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

Chapter 216 Daughter-in-law is being targeted

Lin Yunche left with his family, leaving half the people in the courtyard.

Bai Wanqing sat in the dim candlelight, looking at the room that used to be just the two of them, but now only she was left, and suddenly felt a little lonely.

"Madam, don't worry! The young master will definitely return safely." Ruixin had been with Bai Wanqing for a long time, and although Bai Wanqing rarely spoke or showed much emotion, she knew that the madam was somewhat saddened today.

"I know! I'm fine." Bai Wanqing picked up a book, flipped through a couple of pages, and looked up to ask.

"Have Father and Mother's rooms been tidied up?"

"Please keep an eye on them in their yard these days. They're not used to being waited on, but we can't just do nothing."

Ruixin nodded hurriedly, "Don't worry, Madam, I've remembered everything."

Bai Wanqing turned her head and looked at the flickering candlelight in front of her, her heart filled with worry, "I wonder if my husband and the others have made it through!"

Smoothly? Not at all!

Lin Yunche led the group up the mountain, which was at least two thousand meters high. The higher they went, the stronger the cold wind became, and the thicker the snow on the summit became.

Cao Zhe was shivering from the cold; he felt like he had almost lost all feeling in his feet.

"Lord Lin, is your method really going to work?"

"With such harsh conditions, we would probably freeze to death in this mountain before we even get across it."

Pan Hu and Xu Long were also blushing, but Lin Yunche remained completely unchanged.

"Strategist Cao, don't worry. There's a cave a few steps up. We can rest there and warm up."

Cao Zhe looked up in the direction Lin Yunche was pointing. The sky was covered in a vast expanse of white snow. A cave? Could there be a cave in here?

"Master Lin"

Lin Yunche stopped listening to what he was saying and continued walking forward.

Pan Hu and Xu Long led the group to follow, while Ma Yu was originally with Cao Zhe.

Although Cao Zhe was somewhat talented, he was far too long-winded. Ma Yu ignored Cao Zhe's complaints this time and followed Lin Yunche directly upstairs.

Cao Zhe had no choice but to lift his frozen legs and continue following.

They climbed for another fifteen minutes and, sure enough, found a cave in a snowdrift.

"You wait here, I'll go and gather some firewood."

Lin Yunche let them go inside, while he went around to the other side of the cave to gather firewood.

Cao Zhe was surprised to find that there was actually a cave here. Such a well-hidden cave would never have been discovered if it hadn't been known beforehand.

Could it be that Lin Yunche came here a long time ago?

As Cao Zhe was thinking this, the fire in front of him finally caught fire, and everyone gathered around it to warm themselves.

"Lord Lin, this cave is so well hidden, how did you discover it?" Cao Zhe finally asked.

No one else, including Ma Yu, looked up.

Lin Yunche glanced at Cao Zhe, "Strategist Cao, our Lin family has guarded this northern frontier for decades. You can tell at a glance what this snow mountain is like."

"Crossing the snow-capped mountain is a sure thing; you can rest assured about that."

Seeing that Lin Yunche was unwilling to elaborate, Cao Zhe smiled and nodded, "Impressive! Impressive."

"The Lin family truly lives up to its reputation."

Cao Zhe was also extremely shocked. More than 20 years ago, the Lin family made such a big mistake, but the late emperor still forgave the Lin family and allowed them to continue guarding the frontier to make up for their mistakes. It seems that this was not out of mercy.

What other amazing skills does the Lin family possess that can restrain the Northern Dynasty?

Cao Zhe's thoughts were racing when Lin Yunche spoke again.

"Strategist Cao, once we enter the territory of the Northern Dynasty, we will have to follow your instructions."

"You probably don't have any other thoughts on your mind, do you?"

Cao Zhe broke out in a cold sweat. "Lord Lin, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."

Cao Zhe really didn't have the mind to think about anything else. He simply ate a pancake, closed his eyes to rest, and began to deduce the map of the Northern Dynasties that he had seen before.

According to his information, Lin Sishu was imprisoned in the capital of the Northern Dynasty.

There are three routes from the southernmost point of the Northern Dynasty to its capital.

One route is along the southern border. This is the shortest route, but it is heavily guarded by the Northern Dynasty's army and cannot be taken.

The second option is to enter through the heart of the Northern Dynasty, but there are many waterways along the way, and the Northern Dynasty has very strict control over the canal transport, so it would probably be inappropriate for them to go through this route.

Then there's only one way left. Cao Zhe suddenly opened his eyes. He could cross a desert in the northern part of the Northern Dynasty and then pass through two more cities to reach the capital of the Northern Dynasty.

But in the heart of Cao Zhe in the desert, a lament had already begun.

Pan Hu couldn't help but feel worried when he saw Cao Zhe's appearance.

He quietly walked up to Lin Yunche and asked, "This Cao Zhe is a man of the Prince of Huai. Aren't you afraid he might have other intentions?"

"Look at how he acted just now! He's completely unreliable."

“If we really follow him, we might fall into a trap.”

Lin Yunche smiled faintly, "Don't worry, it won't happen!"

"Upon arriving in the Northern Dynasty, we made contact with Yang Cong's caravan."

