Chapter 1042 – Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole (Part 3)
Listening to the sound of the wheels turning, Meng Heng let out a faint sigh—
Each for their own master, unable to act on their own accord.
Once everything settled down, he definitely had to make a proper apology to Nie Xun; for now, he could only resolutely bury Nie Xun.
Meng Heng and his wife’s actions did not deliberately avoid prying eyes, so this matter swiftly reached Huang Song’s ears.
“Chengyun and Meng Heng are quite a match,” Huang Song chuckled softly, turning to his wife Qiqi who sat beside him. “Considering the timing, Chengyun’s wife must be quite far along; when she goes into labor, it’s likely to be during the fiercest of battles. With the current turmoil, war on the verge of breaking out, Chengyun is anxious he won’t be able to stay by his wife’s side for the birth of their child. Plus, with no elders at home, and being a first-time father, he must be feeling quite uneasy. To set Chengyun’s mind at ease, please take good care of his wife.”
Qiqi’s lips curled slightly as she shot Huang Song a sidelong glance.
“Young Master, are you sure that my going to look after Lady Nie won’t just end up angering her into a miscarriage?”
Huang Song looked dumbfounded, rebuking her in a hushed voice.
“Mind your words! It’s New Year’s Eve; don’t say anything inauspicious!”
If this reached Nie Xun’s ears, he might think that Huang Song and his wife were particularly malicious.
Qiqi held their sweetly sleeping young son in her left arm while gently stroking their older son’s soft hair with her right, casting another eye-roll at Huang Song. “I’ve heard that Lady Nie has a refined mind; you’ve sent several beauties to Mr. Nie during her pregnancy. If I go, who knows how she might perceive it?”
Which woman would take pleasure in seeing someone sending concubines to her man?
Many of Huang Song’s officials were married, and their wives often interacted. However, Lady Nie was particularly distant.
Why the cold shoulder?
Wasn’t it because Huang Song repeatedly shoved beauties gifted by others into Nie Xun’s home, causing the main wife to feel disgruntled?
Huang Song fell silent. He sent beauties for Nie Xun’s benefit.
Wives can’t be moved around, but a man’s needs have to be met.
Like most men of the time, Huang Song viewed wives as significant and concubines merely as toys used to relieve physical desires.
He couldn’t take concubines himself but that didn’t stop him from letting his valued officials have several.
Qiqi saw through his thought process and coldly chuckled, causing Huang Song to instinctively shrink his neck.
“The children are here— at least give your husband a little face—”
Ever since their last spat, Huang Song felt both love and frustration toward this wife of his.
Qiqi ignored him, wholly focused on coaxing her drowsy oldest son.
“About Lady Nie, I will help you look after her, but don’t foolishly send beauties to their couple again lest I be resented. I’ve heard that Lady Nie is the beloved daughter of Yuan Jing; even if she’s not from a military family, she certainly has a temper. How could she enjoy sharing her man with other women? If you remain unrepentant, you might want to ponder over that matter with the Huai family’s lady—others learn from their mistakes, but you seem to never get the hint.”
Women understand women best.
Lady Nie kept her distance, always deflecting with excuses related to her discomfort. It was all because Huang Song’s actions had irked her.
Speaking of Lady Feng Jue, Huang Song pressed his lips tightly together, his gaze carrying a hint of accusation.
He and Feng Jue were comrades as well as close friends in a figurative sense; Feng’s family hadn’t arranged a marriage for him, but as a half-brother, Huang Song couldn’t ignore him. He initially wanted to choose a gentle and kind wife for him, but who would have thought that the woman his wife selected—
Alas—
Words fail me.
When Feng Jue accomplished a great feat, Huang Song happily gifted him a rare pair of twin beauties.
Those twin beauties were hard-won by the gentlemen who flattered him and had been meticulously trained.
Worried that Feng Jue might be too shy to accept, Huang Song personally sent them to his mansion, even instructing someone to say a word or two to Feng Jue’s wife.
The main wife should be magnanimous and not choke her husband from taking concubines!
The pair of twin beauties, in their prime, were full of youthful vitality, irresistible in appearance!
Even if the male master didn’t use them, having them as decorations around the house was certainly a delight.
Huang Song was so considerate of his subordinates.
And then—
Feng Jue was kicked out by his wife. Not only that, but she also stripped the two girls naked and tossed them into Huang Song’s courtyard.
Huang Song’s temper, even though generally good, had its limits. He exploded in fury and was ready to deal with Feng Jue’s wife.
If he didn’t rein in this woman properly, wouldn’t she go off the rails in the future?
Feng Jue’s wife had a ferocious temperament that contradicted her appearance—
Usually quiet, but when enraged, she could truly climb the roof or lift the beams!
Feng Jue’s wife was no softie, and calmly told Huang Song, “I’ve heard when the Emperor is angered, a hundred thousand corpses lie in the wake. When the feudal lords are angry, blood flows like a river. The small woman doesn’t have such power, but the hatred of a husband-stealer is unending. Taking a head within three zhang is as easy as reaching into a pocket!”
Huang Song: “…”
Husband-stealing hatred?
Don’t make it sound like he and Feng Jue shared some scandalous relationship!
He hadn’t done anything; all he did was gift Feng Jue two beauties!
How could that count as husband-stealing hatred?
Huang Song was both exasperated and infuriated—
What do you mean taking a head within three zhang, isn’t that just a threat against him?
“What kind of nonsense is this! I send a beauty to help her care for Huai Zhen, and this woman is just so stubborn!” Huang Song was angry, yet since Feng Jue appealed for his wife, Huang Song couldn’t outright dismiss Feng Jue. Being utterly enraged at Feng Jue’s wife meant he would have to swallow the bitterness. “It’s all cause of Lan Ting—if only she were a man, none of these little women in the backyard would be as arrogant—what’s so unreasonable about a husband taking a concubine? What man out there doesn’t have a lovely lady?”
Qiqi made a cold snicker, and Huang Song was instantly rendered speechless.
The emergence of Jiang Pengji had lent support to Qiqi, who hailed from a military background, and indirectly gave courage to the wives of the strategists under Huang Song. Their leader fears his wife, and thus most of his subordinates likely fear their wives as well—this is the effect of leadership!
However, while fearing their wives and maintaining purity were rare for men, most still preferred a harem.
For men, money, power, and beauty were eternal pursuits.
Thus, Huang Song maintained his habit of gifting beauties.
He couldn’t improve Feng Jue’s rear court but he could send some to others—Nie Xun was just caught in the crossfire.
But—
Huang Song, recalling Nie Xun’s inexplicable closeness to Meng Heng, felt a subtle unease in his heart.
He urged his wife to look after Nie Xun’s wife, caring for his subordinates was one reason; the other was to put some distance between Nie Xun and Meng Heng.
Qiqi stayed up until midnight, eventually sinking into deep slumber, while Huang Song sipped lightly under the moonlight, murmuring,
“Lan Ting is too crafty; one must be cautious—”
Huang Song had witnessed Jiang Pengji’s talent in conjuring situations from thin air, fearing that Nie Xun might fall into her trap.
As night faded into dawn—
The bonfire from last night had already extinguished, wisps of white smoke ascending, revealing a chill in the air.
Before daybreak, the sound of military horns echoed across the camp as soldiers crawled out of their blankets, braving the cold wind to practice drills and shout slogans.
