Chapter 111 Let the Second Miss Find a Family for You (Two Chapters in One)
After Young Master Cui finished his story, the room fell into deathly silence.
Young Master Cui was a little thirsty, so he picked up the teapot and poured himself a glass of water. When he was about to drink, he subconsciously looked at the people sitting opposite him and realized that they were all looking at him.
The young boy, who had just started out, felt shy under these ruthless gazes.
He simply put down the cup and asked with a stiff upper lip, "Why are you all looking at me?"
Zhao Shiqing looked at Shen Guanyue: “Xiao Yueyue, do you like eating melons?”
Shen Guanyue: "I like it, but I don't like eating fools."
Then, Shen Guanyue looked at Niuqiu: "Nibaoer, what about you?"
Loach knew that his brain was not as good as these two, but he finally found a sense of superiority in Cui Sanshao: "I have never seen such a stupid person."
Well, Cui Sanshao finally understood. He pointed at his nose and said, "Am I the fool you are talking about?"
Xiuxiu blinked her big eyes, oh, she seemed to understand too!
She suppressed her joy after solving the puzzle and said to Cui Sanshao, "What do you think?"
Young Master Cui was a little depressed. He really didn't understand why he was called a fool.
He quickly looked at Zhen Wuduo, who had been silent. Among these people, Zhen Wuduo was the one he was most familiar with.
On the way to Zhuxitang, the two sat together, one was a prisoner and the other was a guard.
"Master, do you think so too?"
Zhen Wuduo smiled and said, "Although you may not be very smart, you are very polite. I, an old man, like you very much."
Young Master Cui was about to cry.
You know, he has been holding this matter in his heart for many days. Although he lives in Old Wu's house, that family all regards him as a great benefactor. Of course, a great benefactor cannot say whatever he wants, so he has been holding it in. Today, Zhao Shiqing asked him to think of a story. He was a little shy at first, but once the words came out, they were like a torrent of water rushing endlessly, and not even the Yellow River Dam could stop him. Now that he has said it all, he is extremely happy, but before he has time to rejoice, he has become a fool in the mouths of others.
He really wanted to cry.
Zhen Wuduo sighed. What a silly child! It was a good thing he met them. If he had been caught by bad guys, who knows what would have happened.
"My dear granddaughter, you are the oldest here, so you should tell him what is wrong with him."
Zhao Shiqing was stunned. She is the biggest?
Hahaha!
In fact, Lingbo is a little older than her, but Lingbo is a maid, and even if Lingbo has the courage, she would not dare to compare her size with her own lady.
As for Niu Qiu, the picked-up child, his age was unknown. He reported an age older than Zhao Shiqing, but he was shorter than the twelve or thirteen-year-old Shen Guanyue, so no one believed him when he said he was an adult.
Zhao Shiqing has always been the little sister in the family, but since leaving Liangdi, she has put herself in the position of the big sister. Now that the old man has cleared her name, she has really become the boss.
She looked at Third Master Cui with a loving gaze, and her tone became earnest: "Your Cui family has two Jinshi (Jinshi) graduates. The one from the side branch, do you have much contact with him and his family?"
Young Master Cui didn't know why Zhao Shiqing asked about that person. He shook his head and said, "His family is a branch of the family and they left Luzhou City a long time ago. They only interact with us during festivals."
Zhao Shiqing was very satisfied and continued to ask, "In other words, putting aside seniority, your father, Master Cui, is the most senior person in your Cui family?"
Young Master Cui wanted to say that there was an old man above him, but Zhao Shiqing said that if we put seniority aside, then his father was indeed the person with the highest status in the Cui family.
Although Master Cui is the eldest son, he does not hold an official position.
He nodded. "Indeed."
Zhao Shiqing continued, "In other words, your father is the one with the most say in the Cui family, right?"
Young Master Cui quickly explained, "My father has been in office for many years and hasn't been home. The affairs of the mansion are managed by my grandfather, my eldest uncle, and my three uncles."
Zhao Shiqing: "The one who manages things doesn't necessarily have the final say. The one who has the final say doesn't have to stay in the mansion every day. Your father can issue an order and write a letter. If one isn't enough, write two or three. If you're worried about the post office, you can send someone to deliver the letter to Luzhou City. It shouldn't be difficult for your Cui family to find a few servants who are fast and can ride horses."
Young Master Cui was stunned. He had never thought about this question before.
Can my father give orders even when he is not at home?
Since childhood, his aunts and uncles had often been sarcastic to them, mother and son. He had always believed that their second branch had the lowest status in the Cui family because his father had spent a lot of public money.
But now, the little girl in front of him, whom he met for the first time today, said in one word that his father was the person with the highest status and the most say in the Cui family.
Is that so?
Young Master Cui wanted to deny it, but he felt that what the other party said seemed to make sense, and he couldn't think of a reason to deny it.
