In the dead of night, Ming JingZhou helped Shen-shi take off her hairpin: “Wife, when JiuZhu entered the Palace a few days ago, did she suffer any grievance?”
Shen-shi shook her head: “She looked very happy when she came back, so I didn’t ask any more questions. Presumably, she got along quite well with Su Guifei.”
Su Guifei had received favor for many years; it was not easy to get along with her, given her temper. Now that JiuZhu’s marriage with Chen Wang was set in stone, she hoped that JiuZhu would obtain Guifei’s liking.
“I don’t know who enticed our daughter into thinking that Chen Wang is a rarely-found good person in the world…”
“Maybe it’s Su Guifei?” Shen-shi walked to the bed and sat down, sighing softly: “JiuZhu has a simple personality. Since Su Guifei can make His Majesty favor her alone for such a long time, I’m afraid coaxing JiuZhu probably was merely a matter of a few words for her.”
Saying this, Shen-shi frowned slightly: “Is there really no leeway left for persuading His Majesty?”
Ming JingZhou arranged the quilt and laid down with Shen-shi: “The Imperial astronomer has already started to make calculations for finding an auspicious day for the wedding. There is no possibility of turning around this matter.”
“The Sun family’s guniang was already settled to marry Chen Wang. If it wasn’t for those rumors that she went boating in the lake with Qi Wang, our family’s JiuZhu wouldn’t have to marry that devil incarnate.” Parents were often unreasonable when it came to defending their child. Shen-shi was reluctant to let her daughter marry Chen Wang, so she even blamed the Sun family’s guniang.
Knowing that his wife was saying this in a moment of anger, Ming JingZhou did not refute it. A smart man, whether he approved it or not, would never act as a sensible person with noble character when his wife was grumbling about others. Otherwise, they’d have to pay a disastrous price.
Women were the best teachers who taught men how to bow, submit or stand tall1Bow, submit or stand tall [能屈能伸] – This is an idiom from the ‘Book of Changes’ which means flexible / ready to give and take..
JiuZhu didn’t know that her parents were lying in bed, anxious over the matter of her marriage. She lay on the windowsill, looking up at the stars in the night sky and wondering what her two masters were doing at the moment.
Were they arguing about who should wash the dishes, or were they admiring the full moon?
The day she left, Sixth Brother left enough silver notes; they should not be short of money anymore.
“Young Miss.” ChunFen stood outside the window with a lantern and reminded in a low voice, “The autumn night is cool, you should rest a bit earlier tonight. You still have to climb the mountain to see far with Madam tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry, Sister ChunFen. Climbing a mountain is a trivial matter.” JiuZhu raised her chin proudly: “Let alone climbing a mountain, even if it’s the matter of climbing a tree, it’s not a problem.”
The Daoist temple she was brought up in was located deep in the mountain with trees all around. Usually, when she had nothing to do or she just didn’t want to study, she would secretly climb to the top of the mountain, enjoy the sunrise and sunset, and listen to the songs of the birds.
“I know that climbing a mountain will certainly not be an issue to the Young Miss.” ChunFen explained with a smile: “Sleeping early can make your complexion better. Other families’ guniangs will also be there tomorrow. It will be the first time Young Miss meets them. You cannot be outdone by them in complexion and appearance. “
JiuZhu rubbed her cheeks. The people of the capital were incredibly odd; they were so particular about everything even while climbing a mountain.
“Sister ChunFen, it’s boring to compare with others ah.” JiuZhu sniffled, drew the cloak that was draped over her body closer. It was a bit cold at night.
ChunFen laughed. She put down the lantern and reached out to help JiuZhu tidy up the cloak: “Young Miss, you are the future Chen Wangfei. As long as you occupy the position in the future, countless people will pay attention to you.”
“If I lose face, will Chen Wang be humiliated too?” JiuZhu obediently stretched her neck out to make it easier for the ChunFen to tidy up her cloak.
ChunFen’s movements paused for a moment. She didn’t know what Chen Wang looked like, but based on Chen Wang’s reputation in the capital, perhaps he wouldn’t care what her Young Miss did.
As an outrageous prince who named his cricket “General ChangSheng” and his dog “General Zhen’an2General Zhen’an [镇安将军] – Zhen’an (镇安) means to defend and calm down. So General Zhen’an is someone who stabilizes the country. What’s with this weird obsession with generals, hm, ML? xD“, why would he care about losing face?
“Sister ChunFen, I’m going to bed now. You should also go back to your room to rest early.” JiuZhu retracted her head into the window. But before ChunFen could respond, she stuck her little head out again: “Sweet dreams oh.”
