Chapter 168 He Danggui had a crush on Zhu Quan
He Danggui said with a smile, “You know that the jujubes are my trick on Madam Luo. As for the painting, it was drawn by an enemy. I hide it under the step stool beside my bed and trampled it every day to give vent to my anger.”
After hearing this, the two men were silent for a moment, and then Bai Yangbai enlightened her sincerely, “Girl, you are so young. Why do you have enemies? Don’t be blinded by hatred and then ignore the good things in the world. You should treat the people who have trampled on you with tolerance, and believe that they are virtuous and amiable. Actually, they just like to bully you. Ho-ho, who drew that picture? Do I know him? It’s useless for you to only trample on the painting. You should revenge back. I have many ways to trick people. Do you want to learn some from me? You can kowtow to me, and pay me 10 liang silver per method, which is cheap and good.”
In the distance, a similar thing happened between Qian Xi and Qian Shuixian. Qian Xi enlightened his daughter, “Shuixian, you are too young to backstab others. Certainly, you can’t backstab your family. Even if your legitimate mother is a bit domineering, your legitimate sister Mudan takes good care of you and she is always accompanying you. What’s more, what your legitimate mother did are for your sake. When you grow up, you will understand her. She is not as fierce as you think. Actually, she is very concerned about you. Therefore, you should remember their kindness to you and treat them with more tolerance!” Then Qian Xi turned his head to Guard Zhan and nodded, “Please cut off my daughter’s arm!”
Guard Zhan rushed up and waved his sword to cut. This action just happened in a moment. He Danggui didn’t expect that they discussed patiently for a long time, but executed quickly. It was too late to run forward to stop. When she wanted to shout “stop”, Meng Xuan beside her said, “leave it to me”. And in the next moment, the crescent-shaped sword made of fine iron in Guard Zhan’s hands had been broken, and become about 30 pieces of curly scrap iron. He could not cut off Qian Mudan’s arm anymore.
He Danggui asked in surprise, “What did you do?”
Meng Xuan showed her a few small steel balls in his hand and said, “These are the bullets used in the musket. I poured the gunpowder out. It is very easy to throw and convenient to carry. Do you want to learn this skill of throwing hidden weapons?”
He Danggui looked at him with envy and said with inferiority, “Maybe my hands are not suitable for throwing hidden weapons. I have practiced many skills, but I always missed the targets. I can’t even hit the bull’s eye within 10 zhang, so I can’t practice the masterstroke of throwing balls to break sword more than 100 zhang away like you in my whole life.”
Meng Xuan comforted her softly, “In fact, I practiced many times to acquire this skill. I remember that when I threw the darts for the first time, I practiced for several hours to reach half the level of my skill before (Bai Yangbai thought, “What did he say?”). You are clever. Even if you are a little clumsy occasionally, you are lovely and interesting. If you want to learn how to throw hidden weapons, I can stay in Yangzhou City for a few more days and teach you from the most basic skills of 3 fingers and snapping of the finger. When you acquire this skill, you can hit anyone who you are disgusting 100 zhang away.”
He Danggui was interested. However, she thought that she would show her utilitarian and insidious features to him immediately, so he would be angry and leave. How could he teach her kung fu again? Therefore, she lowered and shook her head gently, and said sadly, “I appreciate your kind offer. But, how can I waste your time teaching me, a stupid disciple?”
Meng Xuan seldom saw such a weak and sad girl. Now she was in the blooming age. She was daintier when showing such an expression, making others hardly tear themselves away from her. Meng Xuan sat closer and said with a smile, “It doesn’t matter how stupid a disciple is and how long I teach. The key point is that the payment for me should be more generous, so I can teach with motivation and teach you with your aptitude better.”
He Danggui wondered, “You are young and have no family burden. Why do you earn extra money like Bai Yangbai? Do you indulge in eating, drinking, gambling and frequenting the brothels?” Bai Yangbai protested, “I never go whoring!”
“I neither want the money nor go whoring.” Meng Xuan sat closer to her again, and lowered his voice a lot, “Actually...you are the first girl I kissed and the first girl I want to marry. Since you are not happy in Luo’s Family, why don’t you marry me? Since you are going to marry me, I...” Meng Xuan moved next to her and close to her head, “Is it reasonable that I want to advance part of tuition first?” Bai Yangbai nodded, “It’s reasonable. Girl, you should accept his proposal.”
He Danggui turned her body away. Although she had no intention of marrying Meng Xuan anymore, she couldn’t help having some obsessions and delusions. She sounded him out, “The first girl that you want to marry? Will you have a second and a third? Will you marry someone else later?”
