by Ning er
奴婢 nubi – slave servant girl; often used by servants speaking to their masters
夫人 furen – legitimate wife, missus;
小姐 xiaojie – young miss; usually from a good family, but can be used to refer to any young girl
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
“nubi greets da xiaojie!” After dinner, Mi mama was brought before Yun Qian Meng by Mu Chun.
At the moment, the room was very well-lit with candles in all four corners. Yet Yun Qian Meng was still studying the register, wearing the same pale-yellow garment from daytime and a yellow skirt that was embroidered with golden orchids. Her full head of fine black hair was lightly drawn in half, only adorned by a single orchid openwork jade hairpin. Her face was elegant like the moon; her eyes calm like water, as if able to see through everything. Mi mama who had encountered countless people actually momentarily forgot her etiquette and followed Yun Qian Meng‘s silhouette closely with her eyes, almost thinking that she was looking at the shadow of the previous furen……
Only, when furen had lived in this room, it didn’t look so crude and shabby!
If furen was watching in heaven and saw her living environment now, how broken-hearted would she feel?!
“Mi mama, have you already arranged everything for the servants?” Yun Qian Meng had noticed Mi mama‘s measuring gaze, but didn’t interrupt her. Instead, maintaining a natural expression as she looked through the register in her hands, she didn’t speak until she had reached the last page.
Hearing Yun Qian Meng‘s sudden question, Mi mama immediately retreated her melancholy and then lowered her eyes. She softly but respectfully replied, “Answering da xiaojie, everything has been properly arranged, da xiaojie has no need to worry!”
Appropriate response, proper posture and movements, all of these showed that Mi mama had once received very good training, allowing Yun Qian Meng to make an assured nod. She lightly placed the register on the table, but didn’t let it go from her long slender fingers. Tapping on the cover with a fine finger, Yun Qian Meng looked at Mi mama; her eyes that were like a smile yet not a smile hid an intelligence that was difficult to overlook!
“mama is an elderly from the fu, with you arranging these matters, I’m naturally reassured!” She maintained her severe gaze on Mi mama‘s half-lowered face, but found that she didn’t flinch, instead kept up an an ordinary expression. Yun Qian Meng couldn’t help but faintly show some praise in her eyes and continued, “Only, why did mama reenter the xiangfu? At mama‘s age, you should have returned to your village to retire and live in comfort!”
Hearing Yun Qian Meng ask her this, Mi mama slightly lowered her posture, somewhat frightened, and said, “Answering da xiaojie, nubi is from a poor family. What with living in comfort, as long as there is enough rice to eat, I will be more than satisfied! By chance, Liu yiniang said that the fu was in need of people, so nubi came here!”
Her words were half true and half lies, showing that Mi mama‘s attitude and manner of speech could be very convincing to others!
“Is that so? Liu yiniang is truly considerate!” However, at this kind of answer, Yun Qian Meng kept her indifferent expression!
She paused to take a sip of tea to moisten her throat, before she started speaking again, “It’s just that, now that you’ve entered my Qi Luo Yuan, I won’t permit any disloyalty! It doesn’t matter who recruited you, the one who lives in this Qi Luo Yuan is me, Yun Qian Meng! mama, can you remember this well?”
Her voice suddenly turned cold, causing Mi mama to shiver in her heart as she immediately responded, “This is of course! xiaojie can be reassured! nubi is not a person that will bite the hand that feeds!”
Seeing that her heart had some conscience, Yun Qian Meng nodded with satisfaction and finally got to the main point, “There’s one thing I don’t understand. Why did mama leave the fu in the past? Which zhuzi did you serve before this?”
When she heard Yun Qian Meng finally ask her this, Mi mama couldn’t bear it any longer. With a plop, she knelt on the floor, slightly lifting her aged face that was stricken with tears. Before she spoke, the sound of her shivering could be heard……
“xiaojie… xiaojie… nubi… nubi has sinned… xiaojie……” Her intermittent cries caused Yun Qian Meng to furrow her eyebrows. Signaling Mu Chun to shut the door, she motioned for Mi mama to rise.
