The Ninth Day After Picking Up My Wife

After the March summary meeting ended, some of the stewarding aunts deliberately stayed behind to ask whether Lu Ling needed any further financing to get through the crisis.

After all, one million was no small sum. For Lu Ling to be willing to shoulder most of the compensation already showed real responsibility.

And compared with a little gain right in front of them, the madams would rather win over Lu Ling.

Because with her here, no one had to worry about not making money.

Even if the losses were only temporary; besides, what business had no risks?

"Miss Lu, our madam said she’s willing to take on ten percent of the compensation. She hopes you won’t feel so much pressure."

"Our madam is also willing to cut this year’s bonus and get through the hardship with you."

"Our young lady too!"

Everyone crowded around Lu Ling, blocking her at the doorway and making their position clear.

This made Ning Cailan’s expression very unpleasant.

Ye Meishen, on the other hand, curved her lips. "Aunt Ning, why do you think everyone believes her so much?"

"I have to admit, Lu Ling is truly a talent at business," Ning Cailan said reluctantly. But those were also her honest thoughts.

As women, life in this world was never easy to begin with. Whether born into a natal family or married into one, there were restraints everywhere.

And the outside world offered women even less room to survive.

But Haicheng had already begun to change ten years ago.

Many women had gradually started appearing in public; some had even become the backbone of their families.

That made the young ladies from boudoirs, who already had some resources of their own, even less able to sit still.

And so, with Lu Ling as an example, more women began trying to invest in themselves instead of pouring all their resources into their husbands’ families and their brothers’ households.

"Her existence at least tells some women that investing in yourself is much better than investing in your husband and son," Ye Meishen said, a glimmer of something no one else could read flickering in her eyes. Within it, only Lu Ling’s figure, surrounded by people, could be contained.

"Being able to prove that much is enough."

Ye Meishen did not linger any longer. With a calm expression, she stepped out of Qingyu Pavilion.

Ning Cailan still hadn’t grasped the deeper meaning behind it all. She was still grinding her teeth, thinking about how she would explain things to her elder brother later.

And then there was the fact that she had lost to Lu Ling again.

In truth, Lu Ling had never regarded the meeting as some competition that required a win-or-lose struggle. It had only been a routine notice.

It was just that some people didn’t think that way; they spent all day imagining schemes and power games. In the end, that was nothing more than a hangover from the women’s quarters’ constant internal rivalry.

But it didn’t matter. People changed.

Especially women; as long as they found a way out, or were brave enough to go looking for one, they would gradually learn how to follow the current and walk their own road.

After she finished dealing with those stewarding aunts, she got into the carriage, unable to hide her exhaustion.

The coachwoman, Wang Xianglan, was a little dazed and didn’t set the carriage in motion right away.

"Xianglan, what is it?" Lu Ling asked, rubbing her forehead.

Wang Xianglan said, "My elder brother..."

"Oh, Wang Yi. It’s fine; Doctor He is there and will treat him."

But Wang Xianglan was still worried. "My elder brother lost two fingers. I’m afraid he won’t be able to stay by your side in the future and keep protecting you."

"To my brother, being a guard at Qingzhu Tower is the proudest thing in his life."

Hearing that, Lu Ling understood what she meant.

"Don’t worry. Guard work isn’t only for broad shoulders and big arms; someone with brains can also take the position of chief guard."

"Thank you, Miss."

Wang Xianglan finally breathed a sigh of relief and lashed the carriage forward.

Its speed was still as steady and fast as ever.

Lu Ling thought for a moment. "Take a detour to the yamen; there’s something I need to ask about."

"Yes!"

At the county yamen, it was already in a frenzy.

Haicheng had not seen a homicide in a long time. Most fights, brawls, and land-grab disputes involved locals and were generally easy to handle.

But now the dead man was from out of town, which made things harder to investigate.

What was more, he was from Kyoto.

Gao Yun had already sent people to the post station to write to the deceased’s family and notify them.

Just then, his second daughter-in-law, Xu Anqing, happened to return from Kyoto.

