Volume 1: Mission in Danger Chapter 46: Begging on My Knees
Cai Qiaoju caught a glimpse of the curve of Mr. Cai's mouth. She had not expected that the uncle she had called for twelve years would have such a face. She felt nauseous for a moment, but she still suppressed all emotions.
However, her compromise did not bring anything substantial except a slight smile from Mr. Cai.
"The current situation is not a matter for insiders or outsiders!" Mr. Cai said, "Some things, since they are already a foregone conclusion, there is nothing we can do. I am not disregarding blood relatives, otherwise I would not have informed your parents in advance. But there is a limit to what I can do. I can protect you, but how about the entire Wu family? I can't do it! The day you returned home, you should not have gone back, you should have stayed at your parents' home. There are some things that I don't want to do, but I really can't do."
Cai Qiaozhu's heart sank, and everything went dark before her eyes. She had done so much, but the other party still refused.
I also heard General Cai say: "There are some things I can't tell you too clearly, but I'll tell you now: once the bow is shot, there is no turning back, especially this time, it was the Manchus who shot the bow!"
Cai Qiaozhu's heart was shaken, and she felt dizzy. Could the current situation be related to the Manchus above? If so, how could a small Yihexing bear it? How could he change his fate?
Mr. Cai noticed all of Cai Qiaozhu's subtle reactions and thought to himself, "The Wu family is still in the dark about the overall situation. It seems that once Wu Chengjun falls, the Wu family will no longer be a concern. Wu Laosan's little cleverness alone will not be enough to turn the tables."
His eyelids drooped slightly and he lowered his head to smoke.
Cai Qiaozhu calmed herself down and gave a wink, and Lian Qiao retreated. Cai Zongshang hesitated for a moment and asked the servants here to retreat as well.
Cai Qiaozhu took a step back, then suddenly knelt down and bowed deeply.
Mr. Cai asked in surprise, "Qiaozhuo, what are you doing?" He had a look of surprise on his face, but he didn't even reach out to help.
Cai Qiaozhu put her forehead close to the ground, and her lips almost blew the dust on the floor tiles when she spoke: "Uncle, please have mercy!"
Mr. Cai said, "What are you doing? Get up, get up!"
Cai Qiaozhu raised her head and said, "For the first head, I thank Uncle Xie for informing me in advance. Although Uncle wanted my father to keep me, he was still concerned about his niece's life."
After saying that, she raised her head, then knocked it down heavily, her forehead hitting the floor tiles, making a dull sound.
Although Lian Qiao retreated to the door, he did not go far. He could guess what happened inside by the noise through the door. He was heartbroken, but he did not dare to go in.
Cai Qiaozhu said, "For the second one, please uncle, please look after my niece's family. If Yihehang is in trouble, my father-in-law is old and will not be able to make it. Chengjun is seriously ill and will definitely have to die. Even our Guang'er is so young and weak. How can he withstand the hardships of the frontier? Please have mercy on us and save our family."
The head hit the ground hard again, and there was another dull sound.
"For this third head," Cai Qiaozhu choked up, "my niece has nothing to say. I just kneel down and beg. I just kneel down and beg."
As he said this, he knocked his head heavily again.
The three hits on her head made her dizzy, and her forehead was sticky and she was afraid it was bleeding. However, the voice coming from her ears did not show any sign of softening.
Mr. Cai was furious. "Qiaozhu, what are you doing? What are you doing? I've already told you that I can't do anything about it, but you're still forcing me like this. Where did you learn to act like a spoiled brat, you lady? Do you still respect the family traditions of our Cai family? Do you still want the manners of a boudoir?"
"It's a matter of life and death, how can I have any more manners?" Cai Qiaozhu cried, "Now I just want to stay alive."
Mr. Cai had a gloomy face and said nothing.
Cai Qiaozhu raised her head and felt liquid dripping down and sticking to her eyelashes. She looked at Cai Zongshang's expression through the blood, and found that his dark face was not relaxed at all.
Mr. Cai finally shook his head: "It's too late, too late, Qiaozhu, too late."
"What?"
Mr. Cai said: "If Chengjun was still here, it would be easy to deal with. But now that prodigal son is in charge, the Wu family is on the verge of collapse. When the wall falls, everyone pushes it. If I help, I will only sink with it." After saying this, he shook his head with a helpless look on his face.
He was really helpless or just pretending. Cai Qiaozhu, who had been the heroine for several years, naturally could not fail to see it. From then on, Cai Qiaozhu had completely lost hope in Cai Shiwen. If the other party still had a trace of family affection in his heart, he would not say such perfunctory words. I took out my heart, but the other party was still pretending. I broke my head, but the other party still didn't tell the truth.
The room was still dark and silence lasted for a long time. The only sound was the gurgling sound of Mr. Cai smoking his water pipe.
The second tube of hookah was finished, but Mr. Cai did not do anything else and waited for Cai Qiaoju to serve him.
She wiped the blood from her forehead, calmed down, and said, "Since uncle said so..." Cai Qiaozhu supported herself on the ground, stood up shakily and said, "Chengjian is right. To a heartless person, it's useless to say anything or do anything."
Cai Shiwen shouted, "Qiaozhu, what did you say?"
Cai Qiaozhu straightened her face and said, "Uncle, I am the head mistress of Wumen. Please be polite when we meet in the future and don't call me by my maiden name." She called Lian Qiao in and asked Lian Qiao to support her. She bowed to Cai Shiwen and said, "The Cai family of Wumen bids farewell to Mr. Cai."
