Chapter 147: The Petty Tricks of Bedroom Maids
Author: White Pear Flower
Raws: https://book.qidian.com/info/2386994/
Translated by Gumihou
Proofread by Pill Bug
Gumihou: … I… this…
Fu Qiuning: I can’t…
Gumihou: I’ll be completely honest. To erase AR Qiuning, we had to… do some serious invasive surgery…
Fu Qiuning: *coughs up blood*
[1a] At the end of the emotional speech, Fu Qiuning had to resist the urge to clap. Woah, incredible, much wow.
Instead, she said, “I supposed it’s best to think of a way to deal with the problem.”
[2a] Jin Fengju began to stomp around the room, looking irritated as he declared, “Of course, I know this! His Majesty is truly angry, and my brother-in-law is clearly in the wrong!” He panted a few times, obviously tired out from his dramatic performance. Spotting the food box, he suddenly smiled and said, “Did you make this? I haven’t had dinner yet.” He opened the box and stuffed something into his mouth. He chewed the food and beamed at Fu Qiuning, “It’s delicious.”
[1b] Fu Qiuning waited until he had cleared off half the contents before saying, “You’ll have to thank Yu Jie for packing that.”
[2] Jin Fengju froze for a moment before beaming again, “You have trained your maids well.”
[1b] Not as well as you have, thought Fu Qiuning. Out loud, she said, “Lord Husband’s appetite appears to be quite good. Perhaps we should have the kitchen send in more food.”
[2] “Cough, ahem, that is…”
[1b] Fu Qiuning raised her voice and yelled, “Jin Ming, go to the kitchen and see if there are any dishes they could heat up. Your master is hungry!”
[3a] “… R-right away Madam!”
[1c] As Jin Ming’s footsteps faded away, Fu Qiuning stared outside, contemplating what to do next.
[1c] Dinner passed by silently. They were served by Cai Lian and Bi Yu while Jin Ming stood at attention nearby. When dinner was over, Fu Qiuning stood up and said, “It’s about time for me to return. The twins would be back by now, I should check on them.”
[1c] “Wait! It’s dark now and the road is treacherous. You can stay here, Cai Lian and Bi Yu will serve you,” Jin Fengju said a little desperately as he grasped her sleeves.
[1c] Fu Qiuning raised her eyebrows. “It is a mere quarter of an hour’s walk, Jin Ming can make himself useful and lead the way. If you’re truly worried, the maids Cai Lian and Bi Yu can light the way with lanterns.”
[1c] “I, that is, it would help me greatly if you could stay here and be my confidante. I would appreciate your wisdom.”
[1c] Fu Qiuning looked at the pleading man making wet eyes at her. Even the twins never tried this sad puppy tactic with her. Should she be impressed by how low he would stoop to force her into this farce?
[1c] Considering the lengths he would go through to make her stay, if she left then, it could have a negative impact on their relationship. For now, she still has the upper hand, he was willing to play the fool to eat the tiger, so to speak. If she abandoned him then and insisted on going back, who knows what kind of tricks he would pull next? The servants had all been bribed to his side, even her so-called loyal maids. The children would be next. It’s one thing if he bribes them to follow him, but what if he suddenly decided to threaten the twins’ lives like a crazy yandere?
[1c] After pondering over her options, Fu Qiuning sat down again. No, it was not advisable to leave when all the elements were against her. She could potentially lose a lot of things, perhaps be locked up in a windowless room in the name of ‘protection’. Just how many forceful CEO stories had she read? Jin Fengju was starting to exude a similar aura to those weird characters. It was best not to tip him over to that side.
[1d] Seeing that Fu Qiuning had sat down, Jin Fengju smiled, happily pinched her cheek, and made to kiss her. To distract him, she said, “Are you planning to make use of Prince Hong?”
Jin Fengju paused. Then he grinned and planted a kiss right on her cheek and declared, “I know I cannot hide anything from you. Since you are so clever, how about guessing what method I plan to use?”
