The Peach Blossoms White by the Village Edge

Chapter 124: Taking Advantage

Zhao Changxia did not know Liao Yuxian, and even if he stood right in front of her, she wouldn't recognize him. However, based on the information she had gathered, she had a clearer idea of his background and how he had discovered her female identity.

In fact, Liao Yuxian hadn't suspected her identity because of her androgynous appearance. He was a member of the refugee group that had fled to Hushan. After the previous emperor granted a general amnesty, he and the other refugees went to a neighboring county, where he rented ten acres of land to farm.

He had rented the land for ten years until he could no longer endure the oppression from the landlord. He then moved to Qingjiang County.

Knowing that the watermelons in Qingjiang County were famous, he decided it would be best to rent land from a major watermelon grower to avoid being at a disadvantage in rental agreements.

The Hu family's land happened to be up for rent, so he went to the Hu family. When he later went to the Qu family to obtain watermelon seeds, he saw Zhao Changxia and remembered her.

Even though ten years had passed, and many people and events had become blurry to him, Zhao Changxia's "androgynous appearance," her status as a son-in-law, and her success gradually made him recall their first meeting.

Back then, he was part of a refugee group, and one day he noticed a tall woman among the crowd. She had short, disheveled hair and was dressed in strange clothes that exposed her arms. The movement of her chest revealed she was a woman. Given that she exposed her arms in broad daylight among strangers, he kept a close watch on her.

However, after they entered Hushan, the woman disappeared. She appeared once or twice to inform them of the government's amnesty for refugees, but then she vanished, and he gradually forgot about her.

It wasn't until he encountered Zhao Changxia again that he suddenly remembered her as the strange and indiscreet woman from back then.

Moreover, how had she become a man? Had she assumed someone else's identity? And what was the deal with her marrying into the Qu family?

With these questions, Liao Yuxian inquired around and carefully investigated the Qu family and Zhao Changxia over the years. He was sure that Qu Qingjiang must have created a false identity for Zhao Changxia to compete for family assets and arranged for Zhao Changxia to marry into the Qu family. It was through the Qu family's wealth and influence that Zhao Changxia achieved her later success.

As for their child, if not adopted, it was certainly the illegitimate child of Qu Qingjiang and another man!

Liao Yuxian was thrilled to uncover what he believed was the truth and felt a surge of desire. He thought he could use this leverage to replicate Zhao Changxia's path to success! If a woman like Zhao Changxia could rise to prominence through marriage, why couldn't he, a real man, achieve the same?

Driven by greed, Liao Yuxian sought to threaten Qu Qingjiang and Zhao Changxia to his advantage. He wanted to secure some benefits before making his appearance and lower their guard, making them think he only wanted money, so he made exorbitant demands.

Unfortunately, thinking he had leverage, he didn't bother to thoroughly understand Zhao Changxia's character. After receiving the thousand coins, he decisively demanded a meeting with Zhao Changxia. He chose to meet with Zhao Changxia rather than Qu Qingjiang because he had no past relationship with her and found it harder to manipulate her.

...

"June, should we just go and capture him directly?" Qu Qingjiang worried that Zhao Changxia might encounter an accident going alone.