by Ning er
Catching her glance, Yun Yan’s face darkened. Her teeth biting on her lower lip, both of her hands that were pinching a handkerchief under her sleeves had firmly formed into fists……
Seeing that Yun Yan didn’t dare to speak out eventhough she was angry, Su Qing smiled coldly and continued speaking, “Moreover, even if Yun Yan is a xiaojie of the xiangfu, Liu yiniang‘s status is too low. Yun Yan also doesn’t stand out from the other upper-class young ladies in the capital, so I’m afraid that the younger generation of those noble clans won’t have interest to propose! So why not marry her to butler Zhao’s son? In the future, as family, butler Zhao will pour in even more effort when working for laoye!”
Her words sounded fair and reasonable while also presenting Su Qing as virtuous and generous, completely giving others the impression that she was the Missus in charge!
However, Su Qing‘s reasoning was not gapless……
Yun Qian Meng coldly looked at Yun Xuan Zhi who was now, just after a raging temper, calm and tranquil. Her lips curled into a bland smile and, fixing her eyes that looked as deep as a pond directly at Su Qing‘s excessively virtuous expression, she slowly said, “Su yiniang‘s words are confusing! Talking about age, Ruo Xue meimei has yet to be engaged, so when did it become san meimei‘s turn? Besides, Su yiniang‘s status in the xiangfu can’t be considered particularly noble either. So, based on your reasoning, Ruo Xue meimei who is also a shu daughter should also be married to butler Zhao’s son! Father, Meng’er is untalented, can’t understand Su yiniang‘s meaning!”
Yun Qian Meng words were like a slap in the face to Su Qing, both her and Yun Ruo Xue‘s expressions turned ugly!
Yet, Yun Ruo Xue‘s eyes hid an ominous glint. Wearing a cold smile, she retorted with an enigmatic air, “What are you saying, jiejie? Don’t forget, jiejie is now a person rejected by your fiancée! In this life, fancying the families of lords and officials can only be your own wishful thinking! Wouldn’t if be better if jiejie took Yun Yan’s place to marry butler Zhao’s son?!”
Finishing, as if taking joy in the other’s misfortune, the mother and daughter jeered at Yun Qian Meng. Mu Chun and others looked at the family’s young miss with concern, feeling detested by the malicious pair. Going so far as to joke about the most important thing in a girl’s life, if this was spread outside, it would damage the young miss’s reputation!
But Yun Qian Meng was too calm, causing Su Qing and Yun Ruo Xue‘s hearts, who were inwardly mocking her, to beat like a drum. As neither of them made any moves, Yun Qian Meng lightly opened her red lips, dully saying, “Don’t tell me, Su yiniang and er mei didn’t know that even father himself can’t make a decision regarding my marriage affairs! Furthermore, what is my identity, and what is er mei‘s identity? If the way you disrespect your di sister was known to outsiders, then no one in the capital would venture to seek er mei‘s hand in marriage!”
With her justification, even Yun Xuan Zhi who had planned to side with Yun Ruo Xue, could only inwardly glare at his blabbermouthed second daughter. He was just going to help her explain, but was unprepared for Yun Qian Meng‘s speed……
“Besides, what is father’s identity? Even a shu daughter has more more than enough status to become the legitimate wife of any number of lower-ranked officials! Father cannot, just to curry favor in the inner chamber, sacrifice the future happiness of san meimei! Look carefully at the so-called influential families in West Chu Guo, how many of them are connected by marriage? Father can’t not understand this principle, right?!” Yun Qian Meng‘s speech seemed obscure, but was in fact very alarming, momentarily awakened Yun Xuan Zhi!
Yun Xuan Zhi leaned over and sized up Yun Yan once more. He only found that his little daughter, although falling short of the dignified air of his oldest, had still become a rare elegant beauty. Besides, he only had these three daughters. If he didn’t make use of them well, then he might not be able to garner the support he needed in the future as easily!
Thinking this way, Yun Xuan Zhi‘s expression gradually turned heavy. His fierce eyes shot a penetrating glare at butler Zhao when he decided, “Butler Zhao, you shouldn’t daydream about this kind of thing! Properly take care of the yiniang and xiaojie, just manage your own tasks properly!”
Butler Zhao heard Yun Xuan Zhi utter this and knew in his heart that Yun Qian Meng‘s meddling had turned this matter into a lost cause. He could only swallow his hatred towards her and quietly answered, “Yes!”
Yun Yan and Liu yiniang couldn’t believe their ears. They didn’t think that Yun Qian Meng could repel Su Qing‘s attacks with only a few words, and easily changed Yun Xuan Zhi‘s way of thinking. Their eyes that were looking towards her momentarily filled with gratefulness……
Yet Su Qing and Yun Ruo Xue‘s expressions were very ugly. Su Qing had been in charge for so long, her words were already similar to an imperial edict within the xiangfu. She could not accept being overruled by Yun Qian Meng today; but because of Yun Xuan Zhi‘s judgement and verdict, she could only give up. Forcibly smiling to bow to Yun Xuan Zhi, she expressionlessly brought Yun Ruo Xue to return to the inner courtyard……
“Su yiniang, please wait!” Only, Yun Qian Meng pursued and didn’t let her leave, suddenly speaking to stop her exit……
Chapter 15: Taking away Su Qing's power | Chu Wang Fei
Glossary
妹妹 meimei – little sister, younger sister; can be added to names to show affection
姐姐 jiejie – elder sister, big sister; can be added to names to show respect or a close relationship
小姐 xiaojie – young miss; usually from a good family, but can be used to refer to any young girl
主子 zhuzi – the masters of the household;
姨娘 yiniang – concubine, not the legitimate wife; added to the end of the maternal name to show their (lower) status compared to the wife
奴才 nucai – slave servant
老爷 laoye, 相爷 xiangye – old master, master; the head of the house
(TL Note: Sorry, but I probably won’t be able to release more than one chapter every day this week……