Zhao Shiqing continued, "How long has it been since you last saw your father?"
Cui Sanshao was startled again. Then, he lowered his head, looked at his toes, and whispered, "Eight years..."
Niu Qiu and Xiu Xiu exclaimed in unison, "Eight years!" Young Master Cui was only about thirteen or fourteen years old, and he hadn't seen his father in eight years.
Zhao Shiqing asked again: "Where is your brother Cui Si? How long has he been alive?"
Young Master Cui opened his mouth to say something, but when the words reached his lips, his expression suddenly changed.
"...He, he would go to Liangdi every New Year...My grandfather said, I am the eldest son, and my father is not around, so I have to worship the ancestors on his behalf, so..."
Having said that, Young Master Cui could no longer hold back and began to choke up.
Zhao Shiqing, however, showed no mercy and continued stabbing. "So, every New Year and other festivals, you have to go to the graves to pay respects to your ancestors on behalf of your father, while your half-brother goes to Liangdi to reunite with his parents, siblings, and enjoy the happiness of family life."
Third Young Master Cui choked up and nodded. Over the years, he had felt envious and wronged, but his grandfather and uncle had told him to live up to his parents' expectations as the eldest son. His mother's constant response was, "I'm just a woman, I don't know anything, and your father is gone. Everything is up to your grandfather and uncle. They're doing this for your own good."
Since everyone said that this arrangement was good, he also told himself that it was good. After a while, it became a habit.
Zhao Shiqing continued, "Let's not talk about that for now, let's talk about what happened recently. Let me ask you, that day when you sued Mr. Lou and the brothel, the people in the brothel admitted that it was Mr. Lou who sent you there, and he wanted to sell you, right?"
Cui Sanshao nodded: "Yes, the people in the brothel can testify that Mr. Lou wants to sell me off."
Zhao Shiqing: "With witnesses and you as the victim, why didn't the government arrest Mr. Lou and instead let him go home?"
He knows this question!
Cui Sanshao: "Because my great uncle beat up Mr. Lou in court, he was in contempt of the court. The government did not punish him for the sake of the Cui family, but the case had to be postponed for retrial."
Zhao Shiqing laughed. "So, what was originally a case with solid evidence, but your great uncle's beating forced it to a postponed retrial? Mr. Lou, who should have been thrown in jail, was turned from a defendant into a victim, and is now at large, just because of that beating? Don't you think there's something wrong with that?"
Young Master Cui was stunned. Yes, why did he only find out today?
"But, but this doesn't mean that Lou is fine. The government just asked him to go home to recuperate and wait for summons at any time."
Zhao Shiqing: "But he died, before he could be summoned. So the matter of you being sold to a brothel by him is now unresolved. And precisely because he's dead, all your accusations against him are now unresolved. You went to the brothel with him. This is an indisputable fact. You said it yourself. Your Cui family wants to save face. Will they tolerate you?"
If it were ten days ago, when Young Master Cui heard what Zhao Shiqing said, he would definitely not believe it and might even have quarreled with her.
But now, having escaped death, Third Master Cui could only shed tears and laugh at himself. Suddenly, he thought of something: "Yes, they made Fourth Brother the legitimate son. They have given up on me, but I am wronged. How innocent am I? I must tell my father. You also said that my father has the final say and he will definitely make the decision for me!"
Zhao Shiqing......
Everyone...
Chen Guanyue: "Stupidity is a disease, right? Will he pass his illness on to me? Oh my God, I don't want to be a fool."
Xiuxiu quickly handed him a walnut kernel: "This is a smart fruit, it can prevent you from becoming stupid."
Chen Guanyue picked up the walnut kernel with two hands and put it into his mouth, smiling wickedly: "I appreciate your kindness, sister. I am here to pay my respects."
Xiuxiu made a vomiting expression.
Everyone laughed.
Young Master Cui didn't laugh, he was questioning his life.
"Am I really stupid?" he asked himself.
Zhao Shiqing: "I originally thought you were a little silly, but now I think you are really silly."
"Why?" Young Master Cui was puzzled.
Zhao Shiqing: "You also know that your father is the most influential person in your Cui family. You are his biological son, yes, and his only legitimate son. Without your father's permission, would the Cui family dare to kill you?"
Young Master Cui was stunned. He had never thought about this question before.
Zhao Shiqing: "You were walking down the street, and someone put you in a sack. You think it was all Mr. Lou's doing, that he kidnapped you and sold you to a brothel? Let me ask you, if you can recognize Mr. Lou at a glance, does he recognize you?"
Cui Sanshao was still confused: "Maybe, maybe, I know him, but I'm not familiar with him."
