Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Linglong was well and truly finished.

To appease the Old Madam’s anger, Fu Huai went three days in a row without seeing Shen Ru.

No matter how anxious Shen Ru was, there was nothing Shen Ru could do.

And after losing Linglong as a pawn and being forced to hand over control of the household, the Old Madam had truly lost on all fronts. Naturally, she bore a deep grudge against Shen Ru and instructed the servant women to deliberately dock her allowances.

When she learned that Fu Huai had spent all three nights in my rooms, the Old Madam summoned me for a talk.

On the surface, she treated me kindly, but she certainly did not wish to see Fu Huai and me living in marital bliss.

“My dear new daughter-in-law, you are the mistress of this household, after all. You mustn’t be too soft by nature. The Lord Duke is your husband, not some Border General for Shen Ru to monopolize!”

I lowered my eyes and smiled shyly. “Mother-in-law is right.”

This vicious old woman. Now she remembered me?

At the beginning, she had been the one most eager to put me in my place.

I knew why she had called me here today, so I took the initiative and suggested, “Why not take in two more lovely concubines for my husband?”

The Old Madam immediately looked gratified. “As expected of the Chu Family, which has produced great scholars for generations. A daughter raised by the Chu Family truly understands the bigger picture!”

I smiled without a word.

In my previous life, who was it that had deliberately startled Fu Huai’s warhorse, causing that horse to kick my father squarely in the chest?

Father, Mother, and my elder sister had all been far too kind. They valued propriety, righteousness, honor, and shame above all else.

I, on the other hand, had been ruthless since childhood, and as I grew older, I became even more obsessed with scheming.

The Old Madam directly handed the matter of taking concubines over to me. “My new daughter-in-law is the daughter of a great scholar. You must have a discerning eye. I will leave the concubine selection to you.”

I laughed mockingly in my heart.

The Old Madam did not want to offend Fu Huai, yet she also wanted to stir up conflict between Shen Ru and me.

If I took concubines for Fu Huai, I would certainly offend Shen Ru. As for Fu Huai… whether he would actually be pleased was another matter entirely.

Still, whether slender beauties or voluptuous ones, I had to pick a few, at the very least.

Half a day later, Fu Huai arrived after hearing the news. When he saw me diligently selecting concubines for him, a faint chill settled over his handsome face.

“Madam… are you truly going to take concubines for me?”

I looked utterly bewildered. “Husband, it is only normal for a man to have wives and concubines. Why would you ask such a thing? Besides, you reached adulthood long ago, yet you still have no children. As your wife, of course I must make arrangements on your behalf.”

He was only questioning this because he was still greatly interested in me.

If he ever grew tired of me, he would probably be wishing for it.

Fu Huai frowned. “So you want other women to bear my children?”

I pressed my lips together. “Why shouldn’t I?”

Fu Huai opened his mouth, looking as though he had just punched a fist into cotton. “Chu Se!”

This was the first time he had called me by my full name.

I put on a frightened expression. “H-Husband… what is wrong with you?”

Fu Huai swept a casual glance over the concubine candidates in the courtyard, as if the very sight of them was unbearable. With a flick of his sleeve, he said, “All of you, get out!”

With that, Fu Huai looked at me again. “Madam, you really are trying to anger me to death.”

Leaving those words behind, he stormed off with a sweep of his sleeves.

Once there was no one else left in the courtyard, I burst out laughing so hard I bent forward and back.

Fu Huai, oh Fu Huai. So this is all you amount to.

All of a sudden, I felt that this game lacked difficulty. I was not having nearly enough fun.

Cui Niang asked, “Madam, what are you laughing at?”

I replied, “I am laughing at how pitiful men are. When they are not allowed to chase after one woman after another, they cannot restrain themselves. Yet when concubines are offered to them on a platter, they become unhappy instead. They want everything both ways. How truly cheap.”

Fu Huai must believe that a woman who truly loved him could not possibly be this magnanimous. He wanted me to be jealous.

But I would insist on making him feel as if he could not see through my heart.

At times, I would make him think I had feelings for him. At other times, I would drive him half-mad.

Extreme emotional swings could make a person mistake them for “true love.”