Chapter 56: Between Husband & Wife

Translated by Gumihou

Edited by Pill Bug

 

Jin Changfeng suddenly said, “Mother, we are not afraid. Didn’t we learn the saying, ‘When the soldiers come, block them as earth blocks water’? If they do come again, we can deal with them according to this method.”

Fu Qiuning, Yu Jie and Aunt Yu could barely suppress their laughter. Fu Qiuning smiled at him, “Oh? Our Feng’er has proposed an interesting idea. Now, let mother ask you, how do you propose to ‘Block them as earth blocks water’?”

“By… that is…” Jin Changfeng frowned as he wracked his brains for an answer. Suddenly, he smiled and say, “I know. When they come again, Sister and I will hide all the flower pots in the house. Father’s paperweights must be hidden too. As for the flowers in the garden, we must cover them up with our sheets and say that… that we’re drying our quilts…”

Before he could go on listing his ideas, the three adults started laughing again. Yu Jie smiled, “Aiyo, our young master, your idea is truly clever. Hahaha, drying our quilts, I’m afraid all our plants and flowers will be squashed flat by your beddings.”

Jin Changfeng scratched his head and laughed too. Cheerful laughter flowed from the room and echoed through the small courtyard. Even Fu Qiuning breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of the children’s laughter. She thought: That’s right, what is there be afraid of? When the soldiers come, just block them as earth blocks water. Jin Fengju is not someone who cannot differentiate right from wrong. I have already been forced into this situation, what else can I do? If those women deliberately come to make trouble, don’t blame me for retaliating. If you dare scheme against me, do not think I would not dare take action against you.

 

 

While the atmosphere at Night Breeze Pavilion was bright and cheerful, the scene at the distant Clear Soft Pavilion was a different matter altogether.

“How is Zhenxuan’s homework recently? Has there been any improvement? Also, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard Xiuzhen play the qin.” Seated in Jiang Wanying’s room, Jin Fengju casually inquired as he slowly waved his folding fan.

“The two children are doing fine. You are so busy every day, when would you find the time to see them?” Jiang Wanying replied with a smile as her hands busily embroidered a scented sachet. “Lord Husband, I heard that the Old Madam had been sending elder sister quite a lot of things. I am clumsy and awkward in my speech, and dare not inquire into it. I’m not certain if Old Madam blames me for overlooking Elder Sister’s situation. These days, I too have sent a few things to Elder Sister, but Elder Sister had been very indifferent and told me that Night Breeze Pavilion had everything and that there is no need for me to send anything to her. Hearing that, I dare not send anymore… Lord Husband, you tell me, what should I do?”

Jin Fengju looked at her pouting lip and aggrieved expression. She looked every bit like the wronged party here. Amused, he thought: Cousin, ah, cousin, aren’t you overdoing your acting a little? Whatever Qiuning wants or has, would a slick social schemer like you even care? To pull such a deeply aggrieved and frail expression in front of me, aren’t you just trying to sound out my thoughts and attitude? You sure like to do things in a roundabout way.

His smile deepened and he said, “If she doesn’t want anything, there’s no need to hang about her. No need for you to pay special visits to Night Breeze Pavilion either. Let her have her peace.”

Jiang Wanying frowned slightly. She thought: Just what kind of attitude is this? Is this not caring for Fu’shi’s fate? Or is he afraid that I will disturb her peace? The more she thought, the more anxious she became. That Fu Qiuning, after hibernating for six years, who knows what kind of means she had used to suddenly grab Jin Fengju’s attention? In just one family banquet, she even managed to snag Old Madam to her side. Moreover, even though Madam Jiang had ordered Jin Fengju to divorce this woman, he had contradicted his mother for the sake of keeping this woman in the marquisate. To think even Madam Jiang was foiled. Just how many hidden schemes does this woman have up her sleeves? She, Jiang Wanying, must have been blind these past six years, thinking to defend against the various concubines only to realise late in the game that she had been nurturing a tiger of misfortune in her house.

When she thought of this, Jiang Wanying rose from her chair and stopped in front of Jin Fengju. In a pouty, slightly spoiled voice, she said, “What are you talking about? If I ignore her, how would they survive in this marquisate? Moreover, when she first married in, even though she was the official wife in name, cousin never even looked at her, let alone established any close physical relationship.

Now that you’ve been there twice, surely she could now be considered a proper official wife? If I keep ignoring her, won’t people call me a jealous wife? Is cousin really going to let people accuse me like that?”

