Climbing the Wall
That night, the three of them lurked stealthily in the darkness. Choi Shik-yoon had always been responsive to Taishi Zheng's requests, especially when it came to such a righteous cause. Naturally, he offered his full support. But from a distance, each of their faces bore the look of a first-time thief, inexperienced and deeply guilty.
In this way, no matter who sees them, it is difficult not to suspect that these people's whereabouts are suspicious.
Taishi Zheng clung to Cui Zhijun's arm as they cautiously crossed the small garden. Cui Zhijun glanced down at her and said, "Xiao Zheng, just treat it as a walk for now. Relax. Otherwise, it'll easily arouse suspicion. And... I can't walk like this."
Fu Yuanzi looked back at the sound and saw that Tai Shi Zheng was almost hanging on Cui Zhijun.
Zheng pouted and reluctantly let go of her arms.
She was truly guilty. Even when she was escaping from the charity school, she had never experienced this before...
How could Cui Zhijun bear to see his wife so wronged? It was just that she couldn't walk. Even if she had to crawl, he couldn't let her be unhappy. Cui Zhijun quickly took her hand and placed it on his arm, saying politely, "Okay, okay, hold on if you want."
Zheng's expression changed like the weather. When she saw Cui Zhijun indulging her, she immediately smiled and hung on her husband again.
With Fu Yuanzi leading the way, Cui Zhijun dragged his naughty wife behind them as they entered the grove. Once they had the young couple under the courtyard wall, Fu Yuanzi put away the layout and whispered to them, "I'll be on guard over there. If there's any movement, I'll bark."
Zheng nodded and looked at Fu Yuanzi sincerely, "Then learn a few notes first and let me hear them."
Fu Yuanzi also responded to every request and barked twice: "Woof woof."
Zheng almost clapped her hands when she heard that. She looked at Fu Yuanzi with shining eyes, "Oh my god, they're so similar. Yuanzi, you scream exactly like Cuo Cuo!"
"Of course, I'm awesome. When you're not at home, I'm the one who takes care of Cuocuo~" The silly girl Fu Yuanzi looked very proud.
"Over time, you'll learn it naturally."
Zheng was very satisfied. Seeing that she treated Cuo Cuo like she usually did, she patted Fu Yuanzi's head and said, "Go, Yuanzi..."
"Yeah." Fu Yuanzi actually walked out of the grove happily.
At that moment, "Wooden Ladder," who had been observing for a while, stared at the two of them in bewilderment... So, why didn't they bring Cuo Cuo over to stand guard?! They had to learn to bark like a dog themselves—these master and servant were truly alike.
Looking back at the courtyard wall, Zheng looked at the "ladder" she had brought with her and asked in confusion, "Cui Zhijun, what's with that expression on your face?"
Cui Zhijun came back to his senses, shook his head and said, "Nothing."
Turning around and taking a sharp stance, Cui Zhijun clasped his hands and said to Taishi Zheng, "Come on, Xiao Zheng, we have to hurry."
Zheng then hurried to get down to business and stepped on Cui Zhijun's palm. But before Cui Zhijun could exert any force, Zheng suddenly muttered, "Wait, wait, don't use any force yet. Erlang, I suddenly realized a problem."
"What's the problem?" Cui Zhijun was confused.
Zheng replied, "If you throw me in later, how will I get out after I finish my work? Your ladder can only be used once!"
Cui Zhijun smiled and said, "Don't worry about this. Just go in first."
Zheng was half-convinced, so Cui Zhijun redoubled his efforts, pushing Taishi Zheng up against the courtyard wall. Zheng clung to the wall with her arms, poking her head out, silently observing the situation in the courtyard. It was late at night, and the maid on duty had already fallen asleep in the front porch, completely unaware of the movement in the backyard.
After glancing at the windows at the back of the house, Zheng finally managed to climb onto the top of the wall, but it seemed to be at a distance that was neither too high nor too low from the ground.
Zheng took a deep breath, opened and closed her eyes, but she couldn't make up her mind to jump.
