NOVPUBWith the intention of first returning home to comfort his wives and concubines, Chen Xi left Liu Bei behind and immediately went back to his own house. Speaking of which, he had transported several hundred million in cash back, but he had no idea where Fan Jian had hidden the money.
"The Master has returned." Elder Master Chen greeted Chen Xi with a smile as he saw him return. It has to be said that Chen Xi had finally shed the status of a young lord; however, being an eighteen-year-old Master was still somewhat embarrassing.
"Elder Master Chen, you should rest more. Leave the gate watching to the Protector, and you just enjoy your retirement. You’re a butler, not a gatekeeper. In a few days, I’ll find you a Beautiful Lady, so you better hurry up and have another son, and then you can live out your years in peace," said Chen Xi with a smile on his face. As his father’s butler who had served with dedication for many years, and who hadn’t abandoned the Chen Family even in times of decline, Chen Xi felt he couldn’t let the man die without descendants.
"How can I let these youngsters watch the gate? If they accidentally offend someone, it wouldn’t be good. Now that you’re a marquis, how can we let these ignorant youngsters stand guard?" Old Butler Chen glanced back at the neatly lined up Protectors and flicked his sleeve, clearly indicating that someone among these Protectors had previously failed their duty at the gate.
"Alright, alright, I’ll build you a small house in the courtyard in a few days so you won’t have to stand by the gate anymore," Chen Xi conceded, after all, he also believed Old Butler Chen was much more reliable in handling affairs.
"Your servant greets the Master." As soon as he stepped into the inner courtyard, greetings from a crowd of women, bowing and bending over in respect, were heard all around.
Chen Xi felt his eyebrows twitching uncontrollably. Compared to the last time he had come home, it seemed that there were more than a dozen additional women in the house, and they were all quite beautiful, too. What was going on?
Chen Xi was somewhat speechless, thinking that it must have been Liu Bei, bored again, stuffing his house with them. Originally, there were only two men in the house, one being Elder Master Chen, the butler who also served as a gatekeeper and seldom entered the inner courtyard. As for the Protectors, Chen Xi didn’t take them into account at all. Now, the household was seriously imbalanced, with an excess of Yin over Yang.
[Just turn them all into maidservants...]Chen Xi wickedly thought, but it was merely a thought. Given his physical conditioning, he was likely to end up depleted. It was one thing to visit a brothel every three to five days, but to do it daily would probably lay him flat before long. He was not like Guo Jia, who treated revelry as a habit.
"Jian’er, why are there so many more maids in the house?" Chen Xi asked as he walked through the door, and sure enough, Fan Jian was sitting on the bed embroidering. However, compared to before, she had a thimble on her finger to prevent the needle from pricking her again. Speaking of which, the thimble, an item that Chen Xi had popularized, was now widely used. It just goes to show that in this era, almost every woman knew how to embroider, unlike in later generations...
"Hmph, how would I know?" Fan Jian pouted, clearly dissatisfied. The first thing he asked upon his return was not how she had been but what was the deal with the housemaids.
Chen Xi rolled his eyes. If Fan Jian hadn’t agreed, those maids wouldn’t have been able to enter the Chen Family at all. But he had no intention of guessing what Fan Jian was thinking. Although her thoughts were relatively simple and he could guess if he tried, it wouldn’t be fun once he guessed it right. Ah, the minds of girls...
After much coaxing, Chen Xi finally managed to get the whole story out of Fan Jian.
The dozen or so maids who were new to Chen Xi’s household included eight rewarded by Liu Bei when he had returned a while ago. The maids gifted by Liu Bei were certainly of high quality, even if they surely couldn’t compare to a talented woman like Cai Yan.
Of the remaining ten, five were sent over by the Zhang Clan, along with some other gifts. The rest were given by the madam managing the place where Chen Xi had recently been broke and intending to visit—the brothel. Their ages ranged from eleven or twelve to twenty-one or twenty-two years old, and they were all Singer Girls, a generous gesture indeed.
However, Fan Jian then told Chen Xi that the Fragrance Pavilion, which used to be in an obscure corner of an alley, had now been relocated to a prime spot on the main street. Chen Xi really didn’t know what to say anymore.
Chen Xi didn’t need to think twice to know what had happened. Most likely, while his people were dealing with Yuan Shu, Lub Su had worked himself to the bone. Seeing someone exchange a note from Chen Xi to secure a location, he didn’t even ask what the person’s business was and just granted a piece of land on the main street on the spot, as Chen Xi’s reputation had to be upheld. Then, this brothel appeared on the main street.
As for the possibility that the other party had planned from the beginning to get a better location, Chen Xi didn’t even consider it. It wasn’t that he thought too highly of Han Dynasty merchants, but which merchant would dare to plot against a noble with real power?
What a joke, they could be crushed in an instant. It’s just like doing business with the great clans of the era; there’s never a worry that someone would make off with the money. Not because they thought the merchants’ integrity was high, but because these great clans could crush the merchants in a minute. Just like the Mi Family, if it hadn’t been for Liu Bei’s support, the Five Great Merchants could have been easily obliterated by the Zhen Family in Jizhou without any pressure.
"Husband, did you really write that note?" Fan Jian sat in Chen Xi’s embrace, stroking his chest with a curious look. But what was up with that readiness in the way she held her hand?
"Hahaha, that was to redeem Tanzhi, wasn’t it? After all, I wasn’t exactly carrying any money on me," Chen Xi chuckled dryly a couple of times. When he noticed Fan Jian’s cool gaze on him, he gave an honest response.
"Do you think I believe that?" Fan Jian stared at Chen Xi as she asked.
"Probably not, but it doesn’t really matter." When asked for a second time, Chen Xi didn’t bother to feign fright; he replied with indifference.
Caught off guard, Fan Jian halted the action she had been about to take. She sat on Chen Xi’s lap, staring at him without a word, then after a long while, she spoke softly, "Husband, am I really that displeasing to you?"
"I wouldn’t say I dislike you, nor would I say I am tired of you." Chen Xi’s expression was odd. He was well aware that being cold at this moment had a powerful effect, except for hurting feelings, but some things needed to be made clear.
"Since you already know some things, it’s better not to ask. Just do what you need to do. I’m serious about this. I don’t want to explain, and, after all this time, you should know everything you need to know. There’s no reason to ask me. Actually, Chen Lan is very good about not asking these questions. You should be well aware that besides Chen Lan, I have not touched anyone else at home, and you know what it’s like outside," Chen Xi said calmly.
"Jealousy is permitted, and so is dissatisfaction, but please fulfill your duties. That’s how it is in this era. I have done what I am supposed to do, and I ask you to do the same. Don’t worry, no one can take away your position as the legal wife." Chen Xi knew the impact that the presence of so many women at home must have on Fan Jian, who had yet to marry into the family. After all, the women sent by the Zhang Clan were clearly specially trained and well-educated, which put a lot of pressure on Fan Jian.
Fan Jian looked at Chen Xi with sorrowful eyes, filled with tears. Chen Xi sighed; little girls were such a bother. He wrapped her in his arms and whispered in her ear, "Jian’er, you don’t need to be like that. The only thing I can give you is the position of the legal wife, and nobody can take that from you. I can’t bring myself to say ’I love you,’ but I can promise you what you want. The Chen family will always be yours to manage."
"Forget it, you can move in with me from now on," Chen Xi’s intuition told him that this was probably the simplest solution.
Fan Jian nestled against Chen Xi’s shoulder, softly crying. She felt aggrieved, watching the number of maids in the house increase by the day, and seeing her husband, whom she rarely got to see, was a stark and simple reality.
Chen Xi placed no restrictions on her, leading to a lack of security for Fan Jian. Moreover, Chen Xi had never made any promises to her. Even after moving to Mount Tai, with Chen Xi’s status changing with each excursion, what started as a down-and-out son of the Chen family had now become a lord. Each time he returned, Fan Jian felt the gap between her and Chen Xi widening.
Chen Xi also rarely stayed with Fan Jian. Although he didn’t spend much time with Chen Lan either, as long as he was in Fenggao, he would rest at Chen Lan’s place every now and then. But he seldom visited Fan Jian.
"Alright, stop crying. Whatever you want, I will give it to you," Chen Xi lifted Fan Jian, wiping away her tears with his thumb, and looked at the girl before him. At the blooming age of sixteen, she would have been just a high school student in his original era, but in this era, she had to concern herself with so much more.
Large tears rolled down Fan Jian’s cheeks, seemingly washing away all of her grievances accumulated over this period while Chen Xi quietly watched her, silently holding her.
Chen Xi looked up at the ornate rafters and sighed inwardly, "A bird in a cage still has its own happiness." Since Fan Jian wanted that kind of happiness, then he would give it to her. He might not be able to give her all his love, but he would give her enough happiness. After all, she didn’t ask for much; a young girl’s dreams shouldn’t be shattered by her own husband. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"I can’t give you the idyllic romance of flowers and moonlight, but I can promise you a bridal attire against a backdrop of red clouds. I can’t promise you the endless peach blossoms of spring, but I can show you the glory of prosperity. I can’t promise you a lifetime from youth to silver hair, but I can ensure you a life of wealth and honor," Chen Xi thought to himself. The fantasies of a young girl, whereas he had long since passed that stage, he could offer things that were much more pragmatic.
Having crushed the dreams of one girl before, Chen Xi was much more careful this time. Even in giving Fan Jian reality, he still left her plenty of room. Although the caged flower of Fan Jian was her own choice, there will always be a gap between dreams and reality. The canary in its cage has its happiness, but Chen Xi didn’t wish to strip her of the wings that could enable her to soar, even if Fan Jian felt they were unnecessary.
Chen Xi watched Fan Jian with a wry smile as she slept in his arms, crying herself to exhaustion before falling asleep against him, still just too young. He gently brushed the hair from her ears and softly placed a kiss on her forehead.
Chen Lan watched the scene quietly from the window. The excitement of being a concubine of the Chen family had worn off. As a songstress who had become a concubine of a lord, Chen Lan had weathered many hardships. She was diligent in doing all she should, and having spent even more time with Chen Xi, understood his personality well; detached, and cool, yet he never forgot those from his past. As long as one didn’t overstep, Chen Xi wouldn’t forget any woman he acknowledged. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
