Chapter 9: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" (Are You the One)

 FlamingoBees 

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 Chapter 9: 

 

However, such a rare chess manual is a matter of chance rather than certainty. Cui Xingzhou is unsure whether he will ever find the remaining part to fulfill Winter Creek Recluse's lifelong wish.

Having received the prized chess manual, Cui Xingzhou was satisfied with his journey. After presenting some renowned Lushan tea he brought with him to the recluse, he took his leave.

With his mother's birthday celebration just a couple of days away, and distant relatives and old friends already arriving at the residence, he needed to return to handle the guest reception and social engagements.

So, after leaving Winter Creek Recluse's mountain villa, he and the Marquis rode down the mountain to switch to a luxurious carriage bearing the Prince Regent’s insignia, heading back to the Prince Regent Mansion.

The Prince of Huaiyang's residence is actually not far from Lingquan Town, separated only by a river in the Zhenzhou region.

Although the old princess consort's birthday banquet has not yet started and night has already fallen, there is still a lively atmosphere in front of the palace, with people cheering and horses neighing.

Upon his return, the entire household of the prince is in high spirits to welcome him.

The first thing Prince Huaiyang does is to pay his respects to his mother.

Knowing that her son has returned, the usually early-to-bed Princess Chu is also in the hall, accompanied by Lian Binglan and her mother, waiting for Prince Huaiyang to come and pay his respects.

When Prince Huaiyang, dressed in a flowing moon-white water shirt with a wide belt, turns around the pavilion and appears in the courtyard, the high-hanging lanterns illuminate his handsome face, making his gold crown gleam and his features appear even more striking and impressive.

Lian Binglan, shy and timid, looked at her future husband, slightly pursing her lips as she waited quietly for her cousin to approach.

However, Prince Huaiyang did not glance at his cousin and did not pay her much attention. He had never been very familiar with her, despite the four-year age difference, and there was nothing particularly to say, even if they were alone.

Fortunately, the essence of marital relationships lies in mutual respect. Just like with Liu Mian Tang, as long as one is respectful towards their spouse, even if there are no words exchanged, they can maintain a smooth and stable relationship.

Prince Huaiyang had no interest in the post-marriage "painting the eyebrows in shades of deep and shallow," but he considered his wife's respect and attentiveness to be of utmost importance.

In this regard, Lian Binglan, as a well-bred young lady from a prominent family, would likely perform better than Liu Mian Tang, a fallen aristocrat.

After greeting his mother, Old Princess Consort Chu spoke gently, “It’s been a while since we last met. Why do you seem to have lost weight? If your official duties are not too pressing this time, you should stay in the palace for a few more days. You should try Binglan’s cooking; the nourishing soup she makes is excellent for health.”

Binglan, hearing her aunt’s praise, smiled and replied softly, “It’s only because the Old Princess Consort doesn’t mind my clumsy cooking that I dare to attempt it. I know my culinary skills are lacking and wouldn’t want to embarrass myself in front of my cousin.”

Old Princess Consort Chu observed Menglan’s humility and remarked with a smile to her younger sister, Madam Lian Chu, who was seated beside her: “Look at Binglan, how modest and well-behaved she is. She’s nothing like your temperament!”

This was a true observation. Old Princess Consort Chu's sister, Madam Lian Chu, was known for being sharp and competitive, always striving to be the best in everything, even after her marriage and having children. In contrast, her daughter, Lian Binglan, was a refined and gentle young woman, well-matched with her son, Prince Regent Cui Xingzhou.

After not having returned home for a long time, Prince Regent Cui Xingzhou paid his respects to his mother, then spent some time chatting casually with her and his aunt.

Madam Lian Chu, smiling, suddenly changed the subject and said, “Sister, since Xingzhou has been away for so long and doesn’t have any maids who are attentive to his needs, it wouldn’t be ideal for him to continue like this. With his marriage to Binglan still a year away, how about sending Binglan’s maid, Lian Xiang, to serve him? At least she could attend to his needs and make sure he’s comfortable.”

The suggestion of sending a maid to serve Prince Regent Cui Xingzhou before the marriage was unexpected. Madam Lian Chu seemed to imply that Lian Xiang should be sent as a concubine to Cui Xingzhou.

Old Princess Consort Chu glanced at Lian Binglan, who seemed unfazed and merely lowered her head in silence. Then, she looked over at the maid, Lian Xiang.

Lian Xiang appeared decent in appearance, though not as refined as Binglan, and she didn’t seem to be the type to use flirtatious tactics.

At this point, Prince Regent Cui Xingzhou spoke up: “I frequently move about in the military camp, and having a maid around is quite inconvenient. The attendants I have are quite attentive, so Aunt needn’t worry about me.”

Despite the Prince Regent’s polite refusal, Madam Lian Chu persisted: “Lian Xiang isn’t one of those pampered servants from a grand residence. Rest assured, she will be of good service. Once you and Binglan are married, she will be able to assist Binglan and carefully attend to your needs.”

Old Princess Consort Chu, who was susceptible to persuasion, agreed with Lian Chu Shi’s argument and encouraged her son: “Since it is your aunt’s good intention, you should accept it.”

However, Cui Xingzhou didn't seem inclined to concede. He picked up a tea cup nearby and lightly fiddled with the lid, seemingly nonchalantly shifting the topic, "Some days ago, my soldiers mentioned seeing Uncle Lian's servant in Lingquan Town. I imagine he was there to select porcelain. Did he find what he was looking for? If not, I can help pick out a few pieces."

Madam Lian Chu was slightly taken aback and was about to redirect the conversation. However, Lian Binglan gently interjected, "Mother, you need not worry. Even if Cousin wants to select a maid, there are plenty of skilled and attentive ones in the manor. They have been personally trained by the Old Princess Consort, and their demeanor and attentiveness far surpass that of someone like Lian Xiang, who is rather rash."

