Chapter 10 The Lord's Beloved Concubine
"I have had five husbands in total, which can be counted on one hand."
Dai Li sighed wistfully, "My life has been full of twists and turns, otherwise I wouldn't have gradually traveled north from Jiaozhou. Actually, I deceived you last night. My son's father is not a commoner. Judging from his words and actions, he is probably from a prominent clan. However, I don't know his specific identity. I only know that his name is Qin Yi, courtesy name Huali. He is elusive and his return is unpredictable. He doesn't stay with my son and me often."
This was a new excuse she came up with after tossing and turning all night.
There was nothing she could do; she had just said her husband was a commoner when he discovered a small iron piece in her underwear. Ordinary people use their iron for blades, not for such extravagance.
If the husband being a commoner doesn't work, then fabricate a mysterious, powerful figure. While men in ancient times could take concubines, it wasn't unrestrained; the number of concubines was subject to certain restrictions.
For example, the *Duduan* records: The emperor takes twelve women, representing the twelve months, with three consorts and nine concubines. A feudal lord takes nine women, representing the nine provinces, with one wife and eight concubines. A high-ranking official has one wife and two concubines. A lower-ranking official has one wife and one concubine. ①
To put it bluntly, there's only so much on the surface. What if you're still greedy?
So they kept them outside, which is why they had a mistress.
After much deliberation, Dai Li decided to change her identity to one that was difficult to investigate and whose logic was reasonably consistent on the surface.
After all, she's used to changing husbands, and her current husband is often away from her. She doesn't have any deep feelings for him, so when a new, better opportunity comes along, she'll climb up without hesitation, especially since the other party has promised to help her find her son.
Qin Shaozong turned the thumb ring.
Qin Yi, Qin Huali.
There is no such person among the outstanding members of the Qin family's direct and collateral branches. Is it because Qin Yi is not outstanding enough that he did not know about him, or is it because he was given a false name?
Assuming it's the latter, is it because "Qin Yi" is concerned about his identity and doesn't want to reveal his identity, or...?
Qin Shaozong stared intently at the woman before him. His brown eyes appeared even paler in the increasingly bright sunlight of the room, like a gleaming knife capable of piercing through any illusion.
Dai Li was so flustered that she couldn't help but lower her eyelashes to avoid his gaze.
He asked, "Where do you live?"
Dai Li heard her own heart pounding: "My husband dislikes me showing my face in public and having contact with outsiders. Therefore, my humble abode is located in an inconspicuous mountain forest more than ten miles west of Nankang County. By the way, I heard the people in the manor address Your Excellency as 'Lord Jun'. May I ask which lord Your Excellency is from?"
The last question, though naive, perfectly reflects the perspective of a woman completely ignorant of current affairs.
"Prefect" is an official title, preceded by a place name, meaning "Prefect of a certain place," who governs that region. "Lord" also sounds like an official title, so it should also be preceded by a place name.
Qin Shaozong laughed and said, "The court did not bestow upon me the territory under its jurisdiction along with the title of marquis."
As soon as she finished speaking, her delicate eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly, as if she were worried and regretful at the same time. As for what she was worried about, she was naturally concerned that she had made a bad deal and regretted following him so easily.
Just moments ago, Qin Shaozong was laughing at her naivety, but now the smile on his lips has faded: "I am searching for your son, Madam. Shouldn't you reciprocate?"
Dai Li didn't know how he had steered the conversation to this point. Could it be that she had overacted earlier, prompting him to try and regain his prestige elsewhere?
She felt a chill run down her spine: "Of course. My son is my life, and I will never forget his life-saving grace. If there is anything you, my lord, can do to help me, I will certainly not refuse, but..."
At this point, she pursed her lips, seemingly embarrassed, "But I cannot have intercourse during my menstrual period. Could you please wait a few days?"
At this moment, Dai Li's heart was in her throat, afraid that he would say, "It's okay, there's still a lot of fun even if we don't finish it." But perhaps he wasn't so inconsiderate, or perhaps he still remembered that she was injured, and things weren't as bad as Dai Li thought.
Qin Shaozong: "It wasn't about having sex. Last night I was looking for someone at the Jiang residence, under the guise of searching for my lost concubine. Lord Jiang was quite concerned about this matter after hearing about it, and he might have his wife talk to you about it later. Madam, do you know how to deal with it?"
Although he asked "at that time", Dai Li understood more than just how he was dealing with the lady of the mansion. She understood his implied meaning: "My lord, rest assured, I know what to do. But to prevent being exposed, please give me some information."
"I led three thousand Xuanxiao cavalry from Weizhou, intending to go to Ying County to suppress a major salt smuggler surnamed Li. This trip to Nankang County is merely a stopover." Qin Shaozong casually told her some basic information about the salt smuggler Li Zan. Having been by his side, she would have been exposed to some things and couldn't possibly be completely unaware of this salt smuggler surnamed Li.
Dai Li's eyelids twitched.
Soldiers were the most important strategic resource in ancient times. TV dramas and novels often depict certain figures as having a million soldiers, which is actually unreasonable or exaggerated. Even at its peak, the Tang Dynasty's entire army didn't have that many soldiers.
Take the early Eastern Han Dynasty as an example. The entire national army numbered only around 300,000. If someone could command an army of 100,000, even if half of them were old, weak, sick, or disabled, they could still be considered a powerful warlord. Don't you see, Dong Zhuo only brought 3,000 men and yet managed to subdue the central army?
Xuanxiao Cavalry, that sounds like a cavalry unit.
