Chapter 299: Forced Marriage

Chapter 299: Chapter 299: Forced Marriage

"How can you not recognize me? I’m Auntie Dahua!"

A murmur ran through the crowd in the hall.

Wensi was actually a woman! Their Taoist temple was actually hiding a woman!

The Zhenren seated on both sides rose in surprise; this matter was of great importance.

One of the Zhenren pointed at Wensi and said, "Take off her hat!"

Before Wensi could react, a disciple snatched off her hat, and immediately, a cascade of dark hair fell down like a waterfall.

"She really is a woman!"

"Heavens!"

"She’s quite pretty, actually."

"No wonder we never saw her bathing in the river outside, and she lived alone."

"But Senior Brother Zhu was the one who brought her into the temple."

Everyone’s gazes shifted to Zhu Haojie.

"What are you looking at? This has nothing to do with me! I didn’t even know she was disguised as a man!" Zhu Haojie retorted loudly, seeing everyone stare at him with strange looks.

Zhenren Changfeng looked at Zhu Haojie and said coldly, "Someone saw Wensi leaving, dressed as a woman, in the past. This proves that it’s impossible for you not to know she was a woman. You used your father’s position to let Wensi live alone in a separate place, and that speaks volumes! You’ve hidden a woman in the temple what exactly are you trying to do?"

Zhu Baiqi shielded his son and spoke up, "Senior Brother, we can discuss this privately. There’s no need to..."

"Why is there no need? If there’s something, just say it openly; why be so secretive?" Before he could finish speaking, a Zhenren interjected.

Zhu Baiqi angrily said, "Ren Rong, what does this have to do with you?"

Changfeng said coldly, "Enough! This matter must be thoroughly investigated. Junior Brother Zhu, step aside. Unless you’re asked, you needn’t speak."

"Senior Brother!"

"Retreat!"

Helpless, Zhu Baiqi could only retreat to the side.

Zhu Haojie panicked and cried out, "Father."

"Haojie, tell us, why did you hide her in the Taoist temple?" Zhenren Changfeng asked, looking at Zhu Haojie.

Seeing that his father truly remained silent, Zhu Haojie quickly calmed himself down and said, "Uncle-Master, when I went down the mountain, I saw this girl was all alone and helpless, and I felt pity for her, so I..."

"Then why did you try to kill her to silence her?"

"False accusation! This disciple did not!" Zhu Haojie immediately cried out against the injustice.

Taoist Priest Changfeng snorted coldly and said, "You won’t shed tears until you see the coffin."

Just then, a disciple escorted a Taoist priest inside. Zhu Haojie glanced at him and immediately fell silent.

This person was Zhang Quan, Zhu Baiqi’s trusted disciple.

Zhenren Changfeng spoke, "After thorough investigations by Zhenren Daoguang, a palm print was found on Zhang Quan, proving that he was the one who went to assassinate Wensi."

Zhu Haojie shot a sinister glance at Zhenren Daoguang above.

Seeing Zhu Haojie stubbornly refusing to speak, Zhenren Daoguang looked at Wensi and asked, "Miss Wen, he brought you up the mountain, then abandoned you in the back courtyard to be bullied like this, and even sent someone to assassinate you. Why aren’t you telling the truth yet? There’s no one left in your family; what other concerns do you have?"

Wensi suddenly looked up at Zhenren Daoguang.

"No one?"

Daoguang frowned, but still nodded, truthfully saying, "Yes, indeed, there’s no one left in your family. Even your house has collapsed."

Wensi turned around in a panic, looking at the two people from Wen Family Village.

"Auntie Dahua, where’s my mother? How can there be no one?"

Auntie Dahua said strangely, "Your mother? Your mother passed away just a few days after you left. The villagers even contributed money for her burial."

Hearing this, Wensi burst into tears, crying out, "Mother!"

Then she glared fiercely at Zhu Haojie, who flinched under her gaze.

"This... this can’t be blamed on me. Your mother had an incurable illness; it has nothing to do with me."

"Zhu Haojie! You’ve deceived me terribly!" Wensi screamed and lunged towards Zhu Haojie.

Song An held her back, saying, "Calm down. Explain clearly, what exactly happened?"

Wensi, shedding her initial timidness, pointed at Zhu Haojie and sternly said, "This man is an animal!"

"Three years ago, my mother was gravely ill, and I went out to fetch medicine. On the way, a fierce wind raged and the rain poured down, so I took shelter in a ruined temple.

As soon as I entered, I saw a few Taoist priests inside the temple. Among them was him, Zhu Haojie!

Our Wen Family Village is located at the foot of this mountain, and we held the Royal Taoist Temple in great reverence. Naturally, we also respected Taoist priests greatly.

But men and women should keep their distance, so I stood under the eaves to shelter from the rain, planning to go home once the rain lessened.

Zhu Haojie called out to me and told me to come inside and warm myself by the fire, saying it was cold and he was afraid I’d get sick.

