Chapter 150: Late Night Talk at the Study

Author: White Pear Flower

Raws: https://book.qidian.com/info/2386994/

Translated by Gumihou

Proofread by Pill Bug

Gumihou: Spells don’t seem to work, let’s try chemotherapy.

 

[1a] Fu Qiuning studied the beaming person before her for a moment. “The snacks from last night were prepared by Yu Jie. If you like it that much, Jian Feng can go back and fetch more.”

[2a] “Ah, that is. Ahem, I… heard you met with Elder Sister this morning?” Jin Fengju was quick to change the subject.

[1a] “Indeed, I found her by the pool. As expected, she understands the situation enough to feel regret. However, the method of persuasions were… too direct and came in waves, overwhelming her to the point that she dug her feet in just to spite everyone, including herself. I believe she also resented that everyone condemned her actions even though the fault originated from Prince Rong…”

[2a] Fu Qiuning paused long enough for Jin Fengju to wince before continuing, “After all, as a woman and a princess consort, how wronged she must have felt when her husband went behind her back to raise a mistress? Not only that, but to beget a child with her? As though these sins were not enough, His Highness opted to ‘fix things’ by having a golden daughter of a ducal family to voluntarily recognise that prostitute ‘sister’. Surely Lord Husband can imagine the hurt she must have felt?

Imagine the betrayal she must have felt when she returned to her maternal family for support, only to be told again and again that she must ‘do the right thing’, that ‘she must not aggravate the situation further’ and that if she did not do as everyone tells her to the family’s honour would be compromised. How is this persuading? Isn’t this closer to coercing? You and the rest of your family should know your elder sister best, is she someone who would allow herself to be coerced into anything?”

Jin Fengju raised his hands and laughed, “You made some excellent points. It is our fault for being too anxious and not considering everything properly. No wonder your way of persuasion worked.” He happily seized Fu Qiuning and kissed her on the lips, before nuzzling her neck and whispering, “My Qiuning is getting smarter and more capable. What should I do? Now, I am even more reluctant to leave you alone. I think, the next time I am sent on a mission, I must find a way to dress you up as a man and take you with me~”

[1b] The wet, blatant kisses sent cold shivers up her spine and Fu Qiuning had to stop herself from slapping the man’s face away. Instead, she resolutely laughed and said loudly, “Enough with this nonsense. I have news for you.”

[2a] Fortunately, Jin Fengju actually let her go in order to stare adoringly at her. It was disconcerting. In an indulgent voice, he said, “What is it?”

Fu Qiuning stood up, [1b] walked away from the man and sat very straight in a chair, and said, “The Elder Madam from my maternal family sent her dowry maid, Matron Zhou, to the estate. Officially, it was just an ordinary visit, however, I can only assume that she was really sent here to dig for news.”

“Pfft!!” Jin Fengju suddenly burst out laughing. However, when he saw that Fu Qiuning was still staring back solemnly at him, he attempted to mimic her and sat up straight as well. In a solemn voice, he said, “Indeed, Father-in-law worked hard, therefore, as the daughter, you should share his worries…”

[1c] “… Hahaha,” said Fu Qiuning obligingly.

[2a] Having received the response he wanted, Jin Fengju grinned smugly and said, “In fact, it’s not like the Capital officials are not aware of Prince Rong’s private matters. However, because the Duke of Jing’s power is too strong, no one would even consider striking our boulder with an egg over such a trivial matter.

Nonetheless, now that Prince Rong has provoked the emperor’s anger, even the Duke of Jing has become like a [3] fallen dog. You have brought up an excellent point. How could Father-in-law ever resist an opportunity to beat up the fallen dog and reap some benefits for himself? Who knows just how grateful he is for your little nugget of wisdom?”

[2a] Jin Fengju was practically squirming with glee. [1c] Fu Qiuning braced herself and smiled determinedly, “Do not exaggerate. You keep calling yourself a fallen dog and declaring how much you respect your father-in-law even as you cheerfully manipulated him around. There is really no need to put up a show of respect or filial piety before me-”

[2a] For some reason, this stimulated Jin Fengju to suddenly lunge forward and embrace her. The grin on his face was both triumphant and somehow annoying as he said, “Speaking of which, didn’t you just declare how you fear disappointing your own father’s hopes? I must say, one should never offend a woman. If your father knew just how much you hated him, I’m sure he would not dare to throw you away like a chess piece into a fire pit like this. Even so, I like this side of you. If one could still show filial piety towards parents like them, it would be considered foolish piety. Women like those might as well be wooden stakes. How is she different from cattle, sheep, pigs or chickens reared in a slaughterhouse?”