Suddenly, someone came over and landed on the ground before her. Zheng opened her eyes and saw Cui Zhijun standing silently in Cui Jianchun's backyard. Zheng found it incredible. This person must be a weak scholar, so how could he have such a nimble body?
But she didn't know that when he was a student, he also climbed over the school wall many times.
"Come down..." Cui Zhijun stretched out his arm and reminded in a low voice.
With her husband's protection, Zheng naturally gained a bit more courage. Zheng steeled herself, turned around, clung to the wall, and with her butt sticking out, she stretched her feet out several times with her back to Cui Zhijun, but she still didn't dare to jump down directly...
Cui Zhijun looked at Taishi Zheng's funny appearance and really wanted to laugh, but he was afraid of disturbing the people in front of the yard, so he forced himself to hold it back.
However, this person was so hesitant on the wall that Cui Zhijun didn't know where to start.
But he didn't want to make a move. Cui Zhijun was afraid that the person in front of him would fall and get hurt, so he silently said "offense" and reached out to lift Taishi Zheng's buttocks. Taishi Zheng was startled by the sudden palm of her hand holding her buttocks. Her little face was burned red by the heat from behind her buttocks.
Zheng lowered her voice and said coquettishly, "Cui Erlang, what are you doing?"
"Come down quickly," Cui Zhijun urged quietly, without explaining. They hadn't done anything yet, so what was the big deal about touching someone's butt?
Zheng also reacted and hurriedly followed Cui Zhijun's strength and landed steadily in the yard.
-
Without giving it much thought, Zheng hurriedly tiptoed along the windows at the back of the house, while Cui Zhijun stayed where he was, waiting. When they found the window near Cui Jianchun's bed, Zheng looked at the person resting on the bed and gently knocked on the window frame.
Sadness and anxiety tensed the nerves of the person on the bed.
Cui Jianchun couldn't sleep.
Now, she opened her dry eyes, staring at the dark roof quietly, feeling upset.
Cui Jianchun felt the passage of time slipping by, taking away the warmth in her eyes and gradually growing numb. She found herself with no chance of survival. Chu Fanghua was formidable; how could she escape this "prison"? And, most importantly...had Liu Yugeng taken Bao Nian to Xingren Mansion?
If this is the case, everything is a dead end. What's the point of her escaping or not escaping?
So, when Zheng knocked on the window, she immediately stood up, picked up the extinguished candlestick beside the bed, and walked towards the window sill cautiously. Cui Jianchun held the candlestick nervously and asked sternly, "Who's there..."
Until a beam of moonlight suddenly shone into the windowsill in the dark night. Cui Jianchun slowly lowered his arms, and after hearing that familiar voice, he felt extremely relieved.
It turned out that she was not forgotten.
"Chun'er, it's me." Zheng answered in a low voice.
Cui Jianchun stared at the figure outside the window, lowered his guard, and whispered softly: "Cousin..."
Quietly pushing open the window, Cui Jianchun looked into Taishi Zheng's eyes, which were filled with concern, and asked, "Cousin, why are you here at this time? There are people guarding outside my courtyard. How did you get in?"
Zheng finally felt relieved when she saw that Cui Jianchun was safe and sound.
She replied, "It's a long story. But Chun'er, it's so good to see you. They said you were sick and wouldn't let me come to see you. So I had no choice but to think of this way, secretly choosing this time to come to see you. It's really funny to tell you. In my own yard, I made a thief out of it."
Zheng smiled, as if she had a lot to say to Cui Jianchun, but now was not the right time, so she said bluntly: "By the way, Chun'er, time is running out. I came to you today to tell you that Bao Nian came to see me this morning..."
Zheng tried to test Cui Jianchun's reaction by asking a question.
Unexpectedly, Cui Jianchun was actually quite delighted. She said, "Baonian? She didn't go to Xingren Mansion? That's great..."
