Chapter 82 The "Easy to Get" Mother-in-Law Group Goes Offline
Sun Ruqing was dragged out of Baomo Hall. No matter how much she cried out, she was dragged straight to the main hall and handed over to the yamen runners.
The constable clasped his hands in thanks.
Bi Fang stepped forward and lightly patted the yamen runner's elbow. "Sir, may I have a word with you in private?"
The two men turned to the side, and one of them took out a pure silver ingot from his pocket and stuffed it into the man's hand. "Sir, this is for the young master to treat you two to tea." Then he took out a bag of silver and handed it to the yamen runner. "The young master instructed that this criminal woman has confessed her crime and hopes that she can be convicted as soon as possible so that justice can be served for my young mistress."
The yamen runners collected the silver, and there was no one who did not comply.
Bi Fang added, "Madam is frail. Now that she has learned of the deceitful servant in the family, she is deeply afraid that the family's reputation will be damaged, and she has fallen ill."
He didn't continue. The yamen runner, accustomed to handling trivial family cases, was a shrewd man. After all, this was someone's own mother. Sending a maid to take the blame was one thing, but would he really send his own mother to jail?
The shady dealings within the deep courtyard of the mansion were all considered good. The yamen runner quickly flattered him with a smile, "Understood, I will go back and report to the magistrate immediately. With witnesses and evidence in place, this shrewish woman, Sun, will certainly not escape. Please rest assured, Madam."
Upon hearing this, Bi Fang nodded and saw the person out of the Chen residence.
He hurried back to Baomo Hall and whispered in Chen Junbai's ear, "Young Master, it's done."
At this moment, Chen Zhangshi slumped back into the armchair in the main room as if she had lost her soul.
"Mother, the carriage and horses are ready. Let's go to the estate tomorrow."
Zhang Lingshuang suddenly looked up, "You want to kick me out?"
“After all, Boss Liu is familiar with my mother. In the current situation, it’s just a matter of sending my mother to the estate to live for a few years and avoid the limelight.” Chen Junbai said matter-of-factly, but he felt a little uneasy. He glanced at Li Yang and saw that the other party had no objection.
This was the best outcome he could hope for for his mother, after all, Liu Rufang's earliest confession clearly stated—Zhang Linshuang.
Fortunately, Zhao Zhao was unaware of this confession.
Fortunately, he told Zhao Zhao that it was a series of framing plots orchestrated by Sun Ruqing, and she believed him.
However, his plan for his mother failed to gain the understanding of anyone. Zhang Lingshuang glared at him fiercely, "Chen Ziheng, you want to send me to the estate? Say it again!"
"Mother."
"You dare! I'd like to see who dares to touch me today!" Zhang Lingshuang's numb face suddenly twisted. "Even if I die, I will still be the mistress of this Chen family mansion, and Madam Chen of Songshan Town. I'd like to see who dares to touch me."
"Lin Shuang... what if it were me?" Old Master Zhang entered Bao Mo Tang at some point.
He mustered his strength to finish saying those words, but then he couldn't stop coughing.
Chen Junbo rushed over to help him up, saying, "Grandpa."
Bi Fang carried the chair over, and Li Yang braced himself on the armrests of the chair, trying to get up.
The old man gave Bi Fang a cold look, then slowly sat down with the help of Chen Junbo's arm. "Lin Shuang, come with me. Accompany your father to the ancestral home. Your father hasn't been back to the ancestral home in a long time."
"Father!" Zhang Linshuang cried out and threw herself into the old man's arms, feeling wronged as if she had been bullied.
"Are you wronged? I know, I know my darling has been wronged. Lin Shuang, I'm getting old, I won't be able to stay with you for much longer." The old man gently stroked his daughter's head with both hands. "Come with me to the old house. It's been so long since we, father and daughter, have been able to talk together."
Chen Zhangshi remained silent, kneeling before the old man, raising her neck to look up at her father, once a pillar of the Lianghuai salt industry. Now, he was old and frail, like a candle flickering in the wind.
When did it start?
In her memory, her father always doted on her, and no matter what mistakes she made or how big a mess she made, she never had to be afraid. When did her father grow so old, as if he could no longer support her?
As the two were leaving, the old man didn't say a word, holding his daughter's hand, and didn't even glance at his grandson whom he had raised from a young age.
After a long pause, Chen Junbo turned his head and asked, "Your wound doesn't hurt anymore? You actually came here."
Li Yang blinked and grasped his large hands at his sides. "I couldn't sleep all day lying down, so I came to check on you."
Upon hearing this, Chen Junbo glared at Li Yang with annoyance, and Li Yang fell silent. Then he asked, "Chen Junbo, are you blaming me?"
"Did you send someone to invite Grandpa?" Chen Junbai changed the subject, having understood the meaning behind Li Yang's words.
She lowered her head slightly, "No matter how vicious Granny Sun is, how could she dare to send someone to harm me without my mother-in-law's instruction?"
Her words were soft, but they struck Chen Junbo like thunder; she knew everything.
"I invited my grandfather over, do you resent me?" She only said half of her sentence.
When she learned from Xiao Lu that Chen Junbo had led a group of people to Bao Mo Tang in a menacing manner, she guessed that the attack was related to her mother-in-law.
She couldn't understand why she had been targeted by her mother-in-law from the very first day she entered the household, since she had never offended her. What could have made her mother-in-law so determined to kill her?
However, even if she couldn't understand these things, she knew that Chen Junbo wouldn't do anything to his mother-in-law. He seemed indifferent, but his heart was like a raging fire.
