Chapter 59: Wife, Why Is There No Water?

"Second Madam, this is a matter of life and death for our two young masters!" said the steward of the Cui family, tears streaming down his weathered face.

"Furthermore, the Master made it very clear. He is merely a county magistrate in the capital now, yet our Cui family still attempts to hold onto such massive mines. It is entirely like a child walking through the marketplace carrying a giant lump of gold, which will only invite disaster."

The old steward lifted his sleeve to wipe away the tears on his face and continued, "We might as well use these few mines to trade for the safety of the two young masters!"

"Very well, wait here. I will go beg the Master!"

Madam Cui rose to her feet in despair and walked toward the inner courtyard.

During this period, Li Hu had completely lost his mind. Throughout the entire general's mansion, almost any female with even a modicum of attractiveness was dragged away by him for mating.

General Li had practically transformed into a walking stallion!

Truly, the heavier the suppression he had suffered from Madam Cui over the years, the more frantic his rebound was now.

As she reached the entrance of what used to be her own elegant bedchamber, Madam Cui heard sounds of unrestrained indulgence drifting from within.

It was the prettiest maidservants of the estate.

"General, this humble servant has already grasped your long spear!"

"Hahaha, my spear is invincible on the battlefield! Back in the day..."

Hearing this, Madam Cui was immediately overcome by a suffocating sensation, and she almost wanted to turn around and flee instantly.

Then, she suddenly noticed Li Hu holding a Five-Tiger Soul-Depriving Spear, having spotted her. He frowned. "What is it?"

Madam Cui immediately stepped into the room and said anxiously, "Master, it's..."

Impatiently, Li Hu stood the Five-Tiger Soul-Depriving Spear against the wall and reached out to pull the plump maidservant Caiyun into his arms, fondling her up and down right in front of Madam Cui, completely disregarding whether his legal wife could stomach the sight or not.

"It's... Guangwu and Guangzong have been arrested. The charge is embezzlement..."

"They've been arrested, so why come to me?" Li Hu retorted sharply. "Isn't that influential father-in-law of mine someone whose eyes reach the heavens? When has he ever looked down upon a down-and-out son-in-law like me?"

Hearing these words, Madam Cui let out a tear that fell with a sharp click.

Seeing this, Li Hu waved his hand impatiently. "If you cry again, get the hell out!"

He was truly displaying the demeanor and bearing of a high-ranking second-grade official now.

Startled, Madam Cui actually managed to hold back her tears.

"Master, Wenxuan is not dead!"

Madam Cui said with a trembling voice.

Hearing this, Li Hu's eyes swept toward Madam Cui like a furious, man-eating tiger. "Such wild nonsense! Who did you hear this from?"

How could this secret have leaked?

Originally busy discussing spear techniques with Caiyun and several other charming maidservants, Li Hu was suddenly broken out in a cold sweat, his Five-Tiger Soul-Depriving Spear nearly losing its vigor entirely.

Madam Cui had never expected Li Hu's reaction to these words to be so intense.

Feeling somewhat fearful inside, she still answered truthfully: "It was..."

"Wait a moment—"

Li Hu waved his hand, signaling the five surrounding maidservants to leave.

The room instantly became empty.

With a strange expression on her face, Madam Cui lowered her voice and asked, "Master, by acting this way, could you be deliberately tarnishing your own reputation so as to preserve your official position and title?"

Li Hu looked at Madam Cui in astonishment. "Wife, you figured it out?"

Madam Cui was stunned. "It really is like that?"

"Let's put that aside for now. Amidst the current turmoil in the imperial court, as long as we can securely hold onto this position, it is already a victory."

He looked at Madam Cui and asked, "Tell me first, who told you that third son is still alive?"

"It was... the steward from my maiden family. He said that after Chief Steward Li finished reading the imperial decree, he quietly told my father."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu suddenly let out a cold sneer, the phrase "to kill the man and condemn his soul" flashing through his mind.

That damned eunuch Chief Steward Li truly possessed a vicious heart.

