Chapter 42: Confiscated Hearts and Coin

“Wife, can’t we negotiate a little?

I already gave you a gift.”

Wei Lan climbed onto the bed and snuggled up to Lu Zijin, putting her arm around Lu Zijin’s waist, trying to fight for her private savings one more time.

 

Lu Zijin reached out and pressed against Wei Lan’s shoulder, giving her a gentle smile.

“No negotiation.”

 

She reached out and lifted Wei Lan’s chin, smiling.

“I’m holding onto it for you.

It’s not like I’m embezzling your silver.

Besides, when ordinary people’s Qiankuns earn silver, don’t they all hand it over to their wives for safekeeping?

What’s the matter?

Is the master dissatisfied with me?”

 

Wei Lan quickly shook her head.

How could she dare be dissatisfied?

Her private savings had already been confiscated by her wife.

 

Wei Lan leaned closer to Lu Zijin, looking at her pitifully.

Lu Zijin seemed amused by her, reaching out and lightly tapping Wei Lan’s lips.

“Be good.

I’ll still give you your monthly allowance.

If it’s not enough, come to me for more.”

“Wife, what about my little treasury?”

Wei Lan looked longingly at her brocade box and whined.

“I’ll keep your little treasury safe for you.

Be good.”

As she spoke, Lu Zijin kissed the corner of Wei Lan’s lips, then pushed her gently, urging, “Lie down.

Let’s rest early.”

“Alright.”

Wei Lan obediently lay down, looking at Lu Zijin with soft, pleading eyes, hoping she would soften.

 

Lu Zijin smiled at Wei Lan and kissed the corner of her lips.

“Sleep.

Sweet dreams.”

 

Wei Lan pouted.

Lu Zijin would have sweet dreams, but her dreams would be anything but sweet.

Her private savings… just thinking about it made her want to cry.

 

But Wei Lan’s pheromones had been heavily depleted from Lu Zijin playing with her gland opening just now.

Before long, she fell asleep holding Lu Zijin.

 

Lu Zijin, on the other hand, couldn’t help but smile just thinking about Wei Lan’s deflated expression just now.

Her little Qiankun’s obedient appearance, wanting to complain but not daring to, was very pleasing to Lu Zijin.

 

Indeed, only an obedient Qiankun was the most useful.

She shifted slightly, using the dying candlelight outside to look at Wei Lan beneath her, and gently kissed the corner of Wei Lan’s lips.

“So good.”

 

Wei Lan was truly the most obedient and considerate Qiankun she had ever seen.

Her cousin was also a very good Qiankun, but a completely different type from Wei Lan.

Comparatively, she still preferred her own soft, delicate Wei Lan.

 

Thinking this, the corners of Lu Zijin’s mouth lifted slightly.

She nuzzled against Wei Lan’s chest and closed her eyes.

 

Before falling asleep, Lu Zijin was still pondering.

Actually, she was quite lucky.

Although her family was gone, the Qiankun she had blindly chosen suited her tastes so well.

 

Lu Zijin unconsciously nuzzled against Wei Lan’s chest.

A Qianjun this obedient couldn’t be allowed to be lured away by someone else.

When Qiankuns had money, they were prone to learning bad habits.

So things like private savings were better kept by her for Wei Lan.

 

***

 

On the other side, Fan Chuan checked into a pre-booked inn with her subordinates.

Their group was dressed like wandering martial artists, so no one suspected her identity.

 

Back at the inn, Fan Chuan locked the door from the inside, took off her cloak and veil, revealing a cool, elegant face.

 

Fan Chuan was good-looking.

If not for her terrifying performance on the battlefield, she might have been classified as a pretty girl.

 

She poured herself a cup of water and drank it, then thought back to Wei Lan’s words.

Right now, she didn’t lack loyal generals and soldiers.

What she lacked was someone to discuss strategies with at any time.

But now she only had one sister left, Lu Zijin.

She could tell her sister really liked Wei Lan, so she couldn’t put Wei Lan in danger.

 

Fan Chuan sighed, extinguishing the thought of taking Wei Lan with her to the capital.

After all, this trip was dangerous.

If something happened to her, she couldn’t drag Wei Lan down with her.

 

The next day, Fan Chuan left Panyang City.

The two thousand soldiers she led would not enter the city but would take a direct wilderness route to avoid disturbing the people.

She still needed to take her guards and hurry to meet up with them.