From the moment they met to their deepest friendship, Chen Junbo had long since become accustomed to shedding his cold facade in front of her, spending all his time with her and spoiling her. How could someone like that do anything to his own mother?
So she lied to Xiaolu, saying that Madam Chen had encountered trouble and asked her to invite Old Master Zhang over.
Chen Zhangshi's arrogance in the first half of her life was nurtured by Old Master Zhang, while her domineering behavior in the second half was spoiled by Chen Junbai with money. Neither the old man nor the young man could do anything to the mother-in-law.
“I know she’s your mother, one of your few relatives. But, Chen Junbo, I’m not a saint. She wants to kill me, and I can’t live in the same house with her anymore. I don’t want to see her,” Li Yang stated his position.
"So I asked my grandfather. He can say what you can't say, and he can do what you can't do. Now, I ask you, do you resent me?"
Li Yang's previous obedience suddenly turned into solemnity, and behind this sentence, he was left with no choice.
Chen Junbo suddenly felt as if the person so close to him was about to disappear. His heart tightened, and he dared not look into her eyes. Finally, he lowered his head and admitted defeat: "I don't blame you... I shouldn't have kept it from you."
He held her large hand tightly with his soft fingers, a slight tickle in his palm as her fingers traced patterns on it. When he looked up, he was met with her wet eyes, her dark pupils seemingly twinkling with starlight. "I don't blame you."
She knows everything!
He thought he had gotten away with it, but he couldn't fool anyone. Zhao Zhao was so clever that she guessed the whole story and even asked her grandfather to stop him from pleading for mercy.
If Grandpa had arrived even a moment later, he might have 'couldn't resist' Mother's madness and had given in.
He regarded this Baomo Hall as a confined space for his mother. In his view, without Granny Sun and with all the maids around her replaced, his mother would never do such absurd things again.
Zhao Zhao had guessed all of his plans perfectly. He dared not imagine what he looked like in her eyes at this moment.
His mind was in turmoil. Zhao Zhao had seen the shamelessness in the deepest part of his heart. Would she look down on him?
Thinking of this, he tightened his grip, holding the soft hand tightly in his palm, as if only in this way could he feel at ease.
"Let's go back. I can't sit still any longer." Li Yang looked at him silently for a long time, his heart growing colder and colder.
Chen Junbo quickly bent down, reached under her legs, and pulled her into his arms, giving her a sway.
The two returned to Lanxin Pavilion. Along the way, every servant, maid, and handyman they encountered turned their backs and kept their distance. Overnight, the mistress of the Chen residence became the young mistress in the young master's arms.
Chen Junbo gently placed her on the couch, carefully examined her face, and then sat down by the bed. He quickly said, "Zhaozhao, I didn't mean to keep this from you. I just wanted to resolve this before telling you."
Li Yang smiled and leaned back against the headboard, glancing at the other person. "Chen Junbo, how do you plan to resolve this? After dealing with Granny Sun, will you give me an explanation? I want to ask you, what is our relationship now?"
Seeing the other person's surprised expression, she smiled and said, "Husband and wife?" She gently shook her head, "Unfortunately, it's fake."
"Master and employee?" She shook her head slightly again. "But what master and employee hold hands and hug every day?"
"Just now, I was also thinking, is it because I tacitly approved of this ambiguous relationship that I am someone you can easily get, and not as important as your family?"
She interrupted Chen Junbai, who was about to speak but then stopped, "So, that's why you chose to keep this from me. Disposing of Granny Sun is how you give me an explanation? Young Master Chen, should I thank you?"
I ask you, if I hadn't brought your grandfather here, would you have sent your mother-in-law away today?
Chen Junbo was speechless. For the first time, he felt that his wife was so aggressive that he couldn't handle her.
“Zhaozhao, you are not someone who can be easily obtained. I cherish you, but only because she is my mother… But I have thought about it. If I confine her to Baomo Hall and replace all the people around her, she will definitely not be able to do anything to you anymore.”
“But I have parents too. My parents love me dearly and cherish me like a precious treasure. If they knew that I almost lost my life in your house, wouldn’t they be heartbroken? Would they forgive you?” Li Yang lost control when he mentioned his parents. “Chen Junbo, you can’t take advantage of the fact that I don’t have parents by my side.”
"Zhaozhao." Seeing that she was really crying, Chen Junbo panicked and didn't know what to do. Why was she crying? "Zhaozhao, don't cry. It's my fault. Luckily you invited Grandpa. It's all my fault."
Thankfully, right?
In the Chen family, she lived each day on thin ice, constantly on edge. But what did she get in return? Framing and slander were thrown at her like dirty water, and her repeated concessions nearly cost her her life! In the end, he let the man go because of maternal love; if it weren't for her intervention… he actually said, "Thank goodness?"
The wound on her buttocks seemed to be aggravated, causing a dull ache, reminding her how lucky she was to have escaped with her life.
"If there's no one surnamed Liu, there's someone surnamed Zhang, someone surnamed Wang. Are you only satisfied when you see me really die by someone else's knife?"
"But Chen Junbo, this engagement was arranged by you. You brought me into the Chen family, yet you couldn't even protect my most basic safety. What kind of behavior is that?"
As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion. That's what it's like to feel wronged; if you don't feel it, then you don't feel it. But if you let it surface, it will instantly churn a storm in your heart.
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The author says: To put it bluntly, marrying far away for love is really risky.
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