Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Wei Lan had just woken up from a nap. She struggled to get out of bed, thinking that Lu Zijin had already gone to work early in the morning. Wei Lan felt embarrassed to sleep until noon, so she decided to eat breakfast and return to Fuqu Pavilion. Since she needed to print storybooks, one book was definitely not enough. She still had to continue writing stories to annoy Chen Zhou.

Anyway, she had already bought the raw jade stone. After finishing the storybook, she could carve it whenever she wanted.

After washing up, Wei Lan called for breakfast to be brought over. She ate breakfast slowly, while the maids of Jingchen Courtyard, with great foresight, had fetched ice blocks early in the morning. They placed the ice blocks in a large basin to cool the room.

Wei Lan ate breakfast comfortably and returned to Fuqu Pavilion under the escort of four young maids.

As Wei Lan entered the courtyard, she noticed sneaky glances from all around. Several young maids on duty outside bowed to her but kept stealing looks.

Wei Lan did not know what was wrong with everyone, but she did not pay much attention. She pushed open the door and entered her room.

The room also had cooling ice blocks prepared by the maids. Wei Lan closed the bedroom door, walked to the chair by the desk, and sat down. She spread out white paper, ground some ink, and began writing.

Today’s story continued from the last one. Although Cui Niang was now in the Marquis’s Mansion, a place that devoured people without spitting out their bones, her entire fortune was still intact, so the Marquis’s Mansion could not do anything to her for the time being. However, Cui Niang knew she could not delay for long. Otherwise, with the Marquis’s disposition, he would surely kill her to seize her wealth.

Fortunately, Cui Niang from her previous life had not lived in vain. She knew that the currently disregarded Ninth Imperial Daughter was actually a phoenix hiding in the abyss. After her useless brothers killed each other, she would gradually reveal her sharpness. In her previous life, Cui Niang remembered that before her death, the Ninth Imperial Daughter had already controlled the court and military power. Once the old emperor passed away, she would rightfully become the Empress.

Cui Niang decided to find a way to connect with the Ninth Imperial Daughter. She could hand over half of her wealth to the Ninth Imperial Daughter, but on the condition that the people of the Marquis’s Mansion must die.

The more Wei Lan wrote, the more satisfied she felt. She shaped Cui Niang’s character as unyielding. In the vicious Marquis’s Mansion, Cui Niang escaped schemes time and again, making the ungrateful Marquis’s face twist with anger.

With the story in her mind, Wei Lan wrote quickly. By lunchtime, she had already written seven pages of rice paper, each sheet as large as two A4 papers.

Wei Lan was very satisfied with what she had written. She stretched lazily and then opened the door to call for Madam Li.

“Madam Li, have someone prepare lunch for me, but make less this time. I ate breakfast late, so I’m not too hungry now,” Wei Lan said.

“Yes, this old servant will send someone to prepare it right away,” Madam Li replied with a cheerful smile, instructing the maids to get to work.

The small kitchen worked quickly, and soon, dishes were brought up one by one.

That morning, Siyun had been asked by many people about the storybook. Just before serving the dishes, a young maid had asked her to check with the master if the rest of the story was finished.

Siyun did not dare to ask. Although Wei Lan had a good temper, she was still their master.

Siyun did not ask, but Wei Lan noticed Siyun kept looking at her. She asked, “What’s wrong?”

“This servant was rude,” Siyun hurriedly bowed to Wei Lan.

“No matter, is there something you want to tell me?” Wei Lan asked.

Siyun’s forehead was sweating. She cautiously observed Wei Lan’s expression, seeing her gentle demeanor, and carefully said, “Everyone is asking about the storybook. They want to know if the master has more storybooks for me to read to them.”

Hearing this, Wei Lan immediately understood Siyun’s meaning. After all, entertainment in ancient times was scarce, and now that they had a novel to listen to, the maids probably wanted to hear the continuation of the plot.

