Chapter 446 I Miss My Mother
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuanzhi looked up at the window and frowned.
She exchanged a glance with the young princess beside her, and the next second they both seemed to realize something, exclaiming in unison, "Something's happened!"
They hurriedly urged the carriage onward. The group alighted and peered through the crowd. They saw Zhao Yuniang, head held high, arrogantly pulling a bright yellow scroll from her bosom.
She brandished the edict and sneered, "This is the Empress Dowager's decree, ordering this little slut of hers to go to the temple to chant sutras and pray for my daughter's well-being for three years. I'm not some villain today; I'm here openly with this imperial edict to bring her here! If you dare to act recklessly, you will all be executed along with your entire families!"
Seeing the people around her stunned by her intimidation, Zhao Yuliang's face turned slightly mocking. She struggled to sit up, her brows furrowed as she roared, "Hurry up and get this little bastard to cure me! Otherwise, the whole village will be in trouble! These men I brought are all officials from the capital; do you think you can afford to offend them?"
The villagers who had been watching looked at each other in bewilderment, seemingly somewhat hesitant.
Xiao Er's face turned red with anger: "You wretched woman! You're so wicked! If you had known, I would have given you some kind of mute drug so you wouldn't be able to say a word!"
Zhao Yuniang narrowed her eyes: "You little bastard! You've gone too far! I advise you to obey me now, or your whole family will suffer."
Your brother is still taking the minor exam, isn't he? The whole family is counting on him to pass the imperial examination and help you get rid of your status as slaves, isn't that right? Let me tell you, you injured these soldiers today, and you still want to take the minor exam? You're dreaming!
The Empress Dowager's decree is a capital offense; anyone who dares to disobey it will be beheaded.
However, if you behave yourselves and quickly give us the antidote, and then let this little bitch come with me, I might be magnanimous and let you off the hook.”
"Pooh!"
The next second, the waiter spat on Zhao Yuniang's face: "You want to take my sister away? You're dreaming! You wicked woman, when my grandfather comes back, he'll skin you alive!"
Upon hearing the waiter mention his grandfather, Zhao Yuniang inexplicably recalled some unpleasant experiences from the past. A chill ran down her spine.
She subconsciously looked around, but didn't see anyone. She took a couple of deep breaths, which calmed her down a bit. She squinted at the stubborn waiter, then suddenly laughed, her voice laced with a seductive tone, "You really think you're protecting your sister right now?"
Let me tell you, I sent her to pray for blessings, but it was for her own good!
That's the best nunnery. There's no shortage of food or clothing in that area. She only needs to chant sutras every day to pray for my little girl, and she'll have plenty to eat and drink. She even gets a monthly stipend. It's the best place imaginable.”
The waiter remained wary of her, completely unmoved.
But now that the commotion has grown bigger, more and more elderly people are gathering around, and those around them are whispering among themselves.
Finally, someone couldn't resist asking out of curiosity, "Madam Zhao, how much silver was it?"
Zhao Yuniang immediately held up one finger and waved it in front of everyone.
The old woman beside him frowned slightly: "One tael of silver? Hmm... isn't that a bit too little?"
"That's true, but it's still better than staying at home. Children this age do nothing but eat and make a fuss. Where can you earn money? Sending them over is really a good idea."
"That's right, that's right."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuniang smirked arrogantly and said, "You're wrong. It's not one tael of silver, it's one hundred taels of silver!"
She paused, then slowly said, "One hundred taels a year, that's three hundred taels of silver in three years."
"My goodness! Three hundred taels of silver! How much money is that?"
"My God, does that mean we could spend all our money in this lifetime without doing anything?"
"Even if you go to buy wives, each wife costs ten taels, so you can buy thirty of them."
"Madam Zhao is so generous, giving so much silver."
"That's right, that's right."
Few farmers, let alone those hundred taels of silver, have even seen what thirty taels of silver look like. Their eyes were practically gleaming as they looked at Xiao Baozhu.
"Baozhu can earn a hundred taels of silver a year, that's wonderful! Why don't you go?"
"That's right."
Everyone started offering their own advice to Baozhu.
The waiter stood in front of his younger sister, his eyes wide: "No! My sister isn't going anywhere! My family has plenty of money. I don't want three hundred taels, I just want my sister."
The group playfully poked the waiter's head, saying, "You silly boy. Even if you asked your mother and father, they would definitely agree to hire a waiter like this. It's the best thing ever. If your sister can earn three hundred taels, you won't have any trouble getting married."
"I don't want to get married! I only want my sister!" Xiao Er shouted, his neck stiff.
However, the others didn't seem to care much and continued to offer words of advice.
One of the older women, her eyes darting around, had an idea. She walked up to Zhao Yuniang and said with a beaming smile, "Yu'er, what do you think of my niece? Baozhu doesn't want to go, but there are plenty of girls in our village. My Daya is hardworking and capable. She'll definitely be willing to go to that blessing ceremony in Niu Niu's place."
"Da Ya won't do, she's too old! My Sheng Nan is fine! She's the same age as Niu Niu."
"My girl will do too! Yu'er, what do you think of my girl?"
In a daze, the crowd started making noise again, swarming towards Zhao Yuniang.
As everyone chased each other, someone was accidentally pushed and stumbled a few steps.
He stepped on Zhao Yuniang's hand. Another old woman was squeezed and tilted to one side. He landed hard on Zhao Yuniang's stomach.
Zhao Yuniang was surrounded and screamed in terror!
But now that she's been given a liniment, her screams sound like a cat's meow. The older women are arguing loudly and haven't heard her at all.
"Get out of here! Get out of the way!"
It took Zhao Yuniang a great deal of effort to push the old woman's buttocks off her. Her face flushed with anger, and she was about to burst into a tirade, but considering her current situation, she held back. Then, she clenched her fists and shouted, "Aunties, don't be anxious. Only Li Baozhu can do it. This was calculated by the Taoist priest, and the Empress Dowager has also given her decree. No one else can do it."
After these words were spoken, the surroundings finally quieted down a bit.
Zhao Yuniang, clutching her throbbing hand, still managed a forced smile as she looked at Baozhu: "Hey, you little slut!"
"Bang!"
The moment Zhao Yuning uttered the words "you little bitch," the waiter's stick struck her mercilessly: "If you dare to speak rudely again, I'll beat you to death!"
Zhao Yuniang was furious: "You little bastard, how dare you..."
"Bang!"
Another dull thud, and Aunt Zhao was hit again.
Her face was contorted from the beating: "You just stand by and watch him beat me up, aren't you going to come and help!"
However, the aunties who had been so enthusiastic towards her just moments before, seeing that they couldn't get anything out of her, ignored her completely and just watched her from afar like a spectator.
Zhao Yuniang took a deep breath, looked at the waiter who was still waving the stick, and trembled slightly: "Okay, okay, I won't say anymore, alright!"
Then she looked at Baozhu, her eyes gradually filled with resentment: "Li Baozhu, have you thought it through? Do you want to come with me?"
Come with me, and you'll have money every year, good food and drink, nice clothes to wear, and a nice place to live.
"But if you don't come with me, all your family members, and even yourself, who disobeyed the Empress Dowager's decree, will be beheaded!"
Baozhu was stunned by these words, and tears streamed down her face. Helpless, she tugged at Xiao Er's arm, "Brother! What should I do? I miss Mother, waaaah... Mother..."
(End of this chapter)
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