bigabreads Chapter 164 He held her hand and stamped it with red seals... What was the taste of power?
Chapter 164 He held her hand and stamped it with red seals... What was the taste of power?
Despite the deep darkness of night, the study on the top floor of the Genting Apartments remained brightly lit.
Unlike the suffocating heat and humidity of the heated rooms downstairs, the air here is dry and filled with an old, musty smell of paper and ink, a scent unique to power and money.
"Crunch—"
The heavy mahogany door was pushed open.
Su Wan had just escaped death from the seventh brother's place, and her legs were still as weak as noodles. She originally wanted to go back to her room to sleep, but the fourth brother, Qin Yue, intercepted her halfway. He said that there was a big account "concerning the future foundation of the Qin family for the next hundred years" to settle, and he carried her to the study where he usually spent all his time alone.
"Fourth brother...it's too late, can't we settle it tomorrow?"
Su Wan was placed on that large rosewood desk.
The table was very high, and her feet dangled in the air. Her small feet, which had just been massaged by Qin An with medicated oil, were now crystal clear, radiating a faint minty coolness, and swaying restlessly in the air.
"That won't do."
Qin Yue slowly closed the door and locked it from the inside.
The crisp click of the lock clicking shut was particularly clear in the quiet of the night, like a small hammer striking Su Wan's heart.
Qin Yue turned around. He had already taken off his flashy burgundy velvet vest and was only wearing a snow-white shirt.
Three buttons on her collar were undone, revealing her delicate collarbone and the silver necklace that rose and fell slightly with her breath.
He walked to the desk, but instead of taking the abacus, he pulled out a heavy, rusty object from his sleeve.
That was Magistrate Fang's official seal.
"Sister-in-law, this thing... has an expiration date."
Qin Yue wore a sly smile as he toyed with the bronze seal symbolizing the majesty of the Great Zhou Dynasty, as if tossing a worthless pebble in his hand.
"We can only borrow Lord Fang's courage tonight."
"Once I sober up tomorrow, or if I'm scared out of my wits by the prefect above, this seal... won't be of much use."
"so……"
He braced himself on either side of Su Wan, trapping her between himself and the table full of account books, his peach blossom eyes gleaming with a mixture of calculation and desire.
"We have to work overtime tonight."
"It paved the way for the next few decades..."
Su Wan looked at the cold, hard bronze seal in his hand, then at the stack of blank documents that had been prepared long ago on the table, and felt a chill run down her spine.
The documents were filled with dense text, containing things like "permanent lease rights for suburban wasteland," "exclusive operating rights for mining," and even "tax autonomy regulations for the Langya Special Zone"...
This is clearly an attempt to undermine the Great Zhou Dynasty! And they're using the imperial seal to do so!
"This...this is a grave crime..." Su Wan's voice trembled.
"Shh-"
Qin Yue extended a slender finger and pressed it against her cupid's bow.
My fingertips felt slightly cool, and there was a faint smell of ink paste.
"In this Wolf Fang Special Zone, the Qin family is the law."
"Besides..."
He leaned down, his nose brushing against Su Wan's neck, and took a deep breath:
"This seal..."
"Since it's my sister-in-law's spoils, how to use it... is naturally up to her."
As he spoke, he grabbed Su Wan's hand and forcefully shoved the cold, heavy official seal into her palm.
The bronze seal felt chilling to the bone.
The ferocious beast head carved on it, with its sharp edges, made Su Wan's palms ache slightly.
"Take it."
Qin Yue's large hand enveloped her small hand with an irresistible force:
"This is the weight of power."
"Sister-in-law, is it heavy?"
"Heavy..." Su Wan wanted to let go.
"Heaviness is just right."
Qin Yue chuckled softly, and with his other hand, he naturally wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, forcing her legs to part.
This posture is extremely ambiguous and extremely dangerous.
The two were separated only by a thin shirt and undershirt, and their body temperatures instantly mingled.
"Come here, sister-in-law."
Qin Yue picked up a box of top-grade cinnabar ink that had never been opened and was as red as blood from the table.
"This inkpad... is a bit dry."
He pressed his thumb onto the surface of the inkpad; the red paste, fine and viscous, stained his finger, a bewitching red.
"It needs a bit of moisture."
Qin Yue looked at Su Wan, his eyes suddenly becoming deep and unfathomable.
He did not go to get the ink.