 

***

 

On the other side, Lu Zijin got up feeling refreshed.

She took both brocade boxes to her dressing table.

 

Opening the box, Lu Zijin pinned the feicui phoenix hairpin into her bun, put the ice-white feicui bangle on her left wrist, and finally hung the feicui jade plaque around her neck.

 

To make the ice-white feicui plaque look even better, Wei Lan had matched it with a top bead of the same color scheme and specially used a leather cord she had woven by hand.

After Lu Zijin put it on, it made her look even fairer.

 

Once she was ready, Lu Zijin walked over to Wei Lan with a smile and asked, “Master, do I look good wearing these?”

 

Wei Lan listlessly lifted her gaze to Lu Zijin.

Lu Zijin was naturally beautiful, and her fair skin paired with the ice-variety feicui made her look even more elegant.

“Beautiful!”

Even though Wei Lan was still wallowing in the pain of her lost private savings and couldn’t extricate herself, seeing Lu Zijin wearing the jade accessories she had carved made Wei Lan feel inexplicably happy.

“Thank you for giving me these, master.

You’re very thoughtful.”

Lu Zijin looked at Wei Lan, who still wasn’t fully awake, and wanted to lean in and kiss her.

But with so many maidservants in the bedroom, Lu Zijin didn’t do that.

Instead, she reached out and took Wei Lan’s hand, gently squeezing her palm a few times.

 

Then Lu Zijin saw Wei Lan’s earlobes visibly turn red.

Her little Qiankun was so easily shy; even having her palm squeezed made her blush.

 

She had spent most of yesterday in bed with Wei Lan.

Today, she had many matters to handle and probably couldn’t accompany Wei Lan.

 

Lu Zijin walked over and said, “I have a lot to do today, so I probably can’t keep you company.

You stay here obediently.

When I have free time, I’ll come see you.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Wei Lan nodded in agreement.

Lu Zijin really should go to work.

Otherwise, with her here, Wei Lan wouldn’t have time to carve jade either.

And since her private savings had been confiscated, Wei Lan planned to secretly earn some more.

 

Of course, Wei Lan had learned her lesson this time and knew not to put all her eggs in one basket.

Next time she hid private savings, she could spread them out in several places.

That way, when her wife confiscated them, she wouldn’t take them all at once.

 

Wei Lan was very satisfied with her new idea and gave Lu Zijin a sweet smile.

 

Lu Zijin’s previously lifted lips turned down.

She looked at Wei Lan and said in a leisurely tone, “What’s this?

Does the master seem very eager for me to leave?”

 

Wei Lan quickly shook her head, followed by a string of flattery.

“No, no.

I’m just afraid that something might go wrong with the residence’s business.

It’s only with you personally overseeing things that the external matters can run smoothly.”

 

Lu Zijin looked at Wei Lan leisurely, then reluctantly nodded.

But she always felt that her little Qiankun seemed very excited about her leaving, which made Lu Zijin uncomfortable.

 

Lu Zijin waved her hand at the maidservants in the bedroom, signaling them to leave first.

 

Qianxue, very perceptively, gestured for all the maidservants to follow her out.

 

Seeing the maidservants leave, Wei Lan sensed trouble.

She couldn’t help but step back a few paces, not stopping until her back was against the table.

 

Wei Lan gave Lu Zijin a harmless smile.

“Wife, aren’t we having breakfast?

Why did you send the maidservants away?”

 

Lu Zijin also gave her a kind smile, then walked towards Wei Lan.

She didn’t stop until she had Wei Lan pressed against the round table behind her.

Then she reached out and pinched Wei Lan’s chin.

“Of course we’re having breakfast.

I just think the master is being not good again.”

Lu Zijin’s thumb gently rubbed Wei Lan’s lower lip, her gaze fixed on Wei Lan’s lips.

“I’m not being good?

I already gave you my private savings.”

Wei Lan’s gaze drifted as she murmured softly.

 

The two were very close, so Lu Zijin naturally heard Wei Lan’s voice.

The corners of her mouth curved into a dangerous smile, and she kissed Wei Lan directly.

Afraid her little Qiankun might escape, Lu Zijin deliberately held Wei Lan’s waist while kissing her.

 

Lu Zijin’s kiss was very long, and after finishing, she even deliberately bit Wei Lan’s lower lip a few times.

 

Looking at the slightly swollen lips she had caused, Lu Zijin nodded in satisfaction.

