After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Chapter 155 Finally Discovered My Goodness

After eating a few more bites, Chen got up and went to Bai Qinglian's courtyard.

Although the Bai family's daughters have all married out, the courtyards where they originally lived have been preserved so that the daughters would have a place to stay when they bring their husbands home one day.

Bai Qinglian had been holding her breath ever since she entered the door, and was now waiting for her mother to arrive.

Upon seeing Chen Shi enter, her eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Mother, I've been wronged."

Madam Chen sighed with concern, "Lian'er, what happened? Didn't you just get back yesterday?"

Bai Qinglian started to cry, "Mother, now I understand how hard it was for you back then. You were always criticized no matter what you did."

"Mother, I'm just a concubine, why is everyone so intolerant of me?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen immediately understood what had happened. "Did Madam Huang bully you?"

"What did she do now?"

Bai Qinglian told Chen about what happened at the cloth shop that day.

As Chen listened, her face grew increasingly grim, until finally she stood up in anger, "What did you say? You said that Madam Huang actually insulted you in the street?"

Bai Qinglian cried out, "Yes! Mother, you have no idea. Back then, so many people... she really didn't care about the Huang family's reputation at all; she only thought about pleasing that woman."

"Mother, I regret it. I no longer want to be a concubine."

Madam Chen rubbed her throbbing forehead. "It seems the Huang family really doesn't take our Bai family seriously. You wait here, I'm going to the Huang family right now. I'll go there and reason with them. Are we just going to let them bully our Bai family's daughter?"

After Chen finished speaking, she ordered someone to prepare a carriage.

Bai Qinglian didn't expect her mother to go and support her directly, so she quickly stopped Chen Shi, "Mother, you can't go."

Madam Chen was somewhat surprised. "Why can't I go, Lian'er? How can your mother bear to watch them bully you like this?"

“We are concubines, but given the Bai family’s status, we would be noble concubines in the Huang family as well. Moreover, your brother-in-law is a top scholar.”

"That's still an official position, which is much higher than the Huang family's."

"We're not afraid of them," Chen roared angrily.

But Bai Qinglian was terrified! That Madam Huang was incredibly cunning, and in these last few encounters, she had been severely punished, and now she almost had no place left in the Huang family.

Why did Madam Huang dare to treat her like this? It was because she and Bai Wanqing had a falling out back then. Everyone knew that the top scholar from the Lin family had connections with everyone in the Bai family, but had nothing to do with Bai Qinglian.

Therefore, Madam Huang felt emboldened and treated her like any other concubine.

If Mother were to make a scene now without any support, and if Master Huang found out, he would likely hold her accountable later.

“Mother! The brother-in-law you mentioned has never stood up for our Bai family.”

“The Huang family is naturally not afraid!” Bai Qinglian said.

Chen's arrogance vanished in an instant, and when she thought back to what had happened, she lost all confidence.

"Even without your brother-in-law's official position, the Huang family shouldn't bully us like this!"

"Qinglian, are you really going to swallow this insult?"

Mrs. Chen knew her daughter's temperament; she always sought revenge for every wrong done to her and could be described as somewhat arrogant and domineering.

This is the first time I've been this cautious.

Bai Qinglian wiped away her tears. "With my mother backing me up, I feel very at ease. Whether I can vent my anger or not is no longer important."

Bai Qinglian looked lost and forlorn, which made Chen feel even more sorry for her.

"You can swallow this insult, but I can't. Although I also came from a concubine background, your mother has never suffered this kind of humiliation."

"How about I talk to your father and ask him to give Madam Huang a warning when he encounters her? Maybe Madam Huang will behave herself."

Bai Qinglian gently shook her head. "Mother, it's no use. Outside, we see Master Huang as the most powerful man, but in the inner quarters of the Huang family, everyone knows that it is Madam Huang who is in charge."

"Your attempt to pressure Madam Huang through Master Huang is simply not going to work."

Chen's shoulders slumped instantly. "This won't work, that won't work, Lian'er, I really don't know what to do."

Bai Qinglian moved closer to Chen Shi and said, "Mother, you have a solution."

Chen glared at him. "What else can I do? There's nothing I can do."

“Mother, you have it,” Bai Qinglian pouted and said coquettishly.

Chen's heart softened. "Then tell me, what's the method? Stop keeping me in suspense."

Bai Qinglian then smiled and said, "Mother, why don't you take your daughter with you to the Lin family?"

Chen turned her head suspiciously, "Why are we going to the Lin family if there's nothing wrong?"

Speaking of which, ever since the Bai family and the Lin family became related by marriage, the Bai family has hardly ever visited the Lin family, and the Lin family has only come when it's time to propose marriage. They haven't visited the Bai family at other times either.

Especially during holidays like Chinese New Year, the two families hardly have any contact.

It's common knowledge outside that the relationship between the Bai family and the Lin family is probably not so harmonious.

However, due to Lin Yunche's official position, no one dared to say it aloud.

"Of course we should go and make peace with the Lin family!"

"Mother, think about it, why does Madam Huang show no respect to the Bai family at all, and even belittle our Bai family's daughter for the sake of a stranger?"

