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

Ruixin shouted excitedly, and Cheng Susu quickly made a shushing gesture.

Ruixin immediately understood Cheng Susu's meaning, and covered her mouth with both hands, not daring to make a sound.

Bai Wanqing smiled and said, "Ruixin, Fengniang, I'm sorry for making you worry."

Ruixin was still in a state of excitement and could only shake her head frantically, unable to say anything else. Fengniang had already recovered from her excitement. She stepped forward, took Bai Wanqing's hand, and said with tears in her eyes, "Her hand is warm! Madam is indeed not dead."

Seeing Fengniang holding Wanqing's hand, Ruixin felt jealous and quickly joined in. The three of them hugged tightly, leaving Cheng Susu, who was standing to the side, both amused and exasperated.

"I'm telling you, you two just barely escaped from prison after a near-death experience."

"Shouldn't we go change our clothes first?" Cheng Susu said.

Upon hearing Cheng Susu's words, Ruixin and Fengniang realized that they were actually wearing dirty clothes while carrying the lady.

The two blushed and quickly released Bai Wanqing's arms. "Madam, let's go change our clothes first. We'll be right back!"

Bai Wanqing smiled and nodded, letting Susu make arrangements for them, and then rolled up her sleeves and headed towards the kitchen.

Wu Huan looked around and saw that the once lively courtyard was now only occupied by him and Wu Shuang. With a mischievous grin, he poked Wu Shuang's waist with his elbow!
"Hey! I said, Mrs. Lin went to the kitchen alone, aren't you going to go help her?"

Wushuang glared at Wuhuan and said, "Then why don't you go?"

Wu Huan laughed and said, "I'll go, of course I'll go! But I'm going to help Miss Cheng. You know, Miss Cheng is carefree. If we leave Rui Xin and Feng Niang in her care, who knows what kind of state she'll take care of them!"

"And you, naturally, should go to the kitchen to help Madam Lin."

"Does Wushuang mean that while living in the house provided by Madam Lin, you also want to act like a big shot here?"

"You really want these women to serve us?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Wushuang was shocked that Wuhuan would say such a thing, and raised her hand to hit him!
Wu Huan naturally wouldn't let Wu Shuang succeed, and quickly jumped away with a laugh, "I'm not making this up!"

"In this family, you are Lord Lin. If you don't help Madam Lin, who will?" After saying that, Wu Huan made a face at Wu Shuang and ran away quickly, leaving Wu Shuang standing there at a loss!
He's just a fake Young Master Lin, how could he actually do what Young Master Lin wanted to do?
But he would feel bad if he didn't go to Wushuang's house. He couldn't just watch the girl busy in the kitchen while he waited to be fed.

Wushuang had no choice but to drag herself to the kitchen.

Steam filled the kitchen. Bai Wanqing lifted her plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and kneaded the dough with her slender fingers, creating fine lines. A few strands of her dark hair fell down, damp with a thin layer of sweat. Suddenly, she heard the crackling of the sparks in the stove gradually weaken. Looking up, she saw that only three or five crooked, withered branches remained in the woodpile.

Bai Wanqing wiped her flour-covered fingertips on her coarse apron, gripped the old elm wood axe handle, and walked outside, only to find herself standing dumbfounded at the doorway, facing Wushuang.

"Young Master Wushuang?" Bai Wanqing called softly.

Wushuang was stunned. He never expected that Madam Lin, who was usually quiet and indifferent, would pick up an axe and have another side that no one knew about.

"Madam Lin, what's wrong?"

Bai Wanqing lowered her eyes and saw that her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. She smiled and revealed two pearly white teeth: "The fire in the stove is about to go out. I just want to go to the yard to chop some more firewood."

Wushuang quickly stepped forward and snatched the axe from Bai Wanqing's hand.

"How could I trouble Madam Lin to do such a menial task! Just give the order and I can do it!"

After saying that, Wushuang picked up his axe and went to a pile of wood, picked up a piece and started chopping it.

Seeing that Wushuang dared not look at her, Bai Wanqing smiled helplessly and said, "Young Master Wushuang, I have not yet explained to Ruixin and Fengniang about you impersonating my husband. Perhaps it is not so much that I have not explained, but that I do not want to explain."

Wushuang lowered her eyes and nodded, saying, "I understand! The two of them were already frightened in prison, and besides, the fewer people who know about certain things, the better, so that everyone's risk will be reduced."

Bai Wanqing nodded slightly, "So Young Master Wushuang doesn't need to be too polite with me."

"Just call me Sister Qing!"

Wushuang slowly looked at Bai Wanqing, and saw Bai Wanqing's warm smile, which made him feel very close to her, as if they had been a family before.

"Sister Qing," Wushuang called out unconsciously.

"Yes! I'm here!" Bai Wanqing noticed that Wushuang's tense expression was slowly relaxing, and smiled with relief, "Then please have Brother Yun chop all this firewood and bring it in?"