She gently kissed the corner of Wei Lan’s lips and said softly, “If you need silver, come to me.

Don’t go borrowing from others, understand?”

“I understand.”

Wei Lan replied obediently.

 

Seeing Wei Lan so obedient, Lu Zijin nodded in satisfaction.

She stepped back two paces and called out, “Qianxue, serve the meal.”

“Yes, young lady.”

The maidservants outside pushed the door open and began bringing dishes to the round table.

 

When Qianxue came in to serve, she secretly glanced at Wei Lan and saw that her originally light pink lips had turned rose-red and were slightly swollen.

 

Qianxue naturally knew why.

She secretly glanced at her own young lady, not expecting her to be so dominant in intimate matters that the master’s lips were almost swollen from kissing.

 

But she didn’t dare think too much and quickly helped arrange the dishes on the table.

 

After breakfast, Lu Zijin hurried away.

The royal merchant matter had just been settled, and the cloth shops under the Lu residence were very busy.

There had been many matters waiting for her to handle yesterday, but she had put them all off.

Today, however, she could put them off no longer.

 

Wei Lan breathed a small sigh of relief seeing Lu Zijin leave.

If her wife stayed a few more days, her lips would be kissed raw.

It was good that Lu Zijin would be busy for a few days, giving her a chance to recover.

 

Thinking this, Wei Lan changed into her work clothes in the bedroom and went to the workshop to continue carving her rooster plaque.

 

Aside from the silver notes confiscated by Lu Zijin, she still had a few hundred taels of pocket money, which should be enough to spend.

And once she finished carving this set of jade plaques, she could definitely sell them for a good price.

 

Just as Wei Lan was focusing on carving the jade plaque, the sound of guards reporting came from outside.

 

Li Zhufeng knew Wei Lan didn’t like being disturbed while carving jade, but after some thought, she still knocked and said, “Master, the residence’s guards say your mother and sister have arrived.

Do you want to see them?”

 

Wei Lan’s brow furrowed slightly.

She thought for a moment, then put down the jade plaque and stood up to open the door.

“Have someone bring them here.”

“Yes, master.”

The guards, hearing Wei Lan’s words, immediately trotted out of Fuqu Pavilion to the main gate to bring them in.

 

Wei Lan had someone prepare water.

She washed her hands, changed into a clean dress, and waited for them in the bedroom.

 

Come to think of it, life at the Lu residence was so comfortable that she had almost forgotten about her original family.

 

Wei Lan took a sip of tea and ate a few pastries before the guards finally brought them in.

 

The moment Zhao Xinlan saw Wei Lan, tears immediately flowed down her face.

“Wei Lan, your father is in trouble.

I had no choice but to swallow my pride and come beg you.”

 

Wei Lan’s brow furrowed slightly.

She had always detested that cheap father of hers.

He had no ability but insisted on doing business, and in the end, didn’t he just lose money?

“What happened?

Sit down and tell me slowly.”

Wei Lan said.

 

Wei Qing also had red eyes.

She helped Zhao Xinlan sit down, secretly wiping her tears.

“Your father was tricked by the owner of Dacheng Gambling House.

Somehow, he picked up a gambling habit recently.

The first few days, he kept winning silver and would come back with a lot of things.

But later, he started losing, losing more and more.

He even lost all the betrothal gifts the Lu residence gave you.

Then your father said the owner of Dacheng Gambling House was willing to lend him a few hundred taels of silver to do business.

But how is he cut out for business?

He lost all the silver, and with compound interest, he owes a lot.

The people from Dacheng Gambling House came to collect the debt and took your father away.”

By this point, Zhao Xinlan was sobbing uncontrollably.

 

Seeing that Wei Lan’s expression hadn’t even changed, Zhao Xinlan quickly added, “They said if we don’t pay back the silver soon, they’ll take your sister to cover the debt, and they’ll cut off your father’s hand.”

 

Wei Lan’s expression darkened as she let out a cold laugh.

“What?

Selling me wasn’t enough for him, now he wants to sell Wei Qing too?

I knew he would never change his ways.

And now he’s picked up a gambling habit.

Mother, if you want a stable life in the future, you should divorce him as soon as possible.”

 

Zhao Xinlan seemed not to have expected Wei Lan to say this.

She had thought that after saying all this, Wei Lan would rush to raise silver and go with her to Dacheng Gambling House to see her father.

