Chapter 360.2: Escalating Conflict
Jing Wan looked to n.o.ble Consort Su. Such obvious incitement of disharmony, even expressing that she will back the two of them, telling them that they didn’t need to be scared of Jing Wan, this master, even more or less letting them go against her. These, Jing Wan actually all didn’t care about. What she cared about was n.o.ble Consort Su repeatedly saying ‘Yuan’er’s children’, and ‘quickly give birth to children for her foster son’. When she was saying these, did she not have the least bit of guilty conscience, not feeling ashamed in the slightest?
(T/N: These last two lines pretty much heavily imply what n.o.ble Consort Su has done to LHY, although this bit has been hinted at quite a lot in s.)
In reality, Jing Wan only saw on her ‘sincerity’, seemingly genuinely hoping to be able to hold her foster son’s child sooner, not having anything to do with Jing Wan. Jing Wan grew cold inside. This woman, how can she just be this scary?
“Old six’s wife, say, is this consort’s words correct?” n.o.ble Consort Su clearly was discontent with Jing Wan’s look of indifference, seemingly as if, if she can’t see her change face, she’ll be very unwilling to resign.
“Consort mother………….”
“Your Highness, please forgive, this servant is of lowly status. w.a.n.gye is of heavenly descent, so this servant believes that one has no qualification to serve on the bed, dirtying w.a.n.gye’s body, asking your Highness to retract one’s word.” Fu Rong suddenly opened her mouth, appearing to be demeaning herself, but carried a hard to describe determination.
For n.o.ble Consort Su, never mind getting stabbed by Jing Wan to the point of being unable to speak, now, even a lowly slave dared to disobey her?! For a moment, she overflowed with anger, “Insolent!” She once again smashed the cup in hand.
And the old palace maid by n.o.ble Consort Su’s side also had a cold look, quickly going forward, raising her hand and heavily slapping, “Lowly slave, how dare you. Her Highness letting you serve w.a.n.gye, that is your good fortune of eight lifetimes, to dare have excuses and refuse? If you don’t want to live anymore, you can just directly say it.”
Fu Rong’s body twisted from that heavy slap, and as soon as that old palace maid finished speaking, she just extended her hand again, wanting to pull Fu Rong’s hair.
When that old palace maid moved, Jing Wan’s face already thoroughly turned cold, immediately getting up. When that old palace maid extended her hand again, Jing Wan singlehandedly grabbed it. That old palace maid naturally was indignant, subconsciously wanting to resist. Jing Wan coldly looked to her, “What, gugu[1] even wants to fight this w.a.n.gfei?”
That old palace maid was somewhat frightened by Jing Wan’s gaze, having her hand pulled back from Jing Wan’s hand, bowing to Jing Wan, “This servant doesn’t dare, just this lowly slave is too insolent, not knowing what’s good for her, relying on w.a.n.gfei’s favor to be lawless and out of control. If one doesn’t punish now, in the future, perhaps will cause trouble, so this servant thus………..”
“This w.a.n.gfei’s person, even if at fault, it should still be this w.a.n.gfei punis.h.i.+ng. You are also nothing more than a lowly slave, yet still dare to act in place of this w.a.n.gfei? If this w.a.n.gfei’s person is lawless and out of control, then you must have also eaten a bear’s heart and leopard’s guts!”
That old palace maid’s face twitched. Her acting out, naturally just represented n.o.ble Consort Su’s intentions. n.o.ble Consort Su wanting to the sort out the people by her daughter-in-law’s side, regardless of whether they were at fault or not, it naturally was all proper and expected, yet Jing Wan just didn’t act according to common convention again.
“Old six’s wife, don’t forget your status. You, a dignified qin-w.a.n.gfei, getting physical with a servant, how is that proper.”
An old palace maid by n.o.ble Consort Su’s side, if Jing Wan doesn’t personally step in, then no one by her side will dare to act. Can Jing Wan watch her own people get bullied? “This daughter-in-law perhaps isn’t proper, but consort mother’s propriety seems to be very good.”
If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked[2]!
n.o.ble Consort Su’s face darkened, “Gugu acting out, that is also this consort’s meaning.”
“Oh? Turns out the people by consort mother’s side all have an inner bond with you. You didn’t say a single word, yet they already know very clearly.”
This time, it wasn’t just one or two that twitched. ‘Have an inner bond’?
For these people, every word, all needed to be pondered over again and again. In their eyes, for Jing Wan’s words to not be insinuating anything, that would be strange.
“Could it be that this daughter-in-law said something wrong? Then, let’s just rephrase it, how about, connected at the heart? Two hearts beating as one? Otherwise, it’s just………..”
