Feng Xing: Chapter 94
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Translation: marchmallow
“Why have you come?”
Feng Sheng spewed out the words so nonchalantly that Prince Wei’s already glum countenance darkened even further.
“Why can’t I?”
“I thought Your Highness was keeping Miss Qing company in the manor.” This sentence was rather bland and insipid, but probably because a tinge of guilt still lingered within him, Prince Wei was immediately discomfited. When he cast his eyes on her, she exhibited an expression of lucid calmness. She was not the least bit confounded, yet he managed to perceive her demeanor to be one of jealousy.
He couldn’t help but recall the past days’ experiences——
It was undeniable how extremely choleric Prince Wei was when the incident first happened. He always felt that, no matter the circumstance, she should never have uttered the two words ‘separation agreement’, fully aware that it was taboo for him.
However, she did exactly just that, blatantly disregarding his warning. He brooded on whether or not he had spoiled her too much, spoiling her to the extent that she had the sheer audacity to mount on his head. Not only that, she also trampled on his heart like it was mud.
The squabble between husband and wife had progressed to a degree of ‘if you don’t yield, I won’t yield’. The more the other sulked, the angrier the other grew. As a matter of fact, Prince Wei had already noticed something peculiar from the very start, but he didn’t bother to contemplate about it. It wasn’t until his crass former brother-in-law, First Young Master Qiao, took advantage of their past ties to send a woman to his side that he realized it was all intrigue.
Without warning, she fled the next day. Prince Wei had been itching to bring her back right away, but he discovered that she hadn’t left the capital and instead dwelt in an inn. This was a little unusual. If she was truly as angry as she seemed, why would she remain in the capital? Associating it with the Qiao family’s recent move, he thought of the phrase, ‘luring the gentleman into the urn’.1
Prince Wei and Feng Sheng still had that tacit understanding that had stemmed from the unspoken cooperation they had actualized several times in Liang Huai.
He never once disclosed to Feng Sheng that several of her moves were precisely what he wanted her to do, or were the vital finishing touches to a certain ploy of his. Her maneuvers also granted him the opportunity to clearly see the road ahead; otherwise, he and her would never have developed to the present state of play. Whenever she was about to do something, more often than not, he could fathom the general course of her plan if he just mulled over it for a bit.
So, he bode his time and cooperated with her.
Sure enough, in no less than two days, the fish took the bait. He had to put on a pretense of a husband afflicted by the reunion of his wife and her former husband, while over at Feng Sheng’s side, she managed to settle everything through swift and ruthless means. He was under the impression that, once the ordeal was through, she would return to his side. Who would have known she would flee with her people?
The moment he received word, Prince Wei’s face instantaneously turned dark.
That aside, after analyzing the nuances and considering the course of events, did her words insinuate that she was jealous?
Prince Wei had always been the jealous one. Although she never admitted it, this was Feng Sheng’s first time manifesting her jealousy, and it was all because of him. With this strange cognition combined with his anger and helplessness, Prince Wei wanted to raise his brows, but ultimately, the tail of his brows faintly twitched downwards.
“Jealous?”
The corners of Feng Sheng’s mouth were taut. She glanced at him, brushed his hand aside, and boarded the carriage. Prince Wei followed soon after, leaving behind a group of people gaping at each other in dismay, ignorant as to what their next move should be.
Still, De Wang was tactful enough to know what to do and gestured for everyone to take a step back.
……
Feng Sheng got into the carriage and poured herself tea.
The tea was still warm. It had been steeped thrice, and its taste was just right. Feng Sheng took small sips of her tea without even sparing Prince Wei a glance.
Tea was naturally different in a carriage compared to the usual, as it wasn’t brewed for just a single cup but instead brewed in a teapot. He took his own cup and poured himself tea.2
After gulping the tea, he felt inexplicably relaxed and cast his gaze at her again. “Are you really jealous?”
Feng Sheng shot him a glance. “Why would I be jealous?”
“If you’re jealous, just be jealous. This prince won’t laugh at you.”
Prince Wei pulled the person towards him and embraced her. Feng Sheng put on an act of struggling and eventually ceased moving.
Although it wasn’t wise to bring up their recent dispute, he really wanted to. Prince Wei sometimes felt that contained within him was a type of poison called Fang Feng Sheng. There were clearly several different kinds of women with outstanding features all over the world. Moreover, he used to dislike women who were too thin and frail, yet only for her did he make numerous exceptions.
