Jiang'shi's son, Jin Zhenxuan, laughed, "Then you then go ahead and complain, ah. Let's see whether I am afraid of you."
Before he could finish speaking, Xu'shi's daughter sneered, "You had best not go wild. I know that Madam favours you most. Therefore, if I were to complain, I would not go to Madam. I'd go right to Old Madam for judgement."
Jin Xiuzhen huffed and said, "Then you go, ah. Look at yourself dressed in that Xi Xiang Luo outfit [1]. Go tell Old Madam how we bullied you while wearing such good fabrics that even we of the main family don't wear. Go ahead and complain, ah…"
Jin Fengju closed his eyes and sighed as a trace of coldness pricked his heart. Most days he was too busy with work with barely any time to educate the children, believing that it was enough for him to be a good gentleman role model and leave the education of his children to their smart and clever mothers. He had not expected the mothers of his children to only teach them how to compare and compete with each other. None of his children was stupid, but all their cleverness was bent in the wrong direction. They only knew how to fight each other to gain favour for their mothers.
At that thought, he coughed once, and called for the maid Cai Lian, "Call the young masters and young ladies over. I wish to test their knowledge."
The quarrelling children blinked stupidly at each other when their father suddenly made this announcement. All of them cringed, but, not daring to refuse, they reluctantly came over one by one, cowering under their father's gaze.
As for Jiang'shi, Xu'shi and the other women who had been fighting so spiritedly just now, they were equally apprehensive. For Jin Fengju to decide to test the children's knowledge so unexpectedly, surely nothing good would come out of it?
The quarrelling three suddenly became allies as Huo'shi gave a little trill of laughter and said, "My lord, they've just been tested a few days ago, surely there's no need to test them again?"
Jin Fengju glanced at her and said indifferently, "Tested a few days ago? Even before the test commenced, haven't all of you already found excuses for them to escape the test?"
Seeing Jin Fengju's unpleasant expression, nobody dared to persuade him anymore. Jiang Wanying opened her mouth a few times but was eventually cowed by Jin Fengju's stiff expression. Finally, after some placating words, she also subsided anxiously to the side.
After questioning the two boys, Zhenyi and Zhenxuan, for a short while Jin Fengju no longer continued. Instead, he stood up and said coldly, "Last year when I tested you, you only knew this much. This year, nothing has changed. Even a tree would have grown a lot more in this half year's time. Yet, you have not shown half the progress of a tree."
After saying that, he looked at Jiang'shi, Xu'shi and the other women. He sounded uncharacteristically angry as he snapped, "Loving mothers ruin children. I know you all pitied them and I shall not reprimand you for that. However, pity is not the same as spoiling. Just look at these children, each one of them dressed in silk, gauze and satin, all fed on mountain treasures and fresh seafood and yet none of them possess even half a point of learning.
Isn't this the result of you spoiling them every day? I went to great lengths to hire famous teachers for them, yet they are not as promising as the two children taught by Fu'shi from Night Breeze Pavilion. Tell me, isn't this all your fault?"
Jiang Wanying was stunned. In all these years, because Jin Fengju had never brought that Fu woman or those children up, she had long lost her wariness against them, focusing instead on fighting these wretched concubines and their children. To think that her husband would actually bring up that woman and those children… for a moment, a sour sensation burst out of her body, exploding to the sky as she jerked her chin to the side, sneering, "I see, here I was wondering why on earth you're in such a temper today. To think it's because you've visited that able and virtuous woman from that upstanding and righteous Night Breeze Pavilion. But of course, how could we dare to compare ourselves to her?
After having stewed in that place for six years, it's about time they make a move, and what explosive move it is. As expected, the calmest water hides the most treacherous beasts. You say we do not teach our children well? I'm afraid we have no choice but to admit it. If only my lord husband, their father would also bear half the responsibility on his noble self. I am incompetent, but even so, I know the Three Character Classic which listed the faults of a father who raises children but never teaches."
"You…" Jin Fengju was someone who did not speak much. However, when he did, his speeches were heavier than a thousand pounds. In a battle of words, how could he win against these wives and concubines who sharpened their tongues daily on each other? Irritation filled his heart and he thought: Sure enough, Zhenyi is right, this cousin of his had gone overboard. He stared at this domineering woman with her pursed lips and arrogant jut of her chin. He heard the sneer in her voice again and wondered where the water-like meekness of this morning had gone? Right now she was no different from those unreasonable, sticky shrews his colleagues often complained about.
At this, his anger meter shot even higher and he coldly said, "Very well, as you claim that I do not teach my children well, I shall give them a good lesson today. All of you, kneel outside now, you shall have no dinner tonight. Beginning tomorrow, each and every one of you must memorize 20 pages of large letters and one page of small letters. You must also thoroughly study one page of the Analects of Confucius and memorize at least 10 paragraphs. If you cannot at least explain three out of these 10 paragraphs you can forget about your meals and starve to death."
"My lord, you… this is harming the children's lives, ah. Those paragraphs, even we mothers do not understand it, how could the children be clever enough to explain it?
"My lord… if you want them to kneel, we shall go and kneel together right away. After all, when our child suffers, a mother's heart cannot be at peace. We would rather suffer together…"
"It was just a few words said in anger. How could you be so angry? If you have the guts, why not just beat us to death with sticks and bring that shu-born main wife, that pawn from those wretched people's plans along with those two filthy worms born of that base washerwoman into the family…"
The entire room erupted into a series of howls and shrieks, led by Jiang'shi and the concubines, all of them kneeling, crying and wailing at Jin Fengju who was starting to get a headache from the commotion. He was never one to like noisy situations, preferring to remain aloof, keeping his feelings of happiness and anger under wraps.
However, this time, he was just too angry. What's more, these people were the closest to him in blood and not strangers he could just dismiss and never see again. Finally, unable to stand it anymore, he roared, "Enough! Since you are all so heartbroken about my interference I shall not care for you anymore! You may do as you please!"
After throwing those final words down, he flicked his sleeves, composed his expression, and strode out of the room full of women and children who were shocked into silence. They stared at each other, unsure what they had done or what to do next.
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"Master, calm your anger, madam and the concubines are merely a little too concerned for the young masters and young misses," Jin Ming trotted along the angry Jin Fengju to the garden, doing his best to soothe him. "They did it out of love, moreover, how old are the young masters and young misses now? They are at the age where they love to play and find sages' books boring. It's inevitable that they would not like studying. When they are a little older, I'm sure they will study better once their temperament settles."
"Humph, as the saying goes, 'A Man's Character is Revealed at Three' but none of those children are three-years-olds anymore. From the way their mothers raise them, they will all grow into useless fops. When I was their age, the books I've memorised were no less than what Changfeng had read. Mother disciplined me well and brought me up to be an outstanding scholar. I have no idea why she is so lax with her grandsons. Does she not care about the future of the Jinxiang Marquisate anymore? If I had to rely on that herd of fops, what do you think would happen to the prosperity of this marquisate?"
Jin Fengju was really badly angered. Jin Ming was his confidant of many years with a discreet mouth and quick hands and feet. He had entrusted many confidential matters to this manservant and rarely did the man let him down. Therefore, Jin Fengju felt free to let out all the worries in his chest. However, instead of making him feel better, the more he spoke, the more irritated he became.
Finally, he sighed and said, "Enough about that, three feet of ice did not pile up in a single winter's day [2]. Let me think about the matter a bit more, I cannot allow the women to keep indulging them this way."
"Yes, Master is the most brilliant. How many large and small assignments have been solved by Master? The young masters, young mistresses and the madams are still of one mind as you. It's not like this is a matter where you are enemies where one side cannot live while the other is alive, right? How can the matter not be solved?" Jin Ming could only smile and speak many such placating words to his master
Even he knew that family matters were not as simple as they looked. Otherwise, the saying 'Even Upright Judges Find it Difficult to Judge Family Matters' would not exist.
[Gumihou: Tsk, tsk, cold, Jin Fengju. However, I like this part of the ML since it made sense for a man who sees education as a vital thing for his children to favour the woman who educates his children properly. After all, when it comes to mating, even animals have certain traits they look for. Jin Fengju would almost definitely favour a mate who would educate his children well]
Pill Bug TL Notes:
[1] 茜香罗 A reference from Dream of the Red Chamber, a red napkin made from the fictional XiXiang country.
[2] Three feet of ice did not pile up in a single day – this situation did not appear suddenly, and it had grown over time.
"Your mouth only knows how to spew good things." Jin Fengju glared at him. However, his anger was mostly feigned, for he understood that this manservant was only trying to make him feel better. He stood in place for a while, looking forward, and noticed that the garden was showing signs of spring. Flowers were blooming everywhere. It was the season for falling blossoms. The faintest breeze sent a shower of petals down. It really made for a beautiful scenery.
"Come, let us visit the Night Breeze Pavilion." The way Jing Fengju waved his hand, it was as though he was trying to brush the moody and irritating air around him away.
"Yes." Jin Ming hurriedly agreed. Then, he paused for a moment before venturing to say "Master, you mentioned that when you next visit, you wish to bring the young master and young miss some brushes, ink and paper…"
Jin Fengju actually slapped his forehead. He shook his head and laughed, "Yes, I have forgotten about this. Go quickly to my study and have a few errand boys to bring some papers. All sorts of different kinds of papers. If it's not in the study, fetch them from the inner court warehouse."
As soon as he spoke, Jin Ming smiled ingratiatingly and hinted, "Master, surely there's no need for this? Such an aggressively generous move… surely it would not be good if madam and the concubines know about it?"
Jin Fengju gave a cold snort, "What is not good about it? No need to hide anything from them. They are welcome to say whatever they like to each other. However, if they dare to say anything to my face, heh, heh-"
He paused, interrupting himself. In the end, he merely waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, now go and complete your task."
"Yes." Jin Ming accepted the order and left.
With nothing to do but wait, Jin Fengju sat on a rock and… waited. A short while later, Jin Ming came trotting back followed by a few errand boys with large piles of papers in their arms. Balanced on the papers were ink and brushes of all kinds. As they drew closer, Jin Fengju suddenly slapped his forehead again. "I have forgotten again, I should have had you fetch some fabrics as well…"
Jin Ming's expression collapsed in worry as he dithered for a moment trying to work out the logistics of solving this issue. However, Jin Fengju soon smiled and shook his head, "Enough, there's no need to rush. Let's just bring those over on our next visit." With that, he turned around and strolled ahead leisurely, naturally taking up the position of the leader in this little procession.
