Lan Jinqin stiffened her back, and the fingers hidden in her sleeves gradually tightened. She lowered her voice and said word by word, "Wen Zilong, how could you be so despicable!"
"Don't say that about your husband, my lady." Standing outside the door, Wen Zilong wantonly rubbed Lan Jinqin's charming waist, which made her feel nauseous and tremble all over.
Wen Zilong's voice was as sinister as a snake whispering in her ear, "Why are you hiding? We've been married for several years. Is there any part of your body that I haven't touched? My lady, we used to be an affectionate couple. It's just because you're so jealous... that's why things have become like this today."
"Anyway, I'm now a second - rank official. Not to mention us high - ranking officials, even ordinary wealthy merchants take a few concubines. Why don't you understand this?"
He took a hard bite on Lan Jinqin's earlobe, which made her wince in pain.
"My lady, your father's family has fallen. You can only rely on your husband. Why not be a good girl? Peilan is already pregnant. As long as you nod and let me bring her into the mansion... I promise that you'll always be my favorite."
Wen Zilong's words made Lan Jinqin feel even more nauseous, and her fingertips trembled with anger.
Unfortunately, in the eyes of the passers - by in the distance, this scene seemed like a loving couple.
Some people even envied them, thinking that Wen Zilong and Lan Jinqin were too affectionate. They couldn't wait to hug each other at the door after just one day's separation.
Lan Jinqin took a deep breath and managed to steady her tottering figure.
She knew that Wen Zilong had now been promoted to the Minister of the Ministry of War and had connections with the governor - general of Guangdong and Guangxi. If he really intended to threaten her family, she was indeed powerless to resist.
Lan Jinqin softened her voice and smiled, "Your wife is not an unreasonable person. I strongly opposed Peilan's entry into the mansion back then, actually for your own good..."
"Peilan is a girl from a tenant - farmer's family with a humble background, but you've been rising steadily in the officialdom."
"Right at this critical moment of the official performance evaluation, I heard that Lord Xiao from the Censorate has been keeping an eye on you. Although taking concubines is a common thing, Peilan has been with you for several years. I'm sure she knows some of your secrets. A girl from a tenant - farmer's family doesn't know what's at stake. If she enters the mansion and is in the open, and comes into contact with Lord Xiao, she might be tricked into saying something..."
"Are you not afraid, my lord?"
Wen Zilong's expression froze, and he suddenly fell silent.
He had never considered this aspect.
But Lan Jinqin was right. Because Peilan was always obedient, he often confided some things in front of her.
He never thought that one day these words might become a handle against him.
Peilan was indeed a girl who didn't know what was appropriate. In the years they had known each other, she often secretly came to the Wen Mansion to complain, and almost got caught several times.
Seeing that he didn't say a word, Lan Jinqin sneered even more, "My lord, your foundation in the Ministry of War is not yet stable, and Peilan is pregnant. If you take her into the mansion now, with her big belly, who won't know that she was the woman you kept outside before? It will damage your reputation!"
Wen Zilong straightened his body and thought that Lan Jinqin made sense.
Lan Jinqin said, "My lord, you and Peilan have been together for so many years. Why be in such a hurry? Wait until you're firmly established in the Ministry of War and no one dares to gossip about you. After she gives birth to the child, I'll bring her into the mansion. My lord just wants that child, after all."
The expression on Wen Zilong's face softened.
Lan Jinqin had been at odds with him for three or four years. Finally, she had relented.
It seemed that it was his promotion that made her feel a sense of crisis and become obedient.
Wen Zilong was overjoyed. There was also a gentle smile on his face. "My lady makes sense. In that case, let's do as you say."
Because of Lan Jinqin's rare obedience, when Wen Zilong looked down at her, he felt a sudden impulse.
With the pearl hairpins on her head, her eyes were misty, her eyebrows were as curved as crescent moons, her lips were pink, and her skin was like congealed fat.
She didn't look like a young married woman at all, but more like a young girl in her prime.
It had to be said that Lan Jinqin was extremely beautiful. Peilan couldn't compare with her at all.