ChunFen smiled and shook her head. But when she thought how her good Young Miss was about to marry Chen Wang and suffer countless grievances, the raised corners of her mouth drooped down again.
Mount FeiXia was located on the east of the Imperial Garden. During the Double Ninth Festival’s custom of ‘standing high and seeing far’3T/N: The Double Ninth Festival [重阳节] or the ChongYang Festival is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar year. On this day, people climb to higher grounds [登高望远] to avoid epidemics that have been passed down from a long time ago. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called the ‘Height Ascending Festival’. Read here for more info: www.chineseclass101.com. the Imperial family would dispatch troops to guard this place to protect people who came here to climb the mountain.
On this day, both the nobles and civilians could come here to see the view.
The Ming family’s carriage stopped at the foot of Mount FeiXia. JiuZhu touched the cornelian sachet at her waist and followed Shen-shi to get off the carriage.
At the foot of the mountain, some people made floral hoops with cornelian branches for sale, and some people sold silk handkerchiefs embroidered with cornel. Overall, the atmosphere there was bustling with noise and excitement.
When children gathered around the carriages of the nobles to sell cornelian branches, more or less everyone bought a few branches without being stingy. Those children, after getting the money, said a few auspicious words and left in high spirits.
JiuZhu also bought a few cornelian bracelets and gave them to Shen-shi and the maidservants who accompanied them.
The sight of the brilliant red cornelian cherries faintly discernible when wrapped around their wrists, was quite pretty.
JiuZhu twirled her wrist gently. Suddenly, a gust of wind came and blew her cloak onto her face.
“Greetings, Your Highness, Qi Wang.”
“Madam Shen doesn’t need to be too courteous.” Qi Wang smiled humbly and helped Shen-shi up. He was born beautiful, but when he smiled, he seemed even more graceful: “The weather and the scenery are both good today. Madam Shen and your honored daughter should appreciate the sight slowly.”
After pulling down the cloak from her face, JiuZhu didn’t have enough time to see what the other person looked like before she followed her mother to bow down to her knees and pay her respect.
“Your Highness is right.” Shen-shi smiled lightly: “Chenfu’s4Chenfu [臣妇] – Means “this subject/official’s wife”. daughter has just returned to the capital, so chenfu wants to show her more of the capital’s views. His Majesty is wise and just, so the country is prosperous, and the capital is full of such pleasant sights. She is curious about everything she sees, letting His Highness witness an absurd scene.”
“Among us brothers, only the fifth brother is best at appreciating the scenery.” Qi Wang turned his attention to JiuZhu: “When your esteemed daughter…”
The girl in the goose-yellow dress raised her head and looked at him with her innocent eyes brimming with curiosity.
“This girl greets His Highness and Madam Shen.”
Qi Wang looked at the person who came, and nodded slightly: “Miss Sun.”
With a bashful attitude, Sun CaiYao bowed slightly towards Qi Wang.
JiuZhu looked at Qi Wang, and then at this Miss Sun, who had walked straight to this side after getting off the carriage. Immediately, she realized that this was so-called “knitting the eyebrows basfully in hopes that the lord will know his concubine’s intentions”.
“Chenfu’s footsteps are slow. His Highness, Miss Sun, please forgive us for taking a step ahead.” Shen-shi knew the facts so she acted tactfully. Qi Wang and Sun family’s Young Miss were betrothed, so they must want to exchange their whispers of affection. They, these outsiders, shouldn’t poke their noses around any longer.
“Madam, please feel free.” Qi Wang smiled warmly.
As Sun CaiYao looked at Ming JiuZhu’s departing figure, her pearly white teeth bit the side of her lips lightly. She lowered her head, striving to hide all the emotions in her eyes.
“Mother.” JiuZhu supported Shen-shi by her arm and whispered, “Miss Sun’s gaze seems a bit strange when she looked at me.”
Shen-shi sneered: “A few months ago, His Majesty intended to marry Miss Sun to Chen Wang. Unfortunately, Miss Sun and Qi Wang have long in love. How could His Majesty let a woman, who had another person in her heart, get married to Chen Wang? Without any better option, he had to change his mind and let Miss Sun marry Qi Wang.”
“So that’s how it is.” JiuZhu nodded, suddenly understanding the matter.
“What do you have in mind?” Shen-shi looked at her daughter.
Have in mind?
JiuZhu said hesitantly: “Miss Sun and Qi Wang… are a good match?”
Shen-shi: “……”
Yes, she was wrong. She shouldn’t have opened her mouth.
