X
Fan Chuan’s gaze was deep as she nodded at Wei Lan.
“Actually, I’ve thought about what you said.
I just thought I would only do it if I were forced to.”
“By the time it comes to that, it will be too late.
While the old emperor is still alive and the situation hasn’t become too turbulent, cousin needs to prepare early.
We can also help you gather supplies.”
After thinking for a moment, Wei Lan continued, “Of course, cousin, you need to extricate yourself quickly during this trip to the capital.
Only by returning to Zhuozhou early can you make further plans.”
Fan Chuan waved her hand at this.
“No, that’s too dangerous.
How could I let you help gather supplies?
And besides, this time when I go to the capital, I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to leave.”
“Cousin, if you really rebel, then we will definitely be branded as traitors by the court.
But that doesn’t matter, as long as you succeed.
Before you raise your army, Zijin and I need to settle in Zhuozhou.”
Wei Lan said after some thought.
Even though on the surface she and Fan Chuan no longer had contact, once Fan Chuan raised her army, they would definitely be detained by the court.
So all of this needed to be prepared early.
Fan Chuan nodded in agreement.
She had never told anyone about her desire to raise an army.
Fan Chuan hadn’t expected Wei Lan to have the same idea, and even to be more forward-thinking than her.
She had thought that if forced to in the future, she might raise an army.
But Wei Lan was telling her to start preparing now.
One was proactive, the other reactive.
She really needed to think it over.
“Let me think about it some more.”
This was, after all, a major matter; Fan Chuan couldn’t make a decision on a whim.
Wei Lan also nodded.
She thought for a moment and then said, “Oh, by the way, does the old emperor have any trusted confidants?
I think after you arrive in the capital, cousin, you could send some benefits to the emperor’s confidants, have them speak well of you to the emperor, so you can leave the capital as soon as possible.”
Fan Chuan nodded; she had thought of that too.
But since becoming marshal, she had reported to the capital many times, so she was quite familiar with court affairs.
But how did Wei Lan, a daughter-in-law Qiankun, know these things?
“Do you have family in the court?
Or relatives in the capital?”
Fan Chuan asked curiously.
Wei Lan smiled and shook her head.
“No, I don’t.
What I just said were all deductions.
And about the marriage arrangement, if you really can’t avoid it, why not just agree to it?
Even if someone is planted by your side, as long as you get back to Zhuozhou, the initiative will still be in your hands.”
Fan Chuan nodded.
After chatting with Wei Lan for a while, she felt the heavy stone in her heart had lightened a bit.
“Alright, I’ll handle it accordingly when the time comes.
Speaking of which, why did you marry into the Lu residence?”
Fan Chuan was a bit puzzled.
Wei Lan had a clear mind and analyzed things coherently; she didn’t seem like someone who would end up having to marry into a family.
Wei Lan smiled and said, “My family fell on hard times.
I’m very happy that my wife took me in.
Besides carving jade, I can’t do anything else.
I’m just grateful my wife doesn’t despise me.”
As she spoke, Wei Lan smiled at Lu Zijin.
She just wanted to lie flat and eat soft rice; her current life was already very good.
“What nonsense are you talking about?
Why would I despise you?”
Lu Zijin reached out and took Wei Lan’s hand, gently squeezing her fingertips.
Fan Chuan looked at the two of them and felt like she was being fed dog food.
So the daughter-in-law her cousin found was someone she actually liked.
She had been worrying for nothing.
A smile appeared on Fan Chuan’s face.
Seeing that her sister seemed to have found someone she loved made her happy too.
“It’s getting late.
I’ve bothered you two for a while.
I should go.”
“Cousin, are you leaving already?”
Lu Zijin asked.
“Mm.
I can’t stay at the Lu residence, otherwise I’ll arouse suspicion.”
“Then… what about what Wei Lan just said?
I have grain shops among my businesses.
If you need, we really can help gather supplies.”
Lu Zijin said.
“Okay.
If I really make a decision, I’ll send someone to find you.
You and Wei Lan be very careful.
You’re the only sister I have left.”
Having finally found a relative she could confide in, she was also reluctant to leave.
“Mm.
Sister, when you go to the capital, please be very careful.”
Lu Zijin’s eyes were red as she instructed.
“Don’t worry.
I’ll be fine.
Take care.”
After a few more words of advice, Fan Chuan changed into her cloak, covered her face, and left the Lu residence.
Lu Zijin, however, couldn’t sleep.
She sat by the table, her expression somewhat solemn.
Wei Lan sat down beside her and said softly, “Don’t worry, wife.
My cousin is a marshal; she knows what to do.
