Chapter 138: Major Event

Author: White Pear Flower

Raws: https://book.qidian.com/info/2386994/

Translated Gumihou

Proofread by Pill Bug

Gumi is… looking into the distance…

 

“The Young Marquis must have been very diligent these past few days. The dark circles under your eyes looked like they have been painted on.” [1a]

To Jin Fengju, the smiling yet not smiling expression on Fu Qiuning’s face caused sweat to bead up on his forehead. With a cough, he quickly took over the conversation by saying, “Indeed, things had been a little busy. I confess, I worry over many things. For example, yourself, Qiuning. Knowing that you are here remains a great worry for me. It is only when you are willing to move to Elegant Mansion that I can finally let go of this stone in my heart. Aih.”

[2a] “… …” should she even bother to comment on this ridiculous statement?

When the silence had stretched from awkward to painful, she said, “The situation at Night Breeze Pavilion has been rather odd lately.” She [3a] tapped her finger on the book. “First, the snakes. Generally, snakes can only be seen in another half a month. Following the snake incident, it was the two days of ghostly incidents. Speaking of ghosts, [3b] the one from last night appears to have died by hanging. That poor thing must have suffered a lot and has forgotten the culprit who killed it. Of course, it is possible that committing suicide had muddled her head. Though I can’t say that she did not die here, [2b] as I had nearly become a hanging ghost of Night Breeze Pavilion myself…”

Jin Fengju’s expression remained frozen in place even as sweat popped up all over his body. [2b] When Fu Qiuning reached the part about nearly becoming a hanging ghost, he could not stand it anymore. However, he knew that he could not address the matter without making himself look bad, therefore, he could only nod and address the first part of her statement, “Qiuning is right. It is quite unusual. However, this shows that Night Breeze Pavilion is not safe, how about…”

He was suddenly blinded by a brilliant smile from Fu Qiuning. “What about it? In this humble woman’s opinion, things are so much more lively and interesting like this. Indeed, I must thank the Young Marquis for sending the servants. Now that I think back on it, this place was quite desolate. However, it is different now. I am even more comfortable than before. Therefore, there is no need for the Young Marquis to worry.”

“… …” Jin Fengju sighed a long sigh. He understood that, regardless of whether Fu Qiuning had seen through his ridiculous schemes, it was about time to wrap up this operation.

“Will Lord Husband be working tonight?” Fu Qiuning refilled his teacup for him. [3c]

As expected, Jin Fengju gritted his teeth and snarled, “No, I have neglected my beloved wife for too long. I should shower you with some tender care.”

[3c] Fu Qiuning’s hands halted just before the teapot touched the table. However, she managed to gracefully set it down and demurely say, “But of course.” [1b] [3c] That night, Jin Fengju took out his frustration on Fu Qiuning the only way he could.

 

Please read this at kitchennovel dot com ~

 

Jin Fengju finally admitted defeat. He could not think of a good way to [4] pry Fu Qiuning out of Night Breeze Pavilion without looking like a villain. A villain incapable of keeping a simple promise. He had no idea why Qiuning would be so hung up on that promise. So, what if he did not keep his original promise? That promise was made long before he got to know Fu Qiuning, therefore it should not be counted at all! However, Fu Qiuning had to keep throwing that promise between them, making it difficult for Jin Fengju to show true love and appreciation for his wife.

In the end, he consulted the Old Madam. The old lady listened to his tale with wide eyes, struck dumb by the miserable endings of his schemes. Finally, she could only offer one piece of advice to her beloved grandson. “Wanying has always been a shrewd one. Why not have her help you think of a way? Still, there is no need to rush things. From what you say, it is entirely possible that Qiuning has seen through your schemes. If you force the matter too much, things would not end well. Aih, I, your grandmother, have lived this long, but this is the first time I encounter such a woman. As a Young Marquis, there is really no need for you to yield to her. However, since you have her in your heart, your hands have been unfortunately bound.”

Thus, Jin Fengju thought of how he had snubbed Jiang Wanying these past few days and how the two little children had spilt their tears on his shoulders. Although he was very sure that Jiang Wanying must have incited the children to come crying at him, he still felt distressed for them. Therefore, he paid a visit to Clear Soft Pavilion. Even so, his attitude was still a little cool, saying something to the effect of ‘Since Jiang Wanying is the one who caused this mess, you may redeem yourself by finding a way to move Fu Qiuning out of Night Breeze Pavilion, otherwise, I will not forgive you’.

