When Yun Xuan Zhi heard Yun Qian Meng’s intentions to go to Bai Shun Tang, he hastily handed Su Qing to w.a.n.g mama and stood up to follow “Let father go with you!”
Yun Qian Meng could guess why he wanted to go but she remained silent. She swept one final cold look at Su Qing then left Feng He Yuan with Yun Xuan Zhi!
They had not yet stepped into Bai Shun Tang when they heard sounds of merriment bubbling out from within. It made Yun Xuan Zhi brows furrow into a fierce expression, his body turned frigid. He didn’t wait for the pozi standing outside to announce their arrival but immediately entered the room!
When the xiaojie in the room saw Yun Xiang enter they immediately stopped their lively chatter and got up to properly greet him. Yun Xuan Zhi changed his previously cold expression into an elegant smile approached the old madam with a refined air, warmly greeting her: “Erzi greets mother! Every xiaojie can relax!”
The old madam saw how Yun Xuan Zhi had barged in unannounced and felt very displeased. Today’s visitors were all well-bred ladies, how could Yun Xuan Zhi forget the proper etiquette between gentlemen and ladies and charge in without permission? Who would still care to visit the xiangfu after this?
Before the old madam’s anger could erupt, a melodious voice called out “Sunnu greets zumu!”
Everyone stared as Yun Qian Meng’s elegant figure walked towards the old madam. She knelt on the soft cus.h.i.+on Mi mama hadhastily brought out and kowtowed three times in greeting. Then stood up with a smile!
The old madam never expected Yun Qian Meng to return to the xiangfu this day and was at a loss for words. Yun Yi Yi walked forward with a smile and warmly pulled Yun Qian Meng’s hand “It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, dajiejie! Has da jiejie’s body recovered well?”
At these words, the honored xiaojies in the room stared at Yun Qian meng in astonishment!
But Yun Qian Meng’s expression did not change, instead she smiled in a not fussy way. Her clear bright eyes looked at Yun Yi Yi who was daringly acting like the da xiaojie of the xiangfu, and said gently “Thank you meimei for your concern! While jiejie was in Fu Guo Gong Fu she missed you and zumu very much. So I pleaded with Laotaijun to let me go home! But, it’s been so long since I have seen meimei, I feel that meimei has grown to be even more dazzling!”
Hearing Yun Qian Meng’s reply, a look of unhappiness flashed across the old madam’s eyes. Even Yun Yi Yi’s smiling face froze!
Yun Qian Meng had just told everybody present that Yun Yi Yi was wholly engrossed in her own affairs and didn’t care about the other sisters in the house. This kind of cold person would not make a good friend!
The other xiaojie also understood Yun Qian Meng’s meaning, the looks they gave Yun Yi Yi were no longer affectionate, those pairs of smiling eyes gradually showed estrangement. Yun Yi Yi inwardly clenched her teeth lest she flare up on the spot!
“Now that you’re back, you should go to Qi Luo Yuan to rest first! Such a hot summer day, why did you come here first? Be careful in this hot weather, you’re still the one who was unwell!” The old madam saw Yun Yi Yi’s defeated expression and coldly replied!
“Does mother still now know that Meng’r has filial piety? This child, when she dismounted from the carriage, immediately announced her intention to visit zumu, she hasn"t even had lunch, she urgently came!” Yun Xuan Zhi wouldn’t let the old madam bully Yun Qian Meng, and replied with smile!
When the honorable ladies saw the Yun family reunion, they quickly got up and said their goodbyes. This made the old madam feel very resentful. Now there were no outsiders left watching them, she need not trouble herself with fake smiles, she simply closed her eyes and rubbed her prayer beads in agitation.
In the face of the old madam’s coldness, Yun Qian Meng seemed unconcerned, she took a seat beside Yun Xuan Zhi and quietly waited for the old madam to speak!
But Yun Yi Yi who was on the side was itching to hear about Yun Qian Meng’s life for the past couple of months. Especially about the incident in Hai w.a.n.gfu which had been the talk of all the other fus for a while now. Yun Yi Yi was incredibly curious, after all, zumu had her heart set on Yun Yi Yi marrying into Chu w.a.n.gfu. She could not allow Yun Qian Meng to come out and take her place as Chu w.a.n.g Fei!
“Meimei must be very curious about what happened in the banquet. Next time jiejie will bring you!” Yun Qian Meng could guess that Yun Yi Yi was thinking about the banquet, and smilingly said this. Yun Yi Yi immediately wrapped her arms around her neck in a carefree manner!
When the old madam heard Yun Qian Meng’s promise, her shuttered eyes slowly opened. The anger in her face slowly dissipated. She looked at Yun Qian Meng with a trace of satisfaction, thinking that this grandaughter still had some redeeming qualities, and wasn’t the petty, miserly type. With a tone of voice that eased the tension she said to Yun Yi Yi “Child, you are too preoccupied in your happiness, you forgot to thank your da jiejie!”
