Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 26 A clear conscience
Upon learning that the wealthy family in Hedong was going to return the grain and fodder they had borrowed over the years, Xie Zuan was overjoyed. If it weren't for the fact that Shi Shouxin was already married, and that Shi Shouxin was Li Yin's beloved daughter, he would have wanted to take Shi Shouxin as his son-in-law.

Shi Shouxin did him a huge favor this time, so huge that he was grateful without ever having to say thank you.

Xie Zuan said that if he ever needed his help in the future, he should just ask. He would do his best to help with anything he could. His words, though not definitively, indicated his intention to repay the favor sincerely.

Shi Shouxin hummed a little tune as he left Anyi and headed north to Wenxi County.

Lu Xun was the magistrate of Wenxi County. He had gone to deliver the recruitment notice from the General's Mansion to him, and after delivering it, he returned home.

This was a simple task; Shi Shouxin didn't need to do anything, just hand the documents to Lü Xun. Whether or not the other party went to work at Sima Zhao's General's Mansion was none of Shi Shouxin's concern.

A day later, Shi Shouxin arrived at the Wenxi County government office with his greyhound. After introducing himself, he learned that Lü Xun had already gone home to rest!

Generally speaking, the county magistrate's residence was located in the backyard of the county government office. Since none of the county magistrates were locals, there was no question of whether they went home or not; their accommodation was arranged at the county government office.

But the conditions at the county government office were so rudimentary; with each change of county magistrate, the buildings changed owners. Given a choice, who would want to stay in such a "guesthouse"?

Therefore, many county magistrates from prominent families would own a residence in the local area. After going to and from get off work each day, they would return to their own homes and enjoy themselves without having to worry about the gazes of their colleagues in the county government.

Lü Xun was such a person. He came from a wealthy family and had a large mansion in Wenxi County.

Shi Shouxin then went to Lü Xun's residence, only to find that it was not a temporary residence at all, but rather a property owned by a local tycoon that had been seized by Lü Xun.

From the outside, it looks like blue bricks and black tiles. After being led through the door by servants, you'll find pavilions and towers inside, which are quite grand!

"Oh my, oh my, it's Shi Gandang! What an honor to have you here! Please, please come in!"

At the entrance of the lobby, a middle-aged man strode forward and tightly grasped Shi Shouxin's hands, as if they were very familiar with each other.

"I wonder if you are..."

Shi Shouxin was a little taken aback and tentatively asked, "The other party seems to be overly enthusiastic."

"Look at my memory! I am Lü Xun. Two years ago, I attended your wedding banquet at your residence."

Back then, I was a colleague of your father-in-law; we both worked at the General's Mansion.

With a smile on his face, Lü Xun, a middle-aged man, looked very refined and gentle, giving people a warm and welcoming feeling.

The two entered the hall and took their seats. Lü Xun immediately ordered his servants to serve the best wine, and he and Shi Shouxin drank heartily, their enthusiasm as if they were old friends who had known each other for many years.

Lu Xun was not familiar with Shi Shouxin, but he was very familiar with his father-in-law Li Yin, and he knew Li Yin's abilities and temperament well.

Shi Shouxin pulled the recruitment document from his sleeve and handed it to Lü Xun. He smiled and didn't say a word. In fact, it was easy to understand why Lü Xun was so enthusiastic towards this guy who was practically a stranger to him.

Li Yin has just been appointed as the Imperial Censor. There is no such thing as love without a reason in this world; everything is driven by self-interest.

"I am overjoyed at the General's invitation."

After reading the recruitment document, Lü Xun burst into laughter, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

He had achieved considerable success in Wenxi County over the past two years; at least, Lü Xun believed he had done his utmost. His recall to the General's Mansion by Sima Zhao was a direct result of his efforts over the past two years.

It was also related to the broader context of the campaign against Shu.

With war imminent, Sima Zhao clearly needed to recall his own people to stabilize the situation.

“I hit it off with Gan Dang at first sight. Since it’s getting late, I think we can stay here tonight and return to Luoyang tomorrow.”

I've heard your wife is well-educated and reasonable; I doubt she'd be upset about a one-day delay in her schedule, hahaha!

Lu Xun teased, extending a warm invitation to Shi Shouxin to stay, his words quite pleasant to the ear.

Looking at the sky, it would be night in another hour or two, and now was indeed not a good time to leave Wenxi County. Traveling at night in the middle of nowhere was extremely dangerous.

Since Lü Xun had shown friendliness and enthusiasm, and he needed a favor from his father-in-law Li Yin, it was naturally difficult to refuse.

