Chapter 336: I See You’re Addicted to Snatching Young Girls

Chapter 336: I See You're Addicted to Snatching Young Girls

"It's settled then. Whether as a concubine or a servant girl, it makes no difference."

"How can that be the same? Elevating her to a concubine would be too generous."

As they spoke, a maid from Zheng Jinxiu's side arrived.

The two quickly fell silent.

"Lady, Master, Young Lady said Little Master has woken up. It's time for you to read to him."

Lady Lu looked at Lu Shen in surprise.

Lu Shen grimaced. "Mother, Jinxiu said I have to read to my son every day, or she won't be intimate with me."

If he wasn't allowed to touch her, he couldn't have more children. How could he not feel wronged?

Poor thing.

"Go back first. Tell Jinxiu that Master is busy with me and will return shortly."

"Yes."

Once the maid left, Lady Lu sighed. "My poor son, just bear with it for a while to have more children. Reading to your son is worth it."

"Ai!" Lu Shen let out a long sigh. "Mother, look at how high and mighty Zheng Jinxiu has become after having a son. She doesn't even put me in her eyes. If Erya comes into the house as a servant girl, who knows how Jinxiu would torment her and wouldn't let me touch her. But if she becomes my concubine, I'll give her a separate courtyard so they don't meet. Then, she can't stop me from being intimate with my concubine, right?"

Seeing his pitiful expression, Lady Lu's resolve wavered.

Men needed an outlet under pressure; they couldn't be stifled to death by their children.

"Fine, I'll think about it."

"Good, Mother, please hurry. Zheng Jinxiu is driving me crazy."

"Alright, I understand."

Lu Shen's thoughts were simple. Since everyone said Zheng Jinxiu was blessed, Fang Erya, her sister who looked very similar, might also be blessed.

If Fang Erya got pregnant, wouldn't it prove that he didn't need Zheng Jinxiu?

Fang Erya was much easier to control than Zheng Jinxiu.

...

That day, Xie Peiyu visited Zheng Jinyu again, bringing good news.

"The people from Fangjia Village have arrived, along with the constables and witnesses. When do you want to go to the government office to sue them?"

Zheng Jinyu asked, "How is the old man's health?"

"Not great. He's old and fell ill several times on the journey. I doubt he'll make it."

"In that case, let him rest for a few days."

After waiting for so long, another three to five days didn't matter.

Xie Peiyu nodded. "Alright, I'll send a reliable doctor to treat him."

"Thank you."

Xie Peiyu smiled helplessly. "Why are you being so formal with me again?"

Uh...

"It's a habit."

"This isn't a good habit around me. Your constant thanks make me feel like you don't consider me close. It bothers me."

Zheng Jinyu looked surprised, unsure what to say.

This was her nature. She seemed unable to reciprocate his passionate love.

"Have you thought about what you'll do after all this?"

Zheng Jinyu shook her head with a smile.

"No idea?"

"Not exactly. I don't know what to do. Perhaps living a peaceful life would be nice."

Xie Peiyu looked at her in surprise. "Aren't you going to open a shop and make money? Compared to other noble ladies, your life won't be peaceful."

"But making money can be tiresome too. When you lack nothing, you lose interest in money. Look at you; your goal isn't to make money."

Xie Peiyu's gaze flickered, but seeing Zheng Jinyu's smiling face, he felt she knew something.

It made sense. She had always been smart and couldn't possibly know nothing.

"Life is unpredictable. Who knows what we'll encounter in the future. When you have money, you lose interest in it, but when a crisis arrives, you realize how useful it is. We'll see about the future later."

He didn't stay long and soon left.

Zheng Jinyu didn't see the people from Fangjia Village, knowing only that Xie Peiyu had arranged a safe place for them.

Soon, there was new news from Fang Dachuan. Lady Lu had indeed compromised, willing to accept Fang Erya as Lu Shen's concubine. She sent over the concubine contract for Fang Dachuan and his wife to sign.

They couldn't read, so Zhao Zhaodi sought help from their neighbor, Old Lady Li, whom Zheng Jinyu had arranged to live next door.

Nanny Li knew a few characters and managed to piece together the meaning, telling them, "It is indeed a concubine engagement document."

They happily pressed their fingerprints as seals.

When the news came, Zheng Jinyu sent someone to inform Erya Fang.

Erya Fang had been anxiously waiting. She feared that if she acted too aloof, it would scare Lu Shen away. What would become of her, a withered flower, for the rest of her life?

Never did she expect that using Zheng Jinyu's method, Lu Shen would actually agree to take her as his concubine.

There was a formal concubine engagement document, and they had properly hired a matchmaker. They would dress her up, put her in a concubine's ceremonial attire, and carry her into the Lu family in a small sedan chair—the kind of concubine one would properly marry.

Although she would enter the Lu family through a side gate when there were few people around, just as the sky was getting dark, for Erya Fang, this was still a tremendous stroke of good fortune.

"Sister, is this true?"

Zheng Jinyu smiled faintly. "Of course. If I'm not mistaken, your parents will soon come to you with the concubine engagement document."

"Great, thank you so much, Sister."

"Don't celebrate too early. You have to play along with an act. My mother thinks you're going back home to get married, and Lu Shen believes the same."

Erya Fang nodded. "I understand. I'll pretend to be unwilling and make a big fuss."

"That's right. You need to show Lu Shen how wronged you feel so he'll pity you. And everyone should know that you're being forced in, so they'll sympathize with you."

"Alright, I get it."

Just as Zheng Jinyu predicted, not long after, someone from the front courtyard arrived, saying that Da Chuan Fang and his wife were causing a scene. Lady Zheng asked her to bring Erya Fang over.

Zheng Jinyu gave Erya Fang a meaningful glance, and Erya Fang nodded slightly. The two then proceeded, one following the other.

When they arrived, Da Chuan Fang and his wife were arguing loudly with Lady Zheng in front of the Zheng family's main gate.

Zheng Jinyu stopped Erya Fang, planning to wait behind the door before going out.

"She's our daughter, our own flesh and blood, the girl we raised ourselves. Her marriage should be decided by us. You want to interfere? You're being too domineering."

"You're right, you're a lady, and you're impressive, but you can't be too domineering, can you? Taking our eldest daughter wasn't enough, now you're targeting our second daughter. How can you bully us like this? Plucking wool isn't done the way you do it. You're just focusing on our one sheep. Do we look that easy to bully?"

Lady Zheng's face turned ashen with anger. Just as she was about to say something, she heard them shout, "Don't go too far. We're under the emperor's nose; we're not afraid of you."

"That's right. Push us too far, and we'll report you. It seems you've gotten addicted to stealing people's daughters."