I even thought, ’This Taoist priest is truly kind-hearted,’ so I walked in.

He asked where I lived and who was in my family. I was naive then, and foolishly told him the truth.

Once the rain lessened, I left.

I never expected that he would come looking for me in Wen Family Village."

Wensi reminisced, and everyone in the great hall listened quietly to her narration.

"He brought some tonics and some food, saying he saw it was truly difficult for a young woman like me to live alone.

At first, I didn’t accept them, but I couldn’t resist his persistence. Besides... my mother really needed these medicines.

About half a month passed like this. He said he had a way to cure my mother, and naturally, I was overjoyed when I heard that.

But he demanded that I go up to the Taoist temple with him. He said he was sincere about me, and if I just followed him for five years, he would let me leave the mountain after five years.

I was surprised by his audacity, to dare bring a woman into the Taoist temple, but he repeatedly assured me that no one would know.

Of course, I knew what it meant to enter the Taoist temple with him, but for my mother’s sake, after much thought, I agreed.

At first, although I resisted, he would always say that my mother was getting better and that he had sent some precious medicine to my mother, so I couldn’t refuse.

I also wanted to go and see my mother, but he said my mother had been taken to a divine doctor’s valley for recuperation.

Initially, he treated me fairly well.

As time went on, the novelty wore off, and he grew tired of me.

I was thrown into the back courtyard, doing hard labor every day; he only came by occasionally.

Zhu Haojie, you’re not human! You lied to me!"

This deception separated her from her mother, living and dead!

She couldn’t even imagine how her mother spent those few days after she left.

Was she starved to death?

Everyone looked at Zhu Haojie, who said, "I also wanted to save your mother, but your mother had an incurable disease."

"Even so, you shouldn’t have lied to me! How long were you planning to deceive me? You even tried to kill me to silence me! Animal!" Wensi cried out, tears streaming down her face, pointing at Zhu Haojie.

Everyone sighed in lament.

"Senior Brother Zhu’s actions are truly dishonorable. Since he promised her, he should have kept his word."

"Such a good girl, ruined."

"Senior Brother Zhu is truly licentious, in a Taoist temple... tsk-tsk."

Everyone looked at the delicate and pretty Wensi, then glanced at the ball-shaped Zhu Haojie, especially now, with his face a mass of bruises from Song An’s beating. They all sighed, lamenting, "It’s truly a fresh flower stuck in pig dung."

Zhenren Changfeng let out a light cough, and everyone immediately fell silent.

"Zhu Haojie, you have committed such an evil deed. Do you acknowledge your wrongdoing?"

Zhu Baiqi immediately stepped forward and said, "Senior Brother, Haojie indeed made a mistake in this matter. But young people are inevitably muddled when it comes to love. Our Taoist temple doesn’t have a rule against seeing couples united; wouldn’t it be fine if Haojie just married Miss Wen?"

Wensi cried out, "I disagree! I would rather die than marry this animal! Taoist Priest Changfeng, I beg you to uphold justice for me!"

Zhu Baiqi turned around and glared coldly at her, saying, "You’re just a peasant girl; it’s a blessing accumulated over lifetimes that you can marry my son! You are already my son’s woman. If you don’t marry him, what else do you intend to do?"

Zhenren Daoguang frowned and said, "Zhenren Zhu, that remark is inappropriate."

Zhu Baiqi snorted coldly, looking at Zhenren Changfeng, and said, "Senior Brother, although Haojie made a mistake, it’s not a huge one. Miss Wen’s mother died of illness; it has nothing to do with my son. He merely brought the person he loves back to the Taoist temple and hadn’t had time to inform the elders yet."

Song An frowned and said, "Person he loves? Wasn’t she an innocent maiden he deceived? Just now he sent someone to kill her to silence her, and now she’s become the ’person he loves’?"

Zhu Baiqi said coldly, "Ultimately, this is a matter concerning our Taoist temple; it has nothing to do with any of you."

He then looked at Zhenren Changfeng again, "Senior Brother, you watched Haojie grow up!"

Zhu Haojie also knelt down, crying, "Uncle-Master, Haojie knows he was wrong. Haojie simply fell for Miss Wensi, and Haojie is willing to marry her!"

"I won’t marry him! If you don’t give me justice, I’ll file a complaint with the Emperor!"

Zhenren Changfeng’s expression turned cold, and he said, "You’re just a weak woman. Haojie pities your situation and is willing to marry you. What more could you be dissatisfied with?"

Daoguang’s face fell. Was Changfeng planning to downplay this serious matter again? Not only refusing to uphold justice for this girl, but also trying to force a marriage?

"I am not satisfied!"

At this moment, a clear voice echoed from outside the hall.

...

Su Li cupped her chin in one hand and asked, "Was it Princess Zilian?"

Taoist Priest Mingyang nodded, sighing.

"Yes, it was this incident that caused Zhu Baiqi to bear a grudge against her, leading to the catastrophe that followed."

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