Bai Yangbai picked his nose and thought, “Well, she asks Meng Xuan with the words that she had asked Duan Xiaolou. Even if she is a fairy and she can break through the shackles of family status and become the wife of a general, she can’t let her husband only marry her in his whole lifetime! Even though he is not polygamous and doesn’t like other girls, his mother, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, friends, superiors and subordinates would send some women to him. Got real, girl. This was the stark reality!
Meng Xuan didn’t expect that she would ask such a question. He didn’t know how to answer at that time, so he said honestly, “Well, I’m not sure.”
“Not sure?! I heard that Seventh Childe is very methodical. You like to make a thorough plan in advance to meet changes with constancy.” He Danggui raised her eyebrows slightly and asked with a smile, “Does Seventh Childe have a plan that how many wives and concubines do you want to marry in your life?”
Meng Xuan tilted his head, thinking for a moment, and then replied seriously, “I will marry 7 women. My father married 12 wives and concubines, except for those who were living outside. Besides, as an old saying goes, a man should have a polygamous marriage to continue the family line. You’re my first wife, and I’ll try to make you my wife. Of course, I will take you first in everything.”
Bai Yangbai was nervous when he heard their conversion. He pounded his thighs violently and broke 3 pieces of leg guards made of clay. The talks failed. The talks failed. She failed again!
At that time, Duan Xiaolou answered this question by saying that at present he only had a concubine named Lian and a fiancée Guan Yun, who was appointed by his mother. In addition, there were 2 waiting-maids that his mother chose for him, who should be promoted to a higher status in the future. Then plus He Danggui, he would have 5 wives and concubines. Duan Xiaolou found that He Danggui seemed to be unhappy after listening to this, so he immediately guaranteed that he would neither marry the sixth woman nor take any new woman in distress to his home. Moreover, when He Danggui had a son, he would make her to be the Junior Wife.
What a good thing! However, He Danggui was still unsatisfied after hearing this. Since then, she began to alienate Duan Xiaolou. After a few days, they had broken completely. Duan Xiaolou was so miserable that he drank wine and scratched the wall. Because of this, his hands were bloody. What a poor guy.
Even Bai Yangbai thought that it was not worth for Duan Xiaolou. Duan Xiaolou was not much worse than Quan, and he was simpler than the latter. Even if he secretly framed He Danggui and her non-relative younger brother, Xiaoyou, for a few times, he never really hurt her. He just wanted her to ask him for help. In this way, they could deal with the troubles and promote their relationship. However, Bai Yangbai didn’t know why when He Danggui knew the truth, she changed her attitude completely. She immediately alienated Duan Xiaolou and avoided him like the plague. Duan Xiaolou would just apologize humbly with a sad face. If this happened to Quan, he must poke her acupoints to carry her back to the room and sleep with her before she could react. Then she had no time to lose her temper.
The way for a man to live a better life was obvious when Bai Yangbai looked at Duan Xiaolou, who was in deep sorrow and Quan who was satisfied with his wives and concubines. Bai Yangbai went to persuade Duan Xiaolou to forget He Danggui and stop quarreling with his mother about breaking off the marriage with Guan’s Family, because He Danggui didn’t care about him at all. But Duan Xiaolou was like a stubborn cow who convinced that she didn’t marry him just because she couldn’t be his wife. As long as she could be his wife, she would change her mind and make up with him again. What a silly boy!
No one could live as comfortable and sober as Quan. As long as any official sent his daughter to him actively, he would take her. There were nearly 20 women. He couldn’t remember their names, so he directly numbered them from No. 1 to No. 17, ha-ha!
Quan just regarded women as women. When he needed them, he could let them serve him. When he didn’t need them, he would leave them in the mansion as beautiful flowers. He never cared about love. His most favored concubines were the kind of obedient and cute girls. Although Bai Yangbai didn’t know why these concubines looked a little like He Danggui, it might be that beautiful women looked very similar, ha-ha! Even the clothes on them were very similar with He Danggui. Their clothes were also mainly cyan and light blue. And there were only one or two small flowers on their head. However, those concubines were more obedient than a little sheep. They were different from He Danggui, who was as stubborn as a stone and hurt Duan Xiaolou’s heart constantly. And she gave Peng Jian and Luo Baiji a bloody nose.
Therefore, a man should either cherish life and stay away from beautiful women, or just like Quan, regard women as animals like cats and dogs. If he was happy, he would feed them, and if he was unhappy, put them back in the cage.
