Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Fu Huai admitted to my face that I was his wife.

Naturally, I had to take the opening he had given me.

If we truly fell out, this game would stop being fun.

Even so, I let a trace of melancholy linger on my face.

Seeing that I had finally stopped making a fuss about leaving, the old madam secretly let out a breath of relief. How could she still remember that she had meant to put me in my place?

My sister-in-law had yet to marry. Though she disliked me, she had long heard that my maternal grandfather’s family was the richest in the realm, and she had her eye on my dowry.

But that was perfectly fine. If anything, I was afraid the old madam and my sister-in-law might not be greedy for money.

Greed meant weakness.

Fu Huai had gotten a taste and wanted more. Last night, the two of us had been entwined in endless passion. On the surface, I was graceful and proper, but in private, I was more than willing to let go.

Fu Huai was very fond of that.

Unfortunately for him, at this moment, I refused to meet his eyes.

That only made him all the more restless.

He had no energy at all to comfort his beloved confidante. Instead, he accompanied me straight back to my room.

Once we were alone, my lashes fluttered, and two perfectly timed tears slipped down. I turned aside, presenting Fu Huai with my profile. “I heard Younger Sister Shen is a woman my husband met at the frontier. The two of you must have gone through so much together. I truly envy that. Linglong is also my husband’s childhood sweetheart. I imagine she holds a great place in your heart as well.”

“Unlike me… By rights, I should have been my husband’s younger sister-in-law…”

A brother-in-law and his wife’s younger sister-such a relationship always left room for imagination.

Fu Huai gripped my shoulders and turned me to face him. His words sounded remarkably sincere. “You and I are husband and wife. Since you are so understanding and considerate, you will naturally manage the rear courtyard well on my behalf. Shen Ru and Linglong did indeed come before you, but in terms of status, they are far beneath you.”

True enough…

One was the daughter of a lowly soldier from the frontier, and the other was a maid born into the household. Put together, they still could not compare to the status of the Legitimate Daughter of the Chu Family.

And yet, in my previous life, my elder sister had withered to death inside that rear courtyard.

Fu Huai was not innocent either!

So why was it that now that I had taken her place, Fu Huai’s attitude had changed?

The curve of my lips gradually lifted, my smile gentle and tender. Suddenly, I took Fu Huai’s hand and bit the back of it.

Fu Huai winced at first, but he did not push me away. He only asked in surprise, “My wife, what are you doing?”

I left a bite mark on the back of Fu Huai’s hand, then looked up and smiled. “Husband, look. You have my mark on you now. You belong to me.”

Fu Huai froze for an instant, then laughed.

He was forceful and arrogant, but deep down, he also yearned to be acknowledged.

My direct claim of ownership worked far better on him than tears and pleading ever would.

He was indeed mine now… my dog, that is.

Fu Huai’s gaze darkened, and desire stirred in him all too easily once more. Just then, a maid’s voice came from outside the door. “Lord Duke, Concubine Shen’s old ailment has flared up. She humbly begs Lord Duke to go and see her.”

I had heard that Shen Ru had once saved Fu Huai on the battlefield, taking an arrow for him.

Her old wound was on her leg. Whenever the weather turned windy or rainy, she would falsely claim that her old ailment had flared up.

In my previous life, Shen Ru had used this self-inflicted suffering act to force my legitimate elder sister to hand over the wild ginseng listed among her dowry.

Afterward, not only were Shen Ru and Fu Huai ungrateful to my elder sister, they even resented her for being selfish, accusing her of delaying Shen Ru’s treatment by refusing to take out the ginseng sooner.

Fu Huai was just about to take his leave when I once again caught his hand. “Husband, I have a century-old mountain ginseng here. It is very helpful for long-standing ailments. I imagine Younger Sister Shen will be able to use it.”

The way Fu Huai looked at me shifted from desire-tinged to faint admiration.

He must have thought that because I loved him, I loved all that belonged to him; that even his beloved concubine received my care.

Men always loved giving themselves extra scenes, and they always believed that every woman by their side treated them with sincerity.

At that moment, Fu Huai most likely felt that he was truly impressive and noble, so much so that I, his official wife, not only refrained from jealousy but sincerely helped him instead.

No sooner had Fu Huai left with the wild ginseng than servants arrived carrying gold, silver, and jewels.

The servant said, “Madam, Lord Duke instructed that all of these are for you.”

I smiled faintly and rewarded the servant.

When no one else was present, Cui Niang covered her lips and giggled. “A single fake ginseng root in exchange for Lord Duke’s favor-what a bargain. In any case, Concubine Shen is only pretending to be ill. She won’t be able to tell anything from eating it.”