Chapter 104: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" (Are You the One)

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 Chapter 104: 

 

Mian Tang didn't argue with Cui Fu, which eased Cui Fu's mind a little.

Despite coming from a humble background, Cui Fu thought Mian Tang seemed relatively gentle in nature. Additionally, given the recent upheavals in the family and Mian Tang's bravery in rescuing her mother despite the risks, Cui Fu found her to be a generally good person. Even if she was somewhat materialistic, it wasn't a significant flaw.

Cui Fu's earlier concerns about her brother's marriage were thus somewhat alleviated.

However, Mian Tang was well aware of Cui Fu's deliberate attempt to put her in her place. Unfortunately, Mian Tang didn't much care about Cui Fu's grievances. She wasn't a merchant's wife from the North Street married to Cui Jiu. Even though the family was currently facing financial difficulties, she had no reason to be concerned about her elder sister-in-law's opinions.

When Prince Huaiyang returned the next day and heard his mother mention that Cui Fu planned to live nearby in the capital and teach Mian Tang how to manage the household, he snorted and said, "Her own home is a mess. What can she possibly teach Mian Tang? How to help her husband take concubines, or how to manage illegitimate sons?"

The Old Princess Consort sighed as she recalled her daughter's domestic troubles and said, "I was against her marrying far away, but your father insisted. It caused Fu’er to be ill-treated in her marital home. Such a proud person, enduring so much hardship, has naturally changed a lot. As her brother, you should be more understanding and not always be so harsh. Don’t hurt your sister's feelings."

Prince Huaiyang rose and said, "Since she is married off, it's better not to interfere with her marital family. Otherwise, if she keeps criticizing Mian Tang for not knowing household matters, what will the servants think? How will they respect Mian Tang as the future mistress of the family? Do you want outsiders to say that the head of the Huaiyang family is actually trained by the daughter-in-law of Duke Qingguo?" After speaking, he went back to his own quarters.

Mian Tang was trying on dresses sent by the tailor in the mansion. Soon, she would start showing, and fitted dresses wouldn’t suit her anymore. Fortunately, these dresses had a loose waist and intricate embroidery on the neck and sleeves. Mian Tang admired herself in the mirror and, seeing Cui Xingzhou enter, eagerly asked him how the dresses looked.

Cui Xingzhou had initially thought that Mian Tang might be upset after the conversation with his sister and would be weeping alone in her room. To his surprise, she was simply admiring herself.

He took a moment to appreciate her dresses and then pulled her to the soft couch. Without waiting for Mian Tang to express any grievances, he said, "Don’t worry about what my sister said. Once we’re in the capital, the household matters will be entirely yours. Even now in Zhenzhou, you are the one in charge. Why hand over the keys to her?"

Mian Tang smiled sweetly and said, "I truly don’t mind. There’s no need for the Prince to worry so much. If you stress over every little thing, you’ll wear yourself out. It's better to live alone, avoiding these mundane troubles."

However, Cui Xingzhou felt that Mian Tang’s ability to endure and handle matters with such grace was unlike her usual self.

Mian Tang smiled and asked, “How is the relationship between your sister and Aunt Lian?”

Cui Xingzhou replied, “My sister has always disapproved of Aunt Lian.”

Mian Tang said, “That’s precisely why. With so many wedding and household affairs to manage, if Aunt Lian were to act inappropriately in the future, I, as an outsider, would have a hard time addressing it. Given your sister’s temperament, she wouldn’t tolerate it and would naturally handle Aunt Lian herself, which would be more convenient than if I were to deal with it.”

Cui Xingzhou then understood Mian Tang's strategy—using one’s adversary to counter another adversary.

He had initially thought that Mian Tang, coming from a humble background, might struggle with the complex and ritualistic life in the Wang family, especially with the household affairs being disorganized in the absence of a female head. To his surprise, Mian Tang managed everything with ease, which eased his concerns.

If Cui Fu was willing to take on the trivial matters of the royal family, Mian Tang was more than happy, as it allowed her to focus on other things.

Since Cui Xingzhou decided to head to the capital, there had been undercurrents of political strife. It was rumored that the officials in the court had been heavily criticizing the affairs of Zhenzhou, aiming to undermine Cui Xingzhou's military achievements in the Northwest and create obstacles for his appointment.

In contrast, the reputation of the virtuous Prince of Huizhou had recently spread far and wide. It was said that the Prince of Sui’s entrance into the capital was widely supported, as the new emperor needed a strong royal pillar to stabilize the situation.

Although Cui Xingzhou had not yet set off for the capital, the political maneuvering had already begun.

At this time, in the capital's Huang'en Temple, the Consort Yun, who was out of the palace for a religious retreat, took the opportunity to pass a letter to the temple monks assigned to the Prince of Sui.

If anyone in the world knew about Liu Mian Tang, it would undoubtedly be Sun Yun'niang!

From the start at Yangshan, she had been overshadowed by the sudden appearance of Liu Mian Tang, who made Sun Yun'niang seem dull by comparison. From then on, she paid close attention to Liu Mian Tang's every move and secretly gathered all information about her.

Everyone at Yangshan seemed captivated by Liu Mian Tang. Even though the old officials from the Eastern Palace were disdainful of her bold actions, they still acknowledged her capabilities.

At that time, Zi Yu was already completely captivated by Liu Mian Tang.