“Wei Lan, I know we failed you, but he is your father after all.

And he is my husband.

If I don’t save him, what will happen to him?”

Zhao Xinlan continued to plead tearfully.

“You treat him as your husband.

Does he care about you?

Does he care about me?

Before I got married, I told him he wasn’t cut out for business.

If he did nothing, he could still live a stable life.

But now he’s picked up a gambling habit.

He’s beyond saving.

Mother, he’s willing to offer Wei Qing up to cover his debt this time.

Next time he messes up, will he offer you up too?”

Wei Lan’s tone was calm.

She had never had much good feeling towards this kind of old man who had no ability but loved to stir up trouble, and then couldn’t handle the consequences.

“How… how can you talk about your father like that?

Wei Lan, I didn’t expect you to be such an unfilial daughter.”

Zhao Xinlan slammed the table and stood up in anger.

 

Wei Lan remained seated calmly, her gaze fixed on Zhao Xinlan.

“Indeed, for a father who sold me, I really can’t be filial.

What happens to him has nothing to do with me.

Adults should take responsibility for their own actions, not push their wives and daughters out to the front whenever there’s trouble.

That’s what cowards do.”

“Wei Lan, your sister and I went to see your father once.

He’s lost a lot of weight.

He really knows he was wrong this time.

He won’t dare do it again.”

Zhao Xinlan continued to plead.

“Mother, let me give you some advice too: feeling sorry for men will ruin your life.

You’ve lived most of your life; haven’t you discovered this truth yet?

I suggest you save your pity for yourself.

If he really cared about you, he would never have set foot in a gambling house.”

Wei Lan remained calm, sitting upright and unshakable.

 

Wei Qing stood carefully to the side, occasionally sneaking a glance at Wei Lan.

She felt her sister had changed a lot, become much more composed than before.

In the past, her sister would have panicked like them, rushing around to raise money.

 

To be honest, she was scared about this matter too.

Her father was offering her to cover the debt, and a gambling house was no proper place.

She could well imagine her fate.

Thinking this, Wei Qing’s face turned pale.

 

Unable to hold back, tears streamed down her cheeks.

Wei Qing looked at Wei Lan, her voice trembling as she spoke.

“Sis, I don’t want to be sent to cover the debt.”

 

Wei Lan looked at Wei Qing.

Wei Qing, like most Kunzes of this era, had to obey her parents’ wishes and rely on a Qiankun for survival.

 

She was not like Lu Zijin or Xiao Nanyan, who had good family backgrounds and the ability to manage large households, people who could stir up storms in the business world.

Wei Qing was just an ordinary Kunze of this era.

 

Wei Lan sighed.

No matter what, Wei Qing was innocent.

She looked at Wei Qing and said, “Then stay here for now.

After some time, I’ll arrange a place for you.”

“What about Mother and Father?”

Wei Qing looked at Wei Lan and asked weakly.

“Mother, if you’re willing to divorce him, I will naturally take care of you.

Otherwise, there’s nothing I can do.

Wei Wenyuan’s current situation is the result of his own choices.

It has nothing to do with you.”

Wei Lan said calmly.

“No, no.

I can’t abandon your father.

Wei Qing, are you coming with me, or staying here?”

Zhao Xinlan cried even more bitterly, as if she might die at any moment.

 

Wei Lan pressed her lips together and finally said nothing more.

Wei Wenyuan was hopeless.

If she saved him this time, it would be like saving a bottomless pit.

People like him had no bottom line, as evidenced by his selling the original body when his business failed.

 

Moreover, Wei Lan suspected that this whole situation was a trap set by the gambling house for Wei Wenyuan.

After all, she had married into the Lu residence, and everyone in Panyang City knew the Lu residence was wealthy.

The gambling house people naturally saw this and slowly hooked Wei Wenyuan, then tried to make her side pay a high ransom or extract some other condition from the Lu residence.

 

But unfortunately, she was not the original body and had no feelings for these family members.

Even if she were his real daughter, with a father who could never do anything right but always made things worse, Wei Lan wouldn’t help him.

 

Adults were all adults.

Wei Wenyuan was in his forties.

Losing so much money and picking up a gambling habit – he had to bear the consequences himself.

No one could take his place.

“Mother, are you willing to sacrifice your other daughter to save Wei Wenyuan?

You know very well what kind of place a gambling house is.