Wushuang was overjoyed and agreed without even blinking.

Meanwhile, in a side room in the backyard, Ruixin and Fengniang had just finished bathing and were staring blankly at the clothes that Miss Cheng had brought them.

"Ruixin! These clothes are probably not suitable for our servants to wear!"

"This fabric, this texture! I've been to the Du family's cloth shop a few times with Madam, and even the finest fabrics here are probably no better than this."

Although Ruixin had lived in the Bai family since childhood and was well-fed and clothed by Wanqing, she had never worn such fine fabric before. In fact, not only her, but even the young lady had never worn it.

"So, Miss Cheng must have taken the wrong one, right?"

Just as Ruixin and Fengniang were filled with doubt, Cheng Susu walked in and looked at the two of them, saying, "Why don't you change? Do you think these clothes don't fit?"

Cheng Susu hurriedly stepped forward to check. She had informed Madam Du in advance about these two outfits, so there shouldn't be any problem, right?

Fengniang quickly shook her head, "Miss Cheng, it's not that it doesn't fit, it's just that this dress looks expensive, it's not something a rough person like us can wear."

"If the two of us wore this material, we wouldn't be able to do any hard work!"

Seeing the two terrified people, Cheng Susu was amused. "Ruixin, Fengniang, you didn't wear this for nothing!"

Ruixin and Fengniang looked puzzled. Wasn't this free? Did they have to pay for it?
They don't have much money.

Fengniang waved her hand anxiously, "Miss Cheng, I can't afford to wear these clothes. You should quickly give me my original clothes so I can wash them and change into them."

Ruixin nodded in agreement, "Then I'll wear my old ones too."

Cheng Susu pouted, looking somewhat troubled, and said, "Want to wear the old ones? That's going to be a bit difficult!"

"Why?" they both asked in unison.

Cheng Susu walked to the window and opened it slightly. Ruixin and Fengniang saw through the crack that Young Master Wuhuan was washing clothes with a look of utter despair on his face. The clothes being washed were the ones they had just changed out of.

Although Fengniang had been married before, she remained composed despite the shock in her heart.

Ruixin, the young girl, was not so calm. She exclaimed, "Miss Cheng, how could you let a man wash our clothes?"

Cheng Susu didn't seem to care, "What's the big deal!"

"Young Master Wuhuan saw that you two were suffering in prison and always wanted to do something for you!"

"After thinking about it, I realized I was the one who boiled the water, so he can only do laundry?"

"So if you want to wear your original clothes, you'll have to wait!"

At this moment, Ruixin didn't care how valuable the clothes in front of her were. She picked them up and turned to change. Seeing this, Fengniang had no choice but to follow.

When the two came out again, even Cheng Susu, a young lady from an official's family who had lived in the capital for many years, stared at them in disbelief.

"As the old saying goes, clothes make the man and a saddle makes the horse. Today I finally understand the meaning of this saying."

As Cheng Susu spoke, she nodded with shining eyes.

But Fengniang and Ruixin were still thinking about the price of the dress. Ruixin carefully touched the magnolia pattern on the cuffs and muttered, "It's beautiful!"

"It's so expensive, when will I ever be able to pay it all back!"

"If I can't pay it all back, then I'll never be able to eat my favorite pastries and snacks again in my life."

Thinking of this, Ruixin pouted.

Not only Ruixin, but Fengniang was also in a dilemma. It was such a pity to wear this dress on her. If she could keep it and use it when Huzi got married in the future, she would be the center of attention in the surrounding villages.

Seeing the two girls' ever-changing expressions, Cheng Susu stopped teasing them. "Alright! These clothes are free. This is fabric that Wanqing researched, and it's only enough to make these two outfits."

"Try wearing them first. If you feel any discomfort or if they feel a bit stiff, feel free to share your thoughts! Wanqing will then make adjustments!"

Upon hearing that it was free, Fengniang and Ruixin were overjoyed.

They huddled together in front of the mirror for a long time, admiring themselves. "Miss Cheng, such fine things, why don't you and Miss wear them, instead letting Fengniang and me benefit from them?"

"How can it be cheap? It's as if Wanqing and I have treated you badly all this time."

Ruixin and Fengniang hurriedly shook their heads, "No! No, we absolutely did not think that."

Cheng Susu smiled and said, "I know! The main problem is that this fabric has only just been developed, and Wanqing is not very confident about its quality and public acceptance."

“Perfect timing. You’ll probably be going out quite often these next few days. Try wearing it out and see how it goes. Then we can give you feedback, and Wanqing will have a better understanding of the situation.”

"So that's how it is!" Fengniang and Ruixin then realized that although the fabric was very good, its bright color made it quite eye-catching.

Wearing this behind closed doors isn't a big deal, but it's really a problem when you go outside.
"Go out and dazzle them!" Ruixin shouted from the side, full of ambition.

