Chapter 37 (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Pei Zan showed no mercy.
He was ruthless and showed no mercy.
Perhaps intending to punish Lin Rong, Pei Zan did not kiss her or entwine their necks.
Pei Zan deliberately held Lin Rong's slender waist tightly, letting her tremble and struggle against him, but in the end she could only helplessly submit to his oppression.
Lin Rong was held captive in Pei Zan's arms, her legs bound by his large hands, unable to escape.
Tonight, Lin Rong angered Pei Zan; she brought this trouble upon herself, and it's beyond anyone else's control.
Pei Zan showed no consideration for Lin Rong. When he grabbed her, he used much more force than usual, completely disregarding how many deep bruises this force would leave on the girl's delicate wrist.
Pei Zan's posture was strong and domineering. Coupled with his tall and slender figure, strong chest muscles, and distinct bulges, he exuded an indescribable and terrifying sense of oppression.
He held Lin Rong tightly, clearly wanting to vent the evil thoughts and malice hidden in his heart.
Pei Zan stood up and helped Lin Rong.
Make sure she sits firmly and securely, so she doesn't fall.
The man's dark eyes were as cold as a snake, staring intently at Lin Rong.
But Lin Rong tonight seemed stronger and more patient than usual.
She stood tall, her back straight, without faltering in the slightest.
Lin Rong refused to admit defeat, as if by doing so she could resist these hardships that were beyond her control.
But Pei Zan would not let her have her way. Since she insisted on putting on a brave face, he would naturally grant her wish.
But a simple movement brought tears to Lin Rong's eyes.
"Young Master!"
Lin Rong gasped in surprise, her almond-shaped eyes widening and her eyes reddening.
It seemed unbelievable that Pei Zan could be so ruthless.
"Lin Rong, please beg me..."
Pei Zan's eyes were icy cold. He was enraged by Lin Rong and did not give her a way out.
But Lin Rong was unwilling to admit defeat. She twisted her waist slightly, crumpled the bed curtains, bit her lip and held her breath, trying to swallow, refusing to be overwhelmed by the spring tide.
Lin Rong was like a drowning person, unable to get ashore, and nearly drowned.
However, the hand Lin Rong was using to grip Pei Zan's broad shoulder revealed that she was trying her best to contain him.
The momentum of the attack was almost like that of conquering cities and seizing territory.
It's really unbearable.
Lin Rong was very uncomfortable. Her glossy nails almost lost their grip and dug into Pei Zan's neck and shoulders, which were covered in a thin layer of sweat, leaving a bloody scar.
This minor pain did not affect Pei Zan's actions.
Lin Rong was trapped, gasping for breath in a daze, surrounded by the dense, humid spider web laid out by Pei Zan.
In this suffocatingly intense lovemaking, Pei Zan's long, cold fingers pressed against the back of Lin Rong's head. He cradled the soft, boneless girl, his long fingers gently stroking her black hair.
Pei Zan saw that Lin Rong's body was flushed and her toes were curling up with difficulty, and knew that she had reached the end.
Out of pity for his concubine, Pei Zan unusually reduced his strength.
Ren Linrong huddled in his arms, like a pitiful drowning bird, seeking shelter from the rain.
Pei Zan finally went out twice, late into the night.
But he remained malicious and deliberately refused to back down.
Lin Rong couldn't eat; she was choking.
She was helpless and could only watch as others became deeply entangled in it.
Lin Rong pursed her lips.
Not only the kneecap, but also the lips...
They've been rubbed and ground for so long that they hurt when touched.
Lin Rong turned her face away, hissing softly, not wanting to look at Pei Zan anymore.
Pei Zan didn't care at all. He let her bury her face in his neck and gently stroked Lin Rong's trembling back with his warm palm.
"Lin Rong, be good and don't say those nonsense again. If you're afraid of not being able to recite the poem and losing face in front of others, I can teach you to read and write."
After Pei Zan considered himself satisfied, he was a relatively easy-going husband.
But Lin Rong had already lost interest. She remained silent, thinking about some things from the past.
She wasn't unfamiliar with banquets held in such grand mansions.
When she was a servant in the Pei family, she knew that the noble ladies gathered together to make friends through literature and invite guests with poetry. Everywhere there were talented men and beautiful women, and the peach and pear blossoms in the mountain villas were dazzling.
What was Lin Rong doing at that time? Oh, she was following behind her sister Lü Zhu, serving tea and water, wondering if she would share a few extra pieces of the pastries that the noble ladies couldn't finish with the servants.
Look, it's not that Lin Rong transformed into one of the noble ladies of a high-class family simply by applying makeup and wearing beautiful clothes.