Jiang Wanying had really eaten a great loss this time. However, she still counted herself fortunate. This meant her cousin had finally decided to let matters go. As to whether Fu Qiuning could be moved out of Night Breeze Pavilion, she could still observe things for the moment. Therefore, all urgent matters could be set aside.

 

Please read this at kitchennovel dot com ~

 

Time marched along steadily and half a month passed.

Jin Pengzhan finally went to Jiangnan to take up his post. Before he left, Jin Fengju and Jin Luanfeng each gave him a red packet worth 10,000 silver taels each. Needless to say, the two brothers were sending the same message to him: Our family has plenty of money, never covet the salt merchant’s wealth or be seduced by their black-hearted enticement.

Nothing was explicitly mentioned, but the message was conveyed and received.

In the end, Liu’shi left her two children at the estate and went with her husband to the south along with a few concubines, among them, Concubine Han and Concubine Ming Yan. This was because Liu’shi did not feel that she could entrust the children with them. Fortunately, the children had grown up and were now living with Old Madam Jin at Health & Longevity Court under the care of some excellent servants.

On this day, the moment Jin Fengju left morning court, Prince Rong grabbed his arm

[5]

“No matter what, I will not let go unless Jin Fengju visits the palace with me. Otherwise, I will not acknowledge you as my brother-in-law anymore!”

Helpless, Jin Fengju thought that he should go and have a look. After all, Elder Sister was not an unreasonable person, so why was she so stubborn this time? Moreover, Brother-in-law was a prince, so, what more could she want? If news about her jealous attitude spread, it would be difficult to explain to the emperor and empress.

[5]

Just as he was about to leave with Prince Rong, one of Jin Yu’s personal servants came rushing over on a horse. Before even getting off the horse, he shouted, “Marquis, you… you must return quickly. Something major happened at the estate!”

“What is it? What happened?” Jin Fengju went pale. From the servant’s countenance alone, he could tell that this ‘major happening’ could not be a good thing.”

“M-madam Aunt was on her way back to the Capital when the entire family encountered robbers. I heard that Sir Feng and Young Sir Feng were killed on the spot. As for Madam Aunt and the young ladies, their fate is still unknown. Old Madam had fainted away, Second Elder Madam is crying so much that she had turned into a figurine, Second Old Master has gone to the suburbs to look for them. Old Master wants you to rush home, Master Feng had already sent people to inquire into the matter.”

“Brother-in-law…” Jin Fengju had barely uttered the first words, but Prince Rong already understood. He hastily said, “You should quickly go, I shall also have people inquire into the matter.”

He was still speaking, but Jin Fengju had already leapt onto the horse and rode away, Jin Ming desperately running after him. There was only the servant boy left, and after giving his message, he was so exhausted that he could only sit under the wall and gasp for breath.

Jin Fengju got off the horse at the estate gate. At that time, dark clouds could be seen gathering above the estate, and weeping could be heard from the surroundings from time to time. Jin Yanfang was a very good person, a warm and generous girl loved by many. When they heard that she had suffered such a catastrophic disaster, many could not help but shed tears for her misfortune. After all, they all knew, now that she had fallen into the hands of bandits, as a woman, surely nothing good would come out of it?

As he hurried over to Health & Longevity Court, he could hear loud crying from the inside.

Jin Yu was also there.  His mother and sister-in-law were all crying to the point of paralysis. Even the duke had no idea what to do under those circumstances. When he saw his son, the old man breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, “Fengju, you are the only one we can depend on now. Think, do you have any good plan on how to handle this?”

When Madam Fang saw Jin Fengju, she rushed over and cried, “Fengju… Fengju, ah… hurry, you must hurry and think of a way to save Yanfang, she is my only daughter, ah…”

Seeing her so devastated, Jin Fengju also felt sad. He quickly supported her and said, “Second Aunt, you must take care of yourself. I swear, so long as Sister Fang is alive, no matter what… misfortune she may encounter, so long as we can rescue her, your nephew will not spare a single effort. In the future, so long as she remains within this estate, no one will be allowed to slight her. This nephew swears to shelter her from all wind and storm, and allow her to live the rest of her life in peace and good fortune.”

This speech appeared overly lofty, moreover, it was not something that ought to be said by Jin Fengju.

The truth of the matter was, even once Jin Yanfang was rescued, she should naturally reside at Jin Shi’s estate, and her fate to be decided by her parents. Naturally, Jin Fengju understood this matter very well. However, he also knew that this was the only thing that could placate Madam Fang. Sir Feng and his son had died a tragic death, however, the women’s fates were still unknown. Even if no one said anything, they all understood it. In the future, even should this daughter be rescued from the clutches of bandits, she would no longer have the will to live. Should she refuse to die, to protect the family’s noble status, they must force her to die. Her fate would be similar to Fu Qiuning’s should she return to her maternal family after being divorced.

