Transmigrated as a Cannon Fodder Wife A in Ancient Times - Chapter 71

Chapter 71

“Hmm, I specially considered the bookshop. By the way, Madam, look, this is the silver I earned today. I give it all to you.” Wei Lan flatteringly took out the silver notes she hid under the pillow and handed them all to Lu Zijin.

Lu Zijin continued pinching Wei Lan’s ear tip with one hand and took the silver notes with the other. She casually flipped through them and unexpectedly found that Wei Lan gave her 160,000 taels of silver notes at once.

Lu Zijin looked at Wei Lan with a complicated expression. Sometimes, she wished Wei Lan wasn’t so capable, so her little dog would rely on her and never leave her side for a lifetime.

Wei Lan earned silver so well and attracted so many young girls’ affection. Just thinking about it made Lu Zijin’s heart feel sour. Her little dog belonged to her alone, and no one could steal her little dog.

Lu Zijin put the silver notes aside, pressed Wei Lan’s shoulders, and kissed her again. The kiss was urgent and aggressive. Wei Lan soon gasped for breath, as her wife kissed too forcefully.

Only when Lu Zijin herself nearly ran out of breath did she pull back slightly. Lu Zijin’s right hand held Wei Lan’s chin, her thumb gently rubbing Wei Lan’s lower lip, her eyes full of obsession. “Remember, you are mine alone. If you dare to have another Kunze behind my back, I will break all four of your dog legs.”

“I understand. I am very obedient. Don’t be angry, Madam,” Wei Lan said, her eyes misty from the kiss, coaxing Lu Zijin pitifully.

Seeing her little Qianyuan’s obedient demeanor, Lu Zijin felt slightly better, but she was still sour. She admitted she was petty and couldn’t stand others coveting her little dog.

Lu Zijin glared at Wei Lan, got up, and ordered a maid to prepare bathwater for her. She ignored Wei Lan and went straight behind the screen to bathe.

Wei Lan’s bond mark was toyed with until she felt half-limp, her body drained of strength. She could only lie on the bed to recover, noticing that Madam seemed still angry with her.

Wei Lan bit the corner of the quilt. She felt so unlucky to have run into her wife at that moment.

Lu Zijin bathed on her own, thinking her little dog still needed discipline to learn her lesson properly.

She had just bitten Wei Lan’s bond mark a few times, and now the scent of Wei Lan’s pheromones lingered in her mouth. Lu Zijin soaked comfortably in the wooden tub and only got up to dry her body after a while.

Wei Lan lay on the bed, ears perked, listening to Lu Zijin’s movements. Knowing Lu Zijin was almost done bathing, Wei Lan quickly mustered her energy. Her wife was still upset, so she needed to behave better later.

Sure enough, soon Lu Zijin began drying her hair with a towel, not looking at Wei Lan.

Wei Lan felt uneasy in her heart. She lay on the bed, tilting her head to look at Lu Zijin. “Madam, I miss you. I like Madam the most.”

Lu Zijin glanced at her faintly, seeing her little dog fawning over her. Lu Zijin felt slightly more comfortable, but only slightly.

She dried her wet hair and walked to a chair nearby. She picked up the cushion on the chair and casually tossed it to the floor.

Lu Zijin pointed at the cushion and said, “Little dog, go kneel down there. You’re not allowed on the bed.”

“Oh.” Wei Lan looked at Lu Zijin with a pitiful expression, seeing no room for negotiation. She obediently got off the bed and knelt on the cushion.

Wei Lan looked at the cushion beneath her and smiled sweetly. Her wife still cared for her, unwilling to let her kneel directly on the floor.

Lu Zijin saw her still able to smile and looked surprised. She reached out, pinched Wei Lan’s cheek, and asked, “What are you smiling about? Hmm?”

“Not smiling. I miss you, Madam,” Wei Lan said obediently, rubbing her cheek against Lu Zijin’s leg to act coy, truly like a little dog.

Lu Zijin was very satisfied with Wei Lan’s submissive attitude. She casually patted Wei Lan’s head and smiled. “A little dog should be this obedient.”

