Chapter 284: Suspicion
Author: White Pear Flower
Raws: https://book.qidian.com/info/2386994/
Translated by Gumihou
Proofread by Pill Bug
“Today’s Dongpo Pork shoulder is perfectly cooked with silky skin and tender meat. Fourth girl, don’t just eat vegetables, you must also have some meat. Look at all your elder brothers and sisters, which of them is as thin as you?” said Jin Fengju as he placed a piece of tender meat into her bowl.
Jin Xiuru obligingly wolfed down the meat in a few large mouthfuls, earning a smile from Jin Fengju. He was about to scoop some rice into his mouth when she looked up at him with wide eyes and asked, [1] “Father, where is mother?”
[2] Fu Qiuning barely restrained herself from snorting at that question. Jin Fengju darted a shocked look at the little girl, as though surprised that she would question him after he had shown her such favour by personally putting food into her bowl. His eyes darted around as he desperately tried to find an answer that would not alienate the child, but still be true.
[1] In the silence, Jin Xiuru ate another mouthful before saying, “The servants said that Mother won’t be coming back, but Sister Yu Lu and Sister Qiu Yu said that she will definitely be back. B-but they also said that I- I shouldn’t ask but… w-what happened to mother? Will she be back one day? Like Second Brother and Third Sister’s mother?”
[3] Jin Zhenyi opened his mouth to say something, so Jin Xiunan placed some candied peanuts on his plate. When he tried again, Jin Changfeng stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth. Then, the sisters glared at him. Not being an idiot, he got the gist of what was happening and answered them by rolling his eyes dramatically before grabbing a piece of meat off Jin Changjiao’s bowl.
[3] While two of them started a scuffle, [4] Jin Fengju cleared his throat and said, “Fourth girl… that is, Xiuru, your mother is different from Concubine Xu. Your maternal grandfather received an order from the emperor to accomplish a great task in a faraway place. As you know, your mother has some skills; therefore, your grandfather called her back to help him. As it would take several years to complete the task, she left you here because she knew we would take good care of you today. Once you have grown up, perhaps, your mother will come back.”
[3] “Is this true? Was Mother really called by Grandfather? But? Why? What skills does Mother have?”
Fu Qiuning ate a small peanut and sipped some tea. Leaving Jin Fengju to his web of lies.
[4] “You are still young. How could you possibly know all of your mother’s skills? Your mother has already left with your grandfather. She is afraid that you will be heartbroken and cling to her if she tells you. Before leaving, your mother told your Honourable Mother to take good care of you. She will return as soon as she has completed her mission. It may take three or five years. Just endure for now, alright?”
Fu Qiuning, [2] Jin Zhenyi, Jin Changfeng and the rest of the people at the table, as well as the maids serving on the side, stared at Jin Fengju with varying degrees of admiration and disgust. Fu Qiuning had always known that Jin Fengju was a politician through and through; it looks like his skill with bald-faced lies is incomparable.
Luckily, Jin Xiuru was desperate to believe anything and was more than happy to be fooled. She nodded and stared up at Jin Fengju with stars in her eyes, “Yes, I shall listen to Father and wait for Mother to return.”
[3] Finally, Jin Changjiao broke.
[3] “But- ow!”
[3] Fortunately, Jin Xiunan managed to poke her before she could speak her mind. Quick-witted Jin Changfeng said, “It will be nice to have you with us, Fourth Sister.”
[3] “Yes,” said the normally quiet Jin Xiunan. “Why don’t you stay in Eldest Sister’s room tonight? You can play with Spotty too.”
[3] “That’s right!” said Jin Changjiao cheerfully. It was unclear whether she was aware of the dynamics of what was happening, but she happily welcomed her Fourth Sister with open arms. “We can share a bed and have Spotty sleep with us!”
Jin Fengju’s smile grew strained at the mention of kittens in the same building he was in. He cast a quick glance at Fu Qiuning, hoping for sympathy, but was given a blank, measured look instead. No matter, he thought reassuringly to himself, Fourth girl is still young. Even once she has grown up a bit and knows the truth, surely she would not resent him? After all, he did his best to make sure she grew up well, even though her mother was a lying, traitorous wench.
