Feng Xing: Chapter 83
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Translation: marchmallow
Because they were not in a hurry, Prince Wei and Feng Sheng traveled at a leisurely pace.
As if they were on a sightseeing tour, the two first journeyed to Shaoxing, and then roamed to Yangzhou. As a means to prevent Feng Sheng’s demise, Prince Wei had laid bare his shortcomings and exposed the salt gang to Jianping Emperor. However, with Feng Sheng’s help in paving an alternative route, the salt gang was now more legitimate, surfacing from the murk to the light, and was in charge of escorting salt batches for the official salt shops in Liang Huai.
In brief, the salt gang was still as before, except that they were granted a new shell and had also passed the clear path in front of the Jianping Emperor. However, among these were interweaving truths and falsehoods, whose differences were difficult for ordinary people to distinguish. This was the method Prince Wei was accustomed to. He was never really one to truly conceal himself, revealing only what should be exposed and strictly hiding what shouldn’t.
He was similar to Gou Qing, who had been promoted to a supervising Salt Inspector, while at the same time still remained as a boss of the salt gang.
On this trip, Prince Wei came to Yangzhou mainly to meet him, while Feng Sheng was here to meet Uncle Yu and Dao Qi, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time.
Prince Wei had a garden in Yangzhou, and they dwelled here after their arrival.
It was inconvenient for Feng Sheng to go out, so she bid others to pass on a letter to Uncle Yu. Uncle Yu dropped by to give a rough report about the businesses and handed Feng Sheng the updated account books.
Feng Sheng didn’t refuse, took the account books, and said that she would find the time to look through it.
She was also concerned about Uncle Yu’s life, which was actually her main objective. For so many years, Uncle Yu never married and always served by Fang Yan’s side. Now that Fang Yan’s grievance had been avenged and Feng Sheng had become Princess Consort Wei, he still had to take charge of the affairs in Liang Huai, destined not to follow Feng Sheng.
What Feng Sheng desired was for him to find someone who would love him dearly, for him to start a family. Not merely to seek company, but to eventually find a partner, lest he would forever be in solitude.
However, she couldn’t state it explicitly. After all, she was only a junior whom he shared some sort of bond with. Uncle Yu merely smiled and muttered a few vague phrases, neither assenting nor negating.
It wasn’t easy for Feng Sheng to delve deeper, and she had nothing else to say. She actually knew a bit about her father and Uncle Yu, but to chat about it would be too awkward for the both of them.
After sending Uncle Yu off, Feng Sheng headed home cumbered with worries.
It was a day in the eighth month, and the scenery in Yangzhou was just right. The view in this garden was too beautiful to be absorbed all at once. Feng Sheng passed by a fish pond, and upon seeing the lively and bustling koi swimming in it, she couldn’t help but cast it another glance. Just as she turned around to go back, she chanced upon an acquaintance.
It was Gou Qing.
Gou Qing was no different from before. He was clad in a sapphire blue robe. His skin was slightly dark, his sword-shaped eyebrows were slanted to his temples, and his peach blossom eyes seemed like they were smiling yet not. He looked nothing like an official, but rather like an outstanding and gentlemanly big brother from who knows where.1
This was Feng Sheng’s first impression of Gou Qing, and it remained the same to this day.
Gou Qing was originally smiling, but when he caught sight of Feng Sheng, he was startled, and the smile on his face disappeared.
As if in sync, the two of them were suddenly reminded of what had transpired in the salt gang.
At that time, she had encountered a perilous situation and, amidst the chaos, temporarily borrowed his name to get away. Clear-sighted though he was, he still concurred with her whim and also helped her perform a play to momentarily keep her safe. It was just that, after that time, the two never met again.
“I once said that you please my heart. Has Advisor Fang forgotten?”
Since their first meeting, this man had always possessed a glib tongue and exhibited indecency in his manners, but in fact, after that occurrence, she understood that, deep in his bones, he was still a man of noble character. It was also then that she discovered he was Prince Wei’s person.
Feng Sheng felt that she herself shouldn’t act unnatural. After all, the two had once been partners, and the other had rescued her.
“Lord Gou, it’s been several days since our last meeting. Your elegant demeanor is as before.”
“Should I call you Advisor Fang, Fang Feng Sheng, or Princess Consort Wei?”
Gou Qing smiled, but his speech was suffused with a hint of bitterness. Before he arrived, he had caught wind that Prince Wei and Princess Consort Wei were residing in this garden. After concluding his business, he obviously should have left right away, but he still pretended to have gone the wrong way and loitered around longer. He didn’t anticipate he would stumble upon her.
