Chapter 70

After listening to Pan Jinlian's words, Zhang Jie summarized:

"So, you saw that she was very pitiful, so you planned to let her come to our house as a maid?"

"Yes."

Pan Jinlian nodded repeatedly, while giving Yan Poxi a look.

"Your servant Yan Poxi, lonely and helpless, hopes the Young Master will take me in."

Yan Poxi, who understood, bent her knees in a slight bow and said pitifully.

"Hmm..."

Zhang Jie tapped the table.

His family business was vast; let alone raising another maid, even ten or

twenty would not be a problem, but Yan Poxi is a double-crosser!

If he takes her in now, what if she stabs him in the back later?

Fire in the backyard or disaster from within the walls is not acceptable.

"Jinlian..."

Zhang Jie prepared to give Yan Poxi some money and send her away.

Plop~

Yan Poxi, who was good at reading people, plopped to her knees on the ground and cried like a pear blossom in the rain:

"My father is dead, my mother is old, and our family is poor,

I hope the Young Master can give us mother and child a bite to eat."

Saying this, she was about to kowtow.

"Young Master, just keep her."

Pan Jinlian shook Zhang Jie's arm and acted like a spoiled child.

"Young Master..."

Wu Song's eyes also revealed unbearable pity.

Winter was coming soon; if Zhang Jie didn't take her in, then Yan Poxi and her mother would either freeze to death in the winter,

or be forced into the flower streets and willow alleys, living a life worse than death.

Lady Wang, who was on the side and found it inappropriate to interrupt because it was Zhang Jie's family business, also looked at him with hopeful eyes.

Compared to the wealthy Zhang Jie, even if her husband passed the provincial examination,

he was quite strapped for cash because he didn't accept donations,

and raising two little ones was already quite difficult, making it hard to support another mouth.

Imperial examination fame can reduce a lot of land tax, so farmers with land often hope

to entrust their land to the name of a provincial graduate to reduce taxes, which is called donation.

Of course, farmers also have to take a portion of the reduced taxes and give it to the provincial graduate.

"This... just keep her for now."

Seeing everyone's attitude, Zhang Jie had no choice but to keep Yan Poxi for now.

And he didn't believe that he, a cheater, couldn't subdue a mere Yan Poxi.

Thinking that way just now was just because he didn't want to waste energy.

"Yay~"

Pan Jinlian, who had always been pampered by Zhang Jie, was so happy she almost jumped up.

Seeing Pan Jinlian so lively, Yan Poxi and Lady Wang had strange expressions.

Where is this master and servant?

It's no different between husband and wife.

Wu Song, on the other hand, looked normal: Zhang Jie had always been this easygoing,

and a large part of why he was willing to follow Zhang Jie was because of this.

He, who loved freedom by nature, couldn't stand someone who was moody.

"Poxi thanks the Young Master."

Yan Poxi, who had come to her senses, bowed again.

"You will follow Jinlian from now on and listen to her instructions."

Zhang Jie made the arrangements.

"Yes."

Yan Poxi replied, rose gracefully, and stood behind Pan Jinlian.

"Eh? Where is my husband?"

At this time, Lady Wang, who was eating melon, thought of her husband Chen Wenyun.

When they went out, Chen Wenyun was discussing the classics with Zhang Jie.

Now Zhang Jie is here drinking tea, but her husband is nowhere to be found.

"Brother Chen had some insights while reading, and is now thinking in the study."

Zhang Jie casually found an excuse.

Rebellion, slandering sages, etc., naturally the fewer people who know, the better.

He hadn't even told Wu Song or Pan Jinlian yet, and had only revealed it to Chen Wenyun alone.

This is also one of the reasons why Zhang Jie is fearless:

Even if Chen Wenyun went to report him, there is neither physical evidence nor witnesses.

Who would believe that he, Zhang Jie, a dignified top provincial graduate with a bright future, was actually thinking about rebellion?

Elder Yan has a good saying:

"Since ancient times, those who rebel are farmers."

Lady Wang believed it as soon as she heard it, after all, the friendship between Zhang Jie and Chen Wenyun was there.

In the evening, it was time for dinner.

"Li'er, go call your father for dinner."

Lady Wang, who was wearing an apron and busy between the stove and pots, ordered Chen Li.

And Pan Jinlian and Yan Poxi were helping her on the side.

Zhang Jie had the intention to help, but Lady Wang and the others insisted on "the gentleman stays away from the kitchen" and wouldn't let Zhang Jie help.

Seeing them so insistent, Zhang Jie had to give up.

"Okay, Mother."

Chen Li's little face was full of seriousness from receiving an important task.

As Lady Wang set the food on the dining table, Chen Li also returned.

"Mother, Father said he doesn't want to eat, let us eat by ourselves."

Chen Li reported.

'Brother Wenyun is afraid he doesn't want to see me.'

Zhang Jie smiled in his heart and had some guesses about Chen Wenyun's thoughts.

