“If you don’t want to stay here anymore, I can present you a generous possession. Madam will find you a decent man to marry.” Gu Tingye said straightforwardly.
“No!” Qiuniang cried loudly with fear. She kept kowtowing with tears all over her face, “I’ll never be unfaithful to you, Master. My heart, my heart... Master, you know my heart! I, I... even if I die, my dead body is rotten and burnt to ash, I won’t leave!”
Minglan felt very uncomfortable hearing that and wished she could cover her ears. It was the first time she ever heard such a resolute and firm love confession in two of her lives. Thinking of that, she couldn’t help looking at the man beside her.
“Not everything can go as you wish.” Gu Tingye was not touched at all and even a bit depressed. He seemed to be recalling some past memories with a meaningful look in his eyes. Then he slowly continued, “I know your feelings, I thought you knew mine too. It looks like I was wrong.”
Qiuniang started to sob while Minglan nearly buried her head into the book.
Gu Tingye said in a stern but calm tone, “These days you have made a fool of yourself and violated so many rules. I never said a word for the old time sake, but it doesn’t mean you can consider yourself as a madam! Have you forgotten about your identity?”
Qiuniang, lips shivering, felt chilling cold all over. She didn’t dare to look at the man anymore and lowered her head right away. She had served Gu Tingye since his childhood, so she knew about his tough character. Even though he was a mature man now, deep down he was still very resolute. Most of the time he looked on things coldly, but once he lost his temper, he would become the scariest person in the world.
This was also the first time Minglan had seen Gu Tingye throwing a fit of anger. He sounded so calm but his words were straight to the point. It was like bathing in the warm sun and feeling the pleasant breeze, but knowing that the storm was coming.
“You have served me for so many years and I consider you a very considerate and loyal woman. I can offer you a dignified and well-off life. After your death, you will be memorized by my descendants.” Gu Tingye’s voice sounded more and more indifferent, “But you should cherish what you have. Now that I have entrusted Rong to you, you should know how to treat her. Don’t let me teach you how to do that. If you don’t know what to do, there are plenty of people who can replace you.”
Qiuniang knelt on the ground, trying her best to hold back her tears, and didn’t dare to raise her head.
“Leave now, think of your role.”
After Gu Tingye had said that, Qiuniang walked out with her head lowered while wiping her tears. When she reached the door, Gu Tingye suddenly called her to stop. Qiuniang, with expectant look on her face, turned around right away. However, she only heard Gu Tingye saying, “If you want to give anything to me, just hand it to Madam.”
That sentence was the last straw to Qiuniang. With her face turning deadly pale, she finally staggered out.
The two people in the room didn’t say anything. After a long while, Minglan sighed deeply, “Even if you want to scold her, you should have let me leave first. Now... she must feel so humiliated.” How awkward was this!
Gu Tingye leaned back and rested his head on Minglan’s leg, saying shortly, “She’s too greedy.”
Minglan secretly agreed with that. Qiuniang had thought that the old bond between she and Gu Tingye could develop into love. As a Tong Fang, that truly was a wishful thinking. This woman was annoying, but also pathetic.
Gu Tingye seemed a bit cruel, but he had meant good for Qiuniang. He had only advised Qiuniang with so many words because he never forgot about their past. Minglan thought that he had handled this thing very properly. In Baoyu’s case, (A male character in A Dream in Red Mansions) he doted every maid of him, but on the contrary brought miserable endings to those girls.
“You pity her?” Gu Tingye looked at Minglan and asked gently.
Minglan nodded and then shook her head.
Humans were social animals. She could only draw the conclusion by making comparison.
Before, Minglan had always thought that she had lived such a tired life ever since she had transmigrated to the ancient times. However, when she compared herself to the maids and page boys as well as those poor people who couldn’t even feed themselves, she found herself living a pretty good life. Qiuniang was pathetic indeed. However, when comparing her with all those Tong Fangs who couldn’t even end up in natural deaths, she could call herself a lucky woman. After all, her master had promised to be responsible to her.
Sheng family was a decent family and Sheng Changfeng was a romantic man. Nevertheless, no one would accuse Changfeng for Ke’er’s death. As for the rest Tong Fangs of him, their destinies were all in the hands of Changfeng’s future wife.
A famous person had said that people in the Third World didn’t have affections. In this hierarchical society, love was too extravagant for the ones in low status to pursue. The priority for them was to survive.
Seeing Minglan staying quiet with a weird look, Gu Tingye asked, “Are you angry?”
Minglan shook her head and then nodded.
Gu Tingye knitted his eyebrows and pulled her ears, saying in a heavy voice, “Say something.”