Jin Fengju approached the bed and laid down. When Jiang Wanying also came to the bed, he held her in his embrace and smiled, “You’re being overly suspicious. Though I had been to Night Breeze Pavilion twice, I’ve never established any physical relationship with Qiuning. Are you not aware of the connection between the Jin Marquisate and the Zhenjiang Palace? The moment she entered our marquisate, she was destined to live the life of a widow. You worry too much. Don’t tell me you don’t have enough matters to worry about in the marquisate?

Though it might be a small matter, it still costs you energy. The years you’ve put into managing the marquisate have made you thin. Each time I accompanied you to your paternal aunt’s house during the Lunar New Year, I was always scolded for not taking better care of you.”

When Jiang Wanying heard that he and Fu Qiuning did not establish any physical relationship, her worries immediately transformed into joy. However, her face soon turned pensive again and she said with a rebuking tone, “You’re telling the truth? You’re not lying to me?”

Jin Fengju shook his head and laughed, “Why would I lie to you? She is my wife too. Even if I were to share a room with her, it is right and proper according to heaven’s principle, why would I worry about telling you?”

Jiang Wanying’s lower lip jutted out and she said, “If that’s the case, then, why does Old Madam treat her so meticulously? Isn’t it all due to the good things you’ve said to Old Madam? Don’t think I don’t know how the matter about the potted plants was revealed. Unless you exposed me, why would Old Madam suddenly invite them to the family banquet?”

Jin Fengju looked at her. His eyes were indifferent, devoid of negative feelings. However, when Jiang Wanying recalled what she had just said, she suddenly blushed. She pushed at Jin Fengju’s chest and said, “Why… why are you looking at me like that? It’s not like I mean it. Back then, Elder Sister was the one who said she gifted those plants to me. I just thought Old Madam would like them and sent them to her instead. Old Madam was the one who kept talking about how much she liked them, and, and, overjoyed, I happened to forget to say that Elder Sister is the one who raised them.

Later, when you exposed me, it caused me to lose face and Old Madam even thought that I was the kind of mean and treacherous person who would snatch flowers from others and offer them to Buddha. This is all your fault. If you dare suspect me, I’ll beat you up,” after that, she lightly hammered Jin Fengju’s chest in a coquettish way.

Jin Fengju continued to tease her a bit before lying down on the bed to casually say, “Enough, didn’t I always say that you’re overly sensitive? You still refuse to believe me. What’s all this play-acting for? Old Madam must have felt that Qiuning was pitiful and wanted to give her some material assistance. Also, Qiuning could not in good conscience push an old lady’s kind regards away, could she? As for me, the only reason I went there was to see Feng’er and Jiao’er. What kind of vinegar are you eating? [2] In what way is she comparable to you? We’ve been husband and wife for so many years, you’ve already nurtured my taste as you wish. How could I prefer a person like her?”

Jiang Wanying gave a tittering little laugh, “Well, that is not necessarily so. I have already given birth to two children while that person is still a maiden. You can’t guarantee that you won’t be moved. I just hope you will continue to remember her identity and keep the humiliation she brought to you on your marriage day in mind. If not for her, if not for your sake, why would I wrong myself and marry into your marquisate as a secondary wife? In any case, do keep your conscience in mind whenever you look at her.”

 

[Gumihou: I smell, a self-fulfilling prophesy!]

 

White Pear Flower: Even though I also hate Jiang Wanying, I still can’t let the Young Marquis toss her away immediately, right? If so, he would really be a slag man.

Slowly, slowly… we must take things slow, ah….

 

Gumihou: … er, this does not bode well for Jiang Wanying

 

[1] Some minor sentence adjustments for better flow

 

Pill Bug:

 

[2] Eating Vinegar – A Chinese idom, means ‘jealousy’.

From Baidu Baike, https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%90%83%E9%86%8B/238781

“It is said that this allusion came from the court of the Tang Dynasty. In order to win over people’s hearts, Tang Taizong wanted to make Fang Xuanling, the prime minister (who already had a wife), take a concubine. Taizong had no choice but to make the prime minister’s wife choose between drinking poisonous wine and allowing a concubine to be taken. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Fang was indeed quite stubborn, and would rather die than bow her head in front of the emperor. So, she picked up the cup of “poisonous wine” and drank it. When Mrs. Fang finished drinking it with tears, she realized that the glass was not filled with poisonous wine, but thick vinegar with a sweet and sour fragrance instead. Since then, “jealousy” and “eat vinegar” have been associated, and “eat vinegar” has become a metaphor for jealousy.”

 

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