"In other words, Guangwu and Guangzong were both escorted to the Eastern Depot to be interrogated by the third son?"

"Yes, Master. Look... Wenxuan harbors extreme resentment toward me in his heart; he certainly won't let those two children off. No matter what, they are still his cousins!"

Seeing this, Madam Cui's tears poured down like a broken string of beads.

Li Hu cursed irritably, "Crying, crying, crying! Is crying all you know how to do? Does the third son ever treat me, his father, like a human being? You're crying now? If you had treated the third son better back then, would we be in this state today?"

Madam Cui collapsed onto the floor, weeping with utmost sorrow. "This concubine already knows her mistake. I beg the Master, even if it means giving away the several mining mountains of my maiden family, as long as we can ensure Guangwu and Guangzong survive..."

"The several mining mountains of your maiden family?" Li Hu's eyes instantly lit up with greed. After a brief deliberation, he looked at Madam Cui and said, "I can give it a try, but... if Wenxuan demands that you kneel and apologize to him, would you be willing?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Madam Cui replied, "As long as I can save the lives of my two nephews, I am willing to do anything!"

Li Hu waved his hand irritably. "Fine then. Have the steward go back and wait for news; I'll see what I can do... Also, regarding the fact that the third son is still alive, tell your maiden family to stop flapping their damn jaws and running their mouths about it."

"Yes—"

Madam Cui shivered and nodded.

Li Hu changed his clothes and left the house with a somewhat complicated expression.

Meanwhile, Li Wenxuan happened to be recounting the tale to Her Royal Highness the Princess about how Zhu Yingtai and Liang Shanbo slept on the same bed, yet placed a bowl of water right in the middle of the mattress simply because she was a woman.

"As a result, when they woke up the next morning, Zhu Yingtai found that the bowl of water was empty. My wife, do you know why that is?"

"Wh... why is it!" Her Royal Highness the Princess flushed red all over at that moment.

How else could it be!

A solitary man and a lone woman shut together in a single room, dry tinder and a blazing fire...

I am not someone who has never seen the world, but my husband is truly wicked. How could he make me say such shy, embarrassing words out loud?

Pretending not to notice the princess's pretty, pink-tinted face, Li Wenxuan continued the story with a straight face.

"Zhu Yingtai was furious. She pinched Liang Shanbo awake and asked him where the water in the bowl went."

"My wife, take a guess. What did Liang Shanbo say?"

"What? What did he say?" Her Royal Highness the Princess widened her eyes.

Li Wenxuan smiled and said, "Liang Shanbo rubbed his sleepy eyes and said that in the middle of the night, he felt thirsty, so he just drank it all up!"

"Ah?"

Her Royal Highness the Princess stared with wide eyes at Li Wenxuan. "Just that?"

Outside the window, Crazy Donkey and the others also widened their eyes. Just that?

Li Wenxuan picked up his teacup, took a sip of the lukewarm tea to moisten his throat, arched an eyebrow, and smiled. "If not for that, my wife, what did you think it was?"

"Oh you! Husband, you're doing this on purpose to be bad!"

Amidst their banter, Her Royal Highness the Princess had already transformed into a furious little lobster. After leaving several faint red marks on the Centurion's body, she finally let him off.

At that moment, the neighing of horses drifted in from outside the house.

Only then did Her Royal Highness the Princess stop their playful scuffle, and Li Wenxuan looked toward the door as well.

Crazy Donkey immediately stood up to greet the newcomer. Looking at the burly, massive man draped in a black bear-skin coat riding on horseback, he demanded, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

As the imposing, towering giant looked down at him, a sense of fear arose within Crazy Donkey's heart.

"I have come specifically to seek an audience with Centurion Li."

Seeing that the other party possessed a fair amount of politeness, Crazy Donkey felt slightly more at ease. He nodded and said, "Wait here. I will go make a report."

However, just as Crazy Donkey walked up to the doorway and before he could even speak inside, he heard Li Wenxuan utter an utterly annoyed reprimand:

"Tell him, however far his thoughts can reach, he can roll as far away as that!"