Chapter 143: Prince & Princess Consort
Author: White Pear Flower
Raws: https://book.qidian.com/info/2386994/
Translated by Pill Bug
Edited by Gumihou
Gumihou: Starting from the final paragraph in the previous chapter, White Pear Flower seemed to have suddenly forgotten how to write proper sentences and started several lines with ‘because’ and ‘only’ for no good reason… Note [a] for changes.
After stepping out of the courtyard, Jin Fengju thought for a moment before making his way towards Night Breeze Pavilion. On the way, he passed through Yong Cui Garden and heard gentle sparkling laughter in the distance. He could not help but smile, thinking: Now that the garden is once more occupied, it is as though life has returned to it. From now on, Qiuning need not worry about getting lost. Too bad she has steeled her heart and is unwilling to move. Otherwise, won’t she find Elegant Mansion much better than Night Breeze Pavilion? I can also be closer to her and allow her to take charge of some matters in the estate, finally letting her feel less aggrieved.
All sorts of thoughts occupied his mind as he slowly made his way towards Night Breeze Pavilion. He found several maids and servants busy trimming and cleaning up the lush herb and flower gardens. When they noticed him, they all stopped their work to salute him. Jin Fengju nodded at them. [a] He was about to continue on his way when Yu Jie came trotting over with a rather mysterious smile on her face. When she finally reached his side, the smile widened and she said, “Today, this maid successfully pulled Madam for a little stroll at Elegant Mansion. Madam likes the place very much. How will Master thank me?”
Jin Fengju was pleasantly surprised. He quickly replied, “What? Your Madam has agreed to move there?”
[a] The words have barely left his mouth when he saw the maid’s expression fall as she muttered, “How can matters be so easy? Master is too impatient. Just dragging Madam into Elegant Mansion for a look is already a great feat on its own. Master sure is greedy, wishing to grow fat with just one mouthful.”
Laughter spilt out of Jin Fengju as he untied the coin purse from his waist. He took out two pieces of gold leaves and handed them to her, praising, “Yu Jie has done well. Continue to work this way, this Master promises great rewards in your future.”
“When all is said and done, Master is most generous, casually rewarding people with gold leaves,” Yu Jie was beaming so widely that she could not close her mouth. She quickly stuffed the gold leaves into her own purse. After a quick look to make sure Fu Qiuning was not around, she stepped closer to say, “Master should have more Thorny Roses planted at Elegant Mansion. Though the courtyard is resplendent with many kinds of flowers and trees, Madam only has eyes for those roses alone. She stood before the patch of Thorny Roses for a long time and even said that she likes the fragrance.”
Jin Fengju was surprised, “She likes those? [a] I see. I shall have people fill both the front and rear gardens with Thorny Roses. Any other information?”
“None for now,” Yu Jie shook her head. Then, she grinned cheekily and said, “Even so, Master should not be discouraged. [a1] Master treats Madam so well, that this maid is sure that one day, things will go as Master wishes~”
“Then, I’ll accept your good advice,” Jin Fengju smiled. “Is your Madam within the house?”
“Yes, she is, Master, please enter.” Now that she was done speaking, Yu Jie skittered away.
Jin Fengju entered Fu Qiuning’s room and saw her concentrating on her embroidery. With her head down, he found himself staring at the exposed nape showing just above her collar. The jade-white skin with a hint of blush made his fingers itch and he could not resist stroking the soft neck.
Fu Qiuning appeared to know that he was there. She did not look up, only moving slightly away before saying, “Don’t touch me, it itches. I heard you and Yu Jie talking just now. For how much did that hussy sell me out for?”
Jin Fengju laughed out loud and said, “Sure enough, the master knows their servants best. You want to know what she told me?” then, he went on to recount the information he received from Yu Jie.
Fu Qiuning could not help but laugh and say, “You are too generous. Two gold leaves for this bit of information? Why don’t you give me a hundred leaves and I’ll tell you more.”