“Such grand words,” said Fu Qiuning [1d]. “Have you completely forgotten how you had treated Feng’er and Jiao’er?”

Jin Fengju made a ‘hei hei’ chuckle and said, “Little children don’t hold grudges. Haven’t I been doing my best to correct my image? Feng’er and Jiao’er’s grudges have long since disappeared. Moreover, even if I did not fulfil my fatherly responsibilities, I will never treat them like chess pieces. Since they show such promising talents, I shall not be angry even if they do not show me filial piety. Without spring breeze, one should never expect autumn rain.”

[1a] Fu Qiuning forced the corners of her lips to go up at this grandiose remark. She said, “Very good. I shall note these words down immediately. Once Feng’er and Jiao’er have grown up, you are not allowed to force them into positions that would benefit you either politically or financially. You must not force them into relationships either.”

[1a] Seeing Jin Fengju eagerly agreeing to her every word, Fu Qiuning had to wonder whether he had completely forgotten his initial promise to her and was hoping that new promises would supersede whatever he had said thus far. It would not surprise her. She had better get this latest promise down in writing.

Now that everything that should be discussed had been discussed, [1f] there was really no need for Fu Qiuning to stay longer. She could see the gleam in Jin Fengju’s eyes and feel the hands around her waist moving downward and spoke, “You were at court today. How did the emperor treating Prince Rong?”

Jin Fengju [2b] tenderly squeezed Fu Qiuning’s waist and said with a smile, “No matter what, Prince Rong is his son. I noticed that Brother-in-law has blisters around his mouth and the beginnings of a stubble, clearly suffering from internal heat. The emperor made him stay back and even scolded him a bit. Even so, he did not add any more blame onto him. The fact that the emperor was willing to scold him meant that the emperor has not completely abandoned Brother-in-law. I believe that once our schemes have come to fruition, we may pass this hurdle safely.”

[1f] How nice for you, thought Fu Qiuning. Clearly, the only lessons he had learned here were ‘how to handle an angry wife’, ‘ways to manipulate the situation to your advantage’ and ‘take advantage where you can’. The calibre of people she was dealing with were all self-centred men who could not stand the idea of being thought of as being less than perfect, made and broke promises at a drop of a hat, expected their women to support them 100% and acted like the women had betrayed them when it was really the other way round.

[1a] Unable to stand the idea of having to spend another night there, Fu Qiuning made her excuses and fled back to Night Breeze Pavilion.

As for Jin Fengju, he would love to follow after Fu Qiuning, but he had to stay at the study and continue to think up ways to sort out the current mess. While he was there, Concubine Huo and Concubine Xu came by to deliver Lotus Seed Soup. Naturally, [2c] they were hoping that Jin Fengju would favour them like he did Fu Qiuning and invite them to stay the night. That way, the people in the estate would know that their husband valued them too. Who would have thought that after a few words, Jin Fengju’s expression remained stiff with no sign of affection or playfulness?

Neither women were ignorant and knew when they were not wanted. They realised that heaping more flattery on Jin Fengju would only invite shame upon themselves and left with their tails between their legs.

That night, Jin Fengju was resting in the study, thinking about the night he had spent with Fu Qiuning there. Somehow, he had the feeling that something was missing in the study. However, it was getting dark and he could not in good conscience ask her to come over. Not to mention, if he had his wife sleep in the study with him all the time, it would only invite ridicule from others. Thus, he had no choice but to suppress his longing by taking out a book and flipping through it listlessly.

Speaking of which, Cai Lian had been going in and out of his study several times now. He knew what the girl was thinking, how could he not? However, did she not know just how heavy his thoughts were then? Even those two concubines knew how when to advance and retreat, but this senior woman was being too frivolous for some reason. After giving it some thought, Jin Fengju finally understood.

He closed his book and sure enough, Cai Lian came over to lightly massage his shoulders.

“When Qiuning arrived today, I noticed that she was wearing a buyao in her hair. It was the one I gifted you a few days ago, yes?” Jin Fengju said softly as he leaned against the couch, pretending to be half asleep.

“Yes, this morning when Madam got up, this maid noticed that Madam had no accessories for her hair and thought that it was too plain. Therefore, this maid gave the buyao to madam. The buyao is the one that Young Marquis bestowed during New Year, a very good piece. It is too precious an accessory for a maid such as myself, which was why I had been keeping it in a box all this time. This morning is the only time I dared to take it out for Madam. As for the other things in this maid’s box, surely none could meet Madam’s eye.”

Cai Lian’s answer was very respectful. Even so, anxiety broiled in her heart as she thought: Who knows what the Master is thinking now? If I could give the impression that I am on good terms with the Second Madam, that buyao would not be wasted.