But when she entered his view, he realized that the knot in his heart couldn’t be untangled, even seeming to have tightened.
Feng Sheng didn’t expect Gou Qing to say this. For a moment, she didn’t know what to respond.
“Greetings to Princess Consort Wei.” Gou Qing was still the first to speak out, absently smiling and bowing in obeisance.
“No need to be polite. In the end, we are old acquaintances, and you’ve been kind to me since the beginning.”
Gou Qing half-lowered his head. “This one dares not mention kindness. At that time, His Highness was deeply concerned about the Princess Consort. This subordinate was merely abiding by one’s duty.”
Feng Sheng somewhat felt ineffably embarrassed and nodded her head. “All in all, I still owe you a thanks. It looks like Lord Gou still has matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you any longer.”
Gou Qing gazed at her and cupped his hand again, then turned around and strode away.
Feng Sheng didn’t linger any longer and headed back, but before she could traverse very far, she bumped into a person.
It was Prince Wei, who had been standing there for who knew how long.
“Why are you walking without looking at the road?”
Feng Sheng sensed a tinge of guilt inexplicably sprout in her heart. “How was I supposed to know that Your Highness would be standing here frightening people?”
“You were frightened?”
“That’s not it.”
During the conversation, she realized that this guilty conscience was a bit amiss. What was she supposed to be guilty for? It wasn’t as if Prince Wei didn’t know what happened at the beginning. Out of helplessness, she had compelled herself against her own will to pretend to be Gou Qing’s woman. At that time, Gou Qing had stayed for the night, upholding the propriety of a gentleman, and left the next day. In hindsight, she reckoned that Gou Qing ought to have reported that incident to Prince Wei. Afterwards, Prince Wei had disguised as Gou Qing and infiltrated the salt gang.
However, Feng Sheng didn’t know that Gou Qing had a selfish motive, and this selfish motive didn’t escape Prince Wei’s notice.
After Gou Qing had left the salt gang that day, his mood had been quite indescribable. Despite knowing that Prince Wei was looking for Feng Sheng, he had still forgotten to report that Feng Sheng had been trapped in the salt gang until Prince Wei appeared before him.
……
“Master, where to?” asked the driver after Gou Qing boarded the carriage.
“Just wander around.”
This driver was actually Gou Qing’s trusted aide, but he didn’t usually meet him like this. When Gou Qing said nothing, he didn’t dare ask more, so he drove the carriage around Yangzhou City.
After meandering about until the sky grew dark, Gou Qing still didn’t utter a single word, so he couldn’t help but ask another question.
“Go to Cui Xiang Lou.”
Amid heaps of rouge and powder, amid nests sprinkled with gold, the Yangzhou brothels and pleasure quarters were among the best in Jiangnan.
Gou Qing was an old regular. As soon as they saw him coming, the women clamored incessantly and fluttered to his side so briskly that the procuress couldn’t even stop them. Simply because of Gou Qing’s generosity, the procuress also readily took the opportunity to have the girls ingratiate themselves with him.
Held from the left and embraced from the right, there was more beauty that one could absorb. Adding in some good wine, all was complete.
Gou Qing was now quite intoxicated and uninhibited. He usually had dealings with various people from the three religions and nine schools of thought.2 In a month, he would spend twenty days in brothels and restaurants, so getting him drunk wasn’t so easy.
But this time, he got himself drunk.
A beauty leaned over. His rough long fingers half-pinched the other’s chin, and he studied her closely. The emotion in his eyes was a bit terrifying, and the girl in his arms was so frightened that she called out ‘Master Gou’ twice.
……
“What? Has Master Gou forgotten me?”
“Master Gou, are you really going to give me away?”
The beautiful silhouette of a woman was still the same as before. A pity she was now a married woman. He couldn’t even think about wanting her.
……
He chuckled lowly against the other person’s forehead, his eyes in a trance.
“From the start, I really wanted to hide you and not hand you over to anyone. It’s a pity……”
*
On the way back, Prince Wei said nothing.
He didn’t speak, and Feng Sheng didn’t know what to say. When they entered the courtyard they were staying in, Prince Wei didn’t go back to the room with her and instead proceeded to the study.
Alright, Feng Sheng knew he was angry.
But what exactly was he angry about?
She merely bumped into an acquaintance, and they exchanged a couple of words. Her guilty conscience was only because she had once pretended to be Gou Qing’s woman. The two had nothing between them at all. He later also personally chased after her. She once again thought that she had never witnessed such a petty man.
