After Marrying The Paranoid God of War (Rebirth) - Chapter 8.1
Chapter 8: Madam of the Bandit Stronghold
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The inside of the luxurious room is filled with mist, carrying a faint herbal scent of bath beans.
Two maidservants were helping a young girl immerse herself in a bath. One of the maidservants was gently applying expensive rosewater to the girl’s black hair, finding it thick and silky.
The saying “jet-black hair like silk” was no exaggeration.
The other maidservant poured lukewarm water onto the girl’s snow-white shoulders, and as her fingertips inadvertently brushed the fair skin, it felt warm like touchable warm jade, delicate and smooth.
The young girl possessed not only fair skin and black hair but also delicate features. Though she appeared slender and fragile, when disrobed, her figure was well-proportioned, far from being frail.
Once Ruan An regained consciousness, she found herself soaked in a wooden bathtub. She remained calm, reflecting on her situation and carefully observing the unfamiliar environment.
The maidservants attending to her all wore the same attire, dark blue narrow-sleeved dresses with hair coiled into buns. They didn’t seem like servants one would find in a bandit’s hideout.
Before long, Ruan An completed her bath.
The maidservants dressed her in a light purple silk gown, embroidered with elegant and simple camellia flowers on a beautiful pleated skirt. Her high cloud-like bun was adorned with a few dangling plum blossom hairpins.
As she passed through the redwood screen with phoenixes and auspicious animal carvings, Ruan An saw the opulent decoration in the hall and began to suspect that she might be in an official’s residence, raising questions in her mind.
With these thoughts in mind, Ruan An turned to a maidservant behind her and asked, “Where am I?”
The maidservant respectfully replied, “Madam, you are in the village. This is the territory where the village leader usually resides.”
Madam? Village leader? Ruan An couldn’t help but furrow her brow. As she had suspected before fainting, she had indeed fallen into the clutches of bandits. What she hadn’t expected was that she had become the leader’s wife!
The maidservant gestured toward the Eight Immortals table not far away and said, “Madam, the meal is ready. Please take a seat. The village leader said he would come to dine with you shortly.”
After taking her seat, Ruan An saw the table filled with delicious dishes. Although she was hungry, she hesitated to pick up her chopsticks, fearing that the food might be drugged.
The only bandit leader with such wealth was likely the one who had taken over Jiazhou’s medicinal fields – Qi Yixiong.
Ruan An harbored deep resentment toward Qi Yixiong.
Over the past six months, he not only disrupted the livelihoods of herb pickers and some skilled doctors but also caused a sudden surge in the price of medicine in Jiazhou. Ordinary people increasingly can’t afford the cost of treating their illnesses.
Qi Yixiong, for the sake of his interests, did terrible things. She couldn’t possibly give in to such a person for the sake of immediate wealth.
She didn’t want to be touched or defiled by this kind of person.
After observing the surroundings for a while and seeing more than ten bandits stationed outside the window, the girl bit her lip and a moment of despair flashed in her eyes.
With her skills, there was no way she could escape from this elegant room.
Ruan An tried to keep calm and was considering how to deal with Qi Yixiong when she suddenly heard a familiar, melodious, and deep voice:
“Ah Xu.”
Raising her head, she saw a young man in a moon-white robe, with a handsome face, walking towards her. As he got closer, his facial features became clearer.
After Ruan An recognized his face, she couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
It was him!
The governor of Jiazhou, Chen Yunzhong.
How could Chen Yunzhong be here?
Shocked by the revelation, Ruan An stood up from the Eight Immortals’ table 1, and Chen Yunzhong walked up to her. After looking down and seeing the young woman in front of him, a hint of amazement crossed Chen Yunzhong’s eyes.
Ruan An was already exceptionally beautiful, and now, with careful grooming, she looked even more stunning, like an otherworldly beauty.
He spoke in a gentle and reassuring tone to ease the girl’s emotions: “Ah Xu, did I startle you? Don’t be afraid. I won’t harm you.”
Ruan An parted her lips, not sure how to respond to him, but suddenly, she had an epiphany.