As she spoke, she gently started recounting yesterday’s visit to the temple with the Old Princess Consort, describing the amusing parts that made the Old Princess Consort laugh heartily. The conversation about sending a maid was thus smoothly diverted.

After Cui Xingzhou stood up to bid farewell to his mother and returned to his study, Madam Lian Chu and her daughter also took their leave and went back to Lian Binglan's guest quarters.

Once they were in the inner chamber and alone, Madam Lian Chu expression turned angry. She glared at her daughter and said, "Didn’t we agree that we would first send Lian Xiang to serve Xingzhou, so we could understand the situation over there? I finally managed to get my sister to agree, so why did you block it afterward?"

The more she spoke, the more agitated she became. Madam Lian Chu continued anxiously to her daughter, “Heaven help us, this is truly a case of history repeating itself, with the constant absurdities in the royal mansion! I initially resisted marrying Cui Xie because I knew how notoriously unfaithful he was. I had to endure and switch marriage agreements with my sister, so she ended up marrying Cui Xi, while I married your father. Just look at your eldest aunt. If it weren't for our maiden family’s support, she would have been devoured by those scheming courtesans long ago, and she wouldn’t be enjoying the comfortable life of an Old Princess Consort now. The troubles she faced then were far worse than our peaceful family life. If you don’t become more aware... be careful not to repeat your aunt’s mistakes. Your father’s precarious official position won’t be able to support you!”

After hearing her mother’s self-praise, Lian Binglan, who was usually gentle in public, cast a dismissive glance at her mother.

Madam Lian Chu, not noticing her daughter’s significant glance, continued, “Now, I allowed you to marry him because I see that his character is better than his father’s reckless ways. But who would have thought that he would quietly settle down with a mistress in Lingquan Town? Isn’t this just like the late Old Prince? If you don’t take precautions early on, you’ll end up suffering the consequences!”

Lian Binglan, allowing Liang Xiang to help her remove the hairpin, gently said, “Mother, how many times have I told you? One shouldn’t be too blatant in their actions. Today, you noticed that my cousin was talking about the matter of my father’s servant, Shu Mo, checking the outer residence in Lingquan Town. If you rush to send someone there, wouldn’t it be like openly placing a spy? Given my cousin’s temperament, he would never tolerate that.”

Madam Lian Chu understood her daughter’s reasoning but was still reluctant, saying, “So, we just let him keep a mistress? What about the reputation of our Lian family?”

Lian Binglan calmly replied, “Didn’t Shu Mo find out with some silver that the young woman in question was a merchant’s wife who had been kidnapped by bandits? Somehow, she caught my cousin’s eye. Such a person with a tarnished reputation is just a beautiful distraction for him, nothing more. Given my cousin’s status, even if he favors her, she won’t be of any significance. Since she’s merely a diversion, why make a fuss and potentially irritate him?”

Madam Lian Chu was puzzled by how her daughter could remain so composed when she herself was so impatient. However, Lian Binglan made a good point. The mention of her husband’s servant, Shu Mo, by the prince today was clearly a warning to her.

Her nephew, though seeming gentle and polite, was not as soft-natured as her sister. If she insisted on sending a maid, it might backfire and cause problems.

The servant who had gone to investigate earlier had vanished without a trace, and the soldier previously bribed was also nowhere to be found. When others were asked, they remained tight-lipped, leaving him to return empty-handed. Now it seemed that, given Cui Xingzhou's temperament, the soldier must have been punished, making it impossible to extract any more information.

After initially being consumed by jealousy, Lian Binglan came to realize that once she was married, she would be the mistress of the Prince Regent Mansion, the wife in charge of the household. She would have ample means to handle any such concubine issues. There was no need to anger her cousin before the marriage had even been completed. 

In that case, she naturally didn't know about it. Having a tarnished reputation while serving her cousin was still better than him following in the footsteps of the late Prince of Huaiyang, who had enticed other noble ladies and brought several troublesome concubines, who had formidable support behind them, into his household.

With this in mind, Lian Binglan gently advised her mother to go to bed. She then applied pearl face cream, bound her hair with a light silk scarf, and went to sleep.

Recently, Lian Binglan had been particularly diligent about her appearance. This was partly because she had heard from the soldier that the merchant woman was exceptionally beautiful, which inevitably stirred some feelings of comparison.

However, no matter how beautiful one is, there will come a time when beauty fades. Relying on looks to please others cannot last forever. As the main wife, she needed to be more open-minded and not as short-sighted as her mother.

Although her mother had just criticized the late Prince for his infidelity and deemed him an unsuitable match, she had often lamented and regretted her decision in private, endlessly complaining about her father’s mediocrity. She frequently expressed her remorse over having switched spouses with her sister, saying she had been foolish and lamenting that she had agreed to the exchange.

When their father chose suitors for them, he had specifically selected Lian Hanshan for her sister because he knew that Princess Consort Chu had a gentle disposition. Lian Hanshan was honest and straightforward, a perfect match for Miss Chu temperament.

After Madam Lian Chu swapped husbands with her sister, she found that while her husband was indeed honest, he was also quite unremarkable. His lack of ambition in the officialdom meant he never moved beyond his initial position, remaining stagnant for years.

In contrast, Cui Xie, who had started as just a local military governor, achieved many remarkable feats and was eventually ennobled by the late Emperor as a Prince Regent. Despite some difficulties along the way, he had brought glory to his family and expanded his territory.

Madam Lian Chu privately regretted her decision deeply, often lamenting that if she hadn’t agreed to the swap, she would have been the rightful mistress of the Prince’s household.

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