Golden Branch

Chapter 50 Choice
Dugu was indeed his biological mother, but she was pregnant now and would have other flesh and blood.

Moreover, this child is a legitimate son or daughter.

She was no longer a lowly concubine at the mercy of others, but a noble and respectable lady from a noble family.

She will not be forced to separate from her child for some "unavoidable" reasons. She can raise and educate her child personally and become a truly harmonious and happy mother and child.

Unlike him, who, though biologically related, was more of a stranger than a stranger.

Dugu was cautious before because of guilt, but now that something has happened, she can't help but doubt him.

Even if she believed him this time and the mother and son "reconciled", there was no guarantee that there would not be any grudges between them.

And similar situations will continue to occur in the future.

Not only Old Lady Cui and Lou Rang, but also Lou Yu's enemies, even Lou Jin's enemies, would constantly plot...

The mother-son relationship between her and him was already pitifully weak, how could it withstand such erosion?
Lou Yu clenched his fists tightly. The fantasy that had just emerged in his heart was completely shattered.

He made his choice.

"Mother! It wasn't me! I never thought of harming Mother!"

Now that Lou Yu had a choice, he was no longer stubborn.

He raised his head, his deep eye sockets showing seriousness, "I did raise snakes, insects, rats and ants, but what happened today was definitely not my doing!"

Dugu nodded quickly, "I know! Mother knows it's not you!"

Maybe he realized that he was too eager, and too eager affirmation often means uncertainty or even denial.

Dugu hurried to make amends, "Well, our Dalang is a man who dares to take responsibility for his actions. You did it, and you will never deny it. Since you say it's not true, then it must not be true!"

Dugu wanted to tell her son: I believe you!
However, her eyes were not that firm.

Perhaps, she was also wondering in her heart: Dalang probably didn't want to harm her, he just wanted to bully other people, and she was just implicated.

Lou Yu: ...What does this woman mean? Is she saying I'm a bad person?
Although it is a fact, we cannot speak nonsense about the facts.

Lou Yu once again suffered a critical blow from his bad reputation. Even his own mother, who felt guilty about him and wanted to make amends, did not believe him!
No wonder the mean girl dared to "lecture" him. He was indeed not very smart before.

Bah! He's not stupid, he knows everything, he just doesn't care.

...Well, okay, Lou Yu had to admit that the so-called "confidence" was actually stupid.

When you are not strong enough to do whatever you want, it is not smart to rely on others to act tyrannically.

He is ignorant of the times and self-righteous. He is even worse than the fat girl.

The fat girl was very aware of the situation. When she knew she was unable to resist, she simply gave up.

At this moment, Lou Yu was completely awakened and extremely determined in his choice.

"...Well, Dalang, you've suffered today, and I will definitely give you an explanation!"

Seeing Lou Yu remained silent, Dugu hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth and saying, "I will never forgive Cui and Lou Rang."

They were all women in the inner palace, and Dugu was well aware of Madam Cui's methods.

On the surface, it sounds very righteous, but it is just an opportunity to humiliate Dalang.

Dugu finally noticed that there was something wrong with Lou Yu's posture, and her eyes fell on Lou Yu's knees.

Dugu herself had been a slave and had been punished by being forced to kneel.

After hearing from Aunt Wei what Madam Cui and her son said and did after she fainted, and seeing Lou Yu's unnatural posture and pale face, what else was there for her to understand?

I was unconscious for more than an hour, and Dalang was forced to kneel for more than an hour.

He is only seven years old and has been spoiled. How could he have ever suffered such hardship?

"Where's the court doctor? Go call him over and have him take a good look at Dalang!"

Dugu made a promise to Lou Yu and summoned the palace doctor. She was distressed and anxious.

When the court doctor arrived and cut open Lou Yu's trouser legs, revealing his bruised and swollen knees, Dugu's tears rolled down.

She felt resentment towards Madam Cui and her son: We are all family, Dalang is still a child, and yet you are so cruel!

Dugu pursed her lips tightly. After going through so much, she was no longer the maid who was easily deceived and bullied.

She is Dugu Mingyue, the wife that Lou Jin married in a formal ceremony, and the queen of the Lou family!

She already owed Dalang a lot, and now she failed to protect Dalang. She must give Dalang "justice".

Dugu was extremely excited, acting like a mother wolf protecting her cubs.

If an ordinary child saw it, he might be moved.

But Lou Yu doesn’t!
He has completely understood his position in his parents' hearts——

Between him and outsiders, his parents will firmly choose him.

Between him and his father or mother, his parents will choose each other.

