CH 36

Chapter 36 – Evil Woman

“Not tempted?”  Li Jing’er asked.

Although Chen Yulian was a little older, she still looks beautiful after dressing up, and to the men who had stayed in the army camp for a long time, it was a piece of fatty meat to them.

So there’s no reason not to eat!

“I’m afraid of her.”  Xiao Jingfeng replied honestly.

“Huh?”  The answer was unexpected and it surprised Li Jing’er.

He lowered his voice and whispered into her ear.  “I suspect Deputy Bai was killed by her.”

“What?!”  She was shocked.

“She has always disliked Deputy Bai for being too old and in some aspects……..uh, not as strong as he should be so he couldn’t gratify too many women.  She also complained that he treated her like an ‘old mother’ and wanted her to raise the children of his first wife.  She mentioned that she would kill him sooner or later.”

If those words came from someone else, perhaps Li Jing’er could just ignore it and treat it as a whimsical complaint but Chen Yulian was someone who could indeed do such evil deeds.

“What is the cause of Deputy Bai’s death?”

It is impossible to guard against women who plot to carry out secret assassinations.  They are clever, vicious, and ruthless and the target’s death is inevitable.

“It was said that he was killed by a sneak attack and was shot in the back by an arrow.”

That also meant it was done by the people under him.  The base carried out an investigation but found nothing.  In the end, a report was sent to the imperial court stating that he died in the line of duty.

The Bai Family knew nothing about this matter and buried him.  Since her husband still had brothers in the family, Chen Yulian who survived him could not get her hands on his assets and because she kicked up a huge ruckus, the elders of the clan were angered.  In the end, everyone agreed that a divorce letter be written on behalf of her deceased husband.  Her name was then removed from the family register and she was sent away.

Of course, another reason was that the Bai Family did not wish to hand over the assets of Deputy Bai to ‘outsiders’.  It was natural for everyone to harbor selfish motives and wants to get a share, so instead of handing them over to a wilful and ignorant woman to squander, it would be better to hand them over to someone in the family who can keep them safe.  In this way, at least, the family assets would still be in the hands of the family.

Fertile waters must never be allowed to flow into the fields of outsiders.

It was heard that the son of Deputy Bai’s first wife took half of the assets while his daughter was also given a share.  As for the balance, everyone took a share and the remaining small share was held by Old Master Bai.  It was regarded as keeping them safe for Bai Zhaohua and Bai Zhaoyang.  A dowry was allocated for Bai Zhaohua while Bai Zhaoyang was given a piece of property that would ensure they could live a worry-free life in the future.

“The most poisonous is a woman’s heart.  You’d better be careful.”  Li Jing’er teased.

Instead of smiling, he showed a frown.

“I’m more worried about your safety.  I didn’t mention I have a wife in the past because I was afraid she would give you trouble.”

Chen Yulian’s temperament is extreme and she never accepts rejections from others.  She is ruthless in her dealings and would rather destroy whatever she can’t get her hands on than let others benefit.

“She won’t be able to find me in the mountain.”

That place was so secluded and she had set up so many new traps near the house.  If that woman wants to find the stone house then she must be mentally prepared to encounter danger and even if she could escape, it would surely be a narrow one.

“Jing Niang, don’t take this lightly.  Once people become crazy, they won’t care about anything.  She even dared to break into Lord Zhenfu’s study to steal military documents and his medallion to order his soldiers to do her bidding.  There was a time she lost a hairpin and thought that it was stolen by a woman who had brushed passed her.  She gave orders for the woman to be tortured to extract a confession until the 6-month-old fetus in the pregnant woman was aborted……..”

It was only later that she realized the hairpin was left on the dressing table and she had forgotten about it.  Without a word of apology, she left and the woman almost bled to death due to the miscarriage.  Because of this matter, Chen Dasheng wasted a lot of time and effort and eventually had to compensate a sum of money before it could be suppressed.

After this incident, Chen Dasheng often expressed bitterness over it and everyone became aware that there was a wicked woman in his family.  From then on, everyone seldom went to his private residence.

When one encounters a vicious dog, one should not be alarmed and just beat it away with a stick.  When one encounters a vicious woman, even nine lives are not enough for her to play with.

One must be wise to protect oneself.

“Do you mean she makes use of the soldiers in the Guard Base?”

If she even dares to steal military power, what else can’t she do?  This woman is so used to it that she can’t differentiate between right and wrong!

Xiao Jingfeng’s expression was solemn.

“Don’t forget that I led my men to break through the traps you set and also brought them to harvest the wild ginseng.  All of them know the location of the stone house and it’s not difficult to enter.  If one of them has a slip of the tongue or is tricked……..”

Thinking about it, the situation was indeed serious.  The place she thought was safe had become a hive that everyone wants to poke.

Madmen are everywhere and they are all so sick that their minds are hazy.

This thought lingered in her heart.

“Or else, why don’t we hurry up and settle our matter?”

Xiao Jingfeng thought of a plan and took advantage of the situation to settle everything.

