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Qin Ke gently reminded her, "Aunt Wu, I'm already married."
Having received a modern education, Qin Ke's belief in monogamy was deeply ingrained. He had never once considered taking another woman, nor had he imagined that someone would so openly try to persuade him to take a concubine.
"Oh my, my niece doesn't have high demands at all. And men having three wives and four concubines is perfectly normal. With such a large estate, you can surely afford to support a few more," Aunt Wu said dismissively.
Among ordinary villagers, it was rare for men to formally take concubines after marriage. At most, they might sneak around, largely because their poor circumstances made it impossible to support more people.
But among those with some status in the county town, who didn't have several wives and concubines? On top of that, frequenting brothels was common.
Of course, most ordinary families wouldn't willingly send their daughters to become concubines in wealthy households—but there were always families desperate enough to do so, hoping their daughters could support the family.
The family of Aunt Wu's niece was precisely such a case.
She believed most men were the same: once they had wealth and power, abandoning their first wives was commonplace. Besides, Lu Youqing's background wasn't exactly something worth mentioning at the table.
Qin Ke tugged at the corner of his mouth. When words don't align, there's no point in saying more. He spoke plainly, "Aunt Wu, there's no need to trouble yourself. My household is run by my wife. If your niece is struggling, she can go to Nanqiao—Nanqiao will arrange some work for her."
Aunt Wu's expression stiffened for a moment. She had never seen a man openly admit, in public no less, that he was afraid of his wife.
"Well… I still have things to take care of, so I'll be going now."
With that, Qin Ke turned and left, afraid she might grab him and keep talking endlessly.
Qin Ke thought this was nothing more than a small interruption and promptly forgot about it once he got home. Clearly, though, he underestimated Li Nanqiao's loyalty.
Of course, Li Nanqiao's loyalty was directed at Lu Youqing.
He had no idea how she had relayed the matter to his wife. During the day, Lu Youqing seemed perfectly normal—she ate the food he served her and responded to him as usual.
But that night, when he pushed at the locked bedroom door, Qin Ke froze.
"Wife?"
Standing at the door, Qin Ke glanced up at the sky. Remembering Li Nanqiao's guilty look earlier that afternoon, he ground his teeth—he was definitely docking her pay this month.
Lu Youqing sat at the edge of the bed, watching the figure at the door stand silently for a while before quietly leaving. She bit her lip—was she being too petty?
Qin Ke had refused without hesitation. He hadn't done anything wrong. Yet she still locked him out like this—was he angry now?
Her thoughts were in turmoil. One moment she felt sour that someone had tried to push another woman onto Qin Ke; the next she worried he might be upset. She scolded herself for being willful.
Just as she was about to get up and open the door, a soft rustling sound came from the window.
When someone closes one door on you, they will always leave another window open.
Thankfully, the weather wasn't cold yet, and the bedroom window was still ajar. With a wildflower clenched between his teeth, both hands gripping the window ledge, Qin Ke appeared.
Pei Xiu, who had gotten up in the night, saw the sneaky figure by the window and was momentarily speechless. It was her first time seeing the master of a household climb into his own room through the window. She glanced at the star-filled sky, pretended she saw nothing, and turned back to her room.
When Lu Youqing pushed open the window, this was the scene she saw.
Moonlight flowed like water, gently draping Qin Ke in a layer of silvery glow. He looked up at her, a radiant smile spreading across his face.
In the next instant, he offered her the faintly glowing wildflower from his mouth, his eyes clear and bright, steadfast yet gentle.
It was the pure, wholehearted affection of a young man.
Lu Youqing knew she would never forget this moment. The night was inky and dense, yet there stood someone like a star in the darkness, brimming with love, waiting outside her window just to make her smile.
Seeing her accept the flower, a subtle smile flickered across Qin Ke's face, like a tender peach blossom blooming in spring. Knowing she was no longer angry, he quickly climbed in through the window.
"There's a perfectly good door, yet you choose to climb through the window. What kind of behavior is that?" she scolded softly, her tone teasing rather than reproachful.
"If I didn't climb through the window, who knows when I'd be allowed back into my wife's room?" Qin Ke smiled as he stepped closer, closing the distance between them until there was none at all.
A faint blush bloomed on Lu Youqing's cheeks. She lowered her head, not daring to meet his intense gaze, the heat in it threatening to melt her.
As she felt her face grow warmer, she raised her hand to push him away slightly.
Seeing her ears tinged red, Qin Ke knew she was shy. Smiling, he lowered his head and kissed the tip of her delicate ear, making her shiver.
Wrapping his arms around her soft waist, he pulled her into his embrace and whispered a promise, "That kind of thing will never happen to me."
Lu Youqing knew exactly what he meant. She slowly relaxed against him. "You can do it today, and tomorrow—but who can guarantee the future?"
Her voice was so soft that Qin Ke had to concentrate to hear it.
Men had always been fickle. She had seen too many heartless, unfaithful men.
Her father had once cherished her mother deeply—yet in the blink of an eye, he fell in love with someone else.
Qin Ke understood that she lacked a sense of security. In an era where women held low status, their only reliance seemed to be the love of a father or husband—yet such love was so intangible.
It could vanish at any moment.
"Then when you pass the examination and become a licentiate with official status, people will call you Lord Lu," Qin Ke said, taking a different approach. "Perhaps one day, when your rank grows higher, others will carefully watch your expression before speaking."
If security from others was fleeting, then it was better to hold everything firmly in one's own hands.
Lu Youqing lowered her gaze in thought, clearly taking his words to heart.
Qin Ke had no idea he had just planted a rather dangerous seed. Her possessiveness quietly began to take root.
"And besides, wife, I don't have grand ambitions," Qin Ke continued. "I only want a peaceful life for the two of us—one heart, one person, growing old together."
"One heart, one person, growing old together?" Lu Youqing murmured, repeating his words.
"Yes. My heart is very small—it only has room for one person," Qin Ke nodded, then smiled. "You were jealous today. Honestly, that made me very happy."
…
Bonus Scene
Many years later, there were still people who refused to give up, trying to approach Qin Ke by sending women his way.
After Lu Youqing—now a second-rank official—learned of it, the very next day someone at court impeached him for poor household discipline, accusing his children of disturbing the people…
From that day on, no one dared send women to Qin Ke again. Even unmarried girls kept their distance, staying three paces away from him at all times.
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Currently at chapter 228 for advance chapters
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