Chapter 25: Hiss! The Marquis of Jian Fathers Nine Sons, Each with a Different Father!

When it comes to enjoying gossip, it’s best done in person!

Arriving outside the Marquis of Jian’s residence, Xu Yanmiao’s eyes widened in surprise. “Ah, this, this, this…”

[Who is so wicked! They even sent someone to invite the head monk of Yulong Temple!]

The emperor thought, “…” How is that wicked? He righteously thought, I just want my beloved Marquis of Jian to die knowing the truth; where’s the harm in that!

As the door was pushed open, the scene inside was quite intense.

The people from the two marquisates were standing in distinct groups, with only the strongest guards allowed in to hold the ground, each more imposing than the next.

The Marquis of Jian stood in the middle, cursing, “Wretch! When did this happen?”

The beautiful woman, her hair disheveled and her clothes half undone—clearly just woken up—replied without hesitation, “Since the first time you broke your promise.”

The Marquis of Jian did some quick calculations…

—Thank goodness!

Thank goodness, thank goodness, at least the eldest is biologically his.

Xu Yanmiao thought: [Wow! So all nine sons are someone else’s?]

The Marquis of Jian: “…???”

The Marquis of Jian: “!!!”

The Marquis of Jian felt blood rush to his throat, nearly choking on it. “Wretch! How dare you deceive me! My first concubine was taken in the third year of our marriage; the eldest was born in the second year of our marriage. How could the eldest not be my bloodline?!”

The beautiful woman sneered, “Oh, I thought you were asking about the affair. If you’re talking about affairs, then of course, when you cheated, I cheated too.”

The Marquis of Jian: “…” The Marquis of Jian was dizzy, “What? Are you saying there’s more than one? Then could it be that the fathers of these nine children are all different…?”

The civil and military officials displayed sympathetic expressions.

The Marquis of Jian dared not think too deeply, but he couldn’t stop the unpleasant reality forced upon him: [Wow, that’s intense! The Marquis of Jian has nine sons, each with a different father!]

The officials burst out laughing.

The emperor cleared his throat.

They didn’t want to laugh, but Xu Yanmiao’s sharp tongue was to blame!

The Marquis of Jian’s face turned from red to blue, then white, and finally purple: “You! You’re going too far!!!”

[Hmm, did someone say something? Why is he suddenly so furious?]

The Crown Prince, who had sneaked over to Xu Yanmiao’s side to enjoy the spectacle, shook his head: “The Marquis of Jian just has a terrible temper.”

Indeed, he couldn’t vent his anger on Xu Yanmiao, so he took it out on his wife.

The Marquis of Jian pointed at the beautiful woman and roared, “Isn’t it because you couldn’t serve me after just giving birth! I took in your maid out of consideration for your feelings; that’s already quite fair to you!”

The beautiful woman was not to be outdone and retorted sharply, “Inability aside, you still have quite the appetite! Not even one incense stick’s worth of stamina, like noodles; your other concubines still have to flatter you, saying you’re really something. It’s pitiful, really. Oh, are you taking those compliments seriously?”

The Marquis of Jian’s face changed colors rapidly from red to green, from green to white, and then from white to purple: “You, you, you… Speaking nonsense!”

[The Marquis of Jian was spared any further humiliation; one incense stick is enough for him three times. She’s actually quite nice!]

The Marquis of Jian shouted, “Enough!!!” He was slandering! It was clearly only enough for two times!!!

The burly man beside the beautiful woman, seeing things were getting out of hand, stepped forward and said sternly, “You broke our agreement by taking concubines and sleeping around; how dare you blame others! If my sister hadn’t stopped us, we would have broken your legs by now!”

The Marquis of Jian’s expression softened. Amidst the overwhelming anger and sadness, he tasted a bit of bittersweet comfort.

At least his wife was willing to stop her unreasonable brothers from harming him. I still have some charm.

Xu Yanmiao’s serious thoughts affirmed this.

[Yes, yes, the Marquis of Jian’s wife still cherishes him.]

Xu Yanmiao’s thoughts were raised.

[“Brother, there aren’t many men as foolish and easy to manipulate as him who are also handsome. Since I’m getting married no matter what, why not keep him?”]

“Hahaha—”

Several officials with similar power to the Marquis of Jian, who had often been flaunted by him for having many sons and ridiculed in both subtle and overt ways, were now openly smirking and laughing loudly.

[What she said is true. Several wives who later married regretted not acting faster and had to settle for foolish and easy-to-manipulate men. Finding a foolish and easy-to-manipulate yet handsome man was even more difficult.]

“…”

The laughter abruptly ceased.

A deathly silence fell over the room.

“Wife… Wife…”

A terrifying thought rose in their minds simultaneously: Wait, Xu Yanmiao couldn’t be talking about my wife, could she?