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Night Breeze Pavilion was set quite far apart from the main house. It was quiet too. So quiet, that from a long way away, laughter could be heard from the courtyard.
A tender voice that should belong to… Changfeng? Called out, "Yu Jie, let me have that little apricot."
A sweeter, clearer childish voice, a girl's voice said, "No, you can't. This apricot has just grown out of a flower. It is too bitter and sour now, so you can't eat it. You shouldn't play with it either, we should let it grow into a big apricot. When it's yellow and soft, it will be sweet and delicious."
Another voice, an adult woman, said, "Aiyo, my lady, don't pick up flowers from the ground. You'll get dirty, you just changed into these clothes yesterday."
Changjiao's childish voice replied, "I want to thread some flowers on a string for mother to wear. When I went outside with you yesterday, I saw those people with flowers on their necks. It's far away but it's really pretty."
"Enough with your nonsense, what 'those people'? That's the Madam, what she had around her neck were Eastern Pearls. Those pearls are some of the largest and roundest in the world [1]. It's no wonder you can see them even from that distance. If you want to give your mother flowers to wear, wait for the pomegranate season. You can thread those for her later."
By now, Jin Fengju had just arrived at the gate. He had heard everything.
For a moment, he stood by the door silently.
Finally, he turned to Jin Ming and said, "She has lived here for some time now. Presumably, the people of the marquisate have not taken good care of them. Her maternal family probably did not give them any jewellery or accessories either. Have a box of accessories sent over with the silk on our next visit."
After Jin Ming's acknowledgement, he personally knocked on the courtyard door and said, "Open the door."
Aunt Yu and Yu Jie had been playing with Changfeng and Changjiao while Fu Qiuning did needlework in the house. When they heard Jin Fengju's voice, they dare not dawdle and quickly rushed over to open the door, bowing their heads anxiously, "This lowly maid greets Young Marquis,"
"No need to be courteous," said Jin Fengju lightly.
Just then, he saw a pair of children in clean clothes bowing together, "We, the children, greet father."
His heart could not help but be warmed by their neat and well-behaved attitude. He smiled and walked over to pick up a child in each arm. He led them to the house, turning to say, "Why would you keep the courtyard door closed during the daylight hours? Such a good courtyard like Night Breeze Pavilion has been turned into something like a prison by you. From now on, this door is not allowed to be closed before nightfall."
Aunt Yu and Yu Jie's hearts trembled, and they hastily acknowledged the order. After receiving their acknowledgement, Jin Fengju walked up the steps to find the door to the main room open. Fu Qiuning was already there, standing at the door to give her polite salute. Without waiting for her to speak, he waved his hand and said, "Enough, what are you following all these hollow protocols within your own home for?" as he stepped into the room.
Fu Qiuning had not expected him to appear at her doorstep so soon. The last time he appeared was probably to divorce her. What is his purpose for coming here this time? Didn't he already change his mind about divorcing her? Could it be that after going back home and thinking about it for a bit, he felt that he could not keep her in the marquisate after all? As she struggled with this question, she heard an ingratiating laugh and someone saying, "Madam, apologies but, where should we place these brushes, ink and paper?"
"Ah?" Fu Qiuning came back to her senses. She turned around and saw stacks upon stacks of paper held by the servants. Her heart nearly burst with happiness as she hurried over to touch the stacks of papers, exclaiming, "This is high grade Wave Chaser paper [2] and Xuan paper, and there's also Snowflake paper. My heavens… how… how is there so much at once?"
Jin Changfeng and Jin Changjiao were also the scholarly types. At Fu Qiuning's exclamation, they finally noticed the papers and were stunned speechless. But only for a moment. In the next instant, they cheered and struggled out of their father's embrace to admire the stationery.
"Mother, mother, so much paper, ah, so much…" The two children were too short to reach the stacks of papers held in the errand boys' arms and were desperately bouncing on their toes trying to reach their goal. The errand boys knew enough [3] to indulge their little masters by crouching down so that the children could have a better look. This caused the children to become even more excited as they hugged each other and cheered, "Ah ah ah! There are even brushes here, so many brushes! Ah, these are ink sticks! Wow, such a big ink stick, there are even patterns on it. Heavens, so beautiful…"
Jin Fengju watched the two children cheering happily over these trivial things. Even Fu Qiuning looked delighted, as though unable to bear not touching these paper and ink sticks. Though she did not say any flowery words of thanks, he could see the excitement and happiness etched on her face. In that instance, all the irritation that had been lurking in his heart vanished, blown away by the sight of genuine expressions of pure joy on their faces. He recalled those wives, concubines and children who grew up in gorgeous houses, rolling on laps of luxury and fattened on good food. He had to sigh: It was really easier for people who have lived a hard life to be happy and grateful.
"Madam, apologies but… these young ones have been carrying these papers for half a day. Since these papers are some of the heaviest, I'm afraid they won't be able to carry them for too long…" Jin Ming reminded her with an ingratiating smile.
This caused Fu Qiuning to snap back to her senses. She had just lost her manners due to this huge temptation, revealing the greedy face of a lesser person. Ashamed and anxious, she lowered her head, not daring to look at Jin Fengju as she said, "Yes, we should quickly put them away in the study. I shall show you the way. Feng'er, Jiao'er, be good and accompany your father." The words were barely out of her mouth and she had already dashed out of the room without a backward glance.
Jin Fengju followed the shy and embarrassed appearance of his wife with a small smile.
Jin Changfeng and Jin Changjiao stared yearningly as the brushes, ink and papers left their sight. How they wish they could dart after their mother and run their hands over the new stationeries…
A gentle cough from behind reminded them that their other parent was just still in the same room. The two children turned around with smiles spread across their faces at Jin Fengju. However, because their mother was not there, there was still some lingering wariness against this unfamiliar person. Aside from greeting this rarely seen parent with a respectful 'father' they backed away and retreated to the side, unsure what to say.
"En, do you know who brought these brushes, ink, paper for you?" Jin Fengju came to the children instead and squatted down in front of them, one arm around the shoulders of each. He purposely hardened his face, pretending to be stern. [4]
[Gumihou: Erm, are you going to bully those kids?]
Pill Bug TL Notes:
[1] Gumihou's note: Er, no they are not. 'Eastern Pearls' are more precious because of where they are sourced from. Not for their looks. Sea pearls are larger, rounder and more lustrous. However, because it's rare for river pearls to be large and round. Large round river pearls are prized, and usually only the Imperial family could wear them.
[2] 逐浪纸 What paper is this?
Gumihou: Unsure… can it be eaten?
[3] As in, "have eyes and can see Mt. Tai", they recognize the children's status.
[4] Oh no, the bully is here!
Gumihou: He's definitely the type to pull the pigtails of the girl he likes
The two children were really intimidated. They timidly nodded, saying, "W-we know that… f-father is the one who brought them."
"En, if father had not come, wouldn't these things not be here?" Jin Fengju smiled slightly. The children quickly nodded, their heads bobbing like chickens pecking rice. He chuckled, "Then, should you not treat father well so that he comes by more often?"
The two children were young and thought that this made sense. However, they did not know how to please their father. In the end, they could only helplessly exchange looks with each other, but no idea came forth. From the doorway, Jin Ming stumbled, nearly hitting his face against the doorframe as his heart screamed: Aiyo, my heavens, ah! Did our master always have this shameless side to him? If so, this one has never seen it before. Master, ah, master, even if you wish to coax the children, that's not the way, ah.
Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of Fu Qiuning just standing by the door that led from the study. He clapped a hand over his heart and thought: Master, to think you have even shown this shameful side to the Madam… Tsk, tsk, have you ever seen other fathers trying to trick their children this way?
Fu Qiuning arrived just in time to hear Jin Fengju 'instructing' the children. What a ridiculous situation. However, she knew that there was an 80% possibility that Jin Fengju would be embarrassed if caught by her… then again, his skin might be thicker than what she had imagined. She thought of backing off when Jin Ming caught sight of her. In the end, she decided to just brave whatever was coming. Deliberately, she gave a little cough before stepping boldly through the door.
When Jin Fengju saw her arrive, he did not continue with his ridiculous behaviour. Instead, he had reverted to his original austere form as he leaned back slightly in his chair and said to Fu Qiuning, "I noticed the children had been a little frugal with their writing equipment last time. The colour of the ink was not good either, which is bad for their eyes. Use the stationery I have sent to you for now. If you need more, have people inform me. I shall bring them on my next visit."
Fu Qiuning thought: What? Do you still want to come? What is going on? Was it because you've seen how hardworking and promising Feng'er and Jiao'er are and suddenly this awakened an affection for your own flesh and blood? Ah, pei! Have you already forgotten how you treated them before? Why have you suddenly thought of them now?
However, no matter how much she cursed this man in her heart, she still had to live under the eave of his roof and could do nothing but bow her head in obedience. No matter what, she had to display a warm and agreeable attitude on the surface.
After saying a few more words to her, Jin Fengju turned to chat with the children, testing the two of them on their homework. He also ordered them to fetch the guqin and listened as the siblings took turns playing the qin. In short, he dawdled to the east, dawdled to the west until finally, with the red sun sinking into the west, Fu Quining finally realised he had no intention of leaving and could not help but feel anxious.
She cleared her throat delicately and reminded him, "My lord, I'm afraid the people from the front may be waiting for you to take your meal with them. The day is growing late, although it's still light outside, the sun is already setting…"
Before she could continue, Jin Fengju raised a hand and calmly stated, "It's fine, I shall take my meal here." Then he smiled and said to the two children, "Today, Father shall accompany you at mealtime, what do you think?"
The bond between father and child naturally cannot be so easily broken. Moreover, Fu Qiuning never taught them to hate their wolf-hearted father either. Not to mention, the two children had chatted for half a day with Jin Fengju and have unconsciously grown closer to this absentee parent. When they heard that he wanted to stay for a meal, they threw up their hands and cheered, "Yes-" only to suddenly cut themselves off and looked at Fu Qiuning for direction.
