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

Cui Jingcheng lowered his head, not daring to look at Bai Wanqing. He was afraid to see again the look in Bai Wanqing's eyes when she looked at him at the Lin family that day—a look that was filled with shock and disappointment.

"Young Master Cui, who exactly are you?" Bai Wanqing finally spoke.

In Bai Wanqing's mind, Cui Jingcheng had always been overly enthusiastic towards her, even though their social statuses were vastly different. Moreover, according to the rumors spread by students who had been to the capital, the young master of the Zhaonan Marquis's mansion always had a high opinion of himself and his friends were all rich and noble. The Lin family did not qualify, and the Bai family was even less so.

So who exactly is Cui Jingcheng?

Cui Jingcheng knew that Wanqing was intelligent and had a plan in mind! So he was not surprised at all when she asked him this question.

If Wanqing hadn't asked, he originally planned never to reveal this secret for the rest of his life.

Now that Wanqing has asked, Cui Jingcheng will naturally no longer hide it.

“I am the young master of the Zhaonan Marquis’s Mansion, and also the little boy who was rescued by Bai Chengdong from the riverbank in the summer of Ren Gui year.”

After Cui Jingcheng finished speaking, he carefully stared at Bai Wanqing, afraid that she would resent him for causing the death of her younger brother and never see him again.

"Wanqing, I'm sorry for what happened back then. If Bai Chengdong hadn't saved me, he wouldn't have gone into the water and would have lost his life for nothing."

"I hurt him."

“I know it’s too late to say anything now, but back then, I did beg my father to let me come to the Bai family to look for you.”

"But back then..." A hint of pain flashed in Cui Jingcheng's eyes. He absolutely could not say that he had been bedridden for six years due to the freezing cold of the water. "But something came up at the time, and I'm only now making amends!"

"Am I too late?!"

After saying that, Cui Jingcheng stared at Bai Wanqing again, his heart burning and pounding wildly.

Bai Wanqing raised her head and looked at Cui Jingcheng. When their eyes met, Cui Jingcheng's pupils trembled slightly, while Bai Wanqing's face turned pale and her lips trembled slightly.

Soon after, Bai Wanqing's soft sobs could be heard.

Cui Jingcheng was terrified. He had been by Bai Wanqing's side for so long and had never seen her cry before.
The only time I saw her was when I made her cry!
"Wanqing, don't cry! Don't cry!" Cui Jingcheng stammered, sweat beading on his forehead, at a loss for what to do.

But Bai Wanqing's crying didn't stop; instead, it got even louder.

Cui Jingcheng looked at Cheng Susu beside him as if seeking help, but Cheng Susu was also completely confused!
Just as the two of them were at a loss for what to do, Bai Wanqing covered her face and slowly raised her head. She gently wiped away her tears and said, "I'm sorry! There's been so much good news these past few days that I couldn't hold back."

Cheng Susu understood the reason and breathed a sigh of relief.

Cui Jingcheng was still full of questions. Seeing that Cui Jingcheng was so nervous that he was almost suffocating, Cheng Susu kindly told him, "Bai Chengdong is not dead!"

Cui Jingcheng froze, his eyes widening in shock. "What did you say?"

"I said! Bai Chengdong is not dead!"

Cui Jingcheng exclaimed in disbelief, "Really?"

"really?"

Cheng Susu nodded emphatically, but Cui Jingcheng still didn't believe her and looked to Wanqing for an answer!

"It's true, Cheng Dong is not dead!"

Cui Jingcheng suddenly felt a loud bang explode in his mind, and the image of himself struggling desperately in the river in his memory finally grabbed someone's hand in the next second.

"he died!"

"That's the young master of the Bai family!"

"He's the one who killed the young master of the Bai family!"

"He insisted on playing in the water during the summer, so why did Bai Chengdong drown!"

The overwhelming noise was about to drown out Cui Jingcheng.

With a loud "Wah!", Cui Jingcheng sat on the ground and burst into tears.

Bai Wanqing and Cheng Susu exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.

To be honest, Cui Jingcheng was just a teenager who lived with a heavy burden of guilt every day. In fact, he hadn't had a good life all these years!

