Chapter 5: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" (Are You the One)

 FlamingoBees 

Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)

Home    :    Novels

 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 Chapter 5: 

 

Zhao Quan, feeling guilty, tried to act as a protective gentleman and said, “Xingzhou, haven’t you already sent someone to investigate her background? She’s just a good woman, and though she has learned some basic martial skills from her mother, she remains a fragile woman, more for show than use. She was kidnapped by bandits on her way to Beijing and became their captive wife, which is truly pitiable… Now, with her meridians unstable and clearly suffering from amnesia and blood loss, she knows nothing of her past. What will you do with her once the bandit is captured?”

Cui Xingzhou seemed reluctant to discuss the matter further and merely stood up, saying casually, “She is the daughter of a criminal and the wife of a rebel. Why should Brother Zhao be so concerned about her?”

With that, he rose and left.

Zhao Quan sighed, watching the back of the departing Prince Huaiyang, and thought to himself: Such a beautiful woman, yet unfortunate in her fate. First, she was captured and lost her reputation due to the bandits, and now she has fallen into the hands of the unfeeling and harsh Prince Huaiyang, who is indifferent to the fragility and tenderness of women…

He sighed deeply, feeling a sense of responsibility for her misfortune.

Zhao Quan thought to himself, "Let’s see if after Cui Xingzhou eliminates the bandits, his mood will improve and he will show leniency. If so, I will certainly claim Miss Mian Tang for myself and arrange for her to be properly cared for in the latter part of her life."

With this thought, Zhao Quan felt relieved and poured himself another drink. Unlike the official Cui Xingzhou, who was a pillar of the court, he, as a leisurely marquis, preferred to indulge in his research on medicine and enjoy his wine.

Now, with the crescent moon high and the river waves vast, holding the wine in his hand, he regretted the lack of a beautiful companion. It was indeed a regret in life!

Meanwhile, as Prince Huaiyang descended the mountain and arrived at the dock, he suddenly paused, staring at the water for a while. He instructed his servant, “Have a carriage prepared to return to Lingquan Town.”

By the time the carriage arrived back in Lingquan Town, the early evening had set in, with the moon high and the stars sparse. The green-tiled house on North Street had lanterns hanging in front of it.

When the servant of Cui Xingzhou knocked on the door, it startled Li Mama, who had not expected her master to return.

Before she could speak, Mian Tang’s voice came from inside the courtyard, “Li Mama, has the master returned?”

The courtyard was small, and the sound from the front door was clearly heard in the inner yard. Seeing the look on the prince’s face, Li Mama had no choice but to reply helplessly, “Yes, the master has returned!”

 

At this moment, hearing the rustling sounds from the inner courtyard, Mian Tang’s somewhat flustered voice came through, “Please wait a moment, my lord. The room is quite messy; let me tidy up a bit…”

Unfortunately, before Mian Tang could finish, Cui Xingzhou had already lifted the curtain and pushed the door open.

Mian Tang was soaking her feet in a wooden basin, her hair loosely falling about, and she was dressed in a loose nightgown, looking rather disheveled.

She had just heard the sound of the door and was hastily trying to wipe her feet and adjust her appearance to greet her lord. Little did she expect that with his long legs and quick strides, the master had already entered the room before she was ready.

As Cui Xingzhou entered the room, he was mentally preparing to scrutinize this woman thoroughly.

Since she was capable of performing the skill of acupoint sealing, might she have also regained some of her memory?

Moreover, if Mian Tang had regained her memory, she might either attempt to escape or remain hidden nearby with malicious intent.

If she tried to escape, he could track her by sending people to follow her secretly.

If she intended to assassinate him, he would give her the opportunity and catch her in the act. That way, they could avoid the tedious formalities of domestic life and extract information about the rebels from her through interrogation, which would be more efficient.

Cui Xingzhou was always a decisive person in his actions. He had already made up his mind on how to interrogate this woman.

However, as his cold gaze settled into the inner room, it momentarily faltered.

Before him was a beautiful figure dressed in a simple white robe, her long black hair cascading down. The sight of her delicate face seemed to become even more pronounced, especially with her long legs partially exposed in the wooden basin, their whiteness almost blinding.

Mian Tang, realizing the situation, quickly put on her slippers, gathered her long hair, and approached him with a bow, saying, “I didn’t expect you to return tonight, and I didn’t have the kitchen prepare any food. Have you had anything to eat outside?”

Her gesture of greeting was proper, but it was evident that she was somewhat awkward due to her weakened legs.

After all, her limbs had been debilitated since she woke up, making it nearly impossible for her to move with the usual agility. It was hard to imagine how she managed to handle three strong men during the day.

After she finished her greeting, her husband remained silent for a long time. Feeling a bit guilty for her earlier troubles, she nervously tilted her head to gauge his reaction.

Cui Xingzhou watched as she tried to cover up her actions. He removed his cloak, picked up a chair, and sat down calmly, asking, “Did you enjoy your outing today?”

Mian Tang felt that one should face the consequences of their actions. Though she had taken pleasure in her retaliation in the alley, she realized it had caused trouble for her husband, and upon reflection, it was indeed her fault.

She pursed her lips, served her husband a cup of tea, and then honestly recounted the events of the day.