Now, He Danggui was attracted by his detached attitude and charm. Just hearing Quan’s name, she was so excited that she trembled from head to foot. As the saying goes, everything had its vanquisher. If Bai Yangbai didn’t have a private relationship with He Danggui, he really wanted to take her, the heartless girl who specially abused men, to Quan, and let Quan help to teach her. Then he took her to Duan Xiaolou to comfort his serious inner trauma!
Bai Yangbai thought Meng Xuan had given a wrong answer, so He Danggui would immediately show a cold face, break up with him, or shout at him, “My husband can only have one wife. He can’t sleep with other women all his life. Otherwise, there is no way to marry me! Don’t come and propose to me before you think about it clearly!”
But the terrible scene that Bai Yangbai imagined didn’t happen. He Danggui seemed to be attracted by the “wife” and “taking you first in everything” promised by Meng Xuan.
She thought for a moment with a smile and pointed out the irrationality, “It’s inappropriate. Even if Seventh Childe has a way to persuade your parents to allow me to be your wife, Seventh Childe has higher family status. Except that I will marry you through a special way, other wives and concubines of Seventh Childe and Seventh Childe’s brothers all have a higher status than me. How could the other wives and concubines of Seventh Childe be willing to be inferior to me? Besides, how could the wives of Seventh Childe’s brothers be willing to have the same status as me?”
Meng Xuan frowned and carefully thought about the question she asked. Then he immediately said with a smile, “Don’t worry. You are so smart and lovely. They will like you. My mother, the wife in charge of Meng’s Mansion, is easy-going. As long as you can please her, no one in Meng’s Mansion will look down on you. You should have confidence in yourself.”
He Danggui didn’t expect that Meng Xuan was such a layman in the family affairs although he lived two times, as if he had never lived in a mansion. As long as she behaved “cleverly”, would all women, including Meng Xuan’s other wives and concubines, like her? Ha-ha, Meng Xuan was indeed a general who grew up in the army. He had never married a wife or concubine. He didn’t know the family matters. He Danggui nodded smilingly and said, “It sounds that the atmosphere of Meng’s Mansion is much better than that in Luo’s Mansion. I really envy you. But you are so busy, so you must not live at home for a long time every year.”
Meng Xuan didn’t understand, “Why are you asking so detailed? Are you afraid that my wives and concubines will not get along well with you? You can rest assured. My family rules are very strict. It is stipulated in Instructions of Meng’s Family that the wives and concubines should not abuse, fight or persecute each other for their husband’s attentions. Those who violate the rules would be divorced. If other people bully you, I will help you. Besides, you are so smart, so who can bully you? You should have confidence in yourself.”
“Instructions of Meng’s Family?” He Danggui asked curiously, “Is it working? Who enforces the law?”
Meng Xuan nodded and said, “The Instructions of Meng’s Family is very effective, which includes 48 main rules, 256 detailed rules and more than 1,000 daily rules. In addition to my mother who is in charge of punishment according to family instructions, every master in Meng’s Family has the right to supervise. At the same time, they are also supervised by others. If they violate one of the most serious 12 rules, even the wife will be divorced. There can be exceptions to the wives and concubines who have children. However, they will be punished by demotion. There are also many kinds of physical punishment, such as tonsure, slap, clamping fingers, kneeling down for a long time, holding water on the head, or beating. Punishment corresponding to each mistake is stipulated in the family instructions.”
He Danggui sighed, “No wonder Meng’s Family is an aristocratic family. It has made a set of such admirable family instructions.”
Meng Xuan went to take her hand and said softly, “Therefore, we should have children as soon as possible after you marry me, so that you can get less punishment if you make mistakes. Since you like Instructions of Meng’s Family so much, I’ll go back and find one for you. You can read it several times before you marry me. When you marry into Meng’s Mansion, you will be more confident.”
Bai Yangbai burst out laughing, and then his tears came from laughing. He thought that Meng Xuan was so cute. Other childes used jewelry and love letters to court He Danggui, but he used a dagger and a book of family instructions. The dagger was for her self-defense so that other men couldn’t approach her. The book was for her to read, and let her be afraid of Meng’s Family before she got married. Besides, it was obvious that He Danggui hadn’t promised to marry him, but he had thought about their children, as if he was sure that she would marry him. By the way, what did they do in the bamboo grove just now? What gave him confidence...
It was said that the eyebrows of a virgin are smooth, and those women’s eyebrows, who were not a virgin, were messy. With the faint moonlight, Bai Yangbai looked at He Danggui and found that her eyebrows were smooth...
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