Chapter 349: The Lord's Entwined Affection

To be honest, Du Shanü fears neither heaven nor earth......

The only thing she fears is an unsettled household.

The turmoil in the inner quarters would make even an immortal turn soft-boned.

Moreover, Du Shanü is not an immortal.

Damn it.

She is clearly just saying, saying!

How did she end up being called an oath-breaker by Afang!

This, this really is something nobody can use, right?

Afang won't let others use it; is she planning to lead troops into battle herself?

Du Shanü felt a bit stifled, but she didn't dare show it too obviously, merely muttering:

"Afang, you're overthinking...... The child in my womb belongs to Chinu; no one can surpass Chinu."

What Du Shanü meant by saying that was actually to tell her own Afang——

Even if Yu Lve came and took command of the Zhoufu's troops, in her heart he is still far from being comparable to Chinu.

They are the bedside companions, the ones with whom she can share her innermost thoughts.

Besides, they are blood-related, and this child in her womb is her firstborn; no matter how she looks at it, she cannot abandon them.

However, Chen Weifang, with just a single sentence, left Du Shanü speechless.

Chen Weifang frowned, gave Du Shanü a meaningful look, then spoke:

"My lord, even if you promise a future as splendid as brocade, it cannot change the fact that the Young Emperor is your husband."

"You have never given Chinu any title in public; in other words, if Chinu were a woman, she would only have the status of a concubine to this day."

"Have you ever heard of someone setting up an external concubine and then having the legitimate wife's brother move in to live with that concubine?"

Isn't that utter chaos?

Especially now, at the time when the Wise Lord is about to give birth, this requires particular attention.

Today the Young Emperor comes, tomorrow Yu Lve comes, and the day after that everyone in Cang Cheng will move here.

Those people originally looked down on Chinu's background; once the child is born, if they turn the tables, they might want to register the child under the Young Emperor's name.

He is not like Chinu, entangled by affection; for the sake of giving the child a good status, he could even be foolish enough to refuse to acknowledge the child.

Shared honor, shared loss.

He will surely contend for glory or ruin amidst the crowd; that is Chen Weifang's temperament.

Throughout history, children born of concubines or external consorts being recorded under the legitimate wife's name have been as numerous as cow hairs.

But he will never let anyone from Cang Cheng lay a hand on that child.

Absolutely, certainly, he will not let anyone give Chinu any face again!

If there is no commander, then go find one; no matter what, we cannot let those people enter the Zhoufu!

"Since we've brought this up, my lord might as well hear me speak more plainly——"

Chen Weifang gathered his focus, rose, and used a taper to light each wick, burning the lamps to extend the day:

"Now the Young Emperor and Chinu have not seen each other for a long time; there is still old affection to continue, but if outsiders stir things up, the present tranquility may not last."

"Rather than letting the two sides spend a long time together and breed resentment, it is better to let the Young Emperor stay here a few days, then send him back to Cang Cheng early; that is the long-term plan."

Not only does he not want people to come, he also wants to send them away as soon as possible.

That is Chen Weifang's attitude.

His appearance is pure and elegant, but his disposition is resolute; once he makes a decision, even Du Shanü, the Wise Lord, finds it hard to change.

Du Shanü remained silent for a long time, did not directly answer, merely gave a bitter half-laugh, then murmured:

"When I used to read storybooks, I couldn't understand what those concubines were fighting over, nor why the lord wouldn't clean up household affairs...... But now I see, it's actually not without reason."

She now has two husbands, and the rear courtyard is constantly hovering on the brink of fire......

If the inner palace truly had three thousand beauties, they would have already chewed her up and torn her apart.

Du Shanü's head ached terribly; Chen Weifang had finished lighting the lamps in the room, and as he returned to her side with candle in hand, upon hearing that, he softly asked again:

"If you had only one husband, whom would you want to keep?"

That question is a down-to-earth trap; Du Shanü would naturally not fall into it.

Du Shanü pretended to think seriously for a few breaths, did not choose between the two dead ends, and merely answered:

"Perhaps I would choose our Afang."

Afang has good looks, talent, and a distinctive temperament.

She has no parents in her family, she is older, and although she will be looked after, she will surely die early, so she cannot be looked after for long......

In short, she has advantages everywhere.

Chen Weifang heard this, was stunned for a moment, then after a while set the candle holder on the table:

"...... My lord is joking."

Du Shanü did not deny it, simply stood up straight and walked out, taking a few steps before glancing back at Chen Weifang.

Chen Weifang, confident he understood the Wise Lord's thoughts, immediately replied:

"As for finding a commander, my lord need not worry; I will certainly do my utmost. If any major matter arises during the period, we can simply rely on Liu Ji's two prior promises to tide us over."

"As for the Young Emperor, as long as he does not cause trouble or bully Chinu, keeping him for a month or two is also not a problem......"

This is telling Du Shanü that tolerating the other side for at most two months is his bottom line.

Not only would he dare say this in front of Du Shanü, even in front of Chinu, Chen Weifang would say the same.

Even when saying this in private, it would sound even harsher.

Before, he even encouraged Chinu to strive forward, expending thought to compete with the Young Emperor......

It's just that Chinu didn't hear it, so he simply didn't know.

Chinu seems arrogant, but he is actually extremely insecure.

All along, though he was utterly unwilling, Chinu remained steadfast; as long as the Young Emperor stood there, there would be endless favoritism......

And he is destined to never match the Young Emperor.

Such thoughts cannot be changed in a day or two, and words cannot easily drive a wedge between Chinu and the Young Emperor.

We can only wait for the future......

Chen Weifang was pondering, and for a moment he didn't notice his Wise Lord's gaze.

Thus, when Du Shanü spoke those words, he took a good while to react.

Du Shanü smiled and glanced several times at the beautiful snake before her, whose charm remained, and said——

"Not wanting to say these."

"I want to say, Afang, with such looks, if she wore the black gauze cap and embroidered robe, she would be utterly wonderful."

"In the future, if you still want to get something for yourself, you need not go through me; just go pick...... Our Afang deserves all good things."

There was no reproach, nor any scolding.

Moreover, he did not expose Chen Weifang's little thoughts that he tried to hide but couldn't.

Du Shanü merely said, if Afang wore the black gauze cap and embroidered robe, she would certainly look very beautiful.

Du Shanü merely said, Afang can freely acquire things, and is even more deserving of all good things.

This night is not clear, all things are obscure.

Chen Weifang stood in place for a long time, so long that he didn't know when another silhouette would leave, so long that several lamp wicks burned out, before he barely realized what he had actually heard——

The humiliations of past days are long gone, and now, on a certain night of burning lamps to extend daylight......

Someone told him, he is also quite special.

?? Actually, recently I've been plagued by illness, and I've only been able to keep updating by persevering.

I'm feeling really unwell today and can't keep up, which is why I'm so late. I hope everyone can be more understanding. I'm really sorry.

I'm updating now, but I might be late again tomorrow. Sorry again.