To this day, she remains that commoner girl who thinks about what to eat at night to fill her stomach and what kind of work she can do to make a living after escaping.
If Pei Zan hadn't forced her to act like a noblewoman, Lin Rong wouldn't have shown her weakness or given herself away.
She is a fake; she can't become a true noblewoman. She dislikes that kind of pretentious life.
Pei Zan was aloof and ethereal, and his life was inherently incompatible with Lin Rong's. It was a chance encounter that bound them together.
At that moment, Lin Rong felt immense regret for their encounter that night.
If she hadn't brought tea to Pei Zan, if she hadn't been so grateful... would she not be trapped here, unable to escape for eternity?
...
Lin Rong was tired. She rarely acted out, but she pushed against Pei Zan's strong and muscular chest with both hands and said in a hoarse voice, "I want to take a shower... Please prepare a bowl of contraceptive soup for me, young master."
Lin Rong's tactlessness reignited Pei Zan's pent-up anger.
But he ultimately did not stop Lin Rong.
Despite her weak legs, she struggled to pull away, then staggered to her feet and headed towards the clean room.
Looking at the winding, wet expanse on the ground, Pei Zan's dark eyes were deep, and he remained silent for a long time.
-
Three days later, Pei Zan hosted a banquet in Luzhou to entertain the soldiers and generals he had recruited and pacified.
Many local military commanders, with few soldiers and limited troops, were repeatedly defeated by Pei's army. In order to survive, they led their troops to surrender to Pei Zan.
However, they had never trained under Pei Zan, and they harbored resentment towards this southern overlord who commanded tens of thousands of troops before the age of thirty. They thought Pei Zan was young and easy to manipulate.
Even after they joined Pei Zan's army, they still harbored a rebellious spirit and were unwilling to surrender. Occasionally, they would cause some harmless troubles, which gave Zheng Zhiming quite a headache.
Pei Zan's purpose in hosting this banquet today was not only to win people's hearts, but also to make an example of the old general and dampen his arrogance.
Lin Rong had no idea that Pei Zan would also want to bring her to such a grand banquet to entertain the military generals.
To allow a fair-skinned and beautiful concubine to attend a banquet and appear in front of outsiders is such a contemptuous and mocking act!
Lin Rong knew perfectly well that if it were Wu Nianzhen today, Pei Zan would never have had such a thought. A wife represents a man's face, and he would never want his wife to be a hostess at a banquet, allowing those men to stare at her.
Lin Rong also vaguely understood that she had angered Pei Zan that night, making him unhappy, which was why he came up with such a bad idea to torment people.
But when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Lin Rong didn't struggle, nor did she beg for mercy.
She accepted her fate and let the maids and servants dress her up in a flamboyant manner, so that she could save face for Grand Commander Pei at the banquet.
The atmosphere at the banquet was lively, with soldiers toasting and exchanging drinks.
Since it was a banquet to entertain foreign generals, Pei Zan was not so pedantic; he allowed his men to find dancers to entertain them.
A moment later, the sheng and xiao music stopped abruptly, the curtains were lifted, and a beautiful woman with a graceful figure strolled in.
Although the woman was not wearing a silver-chained gauze dress that exposed her hips and waist, her graceful figure and beautiful eyes made her a captivating and stunning beauty.
The generals present stared wide-eyed, abandoning their embraces of the dancers and fixating their gazes on the woman entering the tent with lust and greed in their eyes.
Only Zheng Zhiming glanced at the person and, upon seeing that it was Lin Rong, was shocked and hurriedly lowered his head.
Although Zheng Zhiming didn't understand why Pei Zan wanted his favorite concubine to sit with him, he could sense from a glance that the Grand Commander's aura was as cold as ice, clearly indicating extreme displeasure.
Just then, General Hu, who had poor eyesight, burst out laughing and demanded people from Pei Zan.
"Commander Pei, this woman is beautiful, and I am captivated by her. Would you be so kind as to bestow this beauty upon me?"
General Hu was the commander of Zhaozhou. Although he had been recruited by Pei Zan, he harbored resentment and repeatedly instigated his soldiers to fight and cause trouble with Pei's troops, which had long been a source of discontent in the army. However, at this time, it was a time to recruit soldiers and needed manpower. Zheng Zhiming valued talent and could not bear to be harsh on him, so he repeatedly asked Pei Zan for permission to appease him with various rewards.
But Hu Mingzhe is so blind today, actually wanting to ask Pei Zan for Lin Rong, is he out of his mind?!
However, Pei Zan seemed to have taken some kind of medicine today. Faced with the provocation of his subordinate, he could still raise his lips and smile, saying, "She's just a maid. If you like her, take her."
