Chapter 6

◎Marry the husband first, then choose the concubines◎

As soon as Xue Lingyu entered the study, he saw Jiang He standing in the middle of the room, with her back to him, so he couldn't see her expression.

It was already night, and dinner time had passed. Jiang He looked like she had already washed up, and simply tied her hair up with a hairpin.

Hearing the noise at the door, Jiang He slowly turned to the side and gestured for Xue Lingyu, who was standing hesitantly at the door, to enter.

"Young Master Xue, what brings you here so late at night? Please come in and speak with us."

Under Jiang He's gaze, Xue Lingyu stopped being coy and closed the door, facing Jiang He's gaze directly.

Sneaking into a woman's residence in the middle of the night is not the behavior of a young lady from a respectable family. It is contrary to the etiquette he was taught since childhood. However, since the Xue family's incident, he has been running around for his mother's sake, and he has long forgotten about the constraints of etiquette.

Seeing that he didn't sit down, Jiang He didn't insist. She sat down herself without any hesitation and poured herself a cup of tea, as if waiting for Xue Lingyu to speak.

"Miss Jiang." Xue Lingyu lifted his clothes and knelt down. Jiang He had just brought the tea to her lips when she stopped because of his action and looked up at him.

Xue Lingyu raised her hands in front of her head and kowtowed to the ground, "I beg Miss Jiang to save my mother."

"Save your mother?" Jiang He placed the teacup on the table, looking at Xue Lingyu with a playful expression. Her tone was just as arrogant as it had been three years ago. "Your Xue family has titles, you are a noble family, a first-class family of officials. I am just a merchant. Young Master Xue, you must have come to the wrong person."

Judging from Jiang He's tone, she seemed to want to refuse. Xue Lingyu raised her head, knelt down and moved forward a few steps, her posture even more humble than before. "Miss Jiang is joking. The Jiang family is now a royal merchant family, with unparalleled influence in the capital. Even His Majesty favors them. If Miss Jiang is willing to save my mother, I am willing to... agree to any of your conditions."

He has lost everything now—his status, his reputation… all that's left is his complete self.

He had made preparations before he came. After saying this, he slowly raised his body, revealing a snow-white arm with a bright red dot on it, indicating that he was still a virgin.

He presented himself as an object to Jiang He.

Jiang He stood up from her seat and walked up to Xue Lingyu. She clearly saw Xue Lingyu tremble slightly as she approached, both afraid of her getting too close and yet still making this gesture.

Jiang He couldn't help but scrutinize Xue Lingyu's face. His eyes were tightly closed, and the mark on his arm was as red as his lips. He was pursing his lips, clearly because he was nervous.

Jiang He suddenly reached out and pinched Xue Lingyu's chin, forcing him to open his eyes and look at her. The two of them were now in a position where one was taller than the other, and their statuses were completely reversed, but Jiang He did not feel any pleasure at all.

She insulted Xue Lingyu, "Young Master Xue, how much do you think your body is worth?"

The Xue family desperately needs money right now, and Xue Lingyu knew that this was no different from what the young men in Qingxiufang were saying, so she gritted her teeth and didn't answer.

"Xue Lingyu, I've given you many chances, at the jewelry shop and in the North Ward, but you keep pestering me. Do you think I won't do anything to you?" Jiang He curled her lips and sneered.

"I...I didn't mean it at first..." Knowing that Jiang He had misunderstood, Xue Lingyu hurriedly tried to explain.

"If I don't agree today, will you go to someone else's mansion? Well, so many people admire you, Young Master Xue. If you were willing to give in to them, your mother would have been rescued long ago."

He realized that his actions seemed to have angered Jiang He, but he didn't know what exactly Jiang He was angry about.

Jiang He grabbed his arm, concealed his virginity mark back into her sleeve, and effortlessly pulled him up from the cold ground.

Xue Lingyu was very thin and frail. She had just been exposed to the cold air on the ground and lost her balance, falling onto Jiang He.

He only realized what had happened after he regained his balance, but his lips brushed past Jiang He's ear. He subconsciously bit his lip, but Jiang He interpreted it in a different way.

Jiang He walked forward, and Xue Lingyu retreated in fear until he could retreat no further and was forced against the door. Jiang He brought her close to his nose, stared into his eyes, and asked, word by word, "Smell it, do you smell the stench of money you mentioned before?"

Xue Lingyu turned her head away, revealing her fair neck, and was almost brought to tears. She could only whisper, "No."

Jiang He casually plucked a strand of his hair and played with it, her words devoid of any pity: "In that case, Young Master Xue, please stay tonight."

Xue waited outside the study for a long time. He had already finished the candy the handsome young man had given him, but the young man still hadn't come out. He couldn't help but wonder if the young lady was scolding the handsome young man and punishing him so that he could never eat candy again.

He immediately became anxious and wanted to go into the study to find out what was going on, but as soon as he moved, all the candles in the study went out. He stood there helplessly, thinking that the young lady had never gone to bed so early before.

Seeing that he was still standing in the courtyard, Yuange said, "Miss is staying in the study tonight. Ji Xue, you should go back first and we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Xue Ping was usually most afraid of Yuan Ge, and today Yuan Ge had just said that to him. He immediately nodded and used his lightness skill to fly back to his room.

Yuange also had her doubts, but she believed that her mistress would explain tomorrow.

If he really is a handsome young man as Xue Ji said, he might even be an old acquaintance of the young lady, and the two of them should catch up on their old times.