With just this one word, Zheng was certain that Cui Jianchun was closely connected to this matter and was on the same side as Bao Nian. Zheng quickly followed the conversation and told Cui Jianchun everything Bao Nian had said to her at the Jinliang Bridge this morning, without missing a word.
As the words fell, Zheng saw with her own eyes that Cui Jianchun's expression changed from tired and weak to indignant.
She took the opportunity to ask, "Chun'er, what exactly happened here? Why were you locked up for no reason? And how did you know that Liu Yugeng returned home last night? How did you know that Liu Yugeng would ask Bao Nian to return to Xingren Mansion? You two are completely unrelated, right? Are you willing to tell me the reason behind this? If you trust your cousin's wife and your cousin, we are willing to help you out."
Zheng's words touched Cui Jianchun's heart. At first, Cui Jianchun was determined, but all that was based on his extravagant hopes for his mother. When he later became isolated and helpless, Cui Jianchun even thought about giving up the struggle for a moment.
However, when she heard about what happened to Bao Nian, she changed her mind.
She knew she shouldn't let those who did evil continue. If she did, she would become their accomplice. The answer she had asked the old lady that day came to her mind. This time, Chu Fanghua was wrong.
Then, Cui Jianchun looked into Taishi Zheng's eyes with great determination and said, "Cousin, I believe you. I am willing to tell you everything I know. Mother wants Liu Yugeng to divorce Bao Nian and marry me instead..."
Cui Jianchun's narrative is full of desire, fame and fortune, and the friendship is completely washed away.
Zheng felt like she was listening to a night talk in a storybook. She didn't understand why they were the closest and most beloved people, so they could be hurt and schemed against each other like this?
The most shameless and ungrateful person.
Zheng remained silent for a long time after Cui Jianchun finished speaking. It wasn't until the fog cleared and the shadows of the trees were cast by the moonlight at her feet that Zheng lowered her eyes and asked, "Chun'er, if I could find a way to resolve this matter and bring the evildoers to justice, would you be willing to join us?"
Cui Jianchun didn't know the answer, "Cousin's wife, do you have a solution?"
Zheng, however, threw down the word "law" with a resounding voice. She hated the injustice in the world and knew that only this would be the most fair judgment for Liu Yugeng.
"I am willing, no matter what." Cui Jianchun was infected by Zheng and answered without hesitation.
Her eyes lit up a little, and her dry eyes gradually became moist. "Cousin, what do you need me to do?"
Zheng understood Chu Fanghua and the others' intentions and laid out a rough outline of her plan in her mind. Although she seemed carefree and carefree on a daily basis, she was also serious and calm when faced with serious matters. She said, "We don't have the evidence to convict Liu Yugeng right now, and we don't know what he'll do next after failing to deceive Bao Nian the first time. So we must not alert him."
"Chun'er, you don't have to do anything now. Just pretend to repent in front of your second aunt and gain her trust. That's enough."
Cui Jianchun nodded, "I understand, I will. But cousin, what crime can we use to convict Liu Yugeng? If he really divorced his wife and remarried, he would at most bear a bad reputation, and the government wouldn't accept the case. What should we do then?"
Zheng smiled indifferently. If Liu Yugeng wanted to pay the price, how could a bad reputation be enough?
What she wants is, "Divorce your wife and marry again."
"Divorce your wife and remarry?!" Cui Jianchun looked at him in surprise.
According to the Yuan and Liang laws, anyone who divorced his wife and remarried was sentenced to one year in prison. If the woman knew about it, her crime would be reduced by one level. If she was unaware, she would not be punished. This meant...
Cui Jianchun's reaction did not surprise Zheng. After all, when the disaster affects oneself, anyone would hesitate.
Zheng continued, "They were the first to be unkind, so don't blame us for retaliating. Liu Yugeng's plan to divorce his wife will never succeed. A woman who has no place to go cannot be divorced. A woman who has been in mourning for three years cannot be divorced. A woman who was once poor and then rich cannot be divorced. These are the three things that cannot be divorced. If one of them applies, even if Bao Nian is really charged with the seven bullshit crimes, Liu Yugeng's divorce will not be established."
