Chapter 154: Fighting Words
Author: White Pear Flower
Raws: https://book.qidian.com/info/2386994/
Translated by Pill Bug
Edited by Gumihou
The emperor listened to the whole tale quietly. His eyes swept over his sons before settling on Jin Fengju. When the Censor was done speaking, he said in a grave voice, “Fengju, how do you answer the Imperial Censor’s accusation on the Jing Dukedom?”
For the emperor to direct this question to Jin Fengju was quite ridiculous. In the first place, Jin Shi was among the courtiers and it was his daughter who was being censured. Clearly, in the eyes of the emperor, so long as it had anything to do with the Jin Clan, Jin Fengju must answer for it as the true representative of that clan.
Jin Shi, who had no idea about all the shenanigans that had been happening behind the scenes, was caught off guard by the sudden denunciation against his daughter. He could not help the shock, anger, shame and frustration that coursed through his body. It was most fortunate that the emperor did not question him directly. Otherwise, this old man really would not know how to answer.
He watched as Jin Fengju limped forward with a serene expression and knelt with some difficulty before the emperor. Before he could begin his explanation, the emperor asked, “What happened to your leg?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, I fell badly when walking and a stone pierced my leg. It is nothing,” Jin Fengju replied in a grave voice. After an ‘oh’ of acknowledgement from the emperor, he continued, “Your Majesty, Imperial Censor Chu has censured my family for not strictly guarding the family honour. However, this minister would like to ask him this. When Lord Feng met with sudden misfortune, leaving no one in his household but a few orphans and widows that were sold to other houses as slaves, what, according to Imperial Censor Chu, should we have done?
Clearly, the Jing Dukedom is in the wrong for putting in untold effort and hardship to track these family members down and bring them home. Perhaps the Imperial Censor would have applauded the Jing Dukedom had we dedicated our efforts to exterminating them from this world. Tell me, Imperial Censor Chu, are you advocating for the Duke of Jing to commit acts of atrocities?
Will the people applaud the Duke of Jing for his ruthless actions in eradicating the family’s shame and be a model family for all to follow? To have those women and children strangled with a rope without even confirming their chastity or innocence in the name of preserving the family honour? Lord Chu, are you hoping to instigate something here? Should I apologize for not meeting your expectations? Is that why you cannot help but jump up and censure us today?”
“You…” Chu Daxiu’s entire face turned a pig liver red. He faced the emperor and cried, “Emperor, this minister had no such intention! Your Majesty is wise, this minister is… because the Jing Dukedom did not maintain strict moral values that…”
“Lord Chu appears very sure that the women of our family had been defiled. How strange, I wonder, why is Lord Chu so very sure? Could it be that Lord Chu has eyes on that bandit’s nest and thus knows the fate of the Feng family girls? These girls were sold to an ordinary household as slaves almost immediately after they were captured. They were never sent to brothels or opium dens, which could have fetched those thugs a much higher price. Lord Chu, you must enlighten us. Just how did you know so clearly, ah?”
“You… Lord Jin, stop spitting venom at others. How could I have eyes at a bandits’ nest?” Chu Daxiu’s face had reddened a few more shades. This Jin Fengju was too hateful. To casually throw a pot of dirty water at another’s head is too lowbrow!
“Surely the one spitting venom at others is Lord Chu? If you have no eyes at a bandit’s nest, why do you act as though you have intimate knowledge of what happened? Before bringing up a matter before the emperor, one must have evidence. Surely this is basic common sense? Lord Chu declared that my Jing Dukedom stained our honour by harbouring unchaste women, don’t tell me that this is mere speculation?”
“You…” Chu Daxiu wanted to say: Could any woman that came out of a bandit’s den still be chaste?
However, from the way Jin Fengju was glaring at him, he could tell that if he were to say this, Jin Fengju would immediately counter it with a charge of ‘slander’ and ‘trusting unfounded rumours’. Therefore, he could only flap his mouth and uttered a few more ‘you’ as he tried hard to think of something else to say.
“I what? Must I blindly agree with Lord Chu’s unfounded slander? What’s more, pardon this official for his bluntness, but as ministers, our priority should be state affairs. What does my family’s moral value have anything to do with you? To carelessly slander a woman’s reputation before His Majesty, Lord Chu, [a] were you born without shame?”
“Pffft…!!!”
