noveltune Chapter 4: Unequal Division of Spoils - A Battle Between Husband and Wife
Chapter 4: Unequal Division of Spoils - A Battle Between Husband and Wife
Returning to Wang Xifeng, she sent Ping'er to settle Wang Qing, and, too lazy to go to the side hall again, returned home listlessly.
Upon entering the room, she let out a long breath, unbuttoned the buttons on her collar, pulled the collar outwards to reveal a glimpse of white skin, then went to the bedside, leaned back, and fell onto the bed.
Immediately, she kicked off her embroidered shoes, stepped onto the edge of the bed, and shrank back like a snail, resting her head on the quilt, bending her legs, and squinting her phoenix eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, faint footsteps suddenly sounded inside the house.
Hearing the noise, Wang Xifeng didn't raise her head or open her eyes. Only when the bed beneath her trembled slightly did she suddenly open her eyes.
Just then, Jia Lian was kneeling on the edge of the bed, his face full of eager lust, pressing down on her.
"Um?"
Wang Xifeng let out a soft, bone-melting moan from her nose, then casually raised one of her long, straight legs, her toes touching Jia Lian's chest.
While stopping him from getting any closer, she feigned panic and said, "Are you trying to die?! In broad daylight, aren't you afraid the servants will see you!"
"There's nobody here!"
"Pah!" Wang Xifeng spat, mocking, "Last night you heard a thief break in, and you abandoned me to crawl under the bed without even giving me any cover. Now you're all excited!"
Jia Lian blushed instantly, his lips twitching. Then, with a shameless grin, he leaned forward and said, "Second Madam, you are so forgiving of my mistake. Isn't this just me trying to make amends?"
"Come on!"
Wang Xifeng subtly tightened her grip on Jia Lian's leg, pressing it firmly against him, and asked, "How much loss was reported this time?"
"This..." Jia Lian hesitated, then said awkwardly, "Four hundred taels!"
"Only four hundred taels?"
Wang Xifeng lightly kicked Jia Lian and scolded, "Today, the First Madam was being sarcastic and sarcastic in front of the Old Madam, almost pointing her finger at me and cursing me. I'm not going to take that for you. Go to the front and settle the accounts, so she won't pick on me in front of the Old Madam again tomorrow!"
Upon hearing this, Jia Lian, no longer willing to push his luck, complained incessantly, "How can I return money that's already in my hands? Besides, to keep those people quiet, I have to share some of the profits. If I return it now, wouldn't I be losing money?"
"You're going to die!" Wang Xifeng exclaimed in anguish. "I've been meticulously calculating every single copper coin, trying to squeeze every last drop of silver from between my fingers, and you, not content with embezzling money yourself, actually take a cut from the servants' share!"
Jia Lian looked distressed: "How can this be the same? When we eat meat, we should at least share some soup with others, shouldn't we?"
Wang Xifeng was furious and scolded, "They can at least share a bowl of soup, but I have to suffer along with them. You might as well go with them! I won't say anything more about what happened before, but this time the First Madam has made a scene in front of the Old Madam. Either you cover up this mess, or you go and tell her yourself. Don't expect me to smooth things over for you."
Jia Lian immediately deflated, losing all interest in his smooth talk. He collapsed onto the bed, reaching out to embrace Wang Xifeng while groaning, "Oh dear! My aunt, with my mediocre skills, I'm afraid I'll give myself away in just a few words. Please, have mercy..."
Wang Xifeng slapped Jia Lian's hand away with a look of disgust and scolded, "Get off me now! You're all over those wild men outside, and then you come back and climb into my bed. Aren't you afraid of getting my bed dirty!"
Jia Lian looked sullen and reluctantly got up, took off his outer robe, threw it on the bedside table, and then climbed back onto the bed, lying on his side next to Wang Xifeng, trying to coax her.
Wang Xifeng, however, refused to budge and said firmly, "Then return the silver. That gang of thieves came three or four times. You lied about more than a thousand taels. Master Lian is generous. Why would he care about this little bit of silver?"
Besides, you handled this matter too carelessly. I was willing but unable to do anything about it. Even if that thief is incredibly skilled, he can't always be so focused on stealing silver. And you, you reported so much! Don't you realize that carrying four hundred taels of silver, you can't possibly scale walls and move with lightning speed?
"How could I be so stupid?"
Jia Lian hurriedly explained, "There are still about thirty gold ingots and some silver ingots in the official store. They are all leftovers from the New Year's gifts over the years. The other day, the old lady saw that Qin Zhong liked them, so she asked us to take them out and pick out two of the top-ranking scholar ingots for him."
