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The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife-Chapter 547: "Must My Son Suffer the Same as I Did?"
Chapter 547: "Must My Son Suffer the Same as I Did?"
Elder Cao insisted on bowing, saying, "My wife and child were suddenly poisoned. Please, Ninth Princess, give the order to the Procuratorate and Dalisi to investigate thoroughly and execute the culprit!"
Nanli rolled her eyes.
No wonder he wanted to bow--he was asking for her help. Both of those departments were under Ye Siheng’s control. Elder Cao was only asking Nanli because he’d had a public dispute with Ye Siheng in the cabinet, and now he couldn’t swallow his pride.
But Nanli was incredibly strong. As long as she didn’t let go, Elder Cao couldn’t complete his bow.
"Fine, I’ll speak with the prince and have the Supervisory Office and Dalisi investigate this matter thoroughly," Nanli said. "No need for the bow. I’m not worthy of it."
Elder Cao replied, "You are the Ninth Princess; of course, you’re worthy! Even if I knelt down three times and kowtowed nine, it would be appropriate!"
There weren’t many people Elder Cao admired, but he was utterly impressed and grateful to the Ninth Princess.
As he was about to kneel, however, Cao Bin suddenly woke up. The poison pulling at his internal organs caused immense pain, and he groaned.
Chu Shuo and Xie Beihan noticed and immediately held him down. "Cao Bin, don’t move. The Detoxify Talisman is still working on the poison. It hasn’t cleared yet, so stay seated."
Cao Bin glanced down at the black blood dripping from his fingertips. He scanned the room, overwhelmed by emotions.
He thought he had seen death coming for him. He never expected to come back from it!
"Second Brother, Brother Xie, thank you both," Cao Bin said, his voice hoarse, likely from the poison.
"There’s no need to--"
Before they could finish, Elder Cao pushed them aside, his eyes filled with tears. He asked anxiously, "Bin’er, how are you? Does it hurt? What happened to your throat?"
Cao Bin had always respected his father, a man known for his integrity. No matter what decisions his father made, even when it harmed him personally, Cao Bin would comply--like when his marriage had been repeatedly delayed. He believed filial piety was paramount.
But now...
When Elder Cao saw him remaining silent, he assumed his son was too frightened to speak. He gently patted Cao Bin’s shoulder and reassured him, "Don’t worry, the princess has agreed to have the Supervisory Office and Dalisi investigate your poisoning thoroughly. I will make sure the perpetrator pays in blood!"
Cao Bin looked up at his father and suddenly asked, "Father, why did Mother say my marriage could no longer proceed?"
Elder Cao hesitated before sighing deeply. "The Su family demands 800 taels of silver as a bride price. But you know, with the recent snow disaster affecting the entire country, I decided to donate all of our money to help the people..."
He expected his son to understand, but Cao Bin’s face turned grim, and he pushed his father away.
"Bin’er! You may be poisoned, but that doesn’t give you the right to disrespect me!" Elder Cao scolded him.
Despite the pain, Cao Bin struggled to stand, leaning on the chair for support. He glared at his father, the man he had once revered, with a bitter smile. "I respected you because you showed kindness. But if your compassion is solely for the court and the people, how can I continue to respect you?"
"Being a government official means serving the people!" Elder Cao argued. "You are my son. You’ve studied the classics; how can you not understand this? It’s just a marriage, and you speak to me this way?"
"Just a marriage?!" Cao Bin laughed bitterly, but his anger caused the poison to spread faster. His organs throbbed in agony, and the black blood stopped flowing from his fingertips.
He vomited more black blood, his face pale and lips turning purple. Chu Shuo and Xie Beihan panicked.
Nanli stepped forward and pressed him back into his seat, drawing another Detoxify Talisman. "It’s not worthy to give up your life for a bad father. I’m not going to draw a third talisman, so you better think carefully."
Cao Bin looked at her. Though her expression was indifferent, there was concern in her eyes. He choked up and nodded, "Thank you, Ninth Princess."
Seeing that his emotions had stabilized, Nanli grabbed a stool and sat down. She pulled out some snacks from her Qiankun Bag, as if she’d been planning for this exact situation.
Elder Cao, fuming at her casual demeanor, snapped, "Ninth Princess, this is a family matter. Perhaps you shouldn’t listen in."
"You’re wrong, Lord Cao. I’m here investigating a case," Nanli grinned. "Your wife and son’s poison hasn’t been fully neutralized yet. If I leave and something happens, what then? I’d better stick around."
She was curious. Elder Cao was a respected official known for his integrity, yet here he was, being accused by his own son. It showed that people could be complicated. Some were good officials but not good to their families. Others were corrupt but cared deeply for their loved ones.
There weren’t many like her father, who balanced both sides well.
Elder Cao’s face darkened.
Cao Bin, now calmer, said, "It’s good that the Ninth Princess is here. Let her hear how you’ve mistreated your family."
Elder Cao flicked his sleeves in anger. "Nonsense! When have I ever mistreated you?"
"You don’t remember anything, do you? When Mother married you, she brought a large dowry. But for the sake of your career, she’s spent nearly all of it. She doesn’t even have a decent hairpin to wear. She’s too ashamed to leave the house. Do you even know that?" Cao Bin yelled.
Elder Cao had no family wealth of his own and had relied on his wife’s dowry for his official duties. If Lady Cao couldn’t come up with the money, Elder Cao wouldn’t hit or scold her, but he would ignore her for days, refusing to enter her quarters. In the end, Lady Cao always relented, selling off her dowry piece by piece to support him. They had lived like this for twenty years.
Chu Shuo shot Elder Cao a surprised look. "Lord Cao, you’re so well-known in court. How could you live off your wife’s dowry?"
Xie Beihan nodded. "Second Brother, I guess we aren’t as spoiled as people think."
Being exposed in front of younger nobles made Elder Cao furious with embarrassment.
"You... You were born into wealth! You don’t understand the hardships of the common people!"
"Haha, when my father married my aunt, he was just a lowly deputy general, but he never touched her money," Chu Shuo scoffed. "Sure, we grew up privileged, but that’s because our parents worked for it. If your childhood was difficult, blame your own parents."
Xie Beihan added, "Exactly. It’s strange, Lord Cao. You suffered in your youth, so you should care for your family more. Why insist on making your son suffer the same way?"