Chapter 13 Repaying the Kindness of Childbirth
Once again, Tianyao was alone in the room.
Even though only one person left, the room suddenly felt much quieter.
Tianyao wrapped the blanket tightly around herself, closed her eyes, and tried to fall asleep.
She had done everything she could; the rest was up to Yunzhou to decide.
She would accept whatever Yunzhou chose.
In this world, there are many things that are beyond our control and cannot be forced. What we can do is to go with the flow, accept whatever comes our way, and not force or compel things.
Because if you try to control or force someone, they will lose their true self and become unrecognizable.
She didn't want to become unrecognizable, didn't want to be physically and mentally exhausted, didn't want to suffer pain and sadness, so she cultivated a heart that was not attached to anything, not attached to people, not attached to emotions, and not even attached to herself.
In her short life, all she wanted was to live peacefully, safely, happily, and calmly.
...
The Ministry of Justice's prison, the cells for death row inmates.
Standing in front of Madam Cui's cell, Cui Yunzhou saw Madam Cui lying on the haystack, wincing in pain at the slightest movement. He felt both heartache and helplessness.
His mother wasn't very good to him when he was a child.
In order to help him succeed and make a name for himself, his mother was extremely strict with him, often hitting him with a ruler or forcing him to kneel.
He remembers that at first, he cried very hard and couldn't bear the pain. Later, in order to avoid being beaten and forced to kneel, he studied very hard. Fortunately, he was very smart and had a strong learning ability, so he was never beaten or forced to kneel again.
He came here not to hear his mother's answer.
He already knew what his mother's answer would be.
He came here to repay his mother for giving him life and raising him.
This time, he saved her life and repaid her for giving birth to him.
After that, if she does something wrong again, she'll have to take responsibility for it herself. Whether she lives or dies, he won't care anymore.
Cui Yunzhou lifted his robe, sat down on the ground, opened his eyes, and quietly watched Madam Cui, waiting for her to wake up.
From evening until dawn, for several hours, Cui Yunzhou sat there motionless. No one knew what he was thinking during those long hours.
In the early morning, the warm sunlight shone on Madam Cui through the small iron window at the top of the death row cell.
Madam Cui yawned lazily and opened her eyes.
"Mother, you're awake."
Cui Yunzhou spoke softly with a gentle smile on his face.
!
Madam Cui was startled, her eyes widened in surprise, and she asked.
"Yunzhou, when did you arrive?"
"Did she promise to plead with His Majesty to treat me leniently?"
"I'm your mother, her aunt. She certainly won't just stand by and watch me die, right?"
Seeing that Yunzhou remained silent, Madam Cui frowned, her temper flaring instantly, and she said angrily.
"Could it be that she didn't agree?"
"She...she's a wicked woman! I only said a few words to her, and she actually wants me dead!"
"As expected, you shouldn't have married her into our family."
"Oh dear, what should we do? Son... what are you standing there for? Hurry up and think of a way to save your mother."
"Your mother raised you with great difficulty; you must repay your mother!"
Madam Cui, dragging her scabbed body, laboriously crawled to Cui Yunzhou's side. Through the iron bars, she roared loudly, like a debt-collecting demon crawling out of hell.
Cui Yunzhou wasn't angry; instead, he smiled, his eyes and face full of laughter, and asked casually in a relaxed tone.
"Mother, what will you do if I don't repay you?"
"What?! You heartless, unfilial son, how dare you not repay me! I've raised you for nothing all these years! If I had known... if I had known, I shouldn't have given birth to you!"
Madam Cui was filled with the fear of death and said whatever came to mind, no longer bothering to pretend.
Cui Yunzhou's smile grew even brighter.
He had thought of it; in fact, he had thought of it a long time ago.
It's just that I don't want to believe it.
Who would believe that their own mother doesn't love them at all?
Who would believe that their mother treated them like an object, and that being kind to this object was all in the hope of getting something in return?
But no matter how unwilling he was to believe it, he had no choice but to accept reality.
“Mother, Yao’er said that as long as you swear that you will no longer force me to take a concubine or force me to divorce her, she will issue a settlement agreement, and your death sentence can be waived.”
"Mother, what do you think?"
"If you agree, Mother will press your handprint here."
Cui Yunzhou took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, reached out and placed it in front of Madam Cui. Then he took out a box of red seals from his sleeve, opened it, and placed it next to Madam Cui.
?
Madam Cui looked at the paper with a suspicious expression and asked, puzzled.
What's written on this piece of paper?
Cui Yunzhou was taken aback, then remembered that his mother was illiterate.
The paper read: "I swear I will never again force Cui Yunzhou to take a concubine, nor will I force Cui Yunzhou and Wei Tianyao to divorce. If I break this oath, I will die a horrible death."
Cui Yunzhou read the words on the paper verbatim, and then waited patiently for Madam Cui's reaction.
May they die a horrible death?!
What a vicious oath!
Madam Cui frowned, her face full of hostility as she glared at Cui Yunzhou, pointed her finger at him, and began to hurl insults.
"I think you just want your mother to die."
"May you die a horrible death, what a horrible death! Are you cursing your mother?"
"Indeed, the old saying is true: sons forget their mothers once they get married."
"Oh dear, why is my life so miserable!"
"Just let me die already, just die already!"
Madam Cui cried with snot and tears streaming down her face, but refused to put her fingerprint on the paper.
In ancient times, people were very superstitious and believed in oaths. Therefore, even if Lady Cui were to die, she would not want to make that poisonous oath.
Cui Yunzhou was not surprised at all by Madam Cui's reaction.
He stood up, brushed the dust off his robes, looked down at Madam Cui who was secretly watching him, and spoke in a very indifferent voice.
"Mother, I won't let you die. I will divorce Yao'er to save your life."
As soon as Cui Yunzhou finished speaking, Madam Cui grinned from ear to ear, overjoyed.
She knew then that her efforts in raising this animal hadn't been in vain!
“But from this day forward, Mother, I have repaid the debt of gratitude you owe me for giving me life and raising me.”
"If there is a next time, whether you live or die, I will not care. If I break this oath, may I, Cui Yunzhou, die a horrible death!"
When Cui Yunzhou spoke his last words, he raised his right hand high, his thumb bent and his four fingers straight and together, as if making a vow.
After saying that, he didn't look at Madam Cui again, turned around and left, his back view lonely and desolate.
Madam Cui's smile froze, as if she hadn't yet grasped the meaning behind Cui Yunzhou's words.
After a while, she realized what was happening and shouted in the direction Cui Yunzhou had left.
"Cui Yunzhou, I am your mother, your own mother who is still connected to you even if our bones are broken! You can't abandon me! You can't abandon me!"
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