You Stole My Husband, So I Seduced Your Son - Chapter 12

Song Xuwan pondered for ages, unable to think of anyone whose reputation could be ruined by sleeping with Ji Moyang.

Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, and Teacher—the first three were out of the question, and a distant teacher couldn’t quench immediate thirst. Did the Min Rongxue family even have any benefactors?

Suddenly, Zhou Minghai came to mind. By now, he was undoubtedly Ji Moyang’s benefactor.

If Ji Moyang slept with Zhou Minghai’s wife and was discovered, he would be irrevocably condemned to the pillar of shame.

But Zhou Minghai’s wife was herself. She couldn’t ruin her own reputation.

Yet, upon further reflection, if she truly slept with Ji Moyang, Zhou Minghai and Min Rongxue would never again be able to indulge in their carefree romance. They might even go mad.

And Ji Moyang, with his upright character, would be consumed by guilt for the rest of his life, even if no one ever found out. He would lose all ambition for advancement, living in a drunken stupor, his days haunted by remorse, dragging Min Rongxue into the mire with him.

The more Song Xuwan considered it, the more brilliant the plan seemed. Why should Zhou Minghai be free to frolic outside while she languished alone at home?

A refined young master, a dazzlingly handsome youth—was she, Song Xuwan, not worthy of enjoying such pleasures?

“Madam, shall we visit Fuyun Temple again tomorrow?”

“Go!”

She needed to thoroughly understand Ji Moyang, then seduce him and arrange for Zhou Minghai and Min Ruxue to discover them. She couldn’t wait to see the expressions on their faces.

Meanwhile, on the official road to the Capital, Min Zhitao’s feet ached, and she couldn’t help but complain, “Mother, why didn’t we stay overnight at Aunt’s? When will we ever reach our destination?”

Eldest Madam Min straightened her back and stood in the middle of the road, regretting her decision to come today. If only she had followed Second Madam’s example and stayed home.

“Do you know why your Second Aunt didn’t come today?”

Her two daughters shook their heads in unison. A mocking smile curled Eldest Madam Min’s lips.

“Your aunt was the daughter of the Grand Academician, renowned throughout the Capital for her talent and beauty. A true scholar! She disdained worldly possessions, always dressed in simple robes and adorned with jade hairpins, truly resembling a celestial being, detached from earthly concerns.”

“When your grandfather sought a husband for her, he chose only from among the most promising scholars. Yet she rejected them all, suddenly becoming betrothed to Prince Guangyang. Though Prince Guangyang was known for his literary talent among the princes, your grandfather offered little resistance and granted his blessing to the marriage.”

Recalling that wedding, Eldest Madam Min felt like vomiting bl00d.

“But your aunt, who claimed to despise money, demanded an extravagant dowry before her marriage, saying a meager dowry would disgrace the imperial family. We are a noble family, not wealthy merchants. Your grandfather emptied the family coffers to provide Min Rongxue’s dowry.”

Min Zhitao had heard of this. Later, when Prince Guangyang’s Residence was confiscated, the Min Family was left destitute. For years, they had survived solely on the dowries of the Eldest Madam and Second Madam.

“And that wasn’t all. When Prince Guangyang was imprisoned, Min Rongxue came home weeping, begging your grandfather to bribe the prison officials. But prisons are bottomless pits—no amount of money would have made a difference.”

“Your Second Aunt, bless her simple heart, handed over her dowry, chest by chest, to your grandfather for bribes. In the end, Prince Guangyang hanged himself, and your grandfather died soon after. Only a tenth or a fifth of your Second Aunt’s dowry remained. She had finally conceived a son, but the shock of these events caused her to miscarry.”

“Ah!”

Min Zhitao had never heard this part of the story. Now she understood why her Second Aunt disliked her aunt so much. If she had endured such hardships, she doubted she could have felt any affection either—not hating her would have been a miracle.

Second Aunt hated Aunt so deeply. Judging by Eldest Madam Min’s expression, her resentment was likely no less intense.

Min Shunyun and Min Zhitao exchanged glances, afraid to press further. The group lowered their heads and continued walking. Fortunately, they managed to hire a carriage halfway, saving them from collapsing from exhaustion.

The next morning, Song Xuwan stood once again atop the Library Pavilion. The same middle-aged man named Lu Yuan was beside her, providing introductions, but this time Nanny Yun had been replaced by Baizhi.

“Madam, please observe. The man waving the folding fan is Xia Yongyan, twenty-three years old and already married. He’s known for his lecherous tendencies.”

“The one wearing the dark blue Daoist robe, who appears older, is Lu Zhengwen, twenty-five years old. He comes from a poor family and remains unmarried, but he’s diligent in his studies and of upright character.”

“The younger one in the azure Hangzhou silk Daoist robe is Zu Hongyuan, eighteen years old and already engaged.”

“They all hail from Qingzhu Mountain Academy. The academy’s reputation is modest, and only these four came to the Capital for the imperial examinations. They reside at Fuyun Temple and spend their days studying classical essays together.”

Song Xuwan nodded to show she was listening. She noticed Ji Moyang’s group passing a crowd of young ladies. Several bold ones tossed embroidered pouches at them. Ji Moyang walked past without a flicker of emotion, but the younger Zu Hongyuan caught a pouch with a grin and tucked it into his sleeve.

According to information gathered from the Annex, Min Rongxue was extremely strict with her son. The young man hailed as a genius by others was, in her eyes, merely someone with a hollow reputation.

The Annex staff reported that Min Rongxue would scold Ji Moyang morning and night, urging him to curb his arrogance and impatience, and to focus on his studies. The mother-son relationship resembled that of a stern teacher and student.

Perhaps this cold, loveless family environment had shaped Ji Moyang into the aloof, almost inhumanly detached person he was.

Ji Moyang’s cold, woman-avoiding temperament needed to be softened, or her seduction attempts would prove futile.

“Make several pouches,” she instructed. “Fill them with illustrated books—Beauties in Slumber, Secret Erotic Scenes—and scatter them in places where they’re likely to pass, especially where Xia Yongyan might find them.”

Young men crave such things. If Xia Yongyan stumbled upon these forbidden texts in the temple filled with scriptures, he’d undoubtedly share them with his classmates. Ji Moyang, exposed to these influences day after day, would inevitably begin to have erotic dreams.

At that opportune moment, she would appear, and everything would fall into place naturally.

“The pouches are too small to hold so much,” Lu Yuan murmured, offering a quiet reminder.

“Then just scatter them randomly. Fill the pouches with love poems instead.”

They were all just provocative items, meant to catch Ji Moyang’s eye. The form didn’t matter much.

On the way back, Song Xuwan kept pondering how to make this happen. She couldn’t simply go to the Annex; Ji Moyang would see her as a benefactor, making it difficult to unsettle his mind.

Ideally, they would consummate their relationship while Ji Moyang remained unaware of her true identity. Only after that would he learn who she really was. Even just discovering Song Xuwan’s identity would be enough to throw him into a panic.

With timely provocations, she could keep Ji Moyang on edge, leaving him little focus for his studies.

Until one day, Zhou Minghai and Min Rongxue discovered them…

In the following days, Xia Yongyan indeed found some “treasures.” At first, he secretly devoured them himself, but later decided it was selfish to hoard such delights. Good things should be shared.

However, Ji Moyang was aloof and unamused, while Lu Zhengwen was too upright. So Xia Yongyan turned to Zu Hongyuan for collaborative study.

Zu Hongyuan’s face flushed crimson as Xia Yongyan relentlessly teased him.

“You’re already engaged! After the imperial exams, you’ll likely be married. And you’ve never even seen this before?”