Chapter 15: Indoors & Outdoors

 

Translated by Pill Bug

Edited by Gumihou

 

By the time Jin Fengju bid farewell to Zhao Lun and returned home, it was already after the Wei hour [1]. The first place he stopped by was his study. He had heard from the servants that several of the estate wives and concubines had gathered at the Old Madam’s place and decided not to enter the inner court. Instead, he made his way towards the Yong Cui Garden, where ladies of age, but still awaiting betrothal offer, resided. It is also the place where his younger sisters once lived.

Now, all but two were married off. The remaining two sisters had moved back to their own homes awaiting their marriage date. The unoccupied Yong Cui Garden had been swept clean and tidy, awaiting the next generation of girls to grow up and move in.

A small path wounds through the garden, bordered by flowers and trees. At the slightest breeze, red petals fell like drops of rain. Jin Fengju could not help but sigh at how quickly time had flown by. Thinking back, it suddenly occurred to him that he was no longer that 16 or 17-year-old youth [a]. In a blink of an eye, he was now a young man in his early adulthood.

Without realising it he had strolled out of the garden. In the afterglow of the setting sun, he suddenly caught sight of a green tiled flying eave jutting out amidst a sea of green leaves. Below the tiled roof, a row of pale pink and deep pink apricot trees displayed themselves in full bloom.

Jin Fengju suddenly fell into a trance. Living in this courtyard was a person whose life was worse off than an abandoned woman. His main wife, if only in name. However, because of the feud between the Marquisate of Jinxiang and the Palace of Prince Zhenjiang where neither could rest until the other had perished, this woman had been sent to his home to disgrace his family and humiliate him.

In his resentment, he swore to humiliate her back and force her out of his house. He will crush her and divorce her regardless of whether she had committed any of the seven offences [2]. Who cares whether she lives or dies after he had divorced her?

What he had never expected, never anticipated was the lack of reaction from this woman. There had been some small schemes in the early days of their marriage but time was not yet right to divorce her so he had ignored her antics. Later, however, she seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth? Her presence was so dim that he had nearly forgotten that he had ever married this person, thus allowing her to lurk in this estate until now.

“Perhaps, it is now time to divorce her,” Jin Fengju said suddenly.

Beside him, Jin Ming’s heart trembled.

“Master, that woman has been unexpectedly peaceful. It is a great shame for a woman to be divorced. The Zhenjiang Palace… may not accommodate her,” Jin Ming chose his words carefully, not even daring to use the honorific title of Madam.

Jin Fengju nodded slightly and said, “I understand, she is an innocent woman who had suffered from the power play between two factions. Nevertheless, she is still someone from Zhenjiang Palace. Once Prince Hong loses power, though I could protect her, why should I do such a troublesome thing? You know how I hate trouble.”

After watching the situation from the side with cold eyes all these years, Jin Fengju could tell that although the winds still favoured Prince Hong, the emperor had long grown wary of his accomplishment. On the other hand, blinded by his own greatness and future prospects, Prince Hong had not perceived the danger right under his eyes.

Moreover, due to some fickle impulse, Jin Fengju had never mentioned to Zhao Lun that Prince Hong was already on the road to failure. The only one left to compete for the Crown Prince position against Prince Rong – Zhao Lun, was Prince Lie. The hero prince with his string of military successes, also known as Zhao You.

While Jin Fengju was contemplating all these complicated political aspects, Jin Ming remained silent by his side. As a servant, he knew better than to interrupt when his master was thinking. The reason why he made an exception and spoke a couple more words than necessary was mostly out of some trace of pity in his heart.

“Her courtyard door is still firmly closed as usual. Did she really believe that this courtyard is her private paradise?” Jin Fengju shook his head and sneered. He slowly made his way towards Night Breeze Pavilion, “Let’s go and have a look.”

This would be Jin Fengju’s third time visiting Fu’shi. The first was on the day she married in, the second was when he heard she hung herself. This should be the third and last time.

Once again, Jin Ming privately lamented over Fu’shi’s poor luck: It is said that beautiful women have thin luck [3], but I remember that Fu’shi’s looks are just average. So, why is her luck as thin as paper?

 

As they slowly approached Night Breeze Pavillion, the vibrating sigh of a guqin faintly trembled in the air. When they reached the courtyard door, the sound of guqin grew much clearer. Jin Fengju stopped and listened carefully.

“From the sound of it, this music is not played by that Fu woman. Back then, she was known as a woman of great talent. This sound is too ordinary to be anything close to something a woman of talent would play,” Jin Fengju’s smile was light as he commented idly. Suddenly, he paused as a dawn of realisation crossed his face, “That’s right, perhaps one of the two children is playing. They should be seven or eight years old now, right? It’s rare for children at that age to be able to play this level. Looks like that Fu woman really paid some attention to the children’s education.”

