Chapter 154
Jiang Mingzhe's voice made Baise swallow the words on the tip of her tongue and quickly put on a smile.
"No, no, no, it's all just hearsay."
Baise chuckled, shooting a sidelong glance at Tie Yi.
Why didn't he let her know Jiang Mingzhe had arrived?
Tie Yi felt wronged. He had clearly tried to warn her.
"Husband, you keep coughing. Is your throat bothering you?"
"Yes, my throat is a bit sore."
"Let's go see a doctor right away. We can't let a minor illness drag on." Baise stood up.
"Thank you, dear wife, for accompanying me to the doctor." Tie Yi carefully supported Baise as they took their leave.
Ye Yunniang also wanted to get up and leave. Baise's words had thrown her mind into turmoil. Right now, she just wanted some peace and quiet.
Jiang Mingzhe wrapped his arm around Ye Yunniang's waist and pulled her into his embrace.
"If you have something to ask, just ask me. Don't let your imagination run wild."
"How many women do you have?" After asking, Ye Yunniang turned her head away, not daring to look at Jiang Mingzhe.
"If I tell you, you are not allowed to get angry."
"Tell me first."
"Alright, I'll tell you. I previously had a legal wife. You know her, it's Zhuang Meixue, and we are already divorced. Zhuang Meixue and I were married for many years but had no children. She and Old Madam Jiang arranged bedmaids for me, about seven or eight in total..."
When doing business abroad, to secure deals with clients, Jiang Mingzhe had visited brothels and escort houses on numerous occasions.
He was fairly familiar with the inner workings of such places and knew that many people secretly harbored venereal diseases.
Finding it filthy, Jiang Mingzhe would simply pay handsomely every time he went, leaving the establishment's staff to entertain his clients and business partners.
As for himself, he would always rest alone in a separate room.
Within the Jiang Manor, Jiang Mingzhe spent most of his time in the study, handling business affairs or discussing expansion strategies with others.
When it came to romance and intimacy, he had always been rather indifferent, feeling that his time was better spent making money.
He avoided visiting the quarters of Zhuang Meixue and the bedmaids whenever possible.
Speaking of this, Jiang Mingzhe looked deeply at Ye Yunniang. "You are the only exception. Even now, I still remember that night, the warm smile on your face as you fed Xiao Liu. I remember your clear, innocent eyes, your delicate nose, and your naturally rosy lips.
At that moment, I wished I could transform into Xiao Liu just to have a taste.
That night, I dreamt..."
"Stop talking." Ye Yunniang reached out and covered Jiang Mingzhe's mouth. Even if he did not finish his sentence, she had a good idea of what it was about.
Jiang Mingzhe gently grasped Ye Yunniang's hand and kissed her fingertips.
"After that dream, I made up my mind that I had to have you. The more time I spent with you, the more I realized how pure and untainted you are. Having you by my side is the greatest blessing of my life."
Ye Yunniang was deeply moved by Jiang Mingzhe's words, but...
Her mother had once told her that a man's sweet words could only be trusted thirty percent. She had to stay calm, keep a clear head, and look for the flaws.
Jiang Mingzhe had only spoken about his business dealings in Jiangcheng; he hadn't mentioned the Yan Kingdom.
Recalling what Tong Mo had told her earlier, Ye Yunniang turned around to face Jiang Mingzhe.
"What about your time in the Yan Kingdom? You spent your days living a life of debauchery, and what is the deal with the dozen or so women in your backyard?"
Jiang Mingzhe was not angered by Ye Yunniang's interrogation; instead, he was quite pleased that she asked.
"Baise told you."
"Never mind who told me, just answer the question. During your time in the Yan Kingdom, did you have other women?"
"If I say yes, will you refuse to marry me?"
"Yes," Ye Yunniang replied with absolute certainty. "So, did you?"
"Yes, twenty-three of them." Jiang Mingzhe did not try to hide it.
After arriving in the Yan Kingdom, Jiang Mingzhe needed to network with the powerful elites and win them over, trying to find a way to acquire the mineral-rich land from them.