You shouldn’t worry too much.”
Lu Zijin reached out and took Wei Lan’s hand.
“Is there really no other way besides raising an army?”
“Unless my cousin meets an enlightened ruler who isn’t prone to suspicion.
But the royals have such twisted minds.
Someone who seems like an enlightened ruler now will show a different face once he’s done using my cousin.
Emperors are always fickle; those who have rendered great service are actually the most feared and suspected.”
Wei Lan said.
On this point, she had more say than ancient people, after all, Wei Lan was a modern person and had read plenty of similar historical records.
“Then what can we do?”
Lu Zijin was even more worried after hearing Wei Lan’s words.
Wei Lan thought for a moment and said, “There’s only so much we can do, but helping to gather supplies is no problem.
Starting now, we need to stockpile grain, but we can’t do it in the name of the Lu residence.
We need to create a new identity and do it under that name.”
Lu Zijin naturally understood Wei Lan’s meaning.
The Lu residence only needed to purchase a limited amount of grain each year.
If they continued to buy in large quantities beyond that limit, it would definitely attract attention from all sides, which could be bad.
It would be better to create a new identity, simply saying it was a wealthy merchant from another province doing business.
“Alright.
I’ll start making arrangements for this tomorrow.”
Lu Zijin nodded.
As she spoke, she looked up at Wei Lan in front of her.
Was this really the same little Qiankun she had kissed breathless?
“What’s wrong, wife?”
Wei Lan saw Lu Zijin staring at her and couldn’t help but blush.
“Nothing.
I just didn’t expect the master to have such talent, to be able to see through the political situation.”
This, Lu Zijin truly hadn’t expected.
Moreover, Wei Lan could directly propose rebellion.
Most people wouldn’t even dare to think of it, let alone suggest it.
“I just made some guesses based on what you two said.”
Wei Lan was a bit embarrassed by Lu Zijin’s stare.
Lu Zijin leaned in and kissed Wei Lan’s lips.
“So good.
This is your reward.”
Wei Lan’s earlobes turned even redder than before.
This wasn’t a reward for her at all.
It was clearly her wife rewarding herself.
Wei Lan reached out and tugged at Lu Zijin’s sleeve, then hugged her.
Lu Zijin smiled as she looked at her little Qiankun acting spoiled.
It was hard to imagine that the words about rebellion had come from this little Qiankun.
Wei Lan looked at Lu Zijin’s lips, her earlobes slightly flushed.
She shyly leaned in and kissed Lu Zijin, but just as she tried to pull back, her lower back was held by Lu Zijin.
Then Wei Lan was kissed senseless.
She felt her body go weak, and she slumped into Lu Zijin’s arms, gasping for air.
Lu Zijin reached out and pinched Wei Lan’s cheek.
“So good.
After we eat, we’ll rest early.”
“Mm.”
Wei Lan obediently replied.
After dinner, Wei Lan went to the next room to bathe, while Lu Zijin bathed directly in the bedroom.
They tidied up and then went to bed, preparing to continue sleeping.
But Wei Lan was pressed down by Lu Zijin again.
Wei Lan looked at her softly.
“Wife, aren’t you going to sleep?”
“Sleep.”
As she spoke, Lu Zijin kissed Wei Lan again.
She kissed Wei Lan’s brow and eyes bit by bit, finally landing on her lips.
Lu Zijin deepened the kiss until Wei Lan was almost out of strength before finally letting her little Qiankun go.
As if remembering something, Lu Zijin’s fingertips lightly played with Wei Lan’s gland opening.
She propped herself up slightly and asked, “Oh, by the way, what about the bangle and plaque you promised me, master?”
Her little Qiankun had been so jealous that she had delayed carving the bangle and plaque for her.
It wasn’t that Lu Zijin really needed these feicui accessories; she had a pile of them she couldn’t even wear.
It was mainly that the sentiment was different; after all, this was the first time Wei Lan was giving her something.
Wei Lan smiled at Lu Zijin.
Her eyes were very bright as she propped herself up and kissed Lu Zijin’s lips.
Then she explained, “Actually, I finished them a long time ago.
I just haven’t given them to you yet.”
Hearing this, Lu Zijin kissed Wei Lan again, not pulling back until Wei Lan beneath her could barely take it.
She reached out and lightly tapped Wei Lan’s nose.
“Not good again.
Because you were jealous, you weren’t going to give them to me?”
Lu Zijin hadn’t expected her Qianjun to have such a strong jealous streak.
Even though her relationship with Chen Zhou wasn’t even ordinary, Wei Lan still got jealous.