This bow is to bid farewell to the past family ties.
After the worship, he helped Lian Qiao out.
The expected miserable and grim scene did not appear. Mr. Cai looked at her back, his hookah frozen in place, and the corners of his mouth suddenly twitched.
Lian Qiao felt sorry for her master, so after leaving the house, she hurriedly took a handkerchief to help Cai Qiaozhu wipe the blood off her forehead. Cai Qiaozhu snatched the handkerchief and wiped it vigorously with her hands. At this time, she didn't feel any pain at all.
When they were about to get into the sedan chair, someone suddenly said, "Oh, isn't this Sister Qiaozhu?"
Then a fat young man came over. This was where the sedan chair was parked. It was a remote place and it was dark all around, so there were servants holding lanterns to light the way for him.
"It turns out to be my second brother." There was no emotion in Cai Qiaozhu's voice.
The person who came was the second son of the Cai family who had been supporting Shen Xiaoying in Shenxianzhou that day, but was still defeated by Wu Chengjian in the end. He was also Cai Qiaozhu's cousin, but the blood relationship was a bit distant.
Cai Qiaozhu was already famous for her beauty when she was at home. After marrying into the Wu family, she was well-nourished. As she grew older, not only did her beauty not fade, but she became more and more charming year by year. Wu Chengjian was also very capable and could always find all kinds of clothes and jewelry that would complement his sister-in-law's appearance. Therefore, every time the women of the Cai family gathered, Cai Qiaozhu would outshine all her sisters.
What's even more terrible is that Wu Chengjian is extremely protective of his sister-in-law. He won't allow anyone to make dirty jokes about Cai Qiaozhu, let alone in front of him. Even if there are any rumors in Xiguan, if he hears them behind her back, he will find ways to embarrass the person. He guards Cai Qiaozhu's reputation as pure as a newly blooming pear blossom. But the more he did this, the more a group of perverts became itchy.
If one could have his hands on such a beautiful young lady from a wealthy family who was held in the palm of her hand and protected spotlessly by the most frivolous playboy of the Thirteenth Line, even ten Shen Xiaoyings would not be able to compare to her.
Tonight, when Young Master Cai heard that Cai Qiaozhu came to visit overnight, he guessed that she was here to ask for help and mercy. Now that the other party was in a weak position and was at a critical juncture where he had to seek help from anywhere, if he didn't seize this opportunity, he would be struck by lightning. So he waited until Cai Qiaozhu came out and then came over.
Cai Qiaozhu had no idea that the other party had any dirty thoughts. After all, they were relatives, so she stopped and asked, "What's the matter, second brother?"
Cai Qiaozhu was wearing a light-colored dress. She stood thin in the night wind under the lights. Her sleeves were blown up, and she seemed to be blown over. Seeing this, Cai Ershao became very angry. He stepped forward and said, "I heard that my sister came to my house... Hey, what happened to my sister's forehead?"
Cai Qiaozhu's forehead was slightly broken, and now there was a trace of blood after she wiped it just now, which made people feel pity. Cai Ershao quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe her forehead. Cai Qiaozhu quickly took two steps back, but Wu Liu's arm had already blocked her way.
Cai Ershao frowned and said, "Get lost! " Although he was talking to a servant, he would not dare to say that on normal days. But now that the Wu family was about to fall, a servant of the Wu family was worse than a dog in his eyes. What was hateful was that Wu Liu had no sense at all and actually stopped him from retreating.
Cai Qiaozhu also frowned and said, "Second brother, what are you going to do?"
Young Master Cai said with a chuckle, "I heard that my sister is here. I also know that something happened in her family recently. I think she came to ask my father for help. My father is not easy to talk to, but you know that he loves me the most. Do you want me to help my sister?"
If it was before meeting Cai Shiwen, Cai Qiaozhu would have had some hope, but now she had already given up on the Cai family and said, "Thank you, second brother..."
Before she finished the second half of the sentence, Young Master Cai took over: "We are siblings, there is no need to be so polite. How about this, sister, don't leave yet, come to my room first, and let's think about this matter carefully."
Cai Qiaozhu was stunned. The Wu Chengjun brothers respected and loved her, and would not let her hear any dirty words. But since she was the head of the inner house, how could she not understand those messy things?
Seeing her in a daze, Second Young Master Cai thought there was something going on, so he forcibly pushed Wu Liu away a little and said with a lecherous face, "Brother-in-law has been ill for so long, and Third Young Master Wu has been wandering around the flowers in Baietan all day long. I'm sure you must be very lonely these days. Come, come, come to your room, and I'll comfort you."
When Cai Qiaozhu heard this, a nameless anger rushed from her chest to her Niwan Palace!
Cai Er Shao's words not only pointed out that Wu Chengjun's serious illness violated her taboo, but also implied that she had an affair with her third uncle! She and her younger brother-in-law were uncle and sister-in-law, and they were like siblings. Although they had a close relationship, it was precisely because they were innocent that they could get along with each other openly. How could she allow others to slander her?
She laughed in anger and said to Wu Liu, "Move aside. Second brother, come closer."
Young Master Cai was overjoyed and came forward to make some moves, but Cai Qiaozhu spat on his face. Young Master Cai was stunned by the spit, and Wu Liu pushed him forward, making him stagger. His servants wanted to push him forward, but Wu Liu blocked them.
Cai Qiaozhu had already turned around and got into the sedan chair, saying, "Let's go!"