Everything in this courtyard was strictly regulated. In order to stretch out their food and clothing, every cut of thread, every single egg was regulated so that there was enough for them to live a reasonably good life. Still, they could not help their expectant eyes as they stared timidly at their mother.
Fu Qiuning almost fainted, thinking: Really, the thickness of this person's cheeks is beyond my imagination. How did that saying go again? Shameless people are invincible! I did not spend even a single coin from your marquisate and yet you still want to eat here for free? Just what kind of food do you eat? Can I even afford a fraction of the ingredients to make it? Whatever, I shall do my best to beat off this Great God of Pestilence. Let's treat it as rent money for letting me stay in this courtyard for the past few years.
While she was busy thinking, she suddenly noticed Jin Fengju smiling mildly at her. Noticing her attention, he said, "What is it? Is Madam not willing?"
Fu Qiuning thought: I really am not willing, but are you willing to leave?
Still, she quickly put on a smile and said, "What is the Young Marquis saying? This humble woman is overjoyed to have you here. However, this place lacks people and the food is simple. This humble woman hopes that you will not disdain our poor offering."
Jin Fengju laughed, "Do not think that I have eaten nothing but mountain treasures and fresh seafood all my life. It's not like I never had coarse tea or plain rice. Just prepare what you can."
Since he had talked things up to that point, Fu Qiuning was also helpless to do anything about it. She could only nod and say, "Yes, then this humble woman will personally enter the kitchen and cook. May the Young Marquis please be patient and wait," and with that, she slowly made her way out.
After she left, Jin Fengju called Jin Changfeng over to play chess with him. However, when the go board was brought over, he found that the 'board' was actually drawn on a piece of paper. Moreover, instead of proper chess pieces, jars filled with small black and white stones were brought over. When he picked the little stones up, they felt smooth against his palm. Clearly, these 'go pieces' had been well-loved, polished to the point that all the harsh angles had been worn away.
Jin Fengju stared silently at the little stones for a long time until Jin Changfeng said, "Has father never used these kinds of chess pieces before? These are mother's. Sister and I spent a lot of effort looking for these little stones to make the board."
"Yes, Feng'er and his sister are very capable." Jin Fengju stroked his son's little head. He had thought of getting Jin Ming to bring a chess set on his next visit but dismissed the idea after hearing this. He thought: Life springs from sorrow and calamity; death comes from ease and pleasure [1], it is not bad to let them hone their attitude through hardship. However, as their characteristics are not set yet, to suddenly give them luxurious clothing and food would ruin them. Perhaps, even turning them into first-class fops in the future.
At that thought, he gave a small smile and said, "This is indeed interesting. Very good, let's have an interesting game. Father will let you have 20 pieces first. You must work hard,"
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Enough about Jin Fengju and Jin Changfeng's game of chess. Let us see what was happening in the kitchen after Fu Qiuning arrived with a huff.
Indeed, she did not just huff. She also sighed, threw up her hands and shook her head, "How should I say this? Things had been going so well but he just had to suddenly stay for dinner. Yu Jie, go and fetch the pork we bought yesterday and those few remaining eggs. Aunt Yu, chop up the mustard leaf we collected this afternoon for stuffing. Ready some dough and make some dumplings with it. Really, what is this injustice, ah, what a great injustice…"
As she continued to give orders, Aunt Yu and Yu Jie rushed about the kitchen, scrambling to get the evening meal ready. Still, Yu Jie somehow found the time to sidle over and whisper with a little laugh, "Madam, do you think the Young Master will come over more often from now on?"
Fu Qiuning gave her a blank stare, "What? Are you looking forward to him coming over? Are you not afraid that he will eat us out of house and home? Don't you know he has eaten your three embroideries' worth of money with just this one meal?"
Yu Jie stuck out her tongue and whispered, "Madam often says that everyone has a love for beauty. The Young Marquis is so good looking, of course, this servant girl likes to look at him. Only, she doesn't dare to look at him directly, but just lightly from the corner of the eye is enough, hihi…"
Huffing, Fu Qiuning said, "Since you love looking at him so much, let's cover this meal with your personal silver. I'm afraid even if you embroider from dawn till dusk every day, you cannot earn enough to cover even one of his meals."
Even she gave orders to the maids, Fu Qiuning's hands were not idle. She quickly prepared the chopped scallions and sliced ginger and happened to drop them into the hot wok for a quick stir-fry when Aunt Yu laughed and said, "Madam should not think this way. Everyone says the Young Marquis is the smartest person in this era. Once he saw our situation here, surely he would have some plans? Even if he did not reward us, so long as we can start collecting the monthly allowance, all will be fine. In fact, even half of the monthly allowance would be enough for us."
Fu Qiuning sighed and secretly lamented: Trying to overturn these feudal ideas is really not easy, ah. In the past, when the doors were closed and we practised a locked courtyard policy to protect ourselves, Yu Jie and Aunt Yu enforced my every order almost religiously. However, after just two visits from Jin Fengju and seeing that the scum man has no intention of divorcing me, these two people immediately have ideas jumping in their minds. Just look at their behaviour. Aren't they both hoping and wishing that Jin Fengju will stay the night?
While she brooded, Yu Jie and Aunt Yu were chatting animatedly to each other. Yu Jie said, "Just the other day I was speaking to Mrs. Zhang, we started talking about the Young Marquis. She told me how she once overheard a few madams talking about who the most beautiful man in the capital was and would you believe it? The winner turned out to be our Young Marquis."
Aunt Yu laughed, "Surely this news is already several years old? When it comes to beautiful men, the Capital tends to prefer unmarried men. Moreover, the Young Marquis already has several wives and concubines and so many children besides. How can he still be the most beautiful man?"
Yu Jie pouted and said, "If that is so, why would I bother bringing this up? In truth, our Young Marquis is still the number one beauty in the Capital. I heard that there was a rival candidate once but when he met with our Young Marquis at the banquet, everyone was stunned. The gap between the current beautiful man and the previous beautiful man is just too wide, ah. Not only did he not look older after his marriage, but he had become more elegant, refined and personable. Therefore, he was once more bestowed the title of number one most beautiful again."
Aunt Yu laughed: "So that's it. In fact, although the Young Marquis has many children, isn't it because the Madam and those concubines are so competitive? He is only 24-years-old now. People often say that men are at their most good-looking in their 30s and 40s. Just how eye-catching will our Young Marquis be then?"
"The two of you ah, should worry less about that. Hurry up and be done with the meal so that we can kick that man out," Fu Qiuning snapped as she banged on her pot with the rice spoon. "Are you not ashamed to talk about men so openly in front of me?"
Yu Jie and Aunt Yu's faces immediately reddened. Yu Jie refused to accept defeat and said a little sullenly, "Those… those people who talked about men are noble ladies from famous houses. Aih, they were the ones who crowned the Young Marquis as the number one beauty in the capital. So what if we talk about it in private? Madam, this maid also doesn't believe that your heart is like stagnant water. Don't you also hope that one day you and the Young Master will be as harmonious as the Qin and Se [1]?"
Fu Qiuning glared at her and huffed, "I am not like you, I don't enjoy being stuck in some ridiculous daydream. Let's quickly serve this Great Plague God well, then send him on his way and lock the door. I can only hope that he will leave this courtyard alone for another five or ten years. I do not have any Qin or Se thoughts about that man."
Yu Jie giggled cheekily and said, "Madam, I'm afraid that's not possible. Today, the Young Marquis has specially instructed that the courtyard door must not be closed in the future. We can only close it at night."
"What? This is my courtyard, who is he to tell me what to do?" Fu Qiuning grew angry, but just as suddenly she slumped down like a deflated ball. She scowled miserably at the rice pot, and lamented, "Right, this is not my courtyard at all. Everything here clearly belongs to his family. Indeed he has the final say over everything, tis finished, we're all finished I tell you…"
"Madam…" Yu Jie really did not understand why her madam looked like she had just lost her entire family. However, before she could think of something to say, Fu Qiuning waved her hand at Yu Jie, "Do not talk to me. I'm feeling too irritated right now, let me have some peace."
Yu Jie and Aunt Yu exchanged surprised looks with each other. They finally understood that Fu Qiuning really did not like Jin Fengju at all. If it had been anyone else at all, how happy would they be to have the number one most beautiful man gracing their courtyard? So their mistress was really not acting coy just now…
In the end, the two shrugged at each other and quickly busied themselves making the food. While their hands and feet worked, their minds busily puzzled over the mystery of their mistress. Just what is our Madam thinking? Everyone else looks forward to good things but she fears it like the plague.
When the meal was finally ready to be brought out, Jin Fengju and the two children could not be found in the house. After a closer look, they found that father and children had gone to the yard to inspect the flowers and herbs. Having grown up in the lap of luxury, Jin Fengju had never laboured in the fields or garden before. Still, blessed with a quick and inquisitive mind, he listened with great interest as his children described the characteristics and functions of each plant they came across.
Fu Qiuning happened to encounter this scene as she exited the door and came down the steps to gently call, "Young Marquis, the food is ready. Would you-"
"Today's weather is quite excellent with barely a trace of wind. As it is still bright, let us have a table brought out and have the meal outside. To have a meal among fragrant and elegant flowers is just perfect," was Jin Fengju's reply. Naturally, this lightly spoken statement was accompanied by his typical lightly flavoured smile.
Fu Qiuning thought: you sure have a lot of weird habits. Why don't you just eat and get lost? Must you be so pretentious and have a table brought outside to eat? Curse you, curse your mom.
Unhappy and disgruntled, her thoughts were filled with expletives as she hurtled vulgarities at this man. Nevertheless, she still managed a soft smile on her face as she said, "Yes, this humble woman shall arrange it right away."
What kind of person was Jin Fengju? Just from Fu Qiuning's eyes and minute expression, he knew he was extremely unwelcomed. Well, if he thought about it properly, this was the official wife he had abandoned for six years the moment she married in, anyone would be filled with resentment, right? In fact, for Fu'shi to speak so pleasantly to his face, it was already something quite rare, wasn't it?