“Then I’ll go get them now.”
Wei Lan’s earlobes were slightly red as she reached out and gently pushed at Lu Zijin on top of her.
“Wait a moment.
The master hasn’t been good; she needs to be punished.”
As she spoke, Lu Zijin deliberately sucked on Wei Lan’s gland opening.
The next moment, her little Qiankun went soft beneath her.
“It tickles.
Wife, I won’t do it again.”
Wei Lan’s eyes grew misty, looking like she couldn’t take it anymore.
Lu Zijin nibbled and sucked for a good while before propping herself up slightly.
Then she saw that her little Qiankun was almost in tears.
Only then did Lu Zijin stop.
She leaned in and kissed the corner of Wei Lan’s lips, saying softly, “So good.”
Wei Lan had been teased until her body had no strength left, yet she still softly clutched Lu Zijin’s clothes.
After resting for a good while, Wei Lan reached out and pushed Lu Zijin.
“Wife, I’ll go get the bangle and plaque for you.”
Only then did Lu Zijin get off Wei Lan.
“Alright.
I’ll wait.”
Wei Lan got up and walked quickly to the wardrobe, taking out a beautiful brocade box.
The corners of Wei Lan’s mouth held a smile as she hugged the brocade box and trotted to the bedside, pushing the box towards Lu Zijin like offering a treasure.
“Wife, see if you like them?”
“Okay.”
Lu Zijin opened the brocade box and looked inside.
Then she was stunned.
Lu Zijin had originally thought Wei Lan was just playing around with jade carving.
But looking at the three items in the box, they were actually very delicate, no different from the carvings of the top jade carvers in Panyang City, and even more refined.
She reached out and picked up the feicui phoenix hairpin to look at it.
The ice-white feicui was translucent, and the phoenix on it was carved so lifelike that it looked as if it might really fly away the next moment.
Every line was handled perfectly.
Lu Zijin’s gaze shifted from the hairpin to Wei Lan.
“Did you really carve these?”
“Of course.
I even used openwork technique on the plaque, wife.
Look.”
Wei Lan picked up the phoenix jade plaque and showed it to Lu Zijin.
Lu Zijin looked at the jade plaque.
It was like its own little world.
The phoenix on it stood out slightly from the plaque, as if it were about to soar into the sky.
“They’re beautiful.”
Lu Zijin said instinctively.
But when did her Qianjun develop such skills?
Although she didn’t understand carving, she could still tell that Wei Lan’s level was definitely not just for fun.
“With your carving skill, even Liu Bingkun and Huo Feng might not be able to match it.”
Lu Zijin looked at Wei Lan in amazement.
Seeing that Lu Zijin liked them, Wei Lan’s face was full of smiles, like a big dog being praised by its owner.
If Wei Lan had a tail, she would have been wagging it excitedly long ago.
“Of course.
I’m very good.
Do you like this set of feicui jewelry?”
Wei Lan’s gaze fell on Lu Zijin as she asked.
Lu Zijin smiled and replied, “Of course I like them.”
As she spoke, Lu Zijin looked at the jade plaque again.
The more she looked, the more the openwork on the plaque seemed familiar.
She felt like she had seen it somewhere before.
Lu Zijin thought for a moment and finally remembered where she had seen it.
The openwork carving technique on this was similar to the jade ornament she had given to Lu Feng last time.
Lu Zijin casually said, “Your technique looks about the same as that Qinglan’s.”
Wei Lan hadn’t expected Lu Zijin to notice.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she stammered, unsure whether to tell Lu Zijin.
After all, the situation now was different from before.
Lu Zijin didn’t like Chen Zhou, so her soft rice was secure.
Lu Zijin was a businesswoman skilled at reading expressions.
She immediately noticed Wei Lan stammering, as if she was hiding something.
She reached out and pinched Wei Lan’s chin, asking, “Is the master hiding something from me?
If the master isn’t good, she’ll be punished.
And I slept all afternoon, so I’m full of energy right now, plenty of energy to punish the master properly.”
Wei Lan, thinking that Lu Zijin had slept all afternoon and was indeed energetic, felt her legs go weak.
If she didn’t tell, would her wife pin her down and kiss her all night?
Then her lips would get swollen from kissing.
Thinking this, Wei Lan, soft and whiny, leaned in and nuzzled Lu Zijin’s wrist, confessing obediently.
“Wife, actually, I am Qinglan.
You’re really amazing, wife.
After just a few glances, you could tell that I am Qinglan.”
Wei Lan delivered a string of compliments, her eyes shining brightly as she looked at Lu Zijin, waiting for her wife to continue praising the phoenix plaque she had carved.
