Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lu Cheng’s concubine, Lady Yun, crossed blades with me at Baibao Pavilion.

We had both set our eyes on the same Red-Gold Kingfisher-Feather Phoenix Hairpin.

Who would have thought that Lady Yun, with her retinue at her back, draped in gold and silver and carrying herself every inch like a lawful wife, had been only a year ago the pitiful daughter of a civil official-her male kin exiled, the women of her family reduced to slaves and maids, going from door to door kowtowing and begging to be taken in?

She looked me up and down, then said haughtily, “I’ll take this headpiece. Madam can choose something else.”

My answer was a solid, resounding slap across her face, followed by my condescending humiliation.

“A lowly slave who became a man’s concubine dares act arrogant before me?”

“You became Marquis Zhenguo’s concubine, fought his first wife to death, and thought you could rest easy after that? In the end, you still ended up with nothing. This is the retribution for your insolence.”

I stared at her flushed, furious face and slapped her again.

“Being someone’s concubine feels that wonderful, does it? You have utterly disgraced every scholar under heaven.”

It was no wonder I looked down on those so-called civil officials.

On the surface, they were all righteousness and noble principle, forever preaching morality, benevolence, propriety, honor, and shame.

Today they called some duke vulgar. Tomorrow they called some marquis an upstart. Yet in the next breath, they sent those same men concubines-even their own daughters.

Then they incited their daughters to fight the legitimate wives and scheme against legitimate sons. Their ambitions were plain for all to see.

Lady Yun’s inner-courtyard scheming was no worse than Madame Zhou’s. Unfortunately for her, both her father’s clan and her mother’s clan had been convicted of crimes. Even if she fought the first wife to death, she could never be elevated to lawful wife.

That wretch Lu Cheng, after rising to the highest ranks of power, had also begun to care what the civil officials thought of him.

He thought marrying the daughter of a civil official would wash away the coarseness and nouveau-riche stink clinging to him.

Little did he know that those scholars, proud down to their bones, looked down on military men not only as a reasonable form of suppression, but as a survival instinct.

Lady Yun truly had excellent luck. No sooner had the new wife entered the household than Master Yuantong of Huguo Temple gave Lady Yun the appraisal that she “prospered her husband.”

Lu Cheng, superstitious to the bone, believed it without question and raised Lady Yun up in every way.

Relying on the protective charm of “prospering her husband,” Lady Yun was practically on equal footing with the new wife.

And now, she had brought that swagger all the way before me.

Was I supposed to tolerate her?

Not only did I give her two slaps, I also sowed discord between her and the new Marchioness Zhen Guo.

“That little trick of yours, prospering your husband? It might fool that idiot Lu Cheng, but if you think it will fool the new madam, you’re naive.”

Lady Yun’s revenge arrived that very night.

Marquis Zhenguo Lu Cheng stormed into my residence in a rage, while I was taking stock of the new headpieces I had bought.

“Li, get the hell out here!”

He was like a wild boar that had charged into a pen, the thick flesh all over him trembling.

In front of the servants of the duke’s estate, he pointed at my nose from far away and shouted, “What the hell are you? You dare slap my beloved concubine in public? Even I can’t bear to lay a finger on her!”

Duan Qing rushed out from the study and hurriedly blocked him. “Old Lu, Old Lu, calm down, calm down…”

“Calm your mother!” Lu Cheng shoved him aside and jabbed a finger at my nose. “You village shrew, if I don’t beat the shit out of you today, my surname isn’t Lu!”

Duan Qing moved closer again. “Old Lu, my unworthy wife is crude and fierce. It’s not as if you don’t know that. For my sake, let her off this once-”

“Let her off?” Lu Cheng’s eyes bulged. “Duan Qing, are you still a fucking man? Your woman runs wild outside and you can’t control her, so I’ll control her for you!”

He raised his hand.

Duan Qing stood in front of me and forced a smile. “Enough, enough. I’ll deal with her later…”

Lu Cheng stared at him, then suddenly laughed.

That laugh sounded worse than a curse.

“Duan Qing, oh, Duan Qing.” He patted Duan Qing on the face. “Back when we hacked men down together, you weren’t like this. What, now that you’ve been made a duke, did they seal away the thing in your pants too?”

Duan Qing’s face turned the color of pig liver.