Human beings are contrary creatures. Jin Fengju's other wives and concubines were obviously panting for him to visit, all of them surrounding him like stars around the moon hoping for an opportunity to shower him with love and yet he was more annoyed by such attention. On the other hand, when faced with a secretly resentful Fu Qiuning who could not be bothered to spare a shred of flattery or adoration, he felt relaxed and comfortable instead. It was not like he liked Fu Qiuning. It's just… he felt less annoyed in her presence.
He spoke a little longer with Changfeng and Changjiao. Not long after that, Jin Ming along with Aunt Yu and Yu Jie came out carrying a table between them. The meal was soon set on the table along with the tableware. Naturally, he noticed that the plates and bowls here were all coarse porcelain, less exquisite than those he usually used. However, when paired with the lovely colourful side dishes, it has the effect of stimulating the appetite.
Each of them took their seats, with Aunt Yu, Yu Jie and Jin Ming ready to serve from the side. Jin Fengju reached out with a pair of chopsticks and picked up a piece of pork stir-fried with scallions. He ate the meat and smiled, "Your cooking is not bad, the flavour is no worse than the marquisate cooks." His eyes fell upon Jin Changfeng's plate and saw that he was eating a piece of dumpling of some sort. He turned to Jin Ming and said, "Bring two of those for me."
Fu Qiuning quickly laughed, "Young Marquis, these are… these are all crude things. I fear the Young Marquis would not be used to them, why don't you try this trotter tendon instead? It's been stir-fried with mala spices. I wonder if it would suit your taste?"
"Is that so?" Jin Fengju liked spicy food. At this, he picked up a couple of pieces of trotter tendon and ate them thoughtfully. He nodded and even bestowed a couple of words of praise. Just as Fu Qiuning managed to swallow her heart back to her stomach, he once again pointed at the large porcelain bowl filled with little Shepherds' Purse Dumplings and said to Jin Ming. "Are you deaf? Bring some for me."
[Gumihou: I wonder if he's going to get addicted to the dumplings…]
Pill Bug TL Notes:
[1] 瑟 Se, this Chinese musical instrument. This idiom means: pair well together.
Fu Qiuning nearly choked on a mouthful of Shepherd's Purse Dumpling. While doing her best to swallow with much difficulty, she thought: After all my efforts to distract him, he still remembers those things. Whatever, I don't care anymore. He can eat whatever he likes. Humph, he's probably like one of those modern-day rich second generation young masters who grew up on mountain treasures and fresh seafood and thinks ordinary street food like these are something fresh and delicious.
Indeed, as if to prove her theory right, Jin Fengju took one bite of the pastry, declared it delicious and proceeded to polish off half a large bowl of Shepherd's Purse Dumplings. His chopsticks barely touched the meat dishes. Seeing this, Fu Qiuning did not bother with courtesy anymore and instead shifted the meat and tendons into Changfeng and Changjiao's bowls.
However, the two siblings suddenly chimed up together, "Mother, this is such a rare dish, father should eat more of it. It's fine for us to eat the Shepherd's Purse Dumplings."
Fu Qiuning thought: Oh, you two little traitors. Have you already forgotten how your father treated you before? His attitude went beyond cruel and unscrupulous, and yet, after seeing how well you've grown up, he decided to switch his attitude with you and gave you a little benefit. How could you just lean over to his side after receiving this meagre attention?
Even while she cursed the father and admonished the children privately, her mouth opened to say, "Your father doesn't like these. He likes the dumplings, so make sure you eat more of the meat."
As for Jin Fengju, just what kind of person was he? How could he not see the tattered edges of destitution hovering around this family? Working with Fu Qiuning, he played his part and said, "That's right, your father doesn't like meat. You two eat more of it."
Instead, he picked up another piece of the pastry and said, "What did you say this vegetable is? How have I not come across it before?"
Privately, Fu Qiuning cursed him: If you want to eat, just eat. Why all these questions? Want me to tell you we dug these out of the ground? Naturally, she could not reveal any of this. She did not want to let Jin Fengju know just how poor they were. Otherwise, he would bestow more things at them and find excuses to visit them more. What that starts to happen, not only would he attract the evil eyes of his women, but an unbreakable connection between herself and this marquisate would also be established.
After some careful thought, she said, "It's not some rare vegetable. This is called Shepherd's Purse. It's just not something that would often appear in noble dining halls. I just happened to like its taste and prepared some. I had not expected the Young Marquis to like them too."
Jin Fengju laughed and said, "There's certainly a unique taste to it." He ate a few more dumplings, grabbed two more pieces of eggs and smiled, "I've been busy outside these days and even had a few imperial meals bestowed to me, but I never had such a satisfying meal." He turned to Yu Jie, "Go and brew two cups of tea."
Fu Qiuning secretly rolled her eyes, thinking: Young Marquis, you have really made yourself at home, ah. Look at you ordering my maid as though she's one of your people.
She cast a disgruntled eye at her innocent maid, who had never seen the world before, nearly floating off the ground after receiving a direct order from the 'most beautiful man in the city' that did not contain any kind of threats, veiled or otherwise.
"Be sure to brew the newly bought tea from last time," Fu Qiuning quickly called after her, worried that her maid would serve the customary Green Plum Herb Tea again.
"Newly bought tea?" Jin Fengju's puzzled voice made her freeze. "Where did you buy the tea?"
Realising her mistake, Fu Qiuning quickly whispered, "I have misspoken in my haste. The newly received tea."
Jin Fengju gave a little smile and said gently, "There's no need for that. I like the tea from last time. Didn't you say that drinking this tea will strengthen one's health?
Fu Qiuning did not answer, instead, she thought: Do you really need Green Plum Herb Tea to strengthen your immunity? What nonsense, just look at your powerful body. As someone who practices martial arts, doing a full workout every morning is better than drinking 10 bowls of Plum Herb Tea, you know?
Fortunately, Yu Jie still had the mind to obey her. The tea she had specially ordered Zhang San to bring back could be considered fairly good. Unfortunately, it was barely good enough for Jin Fengju to rinse his mouth. After half a cup later, he set the tea down and did not drink anymore.
By now, Fu Qiuning and the two children were almost done with their food. Yu Jie had packed up a separate meal for Jin Ming, and after the maids ate the leftovers, they packed up the detritus of dinner. By the time all this was done, the sky had completely darkened.
Fu Qiuning finally had to acknowledge that Jin Fengju really had no intention of leaving and was starting to become anxious again: Wei, are you really going to spend the night here? She mustered the cheek to politely remind the man," My lord, the sky is completely dark, why don't this humble woman lend a lantern to Steward Jin? This place is separated from the inner court by the flower garden. I heard that no young ladies are living there now."
Jin Fengju nodded and said, "En, the garden is still fine when there were more people there. However, the marquisate only has two unmarried girls now and they dare not live alone in such a large space." He stood up and stretched out his back lazily before saying, "Since it has gotten so late, I can't be bothered to cross that dark garden. I shall rest here with you. Feng'er, Jiao'er, follow father to the study. I wish to see your large character writing."
Fu Qiuning very nearly passed out. She would have really fainted if Jin Fengju had displayed any dubious 'intentions' towards her. [1] Luckily, she sensed no such ambiguous behaviour from him. Did he… just want to stay here because he's too lazy to go back? Or were there other reasons?
[1] She was just pondering over this when she heard Jin Ming's trotting footsteps running after the Young Marquis and heard him say, "Master, if you plan to stay, should I send word to Second Madam?"
"No need, if those women sleep a little less at night, they might not have the energy to battle each other so enthusiastically during the day." After throwing down that final retort, Jin Fengju grasped the siblings' little hands and walked away.
[1] Ohoho, thought Fu Qiuning: Trouble with the missus? The many missusses? Well, if he wants to hide out here, I can make the arrangements so long as you don't touch my bottom line.
After some thought, Fu Qiuning quickly settled the sleeping arrangements. [1] Since he did not object to the children's presence, she arranged for Jin Fengju to sleep with the twins on the largest kang bed. Meanwhile, she packed herself off to sleep with Yu Jie and Aunt Yu on their kang bed in the side room.
With the weather warming up, there was no need to burn so many coals at night, but it was still a little chilly. [1] Too bad they don't have enough coals for a third kang bed so Jin Ming would just have to huddle the best he could on a cold bed. Perhaps, that servant would feel so uncomfortable that he would persuade his master to come less in the future for the sake of everyone's peace of mind.
Once the sleeping arrangements were done, she sat down by the kang bed. The place was so quiet that she could hear the clear familiar voices of children reading in the study. Fu Qiuning shook her head, thinking: Looks like the Young Marquis is really taking an interest in his children. However, I hope that this is a mere three-minute enthusiasm. Otherwise, if he continues to visit them in the future, our life would be even more troubled. Everything else aside, how am I going to keep feeding him? This one meal alone already swallowed up three days' worth of food budget.
As she continued to wait, [1] plagued by vague thoughts of calamity and disasters, time continued to march on. Finally, Jin Fengju appeared with the two children, "It's not early anymore. I believe it's time to rest, these two little ones also look quite sleepy."
Fu Qiuning nodded and led him to the inner room. The bedding had already been laid out over the heated bed. The room felt cosy and comfortable. When Jin Fengju noticed that Fu Qiuning had taken herself off once she had led them here, he was even more satisfied. This Fu Qiuning certainly knew when to advance and when to retreat. From the moment he crossed into this courtyard, [1] despite the little signals of hostility from her, every little arrangement had been made with his comfort in mind.
The reason he stayed the night was also to test Fu Qiuning's intentions. If the other side had intended to use this opportunity to entangle with him, then he would not have kept this woman around. However, if the woman continued to act indifferent, he would let her stay in the courtyard and raise his children.
What he wanted was this sense of indifference, the ability to put oneself above all desires and personal feelings. The fact that she continued to treat him with courtesy despite the resentment she must have felt as an abandoned woman already earned his approval. However, it was inevitable for a discarded wife to not feel excited about her husband suddenly deciding to stay at her place. She would ultimately misunderstand his intention and could not restrain herself from taking the opportunity to cosy up to her husband and improve relationships to strengthen her status in the family.
As a matter of fact, this was the general mentality of women in this ancient era. [1] Jin Fengju's actions of testing Fu Qiuning was neither cruel nor shameless, [a] in fact, it was the common sense of that period. While many women had fallen in love for real or thought their husbands finally loved them, they would inevitably end up crushed when they did not pass the 'test'.
