Chapter 67: Heaven in Silk, Hell in Chains

Wei Lan had been busy for most of the afternoon and had now returned to Fuqu Pavilion.

Although it had delayed her jade carving, being able to send Chen Zhou to spend a few days in jail really made Wei Lan happy.

Oh, and she had also taken five thousand taels in silver notes from Chen Zhou’s mother.

Wei Lan estimated that the tavern’s nightly revenue probably didn’t reach five thousand taels.

Plus, they had essentially gotten free publicity.

 

So, no matter how you looked at it, they hadn’t lost out.

Wei Lan poured herself a cup of tea and drank it happily.

 

As she sipped her tea, she had the maidservants prepare hot water.

She had gotten quite a bit of jade dust on her clothes while carving in the afternoon.

She had rushed out and naturally hadn’t had time to bathe.

But now that she was back, Wei Lan felt uncomfortable all over and wanted to bathe right away.

 

The maidservants worked very quickly.

The bathwater was soon ready.

Wei Lan walked behind the screen, took off her outer clothes, and lay down comfortably in the tub to soak.

 

Thinking about today’s events, she realized how hard her wife worked.

The Lu family’s businesses spanned various industries.

Lu Zijin had to manage everything, had to understand everything.

When problems arose in any area, she needed to make the decisions.

 

But this also showed that her wife was very capable, in every way.

 

Wei Lan thought about this happily.

But then she remembered last night.

Her wife had been so good to her, so cooperative.

Wei Lan herself blushed at the thought, burying half her face in the bathwater.

 

She hadn’t noticed it while carving jade, but now that she was resting, she missed Lu Zijin.

It seemed that after last night, she had become even more clingy with her wife.

 

After returning to the residence, Lu Zijin went directly to Fuqu Pavilion.

Learning that Wei Lan was bathing in the bedroom, Lu Zijin pushed open the door and walked in.

As she entered, she also closed the bedroom door behind her.

 

Wei Lan heard the commotion; she had just heard the servants outside greeting Lu Zijin.

So she asked, “Wife?

Is that you?”

 

Lu Zijin’s eyes curved.

“Naturally.

Who else would you want to come in?”

“No one else.”

Wei Lan looked eagerly towards the screen.

When she saw Lu Zijin walk in, her eyes lit up.

 

In Lu Zijin’s eyes, it was like watching a little dog wag its tail at her.

Lu Zijin leaned down and kissed Wei Lan’s lips.

“You did very well today.

It’s a good thing you were there.

Otherwise, I would only be getting back now, and it would have been too late.”

Lu Zijin reached out and pinched Wei Lan’s cheek, playing with it.

It was hard to imagine that this obedient little dog in front of her could be so serious and proper outside.

“Wife, what about my reward?”

Wei Lan pressed her cheek into Lu Zijin’s hand, her eyes shining as she looked at her.

 

Lu Zijin glared at Wei Lan with amusement.

Her fingertips slid down to the gland opening and gently pinched and played with it.

Before long, Wei Lan’s cheeks and earlobes were completely red, and the air filled with the scent of fresh snow pheromones.

 

Wei Lan looked pitifully at Lu Zijin, like a very hungry little dog waiting to be fed by its owner.

 

Seeing her like this, Lu Zijin’s eyes curved.

She leaned down and kissed Wei Lan’s lips, then affectionately rubbed her nose against Wei Lan’s.

“What reward do you want?”

“Just like last night.

I missed you.”

Wei Lan continued acting spoiled.

 

Seeing the little dog in front of her looking so eager for meat, Lu Zijin pinched Wei Lan’s gland opening again and smiled.

“That depends on your performance.”

 

Wei Lan hummed and whined, nuzzling against Lu Zijin’s wrist.

But her gland opening was still being pinched and played with by Lu Zijin.

Before long, Wei Lan’s eyes grew misty.

 

Seeing her looking like she couldn’t take it, Lu Zijin kissed Wei Lan’s lips.

