Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 16 Radiant with Spirit
"Ah Lang, the toilet in the outhouse is clogged again. You should go and take a look."

The old servant slowly walked up to Shi Shouxin and reported, suppressing a laugh.

She was a distant cousin of Li Wan's family, in her late forties, almost fifty. She was an orphan who had lost her child and had no one to rely on, so Li Wan took her in to take care of the household chores.

Because her surname was Wu, the servants in Shi Shouxin's household respectfully called her Granny Wu, and the couple called her Aunt Wu.

Granny Wu was very good at managing the household. She treated the tenants with both kindness and strictness, and under her management, Shi Shouxin's family gradually became more prosperous in the past two years.

After Yang Qian passed away, Granny Wu kept suggesting that Shi Shouxin take a concubine, and Li Wan also urged the family to have more women to have more children, but Shi Shouxin had no interest in this and always just gave a few perfunctory replies.

It's clear that Shi Shouxin's family life is harmonious and peaceful after marriage, and he is living a very comfortable life.

He was squatting on the ground inspecting the wooden parts of a "bicycle." Hearing Aunt Wu say this, he immediately understood.

He went into the study, took a stack of papers, walked to the outhouse door, and silently slipped the papers through the crack in the door. A small, fair hand quickly snatched the papers away.

Soon, the sound of flushing water came from inside.

Li Wan covered her face as she walked out, not wanting Shi Shouxin to see her embarrassed state.

"I just replaced the flush tank yesterday, how could it break so quickly? It's your old problem."

Shi Shouxin put his arm around Li Wan's waist and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'll definitely do it next time, I'll definitely do it next time. I became stupid after having a baby, how can you blame me for that?"
Besides, there was plenty of toilet paper yesterday, but it's all gone today.

A sly smile appeared on Li Wan's face as she continued to argue; she'd probably dare to do it again next time.

"Hey, hey, hey, Ah Lang, don't go!"

Seeing Shi Shouxin walk towards the bicycle in the yard, Li Wan quickly followed.

"Ah Lang, do you know? You're quite famous in Luoyang now, though it's a strange kind of fame."

Do you know what the youngest daughter of the Shi family said to the concubine when she visited last time?

Li Wan said mysteriously.

"say what?"

Shi Shouxin's gaze was fixed on the "bicycle," and he answered casually.

"The young lady from the Shi family said that the paper mill in Alang's family would rather use the white paper made by his wife to wipe her bottom than give it to famous scholars to write articles. Those literati all said that you are disgracing literature and wanted to petition the court to impeach you and dismiss you from office."

Li Wan covered her mouth and chuckled, feeling extremely pleased with herself. After all, she had used that piece of paper.

"No matter how bad my wife is, she's still mine; no matter how good her writing is, it belongs to someone else."

Of course I only care about whether you're doing well or not. Why should I care about those other people? They're not even comparable.

"They only produce that much paper a month anyway, take it or leave it."

Shi Shouxin scoffed, completely unconcerned. "So much trouble for running a paper mill? These hypocritical 'heavenly emperors' of Cao Wei must have nothing better to do!"
The two walked up to the "bicycle," where a young servant named "Xigou" was checking the connections to ensure they were secure.

This man lived in a thatched hut outside Shi Shouxin's residence. He was promoted and trained by Shi Shouxin to be his follower. He was very clever and loyal!

Li Wan examined the thing for a long time before finally asking, "Xi Gou, is it any good?"

Greyhound looked up, a smile plastered on his thin, monkey-like face, and explained, "Greyhound is definitely no good; he's not cut out for this. But Ah Lang is different."

He looked quite proud, as if he had created this thing himself.

"Alright, go cool off somewhere else, don't keep me from doing my important business."

Shi Shouxin pushed the greyhound aside, sat on the "bicycle" seat, and nodded in satisfaction.

He looked at Li Wan and teased, "Little lady, get in my carriage. I'll take you to Luoyang to eat the best food and dress the best clothes. It'll be much better than your deadbeat husband!"

"Hurry up, hurry up! That damned man, I can't bear to see him even for a day. I just want to go back with you and have some fun."

Li Wan plopped down in the back seat, wrapped her arms around Shi Shouxin's waist, and pressed her chest tightly against his back in an intimate manner.

Aunt Wu, standing to the side, shook her head with a wry smile.

These two have done a lot of ridiculous things, such as flying kites in the rain to attract lightning and training their dogs to count, so this one time won't make a difference.

The bicycle, as if drunk, wobbled and was ridden away. Aunt Wu and the others stared wide-eyed, hardly believing that a two-wheeled vehicle could stand upright!
Shi Shouxin's home was on a small hillside. In fact, the farms outside Luoyang were all located on similar terrains, usually on high platforms to prevent flooding during the rainy season.