If Wei Qing is really offered up to cover the debt, the only places she’ll end up are places like brothels.

Are you really willing to trade your daughter for your husband?”

Wei Lan continued.

 

Her words were like pouring salt on Zhao Xinlan’s wound.

Zhao Xinlan was reluctant to give up her younger daughter, but even more reluctant to give up her husband.

“But… but what about your father?”

“There’s another way.

You could sell the family home to pay off his debt.”

Wei Lan continued calmly.

“Wei Lan, how can you say that?

That property has been in the family for generations.

How could we sell it?

If we really sold it, we would have nothing left.”

Zhao Xinlan was almost crying herself into a faint.

“Then what do you want?

Do you want me to pay the ransom?”

Wei Lan asked bluntly, seeing her crying endlessly.

 

Zhao Xinlan nodded and said tearfully, “Wei Lan, you’ve been at the Lu residence for a while now.

Could you ask Lu Zijin to lend us a thousand taels of silver?

We’ll definitely pay it back in the future.”

“A thousand taels?”

Wei Lan was so angry she laughed.

A thousand taels in modern terms was equivalent to one million yuan.

To an ordinary family, that was indeed no small sum.

But to her and Lu Zijin, this amount wasn’t really anything.

 

But even so, Wei Lan still didn’t want to get involved in Wei Wenyuan’s affairs.

Some people just never learned their lesson until the day they died.

Only by making him pay a price would he behave.

“Don’t worry.

Once your father is released, we’ll pay back the silver.

Don’t worry.”

Zhao Xinlan continued to persuade.

“Don’t even think about it.

I won’t say anything else, but let me ask you: how will you pay it back?

Even if you sold your family home, it wouldn’t be worth a thousand taels, let alone anything else.

Ordinary people only earn two or three taels of silver a month.

How long would it take you to save up a thousand taels, even if you didn’t eat or drink?

Moreover, once a person starts gambling or drinking heavily, they’re essentially finished.

You don’t still think Wei Wenyuan can turn things around, do you?

He has no business ability whatsoever.

I advise you to give up hope as soon as possible, get a divorce, and you can free yourself sooner too.”

Wei Lan’s words left no room for sentiment.

 

Zhao Xinlan was crying so hard she could barely breathe.

Wei Lan also knew that Kunzes of this era had a hard time; they were always dependent on their Qiankuns, and those with the courage to divorce were few and far between.

But if Zhao Xinlan was unwilling to divorce, it would be like falling into a quagmire, eventually dragging herself down too.

“Wei Lan, if you won’t help, then don’t.

Just don’t say these things.

You’re unfilial, you unfilial daughter!

If you won’t save your father, I will.

I will, alright?”

As she spoke, Zhao Xinlan burst into tears again.

 

Wei Qing standing beside her was also very scared.

Actually, what her sister said wasn’t wrong.

No one forced Father to gamble; he chose to go himself.

Now that he owed so much silver, why should she be used to cover the debt?

Was she supposed to be sold off like that?

 

Seeing that her tears had no effect on Wei Lan, who remained seated as steady as a mountain, Zhao Xinlan just felt pathetic.

She was not the real Wei Lan; she didn’t buy this act.

 

Of course, she had taken over Wei Lan’s body.

If Zhao Xinlan was willing to divorce, Wei Lan wouldn’t abandon Zhao Xinlan and Wei Qing.

She could help Zhao Xinlan get a divorce, then buy them a small courtyard and give them some silver every month.

But if Zhao Xinlan insisted on getting involved in Wei Wenyuan’s affairs, Wei Lan wouldn’t help.

 

Zhao Xinlan cried for a while, then looked at Wei Qing beside her.

“Wei Qing, are you coming with me, or staying with this unfilial daughter Wei Lan?”

 

Wei Qing’s eyes were full of tears, her body trembling uncontrollably.

She had gone to the gambling house with her mother this morning.

It was dirty and chaotic, and those male Qiankuns had looked her over without restraint.

It felt like she was being stripped naked and examined.

She was really afraid of that feeling.

If she were really sold to a brothel and humiliated, she would rather die.

 

She gritted her teeth and said, “I…

I’ll stay here with my sister.”

“Fine.

You’re both wonderful.

Your father and I gave birth to two unfilial daughters.

You won’t help him, so I’ll take care of him myself.”

Zhao Xinlan stood up unsteadily and walked towards the door.

 

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