Seeing Lu Zijin smile, Wei Lan relaxed in her heart and rubbed against Lu Zijin more eagerly. Unfortunately, Lu Zijin wore trousers, so she couldn’t rub against her wife’s bare skin.

Lu Zijin didn’t know what Wei Lan was thinking. She switched to another towel to continue drying her wet hair while Wei Lan kept rubbing against her, acting coy.

Wei Lan was actually quite happy. Being her wife’s dog wasn’t shameful at all. Who wouldn’t want to be their wife’s dog?

Wei Lan thought proudly, her hand slipping under Lu Zijin’s trouser leg, kneading Lu Zijin’s calf.

The next moment, Lu Zijin pinched Wei Lan’s ear. She looked at the kneeling Wei Lan with a half-smile, then shifted her gaze to the hand Wei Lan had slipped under her trouser leg.

Lu Zijin shook her leg. “Take your dog paw out. Who allowed you to touch?”

Wei Lan withdrew her hand aggrievedly, afraid Lu Zijin would get angry. She rubbed against Lu Zijin again, acting coy. “I like Madam.”

Seeing her obedient appearance, Lu Zijin’s lips curved slightly. She loved her little dog being so well-behaved. Indeed, her little dog was only for her to toy with.

Lu Zijin dried her hair again, feeling it was enough, and placed the wet towels on a nearby stool.

She stretched her leg and lightly kicked Wei Lan, signaling her to let go. “Let go. I’m going to bed.”

“Madam, what about me?” Wei Lan asked, kneeling on the cushion obediently.

Lu Zijin had already climbed onto the bed. She stretched her leg and stepped on Wei Lan’s shoulder.

Wei Lan’s ears reddened. She glanced uncontrollably at Lu Zijin’s ankle. Madam’s ankle was beautiful, the skin fair, perhaps due to her recent bath, carrying a faint scent of white sandalwood.

Seeing Wei Lan staring at her ankle, Lu Zijin’s eyes curved. She moved her right foot, lightly stepping on Wei Lan’s neck. Her crystalline toes were as delicate as carved white jade.

Lu Zijin deliberately used her toes to press on Wei Lan’s bond mark. If her little dog was disobedient, she deserved to be ruined by her master.

Wei Lan naturally felt the pressure on her bond mark. Her eyes soon misted over. “Madam, please don’t step there, okay? It’s itchy and feels strange.”

“No. A little dog should obediently be stepped on,” Lu Zijin refused, pressing harder with her foot. Wei Lan nearly couldn’t stay kneeling, but she managed to hold herself up with her arms.

As Lu Zijin moved, the scent of fresh snow grew stronger in the bedroom. The mist in Wei Lan’s eyes thickened. She sniffled, looking at Lu Zijin pitifully, as if she was about to cry from being stepped on.

Seeing her like this, Lu Zijin felt quite pleased. Indeed, her little Qianyuan doted on her, not getting angry even when stepped on, which dispelled much of Lu Zijin’s anger.

“Do you like it?” Lu Zijin pressed harder on Wei Lan’s bond mark with her toes and asked deliberately.

Wei Lan sniffled, enduring it, and replied, “I like it. I like whatever Madam does to me.”

Hearing Wei Lan’s sweet words, Lu Zijin couldn’t suppress her smile. She was very satisfied with Wei Lan’s performance.

Seeing her little dog so obedient, Lu Zijin moved her jade-like foot upward, stepping on Wei Lan’s cheek.

Wei Lan looked at Lu Zijin with misty eyes, not angry at all. She leaned forward, kissed Lu Zijin’s flawless foot, and even rubbed her face against it. Her wife’s body was fragrant and sweet, and there wasn’t a part she didn’t love.

Lu Zijin felt something was off. She meant to punish Wei Lan, but now it seemed Wei Lan was enjoying being stepped on.

“Bad dog,” Lu Zijin said, raising her brow and stepping a few more times. She moved her toes slightly, continuing to press on Wei Lan’s bond mark. Today, she was determined to ruin her little dog.