Zhao Shiqing: "Your Cui family is a wealthy family, and you are the mother of a young princess. Your father is an official, and you are the son of an official. Mr. Lou must have been kicked in the head by a donkey to kidnap you and send you to a brothel. Why would you do such a thing? If you are so stupid that you would not do it, how could Mr. Lou do it?"
"But why did Mr. Lou..." Young Master Cui was still unwilling.
Zhao Shiqing: "Think about who saved Mr. Lou from imprisonment."
Cui Sanshao: "It's my great uncle...ah, you mean, the man surnamed Lou was ordered by my great uncle? Why? Why would my great uncle let him harm me?"
Zhao Shiqing: "Because of your good fourth brother, you are your father's biological son after all. As long as you are good, your father will not harm you for no reason. But your fourth brother's biological mother will. For the sake of her son, she can bypass your father and find your uncle.
However, your father may not have known about the things that happened to you and your eventual death at first, but he definitely knew about it later.
By the way, has your uncle asked your father for anything recently?"
Third Master Cui was extremely shocked. He opened his mouth and took a few deep breaths before finally calming down. He thought for a moment and said, "It must be because of my eldest brother. He went out to study and seemed to have gotten into trouble. I don't know what the trouble was. I heard it from my fifth sister."
The "big brother" he mentioned was actually his eldest cousin, the eldest son of Mr. Cui.
The so-called study abroad is just a beautified term. In fact, Young Master Cui has no intention of studying at all. Although he was born in a scholarly family, he is not a bookworm. Instead, he has learned all the romantic stories of the so-called talented and romantic men.
Half a year ago, Young Master Cui cheated some money from his mother, left a letter, and went out to travel with some second-generation rich people in Luzhou City. A letter came a month ago. The content of the letter was unknown to outsiders. Young Master Cui San only heard it from the fifth sister of the eldest wife, and knew that Young Master Cui had caused trouble outside.
Young Master Cui is not stupid, he is just naive.
Now that the window paper has been broken, all the things that I didn’t think about before now become clear to me.
When Young Master Cui got into trouble, Master Cui Da asked Master Cui Er for help. Whether Master Cui Er was willing to help or not is not the point, but Aunt Wang must have had a hand in this matter.
She took the opportunity to propose a condition to Master Cui, which was to change the fourth young master Cui from a concubine's son to a legitimate son. You must know that in a family like the Cui family, the legitimate son is the legitimate son and the concubine is the concubine. When there is a legitimate son, it is impossible to change a concubine to a legitimate son.
Unless the legitimate son commits a crime or his reputation is ruined, or he is dead.
If the only legitimate son dies or becomes deposed, it is reasonable to register the illegitimate son under the name of the legitimate mother.
So Mr. Cui died before the ancestral hall was officially opened. Of course, it was announced to the public that he was missing. No matter how hard they searched for him, they couldn't find him. Gradually, he died.
The reward of 50,000 taels has earned the Cui family a reputation for being kind and caring for their descendants. It is really not a waste at all. Young Master Cui is still contributing to the family even after his death.
"The man surnamed Lou was the helper my great uncle found? But I reported him to the government office. Doesn't he want to keep his reputation?" Young Master Cui was puzzled.
Zhao Shiqing: "That's because he didn't expect you to report it to the authorities. Normally, if you encounter something like this, a young man like you from a scholarly family wouldn't report it. Even if you escape, you'll run back home to tell the elders and ask them to make the decision. They think you'll do the same. If you run back, they'll accuse you of being disrespectful, that you're young and impulsive, and that committing suicide is acceptable."
Cui Sanshao: "Suicide? I won't commit suicide... Will they kill me and then declare it to the public?"
It is impossible for a person to commit suicide for no reason, but it is possible to die of shame and anger due to being humiliated in a brothel.
Moreover, if a scholar dies to preserve his reputation, it will not bring disgrace to his family.
Therefore, from the very beginning, Master Cui or Aunt Wang did not want the Third Master Cui to live.
However, Young Master Cui did not play by the rules. Instead of running back home, he went directly to the yamen. This way, Mr. Lou was exposed to the public, so Master Cui staged a drama in the court to temporarily save Mr. Lou.
Cui Sanshao figured it out, but he saw Zhao Shiqing frowning. He was puzzled: "Is there anything else?"
Zhao Shiqing: "I suspect that the person who cooperated with your uncle was not Mr. Lou, but his wife Zhang."
If this is the case, then the matter is quite complicated. Besides, Mr. Cui Er is an official in Liangdi.
Young Master Cui was in no mood to think about these things. His heart ached, a pain that tore his heart and lungs apart.
Loach came over and patted his shoulder: "Second Miss didn't ask you to leave, you should thank her quickly."
Cui Sanshao: "Why should I thank her?"
Loach: "You have no family anymore. Please ask the Second Miss to find a family for you in the village. There are several families in the village who want sons. You are a good match."
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