When had Feng Sheng ever coaxed a person, let alone a man? Moreover, Prince Wei had scowled at her with displeasure. She felt a little uncomfortable in her heart, so she simply threw that man at the back of her mind, sauntered to her room, bid Zhi Qiu to find the book she had half-finished, and leaned against the chaise lounge to read.
Until twilight befell, Prince Wei still hadn’t returned.
This was a bit unusual. When did Prince Wei ever not eat his meals with Feng Sheng? Especially now that he had no tasks to fulfill and was idle all day long. Even if he didn’t come back, he would order people to send word, but today, no one came. It still would have been fine if the other didn’t yet return, but not even a message was passed on.
Zhi Qiu approached to inquire if she should arrange the meal. Feng Sheng put down the book and nodded.
“What about His Highness over there?”
With all of them in this one courtyard, the few servant girls around couldn’t ignore Prince Wei’s presence in the study.
“He’s not coming back, so he won’t eat.” To be frank, Feng Sheng was also a bit peeved.
This kind of situation was rare for Feng Sheng, and even Zhi Qiu, who had been used to acting spoiled and unbridled in front of her, didn’t dare utter anything more. She had someone place the evening meal on the table. Plates, bowls, and cups had been set up, but Feng Sheng had no appetite at all.
She put down her chopsticks. “Go to the study and ask if His Highness will come back for the evening meal.”
Zhi Qiu was relieved and exchanged meaningful glances with Zhi Chun, who hastily ordered another to check.
After a while, the young servant girl came back, dithering outside and not daring to come in, her voice tiny as she reported.
“His Highness said he won’t be coming back.” They wagered in their hearts that the prince and princess consort were having a squabble, and they were scared of touching the wrong nerve.
Feng Sheng pursed her lips. “Forget it then.”
No one knew if this was directed to the servant girls or to herself. After saying that, she reverted to her usual placid self and picked up her chopsticks to eat.
She ate very slowly, but she didn’t eat much and had the things taken away.
Zhi Qiu exhorted, “Princess Consort, you’re eating too little. Eat a little more. His Highness ordered to have the daily soup stewed for you. You haven’t drunk it yet. Why don’t you drink it?”
“Not drinking. I’m sleepy. I’ll go to bed first.”
Since she had said so, the servant girls could only attend to her as they advanced to the inner room.
She first cleansed her face, took a bath, changed into her bed clothes, and headed to the dresser. Zhi Chun and Zhi Qiu undid her hair bun and removed the various head ornaments and hairpins.
The things she had found intolerable in the past, she now seemed to have imperceptibly gotten used to. Peering at herself in the mirror, Feng Sheng felt a little strange, yet also very much familiar.
Zhi Qiu was holding a rhinoceros-horn comb to glide down her hair while two other servant girls were massaging her hands and feet.
Her body had been so greatly deficient over the years that, ever since she came out of the Court of Judicial Review, she had become weak and sickly, catching a cold and coughing at every turn. This soup was a prescription Prince Wei had requested from an imperial physician, who had claimed that it improved blood circulation and was good for the body. Therefore, every night, servant girls would adhere rigidly to the prescription and serve it to her.
Taking this into consideration, she supposed that he was no longer angry.
After the massage, Feng Sheng’s hands and feet were warm, and she felt extremely comfortable lying on the bed.
She had to admit that it did wonders. Her sleep was usually shallow, and she usually found it hard to doze off. Now, however, she could fall asleep just a short while after lazing on the bed.
As she was drifting off in a daze, she sensed an extra person beside her, so she stirred to the side to make room for him. She didn’t open her eyes and simply navigated subconsciously. However, such actions irritated him. He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her lips.
It was supposed to be to vent his spite, but his kisses changed taste.
“Don’t. Sleepy.” She shoved him away.
“If it’s Gou Qing you’re looking at, will you no longer be sleepy?”
“What are you talking about? We’re merely acquaintances. We just ran into each other and exchanged greetings. You’ve been angry all night, why are you still angry?” She said with a frown.
“Just an old acquaintance? No, he’s probably an old flame!” He replied with a sneer.
Feng Sheng was no longer drowsy, and she glared at him with widened eyes. “What old flame? You’re not unaware of what happened that time. Didn’t I have to pretend like that to save myself?”
“You thought so, but the other didn’t. He was perfectly aware that this prince was looking everywhere for you, yet he forgot to report that you were trapped in the salt gang. Say, why do you think he did such a thing?”
“Was that the case?”
1 Literally the same description as in Chapter 27.
2 三教九流: Three Religions (Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism) and Nine Schools (Confucians, Daoists, Yin-Yang, Legalists, Logicians, Mohists, Political Strategists, Eclectics, Agriculturists); fig. people from all trades
