Bai Xu was so angry that his cheeks turned red.
After saying that, he slammed the table. The teacups on the table collided, making a crisp sound. Mrs. Bai was frightened and hurriedly urged Bai Yuetong to apologize to Bai Xu.
"Yuer, your father is right. Most of what happened that day has been seen by passers-by. If you don't agree to marry Lin Hu, you won't be able to stay in Dongjing City if the news gets out. Now Lin Hu works in the Ministry of Justice. Although he is just a small official, as long as he works hard, he will have a great future. Besides, with your father here, there is no way he will let you suffer in the future."
Mrs. Bai was not unaware of Bai Xu's temper. If he was really angry, Bai Yuetong would probably suffer physical pain today.
"It's because of him that I've ended up like this." Bai Yuetong was completely enraged and had lost her mind. She glared at Bai Xu fiercely and turned her head to the side. "Anyway, I won't marry Lin Hu. He's a small hoodlum who hangs around in the streets, how can he be worthy of me?"
Bai Yuetong is proud and arrogant. She might as well die than to marry someone like Lin Hu.
"If the story of you and Lin Hu in the back mountain spreads, I wonder who in the world would be willing to marry you." Bai Xu snorted coldly. He still didn't believe that he couldn't even handle his own daughter after being in the court for many years.
No matter what Bai Xu said, Bai Yuetong refused to marry Guiguai and Lin Hu. Bai Xu slapped Bai Yuetong in anger and sent her back to the backyard for house arrest.
Mrs. Bai couldn't leave her daughter behind, so she secretly brought some ointment to treat external injuries and came to Bai Yuetong's room.
"Madam, you're here!" Chuntao's eyes lit up when she saw Madam Bai, and she ran to her quickly.
"Where is the young lady?" Mrs. Bai was very worried about Bai Yuetong.
"The young lady is in the room." Chuntao looked worried, with tears in her eyes that seemed like they would slide down her cheeks in the next moment.
Mrs. Bai saw Chuntao's reaction and felt something was wrong, so she quickly walked around her and went up the stairs. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Bai Yuetong sitting motionless in front of the dressing table.
Bai Xu used a lot of force to slap Bai Yuetong, causing her right cheek to become red and swollen, making her look particularly embarrassed. At this moment, she was touching her swollen cheek, with a blank look in her eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.
"Madam, the young lady has been sitting there for more than three hours. She has not eaten and will not listen to me no matter how I call her. I am very worried." Chuntao explained.
Mrs. Bai looked at the table, where there were three or four side dishes and a bowl of meat porridge, none of which had been touched.
"You go down first."
After ordering Chuntao to step back, Mrs. Bai walked behind Bai Yuetong.
Seeing Mrs. Bai's reflection in the dressing mirror, Bai Yuetong couldn't help herself any longer. She sniffed, turned around, hugged Mrs. Bai and burst into tears.
"Be good, Tong'er." Mrs. Bai patted Bai Yuetong's back gently.
Seeing Bai Yuetong crying, Mrs. Bai couldn't help but have tears in her eyes.
"Mom, I don't want to marry Lin Hu. You know that Lin Hu is notorious. If I marry him, I will become a laughing stock in the entire Tokyo city. How can I hold my head up in the future?" Bai Yuetong made up her mind not to marry Lin Hu no matter what.
"Mother understands your feelings." Mrs. Bai sighed helplessly.
When Bai Yuetong's emotions calmed down a little, Mrs. Bai pulled her to sit on the couch beside her.
"You also know that if the news of what happened that day gets out, it will be even harder for you to stay in Tokyo. Although Lin Hu was born a commoner and has low qualifications, he will be able to live a decent life in the future with your father's help. Although your father's words are not pleasant to hear, everything he does is in your favor."
Mrs. Bai spoke earnestly and advised Bai Yuetong to compromise.
"He's on my side? If he was on my side, he wouldn't have let me find a way to poison Ling Qingwan. He couldn't defeat General Shen, so he secretly attacked General Shen's granddaughter. If I hadn't been doing things for him, would I be like this now?"
It would have been better if Mrs. Bai didn't mention Bai Xu. But if she did, Bai Yuetong would be even more angry.
Suddenly, Bai Yuetong seemed to have thought of something and she became alert all over.
"Mom, could it be that Ling Qingwan planned for me to appear in the back mountain that day? It was just to vent my anger for drugging her that day." Bai Yuetong frowned tightly and goose bumps began to appear on her back.
If this is true, then Ling Qingwan is really a person who will never give up even the slightest grievance. She has offended Ling Qingwan, and even if she fails to take revenge this time, there will always be a next time.
Bai Yuetong was terrified and held on to Mrs. Bai tightly.
"Mother, I remember it clearly. I stayed in my room that day and didn't go anywhere. When I woke up, I found myself lying on the ground with my clothes in disarray. How could it be such a coincidence that Lin Hu was there and I was lying on the side of the road, where I could be easily seen by passers-by?"
The more Bai Yuetong talked, the more suspicious she felt. She didn't believe that this matter had no connection with Ling Qingwan.
"The second young lady of the Ling family is just a girl. How could she be so capable as to take you away from the Shangshu Mansion without anyone noticing?" Mrs. Bai was half-believing and half-doubting.
"You don't know this." Bai Yuetong frowned. "Although the second young lady of the Ling family grew up in the countryside and has no talent, she is smart. I heard from Chuchu that she was always arrogant when she was in the Ling Mansion. It was she who spread the news that Lord Ling secretly kept the daughter of a criminal."
Bai Yuetong and Ling Chuchu were old friends, their relationship was not very good, but they could talk to each other. She had heard almost everything about Ling Qingwan from Ling Chuchu.
Therefore, Bai Yuetong disliked Ling Qingwan from the beginning.
"Mom! Think about it! Why would I go to the back mountain and lie down alone, let alone be involved with a man like Lin Hu. I don't even have time to despise him." Bai Yuetong felt more and more that Ling Qingwan was behind the matter between her and Lin Hu.
Bai Xu was worried that the news would spread, so he didn't even look for a doctor for Bai Yuetong. Bai Yuetong even suspected that Ling Qingwan had drugged her, which caused her to become unconscious and have sex with Lin Hu.
"You have a point." Mrs. Bai was persuaded by Bai Yuetong. "Stay here for now. I'll go talk to your father and ask him to investigate thoroughly. If this matter is really related to Ling Qingwan, he will never let her off easily."
The two hit it off immediately. Mrs. Bai went to discuss the matter with Bai Xu, while Bai Yuetong stayed in the room and watched what would happen.
What made Bai Yuetong despair was that Bai Xu did not take her speculation seriously. Instead, he accused her of having evil thoughts and wanting to cancel her engagement with Lin Hu.
It has been nearly a month since they last met, and Wei Xun has not sent any news back.
At this time, he was still on his way to the frontier.
As winter and spring passed, the rainfall increased and floods occurred in many places. The environment in the border areas was harsh, and the closer we got to our destination, the more difficult the journey became.
Wei Xun sat on a woodcut stone, looking out at the endless yellow sand. He tightly grasped the amulet Ling Qingwan had given him, and sniffed it again and again.
The boy who used to have a clean and handsome face now had a green stubble on his chin. It was not until the back of his hand accidentally touched it that Wei Xun realized that his beard had grown so long.