[1d] Fu Qiuning shrugged, “Not the specifics, but the only thing you can do now is muddy the waters, drag Prince Hong into the mud as well and rouse His Majesty’s displeasure and suspicion on all the eligible princes.”
Jin Fengju looked at her with admiration. He stroked her hair and said emotionally, “What a pity that my Qiuning was born a woman. If you have been born a man, I dare say you will also be a great pillar of society.”
[1] Fu Qiuning look straight at Jin Fengju and said, “Indeed, it is a great pity.”
[2] Jin Fengju coughed, and said, “Well, ahem, this is the general plan.” Then, he launched into a detailed explanation of his plan, which he insisted on whispering into Fu Qiuning’s ear despite the lack of other people in the room.
[1e] It was really uncomfortable, but she had to put up with his dramatics and need for PDA. After he was done speaking, she dutifully declared, “How clever! But, wouldn’t it make Sister Fang and the rest of the ladies uncomfortable?”
Jin Fengju shook his head and sighed, “This is not the time to concern ourselves over such things. No matter what rumours are brewing outside, so long as we treat them well, it should be fine.”
Fu Qiuning nodded absently. [2b] When he did not elaborate, she coughed, wondering if he needed more encouragement. When meaningful coughs did not elicit further speeches, she considered her options and decided it was in her best interest to go ahead and say, “Lord Husband, I have one small suggestion. It may not resolve the matter entirely, but it may help the emperor be a little more understanding of Prince Rong’s situation and reduce his anger a little.”
[2b] While she had resolved to stay out of the situation as best she could, how could she not voice an obvious solution to this problem? In fact, it was entirely possible that this silence may be deliberately made to make her voice her opinion.
“Oh? Let us hear it,” [2c] Jin Fengju beamed at his wife. His heart swelled with love as he listened to Fu Qiuning. To hear her actively contribute to the well-being of the estate made him feel as though his wife had truly forgiven him for what he had done in the past. That she had finally considered herself his wife and a daughter-in-law of the Jing Dukedom. This was a most wonderful and encouraging phenomenon.
After Fu Qiuning was done speaking, Jin Fengju naturally could not help but nod enthusiastically and said, “En, en, that is a wonderful idea. Indeed, let us do it that way.”
[1f] “… …” Jin Fengju was beaming toothily at her. It was oddly creepy. He was also touching her a lot. The man had probably deluded himself into thinking that she had forgiven him or something. To avoid any more interaction, she declared that she was tired and they went to bed. He did not initiate sex that night, but it was almost as bad being hugged all night by the man. Fortunately, she was so mentally exhausted that she fell asleep almost immediately.
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The next day, Fu Qiuning woke up alone.
Jin Fengju had obviously gone to morning court.
She sat up, wondering what to do next when two maids hurried in. It was Cai Lian and Biyu, Jin Fengju’s [2d] maids slash sex partners who look after the study. What a joy to be born a rich man in this era, thought Fu Qiuning ironically.
They hurried over with a basin and other washing up things with beaming smiles, “The Master warned us not to wake Madam, saying that you had a late night. That we should only serve Madam when you have woken up.” Their status as Jin Fengju’s bedroom maids meant that they were socially higher than normal maids and did not have to address themselves as ‘this maid’ or ‘this servant’.
“En,” said Fu Qiuning. [2d] What else could she say to her husband’s personal prostitutes?
After washing her face, she sat down before the mirror, surrendering herself to the routine of being waited upon. Cai Lian, who was combing her hair, remarked, “Why are there so few accessories in Madam’s hair? Did the Master not bestow any for you? Even if Madam did not like to dress up, you must still wear one or two. Otherwise, wouldn’t those shallow-minded people look down on you? Furthermore, it is best to take steps to take care of ourselves. The Master is a brilliant person with a bright future. Who knows how many so-called talented ladies from famous families are eyeing him eagerly as we speak.”
