Chapter 17: 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 17: 

 

Cui Xingzhou felt that such trivial gossip could come to an end. He closed his eyes and said, “I have no intention of taking a concubine… It’s getting late, so go to sleep quickly. I still need to deal with matters at the government office tomorrow morning.”

He wasn’t lying; he truly had no intention of taking a concubine in the future. However, it was also true that his wife would not be the woman beside him.

Hearing Cui Xingzhou’s words, Liu Mian Tang felt a sudden relief in her heart. Her husband was a calm and elegant person, unlike Madam Zhang’s husband from North Street, who was a shallow and greasy man. She really shouldn’t be overthinking things.

At this moment, with the moon hanging on the window sill, Mian Tang closed her eyes contentedly beside her husband.

Once the person beside her was breathing steadily, Cui Xingzhou slowly opened his eyes. He turned his head to look at the sweetly sleeping woman. Her face was as tender and pink as freshly made bean curd…

The next day, Cui Xingzhou woke up early, and Mama Li had already started preparing breakfast.

Prince Huaiyang's visits here were merely to attend to the amnesiac woman. However, with so many trips back and forth, it almost felt like he had turned North Street into his residence.

Although this place was not as grand as the palace, it was far more comfortable and pleasant compared to the military camps he was used to. Furthermore, Li Mama was an old servant he was accustomed to, and the food she prepared was delicious and to his taste. Cui Xingzhou was happy to have breakfast here before leaving.

Since Li Mama had to cook for Mr. Chen in the coming days, he was particularly keen on the red-braised pork she prepared. Therefore, a lot of pork was bought for the North Residence. Yesterday, Li Mama had sorted out the fatty meat, and a whole slab of lard was used to make a fresh jar of fragrant pig lard by boiling it in water. The remaining crispy cracklings were seasoned with salt and also served at the table.

Such things were absolutely not allowed on the master’s dining table in the palace. This was Cui Xingzhou’s first time eating it, and he liked it very much—it was both crispy and fragrant. In no time, he had eaten nearly half a bowl.

After finishing breakfast and checking the time, he realized he couldn't delay. He told Liu Mian Tang that he would first go to the government office to inquire about matters and would not return. Instead, he would head to the mountains to continue practicing chess with his mentor.

As he left the residence and his carriage turned the corner, a hidden sentry emerged from a nearby courtyard and approached the carriage, speaking quietly, “Your Highness, the flower-picking thief has been taken to the military camp’s prison. Should we also send him to the government office for further questioning?”

Cui Xingzhou recalled how this thief had led Liu Mian Tang to criticize Prince Huaiyang as incompetent, which left him feeling quite unsettled. He replied coldly, “There’s no need. After giving him a good beating, just send him to Lingnan and let him die there.”

As usual, he left very early in the morning, so he wouldn't typically encounter any neighbors. However, when the carriage reached the street corner, he saw a man reeking of alcohol standing in front of a tightly shut door. The man was banging on the door and cursing, “You shameless wench, how dare you lock your master outside? I can sell you once, and I can sell you again. See if I don't sell you to the brothel! Let you spend your days catering to men! Wife, how could you listen to the scheming of this lowly woman and refuse to let your husband come home?”

The woman he referred to as "wife" did not speak. Instead, a strong voice came from inside the door: “I am a maid who was part of the dowry. You have no right to sell me! When my mistress married you, despite your poverty and against her parents’ wishes, she adhered to the arranged marriage from her youth. You, on the other hand, have used her dowry to set up your business and kept courtesans outside! My mistress will not tolerate such filth and has decided to divorce you. Marry whoever you want! However, that shop is part of my mistress’ dowry and does not belong to you at all. Get your rice and oil and get out of here quickly!”

Hearing this, Cui Xingzhou in the carriage understood the situation. This was likely the Zhang family who had invited the "dog deity" for exorcism.