But the next moment, Wei Lan’s earlobe was pinched by Lu Zijin.
The smile on Lu Zijin’s lips grew wider, and her gaze deepened.
Wei Lan didn’t know what was wrong, but she felt her legs grow even weaker.
She gave Lu Zijin a few awkward laughs, then said, “Wife?
What’s wrong?”
Lu Zijin gave her a kind smile, gently rubbing Wei Lan’s earlobe.
“So my master is the famous Qinglan of Panyang City?
The master hid it so well that even I, her pillow companion, didn’t know.”
“Back then, our relationship wasn’t as good as it is now, and you were very busy.
That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
Wei Lan quickly explained.
“So then, it’s my fault?”
Lu Zijin raised an eyebrow.
“No, no.
It’s my fault.”
Wei Lan immediately admitted fault.
When arguing with a girlfriend, admitting fault first is always the best choice.
“How could the master be wrong?
The master is the top carver in Panyang City, whose carvings are hard to come by.
When helping me carve that landscape ornament, the master even charged me five thousand taels of silver.”
Lu Zijin said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, as she lightly pinched Wei Lan’s earlobe and played with it.
Wei Lan bared her teeth in a smile at Lu Zijin, trying to get by.
But seeing Lu Zijin’s expression, Wei Lan knew she couldn’t.
She murmured softly in her own defense, “I told you to just give me half back then, but you insisted on giving me five thousand taels.
So I couldn’t just not take it, right?”
The smile on Lu Zijin’s face grew even wider.
“So you’re saying it’s my fault for not accepting the master’s kindness?”
As she spoke, Lu Zijin’s fingertip pressed on Wei Lan’s gland opening.
Wei Lan was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at the jade carvings with Lu Zijin.
At Lu Zijin’s touch, she went limp in her wife’s arms.
“No, no.
Wife~ I was wrong.”
Wei Lan immediately admitted fault.
Lu Zijin held Wei Lan, her hand still playing with the gland opening.
She smiled at Wei Lan, even more gently.
“How could the master be wrong?
You even gave me half off.
It was I who insisted on giving you the silver.
How could I blame you?”
As she spoke, Lu Zijin’s hand pressed and played with the gland opening more and more heavily.
Wei Lan’s gland opening occasionally leaked pheromones with her teasing.
Wei Lan’s body went limp, and her eyes gradually grew misty.
“Wife, I won’t do it again.”
Wei Lan’s eyes were full of springtime as she reached out and grabbed Lu Zijin’s skirt, shaking it, impossibly soft.
“Is it that you really won’t do it again, or are you just saying that?”
Lu Zijin’s fingertip lightly poked Wei Lan’s cheek.
“Really won’t do it again.
I really have no strength left.”
With her gland opening pressed, Wei Lan’s body squirmed in Lu Zijin’s arms, humming and whining, wanting Lu Zijin to let her off early.
She had no idea that her current appearance only made Lu Zijin want to tease her more.
Lu Zijin leaned in and bit Wei Lan’s lower lip, then kissed her again.
At the same time, her fingers didn’t stop playing with the gland opening.
Wei Lan’s gland opening had long been swollen from her playing, and her lips had been bitten several times.
Now she was still being held and kissed by Lu Zijin.
It wasn’t until Wei Lan could barely breathe that Lu Zijin pulled back slightly, letting her little Qiankun catch her breath.
Lu Zijin’s gaze was deep, fixed on Wei Lan in her arms.
Her left thumb pressed and rubbed against Wei Lan’s lips.
“In the future, will you dare hide things from me again?
Hmm?”
“No.”
Wei Lan sniffled, soft and whiny, burying her face in Lu Zijin’s shoulder and nuzzling.
Her body had been played with until it had no strength left, so she could only nuzzle against Lu Zijin and act spoiled.
Lu Zijin held Wei Lan’s lower back, her fingertips playing with the gland opening a few more times.
Sure enough, her little Qiankun in her arms seemed unable to take it again, her earlobes and neck completely red.
“Why did the master save up so much silver?
Hmm?”
Taking advantage of the fact that Wei Lan was dazed from being kissed, Lu Zijin knew she would answer obediently, so she asked.
“In case you don’t want me in the future, then I won’t have soft rice to eat.
So I need to save up some silver in advance.”
Wei Lan’s eyes were still misty, her eye rims still red.
She looked at Lu Zijin pitifully and answered obediently.
Lu Zijin hadn’t expected Wei Lan to say that.
Her gaze softened a bit.
She gently kissed the corner of Wei Lan’s lips and said softly, “What are you thinking?
