Chapter 182 Elopement was hindered
Madam Luo was in a gloomy. She looked at Luo Chuangu, her second son, who was silent beside her. Then, she thought about her grandson, who was doomed to be weak before he was born. She was very angry. Looking at He Danggui, who was drinking tea there, Madam Luo asked sharply, “Yi, what else do you want to say? Do you really think that with the support of Guan’s Family, you can act unscrupulously before you get married?”
He Danggui put the empty tea cup aside and glanced at Guan Mo. His handsome face was tense. Then she looked at Sun Meiniang, who was beautiful but vicious. It seemed that they were in perfect harmony like temporary partners. Seeing Sun Meiniang singing loudly, Guan Mo beat the drum and played the strings beside her. Were they planning to sing “Snow in Midsummer”?
“Grandma, I have something to say, but for the sake of feelings, let’s go to the internal hall.” He Danggui blinked her bright eyes and asked softly.
“No way!” Before Madam Luo answered, Sun Meiniang and Luo Chuangu stopped her. It was the first time that Luo Chuangu had spoken. He said with a gruff voice, “Yi, you must explain clearly in front of us today. What hatred do you have with Hua Yu? Why did you poison her unborn child? Don’t think that you can ignore our Luo’s Family because you will be the Younger Mistress of Guan’s Family? Whether you can marry depends on my mother’s words!”
Hearing it, He Danggui was a little pleased and confirmed quickly, “Grandma, is it true? Has the marriage with Guan’s Family not been decided yet?”
Sun Meiniang sneered and said, “You are afraid now? Your marriage is only a verbal agreement. Even if we got the letter of appointment, or the red bridal sedan came here, as the elders of Luo’s Family, we would have the right to detain such an unruly girl and let you shave your hair to accompany your mother in the Taoist temple!”
Madam Luo nodded and said, “Yes. Originally, I wanted to find a suitable engagement for you. Over the years, more than a dozen families who came to propose marriage were rejected by me because I couldn’t bear to aggrieve your talent and appearance. Last month, First Madam Guan personally came to propose a marriage because she thought you were smart and she wanted you to stay with her for instructing, which was a great honor for you. However, I wanted you to get more and asked her for the position of Junior Wife. She hasn’t answered me yet. If you really poisoned Concubine Hua, the marriage will be invalid. I will instruct you well for a few years before your marriage.”
He Danggui looked at Guan Mo again and asked slowly, “Second Childe, do you have anything else to say?”
When Guan Mo wanted to grab her hand, He Danggui dodged away. Guan Mo sighed, “Sister He, I’ll support you all the time, so don’t be afraid. Even if the marriage is delayed for several years, I will wait patiently.”
“Ah, but I can’t wait,” He Danggui said and sipped her lips. Her smile was brilliant, but not sincere. She said, “Grandma, in order to for the sake of the guest’s feelings, I don’t want to say these in public originally. After all, Luo’s Family and Guan’s Family are friendly. And the conduct and reputation of Second Childe Guan are more important than whether I’m wronged. However, when I think about it again, Second Childe Guan is only in his twenties, and there is still room for correction of his bad conduct. So, we can’t allow him to talk nonsense because of his face.”
“Third sister, what are you talking about?” The complexion of Guan Mo was uncertain, and he scolded in a low voice, “I’ve been talking for you, so you can’t be ungrateful.”
However, He Danggui had already turned her head and looked at the 3 people in the hall. She said, “Everything happens for a reason. What I have said to Concubine Hua adds up to only 10 sentences, and we only met once in such a large Luo’s Family. Why do I poison her? What will I gain?”
Sun Meiniang refused to let He Danggui go on and yelled, “The evidence is irrefutable, and Concubine Hua has said that she was at big enmity with you. You have the motive to murder her. Now there are human testimony and material evidence. It’s useless for you to make any excuses. You’d better confess your guilt, so as not to suffer physical pain! Ding Rong’s wife!”
