Being a Lady of an Influential Family

Zhuo Lin finally got on the carriage, and as expected, Mrs. Sheng headed out of the city without stopping for a moment.

After the carriage left the city, Zhuo Lin asked, "Take a carriage to the Northeast? Can you make it in time for your cousin's wedding?" It would take at least half a month to travel slowly by carriage from the capital to the four northern provinces. Now there are trains from the capital to the four northern provinces, which are much better than horse-drawn carriages in terms of time, cost and even comfort.

Mrs. Sheng said, "Which train are you taking? There are people from all walks of life on the train, so there is no need to get dirty!"

Zhuo Lin was a little amused, "Did you come to the capital by carriage all the way from Jiangnan?"

The second brother of the Sheng family who accompanied them in a car said, "We took the Wei family's boat to go north, and we changed to carriages when we reached the ferry in the capital."

Zhuo Lin nodded, almost forgetting that she could still walk by water.

But even so, Zhuo Lin didn't really believe that Mrs. Sheng really planned to take a carriage all the way to the four northern provinces.

Sure enough, after the carriage left the capital, it did not go to the northeast, but turned to the south.

"Where are you taking me?" Zhuo Lin sat in the carriage, glanced at Mrs. Sheng who was leaning in the carriage with her eyes closed, and then turned her attention to Brother Sheng.

Brother Sheng looked a little embarrassed when he met his sister's gaze. He looked at his mother and lowered her head without saying anything.

Zhuo Lin sneered and said, "Do you believe that I will jump off this carriage right now?"

Brother Sheng was a little helpless, "Little sister, please stop making trouble. This carriage runs very fast, and if you fall, it's you who will be hurt."

Zhuo Lin smiled and said, "Yes, I am the one who is crippled and hurt by the fall, but aren't you the ones who lose?" Brother Sheng's face changed slightly and he remained silent without saying anything.

Mrs. Sheng, who had been silent, opened her eyes, looked at Zhuo Lin and said calmly: "Don't say you were crippled by a fall today. Even if you fell to death, you still have to go where you should go."

Zhuo Lin stared at her and said in a deep voice, "So, you are indeed planning to sell me out."

Mrs. Sheng's face became very ugly. She had always been proud of her identity and family. Such an arrogant person naturally could not tolerate others saying that she sold her daughter, even though everyone knew that this was true.

Just like when the young Sheng Zhuoyan in his prime was married to the eldest son of the Wei family who was destined to have a short life due to his weak health, who wouldn't understand what was going on? But who dares to really say it in front of her?

"You should have gotten married long ago at your age. Your family has chosen your marriage. All you need to do is comply." Mrs. Sheng said coldly.

"How much did you charge?" Zhuo Lin asked mercilessly, vowing to tear off her last fig leaf.

"..." There was silence in the carriage, except for the sound of wheels running over the ground outside and the sound of horses treading on the road.

The atmosphere in the carriage was so solemn that Brother Sheng felt a little unable to stay any longer, so he coughed slightly and said, "Well, I'll go back and see my elder brother."

Among the women in their family, except for the eldest sister, who has a gentler personality, the mother and the younger sister are stronger than the other.

Zhuo Lin chuckled and suddenly reached out and grabbed Brother Sheng's collar. Brother Sheng was stunned, and before he could speak, Zhuo Lin took out a gun from nowhere and put it on his chin.

"Little...little sister, what are you doing?" Brother Sheng was so frightened that he trembled quickly. Why does she have a gun on her? !

Zhuo Lin smiled and said: "Second brother, why did my mother have to sell me in such a hurry this time?"

Brother Sheng carefully stared at the gun pipe, "What's for sale...little sister, don't talk nonsense, mother just wants you to come and see each other. That family is also a wealthy family in the north, you won't suffer any loss if you marry her."

Zhuo Lin glanced at the livid Mrs. Sheng with a half-smile and said, "So mom is just worried that I can't get married? That doesn't matter. Let's go back to the capital now. I'll get married tomorrow."