They said they forgot to put it in the warehouse, which is why the thief took it.
I've used the silver ingots to shut the servants down. Anyway, all the servants in the house with any dignity have been rewarded before. Even if I spend it, it won't attract attention.
He didn't touch a single gold ingot, thinking that with the New Year just two or three months away, he'd inevitably need to make some more gold and silver ingots. He planned to melt them down then, and while he was at it, make a set of jewelry for his second mistress—all without anyone noticing.
Wang Xifeng's anger turned to joy. She winked at him, then poked Jia Lian in the chest with her slender finger, scolding, "At least you still have some conscience!"
Jia Lian was instantly overcome with lust. He grabbed Wang Xifeng's soft hand and pressed it against his chest, grinning mischievously, "More than just having a conscience, my heart is filled with Second Mistress. Perhaps Second Mistress could have some pity on me..."
Before the word "person" could be uttered, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard from outside.
Immediately, Ping'er's slightly worried voice came: "Grandma!"
Upon hearing Ping'er's voice, Jia Lian didn't react much.
Wang Xifeng blushed instantly.
Despite her flamboyant and unconventional behavior, she was quite reserved in her private quarters. Otherwise, Jia Lian wouldn't have complained: "She becomes awkward and clumsy when I change her appearance."
She quickly withdrew her hand and distanced herself from Jia Lian.
As soon as Ping'er entered the room, she saw the two people lying on the bed, their clothes disheveled. She immediately had second thoughts: "This servant...this servant will close the door for Second Master and Madam."
Knowing Wang Xifeng's personality, Ping'er didn't think much of it when she saw the door wasn't closed.
Upon entering the room, they discovered that Jia Lian had taken off his outer garment, looking rather awkward, and Wang Xifeng's collar was half-open, leading them to misunderstand.
"Pah! Why are you closing the door in broad daylight?"
Wang Xifeng spat, but retorted defiantly, "You're the Second Master's concubine, and you'll be his woman sooner or later. What's there to be ashamed of?"
Offense is the best defense. Wang Xifeng was not one to easily show weakness. Even though she felt guilty for a moment, she was unwilling to lose the initiative. This sentence not only lightly concealed her guilty conscience, but also left Ping'er at a loss.
In addition, since Jia Lian had just promised her a set of fine clothes, she was happy to make some verbal promises that would benefit her without costing her anything.
Unexpectedly, Jia Lian took it seriously, stretched out his legs, crossed his left leg over his right, and said with a beaming smile, "That's right! Come over here and loosen Second Master's legs!"
Upon hearing this, Ping'er knew something was wrong. Seeing Wang Xifeng's face darken, she quickly said, "Today, the First Madam went on to criticize you in front of the Old Madam, saying that you've suffered so much, and that Second Master doesn't care about you at all. But I know how hard it has been for you, Madam!"
As she spoke, she quickly walked to the bedside, sat down next to Wang Xifeng, picked up those long, well-proportioned legs, placed them on her own lap, and began to knead and pound them.
Wang Xifeng felt a sudden relief in her legs, her heart softened, and her jealousy subsided considerably. However, she still retorted sharply, "Don't think I don't know what you two are thinking. Stop flirting with me!"
As she spoke, she glared fiercely at Jia Lian again, then softened her tone and said, "You can enjoy this little hussy's beauty only when you send her the jewelry."
Ping'er has been holding the title of concubine for almost a year now, but it's not good to always have the title without real status.
It should be noted that jealousy is one of the seven grounds for divorce. Jia Lian dared not complain to her, but he often confided in Jia Zhen and his son Jia Rong.
No secrets stay hidden forever. Even if Wang Xifeng was unwilling, she knew when to stop and when to withdraw.
By using the matter of the jewelry, we can not only back down and appease Jia Lian, but also buy some more time, achieving two goals at once.
Jia Lian was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "I'll go tomorrow..."
He should have said it, because his words only stirred up Wang Xifeng's jealousy. Not wanting to go back on her word, she could only say, "Look how anxious you are! The master and mistress are watching us closely. If we take out those gold ingots now, wouldn't that be an admission of guilt?"
"Let's wait a month or two, until the New Year when we're getting gold and silver ingots made. Then we'll take them to the jewelry store and say that these styles are outdated and we need some new ones. We can also get a pair of jewelry made at the same time, so it won't attract attention."
……