In ancient times, cavalry was a vital asset to the state. He actually brought three thousand with him. How many more did he not bring with him?
Dai Li secretly gasped. She suddenly realized with absolute clarity that the title of "Lord" was not an exaggeration for him. He had definitely risen from the rank of Marquis, earning his position through solid military achievements.
Qin Shaozong: "My surname is Qin, Qin Shaozong, courtesy name Changgeng, and my ancestral home is Yuyang, Youzhou. A month ago, someone offered me a beautiful woman, and that's how we met. You and the maid who served you both fell ill on the way here. She was too weak to make it, but you barely survived. However, because you were not feeling well, you stayed in the carriage and did not show up when you entered the mansion yesterday."
He looked her up and down, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "You're simple-minded, jealous, and spoiled. You often throw tantrums at me on the road because of the poor quality of the food. Last night, I was annoyed by you, so I deliberately asked Jiang Chonghai for a non-existent dancer and had my subordinates leak the information to you, hoping to make you behave yourself. But it backfired. You flew into a rage and secretly left the palace. To save face, I only told the outside world that my beloved concubine had gone missing in the mansion, while I searched for her diligently. As for how I will appease you after I find you, that's a matter for us to discuss behind closed doors."
Dai Li thought to herself that he wanted her to cooperate in a play. She pondered for a moment, "Do you want to use me to tell the Lady of the Mansion the 'real' reason and our attitude when we were alone?"
Qin Shaozong laughed and said, "You're not stupid."
Dai Li asked him again, "How arrogant am I? Could you give me a range?"
"Being spoiled and arrogant is a good thing; the more arrogant the better, and climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles is nothing new," he said.
As Dai Li heard him speak in a tone that was neither a smile nor a laugh, she felt goosebumps rise on her back. At that moment, she felt as if she were in a jungle, surrounded by lush foliage, and beside her was a ferocious tiger, its fur used as camouflage to blend into the environment, glaring menacingly at the outside world.
It was only then that Dai Li finally remembered the strange feeling that came from the encounter with the two maids the night before, one of whom clearly recognized her but ultimately pretended not to see her.
He and that Lord Jiang were only superficially friendly; they were both wary of each other. Therefore, if he wanted to find her at that time, the servants in the mansion would likely obey orders from above but secretly disobey.
Dai Li pondered for a moment, then tentatively said, "My lord, the overall framework will be as you said. May I have some freedom to add my own details?"
Qin Shaozong agreed.
Seeing that he seemed quite agreeable at this moment, Dai Li continued, "My lord and I met a month ago, and my lord helped me find my son..."
“It will naturally be done in secret.” Seeing her downcast eyes, Qin Shaozong added, “If we can’t find him in the Jiang residence, we’ll look outside. As long as your son is still in Nankang County, we can find him even if he’s hidden in some corner.”
“If you’re going to make this a complete performance, why don’t you have someone write a new biography for me? Then I can show it off to the Lady and the Lord of the House, so that she will believe it without a doubt,” Dai Li suggested softly.
A "passport" was like an identity card for ordinary people, containing information such as name and place of origin. It was both a symbol of non-slavery and refugee status and a form of proof; one could say that without a passport, it was difficult to travel long distances.
As the apple of her lord's eye, how could she allow herself to continue to be reduced to a lowly concubine or servant without a lineage?
Qin Shaozong: "Agreed."
Dai Li couldn't stop smiling. Just as she was about to thank him, she heard him say, "You're so happy to have gotten the new biography?"
Dai Li's heart pounded wildly, and of course she refused to admit it: "Your Excellency is mistaken. The reason I am happy is because we have reached a complete consensus, and the search for my son is just around the corner. Rest assured, once I leave this courtyard, I will be the favored concubine who is arrogant and domineering, and I will not let them have the slightest suspicion."
"It doesn't start from when you left this place, but from this afternoon. This afternoon I will have someone find two maids from the Jiang family to serve you." Qin Shaozong got up from the folding chair.
Dai Li thought he was about to leave after he finished speaking, and was about to say a few words to him, but she saw that he did not turn around, but took a step forward.
The folding chair was already placed a step away from the couch, and now, with his step, the two were so close that Dai Li only needed to raise her hand slightly to touch his black robe.
The man bent down, wrapped one arm around Dai Li's waist, and slipped the other arm under her knees, easily lifting her up.
Dai Li was startled and instinctively crumpled the piece of clothing on his belt. This man seemed to have an innate and intense stamina; her shoulder, pressed against his chest, and the back of her leg, encircled by his arm, both felt hot: "...My Lord?"
"I've already had them vacate a side room; you can stay there." Qin Shaozong carried the person out of the small room.
Dai Li lowered her eyes. This was understandable. What kind of pampered concubine would live in such a small room that only servants would live in?
When they came out, they happened to run into Yan San, who was moving his luggage to the next room, and Mo Yanyun, who was returning from outside. Both of them were taken aback when they saw this.
"Go and find a physician from the prefecture." Qin Shaozong left these words and then carried the person into Yan San's previous room.
Mo Yanyun looked at Yan San, "Last night, the Marquis told me that he had a plan that could achieve twice the result with half the effort, and that 'Fengchun' was needed in it. Has the plan already begun? Otherwise, when has the Marquis ever condescended to do so?"
Yan San turned and walked out without saying a word.
"Hey, what are you doing? I'm talking to you," Mo Yanyun said, displeased.
Yan San didn't even turn his head: "Find the family physician."
A note from the author:
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ID card obtained, ready to stir things up!
Continuing to request nutrient solution (shows a large bowl) [Let me see]
①: "Doctrine"
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