Brother Sheng was a little surprised when Zhuo Lin said, "A few days ago, there were many people in Beijing asking for my hand in marriage. I still prefer scholars, and one of them happens to be a middle school teacher not far from our school. She is also a college student, and she is very young. He's only three years older than me and looks pretty good, so I think it's acceptable."

"Middle school teacher?" Brother Sheng asked.

Zhuo Lin smiled and said, "Yeah, I seem to be from a small town around the capital. Now being able to establish a foothold in the capital is considered a step forward. Anyway, I won't need him to support me in the future. After we get married, we will work hard together. In the capital, It's not difficult to live a life. Then my parents and two brothers don't have to worry about me? Mom, do you think it's okay? "

"Shut up!" Mrs. Sheng said coldly. This was what she hated most about her daughter. His eyes are too sharp and his heart is too clear. It’s okay to understand, but she still insisted on saying it to deliberately embarrass people.

"What do you want to do? Want to kill your brother? Or do you want to kill me too? You try it, I want to see what kind of evil the Sheng family has raised!" Mrs. Sheng sneered, obviously I was too determined to shoot.

Zhuo Lin was not surprised. She nodded and said, "It's really not good to kill a relative with your own hands. Then mother... let's gamble on luck. Who dies and who lives depends on God's will."

Mrs. Sheng was stunned, and Zhuo Lin suddenly raised the curtain and said to the people driving the car outside, "Stop the car and get out!"

People driving outside had long heard the conversation inside, but the owner did not dare to act rashly without instructions. Hearing Zhuo Lin's voice, he reined in the reins. Looking back, he was startled when he saw the gun in Zhuo Lin's hand, "Second, Miss Second?!!"

"Go down." Zhuo Lin said calmly.

The driver did not dare to delay or look at Mrs. Sheng, so he quickly jumped out of the car.

The car behind saw the car in front had stopped and had to stop. The eldest brother of the Sheng family behind was about to jump out of the car and come over to ask about the situation. Zhuo Lin had already raised her hand and fired outside, "Brother, don't move."

"..."

Zhuo Lin looked at Mrs. Sheng with a smile and said, "Mom, let's play a game."

Mrs. Sheng looked at Zhuo Lin coldly, and Zhuo Lin said, "There are still five bullets in my gun, so I will shoot five times in front. If we are all still alive after the horse stops, I lose. If I die, You can sell my body to anyone without any complaints."

"Little sister, you...don't be impulsive..." Brother Sheng was so frightened by the smile on Zhuo Lin's face that he couldn't help but tremble.

The horses they pulled the carriage were not military horses, and the horses were already restless after the shot just now. If any of Zhuo Lin's shots hit the horse, causing the horse to go crazy and the carriage to overturn, it would be a trivial matter. I'm afraid everyone in the car would be dead.

Zhuo Lin said, "I'm not impulsive, second brother, don't be afraid. Even if you die, our family will still have the eldest brother to pass on the incense, and we will never be the heir."

"..." Am I really worried about this?

Zhuo Lin said, "How about you tell me why Mom is so anxious? I can just play this game with Mom."

The second brother Sheng looked at Zhuo Lin and then at Mrs. Sheng. It was because he had accumulated too much power that he still did not dare to disobey his mother.

Zhuo Lin said: "After I shoot, even if I regret it, it will be too late." As she spoke, her finger on the trigger moved slightly, and Brother Sheng couldn't help but trembled and reached out to grab Zhuo Lin's gun.

Zhuo Lin was merciless, taking advantage of her position to press hard and hit him in the face with a shot.

Brother Sheng was so painful that he almost couldn't breathe, and his tears couldn't stop flowing down.

The second brother Sheng was originally a weak scholar. Even if his physical strength was stronger than Zhuo Lin's, his strength was very limited. Zhuo Lin went out to study early. Although she didn't have any good skills, she was still capable of self-defense.

