Chapter 294: Bitter Betrayal
Author: White Pear Flower
Raws: https://book.qidian.com/info/2386994/
Translated by Gumihou
Proofread by Pill Bug
Gumihou: Since the scene is absolutely ridiculous, I cannot in good faith reproduce it without making serious adjustments. Do enjoy the bit of the ‘canon’ at the end of this chapter.
As for Jiang Wanying, this amazingly thick-faced woman suddenly stabbed her bloodied knife to the sky and laughed a dramatic ‘ha ha ha’ laugh before crying out, “Did the heavens hear that? I raised two children, but they’re actually beasts in human skin. Even lambs know to kneel for milk, and crows know to feed their young, but them? Their wings haven’t even hardened yet, and they already know how to climb higher branches, truly worse than beasts!!”
Jin Zhenyi swallowed the last of his bun and said, “Wow, that’s really bad.”
Jin Xiunan shushed him.
Fu Qiuning felt embarrassed on Jiang Wanying’s behalf.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence as everyone digested this very long speech.
The only person who did not look awkward in this whole show was, incredibly enough, Jiang Wanying with her bloodied knife thrust towards the sky. After a while, she lowered her knife and said, “Now that I think about it, the problem lies not with the children. It lies with you, Fu Qiuning! I shall settle the score with you now. It’s all because of you. Without you, none of this would have happened, and our family would have been harmonious and happy. It’s all your fault. Aren’t you known for being kind and benevolent? They call you a loving mother. Today, I’ll expose the true face of this hypocritical woman. I want to kill you. Let’s see if you can keep protecting these little brats…”
Her dramatic voice eventually petered down to a bored drone as she waved the knife vaguely in Fu Qiuning’s direction.
“… …” Fu Qiuning sighed inwardly. She thought: Why couldn’t Jiang Wanying put a little more heart into her acting?
Just as the thought occurred to her, one of the maidservants screamed and rushed at Jiang Wanying. Fu Qiuning frowned at this unexpected act when the woman suddenly waved her hand in a weird motion in front of Jiang Wanying before falling to the ground screaming. Blood trickled from her palm. The servant was also moaning and twisting on the floor as though she had suffered a fatal stab wound. She was also flicking her hands about, getting blood everywhere.
Vaguely, she noticed Jiang Wanying made a flicking motion at one of her more senior maids who made a note on the book in her hand. It looked like a… ledger?
Was… Jiang Wanying paying people to injure themselves?
Well, that was certainly a novel way of doing things…
Just as she was musing over what to do, someone bumped her from behind. Mister Cat hissed and swiped at the servant who had bumped into her. Three lines of blood appeared on the servant’s face and she screamed bloody murder.
“Ah.”
“B-blood!!!” Someone shrieked.
“Second Madam Wan attacked the Honourable Madam!!”
“Protect the Madam!!”
“How dare this woman attack Madam!!?”
“… …” Fu Qiuning looked at the line of actors playing out their roles. Well, at the very least, she could applaud their enthusiasm as the situation descended into chaos.
Fortunately, with Mister Cat brandishing his bloodied claws, no one else dared to ‘accidentally’ bump into her. At that moment, some male servants and guards finally appeared, but all they did was hover on the periphery of the screaming servants and being generally useless as usual.
Vaguely, she heard a new scream.
It was Luo Cui.
She knew it was Luo Cui because Jiang Wanying actually stopped waving her knife around long enough to grab the long hairpin that was keeping her hair up to wave them both in a threatening way in the direction of the scream. That was when Fu Qiuning heard Luo Cui’s voice, “-heard the news from a messenger, and we thought they were exaggerating. But now… now… how did it come to this? How could Second Madam Wan become like this? And Second Madam Ning, why are you all still standing here? Quickly, take her back to her room. Little Four, hurry to the young marquis’s office. Tell him about what’s happening at home and ask him to immediately bring the most skilled imperial physician to treat Second Madam’s injuries.”
Fu Qiuning dabbed the back of her sleeves to her face and was surprised to find it speckled with blood. Oh, she thought, was that why Luo Cui was making such a fuss and giving that long speech? Was it to protect herself and the useless servants for getting her ‘injured’?
Well, it was not like she was actually injured. However, she could not enjoy the scene before her either since it was also the scene of Jiang Wanying being attacked by male servants. Now that they had the implied approval of the Old Madam through Luo Cui, those useless slaves finally made their move. All five men rushed forward to subdue Jiang Wanying.
The scene was almost funny with Jiang Wanying still maintaining her poise despite her wildly flowing hair threatening a bunch of burly-looking male servants. Eventually, one of the servants managed to snatch the knife out of her hand while another grabbed the ‘dangerous’ hairpin. Soon after, maidservants who had been dedicated to throwing themselves to her knife surged forward to grab her and pull her away.