Lu Cheng walked around him and came up to me, looking me over from head to toe.

“This? At your age, you’re still wearing such flashy headpieces? Why don’t you look in a mirror? Do you deserve them?”

He turned back to Duan Qing and said, “If you ask me, you ought to divorce this woman. Later, I’ll introduce you to a few real noble ladies from prestigious families-young, fresh, the kind who won’t embarrass you when you take them out.”

Duan Qing kept his head lowered and said nothing.

“What? Can’t bear to do it?” Lu Cheng sneered. “She’s just some country woman. You actually treat her like a treasure? Among us old brothers, which one of us hasn’t changed wives or taken new women several times over? You’re the only one still clinging to this sallow-faced hag. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

Duan Qing lifted his eyes and glanced at me.

In that one look, I understood.

It wasn’t protection. He thought I had humiliated him.

“All right, enough,” Lu Cheng said, turning back again and pointing right at my nose. “For Old Lu’s sake, I won’t do it myself today.”

“Old Duan, you do it.”

Duan Qing stood to the side. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

Lu Cheng’s face was full of viciousness. “Old Duan, you know my temper.”

I was both terrified and filled with hatred. Terrified because Lu Cheng really was a rabid dog.

Anyone who provoked him would surely be bitten back.

In the past, he had still shown a shred of humanity toward the wives and concubines of his former comrades.

Now that he had risen to the height of power, his true nature was exposed.

What chilled me even more was Duan Qing. To appease Lu Cheng, he actually slapped me in front of everyone.

Smack!

My whole body went flying. My forehead struck a pillar, and stars burst before my eyes.

“You useless spendthrift! Do you think people of Old Lu’s household are yours to touch? Let this small lesson today teach you some sense.”

Fighting through the dizziness, I gripped the pillar and climbed to my feet.

He raised his hand again.

“Father!”

Chengye rushed in and dropped to his knees before Duan Qing, clutching his leg with all his strength.

“Father, please show mercy! Though Mother was at fault…”

I called out to stop Chengye, refusing to let him continue.

Then, with half my face swollen, I knelt upright before Lu Cheng.

“Marquis Zhenguo, it was my fault. I will never dare do it again. Please, for Linlin’s sake, forgive me.”

“Mother!” Chengye’s eyes filled with grief. Shock crossed his face, along with deep shame and anger.

I gave him a slight shake of my head.

Lu Cheng was a rabid dog, and one who killed without blinking.

A rabid dog that had survived the battlefield no longer had much humanity left.

Even if he wore a human skin, the brutality in his bones would not disappear with rank and titles.

It would only grow worse.

Linlin, that poor woman Lu Cheng had tortured to death with his own hands.

Before I left, she had held my hand and said four words to me: “Live on well.”

The bulging flesh on Lu Cheng’s face twitched.

The name “Linlin” was like a thorn, stabbing into that heart of his that had long since rotted through.

“Fine.” Lu Cheng spat. “On account of my young nephew’s admirable filial piety, I’ll spare your mother this once.”

He looked at me and enunciated every word.

“Among us old brothers, most have changed wives or taken concubines. You’re the lucky one, meeting softhearted Old Duan. Yet you don’t even know how to cherish your good fortune. You’re asking to die.”

With that, he swaggered off with Lady Yun.

Duan Qing came over and reached out to help me.

I avoided him.

He froze, then flew into anger out of embarrassment. “What are you dodging for? Weren’t you the one who caused all this today? Why did you go provoking Lady Yun for no reason? Everyone knows she brings fortune to her husband. Lu Cheng is more superstitious than anyone. How could he not treasure her?”

I lifted my head and looked at him.

“You are a dignified Lord Duke, yet you let a mere marquis climb over your head? You slapped your lawful wife just to calm him down. Do you think that makes you look glorious?”

The more I spoke, the angrier I became. “He clearly doesn’t take you seriously at all!”

He looked a little guilty, but soon regained his righteous confidence.

“Lu Cheng is a rabid dog. It’s not as if you don’t know that.”

“When I hit you, I still held back. If he hadn’t calmed down, who knows what kind of trouble he would have stirred up?”

“Enough, enough.” He waved his hand irritably. “Go back to your room and stay there. Stop embarrassing me in public.”

With that, he turned and left.

His retreating back showed not the slightest hesitation.