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

Chapter 38 Negotiating Conditions

Bai Qinglian shook her head violently, "I didn't do it! I didn't!"

"You didn't? Then why don't you ask Young Master Du? He saw it with his own eyes!" Master Huang was furious.

Du Gongzi looked embarrassed. He glanced at Bai Furong. He couldn't let Furong misunderstand, so he stood up and expressed his feelings to Bai Chenming.

“Master Bai, I may have caused Miss Bai to misunderstand when I sent my aunt to inquire before. My heart belongs to Miss Bai Er, Furong, not Miss Bai San, Qinglian. I hope you will grant my wish.”

Bai Chenming was completely confused. "If you like Furong, why are you involved with Qinglian?"

Du Huan quickly explained, "Master Bai, you've misunderstood! It wasn't my intention to get involved with Miss Bai."

"It was because Miss Bai suddenly went to the Du family to look for me last night."

"I thought it was the second young lady of the Bai family who wanted to see me, so I was naturally happy and went to meet her. But I didn't expect that the person who came was the third young lady of the Bai family."

"The Third Miss misunderstood that it was she who came to inquire about my family from the Du family. She said that she was interested in me and wanted me to go to the Bai family to propose marriage as soon as possible."

"I naturally rejected her outright and told her that the person I liked was not her, but the second young lady of the Bai family, and that the person I wanted to marry was also the second young lady of the Bai family. But the third young lady seemed to have gone mad, repeatedly saying that it was impossible," Du Huan said with a deep frown.

At this moment, Bai Qinglian was kneeling on the ground, still muttering "impossible."

"Since you rejected her, why is she like this now?" Chen Shi naturally didn't believe Du Huan's words. What man wouldn't be tempted by a young and beautiful girl? He was clearly trying to make excuses.

Du Huan glanced at Bai Qinglian and continued, "I thought she would understand after I clearly rejected Miss Bai, but I didn't expect her to follow me to Tongchun Pavilion and even bribe my servant to drug my wine!"

As Du Huan said this, his eyes were filled with coldness. "If I hadn't wanted to drink today, I would have definitely fallen into her trap. Once something happened between us, even if I didn't want to, I would have had to marry her!"

As Chen listened, her eyes widened in disbelief. "You're talking nonsense! You're slandering me! How could I, a young lady from the Bai family, drug you!"

"Has she gone mad?! Is she going to die?"

Du Huan insisted, and he called over the servant who had drugged him. The servant readily admitted that Bai Qinglian had instructed him to do it, and even produced the silver notes that Bai Qinglian had given him.

Bai Chenming's face was extremely ugly. He glared angrily at Bai Qinglian, but Bai Qinglian just bit her lip. It was no use for her to say anything now!

"If you didn't drink that medicine, why is my daughter in this state?" Madam Chen felt that Du Huan was a beast in human clothing. There were obvious bruises on Bai Qinglian's neck and wrists. He did nothing, so how could her daughter be like this?

Du Huan was clearly trying to deny it, so she naturally couldn't agree. If she could take this opportunity to marry Bai Qinglian into the Du family, that would be the best possible outcome.

Du Huan sneered, "I didn't drink that cup of wine, but your daughter drank it by mistake!"

"How could she have accidentally drunk it?" Chen asked.

Du Huan glanced at Bai Qinglian and said, "Then Madam Bai will have to ask Miss Bai herself! She also has to ask why she was in Master Huang's carriage."

All eyes turned to Bai Qinglian.

Bai Qinglian felt as if she had been stripped naked. She felt like she was alive but dead. Suddenly, she burst into laughter, "I didn't drink it by mistake. I just wanted to confirm why the wine didn't have any effect!"

"Why hasn't Du Huan made a move against me yet!" Bai Qinglian said, glancing at Du Huan.

"So you didn't drink it at all! Hahahaha!" Bai Qinglian laughed hysterically.

"Alright! We all know about this! Qinglian, you don't need to say anything more!" Bai Wanqing interrupted Bai Qinglian.

But Bai Qinglian seemed to have gone mad. Seeing Bai Wanqing trying to stop her, she became even more enthusiastic.

Why can't I speak?

"I'm going to say it today! I'm going to make the Bai family lose all face. Since I can't live anyway, then none of them will live either!"

"Shut up!" Bai Chenming slammed his hand on the table, but it didn't stop Bai Qinglian from speaking.

"I drank! I drank! And then I need a man! I need one. But I can't just find any man!"

“Du Huan doesn’t agree, and I can’t just find some random nobody, do you think Father? I’m the second young lady of the Bai family, I’m a woman of noble birth.”

"So you crawled into my carriage?" Master Huang had never felt so wronged. Usually, he was the one who took other people as concubines, and no one had ever dared to force themselves on him repeatedly!
Bai Qinglian smiled at Master Huang, "You old man, you're really useless! Everyone in Huai'an County knows you're a lecher, and you've married so many concubines, but no one would have guessed that you're impotent."

"If I hadn't come myself, my medicine probably wouldn't be able to cure me now!"

Upon hearing Bai Qinglian's words, Master Huang nearly jumped up, shouting, "Shut up! Shut up right now!"

