Chapter 291: A Child’s Thoughts
Author: White Pear Flower
Raws: https://book.qidian.com/info/2386994/
Translated by Gumihou
Proofread by Pill Bug
Gumihou: By the way, Jin Zhenxuan’s blood sister is suddenly ‘Jin Changjiao’ here. Sigh. Note 6
Jin Fengju laughed and said, “The Old Ancestor is still so spirited? Well, well, for the snow viewing, how about going to Red Cloud Temple? It’s at a higher altitude with hundreds of beautifully cultivated plum trees. The view there is grander than our own little plum garden. Now that I think of it, would it not be nice to drink hot tea, admire the plum blossoms and enjoy the snow by a warm stove?”
In fact, the Red Cloud Temple was one of the many buildings under the care of the Duke of Jing’s household. However, it was rare for the people to visit it. Madam Jiang, a devout Buddhist, was one of the few people who visited it regularly. [1] As for Fu Qiuning, she had thought of visiting the place for some time now but did not have the opportunity. While it was a pity that intriguing figures like Miaoyu [2] could not be found there, it nevertheless was a beautiful place to visit.
[3] The other reason why she had not visited was because… well, according to well-established Chinese fantasy story tropes, a temple visit, especially one that included a whole bunch of people from across generations, would inevitably attract a bandit attack.
[3] However, since this suggestion was taken up so enthusiastically by the others, she had no choice but to follow along. Privately, Fu Qiuning resolved to bring Mister Cat with her for safety reasons.
Not long after that, Luo Cui came in to ask about the dinner settings. The adults, minus the older ladies all stood up to leave. This dinner was for the Old Madam to enjoy her time with the younger generations after all. After reminding the maids and nannies to take care of the children, the adults left.
Fu Qiuning and Jin Fengju returned to Elegant Mansion for their meal. Fortunately, before anything odd happened, the children returned from their dinner with Old Madam Jin. Jin Fengju and Fu Qiuning spent some time with the children, testing their scholarly knowledge for a little while before sending them off to rest before retiring to their rooms.
Fu Qiuning kept her mind blank as she got ready to go to bed when Jin Fengju suddenly said, “Isn’t it almost time for Miss Han’s wedding? Yanfang has been quite busy with it lately. Why not give her a hand? Also, those two, ah, chambermaids from my study approached me today begging to be released from their servitude. I asked them if they had someone in mind, but both refused to say anything. So, I threatened to marry them off to random people.”
[4] There, he smirked, obviously inviting her to admire his cleverness.
“Naturally, they both confessed. Well, I investigated the people they pointed out and found them to be reasonably decent. Those fellows have been with our Jin household for many years and have proven themselves to be good people, so I have allowed it. Tomorrow, they will come by to greet you. Now, be sure not to make things hard for them. They have been with me for many years and have suffered a lot. At the very least, we should honour the bonds of servant and master.”
[5] Fu Qiuning nodded absently, not really listening to him.
[4a] Jin Fengju fidgeted in the silence before blurting out, “There is no need to feel sorry for them. Cai Lian and Bi Yu are just maidservants. That is, they are more like companions and caretakers of my personal study.”
“I see…” said Fu Qiuning indifferently.
[4a] “As you know, such maids are arranged by the family and I have never taken any women in after the first year of my marriage. Now that I have pledged to devote my affections to you, it is only fair to let them go and seek their happiness.”
“How do you plan to do that?” Fu Qiuning asked, mildly curious. The question was intentionally leading. [5] Since she suspected that he was the culprit behind Yue Lan’s sudden decision to cheat, he must have some answers prepared.
Jin Fengju took a thoughtful stance and was silent for a few moments before saying, “Well…”
“Come to think of it, of all the women you have taken in, something had happened to nearly all of them,” Fu Qiuning mused out loud. “First Concubine Xu, then Concubine Cui. I know that you already have plans in place to… remove Second Madam Jiang as well. With these two bedmates to be given away soon, the only woman you have is Yue Lan. What are your plans for her?”