Wen Zilong's body reacted involuntarily. He couldn't help but move his lips closer. "My lady, actually we can try again. Maybe you'll also get pregnant. Wouldn't that be a win - win situation? I'll have two sons at once."
Lan Jinqin's hair stood on end. She put her hands on Wen Zilong's chest and tried to push him away.
"Lord Wen."
A cold voice sounded behind them.
Wen Zilong's lips stopped just an inch away from Lan Jinqin's. He was so startled by the voice behind him that he almost lost his nerve.
He quickly turned his head.
In the night, Xiao Rencheng was standing quietly behind them.
Half of his face was in the darkness, and the other half was under the lantern of the Wen Mansion, neatly divided into two.
One half was as cold as a snow - capped mountain, and the other half was as dark as an abyss.
Wen Zilong swallowed hard, let go of Lan Jinqin, and resumed his gentle and polite appearance. He bowed and said,
"Lord Xiao?"
Xiao Rencheng also bowed in return, but his eyes fell on Lan Jinqin's face and sized her up imperceptibly.
The corners of her eyes were moist with tears, and there was suppressed anger on her face.
She and Wen Zilong were truly at odds in heart.
Lan Jinqin noticed Xiao Rencheng's furtive sizing - up and secretly curled her fingers.
She had just left the Xiao Mansion, and now Xiao Rencheng appeared again.
Was he following her?
Xiao Rencheng quietly withdrew his gaze. Meeting Wen Zilong's surprised look, he nodded and said, "I'm taking a walk after dinner to digest. Before I knew it, I walked to this street. I happened to see you two here, so I came up to say hello."
So that's it!
Wen Zilong almost broke out in a cold sweat.
He thought Xiao Rencheng was here to catch him out!
"Lord Xiao has such an elegant pastime..." Wen Zilong forced a couple of laughs. "Since we've met, why don't you come into the mansion and have a seat?"
The two of them were in the same year's imperial examination and both came from humble backgrounds. So they were always compared by others.
But Wen Zilong had been in a lower position than Xiao Rencheng for many years, so he had always been aggrieved.
Finally, he had finally climbed to the same level as Xiao Rencheng.
He couldn't help being elated and warmly invited him.
Xiao Rencheng could see at a glance that Wen Zilong wanted to show off. He quietly curled his lips:
"No, I still have official business to deal with at home. I won't disturb you two... affectionate couple."
Without waiting for Wen Zilong to say anything else, Xiao Rencheng turned around and left.
Lan Jinqin stared blankly at his back.
She always felt that when Xiao Rencheng said the word "affectionate", he emphasized it especially.
Wen Zilong was startled by Xiao Rencheng. His drunkenness wore off a bit, and all his desires vanished.
"Humph! Look at how proud he is!" Wen Zilong's face was gloomy. "I'm on an equal footing with him now, but he doesn't give me any face at all. He's really ungrateful! One day I'll teach him a lesson!"
After saying that, Wen Zilong ignored Lan Jinqin and strode into the mansion with a flick of his sleeves.
Wen Zilong didn't go to the bedroom but went to the yard to get some fresh air and sober up.
He sat down, looked up at the moonlight in the sky, and sneered.
Everyone thought that he and Lan Jinqin were an affectionate couple. Even he thought so when they first got married.
But reality never went as he wished!
His father - in - law was upright. Although for Lan Jinqin's sake, he reluctantly arranged for him to enter the Ministry of War, he never helped him again.
Not only did he not help, but every time he wrote letters from the Jin region, he would admonish him to be strict with himself and abide by the law.
Lan Yuanyi was a founding general who had fought on the battlefield. Even though he didn't say it directly, the words in his letters could make people feel the pressure.
Wen Zilong was always terrified when he saw those letters.
In addition, Lan Guangling, Lan Jinqin's elder brother who served in the capital, also looked down on him.
The sister - protecting Lan Guangling always scolded Wen Zilong every time he saw him, thinking that he was useless.
Wen Zilong had been living a frustrating life. His feelings for Lan Jinqin had faded away in just one year.
And his position in the Ministry of War never got promoted.
Until... four years ago, the Crown Prince summoned him...