Chapter 83: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" (Are You the One)

 FlamingoBees 

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 Chapter 83: 

 

Unaware of the subtle tension between the two young women, the Marchioness smiled and said, "You are from the He family, here to deliver the porcelain, correct?"

Miss He San bowed and replied, "Yes, Madam Taihou. I am the third daughter of the He family. You may call me Miss He."

The Marchioness then gestured for someone to bring the porcelain she was presenting. The porcelain was indeed exceptionally translucent, and the Taihou Madam offered it to the Princess Consort Sui and the Old Princess Consort for their admiration and inspection.

The Old Princess Consort, with a smile, looked at the porcelain and then turned to Miss He, saying, “This porcelain is truly excellent. Our family has always used He family’s porcelain. Prince Xingzhou will soon be marrying Mian Tang, but the preparations are moving so quickly that many things are not yet arranged. I wonder if your family could manage to fulfill the remaining items?”

Miss He was aware of the upcoming wedding of Prince Xingzhou and Mian Tang. She had heard about it when the order for porcelain was placed, and it had been a source of disappointment for her.

When the Old Princess Consort inquired about the porcelain, Miss He boldly suggested, “If the Old Princess Consort is in a hurry, why not shift the order to the Burned Jade Porcelain Workshop in Lingquan Town? Their porcelain is also exquisite and worth admiring.”

This suggestion from Miss He was clearly a test. If the Old Princess Consort acknowledged it and directed Liu Mian Tang to provide the porcelain, it would reveal that she knew Liu Mian Tang's commercial identity. If not, it would mean that the Old Princess Consort was unaware of Liu Mian Tang’s role as a merchant and saw her merely as an upstart.

Liu Mian Tang, aware she could not avoid the issue, took a deep breath and was about to respond when a voice from outside the hall interrupted, “Since Mother is accustomed to using He family’s porcelain, it is best to continue with them. If they fail to deliver on time and cause delays, they will lose their reputation for quality, and we will simply stop using their products in the future.”

The crowd turned to see Prince Huaiyang and the host of the tea party entering the hall. Both men were tall and elegant, their ornate robes and refined demeanor making them quite striking.

Miss He San’s eyes filled with tears upon seeing the long-unseen Prince Huaiyang, and her fingers trembled slightly.

Zhao Quan, moving forward, passed by Miss He and instructed a servant, “Please escort the guest out. I need to speak with the distinguished guests.”

In the Marquis Mansion, when the host speaks, guests must comply. Though Miss He was seething with anger at the deceit she felt, she understood that displaying such emotions at this occasion would harm her family’s reputation. She quickly rose and followed the servant out, managing her emotions as best she could.

Cui Xingzhou exchanged a glance with Mo Ru, who promptly understood and followed Miss He out.

The Marchioness, unaware that her son was intervening on Liu Mian Tang’s behalf, smiled and asked, “What is it that you wish to discuss with the esteemed guests?”

Zhao Quan, having just heard from Cui Xingzhou that Miss He might reveal Liu Mian Tang’s background, had quickly sought a reason to remove her. Now, faced with his mother’s inquiry, Zhao Quan thought for a moment and said, “I wanted to remind everyone to be cautious when eating the fish later. Be careful of fish bones; I recently treated a young master who had gotten a fish bone stuck and ended up with his clothes soaked from excessive salivation.”

The Marchioness, already exasperated by her son's tendency for idle chatter, could hardly contain her irritation. She snapped, “Which of the guests here is a young master you’ve treated? This talk of fish bones is sheer nonsense!”

Seeing his mother’s frustration, Zhao Quan took a seat next to her and said, “As a physician, I’ve seen unusual cases and felt compelled to remind others. I even caution you about indulging in sweets, warning that it might aggravate your headaches. But do you heed my advice? You still sneak sweets behind my back.”

His remark, revealing his mother’s tendency to ignore medical advice, almost made the Marchioness reach out to pinch him. The other ladies, amused by the playful exchange, laughed heartily.

Although Prince Huaiyang’s career ambitions were not strong, he brought a refreshing sense of humor to the household, making him a pleasant presence. 

Liu Mian Tang, understanding that Zhao Quan’s awkwardness was all in her defense, gave him a grateful look. Zhao Quan, catching her appreciative gaze, felt that he would gladly endure any hardship for her.

Earlier, Zhao Quan had come close to ending his friendship with the one named Cui due to Cui Xingzhou’s covert interference. However, upon realizing that Cui Xingzhou was heading to Dongzhou to combat the rampant banditry, Zhao Quan saw a glimmer of opportunity. So, when Cui Xingzhou approached him, Zhao Quan candidly expressed his feelings about the prospect of Cui Xingzhou inheriting his widow. Cui Xingzhou calmly replied that if Zhao Quan was patient, he could wait. Thus, their nearly broken friendship was temporarily mended.

As Zhao Quan and the others entered the courtyard, they overheard Miss He’s words. Zhao Quan quickly stepped in before Cui Xingzhou could, to alleviate the situation for Liu Mian Tang.

While Zhao Quan engaged in light-hearted banter with the ladies, Cui Xingzhou took the opportunity to leave the courtyard under the pretext of changing clothes.

Miss He, however, did not leave the Marquis residence. Instead, she was detained by Mo Ru in the outer courtyard’s storeroom.

Miss He had been dreaming of meeting her celestial figure again, and to her astonishment, today that dream came true. 

However, the celestial figure was no longer the gallant hero who had once come to her aid. Instead, he now sat with a stern expression on a chair, demanding, "Miss, what did you mean by directing the conversation towards the Burned Jade Porcelain Workshop?"

Miss He, flustered, replied, "Your Highness, I... I was just upset. You see, Liu Mian Tang... she deceived you..."

Cui Xingzhou, who held no affection for Miss He due to her repeated slanders against Liu Mian Tang, coldly inquired, "What did she deceive me about?"

Miss He, unsure of the specifics of Liu Mian Tang's deception, was at a loss for words. Although she had seen some of the world, she was now being roughly handled by two burly attendants and dragged into the storeroom, unable to speak further.

Now, with the anger in the eyes of Prince Huaiyang and his men surrounding her, Miss He felt a chilling fear. Having frequented high society, she was well aware of the bloