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Translation: marchmallow
The room was so quiet that even the drop of a needle would be audible.
Suddenly, Sun Wen Cheng chuckled. “How long have you been aware?”
Feng Sheng somberly mused on it and replied, “I already had a faint inkling at that time, but Zhi Chun had no reason to betray me. When things gradually got out of control later on, I suddenly thought of a reason why she would.”
Everyone in the room seemed to be frozen in place, except Feng Sheng, who was still speaking in a slow and articulate manner.
“I’d forgotten that my servant girl’s greatest wish is to be Fourth Young Master’s tongfang.1 This is the only thing that could make her disregard our years of friendship as master and servant. At that time, the Sun family constantly slandered and vilified me to your face. With your temperament, there was no way you would let it go, but you never showed up, so I left the Sun family without so much as a word of farewell. Anyway, everyone, high and low, already knew that all I ever wanted was to reverse my father’s verdict. Later on, Prince Wei married Fang Feng Fu’s younger sister according to all the traditional marriage rules.2 Perhaps the fact that I don’t have a sister could be concealed from others, but it absolutely couldn’t be concealed from you. To have progressed this far, my guess is that you reached out to someone close to me. Who that person is, I guess I don’t need to remind you, do I?”
Zhi Qiu stared wide-eyed at Zhi Chun, who had been crouching down to pick up the shards but was now completely motionless.
“I’m well aware that I’ve made plenty of enemies, so if they want to attack, any of them could make me do whatever they wish once I try to do anything. Zhi Qiu had gone out to make inquiries about medical clinics, but only I had the authority to choose out of so many of them. Although it might be hard for the enemy to attack from within, it’s not without loopholes. For instance, what if they could have someone close to me furnish them secret information?”
Feng Sheng snickered a little helplessly, “I must say, a maidservant who knows me intimately coupled with a resourceful man truly are almost invincible. If the chaos you created wasn’t so well-fabricated, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s not one to use such a method to disgust me despite his anger,3 I might have been caught in your trap. But I’m awfully sorry, you’ve underestimated me. And you, since you know that I’m not so easy to deceive, you should’ve kept your composure.”
Sun Wen Cheng peered at her, his gaze fixed straight at her face, which now appeared quite unfamiliar to him.
Every time he tossed and turned restlessly in the quiet of the night, he would desperately try to call to mind what he was even holding on to, but there never came an answer. He had also tried to recall her face, but his image of her grew hazier day by day.
The relationship between the two originated from a doomed marriage contract with numerous twists and turns. In all seriousness, he had initially despised her, but he later grew interested because of how different she was from the typical woman he was familiar with.
She was clearly a woman, yet her handwriting was better than his. Moreover, she was a deft Go player and a skillful painter. What he once thought he could take pride in and look down on many of his peers for was crushed to pieces by her indifference, yet she seemed unaware of it, still so unfettered and unassuming.
She piqued his curiosity. He made use of his identity as her husband to be more involved with her, so much so that he later became somewhat enamored. After frequent interactions, he discovered that she could do eight-legged essays, had a deep understanding of the classics, history, philosophy, and literature, and had all kinds of literary quotations in her possession. His conversations with her flowed so effortlessly that he never had to worry about playing the lute to a cow.4 He had thought he had fallen for her.
Cognizant of how unfavorable her situation was at home, he attempted to help her in alleviating it. He had lived with this family since childhood, so he knew perfectly well the rules of the Sun family. As long as he valued and favored her, her circumstances would take a turn for the better. The Sun family and several other influential families were all like this: a wife’s status hailed from her husband’s favor, and if the husband favored his concubine and neglected his wife, then, his wife was no longer his wife, and neither was his concubine just his concubine.
Her situation had indeed improved. There still existed a bit of disharmony, but he still had a way to resolve it. If he could pass the exam and obtain a scholarly honor, he could take her away.
He managed to accomplish exactly just that, yet she disappeared.
She disappeared on her own.
How could she just disappear on her own?
“Who’s behind you? The Empress or the Crown Prince?”
Sun Wen Cheng sobered up from his trance and looked at her.
Right this moment, he was even a little afraid of this woman, but at the same time, he was slightly enraged. Who was he doing all this for? Wasn’t it for her?
After learning the truth about her leaving the Sun family, he learned something else that his grandmother had let slip.
His teacher’s wife had sent over some souvenirs with the intention to seek him out as a son-in-law. With it came a letter so crudely presented that it could escape the notice of outsiders, but not his. It was sent to the family by an unknown person under an assumed name. It was precisely this letter that gave him the idea that if he wanted to retaliate against Prince Wei for stealing his wife, perhaps the Wu and Song families could aid him.5
His teacher’s young daughter liked him, so all he had to do was push the boat along with the current.6 He used the Wu family’s connections to stay with Court Elder Song’s family. With this connection, his scholarly honor as a jinshi was secure. Of course, this was not the only thing he wanted. If he wanted revenge for having his wife stolen away, he needed several other things.
But he never expected that just as everything was coming to fruition, a mishap would occur.
Before Court Elder Song’s peril, he had already learned of Fang Feng Fu’s identity. He thought about whether to divulge the secret or not, but he was too timid to do so.
It would be analogous to a mantis trying to block a chariot.7 Above all things, he and Fang Feng Sheng had such a relationship, so it would reveal that her identity was false and insinuate that the Sun family was an accomplice in deceiving the monarch.8 The water was too muddy. Whoever touched it, even their skeletons would cease to exist. When the time had come, he knew Fang Feng Sheng could no longer escape and that she had reached a dead end. For this, he felt deeply regretful. No one would have expected her to come out unscathed and become Princess Consort Wei.
Princess! Consort! Wei!
There was nothing in the world more ridiculous than this. His wife was twice stolen away, and both instances were by the same person!9
So when the Qiao family approached him, he concurred with them and exploited it as an opportunity to achieve his end. He had no reason not to.
……
“You should go. Oh, and take her with you.” Feng Sheng set aside the teacup. The tea in the cup was already cold and bitter.
Finally, Zhi Chun moved. She had been squatting for so long that her legs were already numb, but she tried to stand up as if she hadn’t noticed, and ultimately toppled down after a single step.
“So it was you! Sister Zhi Chun, you’ve really surprised me!” Zhi Qiu leered at her with intense hatred. Her eyes looked so fierce that it seemed as though she wanted to devour the person. “You know my character. You could’ve done whatever you wanted so long as you didn’t betray Miss. In the end, you bit the hand that fed you! Since Miss told you to go, just go. If we see each other again in the future, let’s pretend we don’t know each other.”
“Miss.”
Zhi Chun cried with great panic.
How did it come to this? That was not what she had in mind, ah! In her imagination, Miss and Fourth Young Master were back together. It didn’t matter if Miss couldn’t bear children, because she could. She would never betray Miss for the rest of her life. Her child would also belong to Miss.
They, master and servant, would still be together, and with Fourth Young Master there, how wonderful would it be? She was already nineteen, she couldn’t afford to delay. She did not want to leave Miss and refused to marry anyone other than Fourth Young Master. This was the best solution, but what went wrong? Now, Miss didn’t even want her anymore.
“Go. This is the first and last time. Should there be a next time, I won’t let you both off.”
After Feng Sheng said that, she stood up and plodded to the inner room.
Sun Wen Cheng stood there, chuckled wryly, and staggered out of the room. Zhi Chun still wanted to come after them, but Zhi Qiu mercilessly shoved her to the ground.
“Your Fourth Young Master has left. If you don’t catch up with him, no one else will want you. You know Miss’s character. What are you still hoping for?”
“Zhi Qiu, please let me talk to Miss once more. It wasn’t my intention to betray Miss, I just……”
“Get lost! I told you to get lost, you hear me? If you don’t scram, I’ll call Master Qi to kick you out!”
“Miss Qiu’er, no need for you to call. I, Dao Qi, am here. Tsk, biting the hand that fed you. I don’t even want to look at you. Is Miss Chun’er willing to listen to me? You should quickly leave so none of us will be troubled.” Dao Qi leaned against the door frame, spinning a knife in his hand in motions that resembled the outline of a flower.
Uncle Yu also came in and stared at Zhi Chun, his expression calm and inscrutable.
These two men frightened her the most. Uncle Yu was one who had built up his authority over time, while Dao Qi was once known to be a bandit who treated human life like grass.
Zhi Chun got up in a hurry and dejectedly trudged away.
She also knew that there was no time to delay. Miss obviously no longer wanted her, and if she couldn’t catch up with Fourth Young Master, she would really have nowhere to go.
……
When Zhi Chun left, the three of them didn’t look too pleasant.
Uncle Yu hadn’t expected such a scene. Zhi Qiu was thinking about how deeply hurt Miss ought to have been. Dao Qi sighed and didn’t know what to say. One must know that the most hurtful thing one could experience was the betrayal of someone close, akin to a knife gouging out one’s heart.
“Miss Qiu’er, you should console Miss. Tell her that people with such ill intent can’t stay, so it’s only for the best if they leave.”
Zhi Qiu nodded her head. “I know.”
When Uncle Yu and Dao Qi had left, Zhi Qiu trod into the room.
Feng Sheng was sitting on the edge of the bed, utterly quiet amidst her trance.
“Miss, the matter has been resolved. You shouldn’t think too much.”
“I’m not thinking too much. I’m just a little upset. To think that our relationship as master and servant was actually so fragile. I couldn’t help but wonder, did I not treat Zhi Chun well enough for her to go so far as to conspire with someone to trap me?” Feng Sheng smiled bitterly.
“How could that be? Miss is the best!” Zhi Qiu rushed in front of her and squatted down, clutching her hand. “Others don’t know, but this servant has been observing Miss long enough. Miss had suffered for so many years, yet you never let Zhi Chun and I suffer. Even when we came to the Wei Prince Manor, you protected and spoiled us. We couldn’t even be regarded as maidservants anymore from all your spoiling and pampering, and we’ve instead become rather like delicate young ladies. It was only her who had improper thoughts. She wanted to be with Fourth Young Master. This servant shouldn’t have covered up for her at that time. Her ill intent had already been brewing.”
“Forget it. Don’t mention this matter again. In the future, if you find a man you like, you must tell me. I will definitely help you if it’s within my capability.”
“What is Miss saying?” Zhi Qiu wrinkled her nose, her countenance looking all spoiled and delicate. “This slave won’t marry anyone and will serve Miss for a lifetime. Not even a few men are worth it. This servant doesn’t want to feed my body to a tiger.”10
Her remark amused Feng Sheng. Seeing that Feng Sheng was in a better mood, Zhi Qiu’s worries also grew lighter.
“Right, Miss, are we going back?”
“Back where?”
With how smart Zhi Qiu was, after hearing such words, she naturally understood that Feng Sheng did not seem to want to go back.
“Miss, since you now know that Zhi Chun and Sun Wen Cheng plotted everything, it means that your body is fine, so why not go back? Could it be——” Zhi Qiu thought of Miss Qing in the manor and stopped talking, lest she would say too much and anger Feng Sheng.
*
Feng Sheng had indeed no intention to return. After staying at this inn for another day, she told everyone that it was time to leave.
She didn’t say where they were going, so Uncle Yu and the others could only head to the destination they had previously discussed: first to Tongzhou, and from Tongzhou down to Jiangnan.
On the way, everyone was a bit preoccupied by some troubles, but Feng Sheng seemed to be in a good mood.
Seeing the warm sun and sensing the gentle breeze outside, she lifted the carriage curtain to feel the wind and to bask in the sun. The carriage advanced slowly, giving her the illusion that she was on a spring jaunt.
The carriage was made based on the carriages of the Wei Prince Manor. It was smooth and not jarring. Feng Sheng leaned on a soft pillow with a book in her hand and a special Go board in front of her, playing Go with Zhi Qiu.
Zhi Qiu knew how to play Go because Feng Sheng had taught her, but her Go skills were mediocre. Feng Sheng only needed one hand and one eye open to play Go with her.
After playing two games, Zhi Qiu lost both matches.
“Miss, this servant can’t win against you, so let’s not play anymore, alright?”
“Refusing to play because you didn’t win the last game is surrendering without fighting. You lack resolve. Here, one more game. I’ll let you do a few more moves.”
Zhi Qiu was so anxious that it felt like a cat was scratching inside her heart, baffled at how unbothered Miss was.
They would soon reach Tongzhou. Were they really leaving? Was she truly going to abandon the Prince? Zhi Qiu often boasted about how long she had stayed with Feng Sheng, but sometimes, she truly couldn’t comprehend what Feng Sheng was thinking.
When they stopped at noon so the horse could rest, she finally couldn’t resist asking Feng Sheng.
“Miss, are we really leaving?”
Feng Sheng had been sitting in the carriage for quite a while and wanted to roam around to move her muscles. Hearing her words, she glanced at her. “Aren’t we right in the middle of leaving?”
“But……”
“But what?”
Feng Sheng asked, and at the same time cast her eyes on the road. Zhi Qiu also heard the ear-splitting sound of hoofbeats, as if several horses were galloping this way.
“Get in, it’s dusty.”
Zhi Qiu nodded and then trod to the front of the carriage. As said, the hoofbeats started out slow, but they suddenly intensified quite briskly. With the sound of horses’ hooves, a gust of wind rolled over. Someone grabbed the hand Feng Sheng clasped the carriage frame with.
“Fang Feng Sheng, where are you running off to? This prince had been waiting for you in the manor. Was this prince waiting that long only for you to run away?”
Footnotes:
1 通房: Tongfang are chambermaids that could serve their masters in bed. When they get pregnant and bear children, in most cases, they would be elevated to the status of a concubine.
2 三媒六聘: through three negotiators and the sending of the six kinds of bridal gifts — marriage according to all the traditional rules; send matchmakers in style to make sb. a principal wife
3 ‘He’ refers to Prince Wei. Feng Sheng knew that Prince Wei wouldn’t accept a concubine out of sheer spite. She knew from the start that it was a farce.
4 对牛弹琴: lit. to play the lute to a cow (idiom); fig. offering a treat to an unappreciative audience; to cast pearls before swine; caviar to the general; to preach to deaf ears; to talk over sb’s head
5 In Chapter 7, Old Madam Sun talks about this with Sun Qing Hua, Wen Cheng’s father. His teacher, Mister Nan Wu’s wife was Court Elder Song’s daughter.
6 顺水推舟: lit. to push the boat with the current; fig. to take advantage of the situation for one’s own benefit
7 螳臂挡车: a mantis trying to stop a chariot (idiom); to overrate oneself and attempt sth impossible; also written
8 Deceiving the monarch was a pretty heavy crime that could (I think) exterminate nine generations of their clan.
9 Refers to how Prince Wei ‘stole’ his wife on two occasions. The first time was that Prince Wei ’caused’ the separation, hence ‘stole’ her away. The second time, Prince Wei married her, which cut off all chances of him marrying her again.
10 This is actually from a Buddhist story: The legend of Siddhartha Gautama (563-485 BC), the historical Buddha and founder of Buddhism also known as Sakyamuni Buddha. Before he passed away, he was a king’s son. At a bamboo forest, he caught sight of seven small tiger cubs which surrounded a frail hungry and thirsty mother tiger. The Prince was greatly saddened for them, so he gave up his life to feed the hungry tiger.