I initially thought the village was small, but after everyone came out, I realized that there were at least several hundred people in the village, not counting those who didn't come out.
We finally reached the place to dismount. My heart trembled, and I held tightly to Xie Yuancheng's hand. People behind us were staring at us. What was so interesting? Couldn't they go back and get a basin of water to look at themselves?
"Daddy~" A very pleasant voice rang out, and a girl in a pink dress ran over. She stood happily next to the village chief and looked quite pleasing to the eye.
"Niannian, this is Marquis Anle, and this is his wife." The village chief introduced her stiffly, and from his tone, I could tell that I shouldn't be Xie Yuancheng's wife.
Niannian walked over, smiling shyly, her big eyes staring straight at Xie Yuancheng: "Greetings, Lord Marquis. My brother and I weren't here when you came to the village last time. This time, Father invited you to be guests, and I'm finally able to meet you in person."
She tried to come closer, but as soon as she took a step, I pulled Xie Yuancheng to my side and said, "Miss, you're probably not married yet. Getting too close to a married man isn't a good thing."
Niannian's face immediately turned pale. She herself had no shame. Her father had already said that she was Xie Yuancheng's wife, and she still wanted to get close to him.
"Madam, you're overthinking it." She returned reluctantly, looking at me with resentment.
Xie Yuancheng was suppressing a laugh. He cleared his throat before saying, "Village Chief, what brings you here to see me?"
"I... I'd like to speak with the Marquis. It's not convenient here, let's go inside." The village chief gestured for them to enter. The house looked dilapidated; he wondered if it might collapse if they went inside.
"No need, let's talk in the pavilion over there. You can ask the villagers to leave, then no one will know."
I tugged at Xie Yuancheng's hand. This village is strange everywhere; I felt uncomfortable as soon as I entered. If he disregarded my feelings and insisted on talking to the village chief, I would lose my temper.
The village chief was a bit hesitant, but in the end he told everyone to disperse. The men blocked the way in front, and the girls behind them stepped back a little, but they still didn't go far.
“Village chief, are you choosing a concubine for my lord? Let me tell you, if he takes a second wife, I’ll break the arms and legs of the girl he marries and throw her into the stinking ditch for everyone to see.”
I've been very easy to talk to. Since I entered the village, they've been conveying the same message: they're staring at the man next to me, eagerly waiting for him to choose someone.
"That's exactly what I was thinking. Actually, it's perfectly normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. Our village has a lot of girls, so other villages have their eyes on them. If someone can marry the Marquis of Anle, it'll be a matter of some prestige."
"Heh, you really think so." I stared at them all without any politeness: "They're all vulgar and unworthy of my lord."
“You are just an adopted daughter of the Ji family. We are all young and beautiful girls, all between sixteen and eighteen years old.”
Niannian spoke without any politeness, acting just like a proper lady. I just chuckled and didn't bother arguing with someone younger than me.
“You are all in the prime of your lives, and I am not old either. More importantly, none of you are as beautiful as me, and you are not worthy of his attention.”
Xie Yuancheng leaned closer with a smile. I wanted to pull him away, but Niannian's expression made me want to show off. I raised my eyebrows at her, and she still wouldn't give up.
"My lord, I am seventeen years old this year. If I cannot marry into a wealthy and powerful family, my village will be bullied by the neighboring villages. You only need to give me the position of an ordinary concubine."
You can choose any of my girlfriends; we won't complain.
Niannian knelt down and kowtowed several times. Xie Yuancheng withdrew his hand, took a few steps forward with her holding his, and Niannian looked at him expectantly.
"My wife just explained her reasons. You are in the prime of your lives and should marry someone you love, instead of forcing this marquis upon you for the sake of power."
Furthermore, my household is not short of people; we even have children. I only wish to guard Linyang. If you are interested, you can go to the capital to participate in the imperial concubine selection. This year, the Emperor has lowered the requirements, so you might be selected.
Being someone close to the Emperor is far more prestigious than being a mere lowly marquis like me.
Niannian crawled over, tears streaming down her face. She tried to grab Xie Yuancheng's clothes, but he skillfully dodged her. Undeterred, she still wanted to try, so Xie Yuancheng threw a leaf at her.
"My lord, I am the daughter of an honest family and will not mistreat you. The treasures and people of our village are all at your command. Please take us in."
She actually knelt down. I felt someone attacking me from behind. Just as I was about to stab her with my sword, a dart flew over and pinned the person holding the stick down.
A commotion broke out in the crowd, and more arrows appeared, startling even the village chief. Xie Yuancheng, however, maintained his smiling face; his eyes, though smiling, revealed his cold-blooded nature.
"This is my warning. I thought you needed help, but it seems you want to experience the taste of an early death." His voice was truly cold; even though the sun was shining, a chill still lingered around him.
Niannian was covered in dust, and her once fair face was now dirty. She dodged the arrows, and just as she was about to get closer, a sharp arrow shot into her hand, and only then did she begin to feel afraid.
I thought she would leave, but she just stared at me with resentful eyes, biting her lip and not saying a word.
"You dare look at her like that? Gouge her eyes out and play with them." Xie Yuancheng was laughing, but the words he said terrified me.
The village chief scrambled over, pleading, "Please spare my life, Marquis Anle! My daughter truly loves you, which is why she set up this scheme. Little did she know that you and your wife are such a loving couple."
She's still so young; what would happen if she lost her eyes?
"Father, if I can't see him, I'd rather go blind!" Niannian cried out in a shrill voice.
The village chief grabbed her hair and slapped her more than a dozen times. After blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, she collapsed to the side.
"Please, Lord Anle, spare our lives! She is young, and the villagers are backward. Please, sir, forgive our rudeness and let us go."
I hate this kind of thing the most. If there were no one lying in ambush around, we would have fallen into his trap and might have been dealt with.
"Ying'er, what do you think we should do?" Xie Yuancheng didn't even look at them. These people had impure thoughts and deserved to live in such poverty.
“In the past, they should have all been executed!” I looked at the trembling people around me, and the village chief’s eyes were filled with despair. Then I changed my mind and said, “But they are first-time offenders, so let’s give them a lesson and let them go.”
We still had a long way to go. We thought it was something serious, but they came in acting all strange. Turns out they wanted to force a marriage. How arrogant! Not just anyone can enter a noble family.
"You are neither beautiful nor well-proportioned, and even your makeup is of inferior quality. It's not your fault that you come from humble backgrounds, but you have unrealistic ambitions, overestimating yourselves by thinking you can replace me. You have no self-awareness whatsoever."
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