Of course, she omitted the part about forcing the men to eat filth, to avoid giving her husband the wrong impression of her being malicious.

After she finished, Cui Xingzhou’s expression remained unchanged as he blew on the tea in his cup. His handsome face was like still water, showing no sign of emotion, and seemed rather inscrutable.

Seeing that her husband did not become angry, Mian Tang felt somewhat reassured that her misstep might not have caused too much trouble.

She then walked carefully to the writing desk, retrieved the petition she had written in the afternoon—after much thought, biting her pen—and presented it to him.

Cui Xingzhou did not expect this unfortunate young lady to have the leisure to write a petition after such a commotion. He raised an eyebrow slightly and extended his long fingers to examine the document.

To be fair, the handwriting was… quite poor. It was unclear what skills she had practiced in her seclusion, as her needlework and calligraphy seemed to be lacking.

However, upon closer inspection, Cui Xingzhou noticed that although the handwriting was poor, the language was sharp and incisive. Every sentence targeted the weaknesses of the town's defender, from allowing relatives to openly harass local women to the impact on the authority of the Wang family, expressing deep concern for the country and its people.

As Cui Xingzhou was reading, Mian Tang took out a brush and paper, laid them out, and said, “My handwriting is poor and not fit for formal presentation. Please, could you kindly transcribe and refine it for submission to the county?”

Cui Xingzhou shifted his gaze from the letter to the fresh paper before him. Despite her amnesia, this woman still carried some of her husband’s audacity.

He wondered how Lu Wen, the bandit, could have been so infatuated and indulgent with this woman, allowing her to act so recklessly and without restraint.

He gently set the letter aside and said, “You injured the defender’s nephew, didn’t you? If it comes to that, you may need to compensate the young man for medical expenses…”

Upon hearing about potential costs, Mian Tang’s expression finally showed a hint of concern. She softly replied, “Although I’ve heard that the Prince Huaiyang is just and loves the people, suing the officials might be disadvantageous. Our family’s funds are limited. If we are extorted by that young master, it would be disastrous… Husband, I am sorry. Please punish me…”

As she spoke, Mian Tang appeared genuinely saddened, her eyes reddening slightly, like a child who had done wrong, anxiously looking at Cui Xingzhou.

However, the Huaiyang Wang had come all this way not to discuss domestic matters but to address the core issue. He asked gently, “You subdued that young master with considerable skill. Who taught you these techniques?”

Those who don’t know Cui Xingzhou would see him as a man of quiet composure, his emotions always well-hidden, and he would appear to be an exceptionally gentle and modest gentleman.

Since returning, Mian Tang had been worried about her impulsive actions causing trouble. But seeing that her husband, Cui Jiu, showed no signs of disdain or raised his voice in anger, she couldn't help but feel fortunate to have married such a kind and gentle husband.

Hearing him inquire, Mian Tang honestly replied, “Dr. Zhao left me a book on acupressure techniques, which clearly marks the acupoints. Today, I was fortunate to strike precisely and did not bring shame upon my reputation…”

She spoke the truth. When she had first awakened, she could only lie down every day. She had tried to pass the time by chatting with someone, but the Cui household was in disarray. The servants became fewer each day, and sometimes even getting a drink of water was difficult.

Fortunately, Dr. Zhao was kind-hearted. Seeing that she was bored, he brought her a few leisure books to pass the time and also gifted her a medical book on self-massage for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis.

To prove her words were true, she retrieved the books Dr. Zhao had given her from the bedside and showed them to her husband. She had even had Li Mama wrap them in cloth to keep them safe, treating them with great care.

Her response was far beyond Cui Xingzhou’s expectations. As he flipped through the book, he found Dr. Zhao's annotations, including several crucial acupoints on the neck marked with cinnabar.

Liu Mian Tang, having moved closer to her husband, pointed to the small annotations with her delicate fingers, saying, “These were added by Dr. Zhao at my request. At first, I just wanted to pass the time, but I didn’t expect to find them useful today. As the ancients said, ‘Opening a book is beneficial,’ and it turns out to be true!”

She had just finished washing and was close enough that a faint fragrance of soap lingered in the air, which inexplicably sparked a sense of anger in Cui Xingzhou.

To him, this wasn’t a mere medical book; with Dr. Zhao’s detailed annotations, it resembled a manual for murder! A weak woman could use it to target vital points and kill with ease!

Though he knew Zhao was heartless and carefree, he was overwhelmed with an impulse to imprison his reckless friend and administer a thorough punishment to see if it would correct Zhao’s judgment.

As he looked at Liu Mian Tang, who was helping him turn the pages of the book, he felt a surge of complex emotions. The soft, dim candlelight cast an alluring glow on her face, framed by her dark hair, making her look both enchanting and pitiful. It was no wonder Zhao lost his wits.

Liu Mian Tang, unaware of Cui Xingzhou’s internal frustration, asked with genuine concern, “Are you hungry, my lord? Should I have Li Mama cook a bowl of noodles for you?”

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

•••

Prev  :  TOC :  Next

https://ko-fi.com/flamingobeestranslations

https://twitter.com/FlamingoBee2009

Thank You For Reading <3