Fortunately, Fu Qiuning's body now hosted a soul from the 20th century where men were no longer a [a] woman's main source of survival or the only route to a good life. Without this [a] instinctive need to depend on a man, Fu Qiuning was able to maintain her true spirit and was not at all moved by the bait he had set out.
On the other hand, when it looked like Jin Fengju had no intention of pestering her, Fu Qiuning was more relieved than anything else. In the end, both parties were very satisfied with the arrangement.
Jin Fengju, happy with Fu Qiuning's 'restraint', no longer harboured thoughts of divorce. Anyway, she was just an insignificant shu-born daughter of Prince Zhenjiang. Later, once Prince Zhenjiang lost power, he could just plead for this little favour from his brother-in-law. Zhao Lun would surely not refuse him this bit of face.
For the woman who had educated two unfavoured children with minimal resources and poor circumstances to such useful talents, surely she deserved this bit of effort? Moreover, considering the difference between her real feelings and attitude towards him and his children, he could tell that she was a good and virtuous person by nature. A woman who understood when to advance and when to retreat is worth him putting in a word or two in her stead.
As the capital was situated in the north, other courtyards also had this type of kang beds, but they were mostly used as a place to sit and chat. Few people would sleep on them. However, when Jin Fengju laid down on the kang bed that night, he felt especially warm and comfortable. So comfortable that he managed to sleep until midnight, when suddenly, his eyes opened and saw moonlight streaming in through the window. The late-night vision was very hazy, almost dream-like, turning the flowers and trees into a play of shadows and light.
He cast a look to the side and saw that little Changfeng had kicked his quilt away. Perhaps the child was feeling hot?
Fatherly love suddenly bloomed in Jin Fengju's chest as he leaned over and, with a little smile, personally pulled the quilt back over the child. Little Changfeng made a grunt, frowned, flipped his body and pushed the quilt away.
"… …" [a] well, wasn't this a perfect reflection of his position in this child's life?
Amused and a little exasperated, he nevertheless laid down on the bed again. However, though the hour was late, he felt very awake. Therefore, he decided to dedicate the time to analysing the current situation at the capital, the relationships between the emperor and the princes, the future of the marquisate as well as plans and steps needed to make that future happen.
As he continued to ponder, Jin Fengju eventually fell back to sleep again.
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Early next morning, he was woken up by the sound of whispering laughter. When he opened his eyes, Jin Fengju saw two little heads lined up together by his bedside. The little faces reminded him of himself as a child. In an instant, he was fully awake and he sat up on the kang bed to laugh and said, "Why are you two up so early? Don't want to sleep any longer?"
"It's not early anymore. Mother already made breakfast," Jin Changjiao giggled, her voice tender and childish. "Father is really good at sleeping. Mother said that father is lucky to be human. If he's a pig, he would have been dragged out and chopped up for meat long ago."
Jin Fengju choked on his saliva and suffered a mild coughing fit. When he finally managed to control himself and look up, he saw Fu Qiuning standing at the doorway with a rather embarrassed expression. She had probably not expected the children to transmit her careless remark to him so quickly.
[b] Jin Fengju stood up and begin to dress himself without waiting for Fu Qiuning to come and help him. He picked up a light blue brocade tunic that had been set aside and put it on methodically. [b] While his back was to her, he said lightly, "Children are unrestrained with their mouths. When speaking in front of them, one should pay attention as they do not yet know the difference between good and bad words. The words you speak could be spread in a blink of an eye."
[b] While pretending to fix his cuff, he flashed a glance at Fu Qiuning's face, which had reddened all the way up to her ears. She was glaring at the twins. Seeing her look of dissatisfaction immediately improved his mood.
Yu Jie brought over a wooden basin containing soap and other grooming essentials. Jin Fengju washed his face and studied his reflection in the mirror. His chin was covered in stubble. In this era, men below age 40 do not grow out their beards to prove their youth.
"Lord husband, apologies, but we do not have razors here. If my lord husband visit the inner court, the madams and concubines would surely be more properly equipped," Fu Qiuning said with her eyes lowered from the side. Privately, she thought: If you have any sense, visit less in the future. I am not going to buy a razor just for you. That thing isn't cheap, you know?!
Jin Fengju's voice interrupted her private thoughts, "No problem. Jin Ming, be sure to bring one on our next visit." Naturally, as an intelligent person [a] well versed with politics and dealing with slippery politicians of all kinds, he could almost hear her screaming at him from underneath that obedient facade. Moreover, her every sentence contained hints to just scram from this place, which, perversely, made him want to stick around even more.
This Young Marquis had been proud and arrogant for half his life. This is unsurprising since he was always praised to the moon and stars wherever he went. Therefore, when he finally encountered this mutant species called Fu Qiuning, he could not help but want to tease her.
Sure enough, just after his little declaration, Fu Qiuning's face paled. She opened her mouth but then closed it again, swallowing tightly as though she was physically swallowing her words back. Jin Fengju pretended not to see anything and casually sat in the chair before the mirror. "Comb my hair for me, I do not have to attend court today, so something casual is fine. Just tie it back with a ribbon."
Fu Qiuning had no choice but to go fetch a silver-blue ribbon normally used to tie back Jin Changfeng's hair. She did Jin Fengju's hair in the style he ordered. [a] It was a simple style and she did it often enough for Changfeng to automatically do it without much thought. When it was done, she stared into the mirror. That handsome man in the mirror, with his hair tied back like this. She first saw him like this five years ago, standing in the afterglow of the sunset. In terms of looks, he certainly was brilliant and awe-inspiring.
"What are you thinking about? So lost in thought?" at Jin Fengju's sudden question, Fu Qiuning had to blink a few times before smiling back and replied honestly, "I was thinking back to the time when Lord Husband first visited Night Breeze Pavilion five years ago. That day, your hair was also loose, only tied with a ribbon, like an elegant prince in a turbid world. In terms of appearance, Lord Husband is indeed very good, living up to the reputation of the capital's most beautiful man."
This statement was not something that should be said out loud in this conservative era by women to men. Still, Jin Fengju and Fu Qiuning were officially husband and wife, therefore such rules need not be so strictly enforced. As a modern soul who had screamed more flower-brained words at famous stars and idols in her youth, Fu Qiuning did not appear to notice anything wrong in stating such obvious facts. [a] It was not like she was overly praising him.
Jin Fengju's ears had long grown calluses from these kinds of compliments. However, when Fu Qiuning said it, he felt secretly pleased. It had nothing to do with love. This woman's every other sentence to him all contained subtle and unsubtle hints to scram from this place. Thus, when something positive came from her mouth he felt happy.
Nevertheless, though he was happy, he hid this secret satisfaction and said lightly, "En? Are you saying that I am merely an embroidered pillow that is golden outside yet rotten inside?"
Fu Qiuning thought to herself: As if you still don't know ah?
On the surface, she feigned a frightened expression and quickly said, "How could this humble woman mean that? Young Marquis has misunderstood."
Jin Fengju nodded. Indeed, though he was the most beautiful man in the capital, he was most famous not for his looks, but for his favoured status within the imperial court as the long-term imperial envoy. Some thought he had been appointed purely for his looks and had no brains inside his pretty head. He was happy to exploit this misunderstanding and played the pig to hunt down tigers. Once he had trampled upon those who looked down at him, their regretful faces were a sight to behold.
Right now he was still young but had already held a high position for two or three years. There were none who would dare to look down on him anymore.
However, it was about time to reign in [1] his influence. Though the emperor's health was good, he was no longer young. He would most likely appoint a crown prince in a few years. These past few years, while his brother-in-law had been keeping a low profile, he had stood in the foreground.
A person could not remain in power for too long, or trouble would find them. He should slowly back away from the stage and secure a safe retreat for himself, allowing the public to eventually forget his existence. Only, he had no idea if the emperor would allow him that opportunity.
When the thought occurred to him, a faint frown marred Jin Fengju's brows. He was a smart man, however, he could not understand the emperor's attitude towards him. In theory, the emperor should be clear on where he stood concerning Prince Rong. These past few years, Zhao Lun had remained low-key, but for some reason, the emperor kept pushing Jin Fengju into the limelight, to the point where he attained a high position that no one else could reach.
For the past two years, Jin Fengju had been working hard to try and withdraw from the stage and into the shadows, but the Mandate of Heaven continued to come down and kept pushing him a little higher each time, to the point that he found it a struggle to keep away from the limelight. If one were to say that the old emperor loved Prince Rong, why would he push a marquis forward and suppress Prince Rong so much? After all, wasn't it better for two heroes to advance together? Over the years, the favour he received kept increasing. If he had not been the Young Marquis of Jinxiang but one of the princes, the people would probably think the emperor was aiming to make him Crown Prince.
"My lord, the congee will become cold if you don't eat it soon," Fu Qiuning said. Jin Fengju had been staring contemplatively into nothingness and she was reluctant to attract his attention, but seeing how the sun was steadily making its way upwards in the sky, if she didn't remind him now he might suddenly decide to have his lunch here too. Once lunch is over he might decide that 'Naps should be taken after lunch' and even stay here for dinner!
Fu Qiuning shuddered at the thought. She dared not do the math. However, she was sure that she would go bankrupt trying to entertain this God of Pestilence.
Fortunately, Jin Fengju did not continue to make trouble and left the courtyard after breakfast. He even deigned to say a few words to the twins before leaving. Once Jin Fengju left, Fu Qiuning could finally breathe properly. She heaved a sigh of relief and turned around to see Jin Changfeng and Jin Changjiao both staring up at her with bright eyes. They chimed together, "Next time father comes, would mother please sing opera songs for him?"
Fu Qiuning was so shocked that she jumped a foot off the ground. Quickly, she said, "Never! You must never reveal that mother can sing opera songs, understand?"
When the children nodded obediently, she sighed with relief. She had no idea whether Yue Opera or Huang Mei Opera existed in this era, but as the saying went, strange things are often considered demonic. Yu Jie, Aunt Yu and the children were close relatives, moreover, they did not know better, therefore it was fine to sing a few opera songs for them. However, this was not something that she could ever show to anyone else in this world.
