Once, he accidentally saw Wu Caiwei leap into a tree to pick flowers, and then slowly float down. He felt as if she were a fairy from heaven. From that moment on, he knew that his nominal mother was skilled in martial arts.
He had originally planned to ask her to teach him, but she left without a word. When she returned, she was with that man, and he felt it was not appropriate to disturb them. He thought there would be plenty of time later, but he never expected to meet his stepmother here.
Wu Caiwei was a woman of action. Two days later, she was ready and set off for Yuzhou with Song Ziyao.
Passing through a small town, a woman tightly grasped Song Ziyao's hand and pleaded, "Young master, please be kind and help us. My mother and I have been driven out by that heartless father, and we have nowhere to go."
Song Ziyao, encountering such a situation for the first time, was a little flustered and quickly looked at Wu Caiwei.
Wu Caiwei shrugged, indicating she couldn't help. In reality, she couldn't help but feel suspicious. Why did she grab Song Ziyao's hand among so many people on the street? Was it all a coincidence? She wanted to observe the unfolding events.
Seeing that he had no one to turn to for help, Song Ziyao quickly took out ten taels of silver from his embrace and handed it to her. "This silver is enough for you and your mother to settle down in this town. Please take it."
"But... but my father is a renowned merchant in this town, and my mother is his original wife. He has a mistress outside and wants to make room for that woman, so he cannot tolerate us. Even if we settle down in this town, how will we live in the future? Young master, please be kind and take us away. We will repay your kindness like oxen and horses." The woman looked at him with a pleading expression, her words filled with sorrow.
Wu Caiwei raised an eyebrow and scrutinized her. Seeing that the woman's gaze had been fixed on Song Ziyao from beginning to end, she reaffirmed her guess. If it were truly as the mother and daughter claimed, then they would be ladies themselves, with servants to attend to them. They wouldn't be so eager to become someone's servant. There was only one possibility: they had been targeting Song Ziyao all along. It seemed that not only had Song Ziyao seen his stepmother in the prefectural city last time, but the other party had likely seen him too and was waiting for him here.
Upon hearing this, Song Ziyao felt a sense of empathy. The woman's plight was so similar to his own. He wanted to help if he could, and he looked at Wu Caiwei with hopeful eyes.
Wu Caiwei immediately turned her head, pretending to admire the scenery. Some things needed to be experienced and reflected upon by himself. If she intervened now, the other party might think she was too heartless. Once he suffered a loss, he would understand that not everyone could be helped, and it was possible the story was specifically concocted to elicit his sympathy.
Song Ziyao gritted his teeth and nodded. The woman's face immediately lit up with joy, and she repeatedly kowtowed to him.
When they departed from this small town, two more women were with them. The two women completely ignored Wu Caiwei and spent their days doting on Song Ziyao, keeping him happily entertained. Song Ziyao, who had been feeling a bit guilty, felt he had done the right thing after seeing their attitude, believing that both women were grateful.
As they were nearing Yucheng, they passed by Lin County. It was getting late, so they took several rooms at an inn in the county town, planning to set off early the next morning. They would then reach Yucheng by evening.
Wu Caiwei, sleeping soundly in the middle of the night, suddenly smelled a strange odor. She quickly covered her mouth and nose, took some medicine, and listened carefully to the sounds next door. After a while, she opened her door and followed them closely.
She saw the two women carrying Song Ziyao to the back door of the inn, where a man was waiting to receive him. They placed him on a carriage, glanced around, and seeing that no one had noticed, quickly departed. Wu Caiwei followed them all the way to the outskirts of the county town, where she saw a plain courtyard from a distance.
As soon as the carriage stopped, several people rushed out and carried Song Ziyao into the house. Wu Caiwei thought for a moment, then went to the back of the courtyard, climbed over the wall, and quietly approached the main house.
A woman looked at the bound Song Ziyao and couldn't help but reveal a malicious smile. She dangled the medicine in her hand under his nose. Song Ziyao slowly woke up, opened his eyes, and seeing the woman before him, he recoiled in fright. Looking around and seeing the mother and daughter who had been flattering him these past few days, he understood everything. It turned out they were her people. He then looked at her with resentment.
"You little brat, you must hate me to death right now. Actually, I hate you to the bone every day. Even if you escape, you've still fallen into my hands. It's the middle of the night, and no one knows you're missing. Even if I kill you, no one will find the murderer." Madam Song couldn't help but feel a surge of wicked delight at the thought that her son would soon be the eldest legitimate son of the Song family and the future head of the family. If it weren't for her husband, she would have taken Song Ziyao directly to that old hag to see how miserably her beloved grandson died. But soon, she would join him. The doctor said she only had three to five months left. Finally, she could escape from her. For so many years, she had disliked her, lorded over her, and constantly compared her to the previous wife. Fearing that she would harm Song Ziyao, she had guarded her constantly. When Song Ziyao disappeared, she had looked at her as if she were a murderer. If the master hadn't arrived in time, she couldn't imagine what her fate would have been.
"What do you want? Murder is punishable by death." Upon hearing her words, Song Ziyao's heart leaped into his throat, and his eyes widened in terror. Sudancn.com
"Murder is punishable by death? Haven't you been collecting evidence to sue me? Where is the evidence? If I can do it once, I can do it a second time." Madam Song laughed heartily as if she had heard a joke, finding him too naive.
"I have already left the Song family. We don't have a deep hatred for each other, so why do you want my life so much?" This was what Song Ziyao found most incomprehensible. It seemed she had contacted a matchmaker to sell him off, but in reality, he had overheard the matchmaker say that she had instructed them to sell him to a place like a mine. His wet nurse had once used mines to scare him, saying that those sold to mines were either beaten to death or worked to death, and none could escape. He had had a vague feeling about this before, but now, from the intense hatred in her eyes, it was clear he had offended her without her knowledge.
"I know you are innocent. It's all because of your mother. I fell for your father first. I only asked her to help me deliver some letters, but I didn't expect her to secretly contact the master. Without my knowledge, the Song family proposed to the Bai family, and only I was kept in the dark. When I heard the news of her death, I even had servants prepare a lavish feast to celebrate. It's all retribution. She took my place, and you took my son's place. I will settle both old and new scores."