But Mi mama heavily shook her head, and pushed away Mu Chun‘s supporting arm with one hand before she said, “xiaojie, nubi used to serve furen, and also received her grace! But… But at the time I was muddle-headed, and abandoned furen instead! xiaojie, please punish!”
Mi mama‘s wails didn’t evoke any pity from Yun Qian Meng. Instead, she retracted the little warmth that had appeared on her face and, looking directly at Mi mama with ice-cold eyes, said, “If that’s the case, Mi mama had better start explaining from the beginning!”
Mi mama lifted a hand to wipe her tears. She took a deep breath, steadied her emotions, then sadly said, “nubi was once a pozi that waited upon furen in the outer rooms. Two months before furen went into labor, nubi‘s son was crippled in a fight. That Su yiniang came to me and said that as long as nubi left the xiangfu, nubi‘s useless son would be saved! nubi for my child, ignored furen urging me to stay and left the xiangfu. Didn’t imagine, three moths later, furen passed away!”
As she spoke, Mi mama started to kowtow again and mumbled, “That year after nubi‘s husband passed away, if not for furen taking in nubi‘s family, how could we have lived for so long? But nubi, for my children, abandoned furen without care, didn’t even see furen one last time before she was gone!”
Hearing this, Yun Qian Meng recalled the records on the register, other than a Xia mama, the people by Yun furen‘s side all met with mishaps two or three months before she passed away. She suddenly realized that this chain of events, was most likely planned by Su Qing!
First, she got rid of all the people loyal to Yun furen, that way, she could easily act against her!
“Mi mama, do you know a Xia mama?” Recalling the person in the register, Yun Qian Meng asked.
“She was furen‘s wet nurse! I heard that after furen passed away, Xia mama went insane with grief!” Right now Mi mama regretted being unable to prove her loyalty to Yun Qian Meng. As long as she knew anything, she would not hide the slightest bit of information!
Yun Qian Meng saw that her forehead was already bleeding, then spoke, “Rise! What you said today, and your identity, must not be be known to others!”
“Yes, nubi understands! nubi came here this time, only to atone for my sins. nubi only wishes to be able give xiaojie a helping hand and absolutely won’t cause trouble for xiaojie!” Seeing that Yun Qian Meng was keeping her calm, Mi mama felt comforted and immediately restrained her sealed in heart many years of sadness. She tidied up her clothes and stood to the side.
Yun Qian Meng rised and walked to the window. Slightly lifting her head to look at the shining moon, she sorted out the information she had just learned.
Su Qing was able to control the life and death of the servants when Yun furen was still alive. This, if not with Yun Xuan Zhi‘s instigation, she wouldn’t have had the power to do so!
In that case, whether Yun furen‘s death was natural or intentional, the answer was already obvious!
But still, since Yun furen passed away prematurely, why did Su Qing allow Yun Qian Meng to stay alive until now?
It seems that Su Qing still had some fear towards the Empress Dowager and Fu Guo Gong Fu’s influence. After all, if Fu Guo Gong Fu’s di daughter and di grandchild met with accidents one after the other, they wouldn’t be willing to take things lying down. After a thorough investigation, there was no guarantee that they won’t find any traces or clues!
She can’t help but admit that Su Qing had both courage and cunning. She really did have a grasp on other people’s mindset!
Chapter 21: Picking a concubine for xiangye | Chu Wang Fei
Glossary
嬷嬷 mama – an older female servant
奴婢 nubi – slave servant girl; often used by servants speaking to their masters
老奴 laonu – old slave
丫头 yatou/ 丫鬟 yahuan – servant girl
妹妹 meimei – younger sister;
姐姐 jiejie – elder sister; can be added to names to show respect or a close relationship;
夫人 furen – legitimate wife, missus;
小姐 xiaojie – young miss; usually from a good family, but can be used to refer to any young girl
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
“furen, these days, san xiaojie has been diligently visiting Qi Luo Yuan! It looks like Liu yiniang is determined to side with da xiaojie!” Wang mama analyzed unkindly while lightly massaging Su Qing’s shoulders.
“Hmph, it’s best that they stick together. When the moment comes, I’ll take care of those sluts in one fell swoop!” Su Qing threw her embroidery onto the table and squinted her eyes, the corners of her mouth exhibiting a cold smile, “mama, did you manage to find those people?”