Father Jiang placed Jiang He's taking a concubine as his top priority and began preparations early in the morning. He had already chosen Yang Tao, a maidservant by his side, along with three respectable young women from outside the family, making a total of four candidates for Jiang He's concubines.

Yang Tao has a slender figure and a fair complexion. He was raised by Jiang's father and has a very gentle temperament. If he were to serve Jiang He, Jiang's father could rest assured.

Those three good men all came from humble backgrounds, were honest and poor, were good at taking care of others, and were all honest and dutiful. They were all carefully selected by Father Jiang.

Since she was to be a concubine, her status didn't need to be too high; otherwise, it might attract trouble.

Father Jiang had made all the preparations, just waiting for Jiang He to come and select a couple so he could bring them back to his courtyard. However, it was already past noon, and Jiang He still hadn't come to his courtyard. Father Jiang had already sent someone to deliver the message yesterday, so Jiang He must have known that he was going to select concubines today. Father Jiang had no choice but to send someone to urge him.

He specifically assigned Yang Tao to go over there, but it took her quite a while to return. When she saw him, she looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Father Jiang sat up straight and asked intently, "Has He'er gotten up? Or does she not want to come?"

Yang Tao lowered her head and said, "Reporting to my lord, Miss has gotten up and said she would come over in a little while, but... Miss stayed in the study yesterday, and there were traces of a man in the room."

Yang Tao initially thought he was seeing things, but he clearly saw a man's figure in the study. The young lady seemed to have exchanged a few words with him. Since he could only wait in the courtyard, he couldn't see the man's face clearly.

He dared not ask the young lady about such matters, but could only report them to his lord.

This was the first time Mr. Jiang had ever heard of a man in his daughter's room. It was quite a surprise. He knew Jiang He well; even if she was looking at account books in the study until late at night, she would not want to rest there. The bed in the study was not as soft as the one in the bedroom, and she had never been used to sleeping there. She was particularly delicate in this regard.

Now, for the first time ever, he's resting in the study, and there's a man in the room. Could it be that he's finally found his way in that area and had sex with some young servant yesterday?

Father Jiang quickly dismissed the idea. Jiang He was a woman of principle; if she liked that little servant, she would definitely come to him for him first, not act first and ask for his permission later.

However, Jiang He will not suffer any loss in this matter. Moreover, today is the day to choose a concubine, and the purpose is to have a pleasing person by her side so that she can have children as soon as possible.

Jiang He noticed Yang Tao entering the courtyard, but she didn't say anything to remind her. She then saw the dignified and gentle young master Xue sleeping on the bed.

Yesterday, she told Xue Lingyu to go to bed and rest first. He hesitated for a moment, then lay down on the bed. Jiang He knew what he was thinking when she saw him like this. However, she was no longer the ignorant girl who only knew how to revolve around Xue Lingyu. So she sat up straight and started looking at the account book she hadn't finished reading.

By the time she finished reading, Xue Lingyu was already asleep. Jiang He only glanced at it before jumping out of the window and returning to her bedroom under the cover of night, only to come back earlier in the morning.

She had just entered the study when Yang Tao arrived. With his sharp eyes, he naturally spotted Xue Lingyu lying on the bed.

About fifteen minutes after she finished tidying her clothes and set off for Jiang's father's courtyard, Xue Lingyu woke up.

He didn't know what had happened, but he felt extremely comfortable and slept for a long time without realizing it.

Ji Xue received the instruction and lay down by the bed to watch over him.

"This incense..." Xue Lingyu propped herself up, rubbing her forehead as she asked Ji Xue, "Does it have a calming effect?"

Incense was burning in the study, its scent fresh and delicate, likely a calming fragrance. Xue Lingyu could easily tell that this incense was quite valuable.

Xue didn't understand these things, so he shook his head and relayed the young lady's instructions: "The young lady said to give this to you and have you wait for her here."

Seeing that it was a piece of paper and a key, which seemed to belong to the mansion, Xue Lingyu put them away and asked, "What else did your young lady say?"

Xue searched his memory again and then suddenly realized, adding, "Miss also said that I should take you over the wall to get out, so that no one in the manor can see you."

This was not what Xue Lingyu wanted to hear. He looked down at his neatly trimmed belt. Even though he had offered himself as a concubine, Jiang He had kept him there, but she remained unmoved. He was unsure whether she had agreed to save his mother.

Moreover, Jiang He's instructions suggest that she probably doesn't want to have any connection with him in public.

It's better to talk things out. He doesn't mind making sacrifices, but they must be beneficial ones.

Xue Lingyu then asked, "Where is your young lady?"

"Sister Yuan said that Miss has gone to choose a concubine. Handsome brother, let's hurry up. After I see you off, I also want to go and see Miss's concubines." Ji Xue couldn't wait and pulled Xue Lingyu outside.

First she was getting married, and now she's choosing concubines. Xue Lingyu doesn't know what to think.

Jiang He is truly blessed with good fortune in love.

◎Latest Comments:

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It's 9 PM, why hasn't it been updated yet?

[So sad, nothing happened.]

[Keep it up, DaDa!]

【come on(_)】

Given the female lead's current status, plenty of men would be willing to throw themselves at her if she wanted to—having children would be a piece of cake!

【come on】

[That's funny, hahaha]

[I'm dying of laughter, I can't wait! Keep it up, author!]

Does giving someone a key mean they're a mistress? (I doubt it)

Let's go!

[The female lead is a bit angry. Should she be humiliated or pampered? Can't she just give us a straight answer? What are you pretending for?]

Sigh, Xiao Xue... I hope things will get better for him in the future.

-over-