The scene was eerily quiet as Jiang Wanying was eventually dragged away like a criminal.
As Fu Qiuning watched, Jiang Wanying allowed herself one last glance at her two children before loudly declaring them to be ‘Little beasts’ while Jin Xiuzhen cried angry tears even as Jin Zhenxuan stared at the spectacle with a tight face.
Fu Qiuning’s ‘injury’ threw the entire household into chaos. Of course, it did, even though it never existed in the first place. Jian Feng was more than happy to volunteer all the various versions of how she was ‘injured’ in the confrontation with Second Madam Wan.
In one, she had heroically ordered the children to scatter while she confronted the crazed and insane Second Madam Wan.
“Why would I do that when I can just step away?”
Another was that Jiang Wanying had stabbed the heroic and benevolent Madam Ning when she tried to wrestle the knife away.
“Aren’t there servants to do that? Why would any woman in her right mind step forward to grab a knife?” Was Fu Qiuning’s genuine question.
In another story, Second Madam Wan had stabbed Second Madam Ning so hard that blood had gushed out all over the place.
“She was 10 feet away at the closest. Just how on earth did she stab me? Also, if my blood had ‘gushed out’ as described by those maids, I would be dead by now.”
Jian Feng was, of course, appalled by the thought that her beloved Madam would die and immediately made praying motions to ward off these unlucky words.
Speaking of which, it turned out that Madam Jiang and Madam Fang had both gone off to attend some banquet or other, which was why they were not around when Jiang Wanying began her ‘rampage’. Plausible deniability for them? Really, if Jiang Wanying had put more effort into distancing herself from the Crown Prince’s influence and establishing a tighter connection with her elders, she could have gotten away with it easily.
Then again, perhaps she was tired of the miniature palace intrigue happening in her husband’s backyard? Even so, could her love for her children be so thin that she would rather cut ties with everyone and be branded as a traitor just to spite Jin Fengju? Surely she should know that the Young Marquis only felt shame or regret whenever it suited him?
However, who was she to criticize Jiang Wanying’s actions?
This was the person who had, for all intents and purposes, ‘married down’ to someone who was below her in status. Sure, he was considered an up-and-coming talent now, but back then? Not to mention, she settled herself as the Secondary Wife, giving up the Official Wife’s position just so that she could be with the one she loved. She had even tolerated the women he had married out of spite, had children with him and did her best to please the family by taking charge of the household chores.
Sure, one could say that she did all that because it was the duty of a noble wife to embrace her husband’s mistresses and children; that having control over housekeeping duties meant having power within the family. However, that did not mean that there was any less work involved. Sadly, the more Jiang Wanying tried to please her husband, the less he appreciated her. When he eventually turned his attention towards the woman she believed had stolen her rightful place beside Jin Fengju… Well, it was a wonder that she did not react even more violently…
“Madam, what about the household affairs…” Jian Feng asked.
Fu Qiuning looked up at her, “What about it?”
“Well, with how Second Madam Wan is now…” She could not quite hide the smirk as she thought of how the woman was dragged away earlier, but she did her best. Jian Feng cleared her throat and tried again, “That is… While Concubine Cui is loyal and dutiful, she is a meek and retiring woman. As for Concubine Xu, well, she is no longer part of the Young Marquis’s household…”
“What are you trying to say?” Fu Qiuning asked leisurely. She knew what the maid was implying. Only an idiot would miss the incredibly broad hint that was being shoved into her face.
“As there is no one more suitable, perhaps Madam ought to take hold of household matters…”
Fu Qiuning gave her a quelling look. She said, “Haven’t you heard? I’m injured. Stabbed with knives and hairpins. To the point that blood gushed all over the place. Surely you cannot expect me to take over such burdensome duties?”
For a moment, it looked like Jian Feng was going to insist, but she backed down in the end. Well, what was she to do when her mistress was the one who refused the privilege that had fallen into her lap?
Never mind, Jian Feng could still take pride in the fact that her mistress was the master’s true beloved. A kinder, more dignified and wonderful mistress could not exist in this world. Jian Feng was more than happy to call such a paragon of virtue, kindness and generosity her mistress.
In the end, it was decided that Jin Yanfang would take over Jiang Wanying’s former job. She had done a decent job during the time Jin Fengju decided to drag most of his family to a supposedly pirates-infested area, therefore, let’s reward her with more work.
Modern-day delegation at its best.
Please read this at kitchen novel dot com ~
Jin Fengju had been busy with errands for the emperor when the messenger finally tracked him down. To keep the fact that the Emperor had ensconced himself within the Jin Estate, he did not directly meet with the sage again. Instead, he received a series of instructions on how to reorganize the military camp as well as other related matters.