Among the nobles of the Yan Kingdom, exchanging concubines and bedmaids as gifts was a common practice.
They would also reward their favored subordinates with women.
Being a smooth talker, Jiang Mingzhe quickly earned the appreciation of these elites, who successively gifted him twenty-three women. Jiang Mingzhe happily accepted them all, settling them into his manor and taking turns to show them his favor.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, hearing Jiang Mingzhe admit to this still made Ye Yunniang incredibly uncomfortable.
An absurd thought even flashed through her mind: perhaps she should have accepted Tong Mo's proposal.
However, she quickly brushed the thought away.
She couldn't hurt Tong Mo just because she was upset with Jiang Mingzhe; that would be entirely unfair to Tong Mo.
"That was only on the surface. In reality, I never laid a finger on any of them," Jiang Mingzhe suddenly added, changing his tune.
"You didn't touch them?" Ye Yunniang was skeptical.
"Women who are passed around like commodities are hardly any cleaner than the girls in the brothels," Jiang Mingzhe said, his voice laced with disgust.
"Really?"
"Really. To keep up appearances and deceive outsiders, I had my subordinates sleep with them instead."
A thought suddenly struck Ye Yunniang. "You thought those women were dirty because they had been with other men. Deep down, have you ever felt disgusted by me?"
After all, before she got together with Jiang Mingzhe, Ye Yunniang had also been with another man.
"If I found you disgusting, I would never have touched you in the first place. Yunniang, do not compare yourself to them. Doing so demeans both you and me. In my heart, you are the purest and most untainted of all. You are an invaluable treasure."
"My mother said..."
"Let's leave Madam Li's words out of this for now," Jiang Mingzhe interrupted gently. "I've told you all about my past; now it's time for you to tell me about yours."
"What is there to tell?" Ye Yunniang replied with righteous confidence. She had never fooled around.
"Tong Mo, and Tie Xiong."
"What does this have to do with Big Brother Tie Xiong?" Ye Yunniang asked in confusion.
"Couldn't you tell that Tie Xiong has feelings for you?"
"Don't slander Big Brother Tie Xiong. He only looks after me like a younger sister-in-law for the sake of Brother Jun." Ye Yunniang completely refused to believe Jiang Mingzhe's claim that Tie Xiong liked her.
Since Ye Yunniang hadn't noticed, Jiang Mingzhe decided not to press the issue.
"And what about Tong Mo?"
When it came to Tong Mo, Ye Yunniang felt she had nothing to hide.
She recounted everything that had happened between her and Tong Mo.
"I've already made things completely clear with him." At this point, Ye Yunniang thought of her youngest son at home and smiled. "Pingping has acknowledged Tong Mo as his father."
Jiang Mingzhe thought: What a good son of mine.
"Ye Yunniang, I have huge news for you!" Tong Mo came running in, only to see Jiang Mingzhe and Ye Yunniang in an intimate embrace.
"Let go of her." Tong Mo grabbed Ye Yunniang's arm.
Jiang Mingzhe refused to let go, his arm still wrapped tightly around Ye Yunniang's waist.
"Ah, stop pulling, both of you! It hurts," Ye Yunniang cried out.
Tong Mo and Jiang Mingzhe immediately released her.
Ye Yunniang stood up from Jiang Mingzhe's embrace, walked over to the side, and sat down. She rubbed her arm, and then her waist.
"Tong Mo, what did you need to see me about?"
"Jiang Mingzhe brought a woman back with him," Tong Mo said rapidly. "Ye Yunniang, don't let him deceive you anymore. He's a greedy bastard who keeps one eye on the pot while eating from his bowl, a total scumbag."
Ye Yunniang shot Jiang Mingzhe a questioning look. What was going on?
"I did bring someone back," Jiang Mingzhe admitted.
"See? He admitted it himself. This man isn't worthy of your trust," Tong Mo said eagerly.
"Her surname is Zhou, and her name is Zhou Yunluo. She went out looking for her brother but was abducted by human traffickers and sold to the Yan Kingdom."
The excitement vanished from Tong Mo's face. "What did you say her name was?"