Chapter 37: The Concubine and the Late Legal Wife… As everyone was discussing this, they suddenly fell silent…

Wen Zhibai arrived last night. Due to the long and tiring journey, she only briefly met with Wen Zhaoyin who was handling affairs in the study, and then went to rest.

Today marked her official arrival at the Wen household, so a banquet was to be held to introduce her to everyone, scheduled for noon tomorrow.

Zu Jun didn’t want to take charge of the matter, as Wen Zhibai wasn’t from his Xie clan. She was just a sickly woman from the declining Wen family, so he wasn’t in the mood to manage it.

Meng Huan was the only man in the household, but his situation was unique. Firstly, he was pregnant. Secondly, he had been in the manor for over a year without familiarizing himself with the household affairs. Moreover, his status was ambiguous. So the responsibility fell on the capable Pei Lan.

Wen Zhaoyin intended to take him as a concubine to manage the household after he gave birth this time. So she instructed him to learn by observing as well.

But Meng Huan didn’t want to learn these things. He refused to willingly bear children for her and manage the household. So he sent Wen Xi from his side to go through the motions.

This banquet wasn’t a simple matter with just a few people. Wen Zhaoyin had drafted a guest list, inviting several branches of the Wen clan. The invitations had been sent out three days prior, but who would actually attend was unknown.

The entire Wen clan practiced martial arts, except for Wen Zhaoyin and her aunt Wen Lie who pursued literature. Wen Lie never received any support, and would occasionally face cold remarks from the clan.

It seemed as if those who chose the literary path were traitors to the clan.

Wen Lie took the imperial examinations, but was repeatedly demoted on trumped-up charges. During this time, the usually united Wen clan never once intervened or questioned the reasons.

They just watched coldly as she was demoted further and further, until she eventually passed away due to the hardships of traveling and not adapting to the climate.

Wen Zhaoyin had been guided by Wen Lie since childhood. Her choice to pursue literature was partly influenced by this. Wen Lie held an irreplaceable position in her heart.

But by the time she had the ability to seek the Empress’ grace, news of Wen Lie’s death had arrived.

Having never hosted a banquet before, she took this opportunity in Wen Zhibai’s name to invite the Wen clan members. She wanted to see if they would defy authority and not attend due to their disdain for her literary pursuits, or if they would come regardless because of her current power.

She wanted to discern whether the Wen clan rejected those in literature, or just the powerless and incapable.

Since gaining the Empress’ favor, the various branches of the Wen clan had secretly sought her out. She had helped them to some extent out of familial ties.

Now, seeing Wen Lie’s death in a foreign land and Wen Zhibai’s illness without support, she had a realization. If these people gathered because of her power, they would naturally scatter when her power disappeared. By then, who would remember her?

Rather than putting on a facade with these people, it was better to draw a clear line and not help at all.

——

The day was clear and the Wen manor was bustling with activity.

Wen Zhaoyin and Wen Zhibai stood together at the entrance to greet the guests. The visitors brought generous gifts, claiming they were to welcome Wen Zhibai, but in reality, everything was for Wen Zhaoyin.

Many people who previously ignored Wen Zhibai now saw her being supported by Wen Zhaoyin. They all changed their attitudes, enthusiastically conversing at the door without any sense of awkwardness.

The answer was crystal clear.

The integrity of martial officers was just empty talk.

Wen Zhaoyin greeted the guests with a smile, but she had seen through the clan members’ true nature of pursuing benefits and avoiding harm. She felt a tinge of desolation in her heart. If things continued like this, the decline of the Wen clan was just a matter of time.

Meng Huan was arranged to welcome the male guests in the back courtyard. Some women brought their family members, and they were all led to the back courtyard to be seated.

In this era, men and women sat separately.

Of course, Meng Huan himself didn’t want to exchange pleasantries with those unfamiliar men. Each one was even more effeminate than Wen Xi, which really made him uncomfortable.

Especially when a group of men sat together and only talked about their wives, revolving everything around women. It was truly undignified.

But there was no choice. Zu Jun was watching him from above, and Wen Zhaoyin had semi-forcefully arranged it. He had to come out to meet these men and engage in occasional conversations.

As they chatted, the topics turned to him. “I heard that the Concubine is already over two months pregnant. Truly a joyous occasion.”

“What’s there to be happy about… Ahem, I mean, I’m very happy indeed.” After being secretly jabbed in the back by Wen Xi, Meng Huan changed his words.

The men had gotten somewhat used to his style after the earlier interactions, so they didn’t find it too jarring. They just changed the subject instead of continuing on this topic.

“When I was pregnant before, I had severe reactions. I started vomiting just over a month in, and it only got better around the third month. Having a child is really torturous…”

“I see that the Concubine’s complexion is good, so I suppose you don’t have those reactions. You’re truly blessed.”

Meng Huan smiled wryly. He experienced those reactions every day—fatigue, exhaustion, vomiting, loss of appetite, and so on. None of them spared him. He just looked good on the surface.

Seeing that he wasn’t speaking, others couldn’t continue the conversation, so they had to bring up other matters. “Now Madam Wen only has the Concubine as her man. If the Concubine gives birth to a girl this time, maybe you’ll be promoted to the Legal Husband!”

Meng Huan’s status was illegitimate, so the proper legal husbands were unwilling to sit at the same table as him. They only exchanged a few words before going to sit with their familiar brothers. Only some concubines would sit at the same table and chat with him.