She had ridden back to Haicheng alone. Upon arriving at the yamen, she handed her horse over to the doorman.

"Father, I’m back."

Gao Yun said in surprise, "Wasn’t it supposed to be tomorrow? Why are you in such a rush?"

Xu Anqing said, "I originally planned to stay in Kyoto a few more days, but there was no helping it. Things have been a bit chaotic there lately, and they’ve started enforcing a curfew at night again. I really couldn’t stand it, so I came back early."

After speaking, she looked around behind Gao Yun but didn’t see anyone. "Little Sister didn’t come to the yamen?"

Gao Yun said, "She’s probably at Qingyu Pavilion. What do you need her for?"

"Didn’t Little Sister ask me to inquire about the Xu royal manor in Kyoto? I’ve basically investigated it all," Xu Anqing said. "I just don’t know whether it’ll be of any help to Little Sister’s business."

Gao Yun didn’t think much of it. "Alright, go wait in the back courtyard. I’ll have Sergeant Sun call her over later."

At just that moment, the sound of wheels braking came from outside the yamen.

Just from the sound alone, one could tell someone had arrived.

Gao Yun waved a hand. "You two talk. I still have to deal with the case involving those Kyoto merchants. It’s really giving me a headache."

Xu Anqing smiled and went out to meet Lu Ling.

As soon as Lu Ling got down, she saw her second sister-in-law standing there with her arms folded, smiling at her. "You were in such a hurry to find your sister-in-law? Missed me?"

Then she came straight over and hugged Lu Ling.

Lu Ling was speechless and gently pushed her away. "If Second Sister-in-law doesn’t come back soon, your Wangzi is going to make a scene."

"The day before yesterday she secretly stole a horse and nearly fell into a ditch. When she gets back, I’ll have to give her a proper lesson."

As soon as she said that, Xu Anqing felt awkward. "Who doesn’t know that child is copying you? When you were little, didn’t you also sneak off to ride a horse and get thrown into a field?"

"Only inherited my mischief?" Lu Ling raised a brow. "Looks like I’ll have to have the tutor assign more homework."

"Not too much; just ten books."

That scared Xu Anqing enough to break out in a cold sweat. Ten books? When she was young, she hadn’t liked studying either. At least no one had forced her back then. Now it was different; her daughter would not be as lucky as she had been.

After finishing the family talk, Xu Anqing took Lu Ling for a walk near the yamen and, along the way, told her about what she had found in Kyoto.

Xu Anqing stopped at a secluded spot, and her expression suddenly darkened. "Everyone in the Xu royal manor is dead."

Lu Ling was not surprised at all.

Seeing how unmoved she was, Xu Anqing thought she must have learned the news before she had.

So she asked in confusion, "As for the convicted officials who had followed the Xu prince, along with their direct family members, every single one of them was executed. The surviving concubines were recorded, though. I heard three of them were sold to the human brokers’ market."

"Three?" Lu Ling thought for a moment. "Do you have portraits?"

Xu Anqing really did; she had paid a high price to buy them back.

She first took a list from her sleeve and handed it to Lu Ling, then had the doorman bring over the portraits.

Three scrolls were laid out before Lu Ling.

She chose one and unrolled it, finding that it was basically all beauties.

A pity that beauty is often fated to be brief.

The second was the same. When she opened the third scroll and saw the person’s face clearly, she unconsciously let out a breath of relief.

Xu Anqing noticed her small movement but said nothing.

"How is it?"

Lu Ling rolled up the scrolls and sent the doorman away before saying, "How is what?"

"Is there a woman in here who suits your taste?" Xu Anqing blinked, clearly hinting at her.

Lu Ling’s expression instantly turned unnatural. "What are you talking about!"

She had nearly forgotten that in the whole family, only Second Sister-in-law knew about her sexual orientation.

Back then, Xu Anqing had been extremely shocked that she liked women.

Her first reaction had been: you’re a woman, how could you like women? Don’t tell me you’re in love with yourself?

Self-love or whatever—she really hadn’t expected that even a person from ancient times like her second sister-in-law could imagine things so forward-thinking.