Chen Wenyun might not have failed to see the decay of the Great Song in the past,

it was just that the worldview he had formed all along made him subconsciously ignore these things.

But today, Zhang Jie tore off the fig leaf of the sage's books, forcing him to face the cruel reality.

Contradictory and conflicted in his heart, toward Zhang Jie, this "black hand,"

this potential rebel, his mood was naturally very complicated.

He was afraid he hadn't figured out how to face Zhang Jie yet.

"This..."

Lady Wang, hearing Chen Li's report, couldn't help but frown.

Chen Wenyun is the head of the family, and Zhang Jie and the others are guests,

for the guests to be here while the host is not, this is very rude.

If it were someone narrow-minded, they would probably hold a grudge.

With Zhang Jie's character, he naturally wouldn't be like that, but Chen Wenyun couldn't be so rude either.

Lady Wang immediately went to the study to "invite" Chen Wenyun:

"Uncle Zhang, Uncle Wu, Sister Jinlian, Miss Poxi,

please take your seats first, I'll go call my husband."

"Sister-in-law, it's a good thing that Brother Chen has had some insights; such a good opportunity is hard to find,

let's not disturb him, it's fine for us to eat first."

Zhang Jie said indifferently.

"Sister-in-law, we all know Brother Chen's character, so there's no need to be so formal."

The free-spirited Wu Song echoed Zhang Jie.

"This..."

"Thank you both uncles for your understanding."

Lady Wang bowed and said gratefully.

At night, sounds of weeping and pleading rose in the room where Zhang Jie lived.

"It's so bad, Young Master, how do you know so many tricks?"

Once the battle ended, Pan Jinlian, whose body was weak and powerless, lay on Zhang Jie's chest and complained.

'In books, there are golden houses; in books, there are faces like jade.

Knowledge is power, knowledge is posture.'

Zhang Jie smiled mysteriously:

"Hehe, Jinlian, don't you like it?"

"Your servant, your servant..."

Pan Jinlian thought of the pleasure that felt like going to heaven just now, and couldn't help but blush.

Just as Zhang Jie was about to end tonight's exercise, Pan Jinlian suddenly whispered:

"Young Master, what do you think of Poxi?"

'Yan Poxi~'

Zhang Jie thought of the beautiful and lovely Yan Poxi and couldn't help but sigh in his heart:

'Yan Poxi is stupid, but quite beautiful.'

Of course, Zhang Jie, who has emotional intelligence, wouldn't praise another woman's beauty in front of one woman.

After pondering for a while, he said casually: "Poxi should be quite good, right?"

"Young Master, since Poxi is quite good, then Young Master, you should take her."

Pan Jinlian stared into Zhang Jie's eyes and said.

"Ah?"

Now it was Zhang Jie's turn to be surprised.

Since when do women take the initiative to find concubines for their husbands?

Shouldn't a woman's second name be jealousy?

"Young Master, Young Master, you are too strong, I am completely no match for you."

Pan Jinlian stammered out her reason.

She knew Zhang Jie had been restraining himself all these days, otherwise she was afraid she wouldn't be able to get out of bed.

She didn't want Zhang Jie to be uncomfortable, and in the Great Song,

a woman who cannot satisfy her husband is a failure.

Although this reason was very sufficient, Zhang Jie still heard some insincerity.

He held Pan Jinlian's pretty face and asked seriously:

"Jinlian, tell me the truth."

"Young Master, I..."

Seeing Zhang Jie so serious, Pan Jinlian finally couldn't make it up anymore.

If there wasn't a real difficulty, how would a woman be willing to share her man with other women?

"Tell me, we'll face the problems together." Zhang Jie encouraged.

"Young Master, it's been so many days, and there's still no movement in my belly.

I, I have failed the Master, I have failed the ancestors of the Zhang family."

Pan Jinlian sobbed and said intermittently.

"So that's it."

Zhang Jie suddenly realized.

So Pan Jinlian was so sad because of the issue of offspring.

However, as a transmigrator, he had somewhat neglected this aspect.

21st-century data tells him that having no descendants is the norm,

and as the Foolish Old Man said, "descendants without end" is actually difficult.

Plus, with a golden finger, Zhang Jie felt he had hope for longevity,

so he didn't care much about the issue of offspring and subconsciously ignored this problem.

After all, only short-lived species need offspring to pass on their bloodline, philosophy, and life imprint,

while the long-lived can sit and watch the rise and fall of dynasties and the changing of the seas.

Moreover, sometimes the long-lived often have to clean up the mess for their incompetent descendants, or even be implicated to death.

Don't you see so many transmigrator protagonists always hit the small ones, and the old ones come;

hit the old ones, and the older ones come; hit the older ones,

and the even older ones come, focusing on the ancestors without end.

And the result is that the protagonist sends the whole family to the west.

Not every ancestor can be like Luo Feng in "Swallowed Star,"

who can ruthlessly kill his criminal descendants.