Wei Lan smiled and nodded. “I’ve written a few pages. Take them out and read them to everyone, but be careful not to damage the paper.”

“Yes,” Siyun quickly walked to the desk, took the manuscript, bowed, and left.

Wei Lan then began to enjoy her lunch. She ate simply and continued writing the next part of the story.

—

In the afternoon, in Chen Zhou’s study, several managers of Chen’s Bookshop were reporting the past month’s revenue to Chen Zhou. Chen Zhou listened with a face full of smiles.

“Young Master, speaking of the bookshop business, all the bookshops in Panyang City combined cannot compare to our Chen’s,” one manager said.

“Exactly, thanks to those scholars writing storybooks,” another added.

Chen Zhou listened to the managers’ flattery and nodded with satisfaction. “Indeed, but you shops must maintain this momentum, especially not letting the Lu Family surpass us. Panyang City is only so big, and business is limited. We can’t let the Lu Family take the lead everywhere.”

“Young Master, rest assured. When it comes to bookshop business, our Chen’s has never lost to anyone,” a manager replied.

Hearing this, Chen Zhou sat behind his desk and smiled with satisfaction. “But you must also keep those storybook-writing scholars loyal. Make sure they don’t write for other bookshops.”

“Young Master, rest assured, we understand,” the managers exchanged glances and smiled slyly.

“That’s good,” Chen Zhou nodded with satisfaction. He waved his hand to dismiss them and then sneered a few times.

He had promised Yun Xiang a grand future, hoping she would succeed. Of course, if she succeeded, he would definitely send someone to deal with her. If she failed, Yun Xiang was Lu Zijin’s person, so it had nothing to do with the Chen Mansion. He would wash his hands of it completely.

In the evening, Yun Xiang held two jars of wine in her arms. She carefully slipped out of Jingchen Courtyard. The wine contained sedative drugs she had secretly obtained from someone in the Chen Mansion.

Yun Xiang walked toward the warehouse. The closer she got, the weaker her legs felt. She hid behind a large rock, clutching the two jars of wine, taking deep breaths. She looked at the gold bracelet on her wrist and kept encouraging herself in her heart.

“You can do this. As long as you complete what Young Master ordered, wealth and glory will await you. Go, go quickly,” Yun Xiang thought to herself and stepped forward.

Yun Xiang put on a practiced smile. Seeing seven guards holding large swords, her heart still felt timid. If one looked closely at her movements, it was not hard to notice her legs were trembling.

The warehouse entrance was lit with lanterns and torches. The guards quickly noticed Yun Xiang’s presence.

The leader shouted, “Who’s there? What are you doing here?”

Yun Xiang smiled at them. “I’m Yun Xiang from the young lady’s courtyard. Don’t you all recognize me?”

The guards exchanged glances. They naturally recognized her. After all, Yun Xiang had been slapped over a hundred times last time, her face swollen like a pig’s head, leaving a deep impression.

“What’s the matter?” the leader shouted.

“Oh, the young lady saw how hard you all work, so she sent me to bring some wine to refresh you,” Yun Xiang said, trying to stay calm.

The guard’s eyes shifted. “We have rules. We can’t drink while on duty. How could the young lady send you with wine at this time? Speak, what’s your intention?”

Hearing this, Yun Xiang immediately panicked, sweat forming on her face. “Brothers, you misunderstood. The young lady sent me to bring this wine to refresh you, not to get you drunk.”

The guards still found it impossible. Hang Shuyao had repeatedly emphasized the importance of the warehouse, especially since the Lu Family’s dyeing workshop had been set on fire once before. They were extra vigilant.

“Impossible. The young lady is afraid of trouble here. Why would she send wine for no reason? I think you have bad intentions,” the guard said, signaling to the others.

Immediately, two guards stepped forward, seized the wine from Yun Xiang’s hands, and detained her.

“You, go report this to the commander,” one guard said to a companion.

“Alright.”