Mrs. Sheng's face was pale, her whole body was shaking with anger, her eyes were staring at her daughter but she was unwilling to admit defeat no matter what.

Zhuo Lin's expression was much calmer, and she chuckled, "Mom, don't look at me like this. Logically speaking, if you gave birth to me and raised me, I shouldn't treat you like this. But... if you just want me to pay you back I can give you the gift of childbirth, even if you want my life.”

Mrs. Sheng gritted her teeth and said: "I just want you to get married! Which girl is not like this? Ayan was the same back then, why are you special?"

Zhuo Lin said: "Although you don't give me the power to choose my life, I can give you the power to choose my death. Apart from that, you can't control anything about me. Do you really just want me to get married? Not included. After you get married, be a good wife and mother, and work hard to support your parents' family? Then you won't mind if I splash blood in the wedding night or kill a lot of people at my husband's house one day?"

Mrs. Sheng almost roared, "The Sheng family gave birth to you and raised you. What's wrong with asking you to repay us now?!"

Zhuo Lin's eyes were cold, "I can repay the Sheng family for their kindness in raising children, so why do I have to sacrifice my life?"

Mrs. Sheng sneered and said with some disdain, "You? How capable can you be? How many years will it take?"

"..." The smile on Zhuo Lin's face showed a hint of bitterness and helplessness. She shook her head and said, "Forget it, mother, in that case... let's risk our lives."

"No, don't..." Brother Sheng covered his face with tears streaming down his face and said tremblingly: "Little sister... don't, please let me go first! Let me go!"

"Say it."

Brother Sheng paused for a moment, shook his body and said, "Mother... I want to donate a position of Tongzhi to the eldest brother. I want fifty thousand or fifty thousand taels of silver."

Zhuo Lin was unmoved and said calmly: "What else?"

"Also...Also, I did business with someone before and lost some money."

"How many?"

Brother Sheng swallowed his saliva and said, "Ten, hundreds of thousands taels..."

Zhuo Lin said, "It seems that the Wei family doesn't want to raise a group of moths like the Sheng family?"

The Wei family is a wealthy family in Jiangnan, but they are not fools with a lot of money. Zhuo Lin grew up in the Sheng family and has some understanding of everyone in the Sheng family. The girl won't talk about it anymore. She was kept at home since she was a child and learned the three obediences and four virtues of playing music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She also strived to be diligent and frugal in running the house, so she didn't spend much money. But the ostentation of these men and ladies is bigger than the last.

And the more it declines, the greater the pomp becomes. It seems that this is the only way to tell the world that the Sheng family is still prosperous.

Zhuo Lin once heard her sister talk about it, saying that although the Wei family was wealthy, it was probably not as good as the Sheng family in terms of ostentation. The Sheng family also took this for granted. How could a nouveau riche like the Wei family be qualified to compete with them?

Brother Sheng said carefully, "Well... the Wei family has been a bit chaotic recently. The eldest sister has never been..."

Zhuo Lin understood that the Wei family had a large population and the family was already in chaos. It would not be easy for her husband's family to have a hard time since her sister was not pregnant after her marriage.

Naturally, the Wei family has long been impatient to deal with vampires like the Sheng family. Now that the Sheng family is suddenly short of more than 200,000 taels, the Wei family will naturally not pay attention. You know, two hundred thousand taels is at least more than half of the Wei family's annual profit.

Zhuo Lin asked: "Who is mother going to sell me to?"

The second brother Sheng said: "The young master of the Zheng family in Tongcheng. The Zheng family said that as long as you are willing to marry, the Zheng family is willing to pay a betrothal gift of three hundred thousand taels." This betrothal gift is definitely a generous sum, although there is no money now. It had become valuable in the early years, but it was still a huge sum of money that ordinary people could not imagine.

The richest place in the south of the Yangtze River only had 50,000 taels from Wupin Tongzhi. This shows how high the price of 300,000 taels was.

If they were only used to donate officials, the Sheng family could use the three hundred thousand taels to donate six fifth-grade officials.