Even so, his smile wavered when he recalled what that traitorous woman had said to him during his las visit…
[4] “Yi Boy, you ate nearly all of the Dongpo Pork. To think that you even ate that huge piece of fat!” In fact, Jin Fengju had no reason to stop Jin Zhenyi from eating whatever he liked, but since he had heard Fu Qiuning scold the children for eating too much fatty meat, he did so too. It was a good way to show he was attentive to the children’s welfare.
Jin Zhenyi, who had reached out to collect another piece of meat from the plate, could only retreat with a resentful glare at his father.
Jin Fengju looked on helplessly, wanting to scold further but not daring to. The rest of the children had their eyes down, most of them eating with a certain degree of decorum. In fact, it was mostly Jin Zhenyi who would often misbehave at the table. At times, Jin Changjiao may give a short retort, but that was it. They were all perfectly well behaved, especially when he was around. It was clear that the children, even Concubine Huo’s children, were closer to Qiuning than they were to him.
He was still thinking about this when, suddenly, rapid footsteps, followed by the voice of a junior maid saying, “Steward Jin?”
Before they could hear his answer, Jin Ming had already appeared at the door. His face was pale as a ghost, but he still barely managed a calm appearance. However, just as he stepped through the doorway, he stumbled.
“What is it, Jin Ming?” Jin Fengju hurried over with hands outstretched to help his servant, when Jin Ming grabbed him instead. Then, disregarding all rules of propriety, dragged Jin Fengju out of the room.
“I wonder what drama is happening now,” mused Fu Qiuning.
[3] “Shall I investigate?” Jin Zhenyi asked, brimming with curiosity.
“No need, eat your vegetables.”
The children knew better than to defy Fu Qiuning now. Even Jin Zhenyi. Once the dishes were cleared away, a junior maid screamed from just outside the window. Since all Fu Qiuning did was look up in vague curiosity, the children also remained in place.
“Madam! There’s water all over the front courtyard, and fire could be seen there!”
“Aaah!!”
“Waahhh!!”
As the rest of the maids screamed, Fu Qiuning looked on helplessly as the children ran out, with Jin Zhenyi in the lead, of course.
[5] Bai Lu, who had learned long ago to run as quickly and elegantly as possible from her years of serving Jin Zhenyi, sighed and said, “I wonder why Steward Jin panicked so. If there’s a fire, surely there’s water? Why is everyone screaming their heads off everywhere?”
“If there’s a fire, there’s a fire,” said Fu Qiuning philosophically. It was unclear why everyone was in a panic over a fire. Sure, fires are bad, but this was the nobleman’s residence with wells, streams, ponds and servants to ferry buckets of water and not the slums. So, even if there was a fire, it should be quickly put out.
“Madam, shall we send someone to Health & Longevity Court to inquire into the matter?” Jian Feng asked.
Fu Qiuning looked at the maid who was almost vibrating with curiosity and nodded.
“Thank you, Madam! At once, Madam!!”
000
Let us speak of Jin Fengju’s side.
He had no time to care about the water in the front courtyard. In fact, he was the one who had ordered Jin Ming to start the fire so that he had a good excuse for his sudden loss of composure and as a distraction. As for Jin Fengju, he was in the sealed-off royal garden with someone of great importance…
“After We visited this place once, the entire garden was then sealed off. What a pity for these flowers and trees. How lonely they must have been without anyone to come and appreciate them? Fengju, once We return to the palace, you may open the garden.”
The old Emperor’s voice sounded within the quiet path, startling Jin Fengju out of his musings. Still absentminded, Jin Fengju said, “Oh, yes, Your-” Then, he caught himself, and he quickly tried to refuse the offer. “Your Majesty, this is-”
“Don’t try to deny me. It is just a garden. It is only right to have people inside and live here. Your children are growing up. It is only right for them to live here and complement these delicate flowers and willow trees. So, why not?”