“So good.

Do you want to get up?

Or soak a little longer?”

“I’ll get up.”

Wei Lan quickly said.

If she let her wife play with her any longer, she wouldn’t be fierce anymore.

 

So, the little dog who thought she was very fierce, with her wife’s help, finally climbed out of the tub.

 

Lu Zijin wrapped a large cotton cloth around Wei Lan and helped her dry off.

Wei Lan just stood there obediently, letting Lu Zijin do as she pleased.

She clutched the hem of Lu Zijin’s clothes with her right hand, her eyes fixed on her.

 

Seeing the little dog so obedient, Lu Zijin couldn’t help but tease her.

She slid her hand under the cotton cloth and touched somewhere.

Wei Lan immediately went limp in Lu Zijin’s arms.

 

Her eyes misty, she nuzzled against Lu Zijin’s neck, acting spoiled.

“Wife, I’m the Qiankun.”

 

Lu Zijin looked at the little Qiankun in her arms and smiled.

“So what if you’re a Qiankun?

Can’t I play with you?”

“Wuwu, you can, but… but Qiankuns are supposed to be on top.”

Wei Lan nuzzled against Lu Zijin, acting spoiled.

And she had been on top last night.

 

Lu Zijin was amused.

With one hand still holding Wei Lan’s waist, she gently patted Wei Lan’s back with the other, smiling.

“You’ve been on the bottom plenty of times.

Have you forgotten?”

 

Wei Lan, her ears red, buried her face in Lu Zijin’s chest, nuzzling and acting spoiled.

Her wife was really something, bringing up the past like that.

 

Lu Zijin watched her little Qiankun, humming and whining and nuzzling against her, and felt a tickle in her throat.

She kind of wanted to ‘sleep’ Wei Lan right now.

 

Her gaze towards Wei Lan darkened.

She took another cloth, casually dried Wei Lan’s wet hair, and tossed the cloth aside.

Kissing Wei Lan, she led her towards the bed.

 

When Wei Lan was kissed breathless, they reached the bed.

Lu Zijin gave Wei Lan a gentle push, and Wei Lan fell back onto the bed.

Lu Zijin immediately straddled her.

 

She placed her hand over Wei Lan’s, guiding it to her own belt, and leaned in to bite Wei Lan’s bright red earlobe.

“Help me.”

 

Wei Lan’s mind was dazed.

She propped herself up and instinctively obeyed, helping Lu Zijin untie her belt.

 

Lu Zijin just looked at her with a smile, her right hand pinching Wei Lan’s chin, her thumb pressing and rubbing against Wei Lan’s lower lip.

An obedient little Qiankun like this deserved to be played with until she broke.

 

Wei Lan obediently continued untying Lu Zijin’s belt.

Her current position made it hard to exert force, so it took her a while to finally get the belt undone.

Having undone the belt, she saw Lu Zijin looking at her with a smile, so Wei Lan continued to the garment sashes.

 

But Wei Lan felt the hand pressing on her lips grow even more forceful, and her wife’s breathing became heavier.

 

Wei Lan finally managed to undo Lu Zijin’s outer clothes, pulling them off and tossing them to the floor.

When her eyes met Lu Zijin’s again, Wei Lan instinctively felt she was in danger.

Whenever her wife’s gaze turned deep and dark, she was in trouble.

 

Sure enough, before Wei Lan could say anything, she was pinned down on the bed by Lu Zijin and kissed.

 

Lu Zijin’s kiss was fast, urgent, and deep.

Before long, Wei Lan had no strength left.

She clutched the hem of Lu Zijin’s middle garment with both hands, unable to resist as Lu Zijin held her down and kissed her.

 

She couldn’t breathe and reached out to push at Lu Zijin on top of her.

But that only made her wife hold on tighter.

Her tongue was numb, and the mist in her eyes grew thicker and thicker.

 

When Lu Zijin had kissed enough, she propped herself up slightly to look at the person beneath her.

She saw Wei Lan’s eyes were wet, and the corners of her eyes held tears.

She looked like she couldn’t take any more.

 

Lu Zijin loved seeing her like this.

The more her little Qiankun couldn’t take it, the more she wanted to tease her.

 

Lu Zijin’s eyes were so deep and dark you couldn’t see the bottom.

She only let Wei Lan catch her breath for a moment before kissing her hard again.

 

Wei Lan couldn’t breathe and reached out to push Lu Zijin again.

But she couldn’t bear to use any strength, just pushed lightly.

In response, Lu Zijin kissed her even harder.

 

In the end, Wei Lan really couldn’t breathe.

Tears fell one by one with Lu Zijin’s kisses.

 

Seeing that her little Qiankun had been kissed to tears, Lu Zijin finally propped herself up.

“Wuwu, you’re bullying me.”

Wei Lan sniffled, wiping her tears as she tearfully accused Lu Zijin.

 

Lu Zijin almost laughed at Wei Lan’s delicate appearance.

But afraid her little dog might get angry, she coaxed her gently.

“Alright, don’t cry.

I’ll let you bully me back later.”

“You kept kissing me even though I couldn’t breathe.”

Wei Lan sniffled, continuing to speak pitifully.

“You looked so obedient.

I couldn’t help myself.”

Seeing that her little Qiankun had been played to tears, Lu Zijin had no choice but to lean in and kiss the corner of Wei Lan’s lips, patiently coaxing.

“Didn’t you want to try from behind last night?

I’ll let you try later, okay?”

 

Hearing this, Wei Lan’s earlobes reddened, and she finally nodded.

“Mm.”

 

Seeing Wei Lan respond, Lu Zijin breathed a sigh of relief.

She pinched Wei Lan’s chin, lifting her head, and then bit her gland opening, playing with it.

“Wife, it tickles~ Don’t bite~” Wei Lan hugged Lu Zijin, unable to bear it.

Her wife was just bullying her.

 

After hugging and biting for a while, Lu Zijin finally let go.

She had been kind, at least leaving half of Wei Lan’s pheromones.

Otherwise, her little Qiankun would be too limp to get up again.

 

Lu Zijin lowered the bed curtains, sat on Wei Lan, and began to untie the sashes of her own middle garment herself.

Wei Lan stared at her with wide eyes.

 

She reached out and tugged at Lu Zijin’s sleeve, acting spoiled.

“Wife, it’s my turn to be on top.”

 

Lu Zijin bit her earlobe and smiled.

“Who gets to be on top by acting spoiled?”

 

Wei Lan nuzzled against Lu Zijin.

She didn’t know how other Qiankuns got on top; she just used acting spoiled!

“Please, wife?

You made me cry just now.

I want to be on top.”

 

Lu Zijin looked at Wei Lan helplessly.

Oh well, she was her little dog.

There was nothing wrong with her liking to act spoiled.

“Alright.

You can be on top.”

“I knew you were the best to me, wife.

I like you so much.

You’re the best wife in the whole world!”

Hearing she could be on top, Wei Lan’s sweet talk didn’t stop; strings of flattery poured out.

 

Lu Zijin couldn’t help but laugh.

Only her little dog needed her to give in to be on top.

 

Wei Lan got her wish and played with the little phoenix for a while.

Her wife was so good to her, really letting her try from behind.

Wei Lan was overjoyed all night.

 

***

 

On the other side, Chen Zhou was now squatting in the jail.

Because Zhou Yu’e had spent several hundred taels of silver to grease palms, the head jailer had arranged a single cell for Chen Zhou.

But even a single cell wasn’t a good place.

How could a young master like Chen Zhou, who had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth, stand this?

 

In the dark, narrow cell, a round wooden bucket sat in one corner, serving as a toilet.

Even though the bucket was empty, it still carried a strong stench of urine and feces.

Just being in there almost made Chen Zhou vomit.

 

He had to stand as far from the bucket as possible, in the opposite corner.

 

The floor of the cell was covered with hay, but it clearly wasn’t clean.

The wooden bed opposite the bucket was the same; it looked like it had been used for years.

Chen Zhou couldn’t possibly sit on it; just looking at it made him want to throw up.

 

He looked at the other cells.

He saw those people were slovenly, some lying directly on the hay on the floor, others chatting with friends in the same cell.

Basically, no one was standing, because standing for an hour or two was fine, but you couldn’t stand for twelve hours a day.

 

Chen Zhou clutched the iron bars tightly, his expression ferocious.

“Wei Lan, you waste!

I’ll kill you!

I’ll definitely kill you!”

 

A passing jailer heard him yelling threats and thought they were directed at him.

He was immediately enraged.

“You’re already a prisoner, what are you so cocky about?

You still think you’re a young master?”

 

As he spoke, he lashed out with his whip, hitting Chen Zhou’s arm.

Chen Zhou let out a loud “Ow!” and jumped up.

No one had ever dared to hit him like this in his life.

“How dare you hit me?

I’m Chen Zhou of the Chen residence!”

Chen Zhou looked at the bloody welt on his arm, the veins on his forehead bulging with anger.

 

The jailer, however, was unimpressed.

“I don’t care if you’re Chen Zhou or Dog Zhou.

Once you’re in here doing time, dragons have to coil, tigers have to crouch.

No one’s going to indulge you.

If you dare shout again, I’ll whip you to death.”

 

Chen Zhou was so angry he bit through his lower lip.

But he knew he couldn’t afford to offend these people in jail.

He gritted his teeth and endured it.

When had he ever suffered such humiliation? He was almost in tears.

 

Seeing he had quieted down, the jailer glared at Chen Zhou and left.

He hated these rich merchants the most.

If Zhou Yu’e hadn’t greased his palm, he wouldn’t have stopped at just one lash.

No matter how rich these people were on the outside, inside here, they had to beg people like him for favors.

 

Chen Zhou’s cell and the one next to it were separated only by iron bars.

The person in the adjacent cell spoke up.

“Young master, stop being so picky now that you’re in here.

You have a cell to yourself and a bed.

That’s already very good.

Look at us, eight people in one cell, only one bed.

We usually sleep on the floor.”

 

Chen Zhou snorted coldly, clutching his injured arm, and continued holding onto the bars, standing.

 

Seeing he wouldn’t respond, the thug in the next cell leaned closer.

He grinned at Chen Zhou, reaching through the iron bars and pinching Chen Zhou’s butt.

“Oh, young master, if you were in our cell, my brothers and I would make sure you were very comfortable.”

 

Chen Zhou was so scared he fell to the ground, not caring about the dirty hay.

He scrambled backward.

“You animals! Animals!”

“Don’t go.

Come and get to know your brothers.”

The man gave Chen Zhou a lewd smile.

 

Chen Zhou was almost scared to tears.

In this godforsaken place, he had been molested by a male Qiankun.

Chen Zhou’s eyes were bloodshot; he wished he could blow up the jail.

 

Just as he was sitting on the ground in a daze, two rats scurried out of the hay.

They moved quickly, climbing onto him.

 

Chen Zhou let out a terrified yell, jumping up.

He frantically shook the rats off his body, crying and shouting.

“Let me out!

Get me out of here!

There are rats! Rats!”

 

The jailer who had just sat down heard Chen Zhou causing trouble again.

This time, he took the keys and opened the door.

Chen Zhou thought he was being released.

Then, the next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

“Yell!

Yell! Yell!”

The jailer lashed Chen Zhou three or four times with his whip, making him howl.

“Behave yourself!

Don’t think you’re still some young master.

This is a jail.

Rats and cockroaches are perfectly normal.

If you scream again, I’ll whip you to death.”

Having said that, the jailer locked the door and left.