Minglan could only sigh and say, “An assistant minister rush to do the things which the emperor wants the minister to do. You think the minister would be happy?” That assistant would only be fired. If a Tong Fang acted as if she loved and cared his master more than her madam, she was only looking for death.
Gu Tingye burst into laughter and said, “Nice metaphor.”
Having pondered for a while, he couldn’t help but say, “I saw you a bit softhearted before and thought you would persuade me to sleep in her room.”
Minglan shook her head fiercely instantly and asked, “If you are Wei Qing, would you hand your post over to Li Guang who had an unsuccessful career for his entire life?” (T/N: Wei Qing and Li Guang were both famous generals in Han Dynasty.)
Gu Tingye thought for a while and then shook his head, “No. First, it’s inappropriate to do so. Second, I have fought so hard for those military merits, why should I just give everything to him? I’m not the one who caused his tragedy.”
“Perfect, that’s what I mean.” Minglan applauded and said with a beaming smile, “First, I’m not the one who asked Qiuniang to be your Tong Fang. Second, I never asked her to wait for you. Third, I only marry to one man in my life, why should I ask my man to comfort her?”
If husbands were like bosses, which CEO would let an administrative assistant with concealed intention strive for the boss’s favor? Come on, be professional!
Even in the ancient times, people should still follow professional ethics, even though she had to pretend that she cared about the man a lot.
Gu Tingye climbed up and stared at Minglan. The latter only looked at him innocently. After they had looked at each other for a while, they both burst into laughter until their faces turned red. Gu Tingye pressed on Minglan’s body and laughed, which even made Minglan’s chest shiver. Their noses were attached to each other while their hot breaths wet each other’s faces.
The man said softly, “Your last words sound reasonable.”
Minglan blinked, “Which one?”
Seeing that Gu Tingye was about to tickle her with his eyes goggled, she begged for pardon right away. After a long while, they both lay on the bed, out of breath. Minglan adjusted her breath and attached her face on the man’s chest, saying, “Only one person could let me give my man away.”
Gu Tingye laughed and asked, “Who’s capable of that?”
“You.” Minglan gave out a wry smile and sighed. She couldn’t do anything if her husband fell in love with another woman. That was why she had to take precautions and think of the solutions first. Life always had to continue.
The girl’s eyes seemed clear and bright. Although she seemed to be joking now, the look in her eyes still showed her helplessness.
Gu Tingye only gazed her quietly.
“If you don’t want to stay here anymore, I can present you a generous possession. Madam will find you a decent man to marry.” Gu Tingye said straightforwardly.
“No!” Qiuniang cried loudly with fear. She kept kowtowing with tears all over her face, “I’ll never be unfaithful to you, Master. My heart, my heart... Master, you know my heart! I, I... even if I die, my dead body is rotten and burnt to ash, I won’t leave!”
Minglan felt very uncomfortable hearing that and wished she could cover her ears. It was the first time she ever heard such a resolute and firm love confession in two of her lives. Thinking of that, she couldn’t help looking at the man beside her.
“Not everything can go as you wish.” Gu Tingye was not touched at all and even a bit depressed. He seemed to be recalling some past memories with a meaningful look in his eyes. Then he slowly continued, “I know your feelings, I thought you knew mine too. It looks like I was wrong.”
Qiuniang started to sob while Minglan nearly buried her head into the book.
Gu Tingye said in a stern but calm tone, “These days you have made a fool of yourself and violated so many rules. I never said a word for the old time sake, but it doesn’t mean you can consider yourself as a madam! Have you forgotten about your identity?”
Qiuniang, lips shivering, felt chilling cold all over. She didn’t dare to look at the man anymore and lowered her head right away. She had served Gu Tingye since his childhood, so she knew about his tough character. Even though he was a mature man now, deep down he was still very resolute. Most of the time he looked on things coldly, but once he lost his temper, he would become the scariest person in the world.
This was also the first time Minglan had seen Gu Tingye throwing a fit of anger. He sounded so calm but his words were straight to the point. It was like bathing in the warm sun and feeling the pleasant breeze, but knowing that the storm was coming.
“You have served me for so many years and I consider you a very considerate and loyal woman. I can offer you a dignified and well-off life. After your death, you will be memorized by my descendants.” Gu Tingye’s voice sounded more and more indifferent, “But you should cherish what you have. Now that I have entrusted Rong to you, you should know how to treat her. Don’t let me teach you how to do that. If you don’t know what to do, there are plenty of people who can replace you.”
Qiuniang knelt on the ground, trying her best to hold back her tears, and didn’t dare to raise her head.
“Leave now, think of your role.”
