Chapter 1740 – Imagining a Big Drama
“What are you standing there for? Get out!!!”
Sun Lan wished he could slice the warm-footed girl’s neck with his sword. That body, capable of making a man’s heart flutter, was more humiliating than suggestive in his eyes. Even if he were a boy who had never seen a naked woman, the sight of the warm-footed girl made him feel nauseous, like a pig boiled until hairless under the orange candlelight.
Just thinking about how he saw pigs being slaughtered for logistics back in the military camp added to his disgust towards the warm-footed girl.
The warm-footed girl was startled by Sun Lan’s inexplicable fury, so much so that she forgot about the tears rolling in her eyes.
She was the youngest daughter most cherished by the steward. Before Sun Lan returned, she had heard about this eldest son more than once from her father.
Everyone in the household knew that Sun Lan admired the noble girl Qi Guan Jinghui, who was very likely to become the future legitimate wife of the household.
That noble girl was known for her good nature, and Sun Lan was compassionate and kind. If she were taken as his concubine, even as an unnamed warm-footed girl, wouldn’t her future be bright? Even if Sun Lan didn’t pamper her, the steward, being her father, would ensure her days wouldn’t be too miserable. With father and daughter supporting each other, they could easily turn the tide once they had a son or daughter.
Neither she nor the steward had considered Qi Guan Jinghui’s or Sun Lan’s opinions.
Would Qi Guan Jinghui tolerate having a warm-footed girl before marriage?
Of course! After all, she had a splendid personality, and during Sun Lan’s two-plus years in the military, this kind noble girl had occasionally looked after the Sun household.
Moreover, with such a noble status, why would she quibble with a lowly concubine?
Which noble son hasn’t had women before marriage? It’s just that no illegitimate children were produced. All respectable families prioritize legitimate heirs, ensuring that no illegitimate sons or daughters would shame the legitimate wife. The warm-footed girl hadn’t thought about gaining an advantage in that aspect; she simply wished that once Sun Lan accepted her and his legitimate wife bore a son, she could then have a daughter or son.
Would Sun Lan become angry and refuse?
Of course not!
Who would refuse tender meat served right at their doorstep? Moreover, in his youthful vigor, a novice like Sun Lan was the most susceptible to a woman’s teasing. If he were not a novice but an experienced player, there would be no worry at all. Yet, he had never considered the possibility of refusal.
For a moment, the warm-footed girl was a bit dumbfounded.
Sun Lan’s rage soared to the breaking point as he coldly laughed, “So you refuse to get out, huh?”
The warm-footed girl opened her mouth to explain, but Sun Lan shouted to outside, “Come in!”
Come in?
Who?
While the warm-footed girl was lost in thought, a guard on night duty stood there, bewildered.
Wait, wasn’t the master summoning a young girl for some fun? Why were they calling the two brothers in?
Would they be mere spectators for the show?
Sun Lan looked shy and honest; he didn’t seem to have such strange fetishes.
Or perhaps… the young master was a novice and didn’t know how to act in a marital context?
The guard imagined an elaborate scene, while the warm-footed girl let out a squeak and hastily grabbed a blanket to cover her bare body.
Then it hit her why Sun Lan called the two guards in, and she was instantly frightened to tears. Clutching the blanket to hide her body and crawling to Sun Lan’s feet, she grabbed his pant leg, crying out, “Young master, spare me! I didn’t mean to! Please, have mercy on your humble servant who is just a novice. Don’t give me to these two… I see my mistakes now, please have mercy!”
The two guards were taken aback.
He didn’t call them in just to watch but to offer them a benefit?
Sun Lan was stunned by the warm-footed girl’s counterattack. Even with his usually good temper, he couldn’t help but kick her shoulder, sending her rolling on the ground, just enough to get her to curl up in the blanket. Not seeing her bare flesh eased some of the disgust he felt in his throat, and he pointed at the warm-footed girl, saying, “Throw her out! Have that old coot come get her!”
How had these people been plotting against him?
If they continued to stay in the household, would it be he and his grandfather who held the authority, or these servants who had their own agendas? The guard’s momentary wishes were dashed by Sun Lan’s words. They did as told and threw the curled-up warm-footed girl out of the courtyard.
“Isn’t it a bit much to do this in the freezing weather?”
One guard took pity, noticing the warm-footed girl shivering, tears streaming down her face, and felt his heart soften a tad.
Their young master was a tough guy, after all. To toss such a pretty girl out without a second thought, he truly was a steel-hearted man.
The other guard sneered, “Just get on with your job. The master has already dismissed her, do you still feel sorry for her? At least she got a blanket! If they had thrown her in the pond with the blanket, she could have died from the cold… Now that would be something.”
The warm-footed girl was truly booted out by Sun Lan, and he too felt regret.
“I should have kept the blanket…”
As the rage subsided, Sun Lan shivered, realizing even with the heating inside, his nightwear was too thin.
After dressing himself warmly, he began to feel a headache from his earlier rashness.
Looking at how lax things were in the household, it seemed the servants had lost all semblance of proper decorum; their mouths were likely as loose as a sieve.
After this commotion, come dawn, he couldn’t imagine how the rumors would spread.
Rubbing his disheveled hair, cascading over his shoulders, Sun Lan resigned himself to cleaning up his own mess from this recklessness.
Having spent so many years in the military, Sun Lan was no longer the soft little darling he once was; his methods had become as decisive as lightning.
He knew well that in the camp, there were plenty of scoundrels and rogues with questionable qualities. Even with political officers brainwashing them with various ideologies, the pace of cultural education could never keep up with the rapid expansion of the army, resulting in the overall cultural standard remaining half-dead.
After dealing with them day in and day out, how could Sun Lan still be the charming little darling?
Whether through coercion, temptation, or threats, he needed to make the servants in his household learn to fear him and speak cautiously.
The most effective and swift method was to enact a heavy punishment on one, making an example of them.
Which servant would he pick to punish?
Sun Lan smirked, that steward would be a prime target.
When the steward was caught, he was probably still chatting away in bed, dreaming about the future with his wife. When Sun Lan’s guards burst in and dragged him from his warm blankets, they also caught his confidantes, binding them all tightly and presenting them before Sun Lan.
The steward was utterly baffled.
He had toiled for the Sun household for so long, and though he had no merits, he at least had some suffering—why would Sun Lan treat him, someone who had contributed, like this right off the bat?
The atmosphere in the room was heavy and oppressive, with a few servants and maidservants quaking in fear as they knelt.
Sun Lan sat at the head, his expression cold.