A few ministers with less self-control nearly burst out laughing. Even the corners of the emperor’s mouth twitched. He thought: This Fengju, he usually tries not to stand out too much, ah. To be so merciless with Chu Daxiu, had something happened to anger him so? This kind of sarcasm, how do you expect your opponent to raise his head in the future, ah?
“Jin Fengju…”
Chu Daxiu’s face had long since swollen into the colour of a pig’s liver, his finger trembling as he pointed at Jin Fengju, “You had better not oppress others too much.”
Jin Fengju maintained [a] his glare, determined not to show weakness. Then, he slowly turned to the emperor and said gravely, “Your Majesty, Lord Chu has accused this minister of oppressing others. Thus, this minister wishes to know, he who believes in unfounded rumours and slanders the women of another family, how should this crime be dealt with? Lord Feng’s corpse is not yet cold and his soul still roams the earth. However, Lord Chu, not only did you not sympathise with his misfortune, but look forward to the annihilation of his entire family. Does Lord Chu not fear retribution from Lord Feng?
“Your Majesty is wise, this minister is just…”
Chu Daxiu was getting more and more anxious. What had started out as a censure against the Duke of Jing’s estate, suddenly became a wrongful accusation. If Jin Fengju was to keep talking, he would soon be accused of attempted murder. Legs softened, he collapsed to the floor and was about to continue when the emperor said, “Enough, Fengju is right. In court, state affairs should be our priority. Is this a place to air out other people’s family affairs? You need not speak further.”
Red-faced, Lord Chu retreated. However, Prince Hong stepped forward to say in a grave voice, “Imperial Father, this son believes that as the Jing Dukedom receives the emperor’s favour and when graced with an inheritable Duke title… well, no one knows how exactly they celebrated such incredible blessing… This son has great respect for the family. Because of this, while a minor family’s affairs could be overlooked, the Duke of Jing’s affairs are…”
“Oh? Is that so? Are you suggesting to put the Jing Dukedom’s affairs on an open trial, to be jointly charged by the three divisions?”
There was no particular emphasis within the emperor’s sentence. However, it frightened Prince Hong to the point that he dared not continue and retreated back in line again. The emperor waved a hand and stood up, “If there are no other matters, court is adjourned. Fengju, with your leg injured, rest at home for a few days. We will summon you to court when you are well.”
The decree was a little unclear. On the surface, Jin Fengju appeared to have received great favour from the emperor and was allowed to recuperate from his injury. However, the emperor also said ‘we will summon you to court when you are well’. It was unclear whether this should be taken at face value or that Jin Fengju would not be allowed to participate in court until summoned, essentially placed under house arrest. Thus, a lot of the ministers left court while scratching their heads.
Jin Fengju limped out with Prince Rong personally supporting him. As for his blood-related uncle, old man Jin Shi had been thrown aside.
“Brother-in-law, I won’t be able to come to court these next few days. My criticism against Chu Daxiu was too strong, making me look too aggressive. This decree from the emperor is both a reward and a punishment. He did not want me to be too open. Even so, there is no need to be afraid. Just remember this, no matter what the emperor asks of you, do not try to guess the emperor’s intent or try to choose the ‘best’ answer. Let ‘devotion’ and ‘righteousness’ be your guide. Even if it offends the emperor, you must hold on to this guide.”
Being no fool, Prince Rong listened to Jin Fengju’s instructions intently. After a moment, he answered in a low voice, “You are saying that, now that I am already burdened with a previous conviction, I might as well go all out and leave Imperial Father with an impression of ‘Though frivolous and ignorant of priorities, value devotion and righteousness’. Is that right?”
Jin Fengju nodded with relief. Looks like he was not supporting a complete Deadweight Dou [1]. Brother-in-law still has enough understanding of the situation. No matter how precarious the situation, he had no choice but to bet everything on this particular horse.
As he had half-expected, they had just walked past the door when he heard a eunuch call out, “Prince Rong, please do not depart yet. The emperor has summoned you to the South Study.”
Jin Fengju glanced over at Prince Rong and smiled, “Go ahead.”
Once Prince Rong had left, Jin Shi finally came forward, stomped his foot and said, “What should she do now? Yanfang has been censured, dragging the entire family into the matter. Even you were punished. What should we do?”