Upon hearing this, not only Zheng Zhiming, but even Lin Rong's almond-shaped eyes trembled. She subconsciously glanced at Pei Zan, who had taken the seat of honor.
The man, dressed in black, sat leaning against the desk, his expression indifferent.
Pei Zan refused to come to Lin Rong's rescue, so Lin Rong could only look timidly at General Hu.
This man had a rugged face and acted dissolutely. Despite having two women on his arms, he still looked on with lust, wanting to hold Lin Rong in his embrace.
Lin Rong was at a loss for what to do and froze on the spot for a moment.
Perhaps it was because the girl looked pale and at a loss.
Pei Zan rested his chin on one hand, his phoenix eyes cold and indifferent, and called out, "Lin Rong, come here."
Lin Rong bit her lip, lowered her head, and walked quickly toward Pei Zan.
Before she could get close, Pei Zan had already reached out, grabbed her slender wrist fiercely, and pulled her forcefully into his arms.
Lin Rong fell onto his lap, and heard him ask with his eyes lowered, "Would you like to follow General Hu?"
Lin Rong tilted her head back and gazed at Pei Zan's long eyebrows and cold eyes, remaining silent for a long time.
She understood what Pei Zan meant. He wanted to use her as an object to be sold at will, to be given away to others after he was done with her... He would not cherish or pity her. His actions today were to teach her a lesson.
Lin Rong felt a sudden pang of sadness, her voice choked with emotion as she stammered, "I am the young master's concubine... I am at the young master's behest."
She didn't beg him; she let him treat her like this.
She felt that there was no difference between being with Hu Mingzhe or following Pei Zan!
Pei Zan's phoenix eyes instantly turned cold. He suppressed his rising anger, gripped Lin Rong's wrist tightly, and praised her in a cool voice, "You're quite open-minded."
Pei Zan abruptly released Lin Rong and slammed a pot of wine down in front of her. "Pour the wine."
Lin Rong quickly wiped away her tears and deftly poured the wine.
The banquet was dull and the atmosphere was solemn.
Even a fool could tell that something was off about the banquet.
From then until the end of the banquet, General Hu never again asked for Lin Rong's hand.
Lin Rong poured herself a few drinks, and as her mind cleared, she realized that following Hu Mingzhe was not a good idea.
Therefore, since Pei Zan didn't mention it, she naturally didn't dare to be assertive and ask for it.
As the banquet ended, Pei Zan ordered someone to escort Lin Rong back to her residence, while keeping Hu Mingzhe in the military tent, intending to have a long talk with him.
Suddenly, a flash of silver light appeared in the tent, and a splash of thick blood splattered onto the felt.
When Zheng Zhiming obeyed Pei Zan's summons and hurried into the tent, he witnessed such a horrifying scene!
Pei Zan stood before the table, holding a long, gleaming sword, exuding a murderous aura.
His expression was icy cold, his chin stained with blood, like a demon from hell. His thick, jet-black hair fluttered in the wind, and his wide-sleeved black robe dripped wetly, the water trickling down the floor and splashing out clusters of intensely pungent red plum blossoms...
Meanwhile, a human head rolled onto Zheng Zhiming's boot... It was none other than General Hu Mingzhe, who had asked for Lin Rong at the banquet!
Zheng Zhiming stared at the dismembered body of the general, his pupils trembling, speechless for a long time.
“Governor Pei…how could you kill him?”
Pei Zan flicked his wrist, wiping the blood off his sword, and said dismissively, "Hu Mingzhe has repeatedly harbored evil intentions, instigating soldiers to cause trouble and fights in the camp... Tonight he dared to harbor covetous thoughts and show no respect for his superiors. It is hard to guarantee that he will not betray you in times of danger and bring disaster upon you all. Why should such a treacherous general be allowed to live?"
Zheng Zhiming knew in his heart that this was indeed the reasoning Pei Zan had given.
Rather than tolerating them step by step, rewarding them with money and gifts, and letting the Pei family's troops become envious of the treatment given to these surrendered rebel generals, thus causing them to harbor resentment towards them.
It would be better to use swift and decisive measures, kill a few more people, and make an example of them to deter others. This might be a more effective way to stabilize morale.
only……
Zheng Zhiming couldn't figure out whether Pei Zan had long harbored the intention to kill him, or whether he was provoked by Hu Mingzhe's "struggle for Lin Rong" and thus took revenge for personal grudges, killing him with his sword.
Author's Note: This is Saturday's update, muah! No updates on Saturday, see you on Sunday =3=
P.S.: Everyone's thinking in the article is limited by their era; let's not judge them by modern standards. [hugs]
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