"But they're guessing that Bao Nian, a mere country woman, wouldn't dare confront the government, so they're planning to make arrangements there, disregarding the law, and going to Xingren Prefecture to force a divorce. This shows they're deliberately avoiding Bianjing. This is their weakness. Since it's a weakness, then we need to find evidence to thwart their plans and bring the matter to Kaifeng Prefecture."
"But if that happens, not only Second Aunt, but you too might be implicated. Chun'er, are you afraid?"
"So, are you still willing?"
Zheng deliberately put the emphasis on the last sentence.
Cui Jianchun stood there in a daze.
Afraid……?
The five punishments of the Yuan and Liang dynasties were flogging, caning, imprisonment, exile, and death.
It sounded terrifying, but what could be more terrifying than being forced to marry such a filthy person and live a disgusting life with him? Xia Buyu even dared to go to the brutal battlefield, so what was there for her to fear?
"As long as I can stop them, I'm not afraid of anything."
Cui Jianchun found the long-lost warmth in them. She answered Tai Shi Zheng honestly, "Cousin, I'm not doing this just for myself, I'm doing this for Mother. All of this is because of Mother. Mother can't make the same mistake over and over again. Since she has no regrets, someone has to bear these sins. If that's the case, then let me take Mother's place and make amends for the harm Bao Nian has suffered."
Despite being betrayed by Chu Fanghua, Cui Jianchun still retained his kindness towards her. She loved her even more than she did. Standing alone in front of the window, Cui Jianchun wanted to have a clear conscience, so she said...
"I do."
Two pairs of bright eyes broke through the darkness and faced each other. From then on, they chose to stand together and became a team.
Zheng was moved by her determination and replied in a deep voice, "Okay, I understand."
"Chun'er, don't worry. I'll take care of everything. We'll take care of everything. Go to bed early. I'll find a way to contact you if anything happens."
Cui Jianchun nodded.
Zheng turned around and was about to leave, but she remembered something and looked back and asked her, "Chun'er, do you like our Old Five?"
Cui Jianchun was stunned for a moment, his calm eyes turning into a panic. Zheng, however, got her answer. She smiled suddenly in the evening breeze, "This matter is settled. Come with me to see Lao Wu off—he'll be happy to see you."
Cui Jianchun looked at Taishi Zheng, as if he saw Xia Buyu standing in the sun and making the promise that day.
She hid the sadness in her eyes and said softly, "Thank you, cousin."
Zheng smiled and turned away.
Climbing up the wall with Cui Zhijun again, Zheng regained her usual cuteness and said, "Erlang, you have to catch me later, don't let me fall."
Cui Zhijun looked at the people around him and vaguely sensed some worry. But he didn't ask anything and responded positively, "Don't worry."
Jumping over the wall, Cui Zhijun opened his arms calmly, "Come on, Xiaozheng."
Zheng leaped forward, completely surrendering herself to Cui Zhijun. Only with sufficient trust could one be so fearless. However, the sudden weight caused Cui Zhijun to lose his balance, and he fell to the lawn behind him, holding Taishi Zheng.
Zheng was still in shock and lay on Cui Zhijun. As expected, he was still as weak as a scholar...
The warm chest, accompanied by a strong heartbeat, gradually made Zheng addicted. She reached out her hand for no apparent reason and hugged Cui Zhijun tightly, "Can I hold you like this for a while?"
Although Cui Zhijun didn't understand why the person in front of him was like this, he still nodded and stroked the back of Taishi Zheng's neck. Cui Zhijun knew something must have happened to Cui Jianchun. But since Taishi Zheng didn't say anything, he didn't ask. He just chose to believe and hold her tightly.
The rest can be discussed when Taishi Zheng wants to talk to him.
The surroundings were silent. Zheng stood up, staring at Cui Zhijun's calm features, and suddenly whispered, "Mr. Ladder, thank you for letting me meet you."
Cui Zhiyun sneered.
really…
This is really the new nickname his wife gave him...
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