Shi Shouxin bowed and said, "Then I, Shi, will accept your offer without being too polite. By the way, I came to Hedong to deliver a letter of appointment to Ji Kang, but I heard that he has already moved away. I wonder if Lord Lü knows where he has moved to?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Xun laughed heartily and nodded, saying, "Ji Kang is a good friend of mine. Last time, when Zhong Hui invited him to serve in the government, he resolutely refused and was afraid of being harassed, so he moved his whole family to Shanyang County, which is not far from Luoyang. I dare say that he took a wrong turn this time."

"I see. He made Mr. Shi search for him for a long time."

Shi Shouxin smiled wryly, and the two clinked glasses and took a sip of wine.

"Come, come, let me arrange a room for you. Please follow me."

Lu Xun personally led Shi Shouxin to his own side room, which was indeed elegantly and tastefully furnished, far superior to the guest rooms in the post station.

The calligraphy and paintings on the wall, and the exquisite flower arrangements, all show that Lü Xun is a person with great taste.

"Thank you, Lord Lü. This guest room couldn't be better."

Shi Shouxin was very satisfied with Lü Xun's arrangements; it was clear that this host had put a lot of thought into entertaining his guests.

After nightfall, Lü Xun invited Shi Shouxin to dinner. Also present at the table were his younger brother Lü An and Lü An's... newlywed wife, Xu.

This Xu woman was exceptionally beautiful, especially her large breasts, which bulged out of her clothes. Although her face wasn't as lively and playful as Li Wan's, she looked obedient and charming.

Especially her cherry-like lips, paired with her fair complexion, made one want to taste them. She wore a loose-fitting ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), so her figure was unclear, but her proportions subtly revealed a slender and graceful physique.

Her waistline is definitely not too bad.

Lu Xun's gaze frequently swept over Xu Shi, a hint of greed flickering in his eyes. His younger brother, Lu An, was completely oblivious, but Shi Shouxin saw it all clearly, though he remained silent, preoccupied with drinking and eating.

The older brother has some feelings for his younger brother's wife, which could lead to trouble, but it's a family matter and has nothing to do with me.

Shi Shouxin only cared about his own woman and didn't care about other people's absurd affairs.

Soon, Lü An and Madam Xu, both quite drunk, slumped onto the table and fell asleep. Lü Xun instructed his servants to help the newlyweds leave the banquet.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Lü An had left, Lü Xun was still very talkative, chatting with Shi Shouxin about everything under the sun, and the two had a very pleasant conversation. While Mr. and Mrs. Lü An were present, Shi Shouxin had been somewhat reserved, but after they left, he felt comfortable sharing some of the interesting things he knew with Lü Xun.

They chatted until it was completely dark, then Lü Xun helped Shi Shouxin to the guest room, laughing and talking all the way.

The two entered the elegant guest room arranged for Shi Shouxin, and Lü Xun quickly closed the door.

Suddenly, Shi Shouxin saw a woman lying on the bed in the dim light of the oil lamp! It was none other than Xu Shi, Lü An's newlywed wife!
At this moment, Xu Shi had already been stripped naked. The light green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and the short jacket she wore during the banquet were thrown aside, and the red bodice was still on the bedside table. She was covered with a thin blanket, and her fair and rounded shoulders were exposed, making one's heart flutter.

Seeing this, Shi Shouxin's drunkenness vanished instantly! He was about to turn and leave when Lü Xun grabbed his shoulder.

"Shi Gongtai, we hit it off immediately."

Why don't we have Xu serve you well tonight, and tomorrow my brother will write a letter of divorce?

You can take her wherever you want; it's your decision. A spring night like this is a rare treat; don't waste the beauty's time."

Lü Xun leaned close to Shi Shouxin's ear and chuckled.

"She's your brother's wife...isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Shi Shouxin felt his confidence sink to the bottom, secretly lamenting his predicament, and casually asked a perfunctory question.

“I dare say that. Xu is quite beautiful and outstanding. My brother cannot hold onto her and will eventually be taken away by the powerful and wealthy. Only someone as outstanding as you can keep her in check.”

You don't need to worry about this. My brother will bring the letter of divorce tomorrow, and no one will disturb you at night.

If you ever become rich and powerful in the future, and have a beautiful woman in your arms, please don't forget that I, Lü, have helped you achieve your goal today. I saw the longing in your eyes as you stared at Madam Xu during the banquet today.

Don't refuse, don't refuse.

Lu Xun subtly and persuasively said.

Upon hearing this, Shi Shouxin bowed respectfully to Lü Xun without saying a word.

The latter finally smiled, then quietly left the room. He then instructed his servants to guard the door and not allow anyone to disturb Shi Shouxin. Even the little dog was stopped from coming in.

Shi Shouxin sat down on the edge of the bed, looked at Xu Shi who had already been drugged and unconscious, and couldn't help but sigh. He felt extremely nauseous, as if he had swallowed a plate of flies.

"The human heart can be so treacherous and dark; it is truly chilling."