A white woman in her fifties came out of the line and said, “Madam, please tell.”
Sun Meiniang peered at He Danggui with a foxy smile and said softly, “Since we are in front of the guest and she is a lady, we can’t carry out the cruel family rules now. Put a stone lock on her first before she speaks, so that she can speak clearly.”
Ding Rong’s wife was ready to take action. Guan Mo was anxious and reached out to grab the girl’s arm beside him, but he only caught the sleeve. Guan Mo affectionately looked at the beautiful girl who was with lidded eyes, and said passionately, “I can’t bear to see you suffer that kind of pain. Sister He, go with me! As long as you are willing to go, no one can stop us here. Not only will I take you out of Luo’s Mansion without damage but also promise to treat you well in the future. Besides, I won’t mind your identity and the mistakes you made when you lost your head for the moment.” While saying that, he was even ready to rush to He Danggui.
He Danggui evaded him twice in a row. While she focused on recapturing her sleeve, she kindly reminded Guan Mo, “Second Childe, there’s a big moth fluttering on your hair. It is flapping the wings. It looks so terrible.”
Hearing this, Guan Mo became stiff for a moment and said reluctantly, “Sister, you have to split the scene when you are joking. The situation is so bad now that you should go with me first instead of caring about anything...”
“Ah!” Shi Liu, who was at the side of the hall, suddenly hugged her head. She jumped and shouted, “A big moth! So terrible! No...”
Guan Mo was also suddenly frightened. He loosened the sleeve of He Danggui and jumped twice. And then he circled internal force to use arts of lightness, which made him fly out in a flash. Then, He Danggui glanced at the 3 people who were slightly surprised in the hall and said solemnly, “The moth is hiding behind his bun, so you can’t see it.”
Sun Meiniang snorted scornfully and thought to herself, “He is really a worthless man. He is 7 chi tall but still afraid of a moth. He Danggui, doesn’t you kneel down and beg for mercy? Even if you haven’t enjoyed the taste of the stone lock of 100 Jin, you should have heard of the story that a maid was crushed off an arm. It seems that you are not willing to give up. You are born to be miserable!”
In a moment, Ding Rong’s wife took an old woman, who was in a dark complexion to the main hall. The former walked very fast, but the latter panted like a bull and walked unsteadily.
Ding Rong’s wife looked back at the old woman impatiently and said, “Biddy Wen, I told you that you can’t push alone, but you drove the others away. I don’t know how long it will take you to push it like this! Madam Luo and Second Mistress Luo are very anxious to wait!”
Biddy Wen pushed a small wooden cart with a pair of old stone locks covered with moss. From her laborious movements, the deep ruts on the ground where the cart passed, and the harsh sound from the wooden cart, it could be known how heavy a pair of old stone locks was. Biddy Wen said with a hoarse voice intermittently, “Administrator Ding, you may not know that the people who put on this lock last time has died for leprosy. Since then, no one dares to get close to this lock. Even if someone wants to help me, I dare not to let them get close to it... So, you must stand far away. It will be troublesome if it infects you!”
Ding Rong’s wife was so scared that she quickly got out of the way. She went to the back of Biddy Wen and the wooden cart, so as to prevent the cart from hitting her if Biddy Wen couldn’t hold the handlebar. Thinking that there was leprosy virus on it, Ding Rong’s wife couldn’t help laughing. She said kindly, “Biddy Wen, push the cart slowly, and I will take care of the back.”
The harsh sound of the cart sounded through the path with plum blossom and the entrance of the main hall. Biddy Wen said in a hot sweat, “I don’t have the strength to move it any more. Let the person who wants to put on it come out.”
Madam Luo calmly asked, “Yi, what else do you want to say?”
He Danggui continued to plead, “Firstly, I have never poisoned Concubine Hua. Secondly, I only heard that the evidence is irrefutable, but I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, so I can’t accept it in my heart. Thirdly, as for Concubine Hua...”
