allonlinenovel Chapter 253 Things are changing
Chapter 253 Things are changing
“My husband, I am pregnant and heavy, so I can’t be as quick as a maid. My mother-in-law thinks I’m clumsy and keeps saying she wants to buy a maid to serve her. If I don’t agree, she’ll urinate on me and then complain to you when you come back, saying I’m mistreating her.”
With tears welling up in her eyes, Shen Mingzhu said aggrievedly, "Where would we get the money to buy a maid? There are several mouths to feed in the family, and the burden is all on your shoulders. You've been putting yourself down and being trampled on in order to pay for your mother-in-law's medical treatment. I see it all, and it pains me to see it all. I'm trying to persuade my mother-in-law to be more understanding of you."
“Your mother-in-law blames me for being useless and for not being able to help you. If you had married Shen Qingtan, you would have risen to prominence long ago with the help of your in-laws. She could have been surrounded by servants and wouldn’t have to suffer this humiliation here.”
Shen Mingzhu's tears flowed down her face: "I'm not convinced. You have the ability, but you lack a bit of luck. If you hadn't been dragged down by others and hadn't been expelled from the Duke's family, you wouldn't have needed to rely on women at all. You could have risen to prominence on your own merits."
At this point, she broke down in tears: "My mother-in-law scolded me for being unfilial, for daring to talk back to her, and then... she..."
Shen Mingzhu seemed unable to speak, and covered her face with her handkerchief, crying.
The veins on Zhao Jue's forehead throbbed. Although he was hoping for help from his wife's family, it was because the Duke favored the eldest son's family, and he had no choice but to rely on the power of his wife's family.
As a result, in his mother's eyes, he was an incompetent man who could only rely on women.
Shen Mingzhu's words, in particular, fueled his anger.
If it weren't for his mother holding him back, how could he have been expelled from the clan?
As a result, everyone looked down on him.
"You...you're talking nonsense!" The second madam was so angry at Shen Mingzhu's twisted words that her chest ached. She hurriedly tried to defend herself, "Jue...Jue'er..."
"When have I wronged you? I swear on the child in my womb that if I utter even the slightest word of injustice, may I never give birth."
Shen Mingzhu was agitated: "Our family has emptied our coffers to treat your illness. How can we live like you did in the Duke's mansion, with fine clothes and delicacies? You complained that the food was too coarse and refused to eat it, saying that I was mistreating you by not giving you food or water."
The second wife felt dizzy and her vision blurred. This vicious woman was willing to swear by the child in her womb in order to smear her.
"The chicken soup that the cook made to nourish me, I fed it all to you. I've done everything I could for you, I'd even bleed myself and cut off my own flesh to feed you."
Shen Mingzhu held her belly, tears streaming down her face: "If it weren't for the child in my belly, I would have rather died to prove my innocence."
The second wife spoke haltingly and was rebuked by Shen Mingzhu, making her wish she could tear Shen Mingzhu's mouth apart.
Afraid that Zhao Jue would actually believe this vile woman, she hurriedly explained, "Jue..."
"Enough." Zhao Jue clenched her fists, her eyes filled with hatred. "This is not the Duke's mansion, and you are not some pampered second wife. Behave yourself and stop causing me trouble."
The second wife was stunned by the shout and stared blankly at Zhao Jue. The disgust in his eyes stung her eyes, and tears streamed down her face.
As the saying goes, "There are no filial sons at the bedside of a chronically ill patient."
She had only been bedridden for a few days when her son began to dislike her.
The second wife was filled with sorrow. She had lost not only money, but also her health, dignity, husband, and son.
Over the years, she fought and struggled, only to end up with nothing.
The second wife's eyes were empty, her heart as cold as ashes.
When Zhao Jue saw the tears on the Second Madam's face, he closed his eyes, turned around abruptly, and walked out of the room, where he bumped into the scheming Second Master.
When the second master suddenly saw Zhao Jue appear in the courtyard, he instinctively covered his sleeve and chuckled, "Jue'er, did you get the silver from the Luo family?"