The two-wheeled vehicle, which Shi Shouxin jokingly called an "African bicycle," sped down the slope. Li Wan, sitting on the back seat, had her beautiful hair blowing in the wind, making her look like a fairy flying in the sky. The tenant farmers in the fields by the roadside stopped to watch, their eyes drawn to her beautiful figure, unable to look away.

Shi Shouxin carefully controlled the handlebars of the bicycle, feeling as if he had returned to his college days.

After walking down the slope, there was a cemetery at the fork in the road. Li Wan jumped out of the car, picked a few wildflowers by the roadside, waved to Shi Shouxin, and said, "I'm going to see her. Wait for me here."

"Go back quickly."

The grave was within Shi Shouxin's field of vision, so he wasn't worried about anything happening to his beautiful wife.

When Li Wan arrived at the grave, she saw that the tombstone simply read "Tomb of Yang Qian." It made no mention of her father being the disgraceful informer, nor of her husband being Shi Shouxin.

Li Wan placed the bouquet of flowers beside the tombstone, sighed, and said, "You always like to argue with me. When I ignore you, you get even more aggressive, thinking that if I give in to you, it means I'm afraid of you. It's not my fault that my husband has neglected you because of this. I've never said a bad word about you. When you were sick, I invited all the famous doctors from the surrounding villages, and they all said that there was no cure for you. I used up my dowry to treat you. I haven't wronged you, have I?"

The tombstone couldn't speak, so Li Wan continued, "Your daughter Liangliang has been adopted by me, and I will treat her as my own. If you know this in the afterlife, if you still have any conscience, then bless Ah Lang with all the best. There will be concubines in the family in the future. Ah Lang not taking concubines now doesn't mean he won't take them in the future. Don't be jealous or curse him; it's all for Ah Lang's good."

After saying that, she wiped the dust off the tombstone with her sleeve and turned to walk towards the intersection where Shi Shouxin was.

Seeing Li Wan approach, Shi Shouxin asked curiously, "What do you have to say to the tombstone?"

"Even on her deathbed, she firmly believed that I was the one who refused to save her, so I had to explain to her. Sigh!"

I'm even looking for a concubine for you now, because the family is too small, and a lack of male heirs is bad for the continuation of the family line. How could I possibly be jealous of her, really…”

Li Wan shook her head in disappointment.

Although Yang Qian, the concubine, came from a once-wealthy family and was reduced from a young lady of an official's family to a female slave, her Celestial Dragon mindset did not change.

She believed that since she had once been a Celestial Dragon, even if she had fallen in rank, she could become a Celestial Dragon again. But a rootless duckweed, whether in a pond or at sea, is unlikely to change its fate.

The harshness of reality has far exceeded the imagination of naive people like her.

"No, no, no, never take concubines or anything like that, they're a huge hassle."

Shi Shouxin complained, then picked up Li Wan and prepared to continue on his way.

Now that the downhill section is finished, continuing towards Luoyang requires going uphill. Shi Shouxin pedaled the chainless pedals with all his might, the bike making a series of teeth-like noises.

"Ah Lang, why is this cart moving slower than a tortoise? Look at that tortoise in the field, it's running faster than us!"

Sitting in the back seat of the car, Li Wan pointed at a turtle in the paddy field and shouted. She was still savoring the wonderful feeling she had just experienced, but now she suddenly felt annoyed.

In the two years since their marriage, she has witnessed many new things "invented" by Shi Shouxin. Far from finding life boring, she finds every day full of novelty and surprises.

This intoxicating love completely captivated her, leaving her utterly unable to escape. She saw no other man besides Shi Shouxin.

If Shi Shouxin were to die, she would follow him without hesitation, because in her heart, life without this man would be unbearably painful. It would be better for her to be dead.

"Alright, you take control of the dragon head, and I'll push you. We need to get to Yang Gong's house quickly, otherwise we definitely won't be able to go home due to the curfew tonight."

Shi Shouxin had Li Wan sit in the front seat of the car, gripping the handlebars tightly with both hands, while he ran to the back of the car and pushed the handle specifically for pushing the car.

At first, the two were clumsy and Li Wan almost fell. But soon, this beautiful young woman found the knack for maintaining her balance, and the "bicycle" began to speed up the uphill road.

"My love, this is so much fun! It's so much fun! I feel like I'm flying!"

Li Wan screamed wildly, laughing and shouting at the same time, her charming face full of excitement. The fact that the two-wheeled vehicle could stay upright and be controlled was something she had never experienced before.

Sima Yan, thank you for bringing my husband. Otherwise, how would I have survived this life?

