Chapter 18 A Self-Indulgent Man
Chu Yian also said goodbye to Jiang, and when he walked to the door, he heard Chu Yunqing's words coming from behind him.
"If only Big Brother hadn't used his military merits to ask for an imperial decree for Sister Shuning, he would have received a large reward, and I could have bought more beautiful clothes and headgear."
Her face was full of greed and her tone was full of disappointment.
Jiang was deeply stung by her words.
I can’t think about it, my heart aches so much that it bleeds!
Chu Yian paused, turned around, and looked at Chu Yunqing with a stern face.
"When did you become so materialistic and vain? All you care about is money?"
Chu Yunqing felt guilty for a moment, but he was unwilling to accept being scolded, so he immediately stiffened his neck and started yelling.
"I just told the truth, how come you think I'm being philistine and vain?"
Chu Yian looked at her with disappointment. "I volunteered to ask for Shuning's title. How can it be compared to those gold and silver rewards? Shuning has never been stingy with money for you. She is truly devoted to you. Yet you say such things. Wouldn't it be disheartening for her to hear them?"
Chu Yunqing's face turned ugly after being scolded, and he felt resentful in his heart.
Jiang immediately spoke up for her daughter, "Qing'er was just speaking carelessly."
Chu Yian frowned and looked at Jiang, his eyes full of disapproval.
"Mother, you can't keep spoiling Qing'er like this. She's not a child anymore and she should learn to be sensible."
Chu Yunqing was so angry that she was about to retort, but Jiang patted the back of her hand soothingly and said to Chu Yian, "Qing'er may have a bit of a childish temper, but she's not a bad person. As her brother, you should be more tolerant of her instead of being so harsh and hurting the relationship between you and her."
Chu Yian said coldly: "I can tolerate her, but she is still so selfish after leaving the Marquis' Mansion, so no one will tolerate her."
Chu Yunqing couldn't hold it in any longer and retorted sharply, "Aren't you selfish? Your sister-in-law has done so much for you, yet you brought home a concubine and even asked for her to be granted an imperial title. Are you worthy of your first wife?"
Chu Yunqing was naturally not standing up for Lu Zhiran. She just wanted to stab Chu Yian and get back at him.
Chu Yian felt like he was slapped hard in the face. His face was burning and he felt very embarrassed.
He retorted stiffly, "She is my wife. Isn't it natural for her to do anything for me? Besides, which man doesn't have three wives and four concubines? I just have one more Shuning. If she is generous, she should accept it!"
Jiang was annoyed when she saw the brother and sister arguing with each other because of Zhao Shuning.
"Okay, stop talking now. What will it look like if it gets out?"
Chu Yian's face was gloomy. "She is so disrespectful to her elders and her brother and sister-in-law. Mother should discipline her!"
After saying this, he turned around and left angrily, making Chu Yunqing so angry that her eyes turned red.
After leaving Yongfuju, he couldn't help but think of Chu Yunqing's words. He felt guilty as if he had been exposed, but he just didn't want to face it.
His steps were out of control, and before he knew it, he arrived at the door of Yushengju.
The cleaning maid was startled when she saw the person standing at the door.
"Master, why are you here?"
Chu Yian's expression was cold. "I'll go in and take a look. No need to inform them."
The little maid didn't dare to disobey and watched him go into the inner room.
There has been a lot of good news outside these days, and Lu Zhiran is in a very good mood.
Having almost finished reading the account books, she stole a rare moment of leisure, leaned on the small couch in front of the window, and lowered her head to read the book in her hand.
Her skin was as white as jade, her long eyelashes were like a fan, half covering her eyelids, forming a faint silhouette under her eyelids. The sunlight flowed through her hair, and everything around her became her foil.
This was the scene Chu Yian saw. It felt like something hit his heart hard, and a wave of throbbing spread out.
Sensing an uncomfortable gaze, Lu Zhiran raised her eyes and looked over here.
When he saw the person coming, Lu Zhiran's relaxed posture instantly disappeared, and he was filled with vigilance and alertness.
"What are you doing here?"
Chu Yian's eyes moved slightly, "I came to see you."
Lu Zhiran secretly thought it was bad luck.
"Now that I see you, what can I do for you?"
The faint sense of guilt in Chu Yian's heart was instantly pierced by her cold attitude.
"This is the Marquis' Mansion, it's my territory. I can come here whenever I want. But you should put yourself in your proper place."
Lu Zhiran's expression slightly changed, and then she changed to a respectful attitude, "I know I was wrong, I wonder what your husband's instructions are?"
Seeing her being so deliberately distant and respectful, Chu Yian felt inexplicably angry again.
"Lu Zhiran, can't you just talk to me nicely?"
Lu Zhiran asked doubtfully, "Isn't my attitude respectful enough?"
Chu Yian took a deep breath and said, "Lu Zhiran, even if you want to be angry with me, you should know when to stop. If you keep acting this way, all the friendship we had in the past will be completely worn away."
Lu Zhiran showed sarcasm on his face. Is there any such thing as affection between them?
Chu Yian took her silence as a sign of weakness, and spoke in a condescending tone.
"I see your dedication in organizing a caravan for me and carefully selecting gifts. I'm not heartless either. As long as you control your temper and stop being unreasonable, I'll treat you with the respect you deserve. But there's one thing: Shuning is my Achilles' heel. You can't get past her no matter what."
Lu Zhiran: ...
"You may have misunderstood one thing. I didn't do those things for you."
Chu Yian looked at her steadily, as if he wanted to see through her duplicity.
"Do you dare to say that you didn't organize the caravan solely for me?"
Lu Zhiran discovered that if things were not said clearly, some people would be like mentally retarded people and would not understand what was said and would even make up their own minds.
She spoke more seriously than ever before, "I formed a caravan because that trade route is so profitable that few dare to travel it. My caravan transports goods from the capital to the border areas, and then brings the rare goods back to the capital. We can sell them at a high price through this back and forth trade. It's hard work, but the profits are quite high. If it really wasn't profitable, only a fool would spend money on it."
Lu Zhiran's words were merciless, completely shattering Chu Yian's self-conceit.
His face twitched violently, and an unbearable feeling of shame and anger surged in his chest.
"How are you going to explain why you send me so many things every year? Mother has already told me that those things were carefully selected by you. Don't even think about denying it!"
"I did carefully select those things, but not for you. I chose them for my husband. You just happen to be my husband. I would do the same for anyone else. This is my duty as a wife."
Chu Yian never expected her to say such a thing. The sarcasm on her face was not only glaring, but also hurt his lofty self-esteem.
Striding towards her, Chu Yian gritted his teeth and said, "I am your husband, and it is your duty as a wife to perform the rituals of family ties!"
His eyes were deep and gloomy, reflecting Lu Zhiran's face, as beautiful as a crabapple.
Driven by anger, he just wanted to tear this woman apart completely and make her submit to him obediently.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com