Sure enough, Wei Lan couldn’t handle it anymore and had no energy to kiss her. The little dog knelt on the floor, enduring the discomfort on her bond mark.

Only when Lu Zijin felt Wei Lan’s bond mark had gone flat did she stop. By then, Wei Lan could barely stay kneeling.

Lu Zijin moved forward, reached out, lifted Wei Lan’s chin, and made her look up. She raised her brow and asked, “Will you dare to do it again?”

“I won’t dare, Madam. I was wrong,” Wei Lan said, looking at Lu Zijin pitifully with misty eyes. Her wife had played with her pheromones until they were gone. She should be appeased now, right?

“That’s more like it. Get up,” Lu Zijin said, finally showing mercy and allowing Wei Lan onto the bed.

However, Wei Lan’s legs and feet were so weak she could barely stay kneeling, let alone climb onto the bed.

She clung to the bed’s edge, her eyes red from being teased, looking at Lu Zijin with pitiful puppy eyes.

Lu Zijin sighed. Since she had ruined her little dog, she naturally couldn’t ignore her.

So Lu Zijin got off the bed, helped the exhausted Wei Lan up, and half-carried, half-dragged her onto the bed.

Wei Lan finally lay on the bed, looking as if she was so tired she might fall asleep. Her wife had completely ruined her.

Lu Zijin looked at her exhausted little dog with amusement, leaning in to check Wei Lan’s bond mark. She found it flat, truly unable to release pheromones anymore.

Lu Zijin pressed her cheek against Wei Lan’s chest. Her little dog was too ruined to do anything else today. Lu Zijin prepared to sleep soundly.

Wei Lan still wanted to get closer to her wife, but she was so tired she couldn’t lift her hands. She gave up, and soon fell asleep.

Lu Zijin looked at her exhausted, sleeping little dog with a smile, feeling quite good. Holding Wei Lan, she also slept soundly.

The next morning, Lu Zijin got up to handle matters.

As she moved, Wei Lan woke up, tightly hugging Lu Zijin in her arms. “Madam, where are you going?”

“There are still many things to handle today. I’ll get up first. You sleep more,” Lu Zijin said, kissing Wei Lan’s cheek softly. After all, she had ruined her little dog’s bond mark last night, so she needed to let her rest well today.

Wei Lan hugged Lu Zijin closer, rubbing against her coyly. “I miss you. Stay with me a bit longer, please.”

Looking at the little dog rubbing against her coyly, Lu Zijin’s eyes curved. She leaned in, kissed Wei Lan’s lips, and said softly, “Be good. When I return tonight, I’ll come find you and play with the little phoenix, okay?”

Wei Lan’s eyes lit up at this, and she nodded quickly. “Hmm, I like Madam the most.”

Lu Zijin kissed her delicate little Qianyuan a few more times before getting up to dress.

Wei Lan was indeed too tired to get out of bed. With her pheromones depleted, she felt listless. She decided to sleep more. After all, her wife was wealthy, so slacking off for a day wouldn’t matter. Her wife could afford to support her.

Thinking this, Wei Lan rolled in the quilt, closed her eyes, and continued sleeping.

Wei Lan slept until noon. She still felt listless, got up to bathe, ate lunch, and then went back to sleep.

—

Meanwhile, in the capital, Fan Chuan prepared to return to the Northern Border. Eunuch Liu in the palace spoke highly of her, and the old emperor had assigned over a dozen guards to Shen Lingwei’s side, so she wasn’t detained in the capital for too long this time.

In the afternoon, Fan Chuan returned from outside. Passing by the Plum Garden, she brought Shen Lingwei her favorite osmanthus cake, knowing Shen Lingwei wouldn’t be able to eat it after they left tomorrow.

She returned to the mansion with her people. Entering the bedroom, she saw Shen Lingwei and Xiao Tao packing. They were leaving the capital tomorrow morning, so they needed to pack carefully.