When Su Qing mentioned that, Wang mama immediately lowered her head and leaned closer to Su Qing’s ear before she whispered, “Don’t worry, furen! laonu has properly arranged everything! As soon as furen’s confinement ends, we can hit them when they are least prepared!”
“Mum, what are you both talking about?” Before Su Qing had time to respond, the cotton curtains at the door were pulled aside. Wearing a full set of winter clothes, Yun Ruo Xue angrily stormed unannounced into the room!
“My xiaojie, such a cold day, why didn’t you stay in your own room? If you were to catch a cold, then it won’t be good!” As a draft of cold air entered the warm room, Wang mama hurriedly went to support Yun Ruo Xue and poured her a cup of hot tea to let her warm up her body.
Seeing that Yun Ruo Xue’s small face didn’t look rosy as before, Su Qing tenderly pulled her tiny hands and enclosed them in her own palms to warm them. She shot a fierce glare at the few servants behind Yun Ruo Xue and coldly scolded them, “You should know that it’s cold out. Why didn’t you prepare a warming stove for xiaojie? If xiaojie is nipped by the cold, can you shoulder the responsibility?”
The few servants, frightened by Su Qing’s query, immediately kneeled on the floor, not daring to speak up or beg for forgiveness!
When Yun Ruo Xue saw her own servants’ cowardly expressions, the anger displayed on her face increased. She said unhappily, “What are you expecting from them? When I got grounded for a few days, they’re secretly thinking about how to mock me in their hearts!”
After she spoke, she glared fiercely at the shaking figures of the scared servants!
Wang mama saw that both her zhuzi were angry and quickly moved beside the servants, slapping each of them once. She then scolded, “What are you still doing here? Get out and serve!”
After getting beaten and scolded, they felt extremely wronged, but, they didn’t dare to utter a sound and only silently stood up to hurriedly leave.
“Mum, I heard some servants gossiping that Qi Luo Yuan just recently gained a lot of new servants!” Now that only her mother and Wang mama were left in the room, Yun Ruo Xue grumbled with disatisfaction, “What’s so special about that Yun Qian Meng? That kind of person who was born under an unlucky star, does she really need so many people to serve her? Isn’t she pushing her luck too much?”
Still complaining, Yun Ruo Xue lifted the teacup off the table and took a few thirsty gulps!
Su Qing was naturally happy to see her own daughter. She held out a hand to stroke the hair that had fallen beside Yun Ruo Xue’s ears and said, “Let her be happy for a few days! Watch how mother will get revenge for you!”
Finishing, Su Qing’s eyes revealed an ominous glint. Yun Ruo Xue, who saw this, went wild with joy. Immediately throwing aside her teacup, she burrowed into Su Qing’s bosom and coyly said, “Mum, could it be that you already have a plan? Let me know so that I can share the happinees!”
Hugging Yun Ruo Xue, Su Qing’s vicious expression slightly dissipated, replaced with a faintly gentle smile. Patting Yun Ruo Xue’s back with one hand, she softly said, “Your mum and Wang mama have prepared some presents for Qi Luo Yuan, only afraid that they don’t have the courage to accept!”
When Yun Ruo Xue heard the word presents, her faintly smiling face turned gloomy. She somewhat angrily pushed away Su Qing’s hug and said with an awkward expression, “After she treated us like that, mum still wants to send her presents? Mum, you can’t really be scared of her, right? The Empress Dowager might be her maternal aunt, but our Su family aren’t vegetarians either! You should know, on my way here, I saw from a distance that Liu yiniang was bringing a dozen or more pretty young girls to Qi Luo Yuan! Say, what’s the meaning of her sending people there all the time?”
Hearing this, Su Qing exchanged a look with Wang mama and couldn’t help but feel curious. Obviously, quite a few people had just been added to Qi Luo Yuan. Why was Liu Han Yu sending people to Yun Qian Meng again in just a few days?
Thinking carefully about this, Su Qing grimly asked, “Xue’er, did you see clearly? Were there any pozi mixed in?”