It's not good!
In Kyoto, it was not considered a big deal for royalty to kill a commoner.

The butler beside Cui Jingcheng said the same thing.

"Young Marquis, that child was just from an ordinary family; once he's dead, he's dead!"

He should feel honored at this moment!

"What merit or ability do I have to save your life, young lord? It is the child's good fortune!"

At this moment, seven or eight-year-old Cui Jingcheng lay on the bed, staring intently at the wooden carvings on the bed frame, without saying a word.

Recalling the words of the people standing by the river criticizing him, the guilt in his heart lingered for a long time.

So the steward would occasionally send people to comfort him, but they all shared the same theory: "A commoner's child, once dead, is dead!"

“His status is different from Cui Jingcheng’s! He’s going to inherit the title of Marquis in the future.”

"We absolutely cannot ruin our future for the sake of an ordinary child!"

Gradually, Cui Jingcheng also began to think this way, and he slowly forgot about the child who had finally lay on the shore.
It wasn't until the day they were about to leave Huai'an County that Cui Jingcheng's health finally improved. He then asked his steward to drive the carriage so he could wander around the small town a bit more!

It just so happened to be morning, with the sun blazing overhead and the heat intense.

Most of the shops in the small town were half-open, and people were lazily basking in the sun, enjoying the brief, peaceful afternoon.

Hmph! Wasn't it said that the young master of the Bai family would be the hope of Huai'an County in the future?

However, after only five days, these people had completely forgotten the hope in their hearts!

Instead, they criticize him. What a joke!

Cui Jingcheng sat in the carriage, looking out at the street through the window. The weight that had been weighing on his heart for the past few days had been completely lifted.

They wandered around Huai'an County for a while, bought Cui Jingcheng's favorite pastries, and then went to Chunfenglou to eat crispy pork, which made Cui Jingcheng extremely happy.

However, perhaps because Cui Jingcheng's body had not fully recovered, coupled with the hot weather, he fainted in the carriage on their way back to the inn.

The slight commotion inside the carriage was overheard by a passing girl, who, along with her maid, stepped forward and stopped the carriage, which was still on its way.

The housekeeper was furious when he saw two girls suddenly run out. He stopped the car while cursing.

"Go away! If you want to play, go somewhere else!"

"Can't you see this is a distinguished person's carriage? You mustn't offend such a distinguished person!"

The young maidservant beside the girl trembled with fear at the fierce steward's presence, tugging at her mistress's sleeve, trying to get her to leave.

"Miss, we promise Madam we won't meddle in other people's business anymore."

The girl frowned slightly. "Ruixin, how can you throw the baby out with the bathwater?"

"My mother's words were just words spoken out of momentary sadness. If I see someone in need of help in the future, I will still help them!"

Ruixin, the little maid, seemed to understand but not quite, but seeing that her mistress wasn't leaving, she couldn't leave either.

The butler got even angrier when he saw the two girls whispering in front of him. Just as he was about to scold them again, Bai Wanqing pointed to the carriage road behind him and said, "Uncle, the people in the carriage are probably in bad shape."

"If you trust me, let me see!"

The steward snorted, initially disbelieving, but then he thought again: they had stopped the carriage for a moment, and the young marquis hadn't said a word. Could it be...?
The butler quickly turned around and lifted the carriage curtain behind him.

A wave of heat rushed out of the carriage.
"Young Master! Young Master!" the steward cried out in alarm, carrying Cui Jingcheng out of the carriage, which was as hot as a sauna.

Bai Wanqing immediately stepped forward, but the butler originally intended to kick her out.

Before he could even speak, Bai Wanqing stretched out her slender, snow-white fingers and put a pill into Cui Jingcheng's mouth.

"It's hot and stuffy! Your master is sitting in a poorly ventilated carriage, of course he'll feel like this!"

Bai Wanqing spoke while observing Cui Jingcheng's condition.

The butler was terrified by her actions, his voice trembling, "What did you feed my master?"

It's no wonder the butler is trembling, because he has seen this girl before. She was at the funeral of the young master of the Bai family, where she was supporting the madam of the Bai family and kneeling in front of the grave.