Seeing Fan Chuan return, Shen Lingwei turned to look at her. “The Marshal is back?”

Fan Chuan nodded. “Hmm, I brought you some pastries. You won’t be able to eat them after we leave tomorrow.”

Fan Chuan placed the osmanthus cake she carried on the round table. Shen Lingwei’s eyes curved. These past few days, whenever Fan Chuan went out, she brought back osmanthus cake. Regardless of Fan Chuan’s intentions, Shen Lingwei was quite happy.

“Thank you, Marshal,” Shen Lingwei said, walking to the table. She untied the osmanthus cake’s wrapping, picked up a piece, and tasted it, her mouth filled with fragrance.

“It’s delicious. Try some,” Shen Lingwei said, eating half a piece, then picking up another to feed to Fan Chuan’s lips.

Fan Chuan was used to this and took a bite. It was sweet and sticky, no wonder Shen Lingwei liked it.

She ate the whole piece from Shen Lingwei’s hand. For some reason, Fan Chuan’s ears turned red. To avoid embarrassment, she coughed lightly and said, “I have some matters to discuss with them. You eat first. I’ll be back soon.”

“Hmm,” Shen Lingwei smiled gently at her.

Fan Chuan didn’t dare look at Shen Lingwei too long and quickly turned to leave.

After Fan Chuan left, Xiao Tao pouted. “I don’t know if the Marshal will change once we reach the Northern Border.”

Seeing her maid worry again, Shen Lingwei shook her head with a smile.

The next morning, Fan Chuan woke early. They were leaving for the Northern Border today. Though she didn’t show it, she felt undeniable joy in her heart.

In the two months in the capital, she saw the princes fighting for power, never considering the people. The old emperor only played his balancing games, letting the princes feud. Fan Chuan was already tired of it.

Now that she could leave, she was truly happy. Once back in the Northern Border, she could act freely.

Seeing Shen Lingwei open her eyes beside her, Fan Chuan said, “We need to leave the city early today. Two thousand soldiers are waiting for us to join them in the suburbs.”

Shen Lingwei rubbed her eyes, looking like she hadn’t fully woken up, but she responded softly, “Okay, I’ll help you dress.”

“No need. I need to wear armor today. You don’t know how to handle that,” Fan Chuan said with a smile.

“No, you teach me, and I’ll learn,” Shen Lingwei insisted, as dressing her wife was a wife’s duty.

Fan Chuan sighed helplessly. “Fine, as you wish.”

Shen Lingwei smiled at her and got up to help Fan Chuan dress.

They got up too early, and Shen Lingwei was very sleepy. While tying Fan Chuan’s waistband, she fumbled several times, nearly pressing herself against Fan Chuan’s chest before finally securing it.

When Shen Lingwei stepped back, Fan Chuan’s ears were red.

“What’s next? How do I put on the armor?” Shen Lingwei looked up at Fan Chuan and asked.

“We’ll wash up, eat breakfast, then put on the armor,” Fan Chuan said, as the armor was heavy and she needed to finish other tasks first.

Soon, they washed up and ate breakfast. Fan Chuan had her armor brought over. Her armor was entirely silver, including the helmet, gleaming faintly.

Fan Chuan looked at Shen Lingwei. “Do you really want to help me put it on?”

“Hmm,” Shen Lingwei nodded eagerly.

Seeing her determination to learn, Fan Chuan sighed helplessly. “The armor needs to be layered on top first. Look, like this…”

Shen Lingwei listened patiently to Fan Chuan’s explanation, helping her put on the armor. It was her first time, and it took effort to get it right, not because the armor was complicated, but because it was heavy, and she could barely lift some parts.

Shen Lingwei looked at Fan Chuan in the silver armor. Fan Chuan didn’t style her hair in a woman’s bun today but tied it back to avoid it being pressed by the helmet. The helmet had a silver face guard covering most of her face, giving her an imposing aura.

Fan Chuan looked at Shen Lingwei and said, “Let’s go. They’ve already loaded everything onto the carts outside.”