Instead, he grabbed Su Wan's hand holding the seal and pressed the bottom of the bronze seal hard into the box of cinnabar.
"Pfft."
"It's covered in it."
Qin Yue raised Su Wan's hand.
The bottom of that official seal was now soaked with bright red cinnabar, and under the dim light, it looked so red that it seemed to be dripping blood.
The first one.
Qin Yue casually pulled out a land deed—it was for the most fertile black soil in Zhao Family Village.
He spread the thin sheet of Xuan paper on the desk, right next to Su Wan's thigh.
"Cover it up."
He commanded.
Su Wan's hands were trembling, and she couldn't muster any strength.
"No energy?"
Qin Yue raised an eyebrow, pressed his chest against her back, and hugged her from behind.
His right hand gripped hers tightly, like manipulating a puppet, raising her hand high above—
"Bang!"
A muffled thud.
The official seal slammed heavily onto the Xuan paper.
The bright red mark instantly seeped into the back of the paper, leaving a shocking red stamp on the white paper.
"Well done."
Qin Yue breathed into her ear, his voice carrying a strange excitement:
"With this one poke... those five hundred acres of fertile land will become my sister-in-law's private property."
"From now on, sister-in-law can plant flowers if she wants to, and raise horses if she wants to."
"It's none of anyone's business."
"Again."
He didn't give Su Wan a chance to catch her breath and pulled out a second document—the document concerning the Liu family's continuous mountain forest.
"Apply ink."
This time, Qin Yue did not help her.
He simply held her wrist loosely, watching her awkwardly press the official seal into the cinnabar box out of nervousness.
"Sister-in-law, push harder."
He stood by, giving instructions, his voice hoarse.
"Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty."
"It's dirty... Fourth Brother will clean it for you."
Su Wan blushed at his ambiguous words, her hand trembled, and the official seal slipped in the box, smearing her hand with red ink.
The vibrant red flowed down between her fair fingers, meandering across the back of her hand, creating a breathtakingly cruel beauty.
"Oops, it leaked."
Qin Yue's eyes darkened instantly as he looked at the flowing red.
He grabbed her wrist, but didn't wipe it immediately.
Instead, it lowered its head and stuck out its tongue.
"Vermilion is a bit bitter."
Qin Yue raised his head, a touch of crimson stain on his lips, which, combined with his devilishly handsome face, made him look like a lecherous ghost who sucks away life force.
"But the scent... has my sister-in-law's fragrance."
"Very moisturizing."
"Qin Yue! You...you mustn't do this..." Su Wan cried, shrinking back, only to bump into a hard embrace.
"What else?"
Instead of retreating, Qin Yue advanced, pinning her firmly to the edge of the desk.
He picked up the third document—a tax exemption order for the entire Langya Special Zone.
This piece of paper is the lightest, yet the heaviest.
Once the cover is put up, the Great Zhou Dynasty's control over finances in this area will be completely severed.
"This one... is the most crucial."
Qin Yue's voice became more serious, but his actions became even more unrestrained.
He didn't put the paper on the table.
But...
It was placed on Su Wan's lap.
To be precise, it was placed on her snow-white thigh that was exposed outside her skirt.
"This table is too hard; it's difficult to put weight on it."
Qin Yue was talking nonsense with a straight face:
"My sister-in-law's legs are weak, so this cushion is just right."
"You!" Su Wan looked at him in horror. "How can you cover this up? It'll...it'll get it dirty!"
"It's the paper that's dirty, not your sister-in-law."
Qin Yue pressed down on her fidgeting legs, his large, hot hand gently caressing her skin through the thin paper.
"Sister-in-law, don't move."
"If this stamp is misplaced... our Qin family will have to pay tens of thousands of taels of silver in taxes in the future."
"Will your sister-in-law be able to bear it?"
He used money as bait, firmly grasping Su Wan's weakness.
Tens of thousands of taels?!
Su Wan froze instantly.
"good."
Qin Yue smiled with satisfaction.
He grasped Su Wan's hand again and raised the official seal, which was covered in cinnabar.
At this point, the official seal was no longer just a symbol of power in his eyes.
It is also a tool for conquest.
"fall."
With a low shout.
The heavy bronze seal, stained with bright red ink, pressed down heavily.
It was pressed onto that thin sheet of Xuan paper.
It also pressed down on Su Wan's delicate thigh flesh.
