Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 474 - 474 476 The Lady of the House_1

Chapter 474: Chapter 476: The Lady of the House_1 Chapter 474: Chapter 476: The Lady of the House_1 Once inside the room, Lu Ziquan immediately greeted Qingmei upon seeing her, “Qingmei, you’ve finally come. I have truly been waiting for you.”

Qingmei was stunned. Lu Ziquan’s eager attitude seemed like something from back when they had first met.

“What does the young master seek from his concubine?” Qingmei asked respectfully, bowing slightly.

Although Lu Ziquan did not miss the distance in Qingmei’s tone, he still smiled and said, “What? Have I neglected you these past few days, and now you’re feeling aggrieved? Tsk, tsk, that’s not good at all. If you are like this now, how will you handle being the head wife in the future? Wouldn’t that lead to ridicule?”

His words were tinged with an affectionate nuance.

Qingmei, though taken aback, was well aware of her place and laughed self-deprecatingly, “Young master, stop teasing your concubine. I am content to be one of your concubines. As for becoming the head wife, I dare not even think of it.”

Lu Ziquan was a man of charm, but he harbored great ambition too. His official wife would undoubtedly be a woman with significant contributions to his career, certainly from a wealthy and influential family. How could she, a mere country girl, dare to hope for so much?

Nevertheless, Lu Ziquan said, “Who’s joking? So long as I am willing to offer, you would be exactly that.”

Qingmei’s heart fluttered with the temptation, but she still pressed it down, asking, “Why would you say such a thing, young master?”

“Just help me with one thing, and the position of head wife will be yours.”

Qingmei laughed out, seemingly no longer willing to believe Lu Ziquan’s words, “This concubine dares not.”

As Lu Ziquan expected, he directly prepared a paper and pen and wrote down a marriage contract, presenting it before Qingmei, “If you want it, it’s yours. With this marriage contract, would you be afraid that I won’t acknowledge it in front of my father?!”

Qingmei looked at Lu Ziquan in astonishment; she had not expected him to be so serious. Taking a concubine did not require a marriage contract—she would merely be carried in the side door in a small sedan. However, taking a wife required a marriage contract, and with this contract settled, she was practically already half a wife, unless Lu Ziquan broke off the engagement. Given the character of Lu’s father, how could he let his son commit such an act? They would be bound to make him marry her.

“Young master, are you… serious?”

“Absolutely certain!”

Indeed, Lu Ziquan was serious. His wife had to play a significant role for him, and previously he had deceived Qingmei because she wasn’t influential enough. However, if she managed to accomplish this task, she would become the greatest stepping stone in his career.

Jin Yuanyuan had already promised him that once Qiao Muniang’s child was gone, her father would secure for him a position as an official in the Governor of Qinghua City’s office—an eighth-ranking position. It was a step higher than his own father’s, and in the end, how much does a small official matter in a place like Chatu Town where not even birds would relieve themselves? Should he succeed in attaining this eighth-ranking official position at once, wouldn’t he totally outshine his father?

Not to mention, working in the administrative office of Qinghua City would be far more conducive to promotions and opportunities than toiling away in Chatu Town. Wouldn’t it be like rising to the heavens in a single step?

So all of this was entirely in Qingmei’s hands!

If Wang Qingmei really could help him secure that position, what would it matter to make her his principal wife? The key was that Lu Ziquan also knew that after tricking Qingmei once before, she would definitely not trust him easily now. Better to just make it real—it was more attractive that way!

Seeing Wang Qingmei’s eyes light up, Lu Ziquan hooked up the corner of his mouth and smiled, “All you have to do is put this packet in Qiao Muniang’s tea and serve it to her to drink. It’s that simple, and I’ll promise you the position of my principal wife.” Saying this, he handed a small paper packet to Qingmei’s hand.

Qingmei’s eyes widened, finally realizing that Lu Ziquan definitely did not have good intentions. She stumbled back several steps, “No, no, you can’t use me to harm Mu!”

Lu Ziquan frowned slightly, obviously a little impatient, but still spoke softly, “Rest assured, this isn’t to harm her, it’s just to make her lose a child. If it was a matter of life for life, I wouldn’t bear to let you do it.”

Qingmei couldn’t believe her ears. Mu was pregnant, and yet Lu Ziquan wanted her to harm Mu’s child!

Qingmei pushed Lu Ziquan’s hand away, “No! I won’t do it, you won’t use me!”

Having said this, she attempted to run away, but was abruptly pulled back by Lu Ziquan, who barked fiercely, “Wang Qingmei! Don’t push your luck! Do you really think you’re something special, to have things your own way?”

Qingmei glared at him viciously, her eyes already brimming with tears. She really shouldn’t have trusted such a beast.

Lu Ziquan’s smile was particularly ferocious, “Wang Qingmei, are you suffering right now? Being despised, bullied, living like a dog—can you stand it much longer? Don’t even think about it, because you’ll have to endure it for a lifetime! If you’re a concubine, you’ll have to suffer this way forever! Do you think Qiao Muniang will help you indefinitely? It won’t be long before she moves to Qinghua City. By then, she’ll forget all about you! At that time, you’ll suffer alone in Lu Mansion for a lifetime!”

Tempted to struggle, Qingmei’s resolve wavered as Lu Ziquan’s words exploded in her ears, nearly rupturing her eardrums and squeezing her heart painfully. Had she ever desired such a life?

Seeing the effect his words had, Lu Ziquan pressed closer, “Qingmei, I’ve given you an opportunity. This trivial matter, if you manage to do it and become my wife, Lu Ziquan’s wife, which woman in this household would dare to trample over you then? Even if I take many other concubines, in front of you, they must all respectfully call you Madame and bow down. Don’t you want such a life? Or have you gotten used to being so lowly that you’d rather suffer till death without caring?”

Qingmei’s gaze flickered wildly. Indeed, she was lowly, but who wished to be that way? She would be Lu Ziquan’s woman for life—an unchangeable fact. Yet the difference between a lowly woman and a noble one was vast. As she was now, even a little servant girl would order her around, her life worse than that of pigs and dogs. But what if she became the mistress of the household?

Would the likes of Ziqin, that vile woman, still dare to claw at her face?

Couldn’t she too possess power, control her own destiny, control the destiny of others?

Wouldn’t her children become the legitimate offspring of a great house? From then on, would her lowly past have nothing to do with her?

Qingmei bit her lip, her heart already wavering. All of this was within reach; why shouldn’t she fight for herself?

She had been lowly all her life, longing for the life of the elite. She didn’t want to be looked down upon or pitied—Lu Ziquan was the former, Qiao Muniang the latter. Both kinds of looks were a shame to her.

Qingmei fell silent for a good while before quietly taking the small medicine packet from Lu Ziquan’s hand, “Just by adding the medicine, will that be all?”