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

Chapter 29 Master Huang Visits

Bai Wanqing went to Chen's courtyard after returning to the Bai family.

Before entering the courtyard, he instructed Ruixin: "Ruixin, go to Father's study and see if he is there! Call Father over as well!"

Although Ruixin was worried about her young mistress, she knew that the only person who could help her now was the patriarch of the Bai family, so she didn't dare to delay and ran straight to the study to find the patriarch.

Bai Wanqing took a deep breath, straightened her back, and stepped into Chen's courtyard. When Chen's head maid saw Bai Wanqing arrive, she first stopped her outside, saying, "Miss, please wait here for a moment while I inform Madam."

Bai Wanqing nodded and stood outside the door waiting.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, the head maid came to tell her, "Miss, Madam is tired today. She said we can talk about it tomorrow."

Madam Chen sat inside, listening to the commotion at the door. Today was the day Master Huang would come to propose marriage and sign the contract, and she didn't want anything to go wrong at this time.

Once she finalizes everything today, neither Bai Chenming nor Bai Wanqing will have a choice but to accept it. It's best to avoid a direct conflict with Bai Wanqing for now.

Bai Wanqing was thus turned away at the door. She gave a cold laugh and, ignoring the head maid's obstruction, barged directly into Chen's room.

"Miss, Miss, Madam is resting!" The maid reached out to stop Bai Wanqing again, but Bai Wanqing was too fast. By the time she reacted, she couldn't even touch the hem of her clothes.

Bai Wanqing walked into the room, where Chen was sitting in a round-backed chair eating tea and fruit, showing no signs of being tired or resting.

Madam Chen put down the fruit in her hand and gestured to the head maid that she could leave.

After the head maid left, Madam Chen turned to Bai Wanqing and said in an unfriendly tone, "Qing'er! You're getting bolder and bolder. You even dare to barge into my room. Don't you have any manners at all!"

"Or is it that your mother never taught you these rules? Considering this is your first offense, I will not punish you severely. Go back to your own courtyard and reflect on your actions for half a month!"

"Mother, Qing'er hasn't said a word yet, but she wants to send me away. I'm afraid she's done something wrong behind my back and is afraid to confront me?" Bai Wanqing's eyes shot towards Chen Shi like a cold light.

Madam Chen was startled; she was actually intimidated by Bai Wanqing's imposing manner.

"Ahem! What are you saying!" Chen felt a little guilty and dared not look at Bai Wanqing again.

“Mother should know what she is saying, or have I misunderstood her? Does Mother not intend to give me to Master Huang as a concubine?” Bai Wanqing questioned.

Chen looked up, somewhat surprised. "Who told you that?"

Bai Wanqing looked coldly at Madam Chen, "So this is indeed true?"

Seeing that Bai Wanqing already knew, Madam Chen decided not to pretend anymore. "So what if it is? Don't you see? Ever since you returned to the Bai family, your second and third sisters' marriages are all over!"

"What's wrong with me arranging a marriage for you and getting you married off!"

"Even if that Master Huang is not the best, he is still a prominent figure in our Huai'an County. His family controls the salt trade and the canal transport, two businesses that others wouldn't even dare to dream of. What does this mean? It means that the Huang family has powerful connections!"

"If you marry into their family, you definitely won't suffer. What's wrong with that!"

Bai Wanqing sneered, "So, this is your reason for making me a concubine?"

Madam Chen remained silent, but in her heart she felt that the marriage she had proposed to Bai Wanqing was far better than the Meng family that Madam Kou had mentioned.

“What’s with all this talk about concubines? You should feel honored that Master Huang has taken a liking to you. So many girls are vying to enter the Huang family, but they don’t even have the chance! At least Master Huang cares about you; he’s officially carrying you in a sedan chair.” Madam Chen felt that what she said made a lot of sense.

“Since the Huang family is so good, why don’t you marry your third sister off to them? She has always wanted to marry into a capable family. Isn’t the Huang family more suitable for her?” Bai Wanqing said quietly, looking at Madam Chen.

Chen was completely enraged by these words. She slammed her hand on the table next to her with great force and pointed at Bai Wanqing's nose, yelling, "Bai Wanqing, listen to this! Listen to what you're saying!"

"Your third sister is still a virgin! How can she be compared to you?"

"You're just a divorced woman. What kind of family do you think you can marry into? Don't think you're so popular just because Madam Zhong and Madam Hu treated you differently at the banquet! Did they value you for who you are? It was that so-called Doctor Luo!"

"Do you really think they want to marry you into their family as their daughter-in-law? Don't be delusional!"

"If you ask me, just listen to me. Marrying into the Huang family will guarantee you a life of plenty!"

Bai Wanqing snorted and raised an eyebrow, saying, "What if I don't want to?" Madam Chen chuckled, "Don't want to? It's too late then. I've already discussed this matter with Master Huang. Even if you want to back out, Master Huang can't agree!"

"Are you just going to stand by and watch your father and the Bai family's hard-earned legacy be destroyed in an instant?"

"You really have a heart of stone!" Madam Chen glanced triumphantly at Bai Wanqing. A young girl's marriage is a matter of her parents' choice and the matchmaker's decision. How could she possibly defy fate?
"Who has such a cruel heart!" When Bai Chenming learned from Ruixin that Madam Chen was going to marry Bai Wanqing to Master Huang, he was so angry that he threw the inkstone on the table away.

