loose
As Ling Wan left Minghui Hall, she could still hear the earnest words of her elder sister-in-law, Mrs. Lu, in her ears: "The Shen family has two ministers in one family. Now is the time of prosperity. How many eyes are watching us, both openly and covertly."
"I know you're kind-hearted, but you can't let your kindness make you indecisive and disrupt the rules and etiquette. Many disasters in aristocratic families stem from internal affairs. If there's unrest in the harem, and someone finds evidence to accuse you, not only the Shen family, but also your mother's family, the Xu family, and your maternal family, the Lu family, will be implicated."
A single move can affect the entire body. In ancient times, marriage relationships were not only an exchange of interests, but also a bond of mutual responsibility.
What Lu said was actually quite blunt, pointing directly to the problems she faced in handling the affairs of the harem - as the mistress, she did not differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate children, and was too soft-hearted. This allowed those with ulterior motives to plot against her, giving them the opportunity to do so.
"Qiu was born a second-class maid, and is very good at reading people's expressions. She simply thinks that your genuine love for Tang Jie'er is a means for you to please Wang Xi, so she has the confidence to act rashly in front of you."
"The Ding family had the audacity to pin the blame on you after the shameless Ding incident. You weren't so kind to even bother pursuing the matter afterwards! Ling Wan, let me ask you this: if Ruo Wangxi hadn't returned that day, and you indirectly pressured your mother into agreeing to your request in order to prove your innocence, had you ever considered how the Shen family would stand if you were truly divorced? And how would your Xu family stand?"
"And Huai'an. Even if you don't intend to register Huai'an under your name, since you have raised him, you should sever the relationship between him and Aunt Zhao, so as not to raise an ungrateful person in the future and cause trouble for yourself in vain."
"The matter of Huai Yin is even more confusing! After all, Huai Yin is the illegitimate son of the fifth house. You can raise Huai Yin, that's your kindness. But if you treat him the same as Huai Jin and Huai An, then where do you put your husband! And where do you put the Wang family and the Xu family!"
The eldest sister-in-law's words were like thunderclaps out of the blue, exploding in Chen Yuanyuan's ears.
"In this era, background determines most of one's destiny." She disagrees with this rule, so she tries to treat people and things with equality and fairness. Is this wrong?
Xu Lingwan twisted a white piece and fell into deep thought.
In the harem, if she had been as strict with her subordinates as her eldest sister-in-law, the concubines would not have dared to cause so many troubles; if she had made up her mind to cut off the contact between Huai'an and Zhao, Huai'an would not have been so worried, and Zhao would not have dared to show off in front of her by relying on her son.
And the servants. She had always been kind to them, but because of her kindness, they all knew she would never think of taking their lives.
But Chen Yuanyuan had to admit that human nature was complex. While respect outweighed fear now, nothing had happened, there was no guarantee she would be able to maintain her integrity in the future. In such a tempting situation, fear, rather than respect, was a stronger constraint.
"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?" As soon as Chen Cong entered the room, he saw Ling Wan sitting under the long window with her head propped up, a rare look of confusion on her face.
Chen Yuanyuan looked at his prematurely gray hair and thought of the past. She couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat and called out, "Chen Cong."
It was indeed because of her self-righteousness that she caused a lot of trouble to Chen Cong.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying again?" Chen Cong frowned and strode forward to hold her in his arms. "What happened, huh?"
Chen Yuanyuan hugged him tightly, saying nothing but sobbing. She cried for a long time, and only when she smelled the pleasant cold plum fragrance on his body did her mood slowly calm down.
"It's nothing, I just feel like I didn't treat you very well before." She buried her head in the crook of Mr. Shen's neck and wiped her tears on his official uniform.
Chen Cong paused, half lowering his eyes: "Why do you say that?"
Xu Lingwan snuggled into his arms and said, "I've carefully thought through everything that happened this past year. After thinking it through, I realized I owe you a lot."
"Um?"
"I'm not capable enough to manage the inner house. Every time something happens at home, I have to ask you to come back and help me solve it. It's my wife's responsibility to fail."
"In 'Zou Ji's Advice to the King of Qi,' Zou Ji said to his wife, 'How can Xu Gong compare to you?' He said, 'My wife praises me because she loves me.' I felt very ashamed after reading this. As your wife, I don't seem to have much time for love with you. This is another mistake of mine."
"You don't ask much of me, but I ask a lot of you, and I blame you for everything that happens at home."
"Although those things were indeed caused by you, I may not be innocent either."
"I..." Before Xu Lingwan could finish her words, Chen Cong held her earlobe in his mouth.
She was shocked and her body began to tremble instinctively. She pushed him: "Chen Cong——"
"What's lost or gained? None of this matters." Chen Cong used his tongue to rub the crimson jade bead. "Ling Wan, it's good enough as long as you're by my side."
"I'm not just a pretty face. I have to do something. I—" Chen Yuanyuan raised her hand to hit him. This was a serious self-examination and confession, so why was it so frivolous?
"Vase?" The novel metaphor made Mr. Shen hesitate for a moment, but after he realized what was happening, he chuckled softly, "Then just treat me as a little vase, okay? That way I can carry you with me every day and play with you all the time."
······
"Chen Cong, do you have any quirks?" The topic had already gone off track. When Xu Lingwan thought of the thin calluses on Chen Cong's fingers rubbing against the small vase, she felt weird, but at the same time, she inexplicably felt a sense of anticipation and excitement in her heart.
"Lingwan, you really want this, right?" No one knows the subtle changes in Xu Lingwan's body better than Chen Cong. His eyes darkened slightly, he raised his eyebrows, and actually smiled at Lingwan.
Oh my god. When Chen Cong was young, he must have been a hotshot.
Xu Lingwan's face flushed red when her little thought was exposed. She bit his chin in anger and said, "It's all your fault. You led me astray!"
Her arrogant and unreasonable look made Chen Cong laugh with satisfaction.
"Okay, okay, it's me who led you astray. I'll admit my mistake to Madam, okay?" Chen Cong hugged her tighter and let her bite and nibble on him.
Later on, he even felt that Xu Lingwan's bite was too light, so he began to teach her step by step how to use skillful force to make the touch feel between pain and numbness.
"Chen Cong, I finally understand. Sometimes you are just a pervert!" Of course, Xu Lingwan's subsequent complaints on the bed with tears in her eyes are a story for another time.
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