Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 206 Every family has its own sutras that are difficult to recite
"and then?"

Having heard the most crucial part, Shi Shouxin swallowed hard and asked.

Li Wan spread her hands and said, "How would I know? Later, Princess Jin stayed in the Water Curtain Cave for a few days before returning home. When she left, she insisted on taking me with her, saying she wanted to hand me over to Ah Lang. Alas, she and Lady Yu are really fighting like dragons and tigers this time. I dare not think about it."

Li Wan, who was thoroughly enjoying the gossip, sighed and lamented, even though the whole thing had nothing to do with her.

After hearing this description, a question suddenly popped into Shi Shouxin's mind: Did Wang Yuanji really have sex with Xigou?

Judging from Li Wan's gossipy look, it's probably true. But after such a scandalous affair, why hasn't Xigou been silenced yet?

Shi Shouxin suddenly thought of a possibility.

"Logically speaking, Wang Yuanji should have left immediately afterward."

Shi Shouxin put away his smile and said.

Li Wan nodded, a knowing smile on her face, and said:
"That's how it is. These past few days, Xigou has been serving Princess Jin."

The princess may have been quite embarrassed and annoyed on the first night, but in the following days... I saw that her complexion was rosy, her posture was languid, and her expression was relaxed.

She didn't seem like someone who was grief-stricken and on the verge of death. Even if you asked her to kill the greyhound, she probably wouldn't be able to bring herself to do it.

Ah Lang has so many chaotic thoughts in his head, don't you understand?

As Li Wan spoke, she gestured with her hands.

"Ugh!"

Shi Shouxin sighed deeply, realizing that Yang Huiyu had really acted dishonestly in this matter.

So what if Wang Yuanji threatens me? What's the big deal?

Why not wait for someone with ideas like him? Once he goes to Taishan County, he can find a way to prevent Sima You from returning to his clan. It's not a difficult task.

Perhaps it was the pent-up hatred from many years that finally erupted.

Shi Shouxin couldn't help but feel regret.

Yang Huiyu may have wanted the lowest of servants to ride on the back of the most noble princess or even empress, to humiliate her, possess her, strip her of all her dignified facade, and make her a slave to desire.

It has to be said that this move was really ruthless, and Wang Yuanji indeed gave up and went all out afterward.

Since the bottom line has been crossed, there's no point in talking about chastity anymore; it's only human nature to go all out and have fun.

In this matter, Xigou was just like Chuntao before; any powerful person could order him around, and he had no power to choose.

However, Wang Yuanji did not kill him for various reasons.

Yang Huiyu ordered Xigou to "serve" Wang Yuanji at night. Could this servant say "no"? Of course not.

"I originally intended to groom Xigou for a government post. I never expected something like this to happen."

It's too late to say anything now.

Shi Shouxin shook his head in disappointment, but Li Wan took his hand and comforted him:
"Didn't Ah Lang say that life should be lived to the fullest? Now, Greyhound is living a pretty spectacular life."

Although it's somewhat different from what you expected, there's nothing we can do about it. Aren't we both often caught in situations beyond our control?

Li Wan is a woman with high emotional intelligence. In this matter, she could have stepped forward to persuade Yang Huiyu, but she didn't say a word.

The pain and hatred in a person's heart are something outsiders cannot understand. These are all causes and effects, karmic entanglements, and outsiders can neither help nor interfere.

She tells others not to retaliate? Who does she think she is?!
"By the way, the concubines I've taken are also in the camp. You probably haven't met them yet. Let me take you to meet them."

Shi Shouxin pretended not to care, but his heart was pounding.

"Concubines? Who are they?"

Li Wan squinted and asked.

You'll find out when you meet them.

Without saying a word, Shi Shouxin put his arm around Li Wan's shoulder, and the two went to the camp outside the city. They found the military tent where Hui Niang and the others were without any effort.

Shi Shouxin called all the women over and introduced them, saying, "This is my wife, Madam Li. From now on, when I'm not home, what she says will be the same as what I say."

Li Wan smiled, her gaze sweeping over everyone else and fixed solely on Zhao Xiangfeng.

Is it a bit... inappropriate for a teenager to become a concubine?

Li Wan looked at Shi Shouxin as if she didn't recognize her husband, her big eyes blinking as if to say: I never knew you were such a pervert.

"Let me introduce you."

Shi Shouxin pointed to Hui Niang and said to Li Wan, "This is Su Hui, just call her Hui Niang. She is Shi Chong's ex-wife. Shi Chong wanted to marry a girl from the Jia family, so he divorced her and then gave her to me. Her two elder brothers are both trusted confidants of Sima You."

The preceding sentences were all nonsense; Li Wan understood the last sentence.

She said thoughtfully, "Shi Chong is still as lewd as ever. He hasn't changed at all over the years."

"Alright, Hui Niang will stay with my husband from now on."