Even between him and his younger siblings, his parents would choose the latter.

He is no longer the only option, but a poor little thing who can be compromised and sacrificed.

He, don't let yourself fall into this situation.

He would rather not be able to love his parents wholeheartedly!

……

"Mother, this is bad! My sister-in-law has woken up, knocked out my people, and rescued Lou Dalang!"

"Sister-in-law too, I, I'm just helping her vent her anger. How can she not tell the difference between good and bad?"

"She's just a bastard, not her own flesh and blood. Even if it's for the sake of her reputation as a good wife and mother, she doesn't have to do this."

Lou Rang ran in from outside with a thump.

Before the person got close, the loud voice started shouting.

"Why are you panicking?"

Mrs. Cui paused, holding the Buddhist beads in her hand, but she still scolded her son in a cold voice: "Sit down and speak slowly!"

You're already sixteen years old, an adult, why are you still so impatient?
Even if Dugu wakes up, so what?
Lou Dalang would indeed seek revenge, but he was just a nephew after all. Would he really want to "kill his uncle"?
As for the other things Lou Rang shouted, Madam Cui remained silent: The Dugu family is not incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, they are very clear about gratitude and resentment!
Between the cheap brother-in-law and the biological son, people will of course choose the son.

But, these words cannot be told to Lou Rang.

If you offend Lou Dalang, you will only suffer some humiliation.

However, if he offended Lou Jin, Lou Rang would probably die young.

The Dugu family is the Dugu family, and nothing about the concubines or anything like that can ever be revealed!

Mrs. Cui once again told herself in her heart that she must keep the secret.

"Mother! What should I do? I made Lou Dalang suffer a great loss this time. This little wolf cub is the most vindictive. He will definitely take revenge!"

Lou Rang was a little scared.

You can't blame him for being useless. As an adult uncle, he is actually afraid of a nephew who is only seven or eight years old.

It was because Lou Yu was too cruel, and his father was too protective of him.

Oh no, it’s not just my father, now I have to add a stepmother who is pretending to be virtuous for the sake of her reputation!

Lou Rang doesn't dare go back to his own courtyard now, fearing that countless snakes, insects, and rodents will swarm out as soon as he opens the door. He also doesn't dare sleep on his bed, worried that if he falls asleep, he might not wake up again.

Lou Rang was not sure whether all the poisonous snakes Lou Yu had their fangs pulled out.

What if there is a fish that slips through the net, or Lou Yu specifically orders someone to find a poisonous snake... Woohoo, he doesn't want to die!

His imagination was so strong that Lou Rang scared himself.

His fairly delicate facial features were wrinkled, and a thin layer of cold sweat oozed out of his fair forehead.

He was really scared.

When Mrs. Cui saw her son in this state, she felt distressed and upset: How could I give birth to such a cowardly rat?

I've done everything, but I'm still afraid. Is it any use?
"My own child! This is my own child, my only son!"

He is her own flesh and blood, and her support for the rest of her life. Even if she despises him, she will still help him!
Closing her eyes to avoid looking at her son's silly look with tears streaming down his face, Mrs. Cui stroked her Buddhist beads, her mind thinking rapidly.

Although Shiyilang is a little timid and cowardly, his worries are not unreasonable.

This little beast Lou Dalang is indeed cruel and has no sense of propriety when it comes to fighting.

Even if he didn't intend to kill anyone, he might still "miss".

Mrs. Cui could not risk her son's safety.

"Let's go to Yizhou!"

Leave Hedong and stay away from Lou Dalang, and you will be safe.

"Yizhou?" My brother is in Jizhou.

Lou Rang didn't react for a moment.

Madam Cui sighed secretly, "Silly child, I asked you to go to Yizhou instead of Jizhou because I was on guard against your brother."

Lou Jin is indeed your brother, but he is also Dugu's husband and Lou Dalang's father!
Although they are all relatives, they are still divided into distance and closeness.

Lou Rang thought about brotherly love and respect for his younger brother, but Lou Jin valued his own family more!

It would be fine if Lou Jin couldn't see Lou Rang, but if Lou Rang came to him, Lou Jin would not take Lou Rang's life, but he would find an excuse to make Lou Rang get a "family punishment"!

"One of your uncles and two cousins ​​have come to Yizhou!"

There is no Lou Jin in Yizhou, but there are descendants of the Cui family.

The world is in turmoil, heroes are vying for supremacy, and major families begin to place their bets.

Of course, a family would not bet on just one person. Aristocratic families are used to betting on multiple parties.

The same is true for the Cui family.