Thinking about it again, she was younger than himself, and this was her first time behaving as someone’s wife. She was oblivious to the intricacies of an intimate relationship between a man and a woman. Whenever she encountered a man who liked her, she would always be calm and composed. Although Prince Wei was sometimes jealous, occasionally witnessing the likes of Gou Qing, Fan Jin Chuan, and her former husband made him slightly feel bad for them. If this woman wanted to hide her emotions, others would find them difficult to guess.
In Prince Wei’s mind, Fang Feng Sheng contending against the former crown prince was not as surprising as the notion that ‘she was jealous’.
Because of him, she was jealous.
His heart suddenly softened to the extreme. He had long forgotten that, while awaiting her return, he had sworn to teach her the cost of offending him and make her regret her past deeds. This very moment, he wanted to coax her to the point where he would cut his heart out and hand it over to her if he could.
“That woman was sent by the Qiao family. I just wanted to find out who was behind it, and while at it……” While at it, he wanted to provoke her to see whether or not it would spark her jealousy.
He was always the one seething with rage while she remained indifferent, and Prince Wei was unable to accept it; however, this was a vicious cycle. He could never stir her emotions. Nothing seemed to rile her, and he would instead only end up angering himself.
“I didn’t touch even a single finger of hers. When I’d gone out to chase after you, I bid someone to have her sent away.” Prince Wei was desperate in conveying his sincerity that the only thing he lacked was to swear to the heavens.
Feng Sheng refused to look at him and gazed out the window.
Prince Wei realized that the carriage curtain wasn’t closed, and looking from his angle, heaving into view were a few of the prince manor’s imperial bodyguards mounted on horses, slowly riding beside the carriage. They didn’t look any different, but their heads hung much lower than usual.
In other words, had others witnessed the dignified Prince Wei’s humble means of coaxing his wife?
But she was jealous.
“You are this prince’s princess consort, the prince manor’s mistress. You should’ve handled the matter yourself, but you had this prince do it for you.3 Next time, if a vulgar woman attempts to seduce this prince, you don’t have to hesitate beating anyone to death. This prince will take care of the aftermath. No need to wrong yourself.”
After spouting out such grandiose words, Prince Wei closed the carriage window.
Feng Sheng raised her eyebrows and glanced at him.
This glance was rather rude, even somewhat provocative, but because ‘she was jealous,’ Prince Wei only interpreted it as her reluctance to express her jealousy. With a look of helplessness, he affectionately took her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “This prince’s words, they count at all times.”
“You said so yourself.”
“I said so myself.”
*
When the carriage returned to the manor with the Prince in it, everyone in the Wei Prince Manor breathed a sigh of relief.
Prince Wei was notorious for being difficult to serve, and he was also infamous for his unpredictable and gloomy temperament. After the Princess Consort joined the household, the Prince’s temper rarely flared up. This time, the Princess Consort was angry, so once more, everyone experienced what was called ‘deep water and scorching fire’.
On the other hand, De Quan was a bit baffled when he caught sight of His Highness alighting the carriage with a smile on his face. This kind of stupefaction continued as Prince Wei maintained his sanguine mood for several days until it gradually passed.
The past few days, Prince Wei had also been surprisingly clingy. His clinging was different from ordinary people; he was very much in deadly earnest. Only when he had stuck to you for a while would you realize he was being ‘clingy’. Upon reaching this point, if you couldn’t tolerate his presence, it would only count as you making a big fuss over a minor issue.
Later on, Feng Sheng could no longer stand it and cut to the chase, bringing up the cause of the incident.
She didn’t conceal the truth from Prince Wei and divulged the entire sequence of events, heavily emphasizing the possibility of her inability to bear a child because of her health. Prince Wei clearly wasn’t one to just sit still and do absolutely nothing. He summoned Imperial Physician Wang from the palace. Imperial Physician Wang felt her pulse and enlightened her. Feng Sheng now understood. Prince Wei was already aware of her body’s deficiency, so every time her monthly period arrived, the medicine he had her drink was not at all to enhance her fertility, but a medicine to avoid conception.
It was just that this kind of birth control medicine was very mild and also had a nourishing effect on the body. According to Imperial Physician Wang’s words, Feng Sheng was not incapable, but it was best for her to recuperate for two years before considering an heir, so Prince Wei had no intention of allowing her to bear a child in the near future.
After Imperial Physician Wang left, Feng Sheng sat alone for a long time.
When Prince Wei came in, Feng Sheng looked up at him and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?”