Li Wan casually stepped forward and took Su Hui's hand, then leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Your breasts are so full, were they rubbed by Shi Chong?"

Hui Niang was at a loss for words, and said with a wry smile, "Madam, I was like this before I got married."

"Sigh, he really is a gifted individual."

Li Wan complained from the side.

"This is Lady Wei Xiu, and her uncle is Wei Guan. The young lady is very upright, but she is a little weak."

Shi Shouxin pointed to Wei Xiu and introduced her to Li Wan.

Upon hearing that it was someone from Wei Guan's family, Li Wan naturally understood what was going on. People from powerful families like to play these kinds of games. A rapidly rising star in the officialdom is bound to encounter all sorts of trouble.

Often, when someone gives you a woman as a gift, especially a female relative of your family, it's not something you can simply refuse.

Refusing to accept it would offend people!
Li Wan had been discussing political affairs with her father since she was a child, so it was impossible for her not to understand even this "minor matter of officialdom".

"Wei Xiu is still a virgin, so please stop teasing her."

Shi Shouxin whispered something in Li Wan's ear.

Wei Xiu was so intimidated by the powerful and unconventional wife that she didn't dare to breathe and stood there, unsure of what to do.

Li Wan put her arm around her thin shoulders and whispered in her ear, "Take care of your health first. I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush."

What is this?

Wei Xiu was both amused and exasperated by these words.

It's clear that this first wife is quite witty and enjoys joking around. In addition, she is exceptionally beautiful and she and Shi Shouxin were childhood sweethearts.

It must have been extremely favored.

The moment Li Wan appeared today, all the women present knew that they shouldn't have any improper thoughts.

Li Wan walked up to Zhao Xiangfeng again. The little girl, who usually wanted to ride roughshod over Shi Shouxin, was now too scared to speak.

Although she was young, she wasn't stupid. The principal wife wielded immense power in the household; she could easily drown a concubine in a pond without consequence, and no one could punish her except for Shi Shouxin.

Just by looking at Li Wan, it was clear that Shi Shouxin liked her very much, so Zhao Xiangfeng dared not act recklessly anymore.

"Here's some candy for you."

Li Wan took out a small wooden box from her sleeve, which contained some "liangtang" (solid maltose).

She handed the wooden box to Zhao Xiangfeng and continued, "Remember to return the box to me after you're done eating."

"Good good!"

Zhao Xiangfeng beamed and accepted the box. Then she took out a gold hairpin from her sleeve and handed it to Li Wan, saying, "Father once said that this is called reciprocity." "Interesting. I'll take you there sometime."

Li Wan smiled and nodded.

"Her name is Zhao Xiangfeng. She is a girl from the Zhao family, one of my subordinates. She is twelve years old and still a child."

Shi Shouxin explained with an embarrassed expression.

These days, it's not embarrassing for powerful families to keep as many concubines as they want, but it's very embarrassing for them to extend their evil clutches to a twelve-year-old child.

Li Wan leaned closer and whispered in Shi Shouxin's ear, "She's still a child, so you absolutely mustn't let her go, is that what you mean?"

"Stop fooling around, there are other people here, be serious!"

Shi Shouxin scolded her with a dark face. Hearing this, Li Wan laughed so hard she was shaking, completely ignoring him.

"It's almost time for dinner. Let's have hot pot today, at a house in the city, not in the military camp."

We'll spend the night at the house, and tomorrow we'll set off for Taishan County.

Li Wan gave instructions to the women.

"To Taishan County?"

Shi Shouxin was taken aback. His only reason for going to Taishan County was to bring Li Wan back. Now that Li Wan was back, what was the point of going to Taishan County again?
"After what happened to the Princess Consort of Jin, Lady Yu felt a bit regretful and scared. Ah Lang, go to Taishan County alone to comfort her, and then bring her to Qingzhou as well."

I'll take the women of my family directly to Qingzhou. We'll split up so it won't interfere with Ah Lang's official duties.

Li Wan spoke softly, seemingly having something difficult to say. Shi Shouxin nodded, sighed, and said nothing more.

Arriving in Qingzhou meant starting everything from scratch, with countless things to manage. Making a call to the Yang clan of Taishan and borrowing their help wouldn't be a bad thing.

As for other troubles, we'll have to deal with them when the time comes.

The mess Yang Huiyu caused left Shi Shouxin with no choice but to clean up the mess for this willful young lady from a prominent family. He couldn't very well pretend he didn't know her when things got out of hand, could he?
……

The turmoil in Luoyang came quickly and went quickly.

However, not every prominent family in Luoyang was eager to be seated at the banquet; some families had a mountain of troubles waiting to be dealt with.

For example, Jia Chong!
After Wang Yuanji returned to Luoyang with Jia Bao, Sima You took his newlywed wife to Jia Chong's home for a "return visit" to his father-in-law, which was only natural.