It seemed that the Zhang family, who were easily swayed and not very perceptive, had followed Liu Miantang’s advice and brought back the loyal maid from the dowry. It was unclear what other suggestions Liu Miantang might have given to the Zhang family.

Now it seemed that if Liu Mian Tang had not been kidnapped by the mountain bandits, she would have been quite capable of causing significant trouble for the genuine merchant Cui family. Her love for stirring up disputes and gossip was truly unvirtuous… Most importantly, she was not afraid of attracting trouble for herself.

Cui Xingzhou decided that before the undercover agents in North Street withdrew, he needed to properly advise Liu Mian Tang. He wanted to guide her in embodying the qualities of a virtuous wife so that her future would not be fraught with difficulties. He hoped she would avoid accumulating the negative traits of the common folk while still dispelling the influence of the bandits.

As it turned out, his suspicions were correct.

The next day, when the undercover agents on North Street reported the daily updates, they included the aftermath of the Zhang family’s troubles. It was reported that the couple had argued fiercely, and Madam Zhang had resolutely summoned her own family members to take over their store.

Without a means of livelihood, Mr. Zhang was abandoned by his lover, who found him financially inadequate. The couple decided to part ways. Later, Mr. Zhang, having heard that the daughter-in-law of the Cui family had advised his wife, was infuriated. Early the next morning, he went to the Cui family’s North Residence to bang on the door and curse them out.

Cui Xingzhou, upon hearing this, set down his pen and looked up at the informant standing by the desk. "Did Liu Mian Tang have a shouting match with him?"

The informant shook his head. "Not exactly. The business at the shop has been poor these days. According to Li Mama, Liu Mian Tang was so upset that she lost her voice and couldn’t even yell properly. Instead, she had a mute servant climb up a ladder and pour a bucket of ‘night fragrance’ directly over Mr. Zhang’s head…”

The informant, mindful of the unpleasant details, only mentioned part of the story. At that time, Mr. Zhang’s cries and curses became hoarse and indistinct. With no home to return to and most of his savings squandered by his courtesan, he was left with only his wet, smelly clothes and cried loudly in distress.

In the end, it was Madam Zhang who, moved by his pitiable state, softened and opened the door to let him in to change clothes.

Cui Xingzhou wasn’t particularly surprised by this. By now, he had realized that this young woman was inherently fearless and unafraid to provoke trouble, depending on how she felt about the situation.

Normally, Cui Xingzhou would have frowned upon hearing such news.

However, Cui Xingzhou’s mood had been quite unpleasant in recent days. A few high-ranking officials in the court had been setting obstacles for him, accusing him of having ulterior motives for not disbanding the local troops since the bandit threat in Zhenzhou had mostly been eliminated. They claimed he needed to be summoned to the capital to be reprimanded by the emperor.

Moreover, the officials praised the Governor of Qingshou, Shi Yikuan, for his virtue and his apparent success in pacifying the rebel Lu Wen. They reported that once terms were agreed upon, Lu Wen would bring his forces under Shi Yikuan’s command. Shi Yikuan would thus easily claim the credit for suppressing the bandits without much effort.

If possible, Cui Xingzhou would have liked to, like Liu Mian Tang, disregard everything and pour a few buckets of night fragrance over those clueless officials and the shameless Shi Yikuan, venting his deep-seated frustration.

Unfortunately, as a high-ranking court official, he found himself less content than a small merchant’s wife from North Street.

Thinking this, he waved his hand, signaling for the informant to leave.

Who would have thought that the esteemed Prince Huaiyang, holding significant military power, would be less at ease than a merchant's young wife from North Street?

At that moment, someone reported that Second Miss Lian, accompanied by her elder brother Lian Xuan, had come to the military camp to visit the prince.

Since the last time at the Old Princess Consort’s birthday banquet, Cui Xingzhou had not returned home. As for the letters of recommendation from his future father-in-law regarding his nephews, there had been no response.

Aunt Lian Chu inevitably complained that her nephew, a person of high status, had forgotten his family matters and wasn’t paying attention to their affairs.