Soon, Hang Shuyao hurriedly arrived. Seeing Yun Xiang pinned to the ground by two guards, she asked, “What’s going on?”

“Commander, this Yun Xiang suddenly brought wine for us to drink, saying it was the young lady’s orders. We thought she was suspicious, so we detained her,” the guard quickly replied.

“Well done. It’s getting late. I’ll have someone take her back for now. You go fetch Physician Deng to my place,” Hang Shuyao instructed a guard beside her, then took Yun Xiang and the two jars of wine away.

“No, I’m the young lady’s person. How dare you disrespect me? This wine was really sent by the young lady. If you dare seize me, wait until the young lady punishes you,” Yun Xiang cried out, her body soaked in sweat. However, Hang Shuyao ignored her and ordered her to be taken away.

The guards’ courtyard had a woodshed. Hang Shuyao had Yun Xiang locked inside and assigned two guards to watch her.

Yun Xiang’s hands and feet were bound, and her mouth was gagged with a piece of rag.

Hang Shuyao took the two jars of wine back to her bedroom. Soon, a guard brought Physician Deng over.

“Physician Deng, sorry to disturb you so late. Please check if there’s anything wrong with this wine,” Hang Shuyao said.

Physician Deng sniffed the wine and immediately detected something wrong. “There’s sedative drugs in this. What’s going on?”

“Oh, someone is plotting against the warehouse. It’s late now, so I’ll report to the young lady tomorrow morning. Thank you, Physician Deng,” Hang Shuyao said quickly.

“Commander Hang, you’re too polite. If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave now,” Physician Deng replied.

“Take care,” Hang Shuyao escorted him to the courtyard gate before returning.

Thinking it over, she still felt uneasy, so she assigned ten more guards to watch the warehouse. Only then did she feel slightly relieved.

Meanwhile, Yun Xiang, locked in the woodshed, was in tears. She cried so hard she nearly fainted. She had only come to deliver wine. Would the young lady spare her? But the wine contained sedative drugs. If it was discovered, she was finished. Yun Xiang felt waves of helplessness and nearly fainted from crying.

The next morning, Hang Shuyao had Yun Xiang escorted early, along with the two jars of drugged wine.

Soon, the maids of Jingchen Courtyard ran to Lu Zijin’s bedroom to report.

“Young Lady, Commander Hang is here, and they’re escorting Yun Xiang,” a maid said.

“Call them in quickly,” Lu Zijin said. She had just finished breakfast and was about to leave, but with Hang Shuyao coming, she guessed something had happened at the warehouse.

Soon, Hang Shuyao and her group arrived. Yun Xiang was pressed to the ground by two guards, unable to speak because her mouth was gagged.

“Young Lady, last night Yun Xiang took two jars of wine to the warehouse, claiming it was your order to refresh the guards. The guards on duty found it suspicious and detained her. I later asked Physician Deng to check, and the wine was laced with sedative drugs,” Hang Shuyao said respectfully.

Lu Zijin’s face turned cold. She signaled the guards to remove the rag from Yun Xiang’s mouth. The next moment, Yun Xiang’s cries rang out. “Young Lady, spare me! I only wanted to refresh the guards, so I brought the wine.”

“Refresh? Where did the sedative drugs in the wine come from?” Lu Zijin sneered.

She had originally planned to keep Yun Xiang, but now it seemed better to deal with her sooner.

“I don’t know, I don’t know how there were drugs in the wine. Young Lady, please trust me one more time. I’ve served you for years. Even if I have no merit, I have worked hard. Please give me one more chance,” Yun Xiang cried incessantly.

Lu Zijin sat calmly on a round stool, unmoved. “Who told you to do this? Why would a maid like you go to the warehouse for no reason? Who instructed you?”

“No one, no one instructed me. Young Lady, you have to believe me,” Yun Xiang kept crying.