“If you are willing to move over now, how about a box of gold ingots?” Jin Fengju said, [a] then added with a winning smile, “I just came from the garden. With Little Sister Fang and the girls now living there, the garden has become very lively. If you move in now, it would not be miserable and lonely…”
[b1] Fu Qiuning waited until he ran out of breath before saying with a polite smile, “You are certainly persistent. How long do you intend to nag me about this matter?”
Jin Fengju huffed and said righteously, “I will only stop once you’ve moved in. Until then, you shall be subjected to this husband’s flowery tongue.”
[b2] “Ha ha ha, I still recall the evening when the children first arrived. It was your first visit a year after our wedding. The Young Marquis was very cold, so noble that he seemed inviolable. What happened to that person?”
Jin Fengju held his forehead and muttered, “You still remember that time? It’s been more than a year, surely you cannot still be holding a grudge, right? If I had known back then that I would end up in this situation, I would never be so cold-hearted. I would have flattered and fawned over you~”
Fu Qiuning [c1] paused over her embroidery, “It had been more than six years actually. I remembered because it was a rather… unforgettable day.”
[c1] Jin Fengju, “… …”
Jin Fengju was saved from [c1] the awkward situation by running footsteps. Aunt Yu’s voice was heard saying, “What’s the matter, why such a panic? It is as if you are being chased by dogs.”
“Is the Master here?”
Jin Fengju immediately recognised Xi Ming’s voice. He was the servant who was usually in charge of looking after the study. He stood up, lifted the curtain, and said, “I’m here, what is it? Catch your breath first before speaking.”
“The Princess Consort… the Princess Consort and Prince Rong have arrived. The front and rear courtyards are in disarray. Old Master… Old Master bade Young Marquis to quickly come to Health & Longevity Court.” The boy had clearly run all the way there and was now bent over, panting like a dog.
Jin Fengju was stunned, his eyebrows locked together as he turned to Fu Qiuning and said, “Quick, quickly change clothes, come with me to see Brother-in-law and Elder Sister.”
Fu Qiuning frowned, “Is it Prince Rong and Princess Consort Rong? Lord Husband, perhaps it is better for this humble woman to not go, it would just provoke anger…”
Before she could finish, Jin Fengju interrupted: “Stop talking about this and that, that is the Prince and Princess Consort. As my official wife, how can you not be present? Quickly and go tidy up.”
Qiuning was helpless, she thought: [c2] Just what is he trying to do now? Drag me before royalty so that I can never crawl back into the security of anonymity? Is that it? That must be it.
In the end, she could only sigh, change her clothes and follow Jin Fengju out of the Night Breeze Pavilion. On the way, she muttered, “Can’t you just treat me the same as when you were giving me the cold shoulder before? Must I be dragged along to join the merriment? Don’t you think there are enough people there already?”
Jin Fengju burst out laughing, “I have already spoken to Elder Sister and Brother-in-law about you and they are eager to see you in person. If you still make excuses and do not see them, isn’t it too disrespectful? Etiquette must never be ignored.”
As they entered Yong Cui Garden, he continued, “It takes at least seven and a half minutes to get through the entire garden. Well? Now, do you understand the disadvantages of staying at Night Breeze Pavilion? If something urgent comes up, it would all be too late.”
Fu Qiuning smiled, “[b1] Indeed, it is as the Master says. Master should definitely avoid my remote Night Breeze Pavilion in the future.”
“Good, you still remain stubborn. Very well, look at how we are rushing now. Can you still be so hard-headed when you become tired?” Jin Fengju hatefully poked Qiuning’s hair. Just then, a blooming rose caught his eye, and he quickly picked it, sticking the flower into her hair. With another [d1] dramatic sigh, he said, “I have given you so much jewellery, but you refuse to wear any of them. Look, look, look, there is only a single beaded hairpin on this head. As for those phoenix hairpins and buyao hairpins [1], what are you letting them lie inside their boxes for?”
