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

Chapter 316 Jealousy
Bai Wanqing smiled as she watched her younger brothers bickering, without saying a word.

Lin Yunche felt a pang of jealousy in his heart!

"Heh! When it comes to starting a fire, you bunch of greenhorns can't compare to me!"

As Lin Yunche spoke, he squeezed to the side of the stove, staring intently at Bai Chengdong.

Bai Chengdong, who was already flushed, became even more reserved under the watchful eyes of the police. He didn't know where to put his hands, let alone add fuel to the fire.

"Lord Linlin!" Bai Chengdong managed to squeeze out a sentence.

Lin Yunche smiled and nodded, then picked up a piece of firewood for Bai Chengdong and added it to the fire.

"Excuse me, may I ask this young man's name, and how he came to know my wife?"

Lin Yunche felt that his smile was as bright as a flower, but in the eyes of others it appeared sinister.

Wu Huan and Cui Jingcheng looked enlightened when Lin Yunche asked them that question!
No wonder they felt the room was sour; the biggest jealous person was right here!
Bai Chengdong was taken aback by the question, but then he suddenly remembered his current appearance and realized that Lord Lin no longer recognized him.

Bai Chengdong immediately stood up and awkwardly introduced himself to Lin Yunche.

"Lord Lin, my surname is Bai, my given name is Chengdong, and I have known my elder sister since childhood."

Lin Yunche's hand holding the firewood trembled as soon as he heard the word "white". When he heard the words "elder sister", he wished he could crawl into the stove.

Bai Chengdong? Is he Wanqing's younger brother?
Why has Wanqing never mentioned this before?

Lin Yunche looked bewildered. Bai Wanqing glanced at Wuhuan and Cui Jingcheng, who were waiting to see the joke unfold, and helplessly explained, "Husband, I should thank you for this!"

Lin Yunche's face showed even greater confusion.

After Wanqing's noodles were cooked, Lin Yunche understood the cause and effect of the matter.

Bai Chengdong is Wushuang, and Wushuang is Bai Chengdong!
The person he casually saved in the Northern Dynasty turned out to be Wanqing's younger brother—what a coincidence!
Lin Yunche suddenly burst out laughing.

"Lord Lin, it was clearly Madam Lin who found your brother, so why are you smiling so happily?" Cui Jingcheng said, disapproving of Lin Yunche's current attitude.

Of course, Lin Yunche wouldn't say that he almost thought he was going to be abandoned by Wanqing just now!
After all, his relationship with Wanqing was merely a temporary measure.

He grinned happily and said, "Of course I'm happy! Wanqing's brother is my brother too!"

"If Wanqing is happy, then I am naturally happy too!"

Bai Chengdong and Wu Huan were stunned. The Lin Yunche they met at Xueqiao Palace never smiled; he always had a cold and aloof demeanor.

Now he's laughing like a dim-witted fool.
Lin Yunche's attitude towards Bai Chengdong also underwent a complete 180-degree change.

"Chengdong, try the noodles your sister made!"

"Grandmaster Luo and Lord Cui both praised it highly." Lin Yunche, taking advantage of the situation, served Bai Chengdong a large bowl of it.

Bai Chengdong clearly couldn't eat anymore. Looking at the overflowing noodles in front of him, he couldn't refuse, so he could only put them into his mouth one small bite at a time.

Lin Yunche was worried that he wouldn't have enough to eat, so he put two more chicken legs into his bowl.

This prompted Cui Jingcheng and Wu Huan to exclaim that it was "biased"!
Looking at the happy group of people at the table, Bai Wanqing couldn't help but smile.

Everyone enjoyed the meal very much!
Unlike Bai Wanqing and the others, who are now in a harmonious situation, Meng Zhan has taken Yang Peiran and Fang Shi to hide in Linjia Village at the foot of Xueshan Mountain in Huai'an County.

He initially opposed defending the city, thus offending the people of Huaizhou.

Now, only Linjia Village is willing to take them in.

Although it was autumn, the ground and tree branches were covered with frost. Although Fang was not from a wealthy family, she had never suffered such hardship in all her years.

Not to mention Yang Peiran, who points at Meng Zhan and curses him every day.

"Hmph! I was blind back then to believe you could amount to anything."

"Now it's all over. Forget about going to the capital to become an official, it's not even certain that I can keep my life if I follow you."

Yang Peiran hurled insults for a quarter of an hour, and Meng Zhan gritted his teeth and endured it, not wanting to stoop to her level. After all, for him now, the Yang family was probably his last lifeline.

But Madam Fang felt aggrieved; her son was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

To be insulted like this by a concubine, she secretly called her son and said, "Zhan'er! This Yang is a shrew! How can our Meng family keep such a concubine?"

“I remember when we left Huaizhou, Feifei and her family stayed behind.”

"Now that the Prince of Huai has been killed, Master Liu has done his part, so perhaps he can get a reward."

"You should talk to Feifei properly. Maybe she can still go to the capital to take up an official position. Even if she can't go to the capital, she can always be reinstated to her original post!"

Fang was wrapped in a tattered quilt, but the shrewdness in her eyes had not faded.

Meng Zhan seemed not to hear Fang Shi's words at all, completely lost and dejected.

If only he had discovered from the beginning that Wanqing possessed such insight.
Perhaps he showed her some leniency back then, giving her the opportunity to be his concubine, and now the credit for her exoneration will fall on Meng Zhan.

Even when he was about to abandon him, Wanqing never spoke ill of him.

More importantly, she disregarded past grievances and saved Liu Feifei and her child's lives!

Fang nudged Meng Zhan, who was in a daze, and asked, "Zhan'er, did you hear that?"

"Let's go and beg Liu Feifei again. After all, she has the flesh and blood of our Meng family. She won't just stand by and watch the Meng family fall into ruin!"

Unable to withstand Fang's continued nagging, Meng Zhan could only nod blankly.

Before Fang could say anything more, Meng Zhan got up and left the wooden house, wanting to find a quiet place.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Yang Peiran standing quietly at the door, eavesdropping.

Meng Zhan froze, glancing at Yang Peiran with a hint of fear in his eyes!
Unlike before, when he was cursing and swearing, Yang Peiran had a smile on his lips and looked obedient.

Meng Zhan assumed she might have just arrived and hadn't heard what Fang Shi said. "What are you doing here?" Meng Zhan asked impatiently.

Yang Peiran smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Young Master Meng, why are you suddenly so angry?"

"Given the current state of the Meng family, I'm the only one left still by your side!"

As Yang Peiran spoke, his eyes reddened.

Meng Zhan knew Yang Peiran was right. Looking at her like this, he felt a pang of heartache and said, "Peiran, don't worry, the Meng family won't stay like this forever."

Yang Peiran nodded vigorously, "Meng Lang, I know!"

"But right now our Meng family is lacking an opportunity, so why don't I go to the Yang family in person to ask for their help?"

"Perhaps the Meng family can also get a share of the credit for exonerating the Prince of Huai."

"Oh?" Meng Zhan raised an eyebrow when he heard Yang Peiran say that.

While forging iron, Yang Peiran said, "That's right, my cousin's father-in-law is a protégé of Prime Minister Wei."

After hearing Yang Peiran finish speaking, Meng Zhan exclaimed in surprise, "Peiran, why did you only tell us about this relationship now!"

This is much more reliable than going to Huaizhou to beg Master Liu.

Master Liu is at best a marginal figure; even if he were to be rewarded, it would probably only be in this small area of ​​the Northern Territory.

But the disciple of Prime Minister Wei that Pei Ran mentioned might not be so!

It might actually give him some exposure among the officials in Kyoto!

“Peiran, in that case, we should go to Kyoto as soon as possible.”

Yang Peiran nodded in agreement, “Of course. As long as we take the credit first, it won’t be so easy for others to undermine us later!”

“But…” Yang Peiran then looked wistful.

"Just what?"

"But the journey to Kyoto is long, and with the money we have now, we're afraid it won't be enough to support our whole family to get there."

Meng Zhan frowned slightly. Ever since the incident in Huaizhou, they had spent a lot of money to ask the Lin family army to take them away.

They currently have enough money to last for two months if they eat steamed buns.

But to think you can go to Kyoto with that little money is just a pipe dream.

Meng Zhan told Yang Peiran to calm down, and then went back into the house. He said something to Fang Shi, and then heard Fang Shi cursing loudly inside the house.

"Zhan'er! This is the last bit of money your mother has left for her coffin."

"If this little bit of money is gone, how will your mother survive?"

Meng Zhan looked up blankly, his eyes revealing disdain. Fang Shi suddenly noticed Meng Zhan's expression and swallowed back the words she was about to say.

"Mother, you told me that once a person seizes an opportunity, they must not let it go."

"Mother, you're asking me to beg Liu Feifei? Do you know that Liu Feifei almost lost her life because of you during childbirth!"

"Do you think that if you say a few nice words, Liu Feifei will really forgive and forget?"

“Now Peiran has a way to save the Meng family. Mother, as long as you hand over the money, we will go to the capital to see the Yang family.”

"There is still hope for our Meng family."

Meng Zhan chuckled coldly twice, then snatched the wooden box from Fang's hands.

Looking at Meng Zhan's hurried back, Fang Shi couldn't believe that this was really the filial son she had raised since childhood.

Fang wanted to chase after them and asked Meng Zhan to take her with him.

But Yang Peiran stopped her, saying, "Mother, this money is only enough for the two of us to travel."

"Mother, please stay here in peace. Once we arrive at the Yang family, we will definitely send someone to pick you up."

As he spoke, Yang Peiran pushed Fang Shi hard, and Fang Shi fell to the ground with a thud.

Fang cried out Meng Zhan's name, but Meng Zhan ignored her and urged Yang Peiran to set off as soon as possible.

Fang was surprised that Meng Zhan had actually abandoned her. When she chased after him, there was no one left in the small courtyard in front of the wooden house.

Not only that, they even took away the half-month's worth of dry rations they had prepared.

Fang screamed and fainted on the ground.

Five days passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was time for Lord Cui and his troops to launch an attack on the city.

Lord Cui consulted with the Emperor and was granted permission to incorporate the 10,000 soldiers brought back by Lin Yunche into the Lin family army, and was also allowed to allocate 50,000 elite troops to assist Lin Yunche.

The soldiers who had donned Shang Dynasty armor, seeing that they were being treated no differently from the other soldiers, all had tears welling up in their eyes.

Their hearts finally found a home.

At this moment, Lin Yunche, dressed in silver armor and riding attire, was looking at Wanqing with reluctance.

"Wanqing, I'll definitely be back soon this time!"

Bai Wanqing nodded and said, "I know! I'll wait for you!"

Lin Yunche glanced at Bai Chengdong and Cui Jingcheng behind her.

Bai Chengdong awkwardly clasped his hands in a salute, while Cui Jingcheng coldly snorted, "You'd better be able to come back, otherwise Wanqing can get a divorce again and marry into our Zhaonan Marquis's mansion."

Lin Yunche suddenly smiled, mounted his horse, and turned to say, "Good lad, you won't be able to wait any longer!"