Therefore, what Madam Fang was most anxious about now was not her daughter’s life. Since she was not killed, it meant that she was still alive. Therefore, with the Jin family’s power, rescuing her was not impossible. The thing that was most concerned about was what would happen once her daughter was rescued back.

As a loving mother, she naturally wished for her daughter to live well. However, she did not even have the confidence to persuade her own husband to spare their beloved child. After all, as someone who grew up in a noble house, and married into one, she understood that as people born into ‘centuries-old gentry’, everyone must be prepared to sacrifice their lives for family and honour. Especially for women who had lost their virginity.

This single line from Jin Fengju eased all of Madam Fang’s worries. Right now, as the linchpin of the Jin family, despite his young age, the fact that he was her nephew and a whole generation lower than herself, everyone in the family, including his father, uncle, even his elder brother and sister, had to listen when he spoke. If he said that he would protect Jin Yangfang, even his father and uncle would have to give him some face. In short, her daughter’s life finally had some guarantee. What’s more, neither her brother-in-law nor her husband were hard-hearted people. With Jin Fengju around to speak up for Jin Yangfang, it was possible that they would be happy to go with the flow.

After comforting Madam Fang, Jin Fengju approached his mother. Although Madam Jiang was not as devastated as Madam Fang, she still looked quite upset. She was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief when she saw her son coming towards her and said through choked sobs, “Must think of a way to rescue the person first before…” and could not continue.

“Yes, this son will work hard on the matter. There is no need for Mother to be like this. You must take care of your health.” After wiping his mother’s tears, Jin Fengju turned to the Old Madam. “Old Ancestor must take care, at your age, it is easy to be overwhelmed by emotions. You may leave everything to your grandson. So long as Yanfang is still alive, this grandson will surely rescue the mother and child.”

The Old Madam’s eyes were swollen from crying. She could only hold Jin Fengju’s hand tightly and nod, unable to say a word.

 

Gumihou: Poor Jiang Wanying. Her situation made Gumi recall the idiom, Slaughter the Hound when the Hunt is Over.

Jiang Wanying is the hound here, while Fu Qiuning is the target. Once the brilliant ML gets his hand on the girl, she would be put down like a dog. Jiang Wanying is really unfortunate, she made herself to be this brilliant, scheming person, and everyone acknowledges it, including Foxy Grandma. However, they are also equally happy to throw her under the bus when her scheme goes wrong.

In chapter 129, Madam Jiang begins her self-pity fest by going on and on about trusting her ‘foolish niece’ and making her own son hate her, completely forgetting the time when she kept bugging Jiang Wanying about when she was going to come up with a scheme to get rid of FQN.

 

[1] Delete:

[1a] Reduce the bla bla ‘why did you not stay the night, bla, look after your health, bla, she sit down, bla, Jin Fengju nervous, bla, her smile, bla’

Basically, it’s a case to too much info, too soon, just comment on his dark circles

[1b] Deleted ‘Humph! I’m gonna bang you!’ and ‘Humph! Bring it on!’

Aside from being crass, it made light of FQN’s unfortunate situation.

[2] Add detail:

[2a] Seriously, this joke is not funny anymore. Have Fu Qiuning answer it with pained silence. I think it was meant to be a light-hearted ‘ufufu’ moment between lovers, but it’s just disgusting and pushy in reality.

[2b] Add the detail about how the original FQN had committed suicide. Poor original FQN, we must remember her too.

[3] Replacement:

[3a] Replaced ‘made a show of nodding earnestly’, because like… wut? Why? Just go with ‘tap a finger on the book’

[3b] Redo the ‘telling JFJ about the ghost’ thing. The original was just a summary of the previous chapter punctuated with ‘it was funny, don’t you think it was funny, it’s funny, isn’t it?’

Is the author trying to convey the information in a neutral yet dramatic, but in no way implicate JFJ? Hah! Gumi won’t let you.

[3c] Switch POV from JFJ to FQN. Taking out your frustrations on a failed scheme by banging your wife is not cool. It is also not cute.

[4] Adjust the text to show JFJ’s attitude as ‘crass’ instead of ‘cute’.

[5] Redid the block of pure narrative text into something more dynamic

 

 

Kitchennovel.com has a new Membership System!!

Please click on the table below to check it out~

Naturally, you can still support us through

Although… it’s, um, you only get half the benefits… but, the decision is in your hands!