"I'm saying this now just to calm Cao Zhe down. See how effective this tactic is!"

Pan Hu glared at Lin Yunche and said, "If you don't really want to use him, why are you still bringing him along?"

Lin Yunche's eyes flashed with a sharp edge. "It's very simple! Because he's a man of the Prince of Huai."

Pan Hu didn't understand Lin Yunche's meaning, but he knew that Lin Yunche already had a plan, so he didn't ask any further questions.

"It's good that you know what's going on." After saying that, Pan Hu returned to the campfire.

Lin Yunche wrapped his clothes tighter around himself, looking at everything outside the cave, and couldn't help but think of the situation he and Bai Wanqing had experienced in the cave that day. "Wanqing, what are you doing now?"

Since Lin Yunche left, Bai Wanqing has only gone to the clinic and has not gone anywhere else.

Aside from the occasional disturbance caused by Lord Cui, the Lin family was generally quiet.

Cui Jingcheng continued to linger around Bai Wanqing, which made both Cui Shi and Lin Feiyun look worried.

“Look at that boy, he’s gone to the clinic with our daughter-in-law again.”

Standing in the kitchen, Cui peered through the window and spoke.

Lin Feiyun then came over and said, "I saw it! Why is this kid always following our daughter-in-law?"

"Shouldn't he be more concerned about his father's condition?"

"Yes!"

Cui slapped her thigh, an idea forming in her mind. She then took a bowl of soup from the kitchen and headed out.

"Where are you going?" Lin Feiyun asked, standing still.

Madam Cui slightly curled the corners of her lips, "Of course I'm looking for help!"

"We can't just watch our daughter-in-law get targeted by that brat."

After saying that, Madam Cui didn't wait for Lin Feiyun to say anything more and hurriedly went to the courtyard where Lord Cui was.

At this time, Lord Cui was being tortured by Doctor Luo by running in the courtyard.

He has gradually adapted to his current life, and the initial fatigue and pain have eased somewhat in the past two days.

What chilled him to the bone was that his good son was no longer at home.

Lord Cui was suffering in his heart, but he remained steadfast and said nothing.

When Cui Shi stood before him with a bowl of soup and a smile, his last line of defense crumbled.

Even if his own son doesn't remember him, there are still people in this world who care about him.

For example, his cousin, Ms. Cui, from a distant relative's family.

"Cousin!" Lord Cui called out, his voice choked with emotion.

Madam Cui nodded slightly, and under the expectant gaze of Lord Cui, she carried the soup to Doctor Luo.

"Old Luo!" Cui said with a smile as she presented the chicken soup to Doctor Luo.

The enticing aroma immediately caught Doctor Luo's attention, and he looked longingly at Madam Cui.

Taking the opportunity, Cui said, "Old Luo! You've worked so hard these past few days treating Lord Cui's illness."

"This is chicken soup that we just made in our kitchen, please try it!"

Doctor Luo's eyes lit up, and she took the chicken soup. "Is this your cooking?"

"Not bad, not bad!"

"He's just as good as my worthless grand-disciple."

Madam Cui knew that Doctor Luo liked Bai Wanqing's cooking skills, so such praise was already a great honor for her.

"Old Luo, I'm glad you like it." Cui Shi said with a smile.

Little did they know that Lord Cui behind them was practically crying with jealousy.

Shouldn't Cui Yao be closer to him? Why is she ignoring him and being so nice to Doctor Luo instead?

More importantly, wasn't he the one who suffered more during this period?

Seeing the jealous look on Lord Cui's face, Doctor Luo became even more smug and began to slurp down the chicken soup.

"Delicious! Delicious!"

Seeing that Doctor Luo was in a good mood, Cui said, "Old Luo, do you mind if I say a few words to the Marquis?"

Doctor Luo, sipping his fine wine, waved his hand, indicating to Cui that she could do as she pleased.

Only then did Madam Cui turn around and look at Lord Cui. Lord Cui felt that it was finally his turn. He thought to himself, his cousin is still his cousin, and she could never forget him.

“Cousin, let’s talk over here,” Cui said, gesturing for them to speak.

Lord Cui nodded happily and followed Madam Cui to a corner of the courtyard.

Lady Cui even looked around to see if anyone was there, a gesture that immediately made Lord Cui nervous.

"Cousin, did you...did you prepare some food for me too?"

"Then hurry up and take it out! If Doctor Luo finds out, I won't be able to eat anything."

Lord Cui's diet has been strictly controlled lately, consisting of nothing but bland soup every day, and he has long since lost his sense of taste.

That's why I'm in such a hurry right now.

Cui ignored his words and directly questioned, "Cousin, Jingcheng looks quite old. Don't you have any plans to get him married?"

Lord Cui was surprised that Cui Yao's first words were this.

It turns out she wasn't there to look after herself, but because Cui Jingcheng always followed Bai Wanqing.

At this moment, Lord Cui's face fell.

"You went to all this trouble to deliver chicken soup to Doctor Luo, just for this?"

Madam Cui nodded solemnly, "Yes!"

"Cousin, you'd better watch out! Our Cui family doesn't steal other people's wives."

Lord Cui was furious. "Cui Yao, what are you talking about?!"

(End of this chapter)