After Gu Tingye had said that, Qiuniang walked out with her head lowered while wiping her tears. When she reached the door, Gu Tingye suddenly called her to stop. Qiuniang, with expectant look on her face, turned around right away. However, she only heard Gu Tingye saying, “If you want to give anything to me, just hand it to Madam.”
That sentence was the last straw to Qiuniang. With her face turning deadly pale, she finally staggered out.
The two people in the room didn’t say anything. After a long while, Minglan sighed deeply, “Even if you want to scold her, you should have let me leave first. Now... she must feel so humiliated.” How awkward was this!
Gu Tingye leaned back and rested his head on Minglan’s leg, saying shortly, “She’s too greedy.”
Minglan secretly agreed with that. Qiuniang had thought that the old bond between she and Gu Tingye could develop into love. As a Tong Fang, that truly was a wishful thinking. This woman was annoying, but also pathetic.
Gu Tingye seemed a bit cruel, but he had meant good for Qiuniang. He had only advised Qiuniang with so many words because he never forgot about their past. Minglan thought that he had handled this thing very properly. In Baoyu’s case, (A male character in A Dream in Red Mansions) he doted every maid of him, but on the contrary brought miserable endings to those girls.
“You pity her?” Gu Tingye looked at Minglan and asked gently.
Minglan nodded and then shook her head.
Humans were social animals. She could only draw the conclusion by making comparison.
Before, Minglan had always thought that she had lived such a tired life ever since she had transmigrated to the ancient times. However, when she compared herself to the maids and page boys as well as those poor people who couldn’t even feed themselves, she found herself living a pretty good life. Qiuniang was pathetic indeed. However, when comparing her with all those Tong Fangs who couldn’t even end up in natural deaths, she could call herself a lucky woman. After all, her master had promised to be responsible to her.
Sheng family was a decent family and Sheng Changfeng was a romantic man. Nevertheless, no one would accuse Changfeng for Ke’er’s death. As for the rest Tong Fangs of him, their destinies were all in the hands of Changfeng’s future wife.
A famous person had said that people in the Third World didn’t have affections. In this hierarchical society, love was too extravagant for the ones in low status to pursue. The priority for them was to survive.
Seeing Minglan staying quiet with a weird look, Gu Tingye asked, “Are you angry?”
Minglan shook her head and then nodded.
Gu Tingye knitted his eyebrows and pulled her ears, saying in a heavy voice, “Say something.”
Minglan could only sigh and say, “An assistant minister rush to do the things which the emperor wants the minister to do. You think the minister would be happy?” That assistant would only be fired. If a Tong Fang acted as if she loved and cared his master more than her madam, she was only looking for death.
Gu Tingye burst into laughter and said, “Nice metaphor.”
Having pondered for a while, he couldn’t help but say, “I saw you a bit softhearted before and thought you would persuade me to sleep in her room.”
Minglan shook her head fiercely instantly and asked, “If you are Wei Qing, would you hand your post over to Li Guang who had an unsuccessful career for his entire life?” (T/N: Wei Qing and Li Guang were both famous generals in Han Dynasty.)
Gu Tingye thought for a while and then shook his head, “No. First, it’s inappropriate to do so. Second, I have fought so hard for those military merits, why should I just give everything to him? I’m not the one who caused his tragedy.”
“Perfect, that’s what I mean.” Minglan applauded and said with a beaming smile, “First, I’m not the one who asked Qiuniang to be your Tong Fang. Second, I never asked her to wait for you. Third, I only marry to one man in my life, why should I ask my man to comfort her?”
If husbands were like bosses, which CEO would let an administrative assistant with concealed intention strive for the boss’s favor? Come on, be professional!
Even in the ancient times, people should still follow professional ethics, even though she had to pretend that she cared about the man a lot.
Gu Tingye climbed up and stared at Minglan. The latter only looked at him innocently. After they had looked at each other for a while, they both burst into laughter until their faces turned red. Gu Tingye pressed on Minglan’s body and laughed, which even made Minglan’s chest shiver. Their noses were attached to each other while their hot breaths wet each other’s faces.
The man said softly, “Your last words sound reasonable.”
Minglan blinked, “Which one?”
Seeing that Gu Tingye was about to tickle her with his eyes goggled, she begged for pardon right away. After a long while, they both lay on the bed, out of breath. Minglan adjusted her breath and attached her face on the man’s chest, saying, “Only one person could let me give my man away.”
Gu Tingye laughed and asked, “Who’s capable of that?”
“You.” Minglan gave out a wry smile and sighed. She couldn’t do anything if her husband fell in love with another woman. That was why she had to take precautions and think of the solutions first. Life always had to continue.
The girl’s eyes seemed clear and bright. Although she seemed to be joking now, the look in her eyes still showed her helplessness.
Gu Tingye only gazed her quietly.
