From Wife to Concubine
Zhang Zhuzi stood up and waved at the woman standing by the cart under the distant tree, his face immediately shifting to a flattering smile: "Oh my dear, did I scare you? This silly woman doesn’t know her place. From now on, you’re in charge at home. How you want to handle this silly woman and that little one is all up to you!"
The woman Zhang Zhuzi called "my dear" was Qin Sanniang, his lover he found in the brothel district of Qingmiao City.
That lover, aged and past her prime, could no longer make a living in the brothel. Seeing Zhang Zhuzi, a naive country bumpkin with some silver coins, she quickly coaxed him to redeem her freedom.
Naturally, Qin Sanniang and Zhang Zhuzi coming together was no accident; it was all thanks to Xiao Zetian's men secretly stirring the pot, pairing this tigress even fiercer than Liu Ru with Zhang Zhuzi.
Though Qin Sanniang was already aged and faded in the brothel, she was still a hundred times more attractive than Tang Shi.
Everyone stared in surprise at Zhang Zhuzi's new lover. Judging by her attire and demeanor, she didn't seem like a respectable local, but more like someone from the brothel district.
Sure enough, village folk like Li Gouzi immediately recognized her as Qin Sanniang, an old acquaintance of Liu Ru!
"Oh, Sanniang, what brings you to our poor backwater?" Li Gouzi immediately licked his lips and went over to greet her.
But Qin Sanniang didn’t even bother to acknowledge Li Gouzi, sneering disdainfully: "You poor dog, get lost and stay away from me!"
Zhang Zhuzi hurried over, carefully blocking Qin Sanniang’s waist, attending to her like a servant to the empress.
Tang Shi sat on the ground, dumbfounded at Zhang Zhuzi bringing home a woman.
Zhang Zhaocai was the same, eyes wide and mouth agape, helplessly staring at Zhang Zhuzi and the worldly woman.
Zhang Zhuzi supported Qin Sanniang as he approached, smiling obsequiously: "Sanniang, these two are my ugly wife who can’t hold her head high, and my little brat. From now on, you just order them around to work. If they don’t listen, tell me and I’ll beat them until they do!"
Qin Sanniang covered her mouth and chuckled, eyeing Tang Shi and Zhang Zhaocai: "So this silly woman is your lawful wife, huh? Tsk, old and plain, no wonder you seek pleasure elsewhere. If it were me, I couldn’t stand having such a dull woman at home."
Tang Shi gritted her teeth, suddenly understanding the situation: Zhang Zhuzi had stolen the silver and brought a lover home!
"Zhang Zhuzi, what... what do you mean by this?" Tang Shi's face went pale as she trembled.
Zhang Zhuzi snorted, looking at Tang Shi with utter impatience: "You silly woman, give up the position of main wife to my dear Sanniang! From now on, you’re just a concubine, got it!?"
As soon as Zhang Zhuzi spoke, all the villagers exchanged incredulous glances, unable to believe what they heard.
Was Zhang Zhuzi really that heartless? Although Tang Shi’s reputation in the village was bad—always taking advantage and quarreling with villagers—she was truly good to Zhang Zhuzi!
Zhang Zhuzi was lazy, loved to gamble, and never bothered with the farm work. It was Tang Shi who held the household together—farming, housework, and taking care of Zhang Zhuzi properly. She even bore him a son, Zhang Zhaocai, who was plump and healthy.
All in all, even if Tang Shi wasn’t perfect, she never wronged Zhang Zhuzi. So why did he bring home a new lover and try to kick the wife who had shared hardships with him out the door?