However, Lian Binglan sensed something was off and felt that her cousin might have intentionally “forgotten” in order to reprimand the Lian family. So, she stopped her mother from urging her father to inquire about it and instead carefully prepared several small dishes. She asked her brother to take them along when they went on a spring outing, "conveniently" stopping by to visit the Prince Huaiyang.

This approach would neither seem forced nor improper, while also expressing her concern and longing for her cousin, and allowing her to gauge the prince’s attitude toward the Lian family.

Lian Binglan’s brother, Lian Xuan, and Cui Xingzhou were schoolmates who had studied together in the capital. They were quite familiar with each other.

However, Lian Xuan was naturally frail. Although he held a position as a county magistrate, his illness prevented him from taking up the post, leaving him to remain at home in a nominal role. He was a scholar in a different sense.

Unlike Zhao Quan, who was devoted to painting landscapes and practicing medicine, Lian Xuan had grand ambitions but was held back by his weak health, leading to a sense of unfulfilled aspirations, akin to the sentiment of "when will I don the golden-bristled helmet and swiftly tread the autumn paths?"

While drinking his medicinal soup, Lian Xuan’s greatest pleasure was to engage in conversations with like-minded individuals, discussing ancient and modern matters and expressing his sentiments.

So, upon entering the military camp and seeing his former classmate Cui Xingzhou dressed in dark military robes with gold trim, surrounded by stacks of official documents and bustling subordinates, he felt a subtle mix of inferiority and resentment.

When the Prince Huaiyang called for his future brother-in-law and former classmate, Lian Xuan eagerly began sharing his various insights on governing Zhenzhou, almost as if he intended to instruct the prince. This left Lian Binglan unable to interject.

Seeing the polite smile on the prince's face growing increasingly strained, Lian Binglan felt an urge to disregard proper decorum and directly use her handkerchief to silence her brother.

If it weren’t so inconvenient for a woman to enter a military camp and her other brothers weren’t absent from Zhenzhou, she would have been reluctant to drag her brother Lian Xuan along.

Despite her repeated instructions to her brother to drink more tea and speak less once they were in the military camp, Lian Xuan had completely forgotten her advice upon encountering someone in a better position than himself.

However, the maid Lian Xiang, following behind Lian Binglan, was sharp and perceptive. Noticing her mistress’s handkerchief growing tighter in her grip, she quickly understood the situation.

Seizing the opportunity to serve tea, she “accidentally” spilled half a bowl of tea onto Lian Xuan’s long gown, causing him to frown and scold her. This effectively put an end to his lengthy monologue on the governance of rivers and mountains.

Lian Binglan let out a quiet sigh of relief. Taking advantage of a pause in her brother's conversation, she turned to her cousin with a gentle smile and said, “The Old Princess Consort has been thinking of you lately. She worried that the food in the military camp might be monotonous, so she mentioned to me that I should bring some delicacies to vary your diet. Additionally, the Wang family’s tenants recently delivered a basket of 'June crabs.' Although these crabs are not as large as the autumn ones, their fresh and rich flavor surpasses the autumn crabs. I specially picked out the crab meat and made some crab roe buns for you to try.”

As she spoke, she instructed Lian Xiang to bring out a plate of exquisitely presented crab roe buns from the food box. The buns, with their translucent skins, revealed generous amounts of crab roe inside.

Cui Xingzhou smiled slightly, thanked his cousin for her thoughtfulness, and took a bun with the jade chopsticks, placing it into his mouth.

His cousin was meticulous and considerate in her actions. Although she had only brought five buns, the plate was decorated with egg whites fried to resemble crabs, and vegetables carved into fish and aquatic plants. The presentation was stunning.

However, for a hungry martial artist, the delicacies didn’t quite satisfy his appetite.

[Author's Note:] Meow~~~ Cui Xingzhou: Another bowl of fried crispy pork fat, please~~~

© 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