Wen Xi was quick-witted. From the moment he woke up today, he had been calling Meng Huan “Concubine,” making these men who were unfamiliar with Wen Zhaoyin’s back courtyard think that his status was already that of a concubine. That’s why they mentioned the possibility of being promoted to the Legal Husband.

As soon as this man finished speaking, another man next to him interrupted, “How is that possible? There’s a world of difference between a concubine and a legal husband. It’s not something that can be easily achieved just by giving birth to a daughter. You should say something more realistic.”

That’s right, he was just jealous. Although Meng Huan was a concubine, he had a wife all to himself. Any man would be envious upon hearing that.

The two men seemed to be at odds with each other. If one said it wasn’t possible, the other insisted it was.

The one who spoke first glared, pressing his hand on the table. “I have seen the previous Legal Wife! The Concubine and the Legal Wife…”

Before he could finish, the entire table suddenly fell silent. A large portion of them had also seen Wen Zhaoyin’s original legal wife and understood what he meant.

Madam Wen’s Concubine Meng bore a striking resemblance to the late Legal Wife. When they first saw him, they thought the person had come back to life.

The fact that Wen Zhaoyin could take in a man with such an appearance showed that she was definitely a deeply devoted woman. It wasn’t impossible for her to promote a concubine to the legal husband position on the occasion of giving birth to a daughter.

Although this was the case, it couldn’t be said in front of the person in question. If they accidentally angered this concubine with great potential, they wouldn’t gain any benefits.

Meng Huan stared blankly at the suddenly silent table, feeling very confused. “Why did you suddenly stop talking?”

“What about the Legal Wife? I haven’t heard anyone mention him before. What were you saying about me and him?”

The man who had stopped mid-sentence earlier laughed awkwardly. “Haha, it’s nothing, nothing at all. I just felt that the Concubine is in no way inferior to the Legal Wife. That’s what I wanted to say earlier, but then I thought it was a bit inappropriate, so I stopped without continuing.”

The others at the table nodded in agreement. “Yes, yes. Since the previous Legal Wife has passed away, let’s not bring him up anymore.”

Hearing them speak, the other people at the table seemed unaware of the situation, so they didn’t dare to mention this topic either.

Meng Huan looked at them suspiciously. Although what they said made some sense, he still felt that something wasn’t quite right.

If they had thought this way from the beginning and considered the previous Legal Wife a taboo subject, then that person probably wouldn’t have brought it up at all. How could he have only realized it was inappropriate halfway through his sentence?

Meng Huan felt that there was a problem here, and not a small one.

No, after today’s banquet ended, he had to get to the bottom of what was going on. Why did he feel like this matter was inextricably linked to him?

He chatted with the people at the table a bit more but didn’t uncover anything. Meng Huan was very curious, so he lost patience in making small talk with them.

So he made an excuse about feeling unwell and left the table. He then told Zu Jun that he wasn’t feeling well and was going to the garden for some fresh air, but in reality, he wanted to take a detour through the garden to return to Qingzhu Courtyard.

He really didn’t want to fake smiles at a group of men anymore, let alone talk about raising children and pleasing their wives. It was truly ridiculous.

As Wen Xi supported him to take a detour through the garden, they unexpectedly heard faint crying sounds when they reached a secluded spot.

Meng Huan was stunned. He thought that regardless of gender, everyone should be at the banquet in the front and back courtyards. How could someone be crying here? He asked Wen Xi to quietly take a look, and if it wasn’t a good person, to quickly call the guards.

To his surprise, Wen Xi had just gone over and came running back, with an incredulous expression on his face. He whispered to Meng Huan, “I saw Madam Wen crying in the flower bed.”

There were two women in the Wen manor. Wen Zhaoyin was referred to as the head of the household, while the one who could be called Madam was Wen Zhibai, whom they had met before.

Meng Huan had a good impression of this woman, so he was a bit puzzled. Why would she secretly run to the garden to cry at her own welcoming banquet?

It should be noted that in this female-dominant society, women rarely cried. Wen Zhaoyin was at the forefront of this. Her heart was practically made of steel, an emotionless machine focused on business.

In contrast, it was him who was often made to cry by her, which was embarrassing.

“Let’s go take a look.” With an unknown mindset, Meng Huan walked step by step towards the direction of the crying sound and successfully found Wen Zhibai sitting on the ground, crying.

She was squatting on the ground, arms hugging her knees, with her head buried in her knees. Her crying wasn’t very loud, but it sounded quite sorrowful.

When Meng Huan arrived, he didn’t conceal himself. Hearing the footsteps, she raised her head, revealing a pair of eyes reddened from crying. She asked softly, “Brother-in-law? Why are you here?”

After asking this, she seemed to realize that her state was a bit inappropriate. She quickly took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped away the tears on her face, then stood up from the ground and bowed to Meng Huan.

“I was passing by and happened to hear it…”

Meng Huan stared at her face, finding it more and more beautiful the longer he looked. Beautiful things always demand admiration, especially since he loved looking at beautiful women the most.

Wen Zhibai received his undisguised gaze and pretended as if nothing had happened, standing there openly for him to observe.

After enough time had passed, she finally spoke, “I have a request. I don’t know if brother-in-law can agree to it?”

Meng Huan had no idea that his thoughts had been exposed. He nodded for her to speak. “Tell me and let me hear it. If I can do it, I will definitely agree to it for you.”

He said this, but he himself knew that anything he did in the Wen household had to go through Wen Zhaoyin. The biggest thing he could probably decide was what to eat for dinner.