“What matter do we have?”  She was puzzled.

“Our marriage.”  His expression became more brilliant.

The stunned Li Jing’er paused for a while before she replied with an ‘Oh’ as if she just realized what he was talking about.

“No hurry, I haven’t decided……..”

Upon hearing this, his eyes deepen into pools.

“Jing Niang, the children are already calling me ‘Father’.”

The way he spoke sounded as though he was aggrieved.  Without proper status, speech is valueless.  He felt like he came here sneakily and could not openly tell everyone……..this is my spouse, the wife in my family……..

Extremely awkward.

“Although they’re calling you ‘Father’, it doesn’t mean you’re qualified to be my husband.  After 3 to 5 years later, if I’m satisfied I’ll consider whether I want to marry you again.”

Once again, she had mistakenly switched to modern thinking.  She was thinking it was too young for women to get married at the age of 25 and should wait at least until the age of 30.  It completely slipped her mind that women over the age of 30 were already grandmothers in ancient times.

“Three to five years?”  He was so shocked that he almost dropped the child in his arms.

When she realized the gap between the two periods, she hastily corrected herself and said.  “Wait at least a year.  I want to see your performance and whether you can accomplish what you promised.”

“Jing Niang…….”  Perhaps he might have to leave with the army again in a year.

She lifted her hand to prevent him from speaking.

“Don’t speak anymore, there’s no room for discussion.  I have to take into consideration not only myself but the three children’s future as well.  You should have noticed that Shuangming admires you a little and if one day you fail to do what he wants, you can imagine how disappointed he will be.”

Rather than losing something only after getting it, it’s better not to have it in the first place.  In this way, they would not feel too great a difference and would not be hurt greatly.

She considered the psychological aspect of it and her thoughts were more complex.  To raise the three children, she used modern educational concepts and hoped to give them a happy childhood instead of sad memories.

“Our Guard Base has residences for family members and small courtyards are allocated according to our ranks.  If an application is submitted, I can be allocated a courtyard with two rooms and a living room but there’s no kitchen in the yard.”

There are many people in the Guard Base and soldiers patrol the place regularly, so there is no fear of break-ins.

Li Jing’er laughed at his simple thoughts.

“Didn’t you say that Madam Bai is very familiar with Lord Zhenfu’s soldiers?  If she instructs one or two soldiers to poison us or let outsiders come and leave at random, then wouldn’t I have truly walked right into the tiger’s den and fallen into someone’s trap to become a turtle in an urn?”

It was even more dangerous!

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingfeng felt slightly distressed and was frightened by this possibility.

“Alright, the agreed time is a year, you can’t go back on the deal.”

Chen Yulian is a malignant sore.  He has to find a way to remove it, otherwise, his wife and children will never be safe.

She looked at him and found it funny.

“Perhaps the person who goes back on the deal is you.  I’m not a good woman who obeys a man instantly.  I don’t have the qualities of gentleness and humility in me.”

He smiled at her and secretly held her hand when no one was looking.

“If you are not tenacious, you wouldn’t have survived until now.  I hope you will continue to live on and spend the rest of your life with me.”

Xiao Jingfeng’s words were very ordinary, unmoving, and even stiff………but somehow they touched Li Jin’ger’s heart and she was moved.

“In the future, if you can still remember these words, I’ll marry you.”

So what if there are top-notch members in his family?  If one really has the determination, why worry they can’t be dealt with?

In the past, she made up her mind to leave that family, so she allowed them to play tricks on her.  However, since she intends to live with this man now, she has to deal with them.

If one doesn’t do it, it doesn’t mean one can’t do it.   Can one die due to holding back one’s pee?

“How about the beginning of spring?  There are many auspicious days.”

After getting an inch, he wanted a mile.

A year……….after New Year it will be the next year………

Seek an opportunity.

Li Jing’er looked at him with a slight smile.

“One can’t eat hot tofu in haste.”

“I’m not afraid of burning my mouth.”  He was indeed in a hurry!   So much so that it had reached its peak!

Then she suddenly smiled.  “I feel afraid, alright?  I have a cat’s tongue.”  She can’t eat hot food.

“Jing Niang…….”

His chest heated up and his big hand that was holding hers could not help but tightened.  Her soft boneless little hand seemed to be scratching his heart and it made his heart itch unbearably.

“Practice restraint and don’t look at me with that kind of devouring gaze.”

His gaze made her legs so weak that she could hardly stand properly and it gave her a feeling like his hand was stroking her body up and down.

“I want to eat you.”  His mouth had turned dry.

“Hmph!  Use food to fill your sorrow!”

After she finished speaking, she pulled him into a teahouse with slightly red cheeks.  The teahouse serves food and drinks and it was nearly full with waiters shuttling between the tables serving the customers.

Li Jing’er was dressed like a woman from the mountain while Xiao Jingfeng was in military uniform.  When they walked in with two children who showed curiosity about everything around them and a little girl who was asleep, the family became very conspicuous in the teahouse.