The real reason for the bandit troubles in Jiazhou wasn’t the idle officials but the conspiracy between the officials and the bandits.
This Qi Yixiong should be Chen Yunzhong’s secret identity. Local military power was limited in various regions and Chen Yunzhong had big ambitions. By posing as a bandit, he aimed to secretly recruit more soldiers to avoid the scrutiny of the Jiannan Road and the court.
Since Divine Doctor Sun had treated Chen Yunzhong’s mother for a chronic illness, Ruan An had known him from a young age. Chen’s mother had always been in poor health. When Ruan An returned from Lingnan to Jiazhou, she had also treated his mother several times.
She could see that Chen Yunzhong had a certain admiration for her. However, to consolidate his power, Chen Yunzhong had long arranged for his marriage to the daughter of a prominent family in Jiazhou.
Ruan An still remembers that Chen Yunzhong once asked her earnestly, “Ah Xu, can I inconvenience you to be my concubine for a while… I have no affection for that woman, and when the time is right, I will dismiss her.”
“Can you wait for me? Give me some time, and I will make you my wife sooner or later. I won’t let you be a concubine for too long.”
In reality, Ruan An didn’t have any negative feelings towards Chen Yunzhong before.
But after he said these words to her, her perception of Chen Yunzhong took a negative turn.
Chen Yunzhong can be regarded as a dragon or a phoenix among men, but he used the influence of his wife’s family, and in the end, he wanted to cast her aside.
Although Ruan An was not his wife, she couldn’t help but feel a chill.
Which woman would want to live with someone who was calculating against her and had someone else in his heart?
However, he was a high-ranking official in the region, and although Ruan An had expressed her refusal to Chen Yunzhong, she still didn’t dare to confront him.
Seeing Ruan An’s silence, Chen Yunzhong coldly dismissed the servants and gestured for her to sit. He said patiently, “Have some food first; I’ve had them prepare dishes you like.”
Ruan An’s fair hands didn’t pick up the chopsticks, she was hungry but still worried that Chen Yunzhong might have put something in the food.
Seeing her hesitation, Chen Yunzhong’s eyes briefly flashed with frustration, but he quickly concealed his emotions and said gently, “Ah Xu, I won’t force you, and I won’t do anything to harm you.”
“Governor Chen…”
Chen Yunzhong used his chopsticks to pick a dish for Ren An and spoke softly, “I’d prefer it if you called me ‘Fu Rui’.”
Ren An knew that Fu Rui was Chen Yunzhong’s courtesy name. Still, she couldn’t help but think, what was Huo Pingxiao ‘s courtesy name?
He must have one as well.
Just as she was pondering, Chen Yunzhong’s tone suddenly turned serious, and he asked, “Has your fiancé, Huo Pingxiao, suddenly come looking for you?”
Chen Yunzhong had some influence in Mei Mountain, and he must have heard the rumors that Huo Pingxiao had spread.
“Did he touch you?”
Chen Yunzhong’s tone grew even more serious.
Ruan An didn’t want to provoke Chen Yunzhong, and she knew that he appeared gentle but had a cruel heart. Based on her understanding of him, if he found out she was a virgin, Chen Yunzhong might be able to restrain himself for a few days before approaching her.
But if he had learned that she had consummated her marriage with her so-called fiancé, he might resort to doing some crazy things.
So, the young lady pretended to be a bit embarrassed, her voice trembling as she replied, “We haven’t officially married yet… The village chief hasn’t chosen an auspicious date yet, so naturally… naturally…”
With these words, Chen Yunzhong’s expression relaxed slightly.
The man’s tone became gentler, “Ah Xu, if you’re not willing to be a concubine, just be the village’s madam for the time being. The villagers here will treat you as the legitimate wife.”
“I still mean what I said. I have no feelings for that woman. In my heart, there’s only you, Ruan An.”
The latter part of his statement made Ruan An even more disgusted.
But the young lady still pretended to be innocent and nodded as if she were obediently accepting Chen Yunzhong’s arrangement.
Eight Immortals Table