"In the past two years, I've only associated with gentlemen. Even Sima Yan only used words, not fists. I never expected that once we were outside, I would fall into his trap so easily."

Shi Shouxin shook his head and sighed, inwardly cursing himself for being too complacent. The smooth progress in handling the Hedong military supplies had lowered his guard.

He thought it was just a simple delivery task, and what could possibly go wrong with such a trivial matter? He had no grudge against Lü Xun.

I never expected such a strange thing to happen.

Shi Shouxin sat on the edge of the bed and pondered for a moment, then shook Xu Shi, who was lying on the bed. He saw that she had been drugged and could not be woken up no matter how he shook her. Shi Shouxin paced back and forth in the room, and finally, fearing he might alert the enemy, he blew out the oil lamp.

Outside the room, Lü Xun saw that the oil lamp in Shi Shouxin's house had gone out and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Shi had only arrived here two days ago, and Lü Xun had been thinking about her constantly. The first time he saw her, he wanted to get his hands on this beauty and couldn't wait to take her to bed and pamper her.

However, Shi Shouxin's sudden arrival made him change his mind.

Shi Shouxin was Li Yin's son-in-law. Li Yin was the Censor-in-Chief, responsible for maintaining discipline among officials. He held a high position and wielded great power, making it very worthwhile to befriend him.

After Shi Shouxin slept with Xu, they became allies in the same trench, each holding leverage over the other.

As for his younger brother Lü An, Lü Xun told him directly the next morning: "Your wife sneaked into Shi Shouxin's room last night and didn't come out. She's been having an affair! If you don't believe me, you can block the door of the guest room and see if what I'm saying is true!"

To save face for his family, what else could Lü An do but divorce his wife? They'd only been married a short time, and she had no children; divorcing this adulterous woman now wouldn't be a loss for him.

On the contrary, I slept for several nights for free, so I actually got a little advantage in the end.

Even if Xu wanted to defend herself, how could she explain it clearly? If Lü Xun insisted that it was true, would Lü An believe his brother or Xu, who had been played with all night and came out of Shi Shouxin's room? After all, Lü Xun hadn't done anything to Xu the whole time, right? Of course, Lü An would believe his brother, who had "no motive."

Once Lü An writes the letter of divorce, things will be much easier. If Xu Shi is willing to go with Shi Shouxin, then this man will have a beautiful woman and will naturally remember Lü Xun's kindness, which will greatly benefit his future career.

If Xu Shi is unwilling to leave, since Lü An doesn't want her anyway, she can be taken in as a concubine by Lü Xun, and then he can openly have his way with her.

This is killing two birds with one stone! This is much better than Lu Xun's reckless drugging and raping!

"You all stay here, no one is allowed to leave! No one is allowed to open the door!"
"If anyone comes out, or if anyone else goes in, I'll blow your heads off!"

Lu Xun spoke fiercely to the two servants guarding the door. The refined manner he had displayed while chatting with Shi Shouxin during the day was completely gone, replaced by a fierce look on his face!

……

After the rooster crowed, the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

It was almost dawn.

Lying in bed, Xu Ying slowly woke up. She opened her eyes and suddenly saw a man sitting by the bed, but it wasn't her husband, Lü An. She looked at herself, who was completely naked, and was so frightened that she wanted to scream, but she covered her mouth tightly.

"No need to call me. I didn't do anything to you last night. You can see for yourself if you don't believe me. You've experienced sex before, you can tell whether you've had sex or not, right?"

Shi Shouxin opened his eyes, sighed, and gave a bitter smile. He had been there too; every time he and Li Wan were intimate, they were like wild animals, wishing they could devour each other.

The next day, the bed was a mess, as if they had fought in it.

Xu lifted the blanket and looked left and right, and then realized that the bed was too clean and tidy, which made her believe what Shi Shouxin said.

"Put your clothes on first, I have something very important to tell you!"

Shi Shouxin said solemnly.

Xu was also a woman from an official family. Now that things had come to this point, she realized the seriousness of the problem. So, without avoiding Shi Shouxin's gaze or caring about the accidental exposure of her private parts, she dressed and the two sat facing each other.

“At the banquet last night, you and Lü An drank from one pot of wine, while Lü Xun and I drank from another. Your pot was spiked, so Lü An should have just woken up.”

Shi Shouxin said in a deep voice.

"Please continue, Mr. Shi. I think I understand now."

Xu Ying sighed, her face darkening, already guessing that this matter would not end well.

"After you fell unconscious, Lü Xun had his servants separate you from Lü An and bring you to my guest room. After the banquet, Lü Xun helped me here and asked me if I wanted to have some intimate relations with you, and promised that I could take you away today."

Shi Shouxin continued.

"What right does he have to decide whether a concubine stays or leaves?"

