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

Chapter 99 The Censor
Cheng Susu was stunned for a second upon hearing the voice, then turned around and, upon seeing the person, silently hid herself behind Bai Wanqing.

Bai Wanqing also turned around and saw a middle-aged man with half-gray hair getting off the carriage angrily and walking towards the two of them.

Bai Wanqing glanced at the middle-aged man in front of her. He was tall and imposing, and his eyebrows and eyes resembled Cheng Susu's by about 50%. She immediately guessed who he was.

At this moment, Lord Cheng also came over. After confirming that it was indeed his daughter, he also looked Bai Wanqing up and down. He thought that the woman in front of him had clear and beautiful eyes, and she did not feel uncomfortable or back down when she saw him. She was also close to his daughter. Could she also be the daughter of some official family?
Bai Wanqing was the first to bow to Lord Cheng, "Are you Lord Cheng?"

Lord Cheng nodded and asked, "Who are you?"

"My daughter is Bai Wanqing, a friend of Susu," Bai Wanqing replied with a slight smile.

Bai Wanqing? Cheng Kailin felt the name sounded familiar, but couldn't quite place it, so he simply nodded politely and said courteously, "Susu, have you been causing you trouble these past few days?"

Bai Wanqing gently shook her head, "No, Lord Cheng is too kind."

"It's good that you didn't cause any trouble! It's good that you didn't cause any trouble." Lord Cheng said with a smile, then glared angrily at Cheng Susu, who was hiding behind Bai Wanqing.

Seeing her father angry, Cheng Susu was still a little scared and couldn't help but shrink behind Bai Wanqing. This action made Cheng Kailin's head ache with anger.

"Susu! Father is here today. Shouldn't you let Father go to your rented courtyard to rest first?" With no other option, Cheng Kailin had to swallow his pride and speak first since Cheng Susu didn't make a move.

Cheng Susu was somewhat unwilling. She glanced at Bai Wanqing, who smiled and nodded at her. Only then did she awkwardly walk out from behind Bai Wanqing. Cheng Kailin's face visibly darkened when he saw this. So his own father was not as good as a friend he had only known for a short time?

Cheng Susu didn't see how green her father's face was. She reluctantly pulled Bai Wanqing and said, "Wanqing, I'll go back first today. I'll come to see you tomorrow or the day after."

Bai Wanqing smiled and said, "Alright! There's no rush."

Upon hearing Bai Wanqing's words, Cheng Susu immediately cheered up. She whispered, "If my father really beats me today, you'd better bring some ointment to see me tomorrow."

Cheng Kailin's ears twitched. Bai Wanqing comforted Cheng Susu, saying, "Lord Cheng cares about you. Don't worry, he won't hit you."

Cheng Susu glanced at her father and didn't dare to say anything more. Back in the capital, Cheng Kailin hadn't spared her from beatings just because she was a girl.

Cheng Kailin coughed lightly, and Cheng Susu reluctantly let go of Bai Wanqing's sleeve before getting into the carriage with Lord Cheng.

Bai Wanqing smiled as she watched the carriage leave. Seeing that it was still early, she decided to go to the clinic first.

Cheng Susu sat in the carriage with Cheng Kailin, not daring to utter a sound. Cheng Kailin rubbed his temples and said, "What are you still standing there for? Tell the driver where you live."

Cheng Susu didn't dare to hesitate at all and immediately told the driver the location of her rented place on Changsheng Street. The driver turned around and headed towards Changsheng Street.

When the father and daughter returned home, Liu'er came out to greet them. She originally thought it was her young mistress bringing Miss Bai, but when she peeked out and saw it was Master Cheng, she was so frightened that she dropped the clothes she was holding on the ground.

"Master! Master, you've arrived!" Liu'er immediately bowed and greeted Master Cheng.

Master Cheng snorted coldly, ignored her, and went straight to the front hall, where he sat firmly in the main seat and stared intently at his unfilial daughter.

Cheng Susu had a guilty conscience and kept giving Liu'er meaningful glances. Master Cheng angrily said, "What are you doing! Now tell me what you're doing in Huai'an County? How dare you ask Liu'er to protect you?"

Seeing that her father was indeed quite angry, Cheng Susu said in a low voice, "Father, I only came out because I was too bored at home. I didn't mean to do anything."

Cheng Kailin raised an eyebrow. He wasn't stupid. "Hmph! I don't think so! You're here to see that young master of the Lin family, aren't you!"

"What? She refused His Majesty's arranged marriage, and you have no shame? You even chased her all the way here? Aren't you afraid of making your father lose all face?"

Cheng Susu refused to admit it, "Who said I came here after Young Master Lin?"

"Then who else could you be chasing? Our Shang Kingdom is so big, there are so many places you can relax, why did you choose this insignificant Huai'an County in the north?" Master Cheng was very angry.

I always felt that if I didn't discipline this daughter, she would become even more unruly.

Cheng Susu lowered her head and remained silent, which calmed Old Master Cheng down a bit. "What? You still think Lin Yunche is better? You still want to marry into the Lin family?"

When Lord Cheng learned that Cheng Susu had come to Huai'an County to find Lin Yunche, he already had a plan in mind. When His Majesty bestowed the marriage upon him, Lord Cheng knew that his luck had turned.

But who would have thought that Lin Yunche's family had already arranged a marriage for him long ago.