“I am waiting for them to bear offspring, [b1]” Fu Qiuning said as she continued to stride forward. [c3] It was not hard for her to walk quickly, but being pestered all the way here was not fun. Bursts of laughter caught her attention and she saw maids collecting reeds and weaving baskets in one corner. She [1] said, “I supposed Sister Fang and the rest must be there now.”
“Naturally. They are much closer than us, they should already be sitting in Health & Longevity Court at this moment.” Jin Fengju said and saw Qiuning’s face already full of sweat. Feeling some pricks of pain in his heart, he took her hand and said, “Slow down a bit, this is not something very urgent.”
Fu Qiuning thought: Then why are you hurrying earlier as though their place was on fire? Aren’t you just randomly deciding things on your own?
[d2] She casually patted her face with a handkerchief and accepted the slower pace. She would just throw him under the bus later if they blamed her for being late. When they finally saw the gates leading out from Yong Cui Garden, she sighed with relief, [c3] “Being rushed is too unpleasant. The road feels longer when rushed.”
“Then hurry up and move to Elegant Mansion, wouldn’t that fix everything?” Jin Fengju immediately saw the crack and threaded the needle.
[d2] Fu Qiuning suddenly stopped, “You know, I don’t feel at all well. I do believe I should just go back.”
[d2] “What, wait-” Jin Fengju grabbed Fu Qiuning’s hand and was about to coax her when he saw Jin Ming waiting at the garden gate. Glad for the distraction, he said, “Have you seen the prince and the princess consort? What’s the situation?”
Jin Ming said quietly, “Reporting back to Master, the situation did not look right. The prince and princess consort’s expressions looked very cold. Master, you must come quickly. This servant fears that the Old Madam’s would turn into a winter scene [2]. Matters would worsen even more.”
Jin Fengju turned to Qiuning and begin to [d1] talk quickly, “A while ago, Brother-in-law came looking for me, but with so many things happening, and Sister Fang’s incident, I did not have the opportunity to see him. I only knew that he and Elder Sister were fine, but how did such a thing happen? Come, let us go inside.”
[d2] Then, without letting Fu Qiuning have an opportunity to protest, he pulled her with him toward Health & Longevity Court. He feared that if he tried to make another joke, Fu Qiuning might actually turn around and leave for real.
[d2] How relieved he was when the maids spotted them and called out joyfully, “Second Master and Second Madam Ning are here.”
Jin Fengju entered the house to see his elder sister speaking with Jin Yanfang. Prince Rong was seated on her other side, but only Madam Jiang spoke to him occasionally. At the sight of Jin Fengju, he leapt to his feet, looking very relieved.
Madam Jiang smiled and said, “The prince has been waiting for you, quickly come and greet the prince.”
Jin Fengju dragged Qiuning forward to greet Prince Rong and his wife. Without waiting for Prince Rong to speak, Princess Consort Rong pulled Qiuning over and, with a smile that wasn’t a smile on her face, said, “My good little brother has finally been tamed. Qiuning is certainly more skilful than I am. Well? Go on, go speak with your brother-in-law. With him here, no one is at ease.”
Jin Fengju thought: Elder Sister seems to be warning me, ah. However, I have no idea why…
Even so, he and Prince Rong bid farewell to Madam Jin and the rest and proceeded to leave the room. Once outside, Prince Rong seized Jin Fengju’s arm.
Jin Fengju tried to lead them to his father’s study, but Prince Rong refused. Therefore, he had no choice but to lead the way to his own study instead. [a2] As soon as they were in the study, he grumbled, “Brother-in-law, you are a prince. How could you carelessly visit a civilian’s house as you like? Moreover, there is not even a single ceremonial guard around. If the courtiers find out, you and I could be denounced before the emperor.”