We’re already married.
I won’t not want you, and I won’t let you go without food.”
“You’re so good to me, wife.”
Wei Lan leaned into Lu Zijin’s arms and hugged her tightly.
Lu Zijin smiled at her and raised an eyebrow.
“Then, master, you don’t need to save up silver anymore.
Go get the silver you’ve saved and bring it here.
I want to see it.”
“Ah?”
Wei Lan was completely unwilling.
Although her wife treated her well, that silver was her hard-earned private savings.
If she brought it out, she would be a poor wretch again.
“Wife, isn’t this not so good?
I saved that silver for a long time.
Can I not bring it?”
Wei Lan said, barely propping herself up to lean in and kiss Lu Zijin’s lips, her eyes shining as she looked at her, hoping Lu Zijin would show mercy and spare her private savings.
Lu Zijin was kissed by her little Qiankun of her own accord.
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, and her mood improved considerably.
“The master wants to keep that silver?”
Lu Zijin looked at Wei Lan with gentle eyes and asked.
Wei Lan’s eyes immediately lit up, and she nodded eagerly.
“Mm-hmm, I saved it for a long time.
It wasn’t easy.”
The smile on Lu Zijin’s lips grew even wider.
“No.
Bring it to me.”
“Wife~” Wei Lan tugged at Lu Zijin’s collar and shook it.
As if remembering something, she leaned in and kissed Lu Zijin’s lips a few more times, hoping Lu Zijin would spare her private savings.
Lu Zijin watched Wei Lan throw herself at her and was very pleased, but she didn’t let up.
“Obey me.
Go get it quickly.”
Wei Lan tugged at Lu Zijin, humming and whining and nuzzling for a good while.
Seeing that Lu Zijin still wouldn’t let up, Wei Lan sighed.
“Ah, alright then.”
Wei Lan leaned against Lu Zijin to rest for a while, then got up and went to the wardrobe, taking out the brocade box she had hidden inside.
Wei Lan secretly glanced at the bed, thinking about opening the box and taking out a few silver notes, then hiding them.
Her hand just touched the clasp of the box, ready to open it, when she heard Lu Zijin’s leisurely voice.
“The master had better obediently bring it all over.
If I find out you’ve hidden any, then don’t even think about sleeping tonight.”
Wei Lan looked at the brocade box in her hands containing her private savings and sniffled, extremely reluctant.
Her private savings hadn’t even had time to warm up in her hands before her wife found them.
Wei Lan wanted to cry.
She dejectedly hugged the box and walked towards the wooden bed.
Lu Zijin looked at her and was amused.
“What’s this?
Is the master dissatisfied with me?”
Lu Zijin raised an eyebrow.
“No, no.”
Wei Lan quickly replied, hugging the box in her arms as she walked to the bedside.
Lu Zijin extended her hand, quite interested in her Qianjun.
“Give it here.”
Wei Lan looked at the brocade box in her hand, extremely reluctant, almost in tears.
This was her lifeline.
Lu Zijin was almost amused by her little Qiankun’s expression.
She pulled the brocade box from Wei Lan’s hand, but surprisingly, it didn’t come out.
Lu Zijin looked up at Wei Lan.
“Let go.”
Wei Lan reluctantly let go, watching helplessly as her private savings fell into Lu Zijin’s hands.
Lu Zijin smiled at Wei Lan, opened the brocade box, and began counting the silver notes inside.
Lu Zijin had thought there were only the over five thousand she had given, plus the monthly allowance she gave Wei Lan.
But after counting, she actually counted ten thousand six hundred taels of silver.
This piqued Lu Zijin’s interest even more.
She raised an eyebrow and asked, “Aside from my five thousand, where did the rest of the silver come from?”
Wei Lan sat on the bed and reached out to hug Lu Zijin’s lower back before saying, “I earned it from selling jade.
I have a partnership with Xiao Nanyan.
I sell her jade, and she sells it.”
Lu Zijin looked at Wei Lan and said calmly, “I didn’t expect the master to be so forward-thinking, saving up so much silver.”
“Wife, you’re so rich.
You must not care about my silver, right?”
Wei Lan gave Lu Zijin a brilliant smile, hoping Lu Zijin would let her keep the silver.
“No.
The silver the master earned has a different meaning.
I’ll hold onto it for the master, so the master doesn’t spend it recklessly.”
As she spoke, Lu Zijin closed the lid of the brocade box and placed the box on her side of the pillow.
Wei Lan wanted to cry now.
All her private savings had been confiscated by her wife!
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, In the End, It Was You is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : In the End, It Was You
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