Chapter 79: Chapter 37: What a Sin
"...First, Li Xuantong convened an alliance meeting with the Changshan Eighteen Strongholds. At the meeting, he beat every bandit chieftain into submission, bringing the eighteen strongholds under his command. Under his unified direction, they cut off the county’s reserve army supply line... He then personally led a group of experts on a night raid and burned the reserve army’s provisions... With morale collapsing, Li Xuantong launched a decisive attack..."
"The reserve army was utterly defeated... Now, the bandits’ forces are overwhelming, and they’ve already closed in on the County Town!" Third Lady explained in detail, an unshakable look of worry etched on her face.
"This is an absolute catastrophe!" Fang Rui took a deep breath.
He had no reason to doubt the accuracy of her report—Third Lady wouldn’t lie to him, and there would be no point. News like this couldn’t be suppressed; it was bound to spread sooner or later.
Fang Rui’s mind raced as he considered the chain reaction this would cause: ’First, the initial wave of the Official Army was defeated, and now the reserve army has been wiped out. Changshan County Town must be short on troops.’
’Keep conscripting soldiers? If the County Magistrate has a brain, he won’t do that... There’s no time for training, they’d just be a disorganized mob, and he’d have to worry about spies infiltrating their ranks...’
’The best solution would be to ask the prominent families to provide men. With the help of the city walls, they might stand a chance, but it would be a difficult fight...’
’In short, Changshan County Town is in grave danger!’
Fang Rui’s eyes flashed. ’Should I take Mother and my sister out of the city and head to the countryside? But it would be hard to carry enough food... Plus, if we ran into rogue soldiers, that would be even more dangerous!’
’Conversely, there’s still some basic order inside the city. With my Sixth Grade strength, as long as I don’t draw too much attention or get involved in any major trouble, I’ll have more than enough power to protect myself.’
’Even if the city falls, I won’t be afraid during the most chaotic period that follows...’
In chaotic times, strength was what mattered most. It was a good thing Fang Rui wasn’t one to bully others, as there was no chance of anyone bullying him.
As he rapidly processed all of this, his heart began to settle. He then looked at Third Lady and noticed she was lost in thought.
’Right. The reserve army was nearly wiped out, so that Military Leader must be gone, too. Without her backer, Third Sister’s situation is extremely precarious...’ Fang Rui thought to himself.
"Brother Rui, I want to be with you!" Third Lady said suddenly, looking at Fang Rui.
"Alright!"
In the past, Fang Rui might have hesitated, but now that he had broken through to the Sixth Grade, he no longer minded.
He was already responsible for Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Fang Ling, so taking in two more people wouldn’t be a problem. However...
"There are some things I need to make clear first..."
They both spoke at the same time.
"We’re on the same page. Brother Rui, let me go first! ’Be with you’—with your intelligence, Brother Rui, I’m sure you understand what those three words mean..."
A deep blush crept up Third Lady’s face, reaching all the way to her neck. "But before that, I have to tell you a few things first..."
She wasn’t a young girl anymore, so she couldn’t afford to be madly in love and throw all caution to the wind. Some things had to be made clear before anything happened between them, to prevent any future regrets.
"I’ve had a man in my life before—Nannan’s father. You know that..."
At her words, Fang Rui’s eyes flashed, and he looked as though he wanted to speak but held his tongue.
"Brother Rui, you’re thinking about that Military Leader, aren’t you? It’s a long story."
Third Lady elaborated, "That Military Leader was a distant relative of Nannan’s father... Of course, he didn’t help me with the best of intentions... I just never let him succeed..."
"That Military Leader was a bit henpecked. At first, I used my relationship with his wife to feign compliance with him... Later, using his position as a stepping stone, I befriended the families of many other military leaders. We partnered to run a few businesses, which became quite successful under my management..."
"The wine shop you know of, Brother Rui, is actually just the most visible one... Because the interests of many parties were entangled—with the Military Leader’s family holding the largest share—he didn’t dare to press me too hard."
"The source of this news is another Military Leader who escaped back here after the defeat. According to him, the reserve army was routed, and our particular Military Leader perished in the battle... However, the County Magistrate has currently ordered that the news be suppressed..."
"So that’s how it was," Fang Rui said with a nod.
Though Third Lady spoke of it casually, what she had managed to do was, in fact, incredibly difficult. The amount of intrigue and backstabbing involved was surely beyond count.
For Third Lady to have navigated such circumstances, playing all sides and protecting herself, she could truly be called a remarkable woman.
’No wonder Third Sister isn’t the least bit sad about the Military Leader’s death.’
’And Third Sister’s business acumen... In my past life, she would probably have been the female CEO of a large, publicly listed corporation.’
Fang Rui subconsciously imagined Third Lady’s full, curvy body, as succulent as a ripe peach, dressed in a form-fitting skirt and black stockings... Tsk, tsk!
As for Third Lady not being a virgin?
He didn’t really mind. After all, he was already mentally prepared for that. She had Nannan, so it wasn’t as if she’d found the child in some melodramatic, clichéd fashion.
In fact, hearing that Third Lady had no real relationship with the Military Leader was a pleasant surprise, much better than he had expected.
"By managing those businesses, I was able to gain some benefits myself. The reason my family has lived decently these past few years is all because of this..."
Third Lady continued, "The month before last, when the county’s reserve army left the city to suppress the bandits, most of the military leaders left. However, the network of relationships, held together by the businesses, was still in place and was able to protect Nannan and me... That’s why my household has been so secure these past days..."
"It’s just that, with the way things are in the city now... Brother Rui, you know..."
She gave a bitter smile. "All trades are withering. Those businesses were sold off one after another, and the web of connections I managed has gradually fallen to pieces..."
"Yes, it is."
Fang Rui sighed. "That’s just how things are. You can’t be blamed, Third Sister."
He knew it just by looking at his family’s Caozhi Hall. A single falling leaf signals the coming of autumn; one could well imagine the city’s current economic climate.
"Let’s get back to the matter of you and me!"
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