Chapter 148: Persuasion – Unedited
Author: White Pear Flower
Raws: https://book.qidian.com/info/2386994/
Translated by Pill Bug
“So, you see me here, did you come over to persuade me on Fengju’s behalf?” With a cold laugh, Jin Yanqiu slowly walked forward while probing Fu Qiuning with a question.
“Princess Consort’s words are odd. Princess Consort and Young Marquis are both extremely intelligent people, so what things cannot be seen through? Even if my heart carries some ulterior intention, this humble woman just can’t think of any, is there that Princess Consort needs to be persuaded on?” Fu Qiuning showed a small smile and slowly followed Princess Consort Rong’s footsteps.
“Don’t stump me with those words, don’t think I don’t know what’s in your heart. With such a heaven-shaking matter happening, would you, who is Fengju’s bedmate, not know?” Jin Yanqiu suddenly stopped walking and turned back to give Fu Qiuning a vicious look, then slowly started walking towards the pavilion in front of her again.
“So, Princess Consort is talking about this matter. This matter has nothing to do with this humble woman, so this humble woman cannot be responsible for persuasion. Moreover, didn’t you already have an idea in your mind? It is useless to persuade. If so, why bother with words and provoke unhappiness with Princess Consort?” Compared to Jin Yanqiu’s irritation, Fu Qiuning was neither rushed nor sluggish, as dull as still water.
“Hmph ……” Jin Yanqiu coldly laughed again, slowly walking up the steps of the pavilion and faintly said, “Your words are also clearly blaming me for not understanding priorities, being capricious and presumptuous. Do not think I am oblivious to it. ” She finished, then sat down on the wood pile in the pavilion.
When Fu Qiuning saw this act of hers, she knew that all her calmness was only on the surface. In fact, her heart was already in chaos, otherwise, with the most important status of Princess Consort, how could she not even spare a glance and directly sat her butt down on the wood pile? She did not even care whether there was dust on it or not, nor cared that the wood pile was hard and uncomfortable.
She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that it was good that the Princess Consort’s heart was in chaos, so this work would be doable. So, she also slowly sat down and said, “this humble woman swears to Heaven that she had no such intention. Why did Princess Consort say such things? Could it be that Princess Consort is actually thinking this way in your own heart, and so this is the reason for suspecting of this humble woman?”
Jin Yanqiu was shocked and horrified, thinking: What? Could it be that my heart also holds this way of thought? No, it is impossible.
She slapped the table fiercely and growled angrily, “How could I have such thoughts? The person in the wrong is not me, and the person who kept committing mistakes, again and again, is also not me. Such a noble crown prince’s estate actually has to tolerate marrying in a courtesan. I even have to call her ‘Sister’ and also tolerate her child calling me ‘Royal Mother’. Why should I put up with this anger? Why should I compromise on this matter? Tell me, just tell me a single reason. The Three Obediences and Four Virtues must also have boundaries. Does the Prince not know restraint? Do I have to accept other women into the estate, no matter what they are?”
Fu Qiuning’s eyes gleamed energetically as she watched Princess Consort Rong. After quite a while, when her emotions had calmed down a little, only then did she say in a deep voice, “I know that this humble woman is of low birth and is not worthy of entering Princess Consort’s gaze, but since Princess Consort has said these words today, this humble woman has a few words to offer from the bottom of her heart. Would Princess Consort like to listen to them?”
“Speak.” Jin Yanqiu sneered, secretly thinking: Is there any other insufferable thing? In the past two days, all the women in the family have said something from the bottom of their hearts in front of me. Do I even fear listening to more “words from the bottom of their hearts” that hide more blame again?
“From this humble woman’s point of view, Princess Consort, as a woman, as a wife, even if you are a princess consort, you have done nothing wrong with this matter. However, in this humble woman’s eyes, people are no different, whether from high or low status, rich or poor. Therefore, if it were up to this humble woman, not to mention whatever courtesan, even if it were a golden princess from a dukedom, a regular princess or a county princess, this humble woman would still not allow them to step through the doorway and steal her husband.”
Princess Consort Rong was stunned, never expecting Fu Qiuning’s thoughts would be even more out of line than her own. In her surprise, she could not help but blurt out, “You have a big mouth, if… if these thoughts are found out by other people, that would be terrible. Is it possible that you have never read the female precepts or undergone female training? Do you not know that jealousy is one of the Seven Divorcing Offences?”
Fu Qiuning nodded and said, “Princess Consort is right, so this humble woman will only empathise with Princess Consort’s actions in her heart. Even if this humble woman has a hundred unwillingness in her heart, isn’t she still able to put up with Fengju having other wives and concubines now? Princess Consort must be thinking, just how noble is the Young Marquis’s status? How can an ordinary woman like me monopolise it? Today, if the one Prince Rong courted was not a courtesan, I believe that Princess Consort would also not be so unforgiving. But then, Princess Consort, ask yourself, even if it really was not a courtesan, but a golden princess from a dukedom, would your heart feel pleasant?”
These words were like hammers crazily knocking on Jin Yanqiu’s heart, causing her heart to tremble uncontrollably. She usually only dared to think these kinds of words in her own mind, never daring to say them out loud, because she knew that women in that world were bound by the three obediences and four virtues. No matter how ruthless the plots were, her mouth was only graced by some meaningless words, fearing it so much that she did not even dare think of such a violation of women’s virtue as ‘jealousy’. However, she never expected that these thoughts of hers, which were never intended to be known by anyone, were actually echoed that day by Fu Qiuning.
