The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night-Chapter 28: Taking a Concubine

Meeting her aunt’s eager gaze, Zhi Wan paused for a moment before answering honestly, "Heir Fu has an excellent family background and is remarkably handsome, but... he is far out of my league."

Lady Wei couldn’t stand to hear her speak so self-deprecatingly, and her brow furrowed.

In her eyes, Wan’er was in no way inferior to the daughters of other prominent families.

"Don’t be foolish! There are only men who are not worthy of you, never the other way around!" Lady Wei declared, speaking from the heart.

Zhi Wan was amused by her aunt’s words. Covering her lips with a handkerchief, she chuckled softly. "Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Aunt. But as for the Fu family... let’s just forget about it."

’Setting aside their incompatible family backgrounds, I simply don’t like men like Fu Hongyi.’

’Besides, perhaps I’m just being too sensitive. But when I went to see Madam Fu the other day, she didn’t say much, yet I could feel a hint of disdain in her gaze.’

’Since Madam Fu looks down on me, why would she ever let Fu Hongyi marry me?’

’I can tell Fu Hongyi is interested in me, but it’s only because of my appearance. How much of that is genuine?’

’Although I want to marry soon and escape this life of depending on others, I’m not so reckless as to rush into an unequal match.’

’Now, with Lady Lin suddenly visiting, I’m afraid it can’t be for anything good.’

Seeing that Zhi Wan had no interest in the Fu family, the flicker of joy Lady Wei had felt at Lady Lin’s visit was instantly extinguished.

"I understand. But since she has already come all this way, I’ll go see what this is about. You can continue your stroll in the garden. If you get tired, just head back and rest."

"Alright," Zhi Wan obediently agreed.

Lady Wei left the garden and went straight to the front hall.

[The Front Hall]

Lady Lin had just taken a sip of the tea a servant brought when she saw Lady Wei enter. She quickly rose and curtsied. "Madam Lu, my apologies for this unannounced visit. I hope I’m not disturbing you."

Lady Wei said coolly, "Please, sit."

Lady Lin hesitated for a moment before sitting back down. She stole a glance at Lady Wei’s cold expression and felt a pang of uncertainty.

’Lady Wei is clearly not pleased by my visit.’

’Why, though?’

’If she looked down on my Xuanping Marquis Mansion, why would she have allowed the young ladies of her household to attend my banquet yesterday?’

’I had assumed that her willingness to let the young ladies attend meant she was satisfied with the Xuanping Marquis Mansion.’

’So it stands to reason that she shouldn’t be treating me with such coldness, especially when I’ve come to visit in person.’

Lady Lin was puzzled. After a moment of deliberation, she began, "Madam Lu, I heard that Miss Zhi Wan was injured in a fall in the Peach Grove at our estate yesterday. I felt terribly uneasy about it, so I’ve prepared some modest gifts and came today hoping to pay her a visit."

Lady Wei lifted her gaze to glance at her. "It was merely an accident," she said coolly. "You shouldn’t have troubled yourself, Madam Fu. However, Wan’er is still recovering and isn’t well enough to receive guests. I hope you understand."

Lady Lin didn’t feel particularly disappointed to hear this.

’I hadn’t really come to see Zhi Wan in the first place; this is merely a pretext to sound out Lady Wei’s intentions.’

"In that case, please allow Miss Zhi Wan to rest and recover well."

Knowing that Zhi Wan had no interest in the Fu family, Lady Wei had no desire to entertain Lady Lin any further. "Is there anything else, Madam Fu?" she asked.

Sensing the clear dismissal in her tone, Lady Lin grew anxious.

She feigned ignorance and offered a placating laugh. "Everyone says you dote on Miss Zhi Wan as if she were your own, Madam Lu. When I saw her yesterday, so radiant and well-mannered, I knew the rumors were true. You truly have a benevolent heart to be so affectionate toward the daughter of an old friend."

Hearing her praise Zhi Wan’s beauty and demeanor, a hint of a smile finally touched Lady Wei’s face. "Wan’er takes after her mother, a natural beauty. She has such a gentle and sweet temperament that she’s been no trouble to raise at all. I’m the one who gets all the credit, but in truth, she requires almost no effort from me."

