt mixed emotions.
From the very beginning, she disliked Liang Shisan because he was a cripple. After marriage, the two of them were not on good terms, and she was suppressed by her mother-in-law in every way. She suffered all kinds of hardships and lived a life worse than death in the uncle's mansion. In the end, it was her husband whom she despised who gave her a way out and did not let her be buried with the uncle's mansion.
Thinking of the unprecedented calm look on Liang Shisan's face when he gave her the divorce letter, Li Susu felt a pain in her heart.
In fact... if it weren't for those calculations, apart from the fact that Liang Shisan was a cripple, he could be considered a man of integrity. But it's meaningless to say all this now. Liang Shisan was born in the mansion of the Loyal and Brave Marquis, which determined his fate.
Li Susu hugged Luo Shi, tilted her head back to prevent her tears from falling, and took out an exquisite silver lock from her bosom and handed it to Luo Shi. It was the last thing Liang Shisan gave her when she left the Bo Mansion. Although it was not worth much, it was enough for her to find a place to settle down.
As for his brother Li Che...
When the Bo Mansion was raided, Li Susu heard some fragments from the servants, and learned that her brother had actually fled to Zhejiang to seek refuge with King Qi with the intention of rebellion, and was now brought to the capital by His Majesty. She didn't know how he would be dealt with, but Li Susu didn't intend to tell Luo Shi about this.
My brother has been implicated in treason, there is no way he can survive. Letting Luo know will only add to their troubles. They have no ability to rescue anyone, so it is better to pretend that this person does not exist.
Li Susu had also thought that Liang Shisan gave her the divorce letter because of his brother Li Che. After all, that was a serious crime of participating in treason, which was punishable by the extermination of nine generations of the family. If he cut off ties with her, at least the side branches of the Bo family could be preserved and the nine generations of the family would not be completely wiped out.
Countless thoughts flashed through Li Susu's mind, but she finally forced a smile, comforting Luo and the others that they could start over. As long as they left Shangjing, the place of trouble, they could continue to live their previous poor life. Although it would be hard, they could be together as a family.
Luo was paralyzed on one side of her body, but she was still young, less than twenty years old. She could go out to work for others, wash clothes, do needlework, and earn some simple meals. Anyway, they lived like this before they met Zhao Qingyi. Now everything has just returned to the starting point.
However, just as she helped Luo Shi up and took two steps, Luo Shi finally collapsed, her eyes wide open, and she was unable to get up again...
Zhao Manyi ran out of the city alone. In order to see Jun Ge'er as soon as possible, she did not dare to stop for a moment and finally found a farm three miles away from the city.
Zhao Qingyi owns countless shops and farms. This one is closer to Shangjing and is also one of Zhao Qingyi's dowry.
At this time, the farm was silent. Zhao Manyi approached like a thief, piled up stones at the foot of the wall, and stepped on them carefully. She wanted to cling to the wall to see if she could find her Jun brother.
After finally climbing over the wall, she heard the voice of a maid in the farmhouse, who was ordering Jun Ge'er to sweep up the fallen leaves in an impatient tone.
The other party responded with a weak and well-behaved child's voice, "Yes, I'll go and sweep it right away."
Zhao Manyi, who had just climbed onto the wall, was overjoyed. It was her brother Jun!
But the next moment she couldn't laugh anymore. Damn stupid woman, how dare she treat her son like a servant!
Zhao Manyi stood on tiptoe with great effort and finally managed to get half of her head out. She saw her son, a five-year-old child, dressed in coarse cloth, with a pale face and skinny body. He was sweeping fallen leaves in the courtyard with a broom that was much taller than him.
"Brother Jun!" Zhao Manyi couldn't help but shout out.
Jun Ge'er stopped sweeping the floor and looked around to see who was calling him, but he couldn't find anyone after looking for a long time, so he continued sweeping the floor.
Zhao Manyi knew that shouting alone would not work, so she used her hands and feet and finally turned over. Then she heard a dull "thump" and something heavy fell to the ground, which scared Jun Ge'er.
He gripped the broom tightly and looked nervously at the pile of fallen leaves he had just swept. "Who...who's there?"
Zhao Manyi was in so much pain that she was about to fall apart. However, the hardships of the past few days had tempered her, and she soon recovered from the pain. She quickly got up from the ground, fixed her hair, and smiled as gently as possible, "Jun brother, it's me, I am your mother..."
The moment Zhao Manyi met Jun Ge'er's gaze, her nose felt sore and tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably.
At first, Jun Ge'er didn't recognize who the "beggar" in front of him was. When he heard the other party calling him "mother", he finally realized what was happening and widened his eyes in surprise.
Without waiting for him to speak, Zhao Manyi limped towards him and took his hand. "Mom finally found you, Jun'er, you should leave here with mom."
Unexpectedly, Jun Ge'er shook her off and said, "I don't want it."
Zhao Manyi was stunned and looked back at her son in disbelief. She was so happy to see Jun Ge'er just now that she didn't notice that the little man in front of her had a calm face from beginning to end and did not show any joy to see his mother.
"Jun, Jun brother...what's wrong with you? Don't you recognize your mother?"
Zhao Manyi wiped her cheeks vigorously with her dirty sleeves, trying to make herself look more respectable. After wiping for a long time, she put on a smile again, "Jun'er, can you and mother leave here? You don't know how much mother has missed you these days..."
Zhao Manyi was so moved that she burst into tears.
Little Jun Ge'er stood there, looking at her indifferently, and asked a question that pierced Zhao Manyi's heart like a sharp sword, "Why should I leave with you?"
Zhao Manyi's beautiful face frowned slightly, and she grabbed Jun Ge'er's arm with both hands. "I'm your mother. If you don't come with me, do you want to stay here and be a slave to that bitch Zhao Qingyi?"
Jun Ge'er broke free from her without mercy, his little face full of seriousness as he said, "I don't allow you to speak of my stepmother like that!"
Jun Ge'er was very strong and Zhao Manyi was pushed down by him. She could hardly believe her ears.
What did she hear? Jun Ge'er actually... called that woman "legitimate mother"?!
"Are you crazy?"
For countless days and nights, Jun Ge'er had been the one supporting Zhao Manyi's hope of surviving. But now, after hearing these words, Zhao Manyi simply couldn't bear it and roared at Jun Ge'er, "I'm your real mother! I gave birth to you!"
Zhao Qingyi is really good at tricks. It hasn't been long since she left Jun'er, but she has already turned him into a heartless person. She demands that Jun'er must go with her today.
Jun Ge'er was extremely annoyed and asked her to let him go, but he was only five years old after all. He had accidentally fallen into the water and had a serious illness a while ago. He was very weak and was pulled and dragged by the crazy woman Zhao Manyi. He fell to the ground after just two steps.
Zhao Manyi was terrified and turned back to hug him, but Jun Ge'er pushed her away again, "Don't touch me! You selfish, vicious woman!"
Zhao Manyi was struck by lightning. What did she hear?
Jun Ge'er actually called her... a vicious woman? Selfish?
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