Quick Transmigration: Refusing to Be a Victim's Child

The carriage came to a steady stop at the foot of Qingquan Mountain. All around, carriages stood in rows, some luxurious and some simple, arranged in an orderly fashion on both sides of the road.

Vendors lined both sides of the road, selling a wide variety of goods, from colorful handicrafts and tempting snacks to all sorts of books and paintings. Their calls rose and fell, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

The Ci'en Temple is hidden halfway up the mountain, its green-tiled roof peeking out from between layers of trees. Under the shadow of the clouds, the roof seems to float with a warm glow, as if it were shrouded in Buddha's light.

As the Shao family mother and daughter stepped down from the carriage, Shao Mingzhu, dressed in a light pink dress and with only a simple jade hairpin in her hair, looked fresh and refined.

As soon as she looked up, she saw several beautiful young ladies dressed in gorgeous clothes, being escorted by servants as they ascended the steps. The ladies were dressed in splendid clothes, and the jewels in their hair shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight.

Perhaps noticing the commotion, several of the young ladies walked gracefully toward Shao Mingzhu.

The young lady at the head of the group wore a pale yellow dress and had a haughty air about her. She glanced at the old lady who was hurrying away and then deliberately looked Shao Mingzhu up and down, her eyes filled with scrutiny and disdain.

Then she covered her mouth and chuckled softly, saying:

"It has been a long time since I have seen the County Princess Shao go out. I never expected to have the good fortune to meet her today. I suppose the County Princess also heard the news of the Master’s sermon today and came to absorb some Buddhist knowledge."

After saying that, she even raised her hand to adjust the hairpin on her head. It was a new style launched by the most famous Linlang Pavilion in the capital, and she had gone to great lengths to get it.

The noble ladies standing nearby exchanged smiles, appearing outwardly amicable, but their words were all subtly mocking Shao Mingzhu.

After all, the scandals of the Marquis of Jingyuan's mansion had already spread like wildfire throughout the city, and even three-year-old children on the street had probably heard about them.

I don't know where Shao Mingzhu got the audacity to come to Ci'en Temple to join in the fun; he's probably here specifically for those young masters.

Hmph, how shameless!

"Some people have eyes, but they can't even recognize people. They must not be very bright."

In my opinion, it's best to stop listening to these so-called masters' lectures and go see a doctor as soon as possible.

Shao Mingzhu's good mood was instantly ruined. Her originally fair complexion turned extremely ugly, her beautiful eyes widened, and she immediately retorted without any politeness:

"Get out of my way right now, don't block my path!"

Having said that, she deliberately shoved the leading girl aside. The girl stumbled and almost fell, her face filled with shock and anger. Shao Mingzhu then flicked her sleeves and strode away.

The girls who remained in the spot were immediately filled with righteous indignation.

"Look at her arrogant and domineering manner, she still thinks she's the same as before."

"Why bother arguing with someone like that? With such muddle-headed parents, she's destined to get nowhere."

"Hmph, I'll see how long she can keep up her arrogance."

……

Shao Mingzhu naturally couldn't hear the conversation of the people behind her.

She held her breath the whole way, deliberately avoiding the front hall of the temple. In the distance, she saw a group of elegant young men reciting poems by the stream.

The scene was so poetic that Shao Mingzhu involuntarily stopped in her tracks.

She hid behind an ancient tree, her gaze unconsciously falling on a young man dressed in white.

This man had a face like jade, eyebrows like ink paintings, and an imposing presence. Every gesture he made exuded elegance and grace, like a rare and precious tree, standing apart from the world.

Shao Mingzhu was instantly captivated, and a blush, like the glow of the sunset, quietly rose on her pretty face.

She quickly reached out, grabbed a maidservant beside her, and said urgently in a very low voice:

"Who is that person? Why have I never seen him before? Go and inquire around here immediately."

The maidservant glanced into the distance following her gaze, quickly bowed her head in agreement, and then turned and hurriedly left.

Shao Mingzhu remained where she was, staring intently into the distance, and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle a few times.

However, in an instant, she saw a fat man suddenly appear in front of the young master, blocking his view.

Her eyebrows shot up, her face darkened, and she couldn't help but whisper angrily:

"You fat pig, don't you even look at your ugly appearance? How could someone like you be worthy of participating in such an elegant occasion for reciting poetry? Humph, you're just an eyesore."