 

Chen Zhou had several more bloody welts on his body.

He was finally behaving.

But he stared fixedly at the jailer, thinking that once he got out, he would make both this jailer and Wei Lan pay.

 

At noon, the jail distributed meals.

The jailer in charge of distributing food impatiently went from cell to cell.

 

Chen Zhou hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon and was very hungry now.

He walked to the tray but almost vomited.

The jail’s lunch consisted of one steamed bun per person and a bowl of vegetables.

The bun looked normal enough, but the cabbage stewed with potatoes had no oil and smelled like pig slop.

 

Chen Zhou covered his mouth, almost retching.

 

The jailer distributing the food, seeing him being so difficult, simply took his portion away.

“Don’t eat if you don’t want to.

Pah!

You think this is your Chen residence?

No one’s here to serve you.”

 

Chen Zhou’s heart was dead.

This was only the second day, and he already felt like he was going to die.

There were still thirteen more days to go.

How was he going to survive?

 

Fortunately, Zhou Yu’e had greased palms.

In the afternoon, Zhou Yu’e gave each jailer ten taels of silver, allowing her to bring servants into the jail.

“Officer, may I go in and say a few words to my son?”

As she spoke, Zhou Yu’e slipped another ten taels of silver into the jailer’s hand.

 

The jailer quickly pocketed it and pretended to be serious.

“Hurry up.

We have regulations.

You can’t stay too long.”

“Don’t worry.

I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Zhou Yu’e said with an apologetic smile.

 

The jailer took the keys, opened the door, and signaled for Zhou Yu’e to enter.

“Go in.

I’ll come get you when time’s up.”

“Thank you, Officer.

Thank you.”

Zhou Yu’e quickly thanked him.

 

As soon as she entered, Chen Zhou rushed over.

“Mother, get me out of here!

This is no place for a person.

If I stay any longer, I’ll go crazy!”

“Zhou’er, you need to hold on for a few more days.

I’ve greased palms.

Just bear with it, and it will pass.

I’ll have servants bring you food every day.

If you need anything, tell them.

Fifteen days will pass quickly.”

Zhou Yu’e tried to comfort him.

“No!

Mother, it’s too dirty in here.

And there are rats on the floor.

I really can’t stay here.

I’m going to die, Mother!”

Chen Zhou cried uncontrollably.

 

Zhou Yu’e hurriedly comforted him.

Seeing the wounds on her son’s body, she felt extremely pained.

“How did you get these bloody welts?”

“The jailers beat me.

I really can’t stay here.”

Chen Zhou was crying; he had never suffered like this.

“I’m going to make Wei Lan pay for this.

It’s all that waste Wei Lan’s fault.”

“Alright, we’ll think of something when we get out.

Here’s some food I brought you.

Eat plenty.

I’ve also brought you bedding.”

Zhou Yu’e was also crying incessantly.

 

Soon, the jailer came over.

“Time’s up.

Come out.”

 

The jailer opened the door and pulled Zhou Yu’e out.

“Alright, time’s up.

Leave quickly.”

 

Chen Zhou clung to the iron bars, crying.

“Mother!

Mother, save me!”

“Alright.

I’ll have someone bring you food again tomorrow.”

 

The other inmates in the jail watched the commotion.

“Hey, what did that pretty boy do?

Why is he carrying on like he’s about to be executed tomorrow?”

“I heard he hired people to cause trouble.

It’s not a big deal.

He’ll be out in fifteen days.”

“If he’s getting out in fifteen days, why is he crying so much?

How dramatic.”

“No kidding.

You’d think he was about to die.”

“Rich people are so dramatic.”

 

***

 

Two more days passed.

Fan Chuan, far away in the capital, had finally waited for the day to accompany Shen Lingwei on her return visit home.

 

Early that morning, Fan Chuan and Shen Lingwei got up.

At that moment, Fan Chuan was standing by the bed, and Shen Lingwei was helping her dress.

 

It had been like this every day.