“Okay,” Shen Lingwei nodded, following Fan Chuan out of the courtyard.

Xiao Tao followed reluctantly, fearing Fan Chuan would mistreat her lady once they left the capital.

Soon, Fan Chuan’s group reached the mansion’s gate. Fan Chuan extended her hand to Shen Lingwei, who understood and placed her hand in Fan Chuan’s, letting her help her onto the carriage.

Fan Chuan looked at Xiao Tao and said, “I need to lead the troops back to the Northern Border, so I can’t ride in the carriage with her. Take good care of her.”

“Yes, Marshal,” Xiao Tao said, thrilled that Fan Chuan wouldn’t ride in the carriage, so she could properly care for her lady.

Fan Chuan nodded to her. “Get in.”

“Okay,” Xiao Tao said, climbing into the carriage.

Inside, Shen Lingwei sat and examined the interior. She initially thought it was an ordinary carriage, plain on the outside, just larger than usual. But inside, it was a different world.

The carriage had thick shock-absorbing cushions, with padded benches on both sides. A table stood between them, holding a plate of washed fruit, a plate of osmanthus cake, and a stack of travel books. At the back, a soft couch with pillows and blankets was ready for rest.

It was like a miniature bedroom. Shen Lingwei hadn’t expected Fan Chuan to prepare this for her and was momentarily stunned.

Seeing the convoy nearly ready, Fan Chuan mounted her chestnut horse. She rode to the carriage, which she had specially ordered to be comfortable inside but plain outside for safety, to avoid attracting bandits.

Since Shen Lingwei was the Prime Minister’s daughter and had never suffered hardship, Fan Chuan wanted the carriage to be comfortable for her. Though their marriage was only superficial, and Shen Lingwei was the old emperor’s person, Fan Chuan felt responsible for her well-being since they were married.

So she had sent someone early to buy osmanthus cake and fruit for the carriage, in case Shen Lingwei wanted to eat. She also had new travel books prepared, as the journey to the Northern Border would take over a month, and she didn’t want Shen Lingwei to be bored.

Fan Chuan rode to the carriage, lifted the curtain on one side, and said, “Madam, we need to leave. If anything comes up, send someone to call me.”

Shen Lingwei looked out the carriage window at her, smiled, and nodded gently. “Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Marshal.”

Fan Chuan coughed lightly, lowered the curtain, and said, “Everyone, depart.”

Fan Chuan rode to the middle of the convoy, with soldiers leading in front and trailing behind. As the Marshal, she rode in the center, accompanied by Yun Heng in armor, heading to the suburbs to join the troops.

At noon, Fan Chuan’s group ate a simple meal in the suburbs. In the afternoon, they set off with the two thousand soldiers toward the Northern Border.

Shen Lingwei leaned by the carriage window, watching the dappled tree shadows fade away, finally feeling the reality of leaving the capital.

The mountain scenery was beautiful, but she felt uneasy. They had completely left the capital. Even with twelve guards sent by the old emperor, if Fan Chuan wanted to eliminate them, it would be easy.

Shen Lingwei gazed at the scenery, her thoughts turning to what she would do once they reached the Northern Border.

Fan Chuan’s Fan family army was well-trained and disciplined, marching quickly to distance themselves from the capital. For days, they camped in the wilderness. Shen Lingwei did the same, but the tents were basic, so she and Xiao Tao often slept in the carriage.

Though Fan Chuan prepared a carriage for Shen Lingwei, the high-intensity travel was hard for a pampered lady like her. This morning, Shen Lingwei had no energy and didn’t even get up.

Xiao Tao noticed her lady’s condition was off and called her a few times. “Miss? Miss, what’s wrong?”

When she touched Shen Lingwei’s forehead, it was burning hot, likely a fever.

Fan Chuan had been busy with military affairs these days, rarely visiting, and slept in tents at night. Xiao Tao hadn’t seen her for days. Seeing her lady sick, Xiao Tao cried and rushed out of the carriage. “Oh no, my lady is sick. What do we do in this wilderness? I need to see the Marshal.”