“What is there to do?” Jin Fengju smiled. “Second Uncle, what are you worrying about? That Chu Daxiu is but a loach. He dares to set his sight on our family after a little instigation from Prince Hong. Were I to spare him, what would others think of me? Does he think that we are the same as before when Prince Hong oppressed us to the point we could not raise our heads?
Do not worry, though it is a punishment, isn’t the emperor showing face by phrasing it as giving concern? The old man will not fault me for my recklessness today. As a man, it is only right for us to shed a little blood. Otherwise, could we even dare to talk about assisting the emperor in the future?”
Only then did Jin Shi’s emotions settle down a little. He wanted to support Jin Fengju, but how could Jin Fengju be willing to accept his uncle’s assistance? Etiquette and balance of power had to be observed. In fact, his close relationship with Prince Rong actually disregarded true etiquette; however, they have already pre-established an intimate relationship as brothers-in-law and were often seen together. Moreover, Prince Rong’s jovial and casual attitude barely justified their closeness.
A few steps later, he paused, as though suddenly recalling something else. He said, “Second Uncle, we must not let Sister Yanfang know of this matter. Otherwise, I don’t know how they will take it. To be honest, when Chu Daxiu censored us, though our family honour suffered a little damage, we may have taken some fire away from Prince Rong.
This is a very good thing. You must not let Sister Yanfang thinks she has dragged down the family name in any way. When you return, you must show her a good expression. Sister is very intelligent and she is currently very self-conscious about living under other people’s roof. Therefore, may detect even the slightest change in your expression. Second Uncle, no matter what, you are her father. Therefore, you must not disregard your own flesh and blood.”
“Look at you, lecturing your Second Uncle. You present yourself as a very considerate and loving cousin, are you attempting to say that I am an inhuman father?” Jin Shi’s face was stern, befitting that of an elder reprimanding his junior. Even so, his heart was very moved, knowing that Jin Fengju had spoken up for his daughter’s sake.
“Yes, this nephew made a mistake and said the wrong thing.” Jin Fengju smiled as the two of them continued to make their way out of court.
Jin Ming had been sitting in the waiting room for so long that his neck had stretched out. When he spotted the masters, he quickly rushed forward to support Jin Fengju, the sedan bearers hurrying forward behind him.
Gumihou: Ahh, the well-used ‘surround the ML with fools to make him look intelligent’ tactic. Well, that’s fine. The author had to be some kind of grand genius to make the characters plot and counter-plot each other realistically. I have already spoofed this incredible level of idiocy with FQN’s maternal family’s spies. FQN is not around to roll her eyes so JFJ managed to retain his image of genius throughout the chapter.
Oh look, those last few paragraphs sounded particularly forced even with Gumi’s best effort. What to do? JFJ must be giving a performance as usual. Look, look how unusually lovely and caring ML is despite being an ancient-era man. Look how he reminds his uncle not to ‘blame’ Sister Yanfang. Bravo. Pinnacle of man. Yay.
It was subtle, but Second Uncle did call JFJ out on this behaviour in canon, Gumi just made it a little more obvious.
Also, while I believe that the ‘uncle had been thrown aside’ is meant to be a careless joke to show just how important JFJ is ‘like wow, awesome sauce, applause everyone’ it shows just what kind of snob JFJ really is. He outranks his uncle, and therefore he looked down on him. It’s just facts. He was brought up this way. However, we must also remember that it is the same for Jiang Wanying. He cannot defend FQN for being ‘better’ than Jiang Wanying because when he displays the exact same attitude. The abnormal people at the Jin Estate are JFJ and the Old Madam when they take Fu Qiuning’s side. It makes absolutely no social sense for them to coo over FQN like that.
The only explanation that makes sense for Old Madam to act like this is: It’s fun, hehe.
As for JFJ, his so-called ‘love’ for Fu Qiuning is no more, no less, than an obsession and it is right for FQN to be suspicious of it. It also makes sense for him to fall even more ‘in love’ with FQN the longer she disdains him. It fits into his character profile to desire what he cannot have. Poor Jiang Wanying is an imitation of Fu Qiuning, with an extra dose of snobbishness to make her more easily hated by the readers. Also, the poor thing is really in love with JFJ.
Everyone, please observe a moment of silence for Jiang Wanying.
[a] Mitigate special flower language used solely to make JFJ sound more intelligent than he really is.
Pill Bug TL Notes:
[1] A Dou, Liu Bei’s son. Famously incompetent.
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