Zhuo Lin was a little curious, "Why did the Zheng family pay so many betrothal gifts?" After her sister got married, the Wei family's betrothal gifts were not that large.

The second brother Sheng hesitated for a moment and then said in a low voice, "Well... the young master of the Sheng family has something wrong with his mind. The ancestors of the Zheng family also had high-ranking officials. Now Mrs. Zheng's natal family is also a second-rank official in the imperial court. Girls from ordinary families can't see it. Your Majesty..." The Zheng family looks down on girls from ordinary families. Who with a family background worthy of the Zheng family is willing to marry their daughter to a mentally retarded person? So all I can do is throw money at it.

As long as enough money is spent, there will always be a few noble families who are short of money willing to contribute their daughters, such as the Sheng family.

Moreover, the Sheng family and the Zheng family are far apart. If this marriage really happens, people in Jiangnan may not know that the second daughter of the Sheng family is married to a mentally ill person.

Zhuo Lin almost laughed in anger, nodded and said, "Okay, you can go down."

Brother Sheng glanced timidly at Mrs. Sheng, who had a gloomy face, and finally got out of the car dejectedly without saying anything.

There was silence in the carriage. A group of people stood outside but no one dared to approach. After all, Zhuo Lin was the only one with a gun in his hand.

Zhuo Lin looked at Mrs. Sheng and said with emotion, "Mother, let's go."

"Wait!" Mrs. Sheng gritted her teeth with a gloomy face.

Zhuo Lin tilted her head slightly and looked at her. Mrs. Sheng said coldly, "Are you really so cruel? Would you rather watch your two brothers suffer? Would you rather die with your mother than contribute to the Sheng family? Don't Forgot, your two brothers also loved you when you were a child."

Zhuo Lin was a little amused, "What are they suffering from? If you want to be an official, you can't pass the exam. If you lose money in business, you have to sell your sister? Mother, can our family really not be able to afford this money?" The Sheng family doesn't have much money now. , but there are quite a lot of assets and antiques handed down from our ancestors. If we really want to repay them, even if it is a bit more difficult, we won’t be able to repay them.

Mrs. Sheng didn't speak, and Zhuo Lin said slowly, "No, you just think it's the most cost-effective to sell a daughter. After all, if you buy the ancestral property passed down by your ancestors, it will be gone, and the Sheng family will also be embarrassed. My mother has been partial to the two of them since she was a child. Brother, but now I guess my mother is regretting why she didn’t have more girls.”

Mrs. Sheng said sternly, "Let me ask you! Are you really so cruel?!"

Zhuo Lin nodded calmly and said, "Yes, even if I take my life, I won't let you make a penny by selling me."

"Then you go die!" Mrs. Sheng said with a twisted expression, "You said that I gave birth to you and raised you, and you are willing to repay me for the kindness of raising you. Then you go die now!"

"Okay." Zhuo Lin smiled, turning the muzzle of the gun to her chin, "If you want it, I'll give it to you."

Mrs. Sheng pursed her lips tightly and stared at Zhuo Lin's eyes tightly.

She hoped to see fear or threat in Zhuo Lin's eyes, but Zhuo Lin's eyes were very calm from beginning to end, as if she was holding a delicate flower instead of a gun on her chin.

Mrs. Sheng finally couldn't help but tremble all over, "You're crazy...you lunatic!"

Zhuo Lin smiled and said, "Mom, you should be glad that you moved quickly today and didn't give me time to prepare. You are my biological mother, and I really can't do anything to you, but that doesn't mean I don't know what your weaknesses are. But it’s useless to say this now, goodbye.”

Mrs. Sheng opened her mouth, wanting to say something. But for some reason she found that she couldn't make any sound, so she could only open her mouth in vain and look at the girl in front of her in horror.

She put her finger on the trigger and began to exert slight pressure. Her eyes shrank and she was horrified to find that she was still smiling.

"boom!"