“I feared you would think too much.”
The phrase ‘I feared you would think too much’ had countless implications.
The two became husband and wife because of his unflagging perseverance, having blocked all her alternative options and leaving only him as her last resort. Though it wasn’t because of mutual affinity, but with the Empress and the Crown Prince mixed in, what was originally a simple act would no longer be simple. Moreover, Feng Sheng was adept at scheming. Whether or not she was willing to admit it, she would always dissect people and things from an almost analytical viewpoint, musing about every possible intricacy about every single thing.
Had it happened not long after their grand wedding, what would Feng Sheng have deduced if she discovered that Prince Wei had someone send her a bowl of birth control soup without letting her know? She definitely would have surmised that Prince Wei was merely using her as a chess piece to advance by retreating, and not at all because he genuinely wanted to marry her. She was starkly accustomed to burying everything in her heart. Even though she would be well aware of it, she wouldn’t outright say it. Husband and wife would only share same bed but dream different dreams, gradually drifting further apart.4
“What if I really can’t conceive?”
Somehow, the two of them had grown quite amorous. Prince Wei’s typical act of intimacy differed from others; he would dive straight to the main act. They didn’t know how long it had taken, but when the deed was finally over, she buried her face in his embrace. She spoke in such a hushed voice that it was barely audible, so Prince Wei subconsciously asked her what she had just said.
“It’s nothing.” It was already embarrassing to say it once, so there naturally wouldn’t be a second time.
“If you can’t, then you can’t.”
She raised her head and stared at him with incredulous eyes.
“I already told you, but you won’t believe me, so why ask again? Would you care if you couldn’t conceive?”
She shook her head.
“Then it’s fine.”
She didn’t care, but she feared that he would. How could he possibly pay no mind about having no heir? What bothered her so was precisely the possibility of him caring about it.
He lifted her face and assured, “First of all, you’re quite healthy, only that your health is slightly deficient. It isn’t a good time for you to get pregnant, as it’ll only burden you. Second, even if you’re truly incapable, there will be many other ways to solve it, but none of those will affect us. Do you understand? So, don’t think too much.”
Indeed, she was simply thinking too much.
*
Imperial Noble Consort Li somehow caught wind of this and sent several imperial physicians from the palace to the Wei Prince Manor.
One after another, the imperial physicians felt her pulse, offered suggestions, came up with a set of accurate and reliable methods, and prescribed remedies. Following Imperial Noble Consort Li, they also bestowed several quality medicinal ingredients. Since the affair was already made public, there was no need to cover it up, so almost everyone knew that Princess Consort Wei had frail health. To replenish her body, not only did Prince Wei expend strenuous efforts, but Imperial Noble Consort Li also took great pains.
As was anticipated, many were also informed about the occurrences in the Wei Prince Manor.
Naturally, this matter would not be counted on only the Qiao family’s head. To be more precise, the Qiao family was just a raft. The blame would only fall on the Chen family, or rather, on Empress Chen.
This malicious ploy could also be said to hail from Empress Chen or to at least be connected to her. People who uttered such accusations were chiefly those who had suffered from Empress Chen’s furtive tactics, most of whom were concubines in the imperial harem.
Some wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. For a time, various kinds of hearsay sprung up in the imperial harem, pushing the rift between the two to its peak. Regardless of what Empress Chen did, Imperial Noble Consort Li seemed unaffected by it, making it difficult to gauge her inclinations.
“What do you think? This person has outstanding patience. This palace has underestimated her before. Judging from her relationship with the Empress, perhaps she’s not one to rear her head unless she’s forced to the extreme,” Noble Consort Hu remarked.
“It’s hard to tell. This concubine thinks she has changed a lot. Had it been in the past, would she have dared to become the imperial noble consort? Who knows what kind of ecstasy she’s fed His Majesty, actually enchanting him to this degree despite her age,” Consort Xian spat out in a lowered voice.
She and Noble Consort Hu had always fostered a good relationship; otherwise, they wouldn’t be sitting in the same place chatting casually like this. In fact, such a battle transpiring in the palace couldn’t do without the two pushing the waves and adding to the billows.5
In the palace, for the most part, no person didn’t hate Empress Chen. She appeared magnanimous and just, virtuous and benevolent, but in reality, these were all superficial. Empress Chen came from the Chen family. Since young, she had been exposed to the clandestine and shameful methods in the rear court. She was skillful in dealing with the concubines beneath her. While still in the imperial residence prior to the emperor’s ascension,6 she suppressed everyone into docility and obedience, which persisted even after entering the imperial harem.
