Chapter 159: Strange Habits
“Everyone, get into the carriage quickly!” Wen Mingqian saw Sister Zhao and the woman were soaking wet and urged them into the carriage.
Although the four of them were a bit crowded in the carriage, it was warmer.
The coachman lit the wind lantern.
Sang Er took off her cape and wrapped it around the woman.
Wen Mingqian gave her cape to Zhao Po Kuang.
“No, no!” Zhao Po Kuang exclaimed, dodging in fright. “Don’t ruin such good clothes. My skin is thick, it doesn’t matter.”
“It’s just a piece of clothing, how can it be more important than a person? You’re soaked through, you can’t be careless.” Wen Mingqian forcefully draped the cape over Zhao Po Kuang.
Then she looked at the unconscious woman. Her hair was wet and stuck to her face, obscuring her features. Wen Mingqian reached out and brushed her hair aside.
“This… isn’t this the Second Miss Cui?” Sang Er recognized Cui Baozhu almost at the same time as Wen Mingqian.
“Quietly,” Wen Mingqian gave her a meaningful glance.
Sang Er immediately understood and quickly shut her mouth, saying no more.
Cui Baozhu was determined to die, something must have happened. But she was still a young lady from an official family, and it was best not to let such matters spread.
“I don’t see anyone following. Let’s go back to the nunnery first,” Wen Mingqian decided. “Reverend Mother Jing An is knowledgeable in medicine, so we’ll trouble her to treat her.”
The people at Wu Qiu Nunnery were tight-lipped. Cui Baozhu could receive medical treatment there without worrying about the news spreading widely.
“She didn’t choke on water,” Zhao Po Kuang said. “She just fainted from the cold water. Find a warm place, change her wet clothes, and keep her warm, and she’ll be fine.”
“Sister Zhao, thank you so much today. You’re truly amazing! You saved her in just a few moves,” Sang Er said. “Truly, a woman is no less capable than a man!”
Zhao Po Kuang’s rough, dark face flushed upon hearing this. “Miss, please don’t praise me like that. I just have some strength and know a bit about water. Who wouldn’t want to save someone in this situation?
When I rushed over, I saw Madam still wanted to go into the water! If someone as precious as her is willing to risk it, what is my effort in comparison.”
The horse carriage arrived in front of Wu Qiu Nunnery. Wen Mingqian walked ahead, and Zhao Po Kuang followed behind, carrying Cui Baozhu.
Sang Er stayed behind to settle the carriage fare with the coachman.
“No need to calculate, Miss. You saved someone today, so I’ve also gained merit,” the coachman refused to accept the money.
“Uncle, this is your hard-earned money, how can you not accept it?” Sang Er placed a string of cash on the carriage. “And you got your carriage wet.”
“That won’t cost that much,” the coachman felt very apologetic.
“Just take it! Don’t argue with me, I’m almost frozen to death,” Sang Er said and ran inside.
Back in the room, they quickly started the brazier. Hui Ming had already invited Reverend Mother Jing An.
“She has caught a chill. We need to boil medicine quickly and have her drink it to induce sweating,” Reverend Mother Jing An said. “All of you have caught a chill and need to drink it, but the dosage will differ.”
With that, she went to boil the medicine herself.
“Sang Er, put on a cape and go help,” Wen Mingqian said.
“I’ll go,” Hui Ming quickly said. “You all stay in the room and don’t go out causing trouble.”
Sang Er boiled water on the stove, and together with Wen Mingqian, they removed Cui Baozhu’s wet clothes and wiped her body with warm water.
Wen Mingqian found a set of undergarments she hadn’t worn and had Cui Baozhu change into them. She also fed her some warm water.
She then found several of Zhang Ma’s clothes for Zhao Po Kuang. “Sister Zhao, these were left by a former attendant of mine. These clothes are all new, but she didn’t wear them because she disliked the color. If you don’t mind, please change into them!”
“Oh my, these… these good clothes haven’t been worn yet. It would be a waste for me to wear them. Why don’t you find some old, worn-out ones for me? I’d feel more at ease wearing those,” Zhao Po Kuang hesitated to accept.
“Sister Zhao, please don’t be so polite. It’s not good to wear wet clothes. If you’re too embarrassed to change here, come, I’ll take you to the outer room,” Sang Er said, pulling her along.
Fearing she would be embarrassed, Sang Er didn’t stay nearby and turned back.
Cui Baozhu gradually regained consciousness, groaning as she opened her eyes.
“Second Miss Cui, you’re awake,” Sang Er quickly called her by name. “How are you feeling now?”
“I…” Cui Baozhu’s voice was hoarse. After a long pause, she recognized Sang Er. “It’s you… you saved me?”
“Your body is weak now, so don’t talk too much,” Wen Mingqian stepped forward to advise. “You can talk after you take your medicine.”
“Don’t give me medicine,” Cui Baozhu said, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t want to live anymore.”
“How can you say such short-sighted things? You’re still so young,” Wen Mingqian sincerely advised her. “The road ahead is still long.”
“Others may have a long road ahead, but I only have a dead end,” Cui Baozhu said despairingly. “Madam Wen, please don’t try to persuade me anymore.”
She also knew about Wen Mingqian’s divorce, so she no longer addressed her as Madam Gong but as Madam Wen.
“Even if you wanted to die, you didn’t succeed. As the saying goes, surviving a great disaster brings good fortune. You’ve already died once, and now heaven has given you another chance. You should think carefully about how to live,” Wen Mingqian handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
“Madam Wen, you are a kind person. I even foolishly wanted to harm you back then,” Cui Baozhu said shamefully. “This is perhaps my retribution! Who told me to have such wicked intentions before!”
“What exactly happened? You might as well tell us, and let my Madam help you consider it. Perhaps there will be a turn for the better,” Sang Er persuaded.
“My Daddy and Stepmother plan to marry me off to the youngest son of Marquis Fengxian…” Cui Baozhu could only say this much before she couldn’t continue.
“Is… is he that fool?” Sang Er couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
“He’s not just foolish,” Cui Baozhu said weakly but with great hatred. “Do you know? His family buys five or six young maids every year, and most of these maids don’t live for more than three months before being tortured to death.”
“Could it be that the young master of the Marquis Fengxian’s family has some strange habits?” Wen Mingqian sensed something.
“That’s right. If he were just foolish, it would be one thing, but he’s both foolish and wicked. He’s naturally inclined to torture people for pleasure, and his inhuman parents indulge his every whim.
I heard that he used to only abuse cats, dogs, and rabbits. Later, when he reached his teens, someone wicked taught him, and he began to take pleasure in torturing people.” At this point, Cui Baozhu no longer cared about propriety for an unmarried young lady. “This is what my Granny found out. She said those maids who were carried out were often bloody and mangled from their chests to their lower bodies. Their deaths were more tragic than the last.
And the Marquis Fengxian’s family, relying on their close ties with Prince Zhao, and buying only helpless daughters who had sold their indentures, has caused so many deaths, yet no one has intervened.”
