Chapter 457 - 451_1
Zhang Qiusheng was deeply ashamed when Lin Yue questioned him. "I, Dongjia’s wife, I apologize. I also know that I’ve been too selfish, but there really wasn’t any other way out. Moreover, I’ve heard that the Wei Family’s old master, Zhao Fuquan, has a concubine named Zhao Lingxiang who is siblings with Dongjia. I just thought that since the old master currently favors Zhao Lingxiang the most, he might spare us for the sake of his concubine’s connection and not hold a grudge against Dongjia, thus letting our family off the hook. Even if the old master still refuses to let us go, he probably wouldn’t make things difficult for Dongjia, after all, Dongjia is the concubine’s family."
The reason Zhang Qiusheng had followed Zhao Fuquan and appealed to Lin Yue was clearly after some inquiry, but he had obviously not gathered comprehensive information, so he was unaware that Zhao Lingxiang and Zhao Erhu were half-siblings who shared the same father but different mothers, and even less aware of the antagonistic relationship between them, which was worse than that between strangers. Otherwise, Zhao Lingxiang wouldn’t have always tried to trample over Zhao Erhu and his wife, even though she had never succeeded.
"So, in such a short period of time, Master Zhang has inquired about my household’s affairs. You probably don’t know, Master Zhang, my husband and the Wei Residence’s concubine are indeed siblings, but they are actually half-siblings who share the same father but different mothers. My husband was driven out penniless from the family by his stepmother. So, you can probably imagine the relationship between the concubine and us. The fact that the concubine doesn’t come after our family is already quite remarkable, let alone anything else."
"I..." Upon hearing Lin Yue’s words, Zhang Qiusheng’s slim hope, to which he had desperately clung like a straw, vanished. Despondently, he slumped to the ground. Was it that, in the end, he would have no choice but to send his daughter to serve as a concubine to the old master of the Wei Family? The Wei patriarch was already advanced in age, and his daughter, just coming of age and as beautiful as a flower, would be soiled. Overwhelmed by the moment, he could not hold back his tears any longer.
Lin Yue watched Zhang Qiusheng in silence, sipping her tea, feeling that it was about time to speak again. "You needn’t be so disheartened. I say this not because I’m afraid of the Wei Family. The Wei Family has coveted what belongs to my family more than once, yet they haven’t been able to do anything to us up to this day."
After the disillusionment came renewed hope, though Zhang Qiusheng couldn’t quite identify his feelings. Being advanced in age and having worked in his profession for many years, he had developed a keen eye and intellectual acumen. It seemed he had indeed found someone capable of countering the Wei Family—and not by depending on the concubine’s connection, but with their own support to back them up. Otherwise, their talk wouldn’t be so confident. This situation was even better than what he had anticipated. After all, relying on the relation with the concubine would still leave ultimate control in the old master’s hands. Now, if he could demonstrate significant worth that appealed to Dongjia, he could secure Dongjia’s protection and escape the grasp of the Wei patriarch.
Despite these prospects, Zhang Qiusheng was aware that whether Dongjia’s wife was willing to help still remained an uncertainty. Clearly capable, her earlier speech was merely a display of dissatisfaction with his selfishness, likely to leverage conditions from him. If he couldn’t satisfy Dongjia’s wife now, the outcome was predictable.
"I beg Dongjia’s wife to help, to save our family. If only my daughter could avoid being seized by the old Wei patriarch, I would do anything for you, Dongjia’s wife, even if it means working like an ox or a horse," Zhang Qiusheng pleaded on his knees, his gaze filled with hope, staring intently at Lin Yue, waiting for her to set the terms.