Zhao Jue smelled the scent of alcohol mixed with perfume on his father. His brows furrowed, and he reached out to grab his father's hand, pulling out a property deed from his sleeve.
The second master saw that Zhao Jue's face was gloomy and his anger was about to erupt.
He said dryly, "Jue'er, our family is so poor that we can't even afford to eat. I'm thinking of selling this big house, using half of the money to buy a small courtyard to live in, and using the other half for household expenses."
Zhao Jue knew that his father had stolen all the items his mother had bought and sold them, then spent the money in brothels.
Now, they even dare to steal property deeds to sell.
Zhao Jue sneered: "If you have such a heart, then you should stop wasting your time in brothels."
The second master dismissed it, saying, "So what if it's a brothel? The women there are all pitiful. If they had a choice, who would be willing to use their virginity to serve a man?"
Over the years, in order to get his father to give the title to Zhao Jue, he slept with several concubines at home and never went out to fool around again.
Now that there was no hope left, he reverted to his old ways, went to brothels to have fun, and met a kindred spirit.
Not only was Yue Niang gentle and beautiful, but she was also skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She was willing to listen to his heart, understood him, and approved of him.
And they will comfort him, encourage him, and help him forget these worries.
She knew he was unhappy and wanted to see him every day, but she was afraid of spending his money, so she secretly gave him the money she had saved to redeem herself.
And what about Luo Lingzhi at home?
All they did all day was pressure him to go back to the Duke's mansion to plead for money, or to borrow money from his former colleagues.
She never treated him gently, nor did she ever put herself in his shoes; she only ever criticized him for being incompetent.
Compared to the other two, the second master was even less willing to go home, wanting only to immerse himself in the pleasures of the home.
He reciprocated the kindness shown to him by treating Yue Niang with sincerity.
Having lived most of his life, the second master felt as if spring had just begun.
He felt he had met Yue Niang too late in life and wished he could be with her day and night, so he plotted to sell his house to redeem her from her bondage.
Unfortunately, Zhao Jue stumbled upon it.
The second master said sullenly, "Jue'er, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."
After saying this, the second master quickly left.
Zhao Jue stared at the Second Master's retreating figure, a violent glint in his eyes, as he tightly gripped the house deed in his hand.
If he hadn't stumbled upon it, and his father hadn't stolen the property deed, he probably wouldn't even have a place to stay tonight.
As Zhao Jue recalled everything that had happened that day, a strong desire welled up in his heart—a desire to rise above others and escape his current predicament.
But where is his way out?
Zhao Jue couldn't help but look in the direction of Prince Yu's residence, and made a decision in his heart.
-
Shen Qingtan stayed at the Gu residence until evening. Only after Gu Changsheng woke up again and she was sure that his condition had improved did she feel relieved and return to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.
She sat in the carriage, leaning against the wall, wearily closing her eyes and pressing her throbbing temples.
"Second Madam, the man Second Master sent to keep an eye on the second branch of the family has reported that Second Master is now indulging in debauchery and is never home. He has been bewitched by a woman named Yue Niang in the brothel and wants to sell the house to redeem her. If Third Master hadn't caught them, the house would probably have already been sold."
Tingxue moved closer to Shen Qingtan and massaged her forehead: "The Second Madam is paralyzed in bed, and the Third Madam is finding all sorts of ways to torment her, making her disliked by the Third Master."
At this point, Tingxue said frankly, "Truly, evil people will always be punished by evil people."
Shen Qingtan was not surprised. The second wife was not an easy person to get along with and had tormented Shen Mingzhu in the past. Now that she was paralyzed in bed, Shen Mingzhu would naturally seek revenge.
The second wife's family was a complete mess; none of them were capable of handling things, and all the burdens fell on Zhao Jue's shoulders.
Zhao Jue is not one to settle for mediocrity; perhaps he is looking for a way out?
Shen Qingtan felt the time was right and planned to give Zhao Jue an "opportunity".