The burly brother of the Marquis of Jian’s wife continued angrily, “My sister is such a good girl! Although she is a bit willful, her heart is pure and kind! Even though you did nothing, she made the children call you ‘father’! When you die, they won’t even help you out! Don’t be so greedy!”

“You—You—” The Marquis of Jian raised his hand, trembling with anger, unable to say anything more!

The other officials recovered more quickly than he did. Compared to the abstract cuckoldry, the more pressing issue was the disgraced man in front of them. They pretended the Marquis of Jian was deaf, speaking very loudly.

“Impressive, tsk tsk, impressive, getting eight sons so effortlessly.”

“Hiss! He’s been wearing that cuckold’s hat for nearly thirty years! From his teens to fifty-five!”

“Unexpected, truly unexpected!”

“I remember! My wife has seen the Marquis of Jian’s wife at Yulong Temple more than once!”

“Huh? Does that mean your wife also frequently visits Yulong Temple?” asked one of the officials who had been present at the temple with the emperor.

The official who mentioned his wife looked confused: “Yes, why? Yulong Temple is so effective in helping with childbirth…”

The questioning official’s eyes filled with sympathy.

Not only the official who had mentioned his wife, but even those who hadn’t been to the temple two days ago felt a jolt.

Then, they heard Xu Yanmiao’s gossiping thoughts.

[The monks at Yulong Temple are all so handsome, speak so well, and have such good techniques in bed. It’s normal for high-ranking ladies and officials’ wives to like them.]

[Wow, no wonder the temple is so effective for childbirth. These monks even ranked themselves by “ease of getting someone pregnant,” and the most effective ones charge the highest prices, hahaha!]

[Hahaha, they are so clever, really clever. They know to specifically seek out those with strong positions, whose family backgrounds and husbands are comparable, and give subtle hints! That way, the other party not only enjoys the benefits but also won’t expose the affair and will protect them even after things are revealed!]

At this point, many officials were visibly shaking.

Eating gossip and finding themselves involved is quite something!

They imagined their own wives in the situation and felt that Xu Yanmiao was talking about their wives.

The abstract cuckold’s hat suddenly landed on their heads.

For a moment, there was a dead silence.

Oh, but it wasn’t completely silent.

The Crown Prince looked left and right, unable to contain himself: “Wow…”

This exclamation startled many people. His father glared at him: “What are you blabbering about!” but he didn’t regret it.

Because…

It was truly thrilling!

[Oh no! The Minister of Justice!]

The Minister of Justice swore loudly.

Others looked at him with sympathy.

Among so many people, he was the first one named—what bad luck.

However, after the sympathy, everyone’s curiosity was piqued again.

What about the Minister of Justice?! Could it be a story about a lonely wife meeting a handsome monk?!

Anyway, since they haven’t become the center of attention yet, they’re making the most of others’ entertainment!

Hurry up, hurry up!

[He’s been keeping a pair of sisters as mistresses! Tsk tsk!]

The officials were instantly disappointed.

What? Is that all?

[These sisters are from a direct hall in Yulong Temple. They said the Minister of Justice is terrible in bed, always making people suffer, and the sessions are incredibly short.]

[It’s exactly the same as the Marquis of Jian!]

The Minister of Justice “!!!”

Short? Your whole family is short!

He and the Marquis of Jian are different! His mistresses always say he is exceptionally vigorous!

They need half a day to get out of bed every time!

[These monks knew that when the Minister of Justice secretly visited his mistresses, they sent their best-looking and most skilled monk to secretly visit the Minister’s wife!]

[And then! Tsk tsk, wow—]

Then what!

Some officials’ eyes were burning, and others excitedly licked their lips.

Were they exposing mistresses to make connections?

And they couldn’t help but be relieved and exclaim, “Luckily, it doesn’t concern us.”

The Minister of Justice truly couldn’t manage a smile, slowly grinding his teeth.

He remembered.

His wife had previously been cold, domineering, and jealous, forbidding him from taking concubines. The last time he favored a maid, his wife stormed into the room with a big axe in broad daylight, chasing the two naked people out into the yard.

So he had kept those sisters outside, but recently his wife had stopped monitoring him, seeming to understand. Recently, when he tentatively suggested taking a concubine, his wife had gently replied, “I know you like gentle and flattering types; such people are indeed good.”

He had thought his wife had finally understood the virtues of a wife, but unexpectedly!

[Tsk tsk, meeting like this is truly a golden encounter! Who doesn’t like a considerate person! His wife is being well taken care of and is very satisfied, even asking for something wilder next time!]

[There’s nothing to be done, since your time is short and your skills are poor… You can have mistresses, and others can find people to serve them.]

[And they are really sweet-talking and know how to handle things, using clean tools like Mr. Horn and such, even bathing and burning incense before doing anything! Who wouldn’t like that!]

The Minister of Justice’s eyes were about to pop out.

I!

I don’t like it!