The Foolish Husband of the Landlord's Family (GL)

Chapter 35: A Show with Four Women

Lin Kong looked at the seated Wu Pengcheng, then at Jiang Yuan kneeling beside him, her face a picture of bewilderment.

Since entering, Lin Kong hadn’t spoken a word, quietly listening to Wu Pengcheng’s monologue. Despite her low presence, she was still targeted for punishment, but as long as it wasn’t her wife being hit, she didn’t mind.

Lin Kong propped herself up with one hand, shifting her position on her knees, already imagining the pain of being beaten. She looked at Jiang Yuan with regret, wishing she had worn thicker clothing yesterday.

The two constables at the door entered at Wu Pengcheng’s command, roughly grabbing Lin Kong’s arms to drag her out for punishment.

Jiang Yuan remained upright, seemingly unaffected, yet her clenched fists revealed her true feelings.

She opened her eyes to see Lin Kong’s pitiful expression, her brows furrowed in distress.

She looked up and said sternly, "Sir, do you still want those riches?"

She loved to negotiate.

Wu Pengcheng’s eyes gleamed at the mention of money. Aware of Jiang Yuan’s wealth, he certainly wanted both money and a scapegoat to redirect blame, solving two problems at once.

Feigning authority, he waved the constables away, "Withdraw for now. I need to further interrogate."

The constables released Lin Kong and quietly exited.

Lin Kong rubbed her sore arms, inching closer to Jiang Yuan, ignoring Wu Pengcheng, and plaintively said, "Wife…"

Jiang Yuan’s arm tingled where Lin Kong rubbed it. She caressed Lin Kong’s face, reassuring, "It’ll be okay."

Their intimacy annoyed Wu Pengcheng, his face darkening, suspecting Jiang Yuan was stalling for time.

Fuming, he threatened, "Jiang Yuan, if you reveal where the money is hidden, I may consider leniency. Otherwise, I’ll have Lin Kong beaten with eighty lashes."

Confident he’d found Jiang Yuan’s weakness, Wu Pengcheng smiled smugly.

"…" Lin Kong instinctively shifted her spared bottom, looking to Jiang Yuan, clutching her arm tightly.

Jiang Yuan noted Lin Kong’s movements, calmly replying, "I entrusted all my wealth to an employee who left to procure supplies yesterday. Wait patiently for her return, and you’ll know where the money is hidden. Otherwise, I don’t know where it is."

She spoke as if the money was of no concern.

Wu Pengcheng slammed the table, skeptical, "Jiang Yuan, you're the owner. How can you not know where your money is? Aren’t you afraid it’ll be stolen? If you stay stubborn, I won’t be lenient."

In truth, he worried the employee might pocket the money, eager to claim it as his own.

Jiang Yuan confidently stated, "Trustworthy people don’t need suspicion. I may not be as duplicitous as you, changing faces daily, but I trust my chosen employees."

"You… insolent!" Wu Pengcheng fumed, tempted to drag Lin Kong out for a hundred lashes.

Yet, he coveted Jiang Yuan’s wealth, hesitating, calculating the potential gains and redirecting blame, deciding to wait.