Instead, she should start thinking about how lucky it’d be if her daughter, after getting married into the Imperial family, doesn’t suffer in the hands of her sister-in-law. She must have obtained this frank and straightforward temperament from her dad.
Along the way, when people came to chat with Shen-shi from time to time, almost everyone sized her up from head to toe with a gaze that indicated they were looking at rare object.
If she charged them a fee for staring, the money she earned could fill her purse to the brim.
After finally climbing to the pavilion halfway up the mountain with great difficulty, Shen-shi met some madams she was familiar with and sat together, sipping tea and chatting. JiuZhu sat next to her with a smile, nodding her sometimes, but her heart had already flown to the top of the mountain; just like a sparrow flying towards the top branch of a tree.
“The madams and I will be staying back here to have tea and refreshments. You can go to the mountain top and help us pick a few branches of the freshest cornelian cherries.” Shen-shi looked at her daughter. JiuZhu’s was sitting obediently but her feet were occasionally moving here and there. She said with a smile: “Little girls have good physical strength so its natural that I leave this task to you.”
“Okay.” JiuZhu stood up and blessed herself: “Mother and the madams, please wait a moment, JiuZhu will be right back.”
After speaking, she lifted her skirt with her hands and trotted out of the pavilion.
The madamd looked at JiuZhu’s figurr and said with emotion, “Your honored daughter’s appearance is really excellent.”
It was the person she was going to marry that was not ideal.
“Sisters praise her wrongly. She ah, she still has the temperament of a child.” Shen-shi pursed her lips and chuckled: “As an elder, I only hope that she is healthy and stronger than anything else.”
The madams also nodded, which parent did not hope that their child would be free from illness and accidents, and everything would go well in their life?
ChunFen knew that her Young Miss could climb mountains, but she never imagined that she could climb so well. She panted, sitting down on the ground, forgetting to even keep up appearances.
She looked at her Young Miss again. The latter’s face was neither red nor was she panting; it was as if nothing was out of place at this moment.
“Sister ChunFen, sit and rest for a while. I’ll go pluck the cornelian.” JiuZhu took off the cloak hanging from her arms and stuffed it into the ChunFen’s hands. She shook her head and sighed, “Sister ChunFen, you are too weak.”
ChunFen: “……”
Young Miss, please realize the fact that it’s not that I’m weak but it’s you who’s physical strength is too much!
The cornelian tree was not at all tall. The custers of the red fruits hanging from the branches created a beautiful and conspicuous sight. JiuZhu easily climbed the tree and plucked the branch having reddest and most beautiful cornelian cherry.
“Little girl, it’s you again.”
JiuZhu moved the branched and looked down. It was the purple-robed gongzi she had seen last time she went out. Today, he was wearing a black and red red brocade robe against which his face look like a piece of white jade.
He looked up at JiuZhu and pointed to the cornelian branch beside her: “Can you help me pluck that branch off?”
“This branch?” JiuZhu stretched out her hand and tried breaking it. With a loud snap, the branch with the thickness of her thumb was easily broken by her: “Stand further away. I will throw it down to you.”
Looking at the neat crack on the cornelian branch, Chen Wang silently took a few steps back.
The cornelian branch hit the ground with a swoosh.
A strong gust of autumn wind came, swaying the tree heavily. It looked extremely dangerous. Chen Wang walked under the tree again: “Little girl, get down from the tree.”
“What?” The wind made the branches rattle, so JiuZhu couldn’t hear that the other party said. She simply stepped on the branch and jumped down, swatting the dirt from her palm: “What did you say just now?”
Chen Wang: “……”
Whose family’s reckless child was this, doing things like this?
The wind stopped and faintly audible voices of several men came to their ears.
“Sun family’s Young Miss has good luck. She will be going to marry His Highness Qi Wang.”
“On the contrary, Ming family’s guniang is unfortunate. She was raised in LingZhou, far from her parents, since she was a child. She barely returned to the capital when she was betrothed to Chen Wang. I heard that after this young lady returned to capital, she didn’t leave home for a full month but in the end, she could not escape the fate of marrying Chen Wang.”
“You guys should stop. If you are heard by Chen Wang’s men, you will be in serious trouble. Who doesn’t know that Chen Wang seeks revenge over the smallest thing on top of being fierce and unreasonable.”
“Tch!“
“Humph!”
After Chen Wang snorted, he looked at JiuZhu who started rolling up her sleeves: “Little girl, what are you snorting for?”
JiuZhu continued to roll up her sleeves and walked towards the direction from where the voiced came from.
“Ai!” Chen Wang reached out and grabbed the little girl’s back collar: “What are you going to do?”
“To fight!”
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