"Little sister, could it be that you've taken a fancy to that young man in white?"

"As your elder brother happens to know this man's background, if my younger sister is interested, would you mind having me invite him to our residence?"

The sudden sound of that familiar voice startled Shao Mingzhu, causing her heart to leap. She instinctively turned around, her eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty, and blurted out:

"Big...Big Brother, what are you doing here?"

Shao Linshen raised an eyebrow slightly, his fingertips casually tapping the jade belt at his waist, and said with a half-smile:

"What, can't I come here?"

"No, of course not."

Shao Mingzhu looked up at her older brother, whose aura was cold and stern, and subconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly.

Ever since this person returned from outside, he seemed to have undergone a complete transformation. His once warm and smiling eyes now always held a hint of coldness.

She stammered, then hurriedly explained:

"I thought you would find this ceremony too mundane and would never bother to come. If I had known you would be here, I would have come with you..."

Midway through her sentence, she suddenly remembered what her elder brother had just said about "knowing the white-robed young master's background," and immediately, seemingly casually, cast her gaze upon the handsome figure in the crowd, and began to speak:

"When did you meet that young master, brother? He looks like he stepped out of a painting."

-

Shao Linshen followed her gaze and saw that his younger sister's eyes were filled with infatuation. A cryptic smile crept onto his lips.

“I have never met him, but his father is the Marquis of Anyuan, and I have had dealings with the Marquis of Anyuan a few times.”

"So this young master is the son of Marquis Anyuan?" Shao Mingzhu's eyes lit up immediately, and she couldn't wait to ask.

"That's right. However, this person is the son of Marquis Anyuan's first wife. Because he was weak in his childhood, he was raised in his hometown of Xuzhou until recently when he was brought back to the capital. Therefore, he does not have a deep relationship with Marquis Anyuan."

Shao Lin paused, his gaze falling on the plump young man in brocade robes and adorned with gold and jade beside the white-robed young man, and then said:

"But the kind and plump gentleman next to him is the son of Marquis Anyuan's second wife, and I've heard that he is quite favored by Marquis Anyuan."

"Ah, then...then he has nothing to rely on?" Shao Mingzhu's tone instantly became dejected.

But looking at the fat young master's oily face, she couldn't help but turn her gaze back to the young master in white, who was twisting his handkerchief with a worried expression.

Shao Linshen looked at her picking and choosing, secretly scoffing in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged as he said:

"If you are interested in their household affairs, there will be a flower viewing banquet at the Marquis of Anyuan's residence in seven days. If you would like to go, I will have my mother take you there."

Shao Mingzhu was overjoyed. Looking at Shao Linshen, who was unusually easy to talk to, her previous fear of him dissipated considerably. However, she pretended to be reserved and said:

"Who's interested in the trivial matters of their household? But I'm just idling at home anyway, so I might as well go and see how that flower-viewing banquet is going."

Shao Linshen's lips curled slightly, and he said meaningfully, "Don't worry, I definitely won't let you down."

……

On the other side, at the foot of the mountain.

The old lady, who was still wandering around looking for someone, was secretly anxious, fearing that she had been tricked by that wretched eldest son again.

His face darkened instantly, and he urged the servants beside him to search the vicinity again.

However, Shao Linshen wasn't lying this time.

The second son, Shao Zhili, did indeed come. He was currently setting up a stall in a corner, selling his calligraphy and paintings to earn a living.

Most of his close friends and relatives who once confided in him have now drifted away.

Because he had borrowed money from them once before, when Shao Zhili went to look for them again, they all avoided him.

Those with a slightly better attitude would have their servants give them a few taels of silver; those with a bad attitude would often be verbally abused, and some would even resort to physical violence.

Shao Zhili was now struggling financially; his clothes had been washed countless times and were long since worn out. Compared to the last time he met the old lady, both father and son had become increasingly thin.

For the past two weeks, his leg injury has not yet healed. Due to lack of food and clothing and no extra money to buy medicine, he can only walk with the help of crutches, and appears to have a limp. It is not very noticeable when he walks slowly, but it becomes very obvious when he walks fast.

Unfortunately, the son was disobedient, constantly saying he wanted to go find his father and making a fuss about returning to the Marquis's mansion.

Shao Zhili was furious, thinking to himself, 'Besides his own father, who else does this unfilial son want to find?'

