amaotonovel Chapter 367 My Vicious Cousin 1
Chapter 367 My Vicious Cousin 1
In winter, the cold wind, mixed with falling snow, cuts across the face like icy blades, stinging the skin.
The usually bustling streets were deserted as people hurried home to warm up.
In the midst of heavy snowfall, two young girls, one in front of the other, trudged through the thick snow, making their way to the Minister's residence.
"Miss, look over there, isn't there someone? They're probably freezing to death in this weather," the maid Xiaotao couldn't help but feel sorry for them.
"Ignore it, let's go."
Xiao Tao was puzzled. Her young mistress was usually very charitable and often took her out to do free medical consultations. Why was she so unmoved when she saw someone lying in the snow today?
"Miss...we're not going to save him? In this weather, he might freeze to death."
Qingmo turned around and slapped Xiaotao hard across the face.
"Since when has it become acceptable for a maid like you to interfere with Miss's decisions?"
Xiao Tao was stunned by the beating; her cheeks quickly swelled up, and her eyes were filled with terror, but she dared not utter another word.
She really didn't understand why her mistress was so angry today.
She had served the young lady since she was a child. The young lady was kind-hearted and treated her like a sister. She had never hit her like this before.
Qingmo snorted coldly, turned around and continued walking towards the Minister's residence.
Xiao Tao bit her lip and hurriedly followed, turning back every three steps to look at the unconscious person in the snow with pity.
She could only wish in her heart that the man would be blessed by heaven; she was just a maid, she couldn't save him.
As soon as she returned to the manor, Qingmo went to her own courtyard and took off her cloak, which was soaked by the heavy snow. Her second-class maid, Xiaohua, quickly handed her a hand warmer to warm her up, showing great thoughtfulness.
On the contrary, her personal maid Xiao Tao was already standing by the lit brazier to warm herself and dispel some of the chill.
She muttered, "Miss, next time it snows so heavily, please don't go out for free clinics. It's too cold."
It sounds like she's doing it for the young lady's own good, but actually she just doesn't want to go out and freeze with her.
Qingmo glanced at her coldly, took the ginger tea Xiaohua handed her, took a sip, and then said in a cool tone, "Xiaotao doesn't know the rules. You're punished by kneeling in the courtyard for an hour."
Xiao Tao was stunned, as were the other maids in the room.
What's wrong, Miss? Miss usually dotes on Xiao Tao the most.
The bond between Miss and Xiaotao was far beyond what these servants of the Minister's household could compare to. After all, when Miss entered the household, she only brought Xiaotao, her personal maid.
Xiao Tao didn't want to go, so she could only weakly retort: "Miss, did Xiao Tao do something wrong? The snow outside has been so heavy for an hour, I'm afraid my legs will get frostbite."
Qingmo remained silent, only giving the other maids in the room a cold glance.
They understood and went over to drag Xiaotao out.
Xiao Tao persisted, "Miss, I was wrong, I'll never do it again. I've been with you since we were little."
Qingmo simply drank her ginger tea quietly, ignoring everything else.
Ha, it's because the original owner had a good nature that Xiao Tao developed a lack of respect for hierarchy. Even a servant dared to be disrespectful and unruly in front of her.
As for the wounded young man lying in the snow, that was the original owner's husband in her previous life, Chu Zhao, the heir of the Chu Prince's Mansion.
At this time, Chu Zhao did not yet have the surname Chu; his name was Ding Zhao. He had not yet been recognized by the Queen of Chu and returned to the royal palace. He was just an ordinary person who was poor and destitute.
Because of his family's poverty, Chu Zhao was often bullied by local thugs. It was on this occasion that he fainted in the snow and was saved by the original owner of this body.
The original owner not only saved him, but also made him a guard in the Minister's mansion.
The original owner of this body, Meng Qingqing, was the orphan of a valiant general. The general sacrificed his life for the country, leaving behind only her, an orphan girl who had not yet reached adulthood.
Her mother, a merchant, died in childbirth, leaving her a large fortune.
Her uncle, Minister Meng, fearing that she, an orphan, would be bullied and left unattended, took her into his household to live with him, so that she could live a peaceful life after she got married.
To be fair, the Minister's mansion treated the original owner well. Her food, clothing, and daily necessities were no different from those of the young masters and ladies in the mansion, and her uncle and aunt were also very kind to her.
But since he was living under someone else's roof, the original owner would feel somewhat uncomfortable, so he always humbled himself and avoided causing trouble.