"Ahhhh!!!" The gunshot and the woman's shrill scream sounded at the same time.

"Mother! Little sister!" The horrified voices of the Sheng brothers also sounded outside.

At the same time, there was a somewhat frustrated male voice, "Zhuo Lin! How are you? Are you in there?"

The expected scene of blood splattering did not appear. Zhuo Lin was a little surprised when she heard the sound coming from outside. She opened the curtain of the carriage and leaned out to look at the person who made the sound, "Fu Zheng? Didn't you go back to the south? "

The buttons of Fu Zheng's uniform were unbuttoned, his hair was a little messy, and there was a little bit of sweat on his forehead.

He was holding the eldest brother of the Sheng family in one hand and a gun in the other hand. The gun was pointed at Brother Sheng's temple.

Seeing Zhuo Lin, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Are you okay?"

Zhuo Lin smiled and said, "It's okay, what can happen to me?"

Fu Zheng raised his chin slightly and asked, "What's going on inside?" Mrs. Sheng's scream inside had not stopped yet, and it sounded very captivating.

Zhuo Lin said: "I was scared."

"..." Fu Zheng didn't want to ask Zhuo Lin what he had done to scare his own mother into being like this.

"Why are you here?" Zhuo Lin asked.

Fu Zhengli said confidently, "Didn't you send someone to send a letter asking for help when you snatched the bride?"

Zhuo Lin said: "It seems that my letter is not for you."

Fu Zhengdao: "But it's in my hands. Isn't this fate? Can we leave?"

Zhuo Lin nodded and said, "Let's go."

Mrs. Sheng in the carriage finally calmed down, but the look in her eyes when she looked at Zhuo Lin no longer had the original arrogance and strength, only the shock and horror.

"You fool me?"

Zhuo Lin smiled and said, "Just kidding my mother, how could I commit suicide?"

Zhuo Lin stood up and jumped out of the carriage, turned around and said to Mrs. Sheng in the car: "I will repay the kindness of the Sheng family for having children. I will send the bill back to the Sheng family tomorrow. It will take effect after father and mother confirm it."

Mrs. Sheng said, "Do you want to sever ties with the Sheng family?"

Zhuo Lin said, "It's my mother who wants me to repay the favor. As for whether the Sheng family recognizes me or not, you have the final say. But I won't let anyone control my life, even my parents. Mother, don't mess with me. I I won't do anything to you, but that doesn't mean I won't touch your baby bump." After saying that, Zhuo Lin turned to Fu Zheng and said, "Let's go."

Fu Zheng nodded, threw Brother Shanda aside and said, "Let's go."

Brother Shanda blushed, "Little, little sister... you can't leave."

Zhuo Lin looked at him condescendingly, "Brother, did you understand what I just said? You still don't know that your sister is not a good person with a soft heart."

Brother Shanda couldn't help but shudder when he saw Zhuo Lin. A group of people watched helplessly as Fu Zheng helped Zhuo Lin get on a horse parked on the roadside. After lifting the reins, the two of them were already riding. Go away.

"Mother..." After a while, Brother Sheng carefully walked to the carriage. He looked at Mrs. Sheng who was sitting inside and looked a little embarrassed and whispered, "Now... what should we do now?"

Mrs. Sheng glanced at her weak son and said coldly, "Get out!"

She has been strong all her life, but her husband and son are both weak and incompetent.

The only person with a personality somewhat similar to hers is Zhuo Lin, the youngest daughter who has always dissatisfied her. Perhaps because they are both people with strong personalities, the mother and daughter have not been close to each other since they were young.

now……

Mrs. Sheng closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked a little depressed.

If it weren't for her son's failure, she wouldn't want to provoke Sheng Zhuolin. She had a pretty good idea of ​​what kind of character the daughter she gave birth to would be like, and if Zhuo Lin was really pushed into a situation, she could really do something to the death.

"This evil girl!" Mrs. Sheng's lips trembled and she gritted her teeth.