This girl is probably here to get revenge on her master!
Just as the steward was contemplating reporting to the authorities, not caring whether his identity was exposed or not, Cui Jingcheng slowly opened his eyes.

"I feel hot and dizzy. I want to drink water!"

Upon seeing that his master had woken up, the butler immediately abandoned his previous thoughts.

"Young Master, you're awake! You scared this old servant half to death." The steward immediately took a jar of water from the carriage and fed it to Cui Jingcheng.

After drinking the water, Cui Jingcheng tilted his head and looked at the girl standing to the side.

"Did you save me?" Bai Wanqing smiled slightly. "Yes! These are our family's secret-recipe pills, specially made to treat summer heat."

"Here's some more. If you still feel unwell, take another one!"

After saying that, Bai Wanqing took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve and handed it to Cui Jingcheng.

Seeing this, the butler glanced at the young master, and seeing him nod, he took the medicine bottle with both hands.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Bai Wanqing left with Ruixin.

"Who is that person?" Cui Jingcheng's gaze was still fixed on the girl.

The butler stammered and refused to answer.

Cui Jingcheng glared at the butler, who could only whisper, "It's the eldest daughter of the Bai family!"

"The eldest daughter of the Bai family? Which Bai family?"

"It's Bai Chengdong's Bai family, and this is his eldest sister."

Cui Jingcheng's face turned pale, and his pupils contracted as he looked at the medicine bottle in the butler's hand.

As soon as Cui Jingcheng returned to the inn, he ordered someone to find a doctor to examine the pills in the porcelain bottle!

Three doctors in a row said that there was nothing wrong with the medicine in the pills, and that it was the right medicine to treat his illness!
Cui Jingcheng stared at the small medicine bottle in front of him, lost in thought. He murmured a question to the butler beside him.

"Tell me, does she know that I killed her brother?"

"If she finds out, will she not save me?"

The butler lowered his head and dared not respond.

Cui Jingcheng chuckled as he looked at his clothes.
In Huai'an County, those who can be considered important figures are naturally all from the capital.

He's been in Huai'an County for so long, the Bai family's girl can't be stupid.

She knew who he was, but she still saved him.

Cui Jingcheng closed his eyes, and for a moment he was back in the moment when he was surrounded by the river. The river water was everywhere, seeping into his nostrils and mouth.
He couldn't breathe, and his body drifted further and further away from the river.
He gradually stopped hearing the noise from the riverbank.

Is he going to die? Just like that, dying in the cold river?

Suddenly, he felt a force pulling him upwards from his arm.
He slowly opened his eyes, and Bai Chengdong's face, struggling to swim, was right beside him.

Cui Jingcheng sprang from the bed instantly. He ran out of the inn, across the pleasant streets, with the steward chasing after him, calling his name every now and then.
But he showed no sign of stopping and headed straight for the cold riverbank.

He ran into the water, crouched down, and let the river submerge him.
"Cold! So cold!"

Cui Jingcheng was eventually dragged up by the steward. They dared not let the young marquis stay in Huai'an County any longer and sent him back to the capital almost overnight.

From the day he returned to Kyoto, he had a persistent high fever.

I was sick on and off for three years before I slowly recovered, but the knot in my heart still lingered.
"The Bai family's lady has passed away!"

"It's said that he fell ill because of the grief over Bai Chengdong's passing."

Cui Jingcheng's face was as cold as ice as he tightly gripped the message sent back by the servants of the Marquis's residence.

"How is the Bai family's daughter? Is she alright?"

The servant who came to deliver the message replied in a low voice: "Madam Bai has already arranged a marriage for Miss Bai."

"There should be no need to worry about the future."

Cui Jingcheng nodded silently.

He struggled to get out of bed and had the servants help him to the courtyard. The autumn wind blew and the leaves fell, a desolate and bleak scene. As long as she was doing well, that was all that mattered.

In a way, he was taking care of Bai Chengdong's older sister!

Time passed slowly, and Cui Jingcheng's health gradually returned to normal. He learned that Bai Wanqing had left the Meng family and married into the Lin family after everything had happened.

"This Meng family is ruthless and greedy, abandoning their supporters after they've served their purpose!"