Her cousin, Meng Yunluo, was pampered and spoiled from a young age, which inevitably made her somewhat spoiled and vicious.
Ding Zhao entered the manor and, because of his handsome appearance, was assigned to Meng Yunluo's courtyard.
Upon first seeing Meng Yunluo, Ding Zhao was stunned by her beauty and couldn't help but stare at her face, lost in thought.
That one glance was enough to make Meng Yunluo loathe him to the extreme.
She, the legitimate daughter of a high-ranking official, is not worthy of being looked at by such a lowly servant.
From then on, Meng Yunluo made fun of him, making him kneel in the bitter cold wind in the snow wearing only a thin shirt during the winter.
In the summer, he knelt outside the courtyard holding a candle, letting the scalding hot wax drip onto his hands, burning them with blisters.
Whenever she was in a bad mood, she would take it out on Ding Zhao, whipping him again and again, because how dare a servant like him covet the young lady?
The original owner felt guilty when he saw how he was being treated.
If she hadn't saved him and brought him into the manor, he wouldn't have been abused by his cousin.
Every time Ding Zhao was harassed by Meng Yunluo, she would rush to his aid and even secretly bring him medicine for his injuries.
Although Meng Yunluo had a bad temper, she never made things difficult for the original owner's cousin. She simply disliked the original owner's timid and submissive nature.
The original owner helped Ding Zhao out of a predicament, and Meng Yunluo always gave her some face in return.
But she'll still hit me the next time; that's just how willful she is.
Two years later, when the Queen Consort of Chu returned to the capital with the King of Chu, she came to his door and said that Ding Zhao was her son who had been lost many years ago.
Ding Zhaoyi rose from a servant to become the heir apparent of the royal family, and changed his name to Chu Zhao.
At that time, Meng Yunluo had already married the eldest son of the Prime Minister's family.
Chu Zhao asked the Minister's mansion for the original owner of the body to marry him because the original owner had been kind to him and he loved her.
The original owner naturally agreed to the marriage.
After all, she and Chu Zhao had some feelings for each other, and marrying him was better than marrying a complete stranger she had never met.
However, the Queen Consort of Chu was extremely dissatisfied.
In her eyes, her son was naturally the best. How could a general's son, an orphan with no maternal family to support him, be worthy of marrying her son as his principal wife?
However, Chu Zhao insisted on marrying her, and the Queen of Chu eventually nodded in agreement.
At that time, the original owner was happy to get married, and she would no longer have to live under someone else's roof.
Little did she know, Chu Zhao had never loved her.
Chu Zhao is in love with her cousin, Meng Yunluo.
In his eyes, Meng Yunluo was a noble lady from the capital, beautiful and elegant, and the unattainable white moonlight in his heart.
Although Meng Yunluo was arrogant and domineering, he thought it was all justified and even endearing.
He liked her looking down on him from a high position, and even liked her scolding and beatings, because it proved that she had him in her eyes.
In her heart, he was ultimately different.
But it was too late, everything was too late.
Meng Yunluo is already married.
The original owner and Meng Yunluo were cousins and looked somewhat alike. It was because of this that he married the original owner.
He married the original owner of the body, but he was unwilling to let her get pregnant because he felt that only the person he loved was worthy of bearing his child.
He then secretly gave the original owner a drug that would prevent her from having children.
The fact that Chu Zhao had not conceived a child naturally displeased the Queen Consort, who not only made things difficult for the original owner of the body in every way, but also wanted to arrange for Chu Zhao to take a concubine.
But Chu Zhao refused, stating that he would only have the original owner in his life and would never take a concubine. Everyone praised his deep affection, and even the original owner believed it to be true.
However, when the Princess Consort of Chu was tormenting the original owner of the body, Chu Zhao just watched coldly without saying a word, telling her to endure it.
It wasn't until the news of Meng Yunluo's death in childbirth arrived that the original owner realized how ridiculous she had been.
Because her husband actually drew his sword and committed suicide in his study.
The letters he hid in his room were all about his longing for Meng Yunluo and his unrequited love.
Half a month after Chu Zhao's death, the original owner of the body also died.
He was poisoned to death by the Queen Consort of Chu.
She blamed the original owner for not leaving Chu Zhao with any children, and since her son was dead, she would make the original owner be buried with him.
The official statement was that the original owner of the body, missing her deceased husband, hanged herself.