Furthermore, she and the Jianping Emperor had been husband and wife since their youth. The Jianping Emperor was a wise monarch. When it came to feminine allure, he usually exercised self-restraint, always treating them equally, never partial towards anyone, and for the most part favored the main wife.
The only exception was Consort Li. No, it was Imperial Noble Consort Li, who had just emerged in recent years.
Because of how heavily suppressed Prince Wu, Prince Zhao, Prince Xiang, and the others had been recently, not only the princes, but the concubines also didn’t go beyond their bounds. However, the women couldn’t be idle. Watching someone clash against their most formidable opponent, they naturally didn’t hesitate adding oil to the fire to salvage themselves from being disadvantaged.
“This concubine feels that the Empress definitely offended the imperial noble consort this time. The imperial noble consort may seem soft, but if she’s truly as soft as she is on the surface, were it anyone else in her situation, they might not be able to achieve what she has today. For so many years, she only had Prince Wei as her son.7 Have you forgotten how she moved out of the Kunning Palace when she was still a noble lady?” Imperial Concubine Ning said.
This matter was said to be undisclosed from others, but several of the imperial concubines were very much knowledgeable about it. At that time, Imperial Noble Consort Li was just a mere noble lady living in the side room of Kunning Palace because the Empress had mentioned that she liked Noble Lady Li’s company. She was the head of the six palaces, so others couldn’t say anything. In fact, who didn’t know that Empress Chen had taken in Noble Lady Li to solidify her favor?
Since he was a child, the young third prince had been the Crown Prince’s little follower. Everyone was told he was regarded as a brother, but he was actually more like a slave. No one knew the reason why, but the Crown Prince had once used a whip to hit the third prince. At that time, Empress Chen had admonished the Crown Prince with a few perfunctory words, and the situation was considered over. Noble Lady Li voiced no complaints. In fact, she couldn’t say anything.
But after a few days of acting impervious to the situation, the Jianping Emperor summoned Noble Lady Li three consecutive times to serve him. The Jianping Emperor seldom visited the imperial harem. In a month, he would only come ten days at most. Everyone could fathom the meaning of being summoned three times in a row. Immediately afterwards, His Majesty issued an order and bestowed Xianfu Palace to Noble Lady Li, while at the same time promoted her to an imperial concubine. From then on, Noble Consort Hu knew that this woman was not as simple as she manifested on the surface.
But this person was too inconspicuous and often too low-key. Whoever she encountered, she would always deign herself as a lowly concubine, and it was rare for others to treat her as an enemy. Who would have thought that, after several decades, she would rise above their heads?
“Talking about this isn’t as interesting. Let’s just watch the play.”
Soon, the drama commenced. Imperial Noble Consort Li actually did nothing. Instead, the Jianping Emperor went to Kunning Palace, and immediately after that, Empress Chen fell ill in bed.
Author’s Note:
Feng Sheng: What should I do if a man has too much inner drama? I haven’t said a word, yet he said I was jealous. Asking online, very urgent……
Prince Wei: My wife is obviously jealous, but she simply won’t admit it.
Footnotes:
1 引君入瓮: luring the gentleman into the urn, meaning to use the bad guy’s plan against him
2 In the patriarchal society, it was normal when in company, the wife or servants would grab a cup and pour it for their husband or master. The husband or master hardly/never grabs his own cup when his wife or a servant is in the room. This is Prince Wei’s subtle way of expressing his repentance.
3 As in, sending the concubine away, because it’s a matter of the rear court, which supposedly isn’t something men should meddle with.
4 It’s super important to have sons in ancient China, so if he was giving her some mild abortive medicine, she would end up overthinking. In Chapter 76, Feng Sheng said something along the lines of, “You should be thankful that you have me as a way out.” because the situation was too messy.
5 推波助澜: to push the wave and add to the billows (idiom); to add momentum; to encourage sth to get bigger; to add fuel to the fire
6 潜邸: residence of an emperor before ascending the throne. Different from the crown prince’s east palace. Prior to the emperor’s ascension to the throne, the palace staff had to renovate the emperor’s palace as well as other concubines’ residences, so he had to live in a temporary residence.
7 Having more children means more chance at obtaining power. Furthermore, there are 16 princes, 15 of which are probably from different mothers. To stand out among those, save for the empress, then that must mean that Imperial Noble Consort Li is a lot more capable than she appears on the surface.
