Matriarch Rules, Scumbag Begs - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Human Offering

“Pop! Pop!”
A string of firecrackers exploded in the air, bursting into a kaleidoscope of colors. Everyone looked up, marveling at the sight: “These firecrackers are so beautiful! They’re dazzling even in the daytime!”

Lu Yan boasted disdainfully: “These are specially prepared by the Military Affairs Bureau to celebrate my birthday. They’re definitely extraordinary.”

“But it’s a shame that the authorities are so incompetent. They still haven’t caught the culprit who’s been targeting the noble families and causing trouble in the capital. It’s ruined the mood of the night festivities.”

“If it weren’t for that, the fireworks would be even more stunning at night. The colorful lights would be simply breathtaking!”

When Lu Yan said this, Shen Qiuci glanced at him with her peripheral vision and smiled imperceptibly.

With the fireworks exploding, the birthday banquet officially began.

Today, the Minister’s mansion had prepared a special wine, a 20-year-old “Drunk Immortal” vintage, which was extremely rare and valuable.

During the feast, the men drank to their hearts’ content, and with just one glance, they simultaneously came up with some disgusting ideas. They focused their attention on Shen Qiuci, coming up with various excuses to toast her.

They congratulated her on her recovery from illness, praised her family’s loyalty to the emperor, and found all sorts of reasons to make her drink. Shen Qiuci pretended to be tipsy after a few cups and tried to decline: “I’m not good at drinking, I really can’t drink anymore.”

But would these men let her off the hook that easily?

The more they heard that she couldn’t drink, the more they wanted to get her drunk, to see her embarrassment and her face turn red, to satisfy their wild imaginations. Pei Yuanzhou wanted to help her several times, but before he could speak, someone would interrupt him. Everyone present was a noble in the capital, and none of them were people that Pei Yuanzhou could afford to offend.

Finally, Madam Ning couldn’t bear it anymore. She took the wine cup from Shen Qiuci’s hand, raised it, and drained it in one gulp. Then, she slammed the cup on the table with a loud “bang”.
“You gentlemen are so enthusiastic, but there’s no need to make things difficult for Miss Shen.”

She rolled up her sleeves, filled the cup with wine, and gazed at everyone with sharp eyes. “Come, I’ll drink with you to my heart’s content!”

The smiles on everyone’s faces suddenly became awkward. Only Ning Baichuan looked at Madam Ning with a smile and joked: “My wife loves wine, but her tolerance is not good, and her behavior when drunk is even worse. When she’s drunk at home, she often grabs me and starts fighting.”

“If she gets carried away and does something unbecoming after drinking, I won’t be able to control her. You’ll have to bear with it, gentlemen.”

When he said this, everyone felt even more awkward. Everyone knew that Madam Ning was skilled in martial arts and had once been robbed in the market. She had chased the thief for three streets and beaten him half to death. If things escalated and they started fighting, it wouldn’t matter who won or lost.

The real problem would be if the incident reached the emperor’s ears, and their reputations were tarnished.

Realizing they couldn’t afford to provoke her, they reluctantly gave up.

Lu Yan tried to smooth things over by shouting to the woman on the stage: “Chun Ji! Sing a song that you’re good at, and let’s have some fun!”

The music began, and Chun Ji’s singing was smooth and natural, her voice clear and pleasant, gentle and moving. It temporarily alleviated the awkward atmosphere at the table.

At this moment, Lu Yan suddenly smiled mysteriously and said: “After three rounds of wine, it’s time for everyone to have some nourishing soup to warm their spleen and stomach.”

After he finished speaking, he clapped his hands three times. The servant in charge of serving food shouted loudly: “Bring in the human serving table!”

Shen Qiuci was curious about what kind of dish could warrant such a grand display. She looked up and saw a row of maidservants walking towards the main table, each holding a bowl of soup with their bare hands. The surface of the soup bowls was steaming hot, and it looked like it would be very hot to touch.

When they reached the table, the dozen or so maidservants lined up and didn’t put the soup bowls on the table. Instead, they stood straight and knelt down, holding the soup bowls above their heads.

Shen Qiuci looked at the woman kneeling in front of her. Her fingers were red from the heat, and although she was looking down, Shen Qiu Ci could see the misty tears in her eyes. She was biting her lip hard, trying to endure the pain.

Someone asked curiously: “What’s the method, Brother Lu? It’s quite novel.”

Lu Yan proudly raised his chin: “This is called a human serving table. When we dine in the courtyard, although the ground is warmed, dishes like soup tend to lose heat quickly.”

“With these human serving tables, they can hold the soup bowls in their hands and use the temperature of their palms to keep the soup warm. This way, it serves the purpose of keeping the food warm.”

When he said this, the men burst out laughing and praised Lu Yan for being a genius, able to come up with such a clever idea.

These laughter sounded particularly harsh to Shen Qiuci. She took the bowl from the woman’s hand and placed it aside, wanting to comfort the woman, but suddenly heard a loud “clang” sound coming from beside her.

When she turned to look, she saw that Madam Ning had also taken the bowl and slammed it on the table.

“Absurd! These women may be servants you’ve bought with a contract, but they’re still living beings! How can you treat them like this?”

“Treat them like this? Ha.” Lu Yan seemed to have heard a ridiculous joke and smiled coldly, raising his wine cup and swirling it leisurely.

“As Madam Ning once said when she paid her respects to the empress dowager, the world can’t do without women.”

He glanced disdainfully at Chun Ji, who was singing on stage, and said slowly: “For women, if they’re born into a lowly family but are beautiful, they can be like Chun Ji, serving men and entertaining them.”

Then his gaze shifted to the maidservants kneeling on the ground, holding soup bowls.
“If they’re not born into a good family and are not good-looking, they can serve as human serving tables, making the most of their usefulness.”

Lu Yan raised his eyes and finally fixed his gaze on Shen Qiuci and Madam Ning. “But for noble women like Madam Ning and Madam Pei, it’s different.”

He paused, drained his cup, and raised an eyebrow at Shen Qiuci and Madam Ning, his words provocative: “They can marry into wealthy families, uphold their duties as wives, raise children, manage the household, and serve their in-laws.”

“If they can stabilize the household and help their husbands achieve their careers in the court or on the battlefield, then a woman’s life can be considered complete.”