Then, she turned to Biyu to say, “Just last month, Master bestowed an eastern pearl buyao to me. It is so precious, that I could not bear to wear it. Madam ought to put it on first.” As though waiting for this signal, Biyu immediately showed the shiny buyao decorated with large eastern pearls to her. Cai Lian beamed as she inserted the buyao into Fu Qiuning’s hair, taking care to say, “Do not worry, Madam. No one but us has laid eyes on this buyao. No one will know that it is mine.”
[1g] Fu Qiuning studied the image of Cai Lian through the mirror. Of all the women in Jin Fengju’s harem, these two bedroom maids have the lowest status. That they could hang around until now meant that they have some measure of cleverness and discretion to keep Jin Fengju’s attention but not attract the attention of any of his higher-status bedmates. Just now, Cai Lian’s complimentary words hid a warning for her to be vigilant about keeping Jin Fengju’s attention on herself. The last thing these two wanted was more women added to the harem. After all, so long as Jin Fengju did not tack on more women in, they could still hope for a little sexy time with him.
As for lending this buyao to her, the odds of this being some sort of trap were low. Cai Lian was probably purchasing a little favour from Fu Qiuning, currently the most favoured [2e] chicken in Jin Fengju’s henhouse. Also, bedroom maid 1 may be showing off how favoured she was, just look at that lustre on that pearl. That’s a top-notch item for an old bedroom maid, so it made sense for her to show off a little. Perhaps she is hoping that by sharing this valuable accessory with her new best friend Fu Qiuning, Jin Fengju would suddenly see her in a new light and decided that hey, he wants to bang his side chicks too. Failing that, they could still receive nice gifts from him, so this was a win-win move for her.
Fu Qiuning [1g] accepted the buyao with some sympathy for this clever woman. What a pity that she is stuck here in this dead-end place as a bedroom maid. She might have become a manager or a supervisor if she had been born in the modern era. Instead, she is stuck here sucking up to higher-status chickens, hoping all the while that Jin Fengju would deign to point his crotch at her. Fu Qiuning sincerely wished her luck, although unless and until Jin Fengju decided to drop his devoted lover act with his current obsession, all the scheming in the world would only end in vain. It was probably better to be more like Biyu, quiet, obedient, not too bright or demanding and floating blissfully along the river of life.
Once she was properly decorated and accessorised, Fu Qiuning left the study. The sun was already high in the sky. Jin Changfeng and Jin Changjiao should be at school by now, so there was no reason for her to hurry. It was now late spring, and most of the flowers had fallen off. Even so, Yong Cui Garden blooms gorgeously with carefully tended, everlasting flowers. The addition of pavilions, small bridges and flowing streams, each step brought a different scenery to the eyes. It was all very pleasant.
As she strolled along one path, she suddenly caught sight of a person standing by one of the larger pools. Fu Qiuning squinted and saw that it looked like [1h] Jin Yanqiu, Princess Consort and the source of Jin Fengju’s current headache. [1h] She thought: Goodness, is the Princess Consort thinking about jumping into the pool? Please don’t, at least, don’t do it in front of me. Can I still turn around and not be implicated? Is it too late?
[1i] While she was dithering, the Princess Consort suddenly turned around. The wary expression on the princess’s face transformed into surprise. Clearly, the princess was sharp enough to realise someone was watching from behind, but did not expect it to be Fu Qiuning.
“So, it is you,” Jin Yanqiu sneered.
Fu Qiuning blinked. It was then that she recalled how this grand Princess Consort had reduced Jiang Wanying to tears and thought herself above speaking to people of lower status. [2f] In short, an utter snob. In layman’s term, a total jerkface and asshole. Fun. Wonderful. She couldn’t wait to be insulted.
[3b] However, etiquette had to be observed and Fu Qiuning came forward to salute the Princess Consort ceremoniously, “Thus humble woman greets the Princess Consort.”
[4] Princess Consort Rong stared at the woman greeting her. [3b] There was a smile on Fu Qiuning’s face, but it was neither cringing nor flattering. She recalled how Jin Fengju had praised this woman to high heaven. This former abandoned woman had suddenly turned the tides on fate and became Jin Fengju’s official wife for real. Disgust filled her heart, as well as a little curiosity.