“What a… strange question. Yue Lan is, well, she has the status of a concubine, but since she has no children, the woman is essentially living like a widow at the inner court. Especially since it has been a long, long time since I last visited her. Now that I think about it, it is too heartless to leave her with that uncertain status. Therefore, if she wishes to leave, I am more than willing to let her go.” Jin Fengju turned shining eyes at her. “Qiuning, ah. Right now, the only thing I want is to live a good life with you and the children.”
What a wonderful speech. If she had been one of those blind idiotic women whose well-being depended entirely on a man’s whim, she would have probably believed he was sincere.
No, he was probably sincere. As sincere as a politician could be. After all, he was ‘doing good’ by getting rid of the ‘other women’ in his life without actively chasing them out into the street. Instead of being a ‘heartless bastard’, he was merely an ‘unfortunate man’ who had bad luck with women.
How tragic.
The only reason why he would even attempt to put up a semblance of respectability was due to Fu Qiuning’s reputation as a ‘benevolent woman’. To match her ‘good’ and ‘kindly’ aura, how could he dare to be anything less than generous with the women he decided to abandon after making a show of being a virtuous nobleman all these years?
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While the couple were immersed in their own thoughts, candles were still lit at Clear Soft Pavilion’s study.
[6] “Don’t you think you should go to sleep now? Staying up late all night clearly did nothing to improve your grades,” Jin Xiuzhen said with some measure of sarcasm.
Instead of answering, Jin Zhenyi stared at her. She rolled her eyes at him, “What’s with you? You’ve been odd since Quanzhou.”
Jin Zhenyi continued to stare at Jin Xiuzhen for a while. Then, he quietly hopped off his chair and peeked through the door. Jiang Wanying’s room was already dark. The only signs of life were the two maids half-dozing at her door.
He turned to her and said, “Shall we leave for Elegant Mansion?”
[6a] Jin Xiuzhen started. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced around once before whispering, “Are you seriously proposing us to leave Mother?”
[6a] Jin Zhenxuan did not answer immediately. Finally, he said, “You know why, you’ve seen how our father acted.”
[6a] Jin Xiuzhen flinched back. Her lips curled as she snapped, “How dare you! Do you really think that Father would- that he would really-”
[6a] “Think about it, sister,” said Jin Zhenyi, with too much calm for a child who was not yet ten years old. “Who was the one who dragged us off to Elegant Mansion and encouraged us to stay there all the time?”
[6a] “You–!!” But she could not refute him. She thought: It was true. Father had been acting odd lately. Mother was… well, Mother was Mother, and though Grandmother Jiang had always supported Mother, if Father had already made his decision…
[6a] A sudden thought struck her and she hissed, “Is Father going to make use of Qiu Xia’s death?”
[6a] Jin Zhenyi gave her a look from the corner of his eyes. Qiu Xia had officially died from suicide having hung herself from the rafters. However, it was unclear just how far their mother’s hand went in her death.
[6a] Maids and servants died within noble houses all the time. Even as children, they were not shielded from this reality. Servants were just that, servants, meant to serve them and be their hands and feet.
[6a] With tears welling up in her eyes, she hissed, “This isn’t fair! Isn’t she just a maid? She should have been honoured to die for her mistress. To think that Father would actually try and use this reason to banish Mother just because we haven’t been visiting Elegant Mansion enough…”
[6a] She trailed off at Jin Zhenxuan’s stony little face. “It’s not that simple, is it?”
[6a] “No, haven’t you heard the servants talk? Whenever Honoured Mother’s sister visits, the first place she stops by is not Elegant Mansion, but here.”
[6a] Jin Xiuzhen’s body went cold. As a daughter of a noble family, how could she not know who Honoured Mother’s sister was? “Even a fool would know not to act so obviously,” she sneered. “Mother of all people-”
[6a] She paused.