“Enough, old six’s wife, don’t say nonsense.” n.o.ble Consort Su already had the resolution to strangle Jing Wan to death. In the past, she even once felt that this daughter-in-law was still pretty good, especially when the Empress wanted to obtain but wasn’t able to.
“Is it not like this? Then, in other words, the gugu by consort mother’s side acted on their own without permission? The people by consort mother’s side, as expected, have good propriety.”
This time, it circled back again.
n.o.ble Consort Su’s heaving chest was becoming increasingly obvious, clearly quite angered.
“It was this servant’s fault, w.a.n.gfei please forgive. It’s just that this lowly slave was truly too insolent. This servant also watched w.a.n.gye grow up, momentarily angered, and in a moment of impulse, did something wrong, asking w.a.n.gfei to please forgive.” Seeing that the fire was about to burn onto her own master, that old palace maid just resolutely admitted to her mistake, and the excuse she used was also flawless. If you were to bicker with her, then that was just expressing dissatisfaction towards her defending w.a.n.gye? Jing Wan, as Jin w.a.n.gfei, can she be discontent towards this? She can’t.
Fu Rong straightened her body, suddenly taking down the hairpin on her head, and just sliced towards her own face, from a bit under the corner of her eye, directly slas.h.i.+ng all the way to near her chin, the cut both long and deep. This movement of hers had everyone, including n.o.ble Consort Su, all startled.
Fu Rong however endured the pain, the blood dripping down, instantly staining the clothes, yet her eyes were resolute and crystal clear. “Your Highness, this servant’s face is ugly, fearing it might taint w.a.n.gye’s eyes, so unable to serve w.a.n.gye, asking to please forgive.”
Which woman won’t care about their own face? It should be the more beautiful, the more they cared. But now, there was just such a first cla.s.s beauty, a lowly slave, refusing to warm the bed of a n.o.ble qinw.a.n.g, not hesitating to ruin their appearance! n.o.ble Consort Su nearly vomited blood in anger. Today, she certainly must not have checked her horoscope, encountering all kinds of roadblocks.
After n.o.ble Consort Su restrained her shocked expression, she just overflowed with killing intent inside.
Jing Wan also got pulled back by Fu Rong’s words, fl.u.s.teredly using the handkerchief to press against the wound on her face. n.o.ble Consort Su wanted to kill, but right now, Jing Wan further wanted to kill. “Mama, quick, quickly send Fu Rong back. Immediately let Gong Jiu treat her.” Such a long and deep wound one hundred percent will be impossible to restore to its former condition. Such a beauty, ruined just like that. “You are also a stupid one…………….” Jing Wan, towards Fu Rong, was also ‘hating the iron for not becoming steel’. Wasn’t it just not complying? After returning to the manor and closing the doors, whether Li Hong Yuan sleeps with or not, what the h.e.l.l did it have to do with outsiders.
Fu Rong wanted to smile, but ended up tugging the wound, so her smile just appeared stiff and forced, “w.a.n.gye and w.a.n.gfei have deep feelings. This servant admires, and further doesn’t want someone to destroy, especially not this servant. Even if just a tiny bit, all won’t do.”
“Quickly stop talking. First go back and treat the wound.” If she’d known it was such an outcome, Jing Wan naturally wouldn’t have brought them along. Otherwise, it was just enduring n.o.ble Consort Su some more, and not provoke her that directly. Fu Rong was such an intelligent and clever girl, yet at this time, decided to be foolish and stubborn.
Gong mama naturally obeyed her own master’s orders. In fact, she didn’t even look to n.o.ble Consort Su, taking the person and just leaving. Jing Wan just left behind Qing Ju. The rest also got sent away altogether.
They’d merely just stepped out of the doorway, when a servant girl hastily entered from outside, “Your Highness, the two w.a.n.gyes have come over.”
Two, without a doubt, it was just Jin Qinw.a.n.g and Rui Qinw.a.n.g.
n.o.ble Consort Su’s brows tightened. How could it be this soon? Not even an hour had pa.s.sed.
Jing Wan looked to n.o.ble Consort Su, afterwards reaching out, and neither quickly nor slowly pulled out the hair ornament on her head and threw it onto the ground, afterwards also tugging her collar.
n.o.ble Consort Su’s pupil suddenly shrank. She already knew what Jing Wan wanted to do. However, before she could speak, Li Hong Yuan and Li Hong Ming just walked in from outside, “Greetings consort mother.”
[1] Gugu – address for older palace maids
[2] Basically saying that subordinates will take after their superior, or servants taking after their master, so if the superior is improper, the subordinates will also be improper.