Xu Ying was furious and wanted to get up and rush out to confront Lü Xun, but Shi Shouxin held her shoulder down.

“If I had refused and left last night, guess what would have happened?”

"You're a woman, didn't you notice that Lü Xun's gaze towards you was a little strange?"

Shi Shouxin countered with a question.

Xu Ying nodded slightly, then slumped down in resignation.

She could feel the lewd gaze Lu Xun was giving her. So ever since she came here, she had been inseparable from her husband Lu An, and dared not sleep soundly at night, much less have sex with him, for fear of encountering some unforeseen event, or Lu Xun pretending to be her husband and raping her.

Despite their best efforts to defend themselves, they still fell into Lü Xun's trap.

“I could have left last night, but you would have been violated by Lü Xun. The next day, he would have found Lü An and said that I had violated you and that I had fled out of fear of punishment for doing such a thing. He could even find many servants in the mansion to testify.”

And then what will you do?

Shi Shouxin countered with a question.

"I will... hang myself to preserve my honor."

Xu Ying wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and looked at Shi Shouxin with eyes full of gratitude.

"So I can't leave. Right now, there are servants from the Lü family outside the door. If we go out, we'll be caught red-handed. Even if we sneak away, it won't work. Lü Xun can still say that we spent the night here, and there are many servants to prove it."

Shi Shouxin's words completely extinguished Xu Ying's anxiety.

She nodded, her expression somewhat somber, but she did not break down emotionally.

"You'll probably see Lü An at the door soon. If he sees you and doesn't say anything, but just hands you a letter of divorce, then you can take the letter and leave with me. I'll find a way to settle you down."

If Lü An pulls you aside and asks you what happened, then you can leave with him, and the rest is none of my business. Is that alright with you?

Shi Shouxin asked earnestly.

Xu Ying nodded. In fact, she already knew the outcome, but she still had a sliver of hope in her heart.

However, Shi Shouxin still overestimated Lü An.

As the two walked out of the room, Lü Xun was waiting outside. He handed a letter of divorce to Shi Shouxin and said, "Master Shi, please take Madam Xu and leave. We will return her dowry, and her family will also return the betrothal gifts."

He was talking to Shi Shouxin, not even glancing at Xu Ying standing to the side.

At this moment, Lü An did not appear at all.

Xu Ying never expected that her new husband would refuse to even see her, let alone listen to her explanation, not even a single word!

As they walked out of Lü Xun's mansion, until the house disappeared from sight, Xu Ying broke down in tears, throwing herself into Shi Shouxin's arms and sobbing loudly.

"In fact, Lü An might have been able to guess what had happened."

However, he could not expose this secret, much less break ties with his elder brother who had already become an official.

Anyway, they'll push all the responsibility onto you, and they'll still be a harmonious family.

Shi Shouxin sighed and patted Xu's back.

"Why won't he listen to my explanation? Why, why!"

Xu Ying wailed; her world had collapsed.

"After listening to your explanation, Lü An turned against his brother, right? And then caused unrest in their family?"

You're still an outsider after all!

Shi Shouxin countered with a question.

Xu Ying couldn't answer the question; she just buried her face in Shi Shouxin's arms and cried.

"I advise you not to go home. If your father and brothers come knocking on your door, the Lü family will insist that you are an adulteress who shamelessly seduced a stranger like me."

In that case, it will be your Xu family who loses face, and if things get out of hand, you'll have no choice but to hang yourself.

At least now the news won't spread, and in a few years, nobody will remember it. You can just let it go.

Shi Shouxin stabbed Xu Ying in the back again, and the newlywed woman cried even harder.

"My lord, please say less. Madam Xu is crying like this."

The Lü family is indeed bad, but our family are good people. You are a good person, and Madam is as kind-hearted as a fairy.

"If Madam Xu follows you, she won't suffer any loss."

Greyhound flattered him with a grin.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ying immediately broke free from Shi Shouxin's embrace, her entire face flushed with embarrassment.

"Shut up. When did I say I wanted to take a concubine?"

Shi Shouxin reprimanded impatiently.

"It was really not easy to get you out of this mess, so you must live a good life in the future."

This time the danger is far greater than you can imagine; I might have been killed last night.

The fact that you've come out safe and sound is the best possible outcome.

Fortunately, her luck hadn't completely run out. As for the marriage with Lü An, she should give up on it; the die was cast.

That's all for now, come with me.

He looked at Xu Ying and gave her very serious instructions, still feeling lingering fear.

"Thank you for saving me."

Xu Ying bowed to Shi Shouxin and let out a long sigh as she looked in the direction of the Lü residence.

"I don't want to go home."

After a moment, she looked at Shi Shouxin and said that she had made up her mind.

"Well, come back to Luoyang with me first, and I'll take care of you."

Shi Shouxin nodded.

(End of this chapter)