What could Jin Fengju do but bow his head deeply and express his thanks?
In a small secluded house surrounded by rockery, weeping willows and poplars. Thus, even if they filled the clearing with candles, there was no need to worry about outsiders seeing the light. For this meeting, Jin Fengju lit one candle. Under the glow of the candle, Jin Fengju finally saw the old Emperor’s true countenance and could not help the flutter in his heart. Recalling the trust and favour he had received from the Emperor, his eyes welled up, and he could not help but kneel and say in a choked voice, “Your Majesty… how have you become so thin?”
“Enough of that. We have many things to speak about with you in the future. For now, We are tired. Hmm, this room is quite spotless. You have taken care of it quite well. We do not generally judge people by such things, but from these little details, We can tell that you have great respect for Us in your heart. We have not favoured you for nothing.”
Jin Fengju could barely speak through the lump in his throat as he thanked the Emperor again. After that, the two remained silent for a long while until the Emperor waved for him to get up. At that moment, Li Dezheng stepped forward and whispered, “Young Marquis, the Emperor is very tired. He had rushed all the way here and almost could not make it anymore. You should return first and allow the Emperor to rest for a while. I shall take care of things here. There is no need to send anyone to serve us; we have enough people. Surely, the Young Marquis also understands, yes?”
Jin Fengju nodded. The Emperor’s secret visit was reported to him through a single eunuch who entered the residence claiming to be Jin Ming’s relative. The man then sent a message through Jin Ming, who hurried over to report the visit to Jin Fengju. The fire was set in a relatively out-of-the-way area with water scattered all over the place as a distraction.
Naturally, since not a hint of this matter could be leaked out, it was best to do as Li Dezheng said. He nodded again and, after casting a final worried look at the Emperor, who smiled back at him, he bowed respectfully and said, “Yes, this subject shall take his leave. Please rest well, Your Majesty. This subject shall hear your orders tomorrow.”
After that, Jin Fengju walked out of the garden in a daze. When he finally decided to look back, he found that he had long since left that courtyard and could no longer catch even a glimpse of the candlelight. Finally, he felt a little relieved.
There were guards at the gates and around the garden, of course, but Jin Ming had lured them away on some pretext due to the Emperor’s secret visit. Right now, he had to think of a way to keep those guards away. Otherwise, if a hint of information that the Emperor had visited, he could not atone for his sins even with a thousand deaths.
[Gumihou: The scene with the emperor was so hastily written that I had to guess at some things. Also, this was a chapter of lies and deceit. Fu Qiuning had no reason to lie (AR Qiuning would want to, if only to make sure JFJ still looks shiny in his kids’ eyes), hence Note [4]
[1] Natural children’s language. Anyway, did my best to avoid any weird speeches.
Look at this absolutely natural 6-year-old kid’s speech: The servants in the mansion say that she won’t come back, but when I asked Sister Yulu and Sister Qiuyu, they said she will definitely come back. Father, my sisters won’t let me ask you or Grandmother, but I’m really worried. What happened to my mother? Even Second Brother and Third Sister’s mother, although she was driven out that day, we knew she was in the village. Why can’t I know where my mother went?”
[2] Fu Qiuning’s reaction that is not ‘Ohmygawd, of course, your daddy’s the greatest!!!’
[3] Also, it is totally normal for other kids not to say anything at all while the awkwardness is happening. Nope. We are just dolls waiting to Make Dad Look Good here.
Yeah, no way.
[4] AR Qiuning was the one who made up the shitty lie. Why can’t it be Jin liar liar pants on fire Fengju? You know what, it totally can.
Especially since it is really, really, shitty/bad
[5] Gave Bai Lu a few extra IQ points because I can’t be arsed to ‘gasp where water from!!??’ for the 3rd time in the same chapter
[6] Deleted 150 words of pointless speculation that were just there to make AR Qiuning look vaguely intelligent
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