Cui Mubai coughed a few times, wiped his lips with a handkerchief, and said with a smile: "Since you want to take a concubine, no matter whether the concubine comes from a brothel or a good family, Yaozhen will be unhappy. A prostitute will never be able to enter the mansion and surpass her. If a good family gave birth to a child, how could they be willing to send it to Yaozhen's room to raise it?"
Cui Muyan felt that what Cui Mubai said made some sense, but he was still angry and said, "You are just making excuses. You can live a peaceful life but insist on making trouble. Aren't you afraid that Yaozhen will divorce you? I can't control you anymore. Go and tell your parents!"
Cui Muyan left the words and got off the carriage first.
Cui Mubai tucked the red handkerchief in his sleeve, smiled bitterly and murmured: "I'm afraid that she won't be willing to divorce me..."
As soon as Cui Mubai entered the main hall, Cui's father shouted: "Kneel down!"
Cui Mubai looked calm, and after kneeling down, he said, "Father, Yue Lian is pregnant with my child. I want to redeem Yue Lian and take her as my concubine."
Cui's mother was shocked: "My son, you are confused!"
Father Cui's face turned livid. He raised his hand and raised the cane to whip Cui Mubai on the back, "I'll beat you to death, you unfilial son!"
No one dared to step forward to stop him. Cui Mubai was hit with the cane three times. He gritted his teeth and endured it without crying out, but he also did not give in.
"Father, even if you beat me to death today, I will still take Yue Lian into the mansion. She is pregnant with my child, how can I let her stay in that filthy place!"
"Since you know that it is a dirty place, how dare you touch the women there? The century-old reputation of my Cui family has been ruined by you today. You are unworthy of being a descendant of the Cui family!" The veins on the back of Cui's father's hand holding the whip were exposed. He was panting heavily with anger and his men showed no mercy at all.
Cui Mubai said, "Yaozhen has not been pregnant for two years since she came into the family. What's wrong with me taking a concubine to expand the family? My son is just taking a concubine, not divorcing his wife and marrying another one. Could it be that father wants my Cui family to have no descendants?"
Father Cui pointed at Cui Mubai angrily, his head was dizzy with anger, and he said furiously: "I think you have been seduced by that prostitute! After Yaozhen married into the family, she was filial to her parents-in-law, and the sisters-in-law were harmonious, gentle and respectful, and there was nothing wrong with her. You, a ruthless person, even said such a thing as divorcing your wife and marrying another one! Even if you don't have an heir, my Cui family will never be extinct! Is it your eldest brother who doesn't have children, or your brothers who don't have children? Do you need to marry a prostitute into the house just to have children?"
Cui's mother was also very disappointed. Although she had always hoped that the second wife could have a child, she had never thought of letting her son marry a prostitute.
The cane left bloody marks. Cui Muyan couldn't bear to watch and advised, "Father, my second brother has been weak since he was young. Please calm down. Beating him further will not help. The most urgent thing is to resolve the matter."
Cui's father was furious and would not listen to any advice: "Since he insists on marrying a prostitute, it is better to kill him. This way, we can give an explanation to the Liu family and preserve the reputation of our Cui family."
Cui Qiong, who had rushed over after hearing the news, heard this outside the house and ran in quickly to stop him, saying, "Father, my second brother and sister-in-law have always been in harmony and have a deep affection for each other. My sister-in-law has only been away from Beijing for a few days. How could my second brother suddenly change his mind and want to marry a prostitute? My second brother must have his own reasons." Seeing Cui Mubai's pale face, Cui Qiong stood behind him and pleaded with Cui's father and mother, "Father, stop beating him. My second brother can't stand it."
Cui Mubai coughed for a moment and said to Cui Qiong, "Fifth sister, please move aside. I have no hardship. Yue Lian is pregnant with my child, and I have to give her a legitimate status and an explanation."
Cui Qiongzheng was stunned and looked at Cui Mubai, "Second brother, what did you say?"
Father Cui was furious when he heard this and said to Cui Muyan, "Pull her away. I will beat this evil creature to death, this unrepentant little beast!"
Cui Muyan pretended to pull Cui Qiong, but in fact she was trying to stop Cui's father from using the cane, and said in a smooth talk: "Father, what I said is that Mu Bai is not in good health. You and mother have watched him grow up, don't you know what kind of person he is? My second brother has been sensible since he was young. He went to the palace to accompany the prince at such a young age, and he never cried because he was tired. He has never been a wanton and dissolute person."
Before Cui's father could say anything, Cui Mubai started laughing first. He coughed as he laughed, "Brother, how do you know I'm not one? There were three people selected to study with the Eastern Palace. I deliberately put a bug in the clothes of one of them, causing him to make a fool of himself in the palace. I also coaxed another boy to drink a lot of tea, causing him to get his pants wet when he met the crown prince. That's how I stood out and was able to study with the Eastern Palace. I, Cui Mubai, have never been a gentleman."
"Second brother...you are coughing up blood!" Cui Qiong exclaimed.
"The thing I regret most in my life is entering the palace to be the prince's tutor." Cui Mubai covered the corners of his lips with his hands, but the blood could not be wiped away. He fainted on the ground and said this almost inaudibly.
"Mu Bai..."
"Second brother..."
"Go get a doctor..."
The Cui family was in a mess. They hurriedly sent Cui Mubai back to his room. Cui's mother sat on the bed, complaining to Cui's father with red eyes, "Why did you hit him so hard? After all, this is our own son. Do you really want to beat him to death?"
Father Cui's eyes were filled with worry, but he still said stubbornly, "He wants to marry a prostitute. I beat him up to clear the family's name!"
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