Later, she aligned herself with the Prince of Sui, managing to use this alliance to bring down Liu Mian Tang, leaving her crippled and discarded into the water, effectively rendering her a broken woman, used by a deceitful merchant.

Although Yun'niang still hoped for Liu Mian Tang to suffer even more, she was quite satisfied with Liu Mian Tang’s current misfortune. However, when she suddenly learned that Liu Mian Tang was returning to the capital with the highly accomplished Prince Huaiyang and would soon marry him as his principal wife, Yun'niang was initially in disbelief. When she attended a palace banquet with her father and saw Liu Mian Tang dressed in luxurious clothes, adorned with gold and silver, leaning beside a tall, distinguished man, she realized with a start that this handsome man was none other than the merchant Cui Jiu she had met in Lingquan Town.

Yun'niang could hardly believe it. She asked several people about the identity of the handsome man and finally confirmed that he was indeed Prince Huaiyang. At that moment, Yun'niang felt her heart nearly burst with rage. It dawned on her that after Liu Mian Tang had fallen into the water, she had managed to attach herself to a powerful patron, a tree large enough to shield her from the storm. Though she had been deceived by Cui Xingzhou at the time, she could only guess that he had intended to play with her.

It was shocking to realize that Liu Mian Tang, who seemed like a scheming seductress, must have used some means to ensnare Prince Huaiyang, who was now so infatuated with her that he was willing to marry her.

Returning from the banquet that day, Yun'niang was so upset that she couldn’t eat for two whole days. Only when her father, having gained favor due to his merits, and Liu Dan needing to build his own power base, agreed to her father's request to have her enter the palace as a consort did Yun'niang’s spirits lift. With her long-held ambition finally achieved, Yun'niang temporarily set aside her anger towards Liu Mian Tang.

Unfortunately, her dreams of living a blissful life with the man she loved were short-lived. Despite her youthful beauty, she found herself overshadowed by the unattractive and portly Empress Shi, who received Liu Yu’s devotion. Liu Yu spent more than half of the month at the Empress's side, and the remaining time was divided among several other consorts, leaving Yun'niang with very limited opportunities to see him. Each time Liu Yu visited her palace, he would quickly fall asleep, claiming exhaustion, and sometimes, after drinking, he would even call out Liu Mian Tang’s name in his dreams.

Yun'niang had thought that entering the palace would fulfill her long-held wish, but she gradually realized that she was trapped in a nightmare from which she could never awaken. This realization left her feeling that her life was forever ruined.

Thus, Yun'niang's resentment towards Zi Yu and his affections for Liu Mian Tang grew even stronger. She swore that she would never rest until she had dealt with Liu Mian Tang.

When Prince Sui’s envoy came to inquire about Liu Mian Tang's past, Yun'niang, who knew well the prince's intentions, did not hesitate to reveal that Liu Mian Tang had an exiled brother. Liu Mian Tang had previously sent silver to support her brother while she was in the mountains, which suggested that she might be protecting him now.

Prince Sui is determined to cut off Cui Xingzhou's path to the capital.

If Cui Xingzhou were to publicly help his brother-in-law escape from punishment, it would become a major scandal in the court.

At this point, Prince Sui sent people to the labor camp where Liu Zhanpeng was serving his sentence. After killing a few guards and rescuing him, he planed to escalate the situation and bring Liu Zhanpeng directly to Zhenzhou. Once there, Liu Zhanpeng will burst into the wedding banquet of Prince Huaiyang, causing a commotion.

The guests at the wedding are all prominent local figures, and Prince Huaiyang will be unable to bribe them all. Consequently, the news of his brother-in-law’s situation will spread.

Liu Zhanpeng, being foolish, had been urging to get to Zhenzhou quickly since hearing about his sister’s rise to prominence. By now, the scandal in Zhenzhou is likely making waves, and Prince Huaiyang must be regretting marrying a woman with such a tainted background. Even if he was deeply affectionate towards Liu Mian Tang, his desire for immense power would overshadow it. The thought of Prince Huaiyang being furious with Liu Mian Tang would even make Yun'niang, who was isolated in the palace, laugh.

Just yesterday, a memorial accusing Prince Huaiyang of favoritism and shielding his brother-in-law who committed murder and escaped prison reached the heavens. Before the Emperor could issue a decree, the old minister Zhang Pangguang, who was inspecting the southern five provinces, received the news and went to Zhenzhou to investigate.

Old Minister Zhang is known for his fair administration of justice and his reputation for hating evil, making his investigation particularly credible.

Unfortunately, she just learned from a contact at a monastery that Liu Zhanpeng got into an argument at the Zhenzhou city gate, was falsely accused of stealing a purse, and had been thrown into jail.

Although there was no public uproar on the wedding day, Liu Zhanpeng's indiscreet remarks about being Liu Mian Tang’s brother eventually reached her ears. For several days, people have reported seeing carriages from the Prince’s residence going in and out of the county prison. Furthermore, it has been discovered that Liu Zhanpeng is enjoying special privileges in prison, with lavish meals of fish and meat.

As long as Liu Zhanpeng remains in Zhenzhou, the arrival of Minister Zhang will confirm Prince Huaiyang’s complicity in shielding a criminal.

Yun'niang knows that Liu Mian Tang values family and is protective of her relatives. Naturally, she would shield her brother in this situation.

With this in mind, Yun'niang urged the Prince of Sui in her letter to act quickly and not miss this opportunity.

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