The old madam was in a good mood now but Yun Xuan Zhi was still very unhappy. He could clearly see through the old madam’s tricks. If Meng’r had not spoken up and relented, the old madam would not have paid any attention to her!
Doesn’t the the old madam see that she was being very greedy? If Yun Yi Yi were to attend that kind of banquet at her current status, would it not cause the xiangfu to lose face? Would it not make people think that the xiangfu had no other people to send that he would have to send a niece to make up for it?
Moreover, on the matter of the banquet in Hai w.a.n.gfu, did they really think that they would be able to partic.i.p.ate just because they wanted to? Those blueblooded n.o.bles sent the invitation specifically inviting the xiaojie of every house. Back in Gu laotaijun’s birthday feast, it was an exception because they were relatives, so there were no qualms about Yun Yi Yi’s partic.i.p.ation. The old lady treated other people’s politeness as her own good fortune. She always thought of herself as a popular person!
Seeing the old madam and Yun Yi Yi being excited, Yun Xuan Zhi smiled faintly “Mother, Meng’r can’t make promises about this type of thing! This yatou is very kind, she saw that Yi Yi really wanted to go so she made this promise. But every fu’s invitation is very strict with guest counts, how can we all be able to attend these events? But mother has been away from the capital for many years and must now be unfamiliar with all these courtesies!”
Yun Xuan Zhi said these words without taking his mother’s feelings into consideration. Since she showed indifference on the matter of the yiniang’s miscarriage, Yun Xuan Zhi had completely given up reconciling with her. He did not care to regain the affection of his mother. Besides, the children of his mother’s favorite son was now under his care. Already so kind and generous, he can’t use both of his hands to give the entire estate of the prime minister!
When she heard Yuan Xuan Zhi say this her heart turned cold, the old madam’s heart suddenly sank. Her expression turned gloomy. She glared at Yun Xuan Zhi with eyes full of malice and did not say anything for a long time. Yun Xuan Zhi returned the gaze with a dark expression. Mother and son held their wordless battle between their eyes!
Yun Qian Meng could see that the situation was very tense, and stood up to bow before the two, “Zumu, father, Meng’r is feeling the hot weather so will return to Qui Luo Yuan!”
The two people cast her a sidelong glance and their expressions slightly improved. The tense atmosphere gradually subsided, Yun Xuan Zhi nodded, and said with concern “Recover well in Qi Luo Yuan, if you lack anything ask for it from Liu yiniang!”
Yun Qian Meng meekly nodded and turned around to withdraw from Bai Shun Tang. Mi mama cheerfully met her outside and put up a green parasol over her head to protect Yun Qian Meng’s skin from the blazing sun. Then Yun Qian Meng along with her two servants quickly made their way to Qi Luo Yuan!
When Yun Qian Meng had left, the old madam sent Yun Yi Yi away to her own Qiu Bi room, only leaving behind Rui mama as a trusted confidante. Then she opened her mouth to say coldly to Yun Xuan Zhi “The way I see it, son, you don’t seem to be welcoming the four of us zusun to the xiangfu.
On hearing the old madam’s threatening tone, Yun Xuan Zhi smiled elegantly and replied “What does mother mean? Are you angry because of erzi’s words just now? But erzi’s words were the truth, it is best for mother to learn the truth as early as possible!”
But Yun Xuan Zhi’s words were only met with a cold look from the old madam. Right now she was rubbing her prayer beads in anger. If it weren’t for her consideration of Yun Xuan Zhi’s status as prime minister, she would long have thrown the prayer beads at him!
The old madam continued to furiously turn the prayer beads in her hands, then she opened her mouth to say “Your didi has no gongming to his name, I only desire for those three children to have good futures! They are not like Meng’r and her sisters who have the advantage of having a prime minister as a father, and with the backing of an influential waizufu! What reason do you have to take out your anger on them who do not deserve it? It doesn’t seem like you, the prime minister, can’t put a s.h.i.+p into your stomach. Even your own nephews and nieces you can’t seem to contain.
TLN: Inside the stomach means being able to tolerate or be open minded.
The old madam said these heartfelt words, and a pa.s.sionate expression of distress. If this were the old Yun Xuan Zhi he would have been moved by the old madam’s earnest plea!
But today’s Yun Xuan Zhi had thoroughly given up on the old madam!
When the old madam had sent away the people Liu Han Yu’s messengers out of Bai Shun Tang, didn’t she realize that the child in Hua yiniang’s belly was also his!
But on the pretense of a ridiculous reason, she had looked on the with indifference at the dispute in his yuan and inadvertently caused him to lose his child!