Lu Zijin sneered. “Was it Chen Zhou who told you to do this? With your monthly allowance, where did you get the money to buy that gold bracelet?”

“Young Lady, it’s not Young Master Chen. I went on my own. It has nothing to do with Young Master Chen,” Yun Xiang continued to cry.

“Give her thirty lashes first. Let’s see how loyal you are to Chen Zhou,” Lu Zijin said coldly, looking at Yun Xiang.

“No, Young Lady, spare me, spare me!” Yun Xiang was quickly dragged out.

Soon, a bench was brought into the courtyard. The guards tied Yun Xiang to the bench, and two guards with long sticks stood on either side of her.

Lu Zijin walked to the corridor. A young maid brought a chair, and she sat down, nodding to the guards. They understood immediately, raised their sticks, and began beating Yun Xiang.

“Young Lady, no! Spare me! Ah, ah…” Yun Xiang screamed.

The courtyard was quiet except for Yun Xiang’s continuous screams.

No one paid her any attention. After the thirty lashes, Yun Xiang’s back was torn open, and she had fainted.

Lu Zijin said calmly, “Wake her up.”

A guard quickly brought a bucket of cold water and splashed it over Yun Xiang’s head and face. She woke up immediately, her back wounds stinging painfully.

“Young Lady, spare me! I won’t dare again,” Yun Xiang said, truly terrified now. She remembered Tian Da and Cao Qiushuang, who had been beaten to death. Their lives were in Lu Zijin’s hands. They had signed death contracts, so even if Lu Zijin killed them, no one would investigate.

“Speak, was it Chen Zhou who told you to do this?” Lu Zijin asked again, her eyes calm and unwavering.

“Yes, it was Young Master Chen. He said if I burned the Lu Mansion’s warehouse, he would take me as a concubine. Young Lady, I was foolish. Please spare me, please,” Yun Xiang sobbed.

Lu Zijin’s expression remained cold. She considered reporting it to the authorities, but since Yun Xiang was from her mansion, if Chen Zhou claimed she and Yun Xiang framed him, she could do nothing to him. However, she could thoroughly humiliate Chen Zhou.

“Go invite Young Master Chen over,” Lu Zijin said coldly.

“Yes,” several servants immediately ran off.

In Chen Zhou’s study, he was leisurely sipping tea. Soon, Su Er ran in.

“Young Master, Young Master, Young Lady Lu invites you to come over,” Su Er said.

“Lu Zijin? Didn’t she forbid me from entering? Could it be that the Lu Mansion is short on cloth and can’t deliver, so she’s begging me?” Chen Zhou mused.

“Probably. This time, we can finally hold our heads high. Young Lady Lu personally invited you,” Su Er flattered.

Chen Zhou immediately put on airs. He considered whether to go. If he didn’t, knowing Lu Zijin’s personality, she probably wouldn’t send for him again.

Thinking it over, Chen Zhou nodded. “Alright, she’s my cousin, after all. I can’t disrespect her. But if she wants cloth, the price will be thirty percent higher.”

“Yes, yes, Young Master is wise,” Su Er kept flattering.

Chen Zhou soon left with a few servants. He rode in a carriage and arrived at the Lu Mansion’s gate shortly.

Recalling the times he had been blocked at the gate, Chen Zhou got off the carriage, adjusted his clothes, and walked toward the Lu Mansion’s entrance with an air of superiority.

As he passed the Lu Mansion’s guards, he deliberately snorted a few times to express his displeasure.

He walked arrogantly, thinking that Lu Zijin would soon beg him for help. Chen Zhou’s face showed unconcealed excitement.

When he arrived at Jingchen Courtyard, he saw a maid lying on a bench, her lower back torn and bleeding.

Chen Zhou froze for a moment, sensing the heavy atmosphere in Jingchen Courtyard. Still, he smiled and walked toward Lu Zijin.

“Cousin, is there something you need me for?” Chen Zhou asked.