She had explained that liking women didn’t mean liking just any woman; that was simply lust.

Rather, compared with men, she was more willing to give her heart to a woman and grow old together hand in hand. It was no different from a normal romance between a man and a woman.

It was just a sexual minority. Not a disease, either.

Who would have thought that Second Sister-in-law agreed with her?

Second Sister-in-law was the daughter of the old chief of the Chenxiang Escort Agency; she had traveled all over the world for many years and naturally seen a great deal.

Lu Ling was very glad that at least someone in her family recognized her orientation.

That was enough.

"You still haven’t found a woman you like after all these years?" Xu Anqing couldn’t help worrying. "Little Sister, are your standards too high? If this goes on, you’ll probably end up alone."

"Anyway, I’ll leave it to fate," Lu Ling coughed a few times and changed the subject. "Anything else from Kyoto?"

Unexpectedly, Xu Anqing fell silent all at once.

Her expression turned somewhat grave. "Little Sister, I used to think our Haicheng was just a small place, nothing worth mentioning compared with Kyoto. At the very least, women in Kyoto could live more peacefully than in the countryside, where there was nowhere to turn."

"But recently, I’ve started to think that the Great Chong receiving a new emperor—no, a female emperor—may not be a good thing."

Hearing that, Lu Ling was a little confused. "Why? What happened?"

Xu Anqing held her breath before saying, "All the Xu prince’s family members were executed inside the manor. When those bodies were carried out one by one, I saw them. There was even a girl about Wangzi’s age."

"Her fingernails were completely black."

"They say it was the one in the palace suppressing dissidents... But the Xu prince helped the new emperor ascend the throne; at the very least he shouldn’t have been an enemy. Yet he was still the first to become a sacrifice."

"To be so ruthless even toward her own uncle; you can imagine what kind of heartless ruler she is."

Perhaps everything Xu Anqing had seen had shocked her too deeply, making her unable to suppress her lingering fear.

Lu Ling did not know the exact situation in Kyoto. From what her father had said, the new emperor had begun overseeing state affairs half a year ago and had only recently ascended the throne. By rights, there should have been a general amnesty, along with tax and levy reductions, but there had been no news at all.

The usual policies every emperor would take seemed as if they were going to be broken this year.

As expected, the first female emperor of the Great Chong dynasty.

"It’s hard to judge; we should just live our own lives well," Lu Ling said. She didn’t want to discuss politics.

Right now, she had already ruled out the portraits of the three concubines.

Each portrait showed a beautiful woman, but none of them was Shen Wanxin...

Which meant what Shen Wanxin had said was true. She really was not some concubine; she truly was just an unlucky stand-in who had been tricked over by a meal?

Then which concubine had she been substituting for?

There was no way to verify that.

While Lu Ling felt relieved, she couldn’t help thinking: at least she’s still single?

But the thought flashed by, and she quickly shook her head.

What was she thinking? Whether the girl was single had nothing to do with her.

Besides, the way she looked, she probably knew martial arts too; she was definitely some ancient straight woman like her mother.

"By the way, Second Sister-in-law, apart from the Kyoto matter, I also asked you to look into that Kyoto merchant," Lu Ling said. She had just briefly looked through the list of convicted officials, and most of the dead were from the Ministry of Revenue.

That department was responsible for selecting and assigning officials, as well as managing the state treasury and finances. It was generally held by imperial relatives, and might even be run by the female emperor’s uncle or paternal uncle.

She hadn’t expected the Minister of Revenue to have been exiled together with them.

She really didn’t know what the purpose of this female emperor’s move was.

But it no longer had anything to do with Lu Ling.

Xu Anqing adjusted herself and passed along the information about the man surnamed Wu.

She had even brought his family genealogy.

Lu Ling opened the records on the Wu family. Wu Xin really did have an eighty-year-old mother at home, and a three-year-old son. His wife had died young, and several concubines in the family had all run off with money. With just one sentence, the whole life of a person was simply summed up.

Lu Ling couldn’t help feeling a little sentimental.

It seemed the beauty had told the truth after all.