kingnovel Chapter 234 Forced
Chapter 234 Forced
When Qi Ji and Sang Moyun finally returned to the Sang family home, Sang Moyun's mother, Madam Wu, had already vomited up most of the stagnant poison. Master Sang was half-embracing his "secondary wife," Madam Wang, who was feigning shock and grief, and was verbally attacking Madam Wu.
“I say, Madam Wu, since you’re in so much pain, why don’t you just end it all? It would save us a lot of trouble. Look at Cang’er, she worries about you every day, she can’t eat or drink, and she’s become so thin. If you continue to drag this body along and live like this, I’m afraid Cang’er will get sick because of you.”
“Master, how can you say such things to my sister? We are like sisters, and we are fortunate enough to serve you together. How can I neglect her? Besides, my sister’s illness was caused by me, so I should take better care of her. I will feel more at ease if I personally handle the matters of fetching doctors and preparing medicine.” The woman being embraced sobbed softly. She wiped her face with a handkerchief and said coquettishly.
As Wu lay on the bed, barely breathing, she nearly choked on a mouthful of poisonous blood and died. But then she thought of Sang Moyun and Qi Ji, who claimed to be Sang Moyun's fiancé, and she pulled through.
At this moment, Madam Wu suddenly believed what Sang Moyun had once said. She also realized that the reason why her health had not improved over a long period of time, but instead continued to deteriorate, was actually due to the poor quality of the family physician.
When Qi Ji first took Wu's pulse, he told her very seriously that she was deeply poisoned and it was a miracle she was still alive. However, it was unlikely that she could recover completely.
Qi Ji also told Wu that the poison she had been given was quite potent, having already ravaged her brain beyond repair. However, the decline of her internal organs could be controlled.
Once the toxins in Wu's body are cleared, she can live for another ten or so years. But no more than that is possible. Furthermore, even if she could live for another ten or so years, she would need careful recuperation and close supervision.
"Hey, Madam Wu, you're not really going to die like this, are you? Hey! Madam Wu! Even if you're going to die, you have to settle all your ancestral dowry and private property before you die!" Seeing Madam Wu lying quietly, no longer moving or coughing up blood, Master Sang assumed she was about to pass away. But he was also eyeing the dowry the Wu family had given her. So he couldn't help but ask.
Actually, it wasn't just Master Sang who coveted Wu's dowry. Madam Wang had also been eyeing it for a long time. But despite her efforts, she hadn't even seen a single penny of those private assets.
Over the years, Madam Wu has supported the entire Sang household's expenses and social engagements with her dowry. Aside from having Master Sang come to collect the money each month, Madam Wu never mentions her dowry at all.
But Madam Wang and Master Sang knew some things. For example, the largest powder shop in the whole capital on Desheng Street, and the most exquisite and luxurious jewelry shop on Xuanwu Avenue.
In addition, the Wu family owned three very profitable estates around the capital. One of them was a hot spring estate. Every winter, the Wu family would rent out that estate to wealthy families who wanted to soak in the hot springs, and collect a high rental fee from it.
With just these few shops and estates, Wu's annual earnings were enough to buy almost the entire Desheng Street. But even with such a large annual income, Wu refused to contribute more to the household expenses.
This was what Master Sang hated most. He had been married to Madam Wu for over a decade, and had almost entirely spent her dowry money. At first, he had hesitated and tried to refuse, because it would have been too detrimental to his sense of male responsibility.
But after ten years without any promotion, Master Sang realized that in this officialdom, unless someone recommended him and he had a lot of money to bribe his way out, he had no hope of getting promoted.
But he was just a lowly military officer, no longer fighting, so where could he find money? Besides, his family was already poor. With his meager stipend, how could he possibly support his entire family?
However, at that time, Wu was already bedridden due to Wang's actions. And everything Wu suffered was tacitly approved by Master Sang.
In order to seize Wu's dowry for themselves, Master Sang and Madam Wang even devised a very despicable plan. They poisoned Wu with two kinds of poison: one was a slow-acting drug that would gradually cause the body's internal organs to fail and die; the other was an extremely slow-acting poison that would erode the brain.
If these two drugs are taken together, the poisoned person will become extremely obedient. However, the more obedient the person is, the more their brain is eroded.
It's unclear what else Wu had taken beforehand, but when she was in a daze and lying in bed, Master Sang couldn't even bring himself to ask about her dowry. So, after enduring this for several years, Master Sang and Madam Wang had no choice but to show their "concern" when they heard that Wu was about to die.
“Sister, the master is asking you a question. Sister, you know that the master has needed a lot of money these past few years to secure a good position in the Ministry of Personnel and advance his career. Sister, you are about to pass away, so why don’t you leave your dowry with me for now? I will keep it safe for Qiqi, and when Qiqi becomes a nun, I will prepare a large dowry for her.” Madam Wang chuckled before speaking softly.
“That’s right. I’m telling you, Madam Wu, don’t be so stubborn. Look at our Moyun, she’s already this age, and not even one person has come to propose marriage. Why don’t you hand over the dowry, so that Cang’er will have a better idea of what to do with it, and then she can help Moyun find a good family.” Master Sang said with a hint of threat.
"Yes, sister, why don't you leave a few good things for Qiqi as her dowry, and give the rest to me and the master? As long as the proceeds are enough for the master to get a good job, that's fine." Madam Wang thought to herself, she wasn't afraid of not being able to handle that little bitch Sang Moyun's dowry. The most important thing right now was to trick that damned woman out of what she had.
"Madam Wu, have you listened to anything I've said? I know you're in a very bad mental state right now, but you should at least leave a few last words. If you refuse to hand over your dowry even in death, then I'll have no choice but to marry Moyun off to a wealthy old merchant as his second wife." Master Sang was losing his patience.
“Master, please don’t be angry. My sister has just been ill for a long time and her mind is confused. Please be patient and wait a little longer; she will come to her senses.” Madam Wang quickly tried to calm Master Sang down. Then, she advised Madam Wu, “Sister, I can’t go against Master’s temper. If Master really wants to sell Qiqi to a merchant’s family to get money, then I can’t stop him.”
Sang Moyun and Qi Ji stood outside the door listening for a long time, until they heard this and could no longer hold back. She was absolutely furious, wishing she could throw that shameless couple into the moat to feed the fish.
"Father, how can you force my mother like this? Father, I advise you to take this jinx with you and leave quickly. Otherwise, I can't guarantee what I might do later." Sang Moyun kicked open Wu's door and roared with great force.
Qi Ji watched from the side, his eyes twitching. He had never known that Sang Moyun had such a fierce side. But at least now he understood Sang Moyun's biggest weakness.