Chapter 1359 – Ladies’ Tea Gathering (Part 2)
Most people scoffed, but a small group noticed that the woman referred to Jiang Pengji as “Lord.”
Realizing this, their brows couldn’t help but twitch.
Only those qualified to call Jiang Pengji “Lord” would be her subordinates; these ladies could only respectfully call her “Lan Ting Gong.”
Who on earth is this woman?
Madam Han became even more certain of her suspicions. While she felt frantic inside, she still had to maintain a graceful smile and stepped forward.
“I didn’t expect Lord Lu to arrive as well; this was my oversight in neglecting such honored guests.”
Madam Han had sent invitations to all the wives, not because she wanted their presence but merely to show good manners.
Whether someone came to the tea gathering or not was completely different from receiving the invitation.
It was fine if they came, and if not, it didn’t matter; after all, she had sent the invitations.
The woman straightforwardly pointed out, “Madam is not a subordinate of the Lord; this isn’t an official occasion, so merely calling her ‘Xiniang’ would suffice.”
As soon as this was said, the expressions of those wives resembled a toppled palette of paint—almost every color you could imagine.
Few knew the name Lu Xiniang outside of the military hospital.
The wives, keen on managing their social circles, naturally investigated other wives’ backgrounds.
They were aware that Dian Yin’s wife was originally the commander of the female camp and had taken up work as a military doctor due to injury.
Even if they didn’t believe a woman could accomplish much in the military, many of their husbands were not as skilled as Lu Xiniang.
If they clashed with Lu Xiniang, who knew what trouble Dian Yin and his husband might cause for their own?
Thinking of this made their expressions even worse.
Their positions at home were already precarious, burdened by immense family pressure. That was why they enjoyed these tea gatherings—to vent frustrations among like-minded individuals. If their husbands discovered they had offended someone and invited disaster, they might very well use that as an excuse to divorce them.
Madam Han was somewhat right in her critiques; these ladies came from lowly backgrounds, which also meant their families lacked influence.
If they were truly abandoned by their wealthy husbands, their families wouldn’t be able to support them either.
While many were anxious, Lu Xiniang felt little of it.
Or rather, the schemes of the ladies within the inner chambers did not catch her interest.
She was among the earliest female soldiers, enlisting at less than fifteen years old.
While her contemporaries were sold into service by their families, she willingly signed up to escape the brutal beatings from her wicked stepmother.
Her stepmother had long had her sights set on selling her to an old widower to procure a dowry for her biological son.
With no options left, Lu Xiniang fled into the night and inadvertently joined the female camp.
During a battle, she sustained a disability in her right foot and had to retire from military service.
Her father, stepmother, and younger brother had starved to death in the icy wilderness due to the connections with the Red Lotus Sect; she was all alone.
With nowhere to go after retirement, Lu Xiniang decided to grit her teeth and became a medical apprentice in the military hospital. As a young lady, she had to face injured soldiers daily. At first, it was hard to bear, but she soon got used to it and came to see even the most youthful body as merely a skinned piglet.
From being a medical apprentice to becoming an exceptional military doctor skilled in treating external injuries, her status in the army grew. In the end, she was matched with Dian Yin by Yang Si.
Dian Yin was a rough yet lovable man, and she quite liked him.
Even if he resembled the darkest and roughest piglet, she found him no less charming.
Lu Xiniang attended the tea gathering purely because her work at the military hospital had temporarily eased up, and she had a two-day break.
Feeling relaxed, she happened to see the invitation presented by the doorkeeper and decided to check out what a ladies’ tea gathering was like.
Sitting quietly in a corner, she was disappointed to find that these noblewomen were just like the village wives she had seen before.
Despite their fancy attire, they were simply a group of women worried about aging and losing their husbands’ affections.
A lost husband felt like the sky had crashed down, with all moods tied to a single person.
Additionally—
She was shocked to realize just how many men openly took concubines while neglecting their wives.
They could share suffering but couldn’t share sweet moments; once they got rich, they cast aside their wives and children. Could such men truly administer justice when they entered the official ranks?
After all, a legitimate wife and children represent the rightful lineage. If they couldn’t even abide by the legitimacy of their own families, what could they be expected to honor?
This was one reason Lu Xiniang spoke out in anger.
If such ill winds weren’t rectified soon, they would become the norm, spreading from the top down, and the common people would start emulating these behaviors.
Now the Lord was a woman, yet these people acted brazenly, abandoning their rightful wives—did they not fear the Lord’s disdain?
Their character was lacking, and their intelligence was no better.
Lu Xiniang found an excuse to leave midway.
When she departed, she walked confidently, not hiding her right foot disability, and yet no one dared to mock her.
Dian Yin came home late and, upon seeing his wife’s furrowed brows, thought she might have suffered some grievance.
After a detailed inquiry, he learned the situation.
“Did these people plan to take a fiery path to destruction?”
Aside from a few who already had concubines when they joined the Lord, was there any high-ranking minister who openly took concubines?
Qi Guanrang and the others certainly hadn’t made a fuss; why would any minor figure dare to flaunt it?
To take a concubine while the world was still unstable—did they really think they’d be able to elevate their concubines to wives after stability?
Lu Xiniang replied, “Such corrupt practices should never be encouraged. If this continues, it will surely affect important matters.”
While for many noblewomen, a concubine merely relieved the pressure on a legitimate wife to bear children and served the husband, the idea of a concubine becoming a wife contradicted fundamental principles. Moreover, it would disrupt social order and create adverse societal impacts.
Women often preferred to resent the fish caught with illicit love rather than loathe the cat that stole it.
If this matter reached the Lord’s ears, those cats caught in the act might find themselves skinned alive.
Dian Yin said, “I’ll go consult with Military Adviser Yang and ask him to draft a memorial.”
The two families lived close by, so stopping by was easy.
However—
Strange noises that could make one blush were coming from within the quarters; upon listening closely, it seemed like the sounds of a couple entangled together.
Hearing the doorkeeper report from outside, the noise gradually subsided, followed by the sound of rustling clothes.
“At this hour, why has that clumsy Dian Yin come here?”
Yang Si whispered in annoyance.
A somewhat husky female voice from the bed replied, “Perhaps there’s an important matter.”
She yawned, got up, and began to pick up the scattered clothes at the side of the bed to get dressed.
“Just sleep; I’ll be back once I handle this.”
“No, there are things to attend to at the military camp tomorrow.”
Still a calm voice, but it carried a tantalizing rasp that was hard to ignore.
Yang Si, feeling shame and anger, hastily exclaimed, “If that clumsy Dian Yin doesn’t give an explanation, I might just go cause a scene at his residence!”
Bad things at the right moment—if heaven had struck them with lightning!
He had encountered an extraordinary woman, and even though their time together was harmonious, she stubbornly refused to discuss marriage.
He had intended to take advantage of the good vibes to coax her into agreeing to wed, but then Dian Yin just had to meddle.
Hearing this, Jiang Nongqin’s lips curved into a smile, her brows softening a bit.
“I’m leaving now.”
Without looking back.
Yang Si: “……”
The “bad girl” who just pulled up her pants and left QAQ.