As a result, the servant did not find Jin Fengju in his study. Someone directed him towards Jingji camp which was situated just outside the city and off he went. Fortunately, he was able to track down his master this time. Upon hearing about the major incident at home, the Young Marquis was overwhelmed with anxiety. Fortunately, the servant reported that Fu Qiuning’s injuries were not severe, and although several other servants had sustained various degrees of injuries, none were life-threatening. This news eased his mind, though he couldn’t help but wonder what performance Jiang Wanying was putting on. Why had she suddenly done such a thing? Could she have known he intended to expel her from the household? That didn’t make sense—surely if she was truly the Crown Prince’s spy, she should have done her best to lay low and stay cautious?
With his mind in turmoil, he hurried back. Unfortunately, he could not figure out Jiang Wanying’s true intentions even as the carriage crossed into the city. That was when he sent for an Imperial Physician, one who was well-known for their skill in treating external injuries. Together, they hurried towards the Jin Estate where several doctors had been called in to tend to the injured servants.
When he arrived at Elegant Mansion, he could hear a commotion inside. Although the Old Madam did not come in person, Luo Cui had been sent there to represent her. Additionally, Jin Yanfang, Concubine Mei, Concubine Luo, Concubine Yu and even Concubine Xu who was not supposed to set foot into the inner court were there. When Jin Fengju went in search of Fu Qiuning, he found Aunt Yu hovering nearby. The expression on his face caused the maid to leap to her feet.
“Master…” she bobbed a quick curtsy before hurrying out along with the rest of the women in the room.
“Qiuning! Why are you sitting here? Aren’t you injured? Why are all these people here when you should be resting your wound?”
Fu Qiuning turned a pair of calm eyes at him, “What wound?”
“I heard that you have been injured by that woman! Has that vile beast gone mad? She… she actually dared to do such a thing!”
Imperial Physician Liu looked between Jin Fengju and the person he was supposed to treat. His expert eyes quickly assessed her and noted the way she held her teacup and the hand stroking the cat on her lap. Well, he had no idea what was going on, but there was certainly no injury here. At least, none that needed his expertise.
Still, since the emperor’s favourite courtier had summoned him out of the palace, he had better do something. “Young Marquis, perhaps this servant should examine Madam first?”
Fu Qiuning lowered her teacup to the table and flapped her hand at him. “No need, as you can see, I am perfectly mobile. Really, if those rumours of my injuries were true, the servants would have summoned the casket makers in addition to all those doctors.”
“Qiuning!” Jin Fengju thundered.
She shrugged, unfazed by his outrage. “It’s not like this is my first brush with death or even the closest. Moreover, I have my protector with me,” she said as she lovingly stroked the large cat on her lap.
Jin Fengju made a strangled sound.
Imperial Physician Liu endeavoured to ignore the drama happening between the couple and inched forward respectfully. Fortunately, the Madam did not make things difficult as she held out her wrist for him to examine.
After a while, he said, “The Madam has suffered a mild shock. As long as she takes a mild decoction and suffers no other shock, the Madam would be fine in a couple of weeks.”
“I- I see, so there is nothing wrong with her?”
“None so far as these old senses could tell,” said Imperial Physician Liu truthfully.
Jin Fengju sat by Fu Qiuning’s side, asking intently, “What exactly happened? I was almost scared to death when Little Fourth found me. How… how did Wanying suddenly go mad? Why did she try to attack you? No, I heard she first tried to chase after Xiuzhen and Xuan’er. What… what is going on?”
Fu Qiuning shrugged. Imperial Physician Liu quickly excused himself to make the ‘soothing decoction’, there was no way he was going to stay here when such a conflict was happening over his head. No, the best thing for a servant to do when masters were quarrelling was to make themselves scarce.
By the time the Imperial Physician left, Jin Fengju was still muttering to himself. Fu Qiuning ignored him in favour of playing with Mister Cat.
“Qiuning!” Jin Fengju’s expression suddenly changed and he whispered, “What… what are if…? What if Wanying already knows that we are aware of her identity? How… how is that possible? We haven’t let anything slip. No, we need to think of a solution. Right now, she knows nothing about the emperor’s matters, and I originally intended to use her for another important task.”
Fu Qiuning gave him an incredulous look. “What? You planning to use her?!”
[Gumihou: I… =_=;;;]
Oridiculous Version + Gumihou and Pill Bug’s comment, because why not?
When she said this, Jin Xiuzhen finally couldn’t hold back any longer. She wiped her tears and shouted, “You only blame us, but why don’t you first think about what you’ve done? Do you want my brother and me to tell everyone here about the wrongs you’ve committed?”
