"What does Madam want to do? Just say it. Why beat around the bush and arouse suspicion?"
Several guesses floated through Lu Zheng's mind during the short distance from the main yard to the guest yard. Finally, he was sure that she wanted something from him.
Lu Zheng didn't think that a woman he had only met once or twice would fall in love with him, especially since this madam had experienced too much. But she was still living peacefully. Naturally, she was an intelligent woman with a sharp mind. She couldn't be unaware of her "husband's" temperament.
An Cui's two sworn brothers were boorish men who were illiterate to begin with. They had all the strength in their bodies, but not the slightest literary knowledge.
To put it bluntly, they were bandits who didn't know what "etiquette" was.
The worst side of men was vividly displayed in them.
Whenever they saw a good-looking married woman, they would forcefully take her, never thinking that their behavior was wrong.
Their logic was also quite interesting.
Because the "married woman" was the spoils of war of the southern barbarians, they had saved this "spoils of war" from the southern barbarians. Therefore, they had the right to decide the "spoils of war". Whether they forcefully took her or bestowed it to someone else, it was a matter of course.
Lu Zheng thought that this logic was wrong, but it was precisely the law of chaotic times.
The strong had the right to freely distribute resources. Ants didn't have the right to be free.
However —
Although they were ants, they also had the right to struggle.
As soon as Lu Zheng finished speaking, the two entered the guest yard. The madam turned around and bowed to him.
"Madam, are you forcing me?"
Was she trying to force a duck onto a perch, or was this moral coercion?
"I do have a request. But … I have no intention of forcing you. "
Lu Zheng frowned slightly. He wasn't afraid of trouble, but he wouldn't accept anyone's trouble. It wasn't like he was overflowing with kindness and had nowhere to vent it.
"Madam, why don't you tell me first. If I can help, I will naturally help. If not, you don't have to make this trip."
Lu Zheng didn't say anything definite, which could be considered as giving her a glimmer of hope.
She waved her hand at the door that separated the outer and inner rooms of the guest courtyard. The simple door was opened, revealing a shy face. Lu Zheng furrowed his brows and took a look. With his sharp eyes, he discovered that the handsome manservant with a red face and white teeth was a girl. She was not tall and her body was very skinny. Only her face was extremely beautiful. If she was properly nourished and her facial features developed, she would definitely be a beauty that could topple cities.
"Madam, this is …"
"Come here, quickly greet the teacher." The madam waved at the child and pulled him, "To tell you the truth, this child was born from my late husband and me. Back then, during the disaster of the Southern Barbarians, my late husband's family migrated, but they encountered an accident and unfortunately died. In order to avoid disaster, this servant had no choice but to hide the child and lead the Southern Barbarian bandits away by myself … Later … Later I met this person, this servant then brought the child back. It's just that he's a very hot-tempered person. Whenever there's even the slightest sign of trouble, he'll get angry. Your servant had no choice but to lie and say that the child is my niece's son. In order to keep the blood of her mother's family, she wanted to keep them by her side so that they could eat. In the past few years, she was fine, but as the child grew older, her face became like this servant's. Recently, it has become even more so … Therefore … I had no choice but to find a way out for her … "
Lu Zheng was very smart. He knew what the madam had encountered the moment he heard this. A trace of disgust flashed in the depths of his eyes.
According to the madam, when her husband had just met with misfortune in the morning, she had been abducted by the Southern Barbarians. Halfway through, she had been rescued by An Cui's sworn brother, who had forcefully brought her back to his tent. In the face of these encounters, she had persevered and survived to raise her daughter. She had never expected that her daughter's appearance, which had inherited her and her late husband's merits, was even better than her own. As she grew older, An Cui's sworn brother had actually taken a liking to her.
"How old is she?"
The madam said, "She's already in her golden years."
"Twelve?"
Lu Zheng was very shocked. The skinny girl in front of him looked at most nine or ten years old.
Looking at her skinny appearance, her eyes seemed especially large, and her hair was yellow and sparse.
However, beauty was in her bones, not in her skin. Even so, she was still outstanding.
The madam smiled bitterly and said, "Two years ago, when he saw this child, he had designs on her. However, he was too young and immature, so he didn't make a move. My late husband only had this little bit of flesh and blood left. How could he make her come this far? For the past two years, he could only think of ways to treat her harshly. She lacked clothes and food. If not for his reluctance, he might have even disfigured her … Mother and daughter are connected by heart. How could I have wanted this? "
Lu Zheng said, "What do you plan to do?"
The madam said, "Please take her, Sir."
Lu Zheng almost choked on his own saliva.
The madam's words were too ambiguous.
The madam also knew that she had said something wrong. She explained, "I know that Sir already has a family … If you are interested, you can take her as a concubine. If you are kind, you can take her as your adopted daughter. In the future, her marriage will depend on her luck. She won't be a hindrance to Sir. "
Lu Zheng said, "Madam, you really think highly of me."
The madam said, "After seeing that beast's evil heart, no matter how bad Sir is, he's still better than him."
The more time passed, the more flustered she became. Today, Lu Zheng came to visit, so she couldn't care so much.
If she missed Lu Zheng, her daughter's future would really be ruined.
Lu Zheng thought about it again and again and finally agreed to help.
He took the opportunity when An Cui's sworn brother was drunk to say that he had his eyes on one of the servants in his residence and wanted to take one.
In this era, giving each other concubines was a good thing to say, let alone taking a servant.
The other party was very drunk and agreed in a daze.
When Lu Zheng left, the girl turned to look at the madam, but the corners of her eyes were filled with doubt and hatred.
"What's your name?"
Lu Zheng threw his cloak to her to protect her from the wind and cold.
"This servant's surname is Kang, and my nickname is Xintong."
Lu Zheng asked, "Do you know your mother's intentions?"
He noticed that the girl's straw sandals were broken, and her exposed toes were blue from the cold. Her hands were also frostbitten, and her little face was purple from the wind. As intelligent as he was, he naturally saw the hatred in the girl's eyes — it also made him feel frightened.
That hatred was about to materialize.
The girl was silent for a long time, as if she didn't know how to answer this question. After a while, she said, "This servant thought … she was afraid that this servant would steal her husband, so she abused me in every possible way … Now, with just a few words, she has become a virtuous and loving mother. Forgive this servant for not being able to agree …"
Lu Zheng listened to the girl's eloquent words, which were completely different from her previous timid appearance. It was an eye-opener for him.
This wasn't a timid cub, with sharp claws hidden under its meaty pads.
"Then do you think that she sent you to me to stop you from stealing her favor?"
"She harshly abused me every day, but now she says it's for my own good. Is there such a good thing in the world?" The girl said, "After father died, I didn't see her grieve for a single day. On that day, she went to another man's bed … This servant doesn't know, is this considered a good wife and mother?"
Lu Zheng shook his head.
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