And now the old madam was still only thinking of her second son’s children. A cold smile slowly formed on Yun Xuan Zhi’s face. He stood up and said in an icy voice “Mother if you have no other things to do next time, remain in Bai Shun Tang and dutifully chant prayers for Buddha! If the xiangfu intended to invited xiajie of other fu, I will personally tell Liu yinyniang to send formal invitations! Mother need not privately invited them over, or it may be said that xiangfu has impropriety!”
After he said this, Yun Xuan Zhi did not even look at the old madam’s expression. Without saying his farewells he left Bai Shun Tang, and with a stern voice commanded Captain Liu to have people watch Bai Shun Tang, so that today’s incidents wouldn’t happen again!
The old madam glared at the cruelly with slitted eyes at the beaded curtain Yun Xuan Zhi had swung with strength. A hand clutched tightly at a pain on her chest and the other forcefully slapped the table as she cried out in a loud voice, “Unfilial son, he makes me so angry! Unfilial son…”
Rui mama also did not expect today’s Yun Xuan Zhi to act so unusually. When she saw the old madam’s angry expression, she quickly tried to console her and said comfortingly “Old madam must not get angry! You and the xiangye are mother and son, how can can let your relations.h.i.+p be damaged by a verbal quarrel? Today Hua yiniang lost a child, xiangye must feel very sorrowful, old madam must show empathy for him!”
But it was better if Rui mama had not spoken at all. At her words, the old madam’s anger flared up once again, and she quickly stood up and pointed angrily at the door “He also does not consider by status if he expects me to stoop down to manage the fate of some yiniang. This time he clearly looked down upon his own mother! In those days I carried him for ten months before I could bear him, it was with great difficulty that I acquired for him the marriage with Fu Guo Gong Fu! But now that he has benefitted from it all, to win success will only lead to a falling out between you and the other person! It’s not suprising that he has so many yiniang yet he still does not have a son!”
After cursing, the old madam calmed down a little, and sat down once more. She pondered over Yun Xuan Zhi’s words, her eyes suffused with coldness, and immediately called Rui mama and commanded “Later go to Qiu Bi Room to tell Yi Yi, tell her to go to Qi Luo Yuan and make lots of contact with her da jiejie, it will be very beneficial for her!
Rui mama saw the old madam make such a command, thought about how just a moment ago the xiaojie they invited had looked at Yun Qian Meng with disdain, and said anxiously “Old madam, da xiaojie had had an engagement cancelled, if we left si xiaojie get close to da xiaojie, afraid that it would affect si xiaojie’s reputation negatively!”
But after Rui mama said these word it made the old madam glare at her with a hateful expression “What do you know? Don’t you see that Yun Qian Meng after having her engagement broken off has been so fortunate as to have Chu w.a.n.g fu and Rong fu’s favor? Beside, if I make Yi Yi go, a wine lover’s heart is not in the cup (having an ulterior motive), if she doesn’t go, how will she ever see Chu xiang or Chu w.a.n.g at all? Moreover, if they meet together in their own xiangfu as sisters, Yun Xuan Zhi can’t say any more about it!”
After saying this, the old madam smiled mysteriously. Now that he treated her as a someone evil that must be guarded, then she will see how he could guard his own home!
In Qi Luo Yuan, Mi mama hastily entered the room and saw that Yun Qian Meng had just finished her bath. She whispered in her ear “Xiaojie,xiangye has ordered Captian Liu to post guard around Bai Shun Tang!”
Hearing this, Yun Qian Meng hand combing her hair did not cease in the least bit, on copper mirror flashed a smile like the breaking of a lotus flower (surpa.s.singly beautiful) “Is that so? It looks like today’s incidents upset father very much!”
She said some things to create an argument between the mother and son because she already knew they had conflict between them, and this caused a big reaction from Yun Xuan Zhi. It looks like the old madam had collected the sesame seeds but let go of the watermelon! (to let go of the prize while grabbing at trifles).
At this moment, Mu Chun entered the room and bowed to Yun Qian Meng in greeting then spoke “Xiaojie, Rong gongzi has sent two yatou over to wait on you!”
Mi mama immediately looked at the copper mirror and met eyes with Yun Qian Meng, and spoke for her “Let them enter!”
Mu Chun left to follow the command and soon came in with two yatou of around fifteen or sixteen years of age. When they saw Yun Qian Meng’s unpowdered but refined and elegant face, they eyes showed that they were taken aback by her breathtaking beauty, then they respectfully greeted her “Nubi Ying Xia, Yuan Dong, greets xiaojie!”
Chu w.a.n.g fei - Princess Consort Chu
Qi Luo Yuan - YQM’s residence
Erzi - son
Zumu - paternal grandmother
yiniang - concubine
Xiangye - minister
Xiangfu - minister’s residence
Gongzi - son of a lord or n.o.bleman
Fu - mansion, official residence
Translated by: korezmi