Throughout the entire homecoming process, Jia Chong's current wife, Guo Huai, never appeared, as if she didn't exist in the household at all. Furthermore, Jia Bao's birth mother, Li Wan, was not allowed to enter the Jia family mansion.

So for this homecoming, Sima You went to the Jia family first and then to Li Wan's house, and the whole process was incredibly awkward.

Li Wan naturally liked her son-in-law Sima You very much, but the situation in the Jia family was completely different.

After Sima You and his wife left the Jia family mansion, Guo Huai appeared in the main hall and then his emotions completely erupted.

"You old dog! That bitch Li Wan has come knocking on our door!"

They even took Jia Bao away and made her marry the second son of the Prince of Jin that very day.

I had already promised to marry Jia Bao to Shi Chong, and you know that!

"My face is being trampled on like this, are you going to do anything about it or not?!"

Guo Huai picked up a vase and smashed it on the open floor of the main room, roaring at Jia Chong incessantly!

"Say less, say less! Things are already like this, what can you do?"

Jia Chong covered his face with his sleeve to defend himself, lest Guo Huai's spittle splatter on his face.

"Old dog! Are you still thinking about that bitch?"

After all these years, you're still thinking about this? Have you no shame?!
I'll fight you! "

Guo Huai was completely unreasonable and pounced on Jia Chong, scratching his face.

Jia Chong retreated repeatedly, but Guo Huai's claws still touched his face, leaving several bloody marks.

He looked as disheveled as could be.

When gods fight, mortals stay away. The servants of the Jia family were all terrified of them, not daring to even enter the main hall, and all kept their distance.

Jia Chong refused to stoop to Guo Huai's level and, taking advantage of the other man's exhaustion and respite, found an excuse to leave the Jia residence.

It's almost like being a thief.

It's no wonder Guo Huai has ended up in this state; it's all Jia Chong's own doing.

Back then, Jia Chong was not well-known, while Li Feng's daughter was exceptionally beautiful and talented, and was well-known in the elite circles of Luoyang. Jia Chong cherished her as a treasure after he got her.

A good relationship between husband and wife is a wonderful thing.

Unfortunately, Li Feng rebelled against the Sima clan, and Li Wan went from being a highly sought-after person to a universally hated jinx.

In order to advance his career, and also under pressure from Sima Shi, Jia Chong had no choice but to divorce Li Wan, who was then exiled to the frontier.

Later, Jia Chong married Guo Huai, a daughter of the Guo family.

Although the Guo family is powerful, Guo Huai is far inferior to Li Wan!
Jia Chong felt bitter, but he couldn't express it. After all, this was the price he had to pay for his ambition.

He chose this path himself, and he must walk it to the end, even with tears in his eyes!
Unbeknownst to Jia Chong, he had arrived at the gate of the residence where Li Wan lived. After hesitating for a while, he knocked on the door. The maid opened the door, saw that it was Jia Chong, and immediately closed the door again.

He was turned away!

Jia Chong sighed deeply and slowly walked back to the Jia mansion. Guo Huai was right to scold him; Jia Chong now felt like an old dog.

When he got home, he found that the main room had been cleaned up. Guo Huai's anger had probably subsided, and he was hiding in the bedroom, doing something unknown.

Jia Chong sat alone in the main seat of the hall, his mind wandering to all sorts of random thoughts.

He suddenly realized that getting divorced back then was a huge mistake!

Jia Chong only considered what he would gain immediately, without thinking about what he would lose in the future.

Li Feng was someone the Sima clan wanted killed as soon as possible back then, but today, the so-called "taboo" is slowly being lifted. Factions within the court are also gradually being reorganized.

What was taboo in the past may not be taboo in the future. On the contrary, the Guo family has too close a connection with the Sima family, so we should be wary of them.

Just then, a servant announced, "My lord, Shi Chong requests an audience."

"Shi Chong? What's he doing here?"

Jia Chong asked with a puzzled look.

"He didn't say that."

The servant answered somewhat hesitantly.

"I won't see him, I won't see him, get rid of him."

Jia Chong waved his hand impatiently and said.

Shi Chong was very close to Sima Yan and served as Sima Yan's "front man" in recruiting talent. After all, Sima Yan was only the heir apparent, not the emperor, and he couldn't directly recruit talent himself.

If he were to contact Shi Chong, it would appear to outsiders that he was siding with Sima Yan.

Jia Chong felt that with his current power, he no longer needed to take sides with any of Sima Zhao's sons.

A short while later, the servant returned and handed over an invitation.

As expected, Sima Yan invited Jia Chong to a banquet at his residence to celebrate his housewarming.

That's right. Sima Yan has established his own residence and headquarters in the past two days. He now has his own royal palace, his own guards, and his own team of advisors. He can now openly recruit subordinates!
Sima Zhao was preparing to go further, so Sima Yan was also preparing to change his title from "Heir Apparent" to "Crown Prince".

Should he go or not? Jia Chong was troubled, his brows furrowing into a deep frown.

(End of this chapter)