"Um……"
That heavy, cool sense of oppression traveled through the paper to my skin, sending shivers down my spine.
Qin Yue did not immediately lift the seal.
Instead, using that posture, he pressed the top of the seal with his palm and slowly and forcefully ground it in a circle.
"It needs to be covered up properly."
He stared at the paper, but his gaze seemed to penetrate it, reaching the soft, crushed flesh beneath.
"Only after going around in this circle... will the marks become clear."
"Did your sister-in-law sense it?"
"These patterns of power..."
"Are they... all imprinted on your sister-in-law's legs?"
Su Wan bit her lower lip tightly, her hands gripping Qin Yue's shirt collar, crumpling the snow-white fabric.
The illusion of being "stamped" gave her a sense of shame, as if she had become this man's private property.
It was as if by stamping this mark, she was completely labeled as a member of the Qin family.
They will never be able to turn their lives around.
"alright."
After a long while, Qin Yue finally raised his hand.
He picked up the document and gently blew on the still-wet cinnabar.
On the paper, a clear and glaringly red official seal was clearly visible.
And after the paper was removed.
Although no blood was stained on Su Wan's thigh (because of the paper), a deep, square red mark was left.
Those were marks left by the copper stamp.
On that snow-white skin, it appeared particularly shocking, and also particularly...erotic.
Qin Yue's gaze fell on the red mark, and his eyes instantly turned extremely dangerous.
He casually tossed the priceless document aside.
Then, extend your finger and slowly trace the square red mark.
"It's so beautiful."
He murmured softly, his fingertips slightly cool, sending shivers down Su Wan's spine:
"It looks much better than covering it with paper."
"Sister-in-law."
He suddenly looked up, brought his face close to hers, and their noses touched:
"The print on paper is for outsiders to see."
"The mark on this leg..."
"It's for me to see."
"This means... this land (referring to her)... is also mine."
"Who would dare touch it again..."
He suddenly opened his mouth and bit down hard on the red mark.
"Ah!" Su Wan cried out in pain, her eyes filled with tears.
"I'll just... bite him to death like this."
Qin Yue opened his mouth, looked at the teeth mark that was gradually getting deeper, and licked his lips with satisfaction.
By this time, the stack of documents on the table had been completely covered.
The once clean and tidy table is now scattered with sheets of paper covered in red stamps, like a battlefield after a frenzied looting.
"Is it...is it all covered?"
Su Wan asked weakly, feeling as if she had just fought a battle, her whole body limp.
"Official business is done."
Qin Yue straightened up, looked at the "spoils of war" on the table, took out a silk handkerchief from his pocket, and slowly wiped the remaining red on the official seal.
"But this is a private matter..."
He casually set the cleaned official seal aside, his gaze returning to Su Wan:
"This is just the beginning."
"Sister-in-law, you must be tired after stamping so many documents just now?"
"My fourth brother is a man who is fair in rewarding and punishing."
"My sister-in-law saved me so much money..."
"I have to... treat my sister-in-law well."
As he spoke, he swept all the obstructing documents off the table.
"Splash—"
Paper fluttered down like snowflakes.
The once cramped desk suddenly became spacious.
Qin Yue leaned in and placed his hands on either side of Su Wan, trapping her in this small space.
"Sister-in-law, this table... is clean now."
"I was stamping a piece of paper just now."
"Now……"
He reached up and unbuttoned the last button of his shirt, revealing his muscular, bare chest, then took Su Wan's hand, still stained with cinnabar, and pressed it against his chest:
"It's time for my sister-in-law to stamp it... she's done."
"Use your hands..."
"Stamp it here."
Tell me... this heart is yours.
……
at the same time.
In the backyard of the county government office, in that drafty side room.
Magistrate Fang was wrapped in a tattered quilt, sipping his feet, which had been scalded by the floor heating, in a basin of cold water, shivering from the cold.
"Achoo!"
He sneezed loudly.
Why do I feel a chill down my back?
Magistrate Fang rubbed his nose, looked out at the pitch-black night, and suddenly felt a strong sense of foreboding.
"My official seal..."
He subconsciously touched his empty chest.
"Fourth Master Qin said... he just needed it to stamp an official document..."
"They probably...won't do anything reckless, right?"
"That's the face of the imperial court! It's my lifeblood!"
"He can't exactly... use it to crack walnuts, can he?"