At this moment, Li Wan's heart was filled with sweetness, and she also felt grateful to Sima Yan, who had repeatedly refused her request to become his concubine.

If Sima Yan hadn't sneaked into her courtyard to steal her affections, Shi Shouxin would never have appeared, the two would never have met, and they wouldn't have their current sweet life together. In a way, she should thank Sima Yan.

The uphill road was finally over, but Shi Shouxin was still pushing from behind, sweating profusely.

Shi Shouxin knew that Li Wan had a great time, so he was willing to spoil this silly woman who only had him in her heart.

As the saying goes, extreme joy begets sorrow.

Li Wan was too excited to notice that a carriage was approaching from not far ahead.

"Who's rushing over here!"

"Someone is trying to assassinate the Crown Prince!"

"Stop them quickly!"

"Wait a minute, she's a beautiful young woman!"

Li Wan, Shi Shouxin, and the "bicycle" were still in disarray, but the carriage and its guards opposite were already in complete chaos. The carriage stopped, but the bicycle did not.

"Ah Lang, stop, stop right now!"

Li Wan screamed. The carriage was right in front of her, and her mind went blank. She instinctively cried for help.

Unfortunately, the wind was strong, and Shi Shouxin only heard the word "fast." His view was blocked by Li Wan's graceful figure, and he didn't see the carriage coming from the opposite direction at all. Not only did it not brake, it stepped on the gas and sped up even faster!

"No!"

Li Wan screamed in pain, and then her bicycle crashed violently into the horses of the carriage.

People moved about, horses were startled and ran wildly, and the scene instantly turned into chaos!

Li Wan fell to the ground, using Shi Shouxin as a cushion, and was unharmed. Although the "bicycle" was made of wood, it had iron plates in the middle of the key parts as a frame, and it lay on the roadside looking completely intact.

However, the carriage on the other side was in a terrible state, overturned on the side of the road, and the horses on the ground were struggling frantically to get up, but they couldn't get up at all.

The enraged guards had already drawn their swords and surrounded Shi Shouxin and Li Wan. They were waiting for the carriage owner's order to kill them.

"Wait! Don't make any rash moves!"

A familiar voice came from afar. Sima Yan, dressed in a light green brocade robe, climbed out of the carriage and staggered closer. He might have suffered a concussion, but he had no wounds and should be alright.

Shi Shouxin felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders; it was good that no one was injured in the car accident, otherwise it would have been really difficult to handle.

"Let's all go back."

Sima Yan waved his hand, signaling the guards to move away.

"Li Wan, it's been two years. How have you been?"

Sima Yan looked at Li Wan and asked. He was much more composed than before, and the frivolity on his face had long since faded, replaced by the smile often seen on the faces of political animals.

“Your Highness, you have mistaken me for someone else. I am just a village woman with a face full of pockmarks. I am not someone you know.”

Li Wan quickly turned around, her back to Sima Yan, and began spouting a string of lies.

"Your Highness, I was rude just now, it had nothing to do with my wife. I will accept the punishment without complaint, but please do not involve my wife."

Shi Shouxin stood in front of Li Wan, who turned around, peeked out, and made a "lèlèlè" face at Sima Yan.

"It's just a small matter, as long as no one is hurt."

Sima Yan waved his hand gently, indicating that there was no need to worry.

He looked at Shi Shouxin and asked, "May I have a word with your wife alone?"

"I'll step back over there, you can talk here."

Shi Shouxin agreed in a deep voice. Sima Yan nodded, clearly indicating that he would not go inside the carriage to talk with Li Wan.

After Shi Shouxin stepped aside, Sima Yan secretly sized up Li Wan.

Two years had passed, and this young woman was even more beautiful than before. The liveliness in her eyes remained undiminished, but the charm and unique feminine grace emanating from her brows almost overflowed from her body.

Her figure was so "developed" that it would make men drool; not a single inch of her body was superfluous, and she was perfectly proportioned.

This woman was indeed less beautiful than his wife, Lady Yang, in the past, but now he realizes that he was clearly mistaken back then.

Or rather, Li Wan's potential, like a luxury bicycle, has been "developed" by another man, making her even more charming than before.

Sima Yan felt waves of pain in his heart.

"My eldest son recently passed away, and I just went to sweep his grave."

Sima Yan sighed, saying that his eldest son, Sima Gui, had died in the plague that broke out in Luoyang and the surrounding areas this year.

Disease may be the greatest fairness in the world. Not only did an insignificant woman like Yang Qian die from the plague, but Sima Gui, who was very likely to become emperor in the future, also died from the same plague.

"Your Highness, please accept my condolences."

Li Wan said calmly, her face expressionless, let alone showing any grief.