Even though he was a prince, Zhao Lun was intimate enough with his brother-in-law that such complaints were seen as just that, complaints and not a cause for rebellion. He sighed gustily and said, “Fengju, ah. Things are a complete mess now. So what if I’m a bit careless? Who cares what they say? I’m just visiting my father-in-law’s house. That’s nothing, I’ll just listen to a few words of reprimand from Imperial Father and that would be it. However, if this other thing were to erupt, I… I am finished.”
“Just what is so serious?” Jin Fengju waved for Prince Rong to take a seat. Then, he ordered Cai Lian and Bi Yu to prepare tea. Once the maids retreated, Prince Rong stared at their retreating figure in a daze. [1] He said, “Just now, when I came into the estate, I passed by many beautiful maids. Those two that serve you just now, haven’t they been with you for a long time? You do not want to add more?”
“What’s the use of adding more when I don’t make use of them? It would only make them sad. The way they stare at me every day is… anyway, it would only bring me trouble, so why add unnecessary trouble to my life? Moreover, Cai Lian and Bi Yu are very good. Both are gentle and obedient with a mature temperament. I don’t need young maids with delusions of grandeur. I believe it would be difficult for me to find two such understanding maids,” Jin Fengju explained with a smile.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration lit up his mind and he stared at Prince Rong with suspicious eyes, “Brother-in-law, surely you have not provoked some women on the side and made Elder Sister unhappy? Even so, you are a prince so it’s no big deal. It is not right for Elder Sister to be annoyed for so long, ah.”
[Gumihou: Yeah, she should not be annoyed, ah. As expected, JFJ’s set characteristic is the same. Nice to know. Now, if only FQN’s set character remains the same without the weird glitches.]
Pill Big TL Notes:
[1] Previously stated in C42, a buyao is this dangly hairpin that is designed to sway around while the wearer moves a step: http://fashion.fengsung.com/n-210222144453638.html
[2] Cold scene, as in *crickets chirping*, everyone not saying anything in awkwardness.
Gumihou: I thought it was closer to a winter scene where everything is cold?
[a] Weird sentence structures: Basically deleted random ‘because’, ‘only’, ‘suddenly’ etc
[a1] Probably reversed ‘Master’ and ‘Madam’:
‘Madam treats Master so well. One day, things will go as you wish.’
???
Fu Qiuning: Is the author losing interest in her own work? Can I gain more autonomy?
Gumihou: Erm… D-don’t worry, ah, ever heard of SPOOCS? It’s the Society for Prevention of Out Of Character Shenanigans, you’re covered under it.
[a2] Dialogue and action out of whack, fixed.
[b] Mitigating AR Qiuning:
[b1] Reduce the ‘tee hee~~’ moments. Because the gap between ‘lovey-dovey Qiuning’ and ‘Stubbornly refuse to move Qiuning’ is too wide even for a moe gap. It just smacks of OOCness.
[b2] Add seriousness. Reduce the ‘leaking laughter’ and ‘tee hee~~’ because they are talking about serious matters. I think the author wants to get this chapter through quickly so that we don’t notice JFJ’s previous faux pas
[c1] Replaced ‘Fu Qiuning started laughing again at that remark. The couple rarely had such a warm moment and were having a good time’ with ‘actually, it’s been over six years…’
I think the author was trying to force a cheerful atmosphere to maximise the shock of what happened next. It… came out mostly awkward. Will do my best to fix it.
[c2] Replaced ‘Things in this world can never be as good as having a cake and eating it too; after obtaining a husband of choice, getting to live a rich life, then of course there would be these many social functions to attend’ with something more solemn because it seems kind of juvenile for someone like FQN? Of course, it’s in character for AR Qiuning.
[c3] Replaced ‘woah~ JFJ must be under a lot of pressure~~ uwu~’ with ‘ugh’
[d] Add Details:
[d1] Add details to highlight JFJ’s unnecessary drama.
[d2] Add detail for an annoyed FQN
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