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墨書 Inktalez
Zhou Cuiping was locked in her house, and Old Man Zhou demanded five hundred taels from her before he would let her go. After calming him down, she took advantage of the darkness to escape.
Her plan was to find Gu Sheng first and ask him what he meant by everything before figuring out how to flee. She headed to Su Xiawei's house, but the walls of the Li Family's courtyard were too high for her to climb over. Reluctantly, she turned back and unexpectedly ran into Gu Sheng on the way.
After discussing their options, they decided to flee together that very night and head straight back to the capital.
The next day, Old Man Zhou discovered that Zhou Cuiping had run away. He pleaded with the village chief for help in finding her, but no matter what he did, she remained missing. Before leaving, Su Xiawei made a trip to see Old Man Zhou.
"Perhaps your girl went to the capital with my nephew; after all, he is of noble status, and she might not look down on your family anymore."
Old Man Zhou clenched his fists and silently vowed, "No matter where you go, even if it’s to the ends of the earth, I will not let you off!"
Meanwhile, Su Xiawei's family arrived safely in the capital with the help of the steward from Su Residence. Su Xiaoxiao looked at the grand entrance of Su Residence with tears in her eyes. She never expected she would have a chance to return.
“Mom and Dad!”
Seeing her parents come out, Su Xiaoxiao ran over in tears. The Meng family saw her too and couldn't hold back their emotions; mother and daughter embraced tightly.
"My child, you finally came back! I’m so happy!"
Vice Minister Su's eyes were also red: "As long as you’re back, that’s all that matters."
Once inside the courtyard, Su Xiaoxiao recounted everything that had happened.
"Thanks to Sister Xia Wei and Brother Da Bao; if it weren't for them, I might not have made it back."
"What good children," Meng wiped her tears. "We must repay them well."
"Yes," Su Xiaoxiao nodded. "Sister Xia Wei said she wants to stay by my side as my personal maid."
"Then let her stay," Vice Minister Su said. "Their family are good people; we must repay them properly."
"Exactly," Meng agreed. "We have houses and land; having a few more mouths to feed is just a little extra expense."
Thus, Vice Minister Su invited Su Xiawei's family to stay and even gifted them a large residence. The Da Bao family moved into the big house while Da Bao continued his meat-selling business.
"This is my livelihood; I can't give it up."
Su Xiaoxiao returned to the residence quietly, not making a fuss. She wanted to wait and see if Gu Sheng would come. Vice Minister Su and his wife also agreed; they were curious to observe how Gu Sheng would handle the situation.
Gu Sheng returned to the capital with Zhou Cuiping. Their relationship was deepening, reaching the point of discussing marriage. Zhou Cuiping looked at the General's residence, filled with excitement.
"Gu Sheng, is this your home?"
"Yes."
Gu Sheng dismounted and helped her down. "Come on, I'll take you inside."
Zhou Cuiping nodded and followed him in.
Mrs. Su noticed Zhou Cuiping and frowned slightly. "Sheng'er, who is this?"
"Mother, this is Miss Zhou, my savior," Gu Sheng replied. "We've traveled a long way and are quite tired; we’ll rest first."
"Alright, I'll have someone clean your room."
"No need," Gu Sheng said, pulling Zhou Cuiping closer. "I can share a room with her."
Mrs. Su's frown deepened. "Nonsense! Men and women should keep their distance; you can't ruin her reputation."
Zhou Cuiping quickly explained, "Madam, Gu Sheng and I are already together."
Mrs. Su pursed her lips, suppressing her displeasure. "I'll find out more about the situation first before making arrangements for you."
"Okay," Zhou Cuiping nodded. "I trust you, Madam."
After Mrs. Su left, she snorted coldly. "One day, you'll know my strength."
The battle between Mrs. Su and Zhou Cuiping had officially begun. Gu Sheng brought Zhou Cuiping back to his courtyard and instructed all the maids and servants to recognize her as their mistress.
Seeing the servants bowing before her, Zhou Cuiping was thrilled. "I never expected that I, Zhou Cuiping, could have today!"
However, her joy was short-lived when she discovered that Gu Sheng had a concubine!
"Gu Sheng, weren't you supposed to be with only me?" Zhou Cuiping looked at him, disappointment filling her eyes.
"Cuiping, I’m sorry."
Gu Sheng held her close. "Don't worry, I've sold both of them."
The two concubines overheard this and turned pale with fear, quickly rushing to find the Su.
"Madam, please save us!"
"Don't be afraid."
The Su took a sip of tea and replied calmly, "Your contracts are in my hands; no one can sell you."
"Thank you, Madam!"
The two concubines hurriedly knelt and bowed their heads.
"Alright, you may go."
The Su glanced at them. "Stay away from trouble; I don't want any bad rumors about the General's residence."
"Yes."
The two quickly left.
The Su sighed and called for Zhou Cuiping.
Zhou Cuiping entered and saw the Su, performing an awkward greeting. "Madam, what do you need from me?"
The Su scrutinized her. Dressed in coarse linen and only possessing a plain beauty, she couldn't understand what her son saw in her.
"Cuiping, you saved Sheng'er, and we are all very grateful to you," the Su began. "But I haven't treated you well; I'll assign you two maidservants as an apology."
"The methods of the inner courtyard officially begin now."
Zhou Cuiping scoffed. "Madam, there's no need for such courtesy; I don’t require it."
"Mother, we’ll take our leave now."
Gu Sheng pulled Zhou Cuiping away and turned to leave.
The Su was so furious that she smashed several cups. "What a wretched person!"
"Mother."
Gu Sheng took Zhou Cuiping to buy jewelry. To maintain her dignity in front of the one she loved, Zhou Cuiping purchased a pile of expensive jewelry and clothing.
Gu Sheng spent all his money.
"How infuriating!"
The Su received a stack of bills and was enraged. "I’ll return to my family and vent to my brother and sister-in-law; they should help persuade my son!"
Thus, the Su returned to her family, bringing along a cousin named Ruyan.
Ruyan was exceptionally beautiful and exuded an air of elegance, clearly a lady of high standing.
Zhou Cuiping was strolling in the backyard when she encountered Ruyan. Having never seen someone like her before, she felt Ruyan's noble demeanor made her unable to look directly at her.
Gathering her courage, she approached and provocatively asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is Ruyan," Ruyan replied, slightly bowing. "I am Gu Sheng's cousin."
"So you are the cousin," Zhou Cuiping sneered. "From now on, we are family, and you will listen to me."
Ruyan paused for a moment, remaining silent.
Zhou Cuiping continued, "You are not allowed to leave the courtyard without my permission, and you definitely cannot see Gu Sheng!"
Ruyan still said nothing.
Zhou Cuiping grew angry. "Did you hear me or not?"
Finally, Ruyan spoke up, "Auntie told me to come out for walks more often; I can't listen to you."
Zhou Cuiping was momentarily speechless, unsure how to retort. She ran to Gu Sheng in tears, saying, "Gu Sheng, that Ruyan is bullying me!"
Gu Sheng slammed his hand on the table. "What? How dare she bully you!"
Fuming with anger, he stormed out to confront Ruyan. Just as he stepped outside, he saw her approaching.
She slightly bowed and greeted him, "Cousin, I came to apologize to Cousin-in-law. I'm sorry; it was my fault."
She extended her hand, and someone behind her handed over a box.
"This is a gift for Cousin-in-law."
Gu Sheng was taken aback; he hadn't expected Ruyan to be so considerate. He accepted the box, feeling a bit awkward. "Ruyan, there's no need to be so polite; your cousin-in-law can be quite petty."
"Mm-hmm," Ruyan nodded. "I understand."
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