Upon hearing Bai Chenming's voice, Chen instinctively trembled. She was usually somewhat afraid of Bai Chenming, but this time she dared to do this because she was risking everything for Qinglian.

"Master, what brings you here!" Madam Chen had lost her previous arrogance and instead appeared gentle and weak.

"I'm not coming! Are you planning to marry Wanqing off before telling me this? Chen, you really have some nerve! You're even capable of doing something like this!" Bai Chenming became angrier as he spoke, and kicked a chair to the ground.

Madam Chen had never seen Bai Chenming lose his temper like this before. Her body went limp with fear, and tears streamed down her face. "Master, who am I doing this for? Isn't it for Furong and Qinglian! They are both my daughters! How can I just watch them be wasted as old maids?"

"You can't be so biased as a father!"

Seeing that Chen Shi showed no remorse whatsoever, Bai Chenming became even angrier. "Then you...you're going to let Qing'er become someone else's concubine? Do you know that daughters of the Bai family never become concubines? You're slapping the Bai family in the face!"

Madam Chen, however, was unconvinced. She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and sneered, "Master, do you really regard your concubine as so inferior? You didn't say that when you took me as your concubine!"

"What are you talking about concubines? As long as two people are of one mind, they can create a beautiful story. So, does Master now look down on those of us who were born into concubine families?" After saying this, Madam Chen cried even more bitterly.

Bai Chenming was speechless for a moment. How could these be the same? One was married into the Bai family, and the other was a daughter of the Bai family! This...
"You don't need to say anything more! Just cancel Qing'er's marriage as soon as possible! You don't need to worry about Qing'er's marriage anymore! I'll take care of it myself." Bai Chenming gave Chen Shi his final order.

"Master! What if I don't do this!" Madam Chen looked at Bai Chenming with tears in her eyes and her lips pressed together. This was the first time she had wanted to refuse Bai Chenming's order.

Bai Chenming looked at Chen Shi in disbelief, feeling that she was beyond redemption. "If you don't agree, then take the divorce papers and leave the Bai family tomorrow! How can someone of your character raise your three children well! You are not worthy to be the mistress of the Bai family!"

Chen's eyes widened instantly. She looked at Bai Chenming in disbelief. He actually wanted to divorce Bai Wanqing for her sake.

She's not worthy to be the matriarch of the Bai family? Then who is? Kou Shi?
Suddenly, Madam Chen laughed. She had spent her whole life vying for favor, but she could never win against Madam Kou's words. Now that Madam Kou was gone, she couldn't even compete with her daughter. Hahaha! How ridiculous!
"Fine! I'll go to the Huang family to break off the engagement in a little while!" Madam Chen had no choice. She couldn't leave the Bai family. Her own family wouldn't accept her. If she left the Bai family, she would only die. She didn't have a good father like Bai Wanqing.

After everything was settled, Bai Chenming prepared to leave with Bai Wanqing, but before he could even step out the door, Uncle Liu rushed in.

"Uncle Liu, what are you doing here! This is the inner quarters!" Bai Chenming asked, slightly angry.

Uncle Liu quickly apologized: "Sir, the situation was so urgent that I had no choice but to overstep my bounds."

"What is it?" Bai Chenming asked.

"Master Huang has come, bringing many betrothal gifts. He says he has already discussed with the madam the possibility of taking our Bai family's daughter as a concubine. Master, you should go and see!" Uncle Liu was anxious. He glanced at Madam Chen and Bai Wanqing, knowing that it must be Madam Chen who was behind it.

Bai Chenming frowned. "Let's go, I'll go take a look right now!"

Chen, who was behind him, did not want to go, but Bai Chenming shouted, "What are you hiding for at a time like this! Hurry up and come out with me to talk things out with Master Huang!"

Chen did not refute, and obediently followed Bai Chenming to the front hall.

Ruixin returned to Bai Wanqing's side. "Miss, I never expected Madam to do such a thing. Fortunately, Master is on our side, so it was a close call."

Bai Wanqing gently shook her head, looked towards the front courtyard and sighed softly, "Have you ever heard of Master Huang personally coming to offer betrothal gifts when he took any concubine?"

Rui thought about it and realized that she really had never heard of it.

"Miss, you mean..."

"This marriage is probably not so easy to refuse. You should find someone to keep an eye on things in the main hall and make sure nothing happens to Father." After Bai Wanqing finished speaking, she recalled what Madam Hu had said today. Master Huang was not someone who was easily fooled. Now that the Huang family wanted to take Bai's daughter as a concubine, many families probably already knew about it.

Today he swaggered over with gifts to present the betrothal gifts, so he probably won't compromise easily. If her father can't refuse the marriage, will she have no choice but to beg Madam Hu?
Bai Wanqing clenched the handkerchief in her hand, already prepared for the worst!

Back in the courtyard, Bai Wanqing felt uneasy. Ruixin, who had gone out to inquire about the news, had not yet returned. Could something have happened to her?
Just as she was looking outside, Ruixin ran over from afar, "Miss, Miss, Master is determined to break off the engagement, but Master Huang disagrees, and the two are fighting in the front hall!"

"Master Huang was no match for him and was chased away by the master. Afterwards, the master was so angry that he fainted. Miss, you should go and see him quickly!"

(End of this chapter)