Chapter 27: Great Waves
Translated by Pill Bug
Edited by Gumihou
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!
[Gumihou: Uh oh, panic in the hen house!]
[1] 烈火烹油 – great enthusiasm and influence?
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