The anger in her heart had nowhere to vent. After thinking for a moment, she ran to Wu Caiwei's courtyard again.
Wu Caiwei looked at the furious Bai Mu opposite her and felt she really needed to see a doctor for her brain.
"You're proud now, aren't you? Ever since you came back, your father doesn't favor me, and your sister has been confined. Who will it be next?" If possible, Madam Bai wished she had never given birth to her.
"It's as if I deliberately harmed you. You need to understand that if Bai Shuxue hadn't tried to harm me, why would she have been punished by Father?" Wu Caiwei was speechless. This was the first time she had seen someone twist the facts so badly.
"You shouldn't have come back. We were all living happily as a family. Your return disrupted all our lives. To stop me from disliking you more, hurry up and beg your father to release your sister." Madam Bai threatened.
Wu Caiwei let out a cold laugh. If the original host were here, she would probably be heartbroken and disappointed. "Whether you like me or not, I don't care. Besides, you take your bright road, and I'll cross my single-plank bridge. Just pretend I don't exist and stop bothering me."
Seeing the disgust in Wu Caiwei's eyes, Madam Bai knew she wasn't lying. While feeling a bit scared, she also thought Bai Yulan was truly heartless. Which young girl didn't crave her parents' love, but she didn't.
To avoid looking too pathetic, she issued a threat, "These are your words. Don't come begging me for help in the future. In my heart, I've only ever given birth to Shuxue, not you, a country bumpkin."
"That's perfect, isn't it? It'll be just as you wish. I wish you and your daughter a lifetime of motherly love and filial piety." Wu Caiwei responded without hesitation.
Madam Bai felt like she was punching cotton when talking to Wu Caiwei, with nowhere to exert her strength. She stomped her foot angrily and left with her servants, feeling as if everyone was mocking her. At that moment, she hated Wu Caiwei.
As things were settling down, Wu Caiwei didn't forget the Lin family in the countryside. After getting Mr. Bai's consent, she bought them a small courtyard and several shops in the local county town, and informed the local government to take good care of the Lin family.
In her spare time from business, she would also wonder about his identity. Although they had traveled together in the same carriage, they hadn't spoken much due to the presence of their respective servants. If he hadn't come to find her for so long, it was probably because he couldn't help himself.
Actually, Wu Caiwei was wrong. In this life, he was called Huangfu Xingchen and was a hostage left in the capital by the Prince of Lu. The reason he hadn't come to find Wu Caiwei was because he had gone hunting in the royal gardens with the Emperor.
When he arrived in this world, he directly received the original host's memories. He was also a pitiful child. His mother was married to him by imperial decree. The Prince of Lu had always been wary of the Princess of Lu, suspecting her to be a spy sent by the Emperor. Finally, they had Huangfu Xingchen, but as soon as he was born, the Prince of Lu cruelly sent him to the capital as a hostage. The Princess of Lu fell ill from worry and despair, and soon passed away from melancholy. She never even saw her own son before she died.
The Prince of Lu felt no guilt over the death of the Princess of Lu and quickly remarried. Although this Princess of Lu was also granted by the Emperor, her father was actually part of his faction, unbeknownst to the Emperor, so they got along well. Soon, they had a legitimate son and daughter, and everyone deliberately ignored Huangfu Xingchen in the distant capital.
As Huangfu Xingchen grew older, he understood his situation and cautiously navigated it. Although the position of heir to the Prince of Lu was his, everyone knew that a hostage was always the one to be abandoned, especially since he was a child without a father's love and a mother's presence. If the Prince of Lu did anything slightly out of line, he would be the first to bear the consequences.
At such a young age, he lived in constant fear, afraid of when the sword hanging over his head would fall. Early wisdom harmed his health, and he was often bedridden.
The moment he took over his body, he became the real Huangfu Xingchen. He did not want to change his sickly image in front of others. A highly skilled doctor, he knew how to deceive the imperial physicians. While secretly treating himself, he practiced internal energy cultivation every night.
In this world, various vassal kings were rising, their powers growing, and the imperial authority was gradually weakening. It was clearly a sign of impending chaos.
There would definitely be a tough battle ahead. Only by honing his skills and recruiting a group of warriors could he protect himself in the chaotic times to come.
After several years of clandestine efforts, his situation was much better than when he first arrived. When the original host was still an infant, he was sent to the capital. Those around him did not pay much attention to his education, as long as he had enough to eat and wear and was safe. The reason for his premature death was mainly that the people around him followed the Prince of Lu's orders and did not care for him enough or guide him correctly.
Everyone knew that the Prince of Lu did not favor this son. When he tried desperately to escape the mire, they mocked him behind his back, watching him like a clown, and not a single person offered a helping hand, including his personal attendants. He was utterly isolated. Su Dan Novel Network.
After his arrival, he refused to let such a situation continue. He set a trap for his two attendants, forcing the steward to expel them. Then, he arranged for people he had chosen himself to join a new batch of young servants, who naturally stayed by his side.
With their help, many things proceeded more smoothly. For example, he recruited some people to help him with his business, and the money earned from the business was used to maintain a force of two thousand men in the mountains.
These were his life's work. To reduce the casualties of his men in future battles, he even taught them some basic internal energy cultivation techniques. Although these techniques seemed very basic to him, they were more than enough in this world. Even if they couldn't fight one against a hundred, they could at least fight one against twenty. The reason he didn't teach more advanced techniques was twofold: fear of betrayal that he couldn't handle, and fear of these techniques falling into the wrong hands, causing major upheaval in this world.
At this moment, the princes and noble sons had just returned from hunting, sharing their joy and spoils. Huangfu Xingchen, however, was coughing uncontrollably. The Emperor unconsciously frowned, then said gently, "I brought my nephew out hunting to help you relax and recover your health. It seems I've done more harm than good. Your health has deteriorated since you arrived. I won't invite you next time, and I hope you don't mind."
"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Emperor. It was your good intention, but my body is too weak and troublesome, causing you trouble." Huangfu Xingchen's already pale face became even more so, and he replied with great trepidation.