Hearing these words, Jiang Wanying was momentarily stunned. But then her eyes turned red, and she raised both kitchen knives, shouting, “Fine, I won’t tell them. Fu Qiuning, I’ll settle the score with you. It’s all because of you. Without you, none of this would have happened, and our family would have been harmonious and happy. It’s all your fault. Aren’t you known for being kind and benevolent? They call you a loving mother. Today, I’ll expose the true face of this hypocritical woman. I want to kill you. Let’s see if you can keep protecting these little brats…”
As she shouted, she charged forward with the kitchen knife-
[Gumihou: I don’t get it when authors end an active ‘shout and charge’ speech with ‘…’. Nothing breaks momentum like ‘…’]As she shouted, she charged forward with the kitchen knife. The maids and servants behind her screamed in alarm. At that moment, the guards and male servants rushing over from the front courtyard were also stunned, unable to intervene in time due to the short distance. In this critical moment, Fu Qiuning neither dodged nor avoided but instructed Aunt Xu and Jian Fengqiu Yu to pull the children aside. She then grabbed Jiang Wanying’s arm and snatched one of the knives away.
[Gumihou: Unnecessary heroic action to make AR Qiuning a tragic heroine. Whatever.]Despite being a performer, albeit in Huangmei and Yue opera rather than the martial arts-heavy Peking opera, Fu Qiuning had practised regularly over the years. Although her skills were not extensive, she knew some basic moves. Jiang Wanying, being the daughter of a noble family, had not received any martial training like Huo Xiangmian had from a young age. Caught off guard, she lost one of the knives to Fu Qiuning.
However, Jiang Wanying still had another knife in hand and recklessly swung it towards Fu Qiuning’s neck. In a dangerous moment, Fu Qiuning managed to sidestep just enough to avoid a fatal blow, but her shoulder was struck. Blood immediately gushed [If it’s gushing out from your shoulder, shouldn’t you be dying?] out, soaking her pale yellow cotton clothes.
[Pill Bug: It depends on where on the shoulder she got struck. There is a major artery in the arm, but it runs on the underside of the arm, not the outer side. The shoulder muscle acts as a shield and cushion on the outer side] [Pill Bug: Here’s a picture reference]
“Ah, how dare you hurt my mother…” [Some random Jin kid said disinterestedly]
As soon as Fu Qiuning was injured, Jin Zangfeng and Jin Zangjiao erupted like small beasts. Jin Zangjiao, being a girl, had less strength, but Jin Zangfeng broke free from Jin Zhuan’s hold and rushed forward, grabbing Jiang Wanying’s wrist holding the knife, refusing to let go.
At this point, Jin Zhenyi, after a moment of shock, also rushed forward and grabbed the other wrist of the frenzied woman. [Pill Bug: How?? A kid can grab the wrist of a frenzied slasher woman?] The male servants and guards surged forward, disregarding propriety in the urgency of the situation, and first disarmed her before allowing the servants to step in. However, since Jiang Wanying was the second mistress of the household and both Madam Jiang and the old lady were absent, no one dared to act without orders. So they stood by, ropes in hand, anxiously looking at Fu Qiuning for guidance.
[Was was now bleeding out on the floor, gasping for air and dying] [Later, JFJ cried bitter tears] [The end]By the way, the following is canon:
In that instant, Fu Qiuning understood why she acted this way. Despite having no fond feelings for the woman who repeatedly schemed against her and nearly brought the Jin family to a major crisis, Fu Qiuning couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of respect and emotion at that moment. This was a mother who realized she had reached a dead end, doing one last thing for her children. Through her seemingly crazy and vicious actions, she demonstrated her profound maternal love for her two children. In that moment, her eyes grew moist.
Gumi felt super justified by the editing she did on behalf of the author from over 20 chapters ago.
Also, the following sentence was tacked on just to make it look like JFJ was doing something important. She might as well have said, he was busy Doing Stuff. Important Stuff. Yeah.
These days, Jin Fengju had been so busy that his feet barely touched the ground. Fu Qiuning wondered why he hadn’t exposed himself when meeting the emperor at the residence, but the truth was simple: he hadn’t met with the emperor again. He only went the day after the emperor arrived to receive some “guidance,” and after understanding the situation, he began to reorganize the forces within his military camp according to the emperor’s instructions, slowly preparing for the plan. The emperor had clearly instructed that as long as things proceeded smoothly and no insurmountable problems arose, Jin Fengju was not to enter the garden. Therefore, the guards at the entrance were reassigned, and even candles were rarely lit at night. After more than half a month, no one knew the emperor was residing in the garden; otherwise, the Duke’s residence would have been in an uproar.
There was also this mysterious ‘Jingji Camp’ that was ‘just outside the city’ which a random servant immediately found. Like, how secret is your secret errand really is? Is it a secret just because the author said it was a s-e-c-r-e-t?
