Chapter 18 A concubine is also a wife!
Lin Tingfeng suddenly loosened his grip, looking at Song Yanxi with disgust in his eyes, and said in a contemptuous tone, "A vicious woman like you is not worthy of mentioning Shihan's name. It's really defiled to say it from your mouth."
His mother had just told him that when this woman learned the news of his death in battle, she not only did not cry and grieve over the death of her husband, but instead immediately rejected all the rewards given to her by the emperor on his behalf.
Even the wealth that the general's mansion had accumulated with great difficulty was donated by her under the pretext of generosity. Now the mansion's treasury cannot even take out 500 taels of cash.
But she didn't give away a penny of her dowry, and used the family fortune that he had fought for with his life to buy herself the title of Princess Yong'an, and became a kind and righteous person in the eyes of the people.
Is she worthy of such a significant title as Yong'an?
Song Yanxi raised her hand to straighten her disheveled collar and said calmly, "Since the general knows that I'm vicious, why don't you take advantage of today's appearance to ask the emperor for an order to allow us to divorce.
It also prevents someone like me from relying on my status as the general's wife to benefit from the general's influence."
Her face was calm, and she looked as natural as if she was just casually asking what to eat for lunch.
But to Lin Tingfeng's ears, it was more harsh than any dirty words.
She keeps talking about divorce. Is she so eager to leave the general's mansion?
I’m afraid she’s in a hurry to find that wild man!
Facing Lin Tingfeng's venomous gaze, Song Yanxi suddenly thought of something and asked with a smile, "Princess Shihan, are you willing to be my concubine?"
"Shihan is my wife, don't insult her." Under Song Yanxi's gaze, Lin Tingfeng didn't say the eight words "three books and six ceremonies, formal marriage".
It's not that I have shame, it's that I don't have the courage.
Although the marriage between the two was not arranged by the emperor, the two families' horoscopes were calculated by the palace's Si Tianjian, and even the auspicious date for the wedding was personally determined by the Si Tianjian.
According to the Da'an laws, any official who takes a concubine must inform his wife and obtain permission. If he deceives his wife, his wife can choose to sell the concubine or divorce her husband and return home, and the husband's family cannot stop or make things difficult for him.
If a man marries another woman while he has a wife, he will be considered to have divorced his wife and remarried. He will be demoted according to his current official rank. In serious cases, he will be beaten and exiled.
Lin Tingfeng had finally managed to marry Song Yanxi through scheming, and had climbed to this position with the help of the Yan family. He was afraid of the Yan family's power, so naturally he didn't dare to do this openly.
Therefore, he came up with a vicious plan to fake his death during the war and "force" Song Yanxi to be buried alive with him.
But he didn't expect that Taohua, that useless guy, couldn't even handle such a small thing. It was really a pity that he died.
Song Yanxi nodded and asked, "Then the general is planning to demote his wife to a concubine?"
Of course Lin Tingfeng didn't dare.
Not to mention doing this, even if he just casually talked about it, according to the Yan family's habit of protecting their children, there would definitely be a memorial in the court the next day to criticize his personal morality.
But if Song Yanxi took the initiative to give up her position as the main wife and became his co-wife, no matter how dissatisfied the Yan and Song families were, they would not be able to find any fault with it openly.
Thinking of this, Lin Tingfeng's expression softened considerably, and he spoke as gently as possible, "Just now, in a moment of anxiety, I nearly hurt Madam and frightened her."
Song Yanxi pursed her lips and said nothing.
Suppressing his unhappiness, Lin Tingfeng gently coaxed, "I know that Madam has been wronged by this matter, but Shihan is my savior. Without her, how could I be alive?"
"I can never repay your life-saving grace."
Thinking that Song Yanxi was finally persuaded, Lin Tingfeng couldn't help but show joy on his face, but he quickly suppressed it.
He feigned embarrassment and said, "Shihan is the only daughter of Duke Jingguo. She is of noble status and deeply loved by the Emperor. There is absolutely no reason for her to be a concubine in a mere general's mansion."
Song Yanxi followed his words and said, "Making her a concubine would undoubtedly be a disgrace to the Duke's Mansion."
Unexpectedly, she was so easy to talk to. Lin Tingfeng's eyes softened as he looked at her. He said with relief, "I misunderstood Madam before. Madam is indeed not that narrow-minded woman. When Shihan enters the mansion, you will be her equal wife, on an equal footing with her.
She and I living in the side courtyard will not shake your position, and you will still be in charge of the general's household affairs."
Seeing him smile, Song Yanxi also smiled, "General, you said something wrong."
"What's wrong?" Lin Tingfeng was puzzled.
Song Yanxi stared into Lin Tingfeng's eyes and said word by word, "I am indeed a petty and narrow-minded person."
"A wife is also a concubine! So as long as I am in the general's mansion, Princess Shihan will be my concubine."
As she spoke, she ignored Lin Tingfeng, whose eyes seemed to want to eat her, and said to herself: "The general just returned home today. I don't think he knows that the household expenses of this mansion are now managed by my eldest sister-in-law. I will hand it back to my mother-in-law when she recovers from her illness."
A general's mansion that is just an empty shell, do you really think she cares about it?
"Song Yanxi!" Lin Tingfeng instantly became furious, veins bulged on his forehead, and he looked at Song Yanxi with murderous eyes.
Before he could say anything, the voice of the eunuch announcing the decree came from outside the carriage.
"General Lin, Madam General, please don't keep the Emperor waiting for too long."
*
In the imperial study, Emperor Xuande lowered his eyes and looked at the memorial in his hand, his expression showing no emotion.
Without waiting for him to stand up, Lin Tingfeng knelt respectfully in the hall, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground, his back already drenched in sweat from the intense tension.
On the other hand, although Song Yanxi was also kneeling, her posture was much more relaxed than his.
Although their emperor cannot be considered a benevolent ruler, he is not stupid. He can even be said to be a man who values friendship and loyalty.
There were many old people who followed him to build his empire in the past. Even if some of them did not retire at the right time like her grandfather, they were able to enjoy their old age.
If Lin Tingfeng had not framed her in her previous life and handed the butcher knife to him, she would have protected the Yan family in peace for the rest of their lives just because her grandfather had helped him conquer the world.
No king can tolerate treason.
Even so, the imperial edict held by Lin Tingfeng that day only mentioned the confiscation of property, and did not order the extermination of the entire family.
Lin Tingfeng wanted to climb up the ladder of the Duke of Jingguo's Mansion and was unwilling to leave any chance for the Yan family to survive. He killed the two accompanying palace maids himself and massacred more than 200 people in the Yan family on the charge of resistance.
Lin Tingfeng deserves to die!
For the so-called love she talked about, she married him on the blood and flesh of others. Zhuang Shihan knew that the Yan family had been wronged but still stood high and accused them of their evil ambitions. She deserves to die!
Song Yanxi's heart was filled with hatred. She clenched her hands tightly, and her long nails dug into her palms without her feeling any pain.
She was wondering who the "he" Lin Tingfeng and Zhuang Shihan mentioned when they were making love in the study in their previous life.
Emperor Xuande's voice sounded above his head, "Stand up and speak."
Lin Tingfeng knelt on the ground, and said with great fear and trepidation, "Your Majesty, please punish me for the crime of deceiving the king."
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