She was still thinking when Jin Fengju’s mild voice floated over, “You have made a mistake. No matter what, she is still your Madam. She has plenty of gold and silver accessories but prefers a clean and tidy look. That is why she rarely wears jewellery at all. As for you, with your status, no matter how valuable that buyau is, you are in no position to gift her anything. Being a benevolent and intelligent person, Qiuning wears the buyao as a way to give you face. This is all due to her kindness, do not think you have fooled her at all.

You have been by my side for many years now. I found you intelligent and stable with no flirtatious thoughts, which is why you have remained in this place for so long. Should such a thing happen again in the future, I can only assume that your heart has grown too big for your chest. If that were to happen, I dare not have you serve me any longer. You understand my meaning?”

This line alone frightened Cai Lian so much that she threw herself to the floor, crying, “Master, spare this maid! This maid was ignorant and did not have such complicated thoughts in her head. I just… I just adore and respect the Madam and wished to gift her something… This- this maid knows her mistakes! Master…”

As she spoke, she crouched closer to the ground and nearly banged her forehead against the floor. Jin Fengju stretched out his hand to stop her. He sighed and said, “Silly girl, why are you crying? I already have so many wives and concubines that I could barely give them any attention. Were you to stay by my side, you will only become more and more lonely. What is the meaning of bearing this kind of life? Isn’t it better to marry well and find a good husband than to trail after me like this for the rest of your life?

Do not worry, you have been with me for so many years, I will naturally find a good family for you. Though you are my bedroom maid, you have followed me for many years. Therefore, I will make sure to find an honest man from a good family for you. Not only will he be honoured to have you, I will also gradually promote his station. That way, wouldn’t you two live a good life together?”

At the end of his speech, Cai Lian would only cry and repeatedly say that she would rather die than leave. Therefore Jin Fengju could only try and coax her with a few words of comfort. Even so, that incident continued to plague him and he thought: Surely Cai Lian is only crying so hard now because she did not wish to give up her position? If I were to find her a good match, surely she would be happy, right? What woman would be happy to live the life of a widow… No wait, isn’t Qiuning perfectly happy to live as a widow? That she could forgive me, must mean she has feelings, right? However, if not for Mother and Cousin forcing her hand, who knows how long I’d have to wait to [2b] share a bed with her?

Now that thoughts of Qiuning [2b] (and bed sharing) had entered his head, his heart could not help but fly out of his chest again. It was a long time before he regained consciousness and looked outside to find that it had gotten very late. He knew that he should not, but for some reason, his heart yearned to go to Night Breeze Pavilion.

Finally, he could not restrain the impulses in his heart and said to Cai Lian, “I shall be going to Night Breeze Pavilion. I will leave my official uniform here and change before I leave for court on the morrow. Go and light up the gilded lantern for me.”

“Master, this… Jin Ming has already gone home,” Cai Lian was shocked.

Jin Fengju laughed, “Must I rely on him? What nonsense, am I incapable of doing anything for myself in his absence? Enough, just go and light the lantern.”

Thus, without even bothering to change, he picked up a lotus-coloured cloak from the peg, parted the curtain door and went out.

 

[Gumihou: You sure the impulses did not come from somewhere lower? Like your crotch? Also, this was an uncomfortable chapter, made ‘sweet’ by dumping too much syrup on poor Fu Qiuning]

 

[1] Remove the AR Qiuning:

[1a] General chemotherapy to remove the tumour that is AR Qiuning

[1b] AR Qiuning is of course happy to be kissed and nuzzle, but Actual Qiuning? Ugh, just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.

[1c] A lot of solidarity ‘pffftt hahaha~~ others are so dumb~~’ scenes here to make it look like FQN and JFJ are the perfect couple, when in fact JFJ was being creepy and FQN was just mirroring his actions to make it less obvious that she was creeped out by him.

[1d] Deleted: ‘patted him lightly’ because it’s just more ways for JFJ to go ‘bwahahaha!’ and ignore the core problem.

[1f] Deleted: ‘husband and wife shared a tender moment’ because obviously this never happened.

[2] Consequences:

[2a] Consequences of dealing with Fu Qiuning instead of AR Qiuning. Double as ‘add detail’ since author conveniently forgot to include them.

[2b] Creep moment from Jin Fengju

[3] ‘fallen dog’ the actual idiom is ‘dog that has fallen into water’ it has the meaning of an evildoer who had fallen on hard times.

Possibly an extension of ‘to beat a fallen dog’, which carries the meaning of ‘to kick someone when they are down’

 

 

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