Every morning when she got up, Shen Lingwei would also get up early to help her dress.

 

Actually, Fan Chuan was quite unaccustomed to it.

In the military, she did all this herself.

Now, suddenly having someone else by her side, sleeping and eating together, and helping her dress.

 

But Fan Chuan couldn’t very well refuse.

She looked down slightly at Shen Lingwei and saw her earnestly tying her garment sashes.

 

Fan Chuan’s gaze fell on Shen Lingwei’s eyes.

Her eyes were exceptionally beautiful, her eyelashes long and curled, her gaze clear and gentle.

 

Shen Lingwei’s appearance always made Fan Chuan let down her guard.

 

Fan Chuan sighed.

Shen Lingwei naturally noticed and looked up at Fan Chuan with concern.

“Did the Marshal not sleep well last night?”

“Perhaps.

But it’s fine.

It won’t affect anything.”

Fan Chuan replied casually.

“After we pay our respects at the Prime Minister’s residence later, if there’s nothing else, why not rest for a while in my bedroom?”

Shen Lingwei took Fan Chuan’s belt from the nearby rack, reaching around to Fan Chuan’s back, needing to fasten the clasp.

 

Shen Lingwei’s arms were wrapped around Fan Chuan, her whole body seeming to lean against Fan Chuan’s chest.

 

Fan Chuan didn’t dare look at Shen Lingwei.

She pressed her lips together slightly, as if that could hide her racing heart.

It must be because she had been in the military for years and wasn’t used to dealing with Kunzes.

Thinking this, Fan Chuan finally relaxed a little.

“It’s fine.

Today is your return visit.

You are the priority.”

Fan Chuan suppressed the discomfort in her heart and still spoke calmly.

“Thank you for your consideration, Marshal.”

Shen Lingwei looked up and smiled at Fan Chuan.

Her hands behind Fan Chuan finally aligned the clasp and fastened the belt.

“No need to be so polite with me.”

Fan Chuan didn’t dare look at Shen Lingwei’s smiling eyes; she averted her gaze.

 

Seeing that Fan Chuan wouldn’t look at her, Shen Lingwei didn’t say anything.

She continued to gently straighten Fan Chuan’s clothes, her slender, fair fingers smoothing the wrinkles on Fan Chuan’s chest.

To an outsider, they would surely think the two were very much in love.

 

Actually, when Fan Chuan dressed herself, she wasn’t so meticulous.

She didn’t care about a few wrinkles on her clothes; she dressed and left immediately.

She didn’t have time to worry about whether her clothes had wrinkles.

 

But Shen Lingwei was a very meticulous person.

For the three days since their wedding, Shen Lingwei had helped Fan Chuan dress each day.

 

Shen Lingwei would even choose what Fan Chuan would wear the next day the night before, matching the belt color.

She would then carefully help Fan Chuan dress, even smoothing out every wrinkle.

Only when she thought it was perfect would she look up at Fan Chuan, smile, and gently say, “Done.”

 

Just like at this moment, Shen Lingwei examined Fan Chuan’s clothes, making sure there were no issues, then looked up and smiled at her.

“Marshal, it’s done.”

 

Fan Chuan snapped back to reality and nodded at Shen Lingwei.

“Good.

Then let’s eat.

We’ll leave early.”

“Okay.”

Shen Lingwei had no attachment to the current Prime Minister’s residence.

Her mother was gone; she felt the same wherever she went.

The only thing she missed a little was the small courtyard in the Prime Minister’s residence where she had lived since childhood.

She was used to it.

So it would be good to go back early and see it.

Perhaps they would soon be departing for the northern border.

 

Fan Chuan didn’t speak much while eating, and Shen Lingwei was the same.

She had excellent upbringing, eating slowly and deliberately, and didn’t like to talk much at the table.

 

Thus, although the two were silent during meals, it was very harmonious.

They didn’t feel awkward when no one spoke; instead, it was quite comfortable.

 

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