A glint appeared in Lady Lin’s eyes. She smiled. "You’re far too modest, Madam Lu. Raising a child to adulthood is no small feat. One’s own daughter can be difficult enough to guide, let alone a child who comes to you later in life... I imagine you’ve had your share of troubles over the years. And now that Miss Zhi Wan has come of age, you’ll have to start arranging her marriage, preparing a dowry..."

Lady Wei did not appreciate the implication that Zhi Wan was a burden. The smile vanished from her face. "That is none of your concern," she said coldly. "I have only one son, Lu Zhan, and no daughter of my own. I have long considered Wan’er to be my own flesh and blood. Arranging her marriage and preparing her dowry is a joy for me, not a burden in the slightest."

Sensing the displeasure in her voice, Lady Lin said hastily, "I’m a rather blunt person and tend to speak my mind. Please, don’t take offense, Madam Lu."

Lady Wei shot her a cold glance. "If you have no other business, Madam Fu, please see yourself out. I have other matters to attend to, so you’ll have to excuse me."

Seeing that she was about to leave, Lady Lin grew frantic. "Please wait, Madam Lu!" she called out.

"I don’t like to beat around the bush. What is it you truly want to say?" Lady Wei demanded impatiently.

Lady Lin clenched her fists, feeling deeply vexed.

’I am the wife of the Marquis Xuanping, after all,’ she thought. ’This Lady Wei is being utterly disrespectful!’

But remembering the purpose of her visit, she suppressed her indignation and said, "To be frank, Madam Lu, my son, Hongyi, has developed a fondness for Miss Zhi. However, our family has already arranged for him to marry a young lady from the Wang family as his official wife. If you consent, my Hongyi is willing to take Miss Zhi Wan as a Concubine.

"As for the betrothal gifts, we will match those given to the Wang family, ensuring Miss Zhi Wan is not slighted in any way. Once she joins our household, we will treasure her like a precious jewel and see to it that she suffers no grievances. You have my word, Madam Lu!"

’Offering betrothal gifts on par with the official wife’s is already a tremendous show of respect to the Duke Dingguo Mansion,’ Lady Lin thought. ’There’s no reason for her to refuse.’

’Besides, given our family’s prestige, even entering as a Concubine would be far more glorious than becoming the official wife of some minor, insignificant family.’

’Zhi Wan is just an orphan. Even if she is living in the Duke Dingguo Mansion, she isn’t a true-born lady of the house. No aristocratic family would ever take her as an official wife.’

’But the position of Concubine is perfectly suitable for her.’

’What’s more, my Hongyi is outstanding in both looks and character. At his young age, he’s already an official in the Ministry of Rites with a boundless future ahead of him. There are countless maidens in the Capital who dream of marrying him; many are fighting for the chance to be his Concubine!’

’That Zhang Linglong, the illegitimate daughter of the Vice-Director of the Ministry of Industry, has her heart set on becoming Hongyi’s concubine.’

’For an orphan like Zhi Wan, being a Concubine to an aristocratic family is the greatest blessing she could hope for. She’ll probably be too overjoyed to sleep at night!’

The more Lady Lin considered it, the more self-satisfied she became. But at that very moment...

SLAP!

A hand struck her fiercely across the face.

The blow knocked Lady Lin’s head to the side, leaving her completely stunned.

Nanny Chen scrambled forward to support her. "Madam!"

"What do you take the Duke Dingguo Mansion for? You shameless whelp, how dare you come here and spew such filth!" Lady Wei roared, her fury uncontrollable.

When Lady Lin finally came to her senses, she was seething. "Madam Lu, you’ve gone too far!"

"*I’ve* gone too far?" Lady Wei raged. "Have you heard the vile words that just came out of your own mouth? You know I treat Wan’er as my own daughter, yet you dare come here to humiliate her with such disgusting talk. Were you not begging to be slapped?"

Clenching her fists, Lady Lin fought back her rage. "Zhi Wan is nothing more than an orphan—her station is clear for all to see. And while we are only offering her the position of Concubine, the Fu family would never mistreat her. We would welcome her into our home with all the proper ceremony! But you, Madam Lu, what right do you have to strike someone? You will give me an explanation for this today!"