As these difficult days dragged on, Shao Zhili grew increasingly irritable, and couldn't help but feel resentment towards Jiang Wanyin:

'My mother was right. If that woman hadn't deliberately seduced me, I wouldn't have ended up entangled with her.'

If it weren't for that woman implicating him, he would still be the young master of a marquis's mansion, with a bright future ahead, and most likely, he would even marry a princess.

In retrospect, Jiang's death is not a pity, but it is pitiful that I was implicated innocently.

Thinking of Jiang Shi, and looking at the child in front of him who only knew how to cry, Shao Zhili's last remaining father-son affection had almost completely disappeared.

Finally, a robust man came to the stall that had been deserted for half a day.

The other person was holding a bag of silver, tossing it up and down, before squatting down in front of Shao Zhili and slowly saying:

"Shao Er, it's been so long, you should have thought it through by now, right? So, are you going to sell this little kid next to you?"

"If you're willing, I'll take him away today, and the price is negotiable. But after today, even if you beg me, I won't buy him."

Upon hearing this, Shao Zhili slowly raised his head and looked at the man who had robbed him of his residence and money. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

Upon noticing the group of servants following behind the other man, he finally released his grip, lowered his eyes, and remained silent for a long while before slowly saying:

"...How much silver can you offer?"

Seeing that Shao Zhili seemed to be relenting, a hint of joy flashed in the man's eyes, and he deliberately spoke slowly:

"Look at your current state of destitution, it's a blessing for your son that someone is willing to take him in."

I won't waste any more time with you. This bag of silver is a full twenty taels; that's already a high price given out of consideration for our past relationship.

Shao Zhili felt a pang of pain in his heart. Twenty taels of silver was nothing more than money he would casually tip his servants in the past.

But now, it has become his son's net worth.

He looked at the man in front of him, his heart filled with hatred. If this man hadn't conspired with others to frame him for theft, he wouldn't have ended up in such a state.

But at this moment, he was truly desperate, struggling to even support himself, let alone raise a child.

Moreover, with this child present, Princess Ruihe probably wouldn't want to see him.

It's just one child; in the future... he could have many more children if he wanted.

However, Shao Zhili didn't want to give in to the other party's wishes so quickly. Seeing this person keep coming to him, no matter who was behind him, Shao Zhili just wanted to heal his leg injury first, and then go to the princess's residence...

"Twenty taels? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?"

Shao Zhili feigned indignation:

"My son is of the Marquis's blood, and you're only giving him this little bit of silver?"

The man sneered:

"The Marquis's mansion? You've been kicked out of the Marquis's mansion now, what's the point of mentioning the Marquis's bloodline? Besides, this child will only suffer if he stays with you."

"If you come with me, you'll at least have enough to eat and wear. If you don't agree, I'm leaving."

After saying that, the man made a move to get up and leave.

"and many more!"

Shao Zhili gritted his teeth and shouted loudly to stop the man.

Under the mocking gaze of the other party, he took a deep breath, suppressing the surging humiliation and anger within him, and spoke with difficulty:

"...Give me the money first!"

The man's lips curled slightly upwards, and he gave his attendant a meaningful look, a half-smile playing on his lips.

The attendant understood immediately and pulled out a handful of loose silver from his pocket, casually tossing it onto the stall covered with a tattered straw mat. The silver pieces clinked together, making a crisp sound that was particularly jarring in the quiet corner.

"What do you mean? Did you come here today just to humiliate me?"

Shao Zhili's face instantly turned bright red, like a cooked shrimp. He glared at the leading man with eyes that seemed to spit fire.

Before the man could even speak, the servant who had just taken out the money immediately knelt down before his master, begging for forgiveness with a face full of remorse and self-reproach:

“This servant accidentally dropped the silver on the ground. It is all my fault, and I am willing to accept the punishment.”

As he spoke, the man exaggeratedly slapped his right hand hard with his left, the two palms clapping together with a loud "slap, slap." Unsuspecting passersby thought he was performing some kind of comical acrobatic act.

The man also feigned anger, pretending to lightly kick his attendant and scolding him:

"go away!"

Finally, he slowly glanced down at the loose silver on the stall, turned to face Shao Zhili, and said with a forced smile:

"It was just a servant who accidentally dropped some silver, why should Young Master Shao be so petty?"

"I see you have several taels of silver on your stall, more than we agreed on. I think you should take your profits and call it a day."