Losing this opportunity to not keep an eye on the Lin family would be a great loss for Cheng Kailin. However, he did not expect that Cheng Susu would actually care about Lin Yunche and would chase after him to this place regardless of the consequences.

If that's the case, he could talk to the Lin family!
Perhaps we could petition the emperor to allow Susu to marry into the Lin family as a secondary wife. Although the title of secondary wife doesn't sound good, it's a matter of prestige for the Lin family! Although the Lin family is currently stationed at the border, everyone in the court knows the high hopes the emperor has for the Lin family, especially Lin Yunche, who might even become prime minister in the future.
At that time, not only the Lin family, but also the Cheng family might be able to rise to a higher level.
To everyone's surprise, upon hearing that she would marry into the Lin family, Cheng Susu immediately jumped up, "Father, what are you saying? I never wanted to marry into the Lin family!"

Cheng Kailin was taken aback. He hadn't expected Cheng Susu's reaction to be so extreme. "If you don't want to, then don't. Why are you in such a hurry!" How could Cheng Susu not be anxious? She was genuinely afraid that her father would misunderstand her feelings for Lin Yunche and run to the palace to beg His Majesty for a marriage decree. In that case, she would become the great sinner who ruined Wanqing's marriage. She didn't want that.

Cheng Susu remained silent, but Cheng Kailin had begun to understand something.

"Um... how did you meet Bai Wanqing? What is her relationship with the Lin family?" Cheng Kailin asked seriously.

Cheng Susu remained silent, so Cheng Kailin looked at Liu'er beside him and asked, "If she won't tell, then tell me... how did Miss meet Bai Wanqing?"

Liu'er glanced at Cheng Susu, who nodded slightly. Only then did Liu'er begin to talk about her relationship with Bai Wanqing.

After listening for a while, Cheng Kailin finally understood what was going on. It turned out that not only had his daughter failed to win back her beloved, but she had also been captured by the Bai family's young lady and become her friend.
"Ugh, this is really a headache." Cheng Kailin was genuinely annoyed. "Alright, since you've already lost your chance, what are you still waiting here for! Get back to the capital right now!"

Cheng Susu pouted, "Father, I want to stay a little longer. Wanqing's wedding is in a few days. I want to support her."

Master Cheng's eyes widened. "What did you say? Don't they know your identity? Don't they know there's an unissued imperial decree between you and Lin Yunche? How dare you go to the wedding banquet?"

Cheng Susu didn't take it seriously. "Why should I be embarrassed? Everyone knows that Wanqing is my savior. You don't know how dangerous the situation was. My daughter almost lost her life."

“Going to attend the wedding ceremony of the person who saved my life, who can say anything about that?”

Master Cheng pursed his lips and said, "I'm afraid you really won't be able to attend this wedding ceremony!"

"Why!" Cheng Susu asked hurriedly.

"Because the Emperor is already looking for a new family for you." This is why Lord Cheng was still considering marrying Cheng Susu into the Lin family until just now, after all, in his opinion, the Lin family is still a good choice.

Cheng Susu became even more anxious, "Why does the Emperor keep staring at his ministers' daughters for no reason!"

"Father, your daughter doesn't want to get married yet."

"Is this something you can decide? I already asked the Emperor for a favor based on your wishes. Although the marriage didn't go through, half of that favor has already been used up."

"It is precisely because it did not work out that the Emperor feels guilty, which is why he is concerned about your marriage. Now you say you don't want to get married. Do you want your father to be accused of deceiving the Emperor, or do you want the Emperor to think that the marriage he arranged for you is to harm you?"

"Why don't you reconsider becoming Lin Yunche's concubine?" Cheng Kailin knew his daughter well. If it were someone else, she might actually agree to become someone else's concubine. But now that Bai Wanqing had Su Su's approval, Su Su would definitely not consider the Lin family anymore.

“Father,” Cheng Susu said anxiously, “Fine! I’ll go back to the capital with you.”

Cheng Kailin nodded in satisfaction. "Liu'er, pack her things now. We'll leave here the day after tomorrow."

"Keep an eye on her these next two days and don't let her step out of this room again."

Cheng Susu protested, "Dad, why are you locking me up! I need to go and say goodbye to Wanqing."

Cheng Kailin retorted angrily, "Just send Liu'er with a message to say goodbye. As for why you're locked up, do you even need to ask? If you run away again, who knows where you'll end up? Your old father might lose his head. You'd better stay home obediently."

Cheng Susu wanted to continue pleading with her father.

Cheng Kailin didn't give her that chance again and had someone take her back to her room.

"Master, should we try to contact Young Master Lin again?" the steward beside Lord Cheng asked, bowing.

Cheng Kailin shook his head. "No need. We'll have a chance to get to know him once he takes office. For now, it's best not to let him misunderstand our Cheng family."

"Why don't you go and inquire about Bai Wanqing and see if she's as good as Susu said!"

The butler, however, felt it was unnecessary. “Master, she is just a young lady from a humble family. I’m afraid she’s not of any standing.”

"A humble family?" Cheng Kailin glared at the butler. "Once she marries into the Lin family, even if she's from a humble family, her status and position will be completely different."

"It's always good to know more."

"Yes! I'll take care of it right away." The steward was about to leave when Cheng Kailin called him back.

"Don't make a fuss, do it quietly."

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)