"Why? Why else? It's because our Bai family doesn't have any official positions!"

After Chen finished speaking, her eyes widened. "But we have them!"

"Yes, Mother, we do have one! It's just that everyone thinks our two families are at odds, that's why..."

Madam Chen frowned. To be honest, she was really afraid of dealing with the Lin family.

The main reason is that the Lin couple like to live in Linjia Village. What kind of place is Linjia Village? It's a place where you can walk straight through mud.

Not to mention making her sit on that stool with exposed wood and that broken bowl.

The thought of all this made Chen very afraid to go to the Lin family.

"Mother, Mother! What are you thinking about?" Bai Qinglian asked, shaking Chen's hand.

Chen gave an awkward twitch of her lips. "It's nothing!"

"Fine! It's just going to the Lin family, right?"

"Go! I'll have someone make preparations right away, and we'll go in a couple of days." Madam Chen seemed to have made a great decision.

Bai Qinglian shook her head and said, "Mother, why don't we go tomorrow?"

"So urgent?" Chen asked.

Bai Qinglian was naturally anxious. After being scolded by Madam Huang on the street, she went straight back to the Bai family. If she returned to the Huang family now, she would inevitably be punished by Madam Huang.

She didn't want to be punished anymore; her knees couldn't take it anymore.

But if she and her mother go to the Lin family tomorrow and then return to the Huang family, even if Madam Huang wants to punish her, she will have to consider the Lin family's feelings.

Whether she can use the Lin family's name to her advantage remains to be seen tomorrow.

"I'm in a hurry! Mother, I dare not go back to the Huang family today, but if I don't go back tomorrow or the day after, I'm afraid Madam Huang will skin me alive."

Mrs. Chen slammed her hand on the table. "She dares!"

"Whether she dares or not, Mother, we have no grounds for disagreement." Bai Qinglian was on the verge of tears again, feeling wronged.

Madam Chen understood and sighed, "Alright! Then let's go to the Lin family tomorrow."

On the other side, Meng Zhan was leading people to clean the newly rented courtyard.

"My lord, there are still some things missing in this courtyard. Please take a look and get them for us," Hai Shengyang's maid said to Meng Zhan after looking around the courtyard.

The constable beside Meng Zhan couldn't stand it anymore and said to the girl, "I said, if you don't have anything, go and get it yourself. Why do you need us to do this little thing for you?"

"Do you really think of us as your servants?"

The young maidservant was taken aback when the yamen runner directly confronted her. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You...you don't want to follow Miss anymore?"

"Aren't you afraid that Miss will go back and tell on you?"

The constable remained defiant, saying, "Let her sue. I refuse to believe that you think you're in the right to order that constable around like that by your young lady."

"Could it be that our monthly salary is given by your Miss Hai?"

The maid's eyes immediately reddened from what was said, and Meng Zhan, seeing that he had said enough, quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "Stop talking, stop talking."

"Tell your young lady that we are responsible for her safety."

"As for the rest, let her figure it out herself."

Seeing that Meng Zhan didn't stand up for her, the little maidservant angrily ran back to her room to find Hai Shengyang.

"Miss, they refuse to provide anything." The maid embellished the story and told Hai Shengyang what had just happened.

Hai Shengyang was packing things to take to Linjia Village tomorrow. He was hungry at the moment. If he didn't buy anything, would they all go hungry tonight?
But Hai Shengyang isn't stupid. He's already made Meng Zhan and the others busy all day, so it's no wonder he's in a bad mood.

"Alright, here's some silver. Go out and buy some food."

"Remember to buy two extra portions, and bring the portion for Lord Meng and the others as well."

Hai Shengyang gave instructions, and the little maid took the money, stunned and still a little confused. Shouldn't their young lady be in the front yard scolding Lord Meng and the others?

We've been doing this all along, so why are we buying them food now?
However, the maid dared not disobey Hai Shengyang, so she had no choice but to go out and buy it.

"Miss, shouldn't we teach Lord Meng a lesson? Why are we trying to please them?" Chunru asked, puzzled.

Hai Shengyang smiled slightly, "Because he's still useful!"

"We can't afford to offend them too much."

When Meng Zhan and the others received the food brought by Hai Shengyang's maid, they were all full of doubt.

I wonder what this young lady is up to now.

"Whatever she wants to do, we'll eat what she gives us."

"Come to think of it, this young lady isn't as arrogant as we initially thought!"

"How come a meal was enough to win you over again? Have you forgotten how she tormented us all this way?"

Meng Zhan's food was noticeably better than that of the other yamen runners.

Meng Zhan felt a surge of joy. He recalled how he and Liu Feifei had gradually gotten to know each other and developed feelings for one another. Back then, Liu Feifei was even more difficult to deal with than Hai Shengyang.

But what was the result?
Meng Zhan suddenly felt that all the fatigue of the day had disappeared at this moment. Even the road in front of him seemed to have become much wider.

"Heaven has truly been kind to me," Meng Zhan said with a piece of meat stuffed in his mouth. "Miss Hai has finally realized how good I am."

(End of this chapter)