[4] These past few days, nearly everyone within the estate, including Jin Yanfang had run over to speak to her, trying to persuade her. Eventually, the persuasion had turned to blame. Her beloved younger brother may have tried to restrain his tone, but she could tell that he blamed her for the current situation they were in. Even the Old Madam had used the same tone to speak with her.
[4] Thus far, only this Fu Qiuning had not run over to blame or coax her. Was she going to do that now?
[Gumihou: Hmm, instead of sneering at the clever side chicks, have Fu Qiuning be sorry for them instead.]
[1] Remove the AR Qiuning:
[1a] Instead of a ‘kyaa~ we need to think~’ continue with the previous ‘uh huh, sure’ attitude from before.
[1b] Replace ‘aww, he’s calmed down, he’s so strong~ just look at him~~!’ with ‘I knew he’d been faking it’. Keep up with this attitude through the dialogue.
[1c] Reworked the situation so that it’s JFJ making FQN stay instead of AR Qiuning making all kinds of excuses to stay with her beau, ‘The twins are fine on their own, I must stay with Lord Husband~~ kyun~!’
[1d] Have Fu Qiuning throw out ‘ideas’ in a more plausible way.
[1e] Deleted ‘the more she listens, the brighter her eyes became’. The ‘clever plan’ was not revealed, Gumi is going to assume it’s just something inane. Also, instead of ‘kyaa~~ that’s so brilliant~~!!’ go with a lukewarm ‘wow, awesome sauce, yay’
[1f] Deleted ‘husband and wife kyaa~~ing~~ at each other for a while before going to bed uwu~~’ replacing it with Fu Qiuning wondering why JFJ is being a weirdo.
[1g] AR Qiuning sneering and staring coldly at Cai Lian for her ‘petty schemes’ is… Anyway. replaced that with Actual Qiuning being sad for women who had to resort to such schemes.
[1h] Replaced ‘putong!’ of heart and various ‘oh noes~’, with ‘ugh, why do I have to be the one here?’
[1i] Deleted ‘hurrying over to catch her! What if she jumps?! Oh noes!’
[2] Reveal the asshole!
[2a] Have JFJ continue with his dramatic solo
[2b] Have FQN reveal her additional plan after JFJ did not show more brains. Like, he’s actually not as clever as he thinks he is.
[2c] Reveal JFJ’s delusion. Because it could only be a delusion. Seriously.
[2d] Add more details, because why not? Why shouldn’t we think about these two bedmates of Jin Fengju?
[2e] Have Fu Qiuning referring to herself as a ‘chicken’ to illustrate her low opinion of the harem (yes, I understand that this is the ancient era and that it is normal for men to have many wives. But please remember that Fu Qiuning is from the modern world and that she teaches opera singing instead of performing on stage. This means she has the guts to opt out of the possibly nepotic and chauvinistic world of Chinese Opera but still loved the art enough to remain in the opera world. Meaning she has guts and enough sense of humour to get by. So calling herself a chicken in JFJ’s henhouse should be in character. For FQN anyway.)
[2f] Reveal Jin Yanqiu’s snobby and classist behaviour.
[3] Consequences:
[3a] Jin Ming’s reaction per [1b]. Instead of being ‘yay, yay, Madam really loves the Master~~’ be a bit frightened of Madam Ning’s insight.
[3b] Have Fu Qiuning use actual techniques on how to deal with assholes per [2f]. Because Jin Yanqiu is one huge asshole.
Having a character ‘be neither humble nor overbearing’ is just a lazy writing for authors to make their MC seem superior. Gumihou will demonstrate actual jerkface dealing techniques.
[4] Reduce the looooong ass polishing statement from the Princess Consort for Fu Qiuning.
I swear, it’s like watching dramas where the madams competed by declaring ‘aiya, we have to save lots of money for my son’s education. He’s sooooo promising, universities are sooooo expensive. Have you heard? Ivy league schools have contacted his brother. Aiya, we are lucky that one got a scholarship or we’ll be in trouble now~~’
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