“It still sounds slightly inferior to Third Young Miss,” Jin Ming knew that Third Young Miss, Jin Xiuzhen, born of Jiang’shi is particularly favoured by Jin Fengju and deliberately flattered her.

“Xiuzhen’s playing relies on talent and she likes to show off her technical skills. From the sound of this guqin, the player plays from the heart and relays the emotion behind the music clearly. Though their skill is mediocre, it is good enough to move the heart,” Jin Fengju nodded to himself as he closed his critique.

Suddenly, a clear bright voice was heard reading aloud, “Confucius says: Isn’t it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned? Isn’t it also great when friends visit from distant places? If one remains not annoyed when he is not understood by the people around him, isn’t he a sage?”

The sound of the guqin suddenly changed. The music transformed in a flash, like falling torrential rain. The reader’s tone also changed, their rhythm gradually accelerating.

Jin Fengju stood outside the door and realised that the reader was matching the lively sound of the guqin.

Jin Ming stood rooted in place, listening dumbfoundedly at the side. The atmosphere sounded very intense, even his mind was dragged in by the tempo. Suddenly, the sound of the guqin changed again, from an accelerating current to a sweet and floating melody. The reader’s tone also slowed down, their voice giving the words more depth and purpose.

“It’s about to end, there are no victors or losers in this,” at Jin Fengju’s sudden whispering, Jin Ming turned to look at his master and nearly gasped.

On Jin Fengju’s handsome and elegant face, instead of the usual smooth and cool smile, there was a rarely seen smile of appreciation o his face. It was clear that he was in a very good mood.

Sure enough, the sound of the guqin eventually came to an end. Jin Ming stepped forward to announce their arrival when Jin Fengju waved for him to stop. Instead, he raised his voice and said,

“

When everything in the garden is lovely,

Why should the master keep it to himself?

To refuse to open one’s door

And deny the people’s viewing pleasure.

“

A long while later, a childish voice was heard through the door,

”

This inauspicious place is lowly

Noble guests will be offended

Beg to shift your steps away

The noble Marquisate is a place

Where spring shines everywhere

”

The voice was childish but Jing Ming could discern that it belonged to a boy. What surprised him was how calm and articulated the child sounded.

The smile on Jin Fengju’s face grew even deeper. He laughed and replied,

“

If the Marquisate is a noble place

Is this place not the Marquisate?

As it is part of the Marquisate

Where the land is noble and rich

How could an inauspicious place exist?

”

Again, there was another long silence. Jin Ming couldn’t stand it and stepped forward once more to announce themselves. Again, Jin Fengju waved his hand. This time, he even spared Jin Ming a glare.

Suddenly, the voice came through the door to say,

“

The nine sons of dragons are different

Affairs of the world are bound by fate

This youngster’s intentions are good

Bid noble guests to not misunderstand

A remote place where the sun sets

We fear the host is seeking for sir,

Please, turn back and depart

”

Though the speech was a little inappropriate and verging on rude, the smile on Master’s face was incomparably pleased. So much so that the man himself stepped forward to the courtyard door and smack it cheerfully,

“

Open up,

I am your father

”

 

Gumihou: …let’s talk math. You all should know by now how Gumi can be when it comes to Numbers That Don’t Add Up

In [a], Jin Fengju mentioned that ‘he was no longer that 16 or 17-year-old youth’. Back in Chapter 14, 5 years had passed since then, so he’s 21 or 22 now, a young adult.

…guys, he has 3-year-old twin kids at 16-17.

They had to have been born when he was 13-14.

That means a certain surname Xie, a widow working as a laundress in the estate had had… relationships with a 12-13 minor.

The official marriage age for girls back then is generally 14-16, when they start menstruating. Men should marry around 20 or 30 according to Confucius, but he’s kind of a sexist person and nobody really followed that anyway but regardless…

12-13-year-old is a minor, okay!!!!

Surname Xie! Are you the reason behind ML’s shitty attitude towards women?!!?

(ꐦ ಠ皿ಠ ) ヽ༼ ಠ益ಠ ༽ﾉ

 

Pill Bug TL Notes:

[1] Old Chinese timekeeping count, means 1pm to 3pm afternoon.

 

[2] 七出之条 『無子，一也；淫佚，二也；不事舅姑，三也；口舌，四也；盜竊，五也；妒忌，六也；惡疾，七也』

Seven reasons in Chinese Feudal Society where you can divorce your wife. 1: No offspring. 2. Obscenity. 3. Not respecting grandfather or grandmother. 4. Gossip. 5. Theft. 6. Jealousy. 7. Incurable illness.

Seriously, not very good reasons for divorce in modern society.

 

[3] 红颜薄命 “Beautiful women have thin luck” idiom.

 

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