Lu Zijin’s gaze swept coldly toward Chen Zhou. “My maid Yun Xiang says you bribed her to burn the warehouse. Is this true?”

Chen Zhou was stunned, not expecting Lu Zijin to bring this up. He didn’t even look at the beaten woman and immediately denied it. “Cousin, don’t make reckless accusations. I’ve never met Yun Xiang. I don’t know her at all. You lost a warehouse of cloth and are upset, so you’re teaming up with Yun Xiang to frame me, aren’t you?”

Hearing this, Lu Zijin laughed. Her gaze shifted to Yun Xiang. “Yun Xiang, your Young Master Chen is disowning you. It seems he doesn’t care about your life or death.”

“Young Master, save me, save Yun Xiang! I did this all for you. You promised to take me as your concubine,” Yun Xiang reached out, trying to grab Chen Zhou’s hem but failing.

Her words made Chen Zhou furious. “You, you’re slandering me! I don’t know a lowly maid like you, and you dare defame me!”

He turned to Lu Zijin. “Cousin, I understand you’re upset about losing a warehouse of cloth, but having your maid slander me? I absolutely won’t admit it.”

Lu Zijin looked at Chen Zhou, finding his face repulsive and disgusting. “Is that so? So, Yun Xiang did this on her own?”

“Yes, yes, this lowly maid is jealous of our relationship and wants to stir trouble between our families. You mustn’t believe her,” Chen Zhou said excitedly.

“Then deal with her,” Lu Zijin said calmly.

Chen Zhou didn’t understand what she meant, but the next moment, the guards resumed beating Yun Xiang.

Yun Xiang no longer had the strength to scream. Her venomous gaze fixed on Chen Zhou like a viper.

Chen Zhou felt a chill down his spine from her stare and wanted to leave this troublesome place quickly. “Cousin, if there’s nothing else, I won’t delay your handling of household matters.”

“Why the rush? Are you feeling guilty?” Lu Zijin said calmly.

Chen Zhou stopped in his tracks. “Guilty? How could I be? If you say that, I’ll stand here today.”

He gritted his teeth and looked at Yun Xiang, but meeting her venomous gaze, he felt afraid again.

“I, I’ll haunt you even as a ghost, Young Master. I’ll come for you in the underworld. We’ll die together,” Yun Xiang’s hoarse voice whispered like a demon crawling from hell.

“Don’t talk nonsense! Who’s dying with you?” Chen Zhou was unnerved. He had bl00d on his hands, but his subordinates always handled it, so he had never seen someone’s death up close. This was his first time.

After saying that, Yun Xiang ran out of strength and soon closed her eyes.

The guards checked her breathing and shook their heads at Lu Zijin. “Young Lady, she’s gone.”

Lu Zijin only nodded faintly. “Deal with it.”

She stood up, her gaze shifting to Chen Zhou. “Will Boss Chen have nightmares tonight? After all, Yun Xiang just said she’d come find you.”

Chen Zhou stumbled back two steps but tried to stay composed. “Nonsense, I don’t know her. You dealt with her, so if she’s looking for anyone, it should be you.”

“Is that so? The guilty know their debts,” Lu Zijin said coldly, a slight smirk on her lips.

“Bad luck, I’m leaving,” Chen Zhou said, ignoring Lu Zijin and hurrying to leave. He still remembered Yun Xiang’s venomous gaze, and now things were bad.

As he walked, Chen Zhou clenched his fist and ordered Su Er beside him. “Quickly fetch a priest from the city to perform a ritual in my courtyard. Make sure no one knows.”

“Yes, Young Master, I’ll send someone right away,” Su Er replied quickly.

When Chen Zhou left the Lu Mansion, he was so frightened he nearly tripped on the steps. Alarmed, he shouted, “Hurry, help me! Let’s go, back to the mansion!”

“Yes, yes, Young Master, slow down,” Su Er said. The carriage rumbled, and the Chen Mansion’s people soon disappeared.