[6a] “You’re right, Mother of all people,” said Jin Zhenxuan solemnly.
[6a] “Little Brother, surely you jest…” Jin Xiuzhen tried to laugh but failed. After a while, she said in a cold voice, “That woman, as a Crown Prince’s imperial concubine, has no business coming to a secondary wife’s residence. Let alone ignore her own sister to visit…”
[6a] “That’s right.”
[6a] “Is that why Father…”
[6a] “Who knows,” he cut her off flatly.
[6a] The brother and sister stared at each other for a moment, thoughts swirling in their heads. But what could they do? In the end, they were just children. Not only that, their mother had lost favour with their father and their maternal family… Well, it was unclear what that side was planning to do exactly, but it would not be something their father looked favourable upon.
[6a] After a while, Jin Xiuzhen sighed and said, “You know what? I’ll study with you, Xuan’er.”
[Gumihou: Author tried really really hard to make Jiang Wanying the bad guy, but really? The whole chapter was a wash.]
[1] ‘Fu Qiuning, having learned that there were no intriguing figures like Miaoyu there, wasn’t interested and hadn’t visited yet.’
Really? After establishing that her one joy in her past life and this was visiting gardens? Are you for real, Author-san?
[2] Miaoyu
Miaoyu (妙玉) is a fictional character from the classic Chinese novel “Dream of the Red Chamber” (红楼梦) by Cao Xueqin. She is depicted as a young and beautiful nun who resides in the Prospect Garden, a part of the Jia family estate where much of the novel’s action takes place. Miaoyu is known for her exceptional beauty, intelligence, and aloof demeanour. She is also characterised by her fastidiousness and obsession with cleanliness, which sometimes borders on eccentricity.
Miaoyu comes from a noble background and becomes a Buddhist nun due to circumstances beyond her control, which adds a layer of complexity to her character. Despite her religious commitment, she maintains connections with the secular world, particularly with members of the Jia family. Her interactions with other characters in the novel often highlight themes of detachment and the transient nature of life and beauty, which are central to the novel’s exploration of human experience and emotion.
[3] Added detail – give another reason why she wanted to visit aside from ‘Jin Fengju’s suggestion’
[4] Added details – to highlight certain character’s characteristics
[4a] Have Jin Fengju overexplain his relationship with various women instead of [5] Fu Qiuning making excuses for him and making her look like she ‘secretly’ cared about him sleeping around
[5] Adjusted details – to reduce ass polishing
[6] Corrected sister’s name. Readjust her characteristics so that they reflect the real Jin Xiuzhen.
Sample:
“Xuān’er, go to sleep. It’s very late. You always stay up late reading these days, but your grades haven’t improved—in fact, they’ve gotten worse. This shows that blindly staying up late is useless.”
Jīn Cángjiāo closed the book for her younger brother and held his hand, advising him. Just as she finished speaking, she saw her brother suddenly raise his head, his pitch-black eyes seemed to burn with two ghostly flames, deep and frightening, almost scaring Jīn Cángjiāo into crying out. She said crossly, “What’s wrong with you? Since we went to Quanzhou, you’ve seemed off, and it’s getting worse. Xuān’er, don’t scare me. What on earth is troubling you?”
The paragraph is like just SHOVE!! Wow evil bro! Dumb sis!
Also, the two ghostly flamed eye boy suddenly went “Sister, let’s leave. Let’s go to Fēngyǎ Lóu and find our aunt. Only she can protect us and ensure our lifelong safety.” sob sob
Like, contradicting much?
After that, she became Jin Xiuzhen again. Sigh.
[6a] Crafted a more realistic cloak and dagger situation involving children that is not a rehash of everything that had happened with the added ‘shock’ of Qiu Xia being strangled by Jiang Wanying. Which, honestly? Is a crock of bullshit. It takes a lot to strangle someone to death. Writing ‘Jiang Wanying strangled Qiu Xia to death’ is just pure laziness.
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