Chapter 9 Book Boy
Emperor Tai'an had few children and only two princes, one was the crown prince and the other was the fourth prince, Prince of Wei.
The Crown Prince was born to the late Queen, and his status as the eldest son made his position as the heir apparent unshakable.
Although the Prince of Wei's biological mother now held the title of consort, she was originally a palace maid, and her status today was due solely to her son's influence. As for the Prince of Wei himself, he was far less favored by Emperor Tai'an than the Crown Prince.
Wen Hao came back to his senses from his extreme shock and was no longer surprised.
Even if her father disliked her, she was still his daughter. For a high-ranking official like him to secretly give his daughter away to someone else for fun, the other person must be extremely noble.
Her grandparents had passed away, her mother was insane, and she was mute. It would be difficult for her to marry into a family of equal status, let alone one two notches below the Wen family. Marrying down further would be of no benefit to a father who didn't care about his daughter's lifelong happiness. It would be better to just keep her at home and spend money on food.
She is just a lonely soul in the Wen Mansion who is ignored by everyone. How could her father not be moved when she caught the prince's eye and was respected by his father?
After all, he was the one who calmly killed his wife of more than 20 years.
The prince... One of her enemies is the prince.
He is not the crown prince whose status as heir apparent is precarious, but the next emperor who is undoubtedly in everyone's eyes.
This is really a mountain that is difficult to move.
Wen Hao lowered his eyes and stared at the slender hands.
"Ah Hao, are you feeling unwell?" Looking at her daughter's pale face, Mrs. Lin asked with concern.
Wen Hao raised his lips: "I'm not uncomfortable. Has mother chosen it?"
Lin pointed to the dazzling array of jewelry on the table and said, "Pack them all up."
The female shopkeeper smiled brightly: "I'll pack it up and send it to your house."
"It's not much, I'll just take it away."
The female shopkeeper packed the jewelry with quick movements, and personally carried several boxes to take Lin to the carriage.
"Mrs. Lin, we'll send the new styles to you when they're ready."
"No need, it's more fun to go out for a stroll."
Lin got on the carriage and handed one of the rosewood boxes to Wen Hao: "Ah Hao, take a look and see if you like it."
Wen Hao took it and opened it, and was almost dazzled by the box full of sparkling jewelry.
She thought of the difficulties she had faced on the road to escape in her previous life, and her eyes became sore.
Not to mention a box of exquisite jewellery, she would also like a box of plain silver ingots.
"My daughter likes it very much." Wen Hao nodded seriously.
"Mother has good taste." Lin smiled and patted another box of similar size. "This box is for your eldest sister."
She was obviously in a very good mood, and the reason for her happiness was simple: her daughter liked the things she bought for her.
Such a simple-minded mother who loved her father wholeheartedly was schemed against and trampled upon by her husband.
Wen Hao took Lin's arm and rested his head on her shoulder: "Mom, my eldest sister will definitely like it too."
Lin pursed her lips and smiled, feeling very satisfied: "Thank God for letting my Ah Hao speak. It's just that my life span has been shortened by ten years——"
Wen Hao hurriedly stopped Lin from speaking: "Mother, you are not allowed to say that. If that's the case, I would rather be mute."
"Silly girl..." Lin choked and wiped her eyes.
After entering the Wen Mansion, Wen Hao hugged the box and said, "Mother, I'm going back to Luoyingju first."
"Go back and rest. Let Baozhu take the jewelry box; it's quite heavy."
"No, my mother gave it to me. I want to keep it myself."
Wen Hao said goodbye to Lin and walked slowly towards Luoyingju. He had only taken two steps when he met the manager Wen Ping.
Wen Ping walked hurriedly, perhaps because he was too anxious or for some reason, but he almost bumped into Wen Hao.
Wen Hao loosened his grip and the box fell to the ground.
The box, which was already full, fell to the ground, and the jewellery flew out, shining brightly in the sunlight.
Wen Ping stared at the golden light all over the ground.
Baozhu glared and cursed, "Manager Wen, are you blind? Can you handle the consequences of offending the young lady?"
Wen Ping came back to his senses with a start, bowed and apologized to Wen Hao: "It is my fault that I was blind. I apologize to the second young lady."
Wen Hao ignored the scattered jewels and cast a cold gaze on Wen Ping: "Manager Wen, is there something urgent?"
"There is something I need to deal with..." Wen Ping lowered his head, his eyes unconsciously drawn to the jewels on the ground.
"Then Manager Wen, please go and get busy." Wen Hao's tone was calm, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
"Second Miss, you are so generous. Thank you for not blaming me." Wen Ping bowed deeply.
Wen Hao stared at Wen Ping's hurriedly departing back, his eyes growing colder.
Wen Ping is the servant who gave false testimony for his father!
Twenty years passed in a flash, and the little servant boy became the chief steward and a prominent figure in the Wen family.
He is so anxious today, he must be going to the gambling house.
Baozhu picked up the jewelry and breathed a sigh of relief: "Miss, it's a good thing nothing was broken."
Wen Hao nodded slightly: "That's good, let's go back to Luoyingju first."
She had dropped the box on purpose to irritate Wen Ping, and judging by Wen Ping's reaction, the effect was quite good.
After returning to Luoyingju, Wen Hao didn't rest for a moment. He changed his clothes and went out again with Baozhu.
The master and servant did not use the Wen Mansion's carriage, but hired one instead.
"Go to Qianjinfang."
Qianjinfang is one of the big gambling houses in the capital. It has a constant stream of gamblers every day and is also the place where trouble is most likely to occur.
At this time, a young man was blocked by several people at the wall outside the door, crying and begging for mercy.
People entering and leaving the gambling house didn't even glance in this direction, obviously they were already accustomed to this kind of scene.
"Mr. Yun, do you want me to chop off your left little finger or your right?"
The young man was terrified, tears streaming down his face. "Don't... don't chop off my fingers. My dad will be here soon with the money..."
"Then why haven't you come yet?"
“Almost there, almost there…”
"The last time your father came to pay you back, he said he would no longer care about you."
"My father will definitely take care of it. I am his only son. Please believe me--" the boy cried.
Someone whispered something in the leader's ear. The leader glanced in a certain direction and sneered, "Chop off his fingers!"
The person who received the order pulled the boy's left hand against the wall and raised the kitchen knife.
"Stop!" Wen Ping shouted from a distance and ran over.
"Oh, Master Wen arrived just in time. Your son's little finger is still there."
"Dad, Dad, save me!"
"You... are simply lawless!" Wen Ping was trembling all over. He was angry at his son's bad behavior and annoyed at the behavior of these scoundrels.
"Master Wen is wrong to say that. It is only natural to pay back a debt. If you don't believe me, let's go to the government office and ask the officials."
Wen Ping was so angry that his face turned blue, but he knew that he would not be able to get away without paying the money today.
Although he is the manager of the Minister's Mansion, it is not easy for him to run a gambling house in the capital and remain standing. If the matter gets out of hand, the master will definitely blame him.
"How much?"
The man held up a finger.
"One hundred taels?" Wen Ping shuddered with heartache and was about to pay.
One hundred taels was not a lot of money for him before, but with a son like this, even the thickest fortune was drained out. Now, let alone a hundred taels, it is difficult for him to even take out one tael of silver.
The man sneered, "Master Wen, you're joking. One thousand taels, one tael less, and I'll give you your son's finger."
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