“You… what exactly do you want to say?” Jin Yanqiu coughed and moved her sight away. Fu Qiuning knew that she had finally created a crack in her heart’s defences, and it was now the time to pursue victory. So, with a slight smile, she said, “this humble woman wants to say that there is nothing wrong with jealousy, because when you care about the fact that he likes her, only then will jealousy be born. Otherwise, caring about him would be as if you were caring about a passer-by, why would how many people he marries have anything to do with you? Jealousy is just a form of love, but it is so hateful that for their own selfish desires, men have made this out to be one of the seven divorcing offences. They can have three wives and four concubines, yet they want the woman to only have them as their only one until the end.
In the brothel, because of a single courtesan, they become jealous and even resort to throwing hands, yet they do not allow the women at home to be jealous because of their husbands. Men are humans, women are also humans, but the myriad rules of this world do not treat women as humans…”
“This… do you know how bold your words are? If word about this spreads, would you even want to keep your life?” Jin Yanqiu did not wait for Fu Qiuning to finish before silencing her with a low voice. Anxiously looking around and seeing no one, only then did she relax a little, continuing with a heavy heart and solemn words, “I will pretend not to have heard these words that were said in front of me today. In the future, never say this in front of others.”
Fu Qiuning’s words were indeed shocking in that world’s period. However, she was sure that these words would definitely be said in Jin Yanqiu’s heart, but because the other party was from a noble background, and a very opinionated woman in her actions, even if such a woman had to comply with the rules that were unfair to women on the surface, her heart would certainly carry a bitter hatred. Only, most of the world’s women had been poisoned by the feudal way of thought, thinking that these rules were what they should follow, never daring to raise even a little question in their hearts. And so, noble as Princess Consort Rong was, she could only bury these ideas deep in her heart, never daring to let even a hint of it slip out. That day, hearing the same being echoed by another person, she would naturally be shocked, and might even recognise her as a confidante.
Fu Qiuning was a transmigrated soul from the modern era and knew that to persuade a woman like Jin Yanqiu, she must not go in through the direct route, but instead, acquire her approval first in her heart, then slowly let her analyze the pros and cons, then finally let her make her own decision. Now, seeing that Jin Yanqiu not only did not reprimand her strictly but also said such a thing, she let out a sigh of relief in her heart, knowing that she had won the bet, that her speculation was indeed in line with Jin Yanqiu’s psychology.
So, she pretended to hang her head in gloom and said, “Yes, such an idea not only cannot be acted upon, even if it was merely being said, it would be a treacherous crime. I hate that the world has long been in the hands of men. I hate the fact that we were born as women. Therefore, when Princess Consort just said that I blamed Princess Consort for not knowing your priorities and being capricious, I felt really aggrieved. In this humble woman’s mind, what Princess Consort did was just the normal behaviour of a woman, so why would it be treated as not knowing priorities and being capricious?”
Jin Yanqiu looked at Fu Qiuning, her pair of soulful, beautiful eyes flooded with tears, only feeling this bitterness in her heart. Finally, there was a that could understand and sympathise with her. Not wanting to shed tears in front of Fu Qiuning, she turned her head and choked out, “Unfortunately, what is the use of your point of view? Apart from you, who else in this estate does not treat me as a sinner?”
Fu Qiuning’s heart was mournful. Although she was here to persuade Jin Yanqiu, how could her heart not feel pity for the other party? Those words just now were indeed from her innermost heart, otherwise, it was not possible to say it so sincerely. If it weren’t so, how could she move the other person’s heart? If Jin Yanqiu was easily moved, she would not be talking with Fu QIuning in the pavilion at that time.
Stopping her thoughts there, she let out a long sigh and said, “What can be done when men are in power? What can be done when we are born as women? People only see Princess Consort’s surface liveliness, but who understands the sorrows behind it? When you think about it, it is better to be born as a girl from an ordinary family and be wedded to a somewhat poorer husband. As long as he is diligent and honest, when he is outside working to support the family, we will be at home managing the house. Even if the days are more difficult, at least the couple is united in working together and raising their children, and this can also be considered a happy scene. If his gaze would stray at any beautiful girl a little too long, we could also grab his ears and give him a scolding or two…”
Jin Yanqiu silently looked at the distant pool. A breeze blew by, raising waves in a pond in spring. She shook her head and sighed, softly saying, “Yes, we just had to be born into a noble family. Wanting to enjoy leisurely peace in this lifetime to get that leisurely peace is simply a luxury hope. There are too many, too many ties and interests binding us ah.”
Fu Qiuning also nodded gloomily and said, “That’s true. Princess Consort is different from this humble woman too. This humble woman is but a pawn. Back then, where did Father or Grandfather care whether I lived or died? As long as I was married in and slapped in the face of the marquis, my role was also considered to be done, and after that, who cared about my life, whether it lived or died? This was certainly extremely heartless, but also because of this, this humble woman’s burden is also very small. However, the burden on Princes Consort’s shoulders is far, far too much.”
Princess Consort Rong was silent. Fu Qiuning knew that wise people would stop speaking at that point, and there was no need to say more, so she stood up and smiled, “This humble woman was originally going to return to Night Breeze Pavilion. Walked here and meeting Princess Consort is this humble woman’s stupidity. This humble woman thought that Your Highness’s thoughts would be stuck for a while, but now, since this humble woman knows that Princess Consort will not seek death, this humble woman is also relieved. There are still things to be done in the house, please allow this humble woman to depart. ”
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