Yun Ruo Xue saw that Su Qing was serious and momentarily forgot her own anger. Carefully recalling what she saw just now, she confirmed, “All of them were yatou, even more so, they were personally brought to Qi Luo Yuan by Liu yiniang! Mum, is something wrong?”
Yet Su Qing only smiled without answering, her gentle eyes flashing with a viper-like killing intent. Pulling Yun Ruo Xue over, she explained closely to her ears……
“da xiaojie, nubi is here to pay respects!” Before the person could even be seen, her voice resounded!
Liu yiniang was wearing a violet-red cloak, both her hands hidden in snow white rabbit-fur mittens. With an escort of many servant girls, she ignored the cold and advanced to Yun Qian Meng’s pavilion at a fast pace.
Fang mama and Bai mama who were serving outside immediately pulled the door curtains aside and let Liu yiniang enter. Instead, Mi mama, who was inside, took her coat and carefully hung it at one side.
“Has da xiaojie been well these days?” Liu yiniang asked cheerfully as she bowed towards the slightly reclined Yun Qian Meng.
Yun Qian Meng put away her book and looked at Liu yiniang’s glowing face with watery eyes before she laughed lightly, “yiniang came, please sit! Such a cold day, even I am feeling lazy. Perhaps only yiniang can be so diligent!”
Liu Han Yu sat down with a smile and earnestly sized up Yun Qian Meng’s appearance. Looking at her snow-white skin, both cheeks glowing with a faint red blush, she could see that Yun Qian Meng was now living quite well. Relieved, Liu Han Yu then said, “The color of xiaojie’s face is much better than before! Only, winter is coming. nubi saw that da xiaojie’s clothes are already old, so I decided to get the Jiangnan tailors to send some people over to take your measurements in the next few days and make a few extra sets of winter clothes! laoye actually also cares for xiaojie and let nubi pick a few healthful goods from the storehouse to send over, to let xiaojie nourish your body!”
As she spoke, one of her servants quietly went out. After just a moment, a few pozi carried in a wooden box and opened it to reveal that it was completely filled with ginseng and other nourishing items!
Liu yiniang immediately stood up and picked up the various items as she eagerly explained them to Yun Qian Meng!
Smiling while she looked at the things Liu yiniang held, Yun Qian Meng understood. This Liu yiniang was also a clever person, shortly within a week or so, she had managed to rein in Yun Xuan Zhi’s temper and his habits. Otherwise, how could she easily take things out from the store
house? The only thing was that she couldn’t compete at Su Qing’s level!
Still, seeing Liu yiniang tout the benefits of those valuable items, Yun Qian Meng knew that that she had more than just one reason when she came over to visit!
Giving Mi mama a look, Yun Qian Meng smiled and interrupted Liu Han Yu, “Walking all the way here, Liu yiniang must be tired, have some tea to drink first!”
Liu Han Yu knew that Yun Qian Meng had already seen through the fact that she had other business and put the items down. Smiling as she sat, she swept a measuring gaze across the people in the room, before she finally said, relieved, “da xiaojie, coming today, nubi has some matters to discuss with you!”
Yun Qian Meng took a sip of tea, then slowly lifted her eyes and smiled, “What matters?”
Liu yiniang slightly stretched forward. Her charming face leaned close to Yun Qian Meng, but her eyes turned to look towards the door, “da xiaojie, the fu only has two people, nubi and Su yiniang, to serve xiangye. With only you and two other xiaojie, it’s hard for the fu to avoid appearing empty! nubi thinks, should it be good to let xiangye receive a few more concubines?”
Finishing, Liu Han Yu’s lovely and gentle eyes somewhat nervously looked directly at Yun Qian Meng……
Yet Yun Qian Meng only grasped a thin handkerchief to wipe the tea stains on the edges of her lips and calmly asked, “Is yiniang sincere about this?”
Chapter 22: Reminding Liu yiniang | Chu Wang Fei
Glossary
嬷嬷 mama – an older female servant
奴婢 nubi – slave servant girl; often used by servants speaking to their masters
夫人 furen – legitimate wife, missus;
嫡 di – related to the first wife, the children born of the first wife have higher standing
小姐 xiaojie – young miss; usually from a good family, but can be used to refer to any young girl
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
