Tao Chuzhuo's eyes fluttered open hazily as he lay in the pile of weeds. Just as he tried to get up, he felt a wave of weakness wash over him. He had been unconscious for so long, and now that he had woken up without a drop of water or a bite of food, his body was naturally extremely frail.
Tao Qianmian noticed his movements and quickly came to help him. The clothes and jewelry they had arrived with had all been plundered by the beggars here. Now, his only reliance was on this son.
"Father, my face hurts so much. Am I seriously injured? Why don't you get me a doctor?"
Tao Qianmian stammered, afraid to speak. At that moment, Zheng Wan'er said, "Where would we get the money to hire a doctor? Right now, other than the clothes we're wearing, we have nothing. It's all your mother's fault for divorcing Qianmian Gege. Such a petty person, don't even great officials' households have a few concubines in their backyards?"
"Shut up."
"And you won't even let me speak," Zheng Wan'er said angrily, turning her head away and refusing to look at the father and son.
"Father, go fetch a basin of water. I want to see my face."
Tao Qianmian found a broken wooden basin and brought back a basin of dirty water. Seeing his reflection in the water, Tao Chuzhuo's heart sank by half.
The wound was deep, exposing bone right in the middle of his face. Now that they had no money, if a scar were left, his official career would be ruined.
"Chuzhuo, don't be afraid. You have a considerable talent for studies. Tomorrow, I'll beg your mother to hire the best doctor for you. Your face will be fine."
Tao Chuzhuo's heart settled a little. His mother was a soft-hearted woman. She would definitely save him, she definitely would.
The dilapidated temple was drafty, and the three of them were starving, unable to sleep well throughout the night. The next morning, they prepared to find Jun Jiuli.
"Father, we can't take her with us. If my mother sees her, she'll be even more angry and will definitely ignore us."
"Qianmian Gege, I'm scared. This place is so desolate. If you leave me here alone, something might happen."
"Yes, Chuzhuo, Wan'er is still young. We can have her kneel and apologize to your mother. Leaving her alone here, I'm truly worried."
"You're still spoiling her. It's because of her that our family has been torn apart. If it weren't for her, you'd still be a distinguished general, with fame, fortune, and endless wealth from the Jiang family. I think you've truly been bewitched by her."
Tao Qianmian thought carefully and felt his son had a point. If he hadn't provoked Zheng Wan'er, that shrew Jiang Li wouldn't have changed her temperament so drastically. He didn't know what unorthodox methods she had learned to frame him like this.
Thus, Tao Qianmian logically blamed everything that had happened on Zheng Wan'er. If she hadn't seduced him, he wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.
So, he hardened his heart and said, "Wan'er, your Aunt Jiang doesn't like you. You wait for us here. Once we successfully gain Jiang Li's trust, we'll come back to pick you up."
Zheng Wan'er knew what the father and son were thinking, but these two were her lifeline. If they left, they would absolutely not come back for her.
So, she fell to her knees with a thud, grabbing Tao Qianmian's trouser leg. Piteously, she said, "Qianmian Gege, please, just take me with you. I'll be your servant or maid, anything."
"Wan'er doesn't dare to ask for anything more. I will serve Aunt Jiang well and sincerely repent to her. If you leave me here alone, how will Wan'er survive? Qianmian Gege, boohoo, please."
After speaking, she kowtowed repeatedly. Her forehead bled from the impact, yet she did not stop.
Tao Qianmian's heart softened slightly, and just as he was about to reach out to help Zheng Wan'er up, Tao Chuzhuo shot him a fierce glare. He sheepishly withdrew his hand, yanked away his trouser leg that Zheng Wan'er was gripping, and helped Tao Chuzhuo leave.
Zheng Wan'er got up and chased after their retreating figures. Although all three were weak, Zheng Wan'er, having been pampered by Jiang Li, couldn't keep up after only a short distance and was out of breath.
She looked around at the desolate surroundings and didn't remember which way to go. She could only retrace her steps back to the dilapidated temple, praying that Tao Qianmian would come back for her.
Tao Qianmian and his son supported each other as they arrived at the bustling East Street of the capital. However, they had no idea where Jun Jiuli's residence was.
Swallowing his pride, they began asking people around, but as soon as passersby saw their faces, they pointed and sneered at them.
"How dare you ask for Miss Jiang's address? Don't bully people like this. And yesterday in court, you chose to follow your father. Now that you know your father has lost his official position, you want to leech off your mother again?"
These words enraged Tao Qianmian and his son. Tao Chuzhuo weakly said, "No matter who I choose to follow, she is my mother. Now that I'm in trouble, isn't it right for her to help me?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, how shameless. Yesterday you broke Miss Jiang's heart, and today you have the audacity to come knocking."
"Hahaha."
Unable to bear the humiliation, the two fled in disgrace amidst the jeers of the crowd.
After asking for directions all morning, they still couldn't find Jun Jiuli's residence. They found a spot by a wall in a small alley to rest, as they were too hungry and had no strength left.
At that moment, two beggars approached with their broken bowls. "Go, go, this is the place for the masters. Don't you know?"
"Your names aren't written here, so why can't we sit here?"
"Eh, I see you young fellow don't appreciate a good offer and prefer a harsh lesson. Er Gou, teach these two a lesson."
With that, the two beggars put down their broken bowls and, with clenched fists, walked towards them. They proceeded to beat and kick them, only letting them go after forcing them to crawl between their legs.
Both of them shed tears of humiliation. Tao Chuzhuo, in particular, memorized the faces of the two men, clenching his fists tightly. He swore to repay this insult a hundredfold in the future.
Seeing that they were unyielding, the two men stripped them of their clothes and put them on themselves, then beat their faces into pig-like swells. Finally, they dragged them out and threw them outside.
Both of them landed face-first, their noses nearly crushed. Just then, Young Master Zhao rode past on his horse. Tao Chuzhuo buried his face in his knees, but he was still recognized.
Young Master Zhao, sitting high on his horse, looked down at him. He mockingly looked at Tao Chuzhuo and teased, "Yo, isn't this the renowned scholar from our academy? How did you end up half-naked, begging on the streets?"
"I heard your father was divorced by your mother. This is the only case of a husband being divorced in the history of our Zhao Kingdom. Hahaha. Looking at you, it seems you won't be able to go to the academy even after the New Year. On account of our past classmate friendship, I'll give you some charity money."
Saying this, he took out some loose silver from his pouch and threw it on the ground. The Tao father and son were most in need of money now. They knelt on the ground and tightly grasped the money.
"You received my charity, and you don't even say thank you?"
Tao Chuzhuo gritted his teeth, stood up, and bowed to Young Master Zhao. "Tao thanks Young Master Zhao for his bounty."
"Hahahaha!" Young Master Zhao laughed heartily and rode away, his joy evident to everyone around.