Inspired by her imposing manner, Fengniang also straightened her back and said, "Yes! Dazzle their eyes!"

When Bai Wanqing arrived at the backyard, she ran into the two men looking very proud and arrogant. Before she could react, she heard a wronged voice beside her.

"Women are all the same, none of them are any good."

"Why didn't he get any of those pretty clothes, but instead he's the one who has to wash these filthy, smelly ones?"

"Also, is the prison in Huaizhou City built with all the night soil from every household in the city? The smell is absolutely pungent!"

Wu Huan gagged so badly he couldn't straighten up, so he had to push the tissue stuffed in his nose inwards even further.

"Young Master Wuhuan, are you alright?" Bai Wanqing asked him with concern.

Upon seeing Bai Wanqing, Wuhuan felt even more aggrieved. "Madam Lin, you've finally arrived! You have no idea how much they've bullied me!"

As he spoke, Wu Huan looked as if he was about to cry.

"You stinky Wuhuan, you're the one who said you'd wash their clothes, and now you're acting all wronged?" Cheng Susu and Ruixin walked out the door and overheard Wuhuan's complaints.

Wu Huan frowned. "I'm not saying this to be mean, but we already have new clothes, so why bother washing these old ones?"

"You have no idea what this clothing smells like."

"Wu Huan, don't talk nonsense!" Wu Shuang also walked in at some point.

Seeing Wushuang, who was also covered in sweat, Wuhuan's resentment instantly vanished.

"Lord Lin, you're criticizing me, aren't you in a sorry state yourself?"

After listening to the group chattering for a long time, Bai Wanqing finally spoke up: "Alright, alright!"

“You have all suffered a lot these days. I will talk to Madam Du and make another dress for each of you.”

Only then did Wu Huan agree to give up.

Fengniang and Ruixin knew that Wanqing had prepared the meal, and Fengniang felt very guilty.

Although before she came to the Lin family, the lady of the house always cooked for herself.

But ever since she arrived, Wanqing has rarely gone into the kitchen.

"Madam, I'll go get the food right away. Everyone, please get ready to eat in the front hall!" With that, Fengniang ran off like the wind.

Ruixin couldn't just stand there, so she planned to go to the front hall to prepare. However, she didn't walk as fast as Fengniang; instead, she walked very carefully.

"Ruixin, what's wrong with you? You haven't eaten, and you don't even have the strength to walk?"

Ruixin knew that Miss Cheng was going to make fun of her again. She gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and ran away without caring how precious her clothes were.

"Susu, you!" Bai Wanqing said helplessly, looking at Cheng Susu with a mischievous grin.

Cheng Susu turned around, made a face, and ran away.

Wu Huan was still thinking about that beautiful dress, so she leaned close to Bai Wanqing and whispered, "Mrs. Lin, I like red!"

"Bright red!"

"Young Master Wuhuan, I've taken note!"

"Hahaha! Don't worry, Mrs. Lin, with me here, your fabric will definitely become a fashion leader."

"I guarantee your cloth shop will make a fortune."

"But when the time comes, hehe!"

"I'll share with you!"

"okay!"

Wushuang shook her head helplessly at Wuhuan's greedy look.

Bai Wanqing, however, felt that Young Master Wuhuan was carefree and unrestrained, and said, "Then I'll take your kind words."

In the following days, Wu Huan indeed kept his promise. He wore a bright red brocade robe with dark patterns, and led Rui Xin and Feng Niang, who were also dressed in luxurious clothes, to cause a ruckus in the streets.

Everyone was stunned by the ethereal beauty before them!

Especially the gentry and nobles with some wealth came up to ask where the fabric they were wearing came from.

"You mean this fabric?"

"Where else could it be but the Du family's cloth shop!"

In the following two weeks, the reputation of Du Family Cloth Shop once again shocked the north and south of China, and they indeed made a fortune.

This display of power naturally did not escape the notice of the Prince of Huai.

"I never imagined that even after Bai Wanqing's death, the Du family could still cause such a stir."

"What did the men you sent to the Du family say?"

"Are they willing to serve me?"

Zhuang Qi shook his head slightly, "Your Highness, the Du family seems determined to fight us to the end."

"What do you think we should do?" Zhuang Qi had already decided to kill them. In his view, those who could not be used by them should not be kept alive.

The Prince of Huai disagreed, saying, "Forget it! My grand plan is about to be realized."

"At that time, will the Du family have any other choice but to be my money bag?"

"But Your Highness, we're afraid our food supply isn't enough to keep us eating until we're stuffed for much longer."

"Taking over the Du family now might solve our immediate problem."

The Prince of Huai snorted coldly, stood up and said domineeringly, "There's no need for that. I have already chosen the day to send out the troops."

"Pass down the order: all troops, prepare yourselves."

"On my command, depart for Youzhou in three days and march straight for Youzhou City!" (End of Chapter)