“Well, you don’t have to say that!” Sun Meiniang interrupted her. She winked with Ding Rong’s wife outside the door and said, “Madam Luo, I think she will tell the truth until she suffers the pain. I asked Ding Rong’s wife to transfer a small lock of 20 jin from the torture room. Put it on her and let her suffer a little. Maybe it can make her be sober.”
Without any words, Madam Luo picked up the black jujube tea and drank it. The steaming cup covered half of her face. Ding Rong’s wife stepped forward and looked down at He Danggui, who was sitting upright on the small stool. Then Ding Rong’s wife asked, “Third Miss, do you want to put the lock by yourself, or by 2 maids and me?”
He Danggui stood up slowly and walked to the door. Ding Rong’s wife sneered and followed He Danggui for several steps. When Ding Rong’s wife thought that there was virus on the stone lock, she stopped. It would be better to stay away from it.
Biddy Wen put the wooden cart at the door and took a breath. Seeing He Danggui come out, Biddy Wen looked at He Danggui up and down. Then Biddy Wen asked, “Are you going to put it on, Third Miss? Can you?”
He Danggui shook her head and said, “I don’t know. Let me try it.” Sun Meiniang said it was 20 jin, but it seemed that the stone lock was no less than 150 jin, and all the weight would be concentrated on the shoulder. She might not put it on for a long time. How long could the Overlord of the Western Chu carry the Ding (weighty treasure; as symbol of dynasty)? The most troublesome thing was that she had deep internal force and Zhenqi. If any external injury couldn’t be seen, wouldn’t it be very suspicious?
“You don’t know?!” Biddy Wen burst out in a loud voice, which scared He Danggui. Biddy Wen said, “Have a try first?! Young people are always indiscreet. Give me an accurate answer! If you can’t carry it and still want to try, you’ll die!”
He Danggui was slightly annoyed. Did I want to put it on voluntarily? What did the black biddy want to do? She folded her dress and squatted beside the wooden cart. She couldn’t bear to say, “Quickly. We are all anxious.”
“Ha!” Biddy Wen felt strange and said, “It is the first time that the one who is tortured is more anxious than the torturer. Later, you will feel that time is slower than before.” As she said, she put the stone lock on He Danggui’s shoulders and told her years of experience, “Before putting on it, 15 minutes is as long as 2 hours; after that, several seconds is as long as 2 hours! Enjoy it slowly...”
Then, He Danggui, who was putting on a stone lock, moved into the main hall step by step. Shi Liu beside the door cleverly brought the stool to the door. He Danggui moved half a step with difficulty, and slowly bent down to sit down. After that, her slender shoulders were covered with blood, even her chest. Looking from a distance, she seemed to be wearing a blue cloth with red embroidery on her upper body.
Madam Luo couldn’t bear to see it and turned her head. She said, “Yi, confess your guilt quickly. I’ll let someone remove the lock on you. If you do it, you will only be forbidden to go outside and copy scriptures to get rid of the demons in your heart, instead of suffering pain.”
Sun Meiniang disagreed, “Madam Luo, you can’t let it go like that. Even if you are bias for her, you should at least cut her hair and let her criticize herself for 3 or 5 years!”
“No!” Guan Mo ran from a distance as quick as the wind, and he was about to remove the stone lock. But as soon as his hands got the stone lock, Biddy Wen came to stop him and screamed, “This pair of stone locks is very dirty.” Then she turned to whispered, “It was stained with leprosy virus.”
Guan Mo couldn’t help shouting when he heard it, “Remove it quickly. You can’t treat her like this!” These words were really sincere, which sounded shrill.
Although he wanted He Danggui to suffer some pain, he never intended to kill her! She was so beautiful and cold to him, but he didn’t even touch her. If she died, who would he revenge for the last humiliation? And how to help his sister repay the shame of being broken off the engagement? He was so determined to get her that no one could kill her except for him!
Thinking of this, he broke away from the biddy with black face, who was entangled with him. Then he wanted to break the lock of hundred jin on He Danggui.
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