Chapter Seventy-six: How to End

Wang Family Courtyard, Wang Pu’s warm chamber.

Chen Yuanyuan and Tender Wife were adding bamboo charcoal to the stove. This was the finest smokeless bamboo charcoal, affordable only to wealthy families like the Wangs. Ordinary folk had to make do with the lowest grade wood charcoal in winter, while the destitute could not even afford that, resigned to shivering in icy pits.

Suddenly, the tightly shut door swung open and Wang Pu entered, draped in a thick tiger skin cloak. Tender Wife hurried to close the door, while Chen Yuanyuan was already assisting Wang Pu, unfastening his cloak and hanging it on the rack. She spoke softly, “Husband, sit by the stove and warm yourself, don’t catch cold.”

Wang Pu pulled Chen Yuanyuan to sit beside him on the kang, asking, “We’ve been back in Datong for several days now. Yuanyuan, are you still comfortable here?”

Chen Yuanyuan smiled charmingly, her voice gentle, “As long as I can stay by your side, anywhere is home.”

“You really do have a sweet mouth,” Wang Pu teased, lightly brushing Chen Yuanyuan’s delicate nose with his head. Yet in his mind, a vivid image arose: her sweet lips were not only charming, but capable of far more… As his thoughts wandered, Wang Pu’s gaze grew intense, and the hands clasping hers became restless.

Chen Yuanyuan cast him a coquettish sideways glance, then turned to Tender Wife, saying, “It’s late and the master must be hungry. Tender Wife, please go to the kitchen and prepare something to eat.”

“Yes,” Tender Wife replied, and left through the side door.

Before she could close the door behind her, Wang Pu had already swept Chen Yuanyuan onto the kang, his hands quickly undoing her mink coat. Though outside the warm chamber winter raged, inside it was as warm as spring. Beneath the mink, Chen Yuanyuan wore only a thin silk gown.

As Wang Pu loosened her coat, a delicate fragrance wafted up—her natural scent. It was said that only one woman in a million possessed such a fragrance, marking her as a rare treasure, the dream of every man.

Wang Pu pressed his nose against her soft, voluptuous chest through the silk, inhaling deeply and murmuring with delight, “Fragrant, truly fragrant.”

“Master, you must have been frozen outside, haven’t you?”

When alone, Chen Yuanyuan always called Wang Pu “Master,” and the sound nearly melted his soul.

She gazed at him with seductive eyes, guiding his hands to her warm, firm chest. With a breathy, alluring tone she whispered, “Let me warm your hands, hmm?”

Wang Pu licked his lips, suddenly parched. With just a glance, a gesture, or a word, Chen Yuanyuan could easily ignite a man’s desire. Many beauties possessed only surface allure, but hers radiated from her very bones.

This was what it meant to be born with natural charm.

She was not the ethereal type, untouched by worldly concerns, inspiring worship at first sight; nor was she the fragile maiden, evoking endless protectiveness. She was simply a woman—a real woman—making men helplessly crave her.

Wang Pu’s breathing grew rapid, his hands eager as they slid down her body, lifting her silk gown and slipping into her undergarments. His fingers found moist warmth, and when he withdrew them, a trace of translucent fluid remained. Chen Yuanyuan’s cheeks flushed deeply, while Wang Pu’s expression grew more intimate and suggestive.

Yuanyuan gently pressed his hands, her voice tender and full of affection, “Winter nights are long. Let me serve you your supper first, then we can take our time later, alright?”

“General, something’s happened!”

At that very moment, Zhen Youcai’s voice rang out abruptly from outside, spoiling the mood.

Wang Pu exhaled, withdrawing his hands from her regretfully. Chen Yuanyuan smiled sweetly, quickly adjusting her coat and smoothing her slightly disheveled hair. Then she glanced back at Wang Pu with a coquettish look, saying softly, “Master, I’ll go to the kitchen and prepare a couple of hot dishes and warm some wine. You and Mr. Zhen can drink and talk.”

With that, she swayed gracefully out the side door.

Wang Pu reluctantly tore his gaze from her rounded, shapely hips, then turned back, grumbling, “It’s cold outside, come in and speak.”

The main door to the warm chamber opened, and Zhen Youcai entered, shivering behind Xiao Qi.

Wang Pu pointed to the kang. “Sit.”

“Thank you, General.”

Zhen Youcai thanked him and settled onto the warm kang, while Xiao Qi dared not sit, instead standing beside Wang Pu. Zhen Youcai crossed his legs and began, “General, this is just as the old saying goes: ‘One plants flowers with intent, but they don’t bloom; willows are planted by chance, and they flourish.’”

Wang Pu asked, “What do you mean?”

Zhen Youcai explained, “Not long ago, we were wondering how to incite a mutiny among the frontier troops in Datong Town. It’s been less than two hours since, and I was still pondering what method to use. But now, the frontier troops have actually mutinied! Isn’t that uncanny? Would you call it fate?”

“What?” Wang Pu exclaimed. “They’ve really mutinied?”

“They have,” Zhen Youcai confirmed. “The cause is easy to guess: Zhao Santai likely did embezzle the pay, and somehow the news leaked. Several officers who had defected from the bandit army stirred things up, and the outraged frontier soldiers blocked Zhao Santai’s headquarters.”

“What about Zhao Santai?”

“He wasn’t caught,” Zhen Youcai said. “That scoundrel hadn’t returned to his headquarters, so he escaped disaster.”

“Hmm…” Wang Pu mused. “Youcai, where do you think Zhao Santai is now?”

Zhen Youcai replied, “I believe he’s surely at the residence of Zhang Zian, the governor eunuch.”

Wang Pu continued, “When the mutineers failed to find Zhao Santai at the headquarters, what do you think they’ll do next?”

Zhen Youcai said, “Now that things have escalated, the mutineers won’t simply give up. I fear they may soon besiege Datong itself. Since their revolt is due to unpaid wages, if they aren’t paid in full, this won’t be easily resolved.”

Xiao Qi gasped, “If the mutineers really storm the city, that would be disastrous.”

Zhen Youcai responded, “Many of the frontier troops in Datong are former bandits. If things get out of hand, they might truly raise the flag of rebellion! Should it come to that, it would be catastrophic for the people of Datong. Zhang Zian, as the governor eunuch, and Zhao Santai, the deputy commander, cannot escape blame. Both must surely grasp the gravity of the situation.”