"I'll go find my father right now and impeach him in court. Doesn't he want to climb the ladder of success?"

"I'm going to dismantle his ladder!"

Later, because of Meng Zhan's matter, the Liu family was also implicated, and Cui Jingcheng was very satisfied that the Liu family's official career had been cut off for more than ten years.

He's all better now and can go find Bai Wanqing!

But will she hate him?
Does she still remember him?

Cui Jingcheng was somewhat troubled, but when he learned that Doctor Luo was in Huaizhou City, at Bai Wanqing's house, he was so happy that he couldn't sleep all night.

He carried his father on his back and rode at full speed to Huaizhou City!

He finally met the person he had been longing for all these years.

She just didn't seem to recognize him.
That's good too. If you can't recognize someone, you won't remember them, and if you can't remember them, you'll stay happy.

He lingered around her every day, clinging to her, and she never showed the slightest impatience with him.

She even persuaded Doctor Luo to treat her father's illness. He seemed to owe her another favor.
How should he make amends?

As long as he pays more attention, he can find opportunities. For example, something happened to the Du family's cloth shop, and Wanqing immediately took the Du family's steward to Jiangnan!
Wanqing is likely to encounter difficulties in the Fang family, which has been entrenched there for many years.

So he begged his father to speak to the local officials on his behalf.
The outcome is unknown, but Wanqing returned safely.
Immediately afterwards, his informant reported that Wanqing was very concerned about the news of the Prince of Huai's arrival in Huaizhou, and had even secretly discussed a solution for a long time.

He had never seen Wanqing so nervous before, and knew that she was probably in big trouble.
After hearing Wanqing's plan, he decided to help her.

No one was more suitable than him to be Wanqing and her group's inside man with the Prince of Huai.

"Jingcheng, you...you're dragging the Marquis's mansion down with you!"

"Who is that Prince Huai! He's a traitor plotting a rebellion!"

"If things go wrong, our Marquis's mansion will also face the extermination of three generations!"

"You really want to do this?"

The father was the first to disagree, but Cui Jingcheng said, "Father, let's put this matter out in the open."

"Just hand over a folded document!"

"If the Prince of Huai were to rebel, we would not only be blameless, but would also be credited!"

"His Majesty will not blame me."

Cui Jingcheng used his status to successfully become a guest of honor of the Prince of Huai, and even cooperated with the Prince of Huai in staging a play.

Wanqing looked at him in disbelief. At that moment, he felt as if he had returned to the cold river water many years ago.

Cui Jingcheng, you can't be soft-hearted! You absolutely can't be soft-hearted!

If you want to rescue the person Wanqing wants to save, you can't give yourself away!
He knew about Wanqing's new plan in prison, and he had allowed Wanqing to spread the news.

This guy is really bold, he actually tried to escape by faking his death!

What benefits did the Lin family actually give her? Didn't the Meng family just leave like that back then?
How could someone go to such lengths for the Lin family?

Cui Jingcheng didn't understand, but he still secretly switched the poison that the Prince of Huai had given to Bai Wanqing.

He can't gamble! No matter how good Wanqing's medical skills are, what if something happens?
Later, Wanqing faked her death, and everything proceeded according to her plan.

The only thing he could do was help her rescue the person. He wanted to make it up to her and give her everything she wanted in the world.

Cui Jingcheng finally stopped crying, then burst into laughter and said, "You guys are so mean!"

"Just now I really thought I had become your enemy, Wanqing."

"If that were the case, it would probably be worse than killing me."

Cheng Susu laughed at his loss of composure, Bai Wanqing got up and helped Cui Jingcheng up, and the three of them laughed heartily in the room.

Cui, who had been eavesdropping outside, finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew it. Wanqing is definitely not an unreasonable person."

"I just didn't expect that the young master of the Cui family and Wanqing had such a past."

Lin Feiyun suddenly covered Cui's ears, saying somewhat awkwardly, "Don't listen to what you shouldn't hear! Don't look at what you shouldn't look at!"

"Let's hurry and meet up with our contact!"

"Maybe we can get some information about Da Tou."

Mentioning Lin Yunche, Madam Cui said anxiously, "Yes, then let's go quickly!" (End of this chapter)