"I was afraid you weren't doing well, so I kept advising the general not to suppress Shi Shouxin. Now that I see you're safe and sound, I'm relieved."

Sima Yan uttered a phrase often used by bastards.

Li Wan couldn't help but feel a chill when she recalled Shi Shouxin mentioning that when they got married, Sima Yan sent the military band from the General's Mansion to accompany their wedding.

Shi Qiao's lewd words still echoed in her ears, causing Li Wan to instinctively cross her arms and adopt a defensive posture.

“Your Highness, I truly did not marry the wrong person. You have so many women in your household, one more or less won’t make a difference. If my husband loses me, he will have nothing.”

Li Wan refused in a very subtle way.

Sima Yan nodded, unable to help but admire him.

Just now, Shi Shouxin was playing around with this young lady who had always had a very lively personality.

Pampering one's legal wife is easy to say. It seems like it's about feeding her, giving her whatever she wants, and sleeping with her—that's considered pampering.

Sima Yan had thought the same way before, but now, seeing Li Wan and Shi Shouxin fooling around together, he realized... Shi Shouxin was indeed better at seducing women.

At the very least, he was very good at playing with Li Wan.

He had secretly inquired and learned that the couple had done many absurd things, such as squeezing chickenpox from cows and then squeezing the pus and blood onto people's wounds. This made Sima Yan think that Shi Shouxin must have thoroughly brainwashed the woman he liked.

In short, the woman's body may still be the same as before, but her soul has been replaced.

Shi Shouxin was like a special key, specifically designed to control Li Wan. Li Wan had absolutely no resistance to this man and was easily completely under his control.

The beauty he adored was thus completely, utterly, devoured by that cunning man.

This saddened Sima Yan.

"Shi Shouxin is cunning and scheming. He is only pursuing you because he is after your father's official position and power."

Don't be fooled by him. If your father loses power in the future, he will definitely abandon you and seek a better match elsewhere.

Sima Yan kindly reminded Li Wan. He truly didn't want to see her be deceived by a man and ultimately commit suicide out of despair.

Upon hearing this, Li Wan's expression instantly turned cold; her temper flared faster than flipping through a book, and she immediately retorted:

"Your Highness, you and the General both enjoy treating others like fools. You can tell whether someone is sincere or not, but can't I?"
"Just take care of yourself, I don't need you to worry about me at all."

Li Wan couldn't stand seeing others slander Shi Shouxin; it bothered her more than if they were insulting her personally. For the past two years, Shi Shouxin had somehow bewitched Li Wan, making this young woman so protective of him.

Sima Yan glanced helplessly at Li Wan, feeling that this woman was beyond saving.

"If he ever dumps you in the future, you can come to me. I can accommodate you."

Sima Yan tossed out a maxim about being a scoundrel and turned to leave. Soon, the carriage, already prepared, sped away accompanied by guards.

"What did Sima Yan say to you? It seems like the meeting ended on bad terms."

Shi Shouxin looked in the direction the carriage had gone, crossed his arms, and asked thoughtfully.

"Hey, it's all the same old stuff."

Didn't you say that what you can't have always stirs your heart, and that those who are favored are always fearless?

Sima Yan even said that if I were ever bullied by my father, I could become his concubine. How could he even think of that?

Li Wan sighed helplessly.

She remembered Shi Shouxin telling her that people like Sima Yan could not understand the ordinary happiness of ordinary people.

Their so-called happiness requires the accumulation of interests, power, money, and the flattery of others, woven into a dream, before it can be achieved.

Apart from that, nothing else seemed to move them.

Li Wan felt very happy with Shi Shouxin. The couple could understand, be considerate of, and support each other, and they found warmth in the ordinary moments.

In Sima Yan's eyes, this was simply the wretched existence of the lower classes. Their differing ways of thinking meant communication was impossible; they could never truly understand each other.

Since she couldn't understand, why would Li Wan possibly seek refuge with Sima Yan?
Even if I were about to die, I would never do that!

"They're all Celestial Dragons with their brains fried, why do you care about them? If they dare to lay a finger on you, I'll kill their whole family!"

Shi Shouxin said menacingly.

He got on his bicycle and had Li Wan sit on the back.

As we rode, we came to see the east gate of Luoyang.

Li Wan buried her head behind Shi Shouxin and whispered, "My love, I wore that sexy little lingerie you gave me last time. Tonight, hang up the luminous pearl, and I'll dance for you in the bedroom."

What kind of dance?

Shi Shouxin suddenly stopped riding and looked at Li Wan, asking her a question.

"You, you already know, don't you? I don't need to tell you, do I?"

Li Wan blushed and gently pounded Shi Shouxin's back, her alluring expression almost dripping with moisture.

　A new chapter begins, set two years after the prologue.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)