Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 1062: Chapter 972: Official of the First Rank 34

Fang Keixin’s second reputation comes from the significant speech rights and recognition she achieved in the village. Fang Keixin wasn’t very concerned about this, yet she didn’t realize this reputation was the most important acknowledgment for women in this era. Because of this reason, Fang Keixin became Luo Yunchuan’s first wife in her past life.

In this life, Fang Keixin left the village early and lost this good reputation, even though she brought a fortune and found mutual love with Luo Yunchuan. In the end, she only gained the status of a high-ranking concubine.

She had to watch helplessly as her beloved was married with a grand ceremony and a ten-mile procession, while she could only arrive in a small sedan chair, wearing pink clothes instead of the rightful red, and married Luo Yunchuan with no banquet table, becoming a mere concubine.

Fang Keixin used to dislike the color red, but after becoming a concubine forbidden to wear red, she grew fond of it. Relying on Luo Yunchuan’s affection for her, she changed all her clothes to red.

In her previous life, Fang Keixin offered potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes purely to assist Luo Yunchuan. But in this life, offering these three items aimed to have Luo Yunchuan make her the first wife. She was fed up with her husband having other women, feeling oppressed by another woman above her.

The goal was about to be achieved because this year’s bountiful harvest proved the high yield of her offered crops. Luo Yunchuan promised her that once the battles were over and he no longer needed to ally through marriage, he would make her his first wife.

Even Luo Zhongchen, who initially opposed Luo Yunchuan marrying Fang Keixin, turned a blind eye and expressed indifference to Luo Yunchuan’s wish to support Fang Keixin as his first wife.

As for what would happen to the original first wife after Fang Keixin became the first wife, Fang Keixin did not care. She resented Luo Yunchuan’s first wife for insisting on inserting herself into someone else’s relationship—a mere homewrecker. Who cares about the fate of a homewrecker?

Fang Keixin completely forgot or deliberately ignored that, in this era, women, especially those from aristocratic families, have no say in choosing their marriages and can only serve as objects of political alliance.

Yet Fang Keixin did not expect that the wise and valorous Luo Yunchuan, from her perspective, would lose the battle—and lose so quickly. What tormented Fang Keixin further was that following his defeat, Luo Yunchuan didn’t take her with him when fleeing; he left alone.

Fang Keixin didn’t know that Luo Yunchuan was severely injured and unconscious when he entered the city. She only knew Luo Yunchuan made it into the city and didn’t care about her life or death but escaped on his own. This made Fang Keixin especially sad, more than realizing it was Murong Shuangshuang, whom she had secretly competed with, who defeated Luo Yunchuan.

Just as Fang Keixin was sitting despondently in the corner, the prison door opened. Fang Keixin, along with Luo Yunchuan’s first wife and relatives, were rudely dragged out by soldiers with hands tied and escorted out.

Weakened by sadness and unable to swallow the poor food, Fang Keixin hadn’t eaten well. Unless she was extremely hungry, she couldn’t eat anything. Now physically weak, she stumbled along behind, tugged by a rope with heavy feet.

In front of Fang Keixin stood Luo Yunchuan’s first wife, Mrs. Li. Despite being somewhat weak, Mrs. Li’s back remained upright, and she managed to maintain her posture as they proceeded.

Leaving the dark and gloomy prison, the bright and splendid sunlight suddenly fell upon them. Although warm, it made Fang Keixin unable to open her eyes. In the blur, she seemed to see Murong Shuangshuang standing before her, still bold and beautiful, yet filled with masculine vigor.

Murong Shuangshuang did not look at Fang Keixin. She addressed the little general sent by Wang Jingqi to fetch the prisoners, ”Luo Yunchuan’s family is all here. Sign on the document to take them away.”

Luo Yunchuan’s life was unexpectedly tenacious. Though his trusted subordinates managed to rescue him after a perilous escape, Wang Jingqi learned that Luo Yunchuan wasn’t dead. He immediately planned to negotiate with Luo Yunchuan using his family, essentially demanding Luo Yunchuan relinquish the city to ransom his family. Hence, he dispatched someone swiftly to Murong Shuangshuang to fetch the people.

As the little general sent by Wang Jingqi signed the document, Mrs. Li suddenly stepped forward and addressed Murong Shuangshuang, ”General, negotiating with Luo Yunchuan by using me won’t work. But if you’ll hear me out, I can offer you greater benefits.”

Murong Shuangshuang looked at Mrs. Li, a woman appearing haggard, yet her somewhat dirty clothes were still tidy, and her hair, unwashed for long and greasy, was neatly pinned with a grass stick.

It was visible that she was striving to maintain her composure; the grace and demeanor of an aristocratic lady hadn’t diminished despite her current disheveled state. Standing in front of Murong Shuangshuang, she maintained eye contact with a posture that was neither arrogant nor submissive, filled with anticipation but not servility.

Murong Shuangshuang raised her eyebrows, starting to admire this woman a bit. Considering their shared womanhood, Murong Shuangshuang didn’t mind giving Mrs. Li a chance, so she chuckled softly, ”Say what you wish to say directly.”

Though Mrs. Li appeared calm, she was actually quite anxious inside. She feared that Murong Shuangshuang might not listen and simply hand her over to the little general to be taken away. Imprisoned for several days, Mrs. Li had been constantly trying to escape her predicament. As for her husband, Luo Yunchuan, she never placed hope in him.

When they first got married, despite being an alliance of interests with little expectation, facing Luo Yunchuan, who was both talented and handsome, Mrs. Li felt some affection and wanted to live well with Luo Yunchuan.

However, Luo Yunchuan’s actions hurt Mrs. Li deeply. Since marrying, Luo Yunchuan never resided in her room, disregarding her dignity. Such disregard wouldn’t have mattered—she could just live without this husband and do what was required of her.

But Luo Yunchuan married a high-ranking concubine, showering her with love, took away Mrs. Li’s management authority to give it to that woman, indulged his concubine in trampling her dignity, allowing her to wear the bright red that only a first wife could wear, yet felt wronged for not granting his beloved concubine the status of first wife.

Mrs. Li scoffed at Luo Yunchuan’s infatuation; if he were truly devoted, he shouldn’t have married her for a family alliance, shouldn’t have pretended to be romantic—who was he trying to impress? It only made Mrs. Li sick.

Originally, Mrs. Li thought her life would be as such, spending her days in the secluded yard, dying in solitude, or perhaps being poisoned by Luo Yunchuan to make way for his beloved concubine. Unexpectedly, Luo Yunchuan, despite his excellent martial arts and commanding ability, lost the battle, leaving her in prison.