The Cui family had many descendants. Some continued to follow the Yuwen family, some joined the Dugu family, and some chose the Yang family.

The Yang family does not only include Yang Chong, he also has a father and a younger brother.

The Cui family members began to seek refuge separately again.

A cousin and two nephews of Mrs. Cui traveled thousands of miles from the capital to Yizhou and joined Yang Chong's army.

Although they are not blood brothers or nephews, they are all from the Cui family. Mrs. Cui believes that her son will be protected by the Cui family if he goes to Yizhou!

In addition, Mrs. Cui had another idea - marriage!
She wanted to find a supportive in-law family for her son in Yizhou.

Yang Chong's sister and relatives of Yang Chong's wife Li were also in Yizhou.

Our own Eleventh Son is good-looking and has a good family background, so he can definitely marry into the Yang or Li family.

If he had a Yue family like the Yang or Li, even Lou Jin would not dare to beat or scold Shiyilang at will!
As for that little beast Dalang, he dared not even more!

"...Okay! I'm going to Yizhou! Wait, wait until after the Lantern Festival, then I'll go!"

After listening to Mrs. Cui's patient explanation, Lou Rang was also a little excited.

The mother and son had a "secret conversation" and no one was left with them. The servants outside were all sent far away to the corridor outside the door.

Madam Cui was so cautious that she even guarded her personal servants, but she overlooked one thing—

On the roof, Lou Yu was like a gecko, lying firmly on the black tiles.

He pricked up his ears and listened carefully to the conversation between the mother and son. Then he gently raised his body and carefully put the two tiles back.

"Want to run away? Still want to go to Yizhou?"

Lou Yu raised the corners of his lips, revealing a bloodthirsty smile.

That bitch said something right, if you want to do something bad to someone, you have to do it secretly. Even if everyone has guessed it, there is no evidence to prove it!

Isn't it more interesting that you know it's him but you can't do anything to him?
……

"Jiu Niang, um, there's something I've always wanted to tell you!"

After returning from Lou’s manor, Wang Mian felt a little depressed - Woohoo, she didn’t expect that Lou Dalang would fall out of favor!

Her father has become a scumbag, her stepmother doesn't love her, and Lou Dalang has trouble protecting himself. How can he help her form a fleet and go out to sea to find the New World?
There are many subsequent plans, which will become difficult without Lou Dalang as a backer.

Wang Mian returned home and thought about it over and over for several days, and finally made a choice - to abandon Lou Dalang and choose another backer.

Among the people she knew, or could get close to, the most suitable one was actually Jiu Niang's biological mother, Jiang.

Wang Mian had known Wang Heng for more than half a year and already knew that Wang Heng's parents had divorced and her biological mother, Jiang, had remarried into the Yang family and became the favorite concubine of Yang Chong, the local emperor of Yizhou.

Although Jiang had remarried, according to the etiquette of the Zhou Dynasty, she no longer had any relationship with Wang Heng.

However, Jiang did not forget Wang Heng. Not only did she send Zheng Ai, she also sent money and gifts every month.

The several businesses that Wang Heng and Wang Mian collaborated on were able to develop smoothly and even expanded to Yizhou, all thanks to Jiang.

Now, if Wang Mian wants to further "cooperate," the only candidate is Jiang!

It’s just that… she is too young, and if she wants to show off her power as a time-traveling woman, it will be easy for her to reveal her flaws.

There is also Wang Heng, who is the messenger, and is also a little kid who loves to eat and play.

Wang Mian was not sure whether this could succeed.

It would be better if it fails, otherwise it is very likely that you will lose your life or even the life of your entire family.

However, Wang Mian was unwilling to give up just like that.

There is no way, the supplies in the Zhou Dynasty are too scarce.

Her food empire doesn't even have the most basic raw materials!
Oh, and her daily necessities are also pitifully meager.

Many things cannot be solved with money.

Unless she could become a noble lady like Wang Heng, it would be difficult for her to be satisfied with her life and living conditions.

Putting all this aside, Wang Mian also wanted to go a step further - Wang Heng was still young after all, and he himself didn't have much strength.

If she could get close to the Jiang family, or even Yang Chong, her vision and ambition could be realized faster and better.

"what's up?"

Wang Heng was unaware of her friend's inner struggles. She casually said, "If you encounter any difficulties, just tell me. If I can't help you, you can always ask Aunt Zheng or my mother for help!"

After resuming contact with her mother, Wang Heng felt more confident.

Upon hearing this, Wang Mian gritted her teeth and finally made a choice: this time, she would be an omnipotent time-traveling woman and shock the ancients a little!
(End of this chapter)