The two children had promised never to reveal their mother's special skill to anyone, which was why they had not brought it up in front of Jin Fengju. However, after seeing their father a few times, they felt very close to him and wished that father could also enjoy mother's special songs.
This was why they had broached the topic with their mother. However, unexpectedly, their mother had once again vehemently protested, even making them renew their promise to never reveal this secret. The two children could not help but feel a little depressed by this.
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On the way back, Jin Fengju appeared quite happy. Seeing his master in a good mood, Jin Ming took the opportunity to sidle up and say, "Master, from the condition of the courtyard, it looks like there are a lot of missing items. I fear that they must not have received much allowance in the past few years. Who knows how they had lived? Does Master wish to…"
Before he could continue, Jin Fengju smiled and waved his hand at his servant. He said in a mild voice, "Leave the matter alone for now. Some things, such as brushes, paper, silk and satin should be properly allocated. However, there's no need to allocate any silver to them. Money had already ruined those little fops in the family. It's not easy to find two such good seedlings, better not ruin them with silver too."
"Yes, yes," Jin Ming agreed. Secretly, however, he was shocked. He had no idea that his master's regard for those twins would be so high. To the master, those little masters and mistresses were all little fops compared to those twins.
"Looks like I must allow Fu'shi back to the inner court along with Feng'er and Jiao'er. This should also give Wanying and those other children a little sense of crisis. Otherwise, the Jinxiang Marquisate would really be ruined by them eventually." Jin Fengju's expression suddenly changed as he considered the long, cold road before him. After some thought, he shook his head and said, "Not now, though. Wait a little longer. We'll speak of the matter again after the Dragon Boat Festival. Let those people suffer a little longer. Darkness will eventually pass."
Jin Ming was even more shocked. Nevertheless, his face remained tranquil and agreeable as he nodded at his master's every word.
This time, Jin Fengju did not hide his visit to Night Breeze Pavilion. When the wives and concubines realised that was where he had gone after he had stormed off in anger, they all became very uneasy. All of them had their special spies and connections monitoring his movements and knew precisely where he spent the night. Like a boulder thrown into a river, a giant wave swept over the entire inner court.
"What is this about? How many years has it been? It's been five or six years since I'd married in, right? I never heard him speak of that woman before so why did he suddenly think of her?"
Jiang'shi, along with several of Jin Fengju's other wives and concubines were gathered together in a room, losing their collective minds over this unexpected news. Of course, Jiang Wanying did not miss the secret gloating hidden behind several pairs of anxious eyes.
"Madam, you have to say something. For Lord Husband to visit that place, that Fu woman really has some skills. To hook the lord away after all these years… this is… moreover, the lord was so angry at us, what should we do?" Xu'shi paced within the room anxiously.
Suddenly, she stood stock-still and stared at Jiang Wanying. In her heart, she cried out: Why are you still faking the dignity of a madam? I don't believe you're not anxious.
Jiang Wanying was slowly peeling an orange, her long nails sinking into the flesh of the fruit. However, she did not seem to notice as she said indifferently, "What are you panicking for? She had been left in that cold yard for nearly six years now, surely even you should know her background? Could Lord Husband favour one such as her? He must have wandered close to that part of the estate and just went to take a look. No matter what, that woman is still raising two of the lord's children, is she not?"
"Could those two still be considered Lord Husband's children? Humph, with such a deadweight for a mother, has the lord ever cast his eyes over those brats or that woman? Who doesn't know that those two worms are eyesores of the estate?" Huo'shi snorted.
Jiang'shi raised her head and said coolly, "No matter how cheap their mother was, they are still Lord' Husband's flesh and blood. Have you all forgotten what Lord Husband said yesterday?"
At this, the wives and concubines immediately recalled Jin Fengju's words, how none of their children, pampered and taught by famous teachers as they were, could not be compared to the ones educated by Fu'shi. This sent them into a greater panic.
Obviously, this meant that the lord must have been to Night Breeze Pavilion at least twice now. He had only been there once and came back to attack them and their children. However, they had been ignorant of his visit and collectively threw a temper tantrum at him, causing him to not only lose his temper at them but also sent him directly back to Night Breeze Pavilion!
When the thought occurred to them, their faces immediately paled. Jiang Wanying also felt very annoyed with herself. She hated the she from yesterday who had pushed and nagged Jin Fengju until he stormed away from her. How could she have forgotten what kind of nature this cousin of hers has?
He was the type who appeared soft on the outside but hid a spine of steel. When she thought of this, she became even more remorseful and she suddenly remembered her mother's advice from back then. She sighed and thought: Have I been overly spoilt by my cousin all these years? But… while it's true that he was very considerate towards me, why have I never truly felt spoiled by him?
While she was busy ruminating over this, the increasingly irritating whispered discussion of those lowly concubines annoyed her even more. She sneered, "What are you all talking about over here? What happened to all the energy you used to quarrel with me? If you have the ability, just go straight to Night Breeze Pavilion and beat that Fu woman to death with a stick. However, don't lump me with the likes of you."
When Xu'shi, Huo'shi and others heard this, their faces blushed red with shame as they glared at her. These two were nothing like the honest and quiet Cui'shi or Lesser Concubine Yue Lan. They were the least willing to admit defeat or lower their heads. When confronted like this, Huo'shi immediately sneered back and said, "Looks like we are the ignorant ones. To think I never knew that Madam is so wise and virtuous. Even so, it suddenly occurs to me that a certain Fu'shi seems to be the Lord Husband's official wife. Madam, aren't you only a secondary wife? From the looks of it, it's clear that the lord shows great regard for the official Madam. It is only right that Madam leads us to welcome the official Madam into the courtyard."
When she was done, Xu'shi also leapt in to sneer and added, "Sister is right. Fu'shi has been inside Night Breeze Pavilion for five years without making waves, enduring loneliness until Lord Husband finally remembered her. Even so, the lord never criticised or took any action against her. Clearly, this could only mean that he has high regard for her virtue. I fear if she's made to head this family, us sister's life might actually improve…"
"What was that? Have I been making life difficult for you? If so, then you should go before the [1] Lord and Elder Madam and expose my sins. I shall gladly accept my faults if I'm in the wrong. However, if I'm not at fault, the ones making trouble should be thoroughly questioned instead," Jiang Wanying said grimly.
These two concubines depended on their maternal family's influence to fight for power and sought to challenge her authority at every turn. If not for her own maternal family's principle of restraining one's edge, would these two daughters of mere officials dare to annoy a woman of her status? The lofty and highborn granddaughter of a duke?
"How would we dare? Who in this marquisate doesn't know how Lord Husband and Elder Madam favour you most?" Xu'shi sneered back.
The one who answered this time was Jian Wanying's personal maid Qiu Xia, who also sneered, "Since Concubine Xu knows this, it would do you good to be more courteous to our Madam in the future. Such a domineering attitude should only be shown once you've found yourself a good backer in this marquisate."
Xu'shi was so angry that her face turned purple. She pointed at Qiu Xia and said hatefully, "What was that, you cheap slut? Pei, why don't you take a good look at yourself instead? To dare speak to me like this, hah. Go and take a look in the mirror and see if you possess the kind of face to speak to me thus."
She had barely finished speaking when Jiang Wanying suddenly laughed and coldly said, "Are you saying Qiu Xia has no right to speak to you? Just what are you? When I first married in, I had two personal maids, Qiu Xia and Qiu Shuang. After Qiu Shuang gave birth to the Lord's child, she was given Concubine status. Since her status is equal to yours, why can't she speak to you on equal footing?"
This Qiu Shuang, also known as the quiet and honest Concubine Cui, used to be Jiang Wanying's dowry maid who was given to Jin Fengju as a lesser concubine immediately after Jiang Wanying's marriage.
Later, after giving birth, though the child was only a daughter, Jin Fengju had raised her status to a regular concubine position due to her honest and diligent attitude.
"Hmph, younger sister Cui is just lucky. Sadly, Qiu Xia lacks just that crucial bit of authority. She has to at least give birth to Lord Husband's child before she has the right to speak to me as an equal." With a final sniff, she flounced to the side and sat down.
Just then, Lesser Concubine Yue Lan stammered, "Madam, sisters, let's not quarrel anymore. I-isn't it better to use the time to think about what we should do next?"
However, she was immediately reprimanded by all the women.
"Nonsense! This is a given!"
"Fool, do we need you to say this?!" [2]
Yue Lan was so frightened that she dared not speak up again. Privately, she thought: The enemy is in sight but you're still squabbling in the nest. Lord Husband already said all those things about your inferior children yet you still don't have a sense of crisis. Just what is going on in your heads?
While she busily sneered at them in her heart, Jiang Wanying's annoyed voice decried, "Enough, enough, the lot of you get out. Your noise is giving me a headache. As for that Fu woman, I shall look into it a few days later. It's almost time for the Dragon Boat Festival, so I don't have the free time to waste on that matter. You all go back now."
When Xu'shi and Huo'shi heard her mention the Dragon Boat Festival, jealousy and hatred brewed in their bellies once more. However, there was nothing they could do about it. In all these years, although Jin Fengju occasionally bestowed them with gifts and their monthly allowances were nothing short of generous, they were not allowed to touch money or properties belonging to the marquisate. Fortunately, their dowry included some businesses from their maternal family. Otherwise, it would be difficult to say what their life would be like without these precious sources of income.
This was also why the powerless and penniless Cui'shi and Yue Lan could not go against Jian Wanying. Their livelihood depended on her whims and while she disdained their honest and cowardly nature, she did not neglect their monthly allowances if only to earn the title 'virtuous' from Jin Fengju.
After Xu'shi and other wretched mermaids left [3], Qiu Xia poured a cup of tea for Jiang Wanying. When she saw her mistress knead her forehead, she immediately took over and gently massaged Jiang Wanying's temples. When Jiang Wanying finally relaxed, she said in a low voice, "Madam, do you truly wish to go see that Fu woman? Perhaps the master is just entertaining a little novelty and went over to have a look. If we fuss rashly, wouldn't we be accused of making a mountain out of a molehill? How about waiting and watching to see what the master plans to do?"