The secret he least wanted anyone to know in his life was now being brazenly revealed by Bai Qinglian.

He didn't want to force Bai Wanqing into marriage! But he found that he only felt something when he saw Bai Wanqing!
Is it wrong for him to want to be a normal man?
Bai Qinglian laughed even louder. Seeing that the situation was out of control, Bai Chenming ordered someone to take Bai Qinglian away.

Du Huan glanced at Bai Wanqing, and only then did Bai Wanqing lower her hands from Bai Furong's ears.

"Big sister, why won't you let me hear! What did Third Sister say? Why does everyone look so unhappy!" Bai Wanqing said softly, "Be good, Furong doesn't want to know."

Bai Furong nodded silently, "Big sister said Furong doesn't want to know, so Furong doesn't want to know."

After seeing Bai Qinglian off, Du Huan also took his leave. Bai Wanqing and Bai Furong, fearing that Bai Qinglian might cause any more trouble, followed her to the backyard.

Now only Master Huang and his wife Bai Chenming remain in the front hall!

"Mr. Huang, what do you want to do about this?" Bai Chenming gripped the armrest of the wooden chair until his fingers turned white.

Master Huang snorted, "What can I do? I'll naturally see how the Bai family reacts. Otherwise, I can choose to report it to the authorities. After all, there's more than one eyewitness to Bai Qinglian forcing herself on my carriage. I've already lost all face, so I'm not afraid of losing it even more."

"We can't report this to the authorities!" Originally, Master Huang was just saying it casually, but Madam Chen became anxious. "If we report this to the authorities, my Lian'er won't be able to live!"

"Master Huang, why don't you take Lian'er in? Then we can be considered to have formed a good relationship between our two families."

Chen knew that this was the only way left for Bai Qinglian, and no matter how unwilling she was, there was no room for maneuver.

"Take her in? That's not the kind of woman I want to marry!" Master Huang made no attempt to hide his disdain.

“But you’ve already done that, if you don’t marry her, who will?” Chen was almost crying.

She's a perfectly good girl, and now she's being nitpicked by a middle-aged man. Where can she go to seek justice?

Bai Chenming finally suppressed his anger. "Master Huang, we are both at fault in this matter. Why not do as my wife suggested and let Bai Qinglian marry into the Huang family? This would put an end to the rumors outside and be the best outcome for both the Huang and Bai families."

Master Huang shook his head, "I told you! I don't want to marry Bai Qinglian!"

Bai Chenming glared at Master Huang, stood up, and said, "Then what do you mean?"

Master Huang slowly stood up, then looked at Bai Chenming with amusement and said, "If you want me to take Bai Qinglian, that's fine, but you also have to send Bai Wanqing over!"

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have let Bai Qinglian in. I don't care whether she lives or dies in the end."

Master Huang's words nearly made Bai Chenming faint again!
"You...you're going too far!" Bai Chenming said angrily.

Master Huang imitated him and roared, "I...I'm only compromising because I'm being difficult. If you don't agree, then let Bai Qinglian be scorned and pointed at for the rest of her life!"

After saying this, Master Huang left without lingering.

Bai Chenming clutched his chest with one hand and supported himself with the other, "What kind of sins have I committed?!"

Madam Chen came over and helped Bai Chenming up, her face already streaked with tears. "Master, Master! You can't just watch Qinglian die!"

Bai Chenming looked up. "Then what do you mean?"

With a heavy heart, Madam Chen said, "Since Master Huang has said so, why don't we let Qing'er and Lian'er marry into the family together?"

"Shut up!" Bai Chenming felt a sudden darkness before his eyes and fainted.

When Bai Wanqing received the message, she rushed over.

"It's anger again. Ruixin, go and brew another dose of Father's previous medicine!" Bai Wanqing said after taking her father's pulse.

Ruixin nodded and immediately ran to the kitchen to prepare the medicine.

Clutching a handkerchief, Chen looked at Bai Chenming with worry, her mind still preoccupied with Bai Qinglian. She was so restless that she could neither sit nor stand steadily.

"Mother, I'll stay here with Father. Why don't you go back first?" Bai Wanqing said to Madam Chen.

Madam Chen glanced at Bai Wanqing, as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't, and left first, going to Qinglian's courtyard.

Bai Wanqing learned from Uncle Liu, who had been serving her, that Master Huang wanted to force her into marriage.

What did Father say?

"Of course, the master disagreed! But Madam Chen suggested doing things according to Master Huang's wishes, which made the master so angry that he fainted."

Bai Wanqing pursed her lips. To her father, both of them were equally dear to him. If she were to marry into the family with Bai Qinglian, her father would probably feel uneasy!
But if his father insisted on disagreeing, Bai Qinglian probably wouldn't be able to go on living, and he still wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
"Qing'er!" Bai Chenming woke up at this moment. "Qing'er!"

He called out Bai Wanqing's name again and again, "Father, Qing'er is here!"

"Don't worry, your father won't hand you over! Even if all the daughters of the Bai family can't get married again, your father will not hand you over!"

"Something terrible has happened, Master!" At this moment, Chen's head maid, Qiuwen, ran over again. "Third Miss, Third Miss has hanged herself with a white silk ribbon!"

(End of this chapter)