Jiang Wanying closed her eyes and leaned back on the pillow, plainly saying, "If we wait for Lord Husband to act first, I'm afraid things might be too late. I must personally investigate that Fu woman for my own peace of mind. Nevertheless, this matter is not urgent. Let's go and take a look tomorrow or the day after. If we are too anxious, it would appear as though we are facing some powerful enemy. Humph, she's just an abandoned woman after all. There's no need for me to waste my energies over her."
"Yes, Madam is wise. No matter what, this plan appears to be the most thorough. This maid has been by Madam's side for 10 years now and still suffers from narrow vision. This maid is too stupid and is truly ashamed for not being a better assistance for Madam. Qiu Xia continued to slap the horse's rump [4], causing Jiang Wanying to smile with her clever flattery.
Having cheered up, Jiang Wanying was ready to be generous. "Still dare call yourself stupid? Look at you, your skill with flattery has only increased. Humph, do you think I'd tolerate your little tricks if you haven't been faithful to me all these years? Enough with that, make sure to massage my head well. Those shameless nasty vixens just had to come and display their vulgar attitudes at my place. One day, I will let them witness my true strength."
Qiu Xia merely smiled. She knew that her mistress was just venting out her frustration. After all, as Jin Fengju's cousin, she had a better understanding of his nature than anyone else. Although the master looked like he did not care about the happenings within the inner court, he was too smart. Over the years, Madam's position might look impressive on the surface and earned a reputation of being virtuous, but she paid a serious price for it. No one knew just how much mock and ridicule she had to face from increasingly aggressive concubines.
However, they have battled secretly for years and thus far, the Madam had prevailed. At the very least, not a single one of those vixens were able to wrench the right to govern the household finances from her. This was already something quite difficult to achieve.
[1] 爷 Lord husband is 爷, grandfather is also 爷, this makes it hard to tell at first sight! Chinese, ah, Chinese, you have so many different words for different relatives, why suddenly use the same word here…
Gumihou: Have to use context. Since they are speaking to each other, and the only man who has their life and death in his hands should be JFJ, therefore lord or lord master or lord husbands is all correct. Jin Ming also called him 爷, so lord or master is correct under these circumstances.
[2] Oof.
[3] 人鱼 …Mermaid? Am I missing some Chinese mythology context, like mermaids being spiteful or something?
Gumihou: China's later references to renyu or lingyu are all bewitching females. In the earlier references, they were mostly hideous fish people with extra legs, so…
[4] Should I use the closer term "kiss ass" instead?
Gumihou: Kiss ass sounds so American, let's just smack the horse's rump.
Wife Chart for your reference
正妻 Official Wife aka 嫡妻 (direct wife)
填房 Succeeding Wife If official wife is replaced
平妻 Secondary Wife Generally daughters of officials who are married in for political reason
All children from this category are di-born
二房 Second Room Concubine generally dowry maids of wives, hands and feet of wives, assist in schemes
姨娘 aka 偏房, 侧室 Side Room Concubine Given small rooms to the side, out of sight out of mind. Generally maids that have given birth to nobleman's children and were given a status upgrade
通房丫头 Common Room Girls Maids with their own rooms, main job is to be pretty, agreeable and warm the master's bed
All children from this category are shu-born
Qiu Xia was still pondering over various things when she felt the head under her fingers tilting to the side. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that Jiang Wanying had fallen asleep. After kneading and rubbing the forehead under her fingers a little more, she straightened Jiang Wanying's head into a more comfortable position, backed away and grabbed a blanket to cover her mistress before quietly leaving the room.
In a blink of an eye, two days have passed.
That day was the 18th day of the Fourth Month. It had been two days since Jin Fengju's birthday. Early that morning, Jiang Wanying took a few maids with her to Madam Jiang's [1] place. After exchanging a few words, they set out together towards Old Madam Jin's place.
Old Madam Jin lived in a courtyard called 'Health & Longevity Court', not far from Madam Jiang's main residence. When the two of them arrived, the Old Madam had already woken up and was laughing and joking with the people around her. Among these people were Second Old Master's wife, Fang'shi [2] with her daughter-in-law, He'shi [3]. Concubine Hai'shi [4] and a few other small children were there too.
Although Old Madam Jin's husband had passed away prematurely, she was still very healthy. She would be 65 that year and though her hair was like silver threads, there were barely any wrinkles on her face. Moreover, she was still very energetic.
Old Madam Jin had two sons. The eldest was Jin Fengju's father, Jin Yu [5], who was currently working as a governor in a foreign country. For the sake of filial piety, he had left his wife and children under the care of the Old Madam and only brought two concubines with him to his new post. His appointment as governor should be done soon and he was expected to return to the capital at any time.
Jin Yu had two sons and one daughter. The eldest was called Jin Pengzhan, however, he was not living in the mansion. He was currently somewhere else working as a fifth rank prefectural magistrate. His wife, Liu'shi [6], was the daughter of the Duke of Feng. Right now, he and his wives and concubines were not on the estate. He had brought everyone with him to his posted area. The only daughter was Jin Yanqiu who married Prince Rong as the succeeding wife. It was only last year that Prince Rong had personally requested a decree from the emperor to raise her status as the Princess Consort.
Jin Yanqiu was Jin Pengzhan's younger sister but she was two years older than Jin Fengju. She loved this little brother of hers very much ever since she was a child and Jin Fengju had learned a lot from this elder sister of his, which is why he still respected his sister very much.
Old Madam's second son was the Second Old Master Jin Shi, [7] who was part of the Ministry of Works. His wife was Fang'shi, a sister of the Ministry of Rites. This old man was slightly inferior to his older brother in terms of ability, and had only one son and one daughter. The eldest son, Jin Luanfeng [8], did not like to study but was very good at doing business. Technically, he was employed at court but the job was an idle 'in-name-only' type of job. Usually, he managed all the properties under the name of the Marquisate all year round.
While the Marquisate of Jin was certainly wealthy and noble, a lot of its wealth was there due to the efforts of Jin Luanfeng. His sister, Jin Yanfang [9] was married to the Minister of Works' son and had a son and a daughter with him.
Her husband's family's position was also very stable.
Although the people of the Jin Marquisate could not be said to be indifferent to fame and fortune, they were not very keen to join in the treacherous fights among imperial brothers for the throne either. Fortunately, although the noble family had secrets that were as deep as the seas and the women spiritedly battled each other for power, the relationships between the men were very close. Perhaps it was because there were not many brothers and sisters within each generation.
Jin Pengzhan, Jin Fengju, Jin Luanfeng as well as the two other sisters who had married out had very good relationships with each other. It was them who worked together to keep the Jin Marquisate family together during the treacherous period when Prince Rong was forced to keep a low profile. They had managed to maintain the high status of the Jin Marquisate despite repeated attempts from Prince Hong to suppress them. However, once Jin Fengju was forced to marry Fu Qiuning, his position in court suddenly rose sharply. In less than two years, he became the eye-catching, long-term imperial envoy, to the point that not even Prince Hong dared to openly put pressure on the Marquisate of Jin.
Well, enough about that.
Let us return to the moment when Jiang Wanying and her mother-in-law, Jiang'shi entered Old Madam's place early that morning. After a few greetings, she, Xu'shi and Huo'shi entered along with their children. A short while later, the room became very lively with children chasing each other or squabbling around.
The Old Madam looked at this happy scene and said to Madam Jiang and Madam Fang, "Our Jin clan always had been weak at producing boys. When I married him, we only had two sons. He took in many concubines but was fated to have no more. Your generation is not bad. Though those concubines have not given birth, the two official madams already have a few sons and daughters.
However, that's still not much for a family like ours. Who would have thought the branches and leaves of this family would suddenly flourish with Fengju? He is only in his twenties this year, yes? Already a father of six, isn't that a great blessing? I wonder, just how many great-grandsons and great-granddaughters will he give me, ah? When I think about this, I think of myself surrounded by my great-grandchildren. I'm so happy that I could live up to a hundred years. What a great joy, ah."
Jian Wanying smiled, "This is all thanks to Old Madam, gathering such great luck and fortune in your lifetime that it enabled the Marquisate to experience such prosperity. Old Madam, you must live a long life, the best is living up to a thousand years. That way, our Marquisate can continue to enjoy such prosperity. May we also live prosperous lives under your great fortune. Our lives are thin and we dare not ask for much, another two or three hundred years would be enough for us."
At this, everyone laughed. Old Madam Jin pointed at Jiang Wanying and said, "You certainly know how to talk. What two or three hundred or even a thousand years. By then, who knows what this Marquisate will be like? It would have transformed into a demon's nest."
Everyone laughed again. When the laughter was over, Old Madam Jin said to Madam Jiang and Madam Fang, "Enough, you all return now. I understand that you must be busy with the Dragon Boat Festival so near. It's good to be busy but you should also find time to rest, there's no need to waste your time here." She turned to Jiang Wanying again, "Help your mother-in-law, her health is not good. She is nearly fifty after all."
Before Jian Wanying could say anything, Madam Jiang smiled and said, "Surely there's no need for Old Madam to remind her? This child is very attentive. She thinks of everything. Even matters I never thought of being taken care of by her. Now that I am alone in the house with Peng'er working outside and only my second child's family around, I let her take care of everything. It's fine to let her return, however, I prefer to stay here and accompany Old Madam."
Old Madam Jin smiled, "What 'accompany me'? You just want to lure me into playing mah-jong and cheat money off me, right?"
At this, everyone laughed again. Xu'shi and Huo'shi also contributed a few words, however, as they were only concubines, Old Madam Jin's reaction was very faint. However, she still liked the children and kept them all beside her after sending off the older women away.
[10] After leaving Health & Longevity Court, Jin Fengju's wives and concubines returned to Madam Jiang's room. Once there, the quick-tempered Xu'shi immediately exploded and spilt everything about Jin Fengju visiting Fu Qiuning's place. Her quick mouth adds oil and vinegar to the story to make it even more dramatic.
Madam Jiang appeared quite doubtful about Xu'shi's dramatic tale. Finally, she turned to Jiang Wanying, "You have been with Fengju for six years now, right? I've never heard anything from that trio of mother and children. Just what is Fengju thinking? Have you gone to take a look? What is the situation in that place like now? No matter what, that woman is still the daughter of Eldest Prince Zhenjiang. Now that our two families have become thus, it is better to divorce her to avoid future trouble. Why have you not advised Fengju to do this?"
Jiang Wanying heaved a sigh, "How would I have expected this to happen? My Lord has [a] left the horse to graze the pasture without inquiring into the matter but, who would have thought that he would suddenly remember those people there? That Jin Ming has always been by my Lord's side. I meant to call him over to clarify matters but never managed to get the opportunity to do so."
[Gumihou: Kind of sad that older brother is Jin Yu (jade) while second brother is Jin Shi (stone). Oi, just what are you thinking, Old Madam? Isn't this too biased?!]
[1] Madam Jiang – Jin Fengju's mother, Jiang Wanying's aunt
[2] Second Old Master – Jin Fengju's uncle, Fang'shi –Second Old Master's wife
[3] He'shi – Fang'shi's daughter-in-law
[4] Hai'shi – probably Second Old Master's concubine, with the 'small children' being the 2OM's kids from a young concubine (maybe)
[5] Jin Yu – Jin Fengju's father
[6] Liu'shi – Jin Pengzhan's wife, Duke of Feng's granddaughter, Jin Fengju's sister-in-law
[7] Jin Shi – Second Old Master (Ministry of Works), Jin Fengju's uncle
[8] Jin Luanfeng – Jin'shi's son (good at doing business)
[9] Jin Yanfang – married son of Minister Ministry of Works (has a son and daughter)
[10] Missing a transitional paragraph.
Pill Bug TL Notes:
[a] Is this an idiom? Did he actually leave his horse and go walking off somewhere? I don't really get it…
Gumihou: English has a similar term, letting the horse out in the pasture is basically 'horse retirement'. She's implying that they had 'set her free' to roam about on her own. We are so kind, aren't we? Lol
Madam Jiang nodded and frowned. Her voice was cold as she said, "So it is like that. Then you should certainly make a personal visit to Night Breeze Pavilion and find out what that woman is capable of." Madam Jiang was disgusted to the core by that Fu Qiuning's existence, that daughter-in-law who was used to humiliate the Marquisate of Jinxiang should have been divorced and thrown out long ago.
Huo'shi added from the side, "It is not certain that the woman has charmed him. From what Lord Husband implied, the two brats dropped by that laundry woman have grown up surprisingly well. Not long ago, the children were scolded by Lord Husband because of them. Naturally, we could not accept having our children be compared to those cheap goods but who knows why Lord Husband suddenly grew angry and headed straight to Night Breeze Pavilion."
Madam Jiang frowned, "The two brats left behind by the laundry woman? Are they not dead yet?" She suddenly looked at Jiang Wanying and coldly snorted, "You go right now and take a look. If you see your Lord Husband there, have him come and see me. Humph, it's better to divorce this kind of women as soon as possible."
Relief could be felt among the wives and concubines of Jin Fengju. Jiang Wanying privately cheered, she was the most happy at this result. Though Concubine Xu and Concubine Huo were not entirely sure what to feel, when they thought of Jin Fengju criticising their beloved children and comparing their precious children to those cheap goods, they felt that it was better to be rid of Fu Qiuning and those brats that Jin Fengju seemed to favour.
"Lord Husband has gone to court and has not returned yet. It is unlikely that Lord Husband would visit that place until court has adjourned," said Jiang Wanying with a smile. "I had intended to pay a visit today, but seeing how close the Dragon Boat Festival is and how I still have a few matters to consult with Madam, I have not made my way there yet…"
Not waiting for her to finish, Madam Jiang waved her hand and said, "Enough, there are still more than ten days before the Dragon Boat Festival, what is the hurry? You take a look at Night Breeze Pavilion first."
She could not be blamed for being anxious. That Fu Qiuning had brought great disgrace to the Marquisate of Jinxiang on the day she married into the family. Casting her aside to fend for herself was already a huge concession on their side. Right now, if she was still not divorced but also received Jin Fengju's favour, once word spread out, where should they place the face of the Marquisate of Jinxiang?
Who knows just how much ridicule they would receive from that father and son pair from Zhenjiang Palace and that Prince Hong. Even her own princely son-in-law might not be able to lift his head from sheer shame. [1] What's more, that woman's identity was just too sensitive. If Fengju really liked her, surely even Prince Rong would bear a shadow against the marquisate for favouring such a woman, right?
The more Madam Jiang thought about it, the more restless she became. In reality, she rarely meddled with her children's affairs. All three were sensible, ambitious people with their own thoughts and plans and never caused her any trouble. Therefore, in everyone's eyes, she was the gentlest, most agreeable person in the marquisate. However, not even she could brush this aside. Even if she risked angering her son, she was determined to urge Jin Fengju to divorce Fu Qiuning as soon as possible. As for those two bastards, they should just be sent to the farmstead as soon as possible. After all, they have grown up so there was no need for them to stay in the marquisate and add to her trouble. Each time she thought of their cheap slut of a mother, Madam Jiang's annoyance bubbled up uncontrollably from her chest.
Enough about Madam Jiang and her private sulks. Let us look and see what Jiang Wanying has been up to now that she has Madam Jiang's explicit order to storm Night Breeze Pavilion.
Jiang Wanying led a group of servants to Night Breeze Pavilion in high spirits. The moment she stepped past the courtyard door, a refreshing fragrance washed over her person. The scent was brought over by a gentle breeze. The light, refreshing scent gave her spirit a little jolt of vitality.
Confused, she looked around the courtyard uncertainly, taking in the large courtyard with its neat borders and beautifully trimmed trees. Flowers and trees flourished everywhere and appeared to be even more pleasing to the eye than her own courtyard. She could not help but hate it on sight.
Suddenly, she caught sight of two children running to the door. They suddenly skidded to a halt, as though frightened by the number of people at the door. The children immediately turned around and ran back towards the house. Jiang Wanying smiled coldly to herself and thought: Are these the two children Jin Fengju was so proud about? Pei! Look at them running about as though they have never seen the sky. What do ignorant brats like them have that is so praiseworthy?
Just then, a delicate and pretty young woman, followed by an older beautiful woman and a sharp looking maid came out. The two children ran up to snuggle by the sides of the first woman.
Jiang Wanying immediately recognised her as Fu Qiuning. She tilted up her head to look down her chin at this woman.
"Forgive me for being away from the group all these years, but this madam looks very familiar." Fu Qiuning walked down the steps, stood opposite her and asked, neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Are your eyes blind?!" seeing Fu Qiuning's less than deferential attitude, Qiu Xia spat. "This is our Second Madam."
"Second Madam?" Fu Qiu Ning frowned, "The cousin of the Young Marquis, who is now his wife?"
At Jiang Wanying's cold snort of agreement, Fu Qiuning [2] could only privately scold Jin Fengju in her mind: You good-for-nothing plague bringer! You came twice on a whim and look! Just look what nuisance you brought to my door? Aren't you the reason this weasel is now visiting my courtyard? What to do, ah? I can lower my head and keep out of sight but I will never let others trample over me, ah. What Second Madam? Want me to kneel before you? Better stop dreaming.
While Fu Qiuning was still busy trashing these ancient people and their customs, Qiu Xia noticed that this Fu Qiuning was still standing there quietly even after knowing that she was facing their Second Madam. She grew agitated, stamped her feet and shouted, "Have you no manners at all? How dare you not kneel in the presence of Second Madam?"
As soon as she was done speaking, Xu'Shi and Huo'shi [a], who were standing just behind her quickly lowered their heads and snickered quietly to themselves. However, neither said anything.
Sure enough, Fu Qiuning frowned slightly. Then, in an inquiring voice, she said, "Kneel? Whatever for? If I recall correctly, your madam is just a secondary wife, isn't she? Although I did not receive the Young Marquis' favour all these years, no one had brought news that the Young Marquis had divorced me or rescinded my title as Official Wife to someone else." She smiled at Jiang Wanying, "Little sister, have you heard anything of the sort?"
Jiang Wanying almost choked on her mouthful of anger. However, she also knew that it was Qiu Xia's unstoppable mouth that resulted in her loss at the opening move. She glared at her trusted maid, causing Qiu Xia to shrink back her neck in fright. However, still determined to win some face back for her mistress, Qiu Xia stiffened her neck and said, "So… so what of it? The Young Marquis has left you out in the cold for so many years, how could you be compared to our madam? Naturally, you should kneel before her." [3]
"Nobility and peasantry must be separated [4], I dare not break the rules." Fu Qiuning gave a little 'hehe' laugh [5], "I've never heard of such a statement. If the status of a person depends solely on a man's favour, wouldn't it be a mess? It might be fine within our Marquisate as I heard that the Young Marquis doted on the Second Madam very much, but what of other noble houses? With so many wives, concubines and lesser concubines running about all believing themselves to be most favoured, what would happen? Are you saying that the official wife should salute them just because of 'favour'?"
Qiu Xia wanted to say more, but her mistress gave an angry, "Shut your mouth." Jiang Wanying turned to Fu Qiuning, took several deep calming breaths before squeezing out a smile to say, "Elder sister, don't listen to the servants and their wagging tongues. They are ignorant and don't understand the big picture. It is this younger sister's fault for not educating them well and showing a foolish side to elder sister."
Although she said a lot of things to this effect, she did not make Qiu Xia apologise, nor did Fu Qiuning expect any from these people. What she wanted to know was why these women had come to her place.
[1] The family tree is getting really big…
Gumihou: Which is why Gumi has taken the time to make the Jin Family Tree
[2] Clarified whose thoughts. The original text did not have her name, leading to much confusion on my first read when I thought it was Jiang Wanying's thoughts.
[3] Wow Qiu Xia, 6 feet not deep enough? Trying to dig until bedrock?
[4] 尊卑有别 from the idiom 尊卑有别，长幼有序 which means: There should be a differentiation between the noble and the lowly, and there should be an order between the young and the old. Priority should be understood. AKA 'Know your place!'
[5] 傅秋宁呵呵一笑 Author actually put in a 'huh huh' laugh there! Should I put in an Ojou's ohohoho snooty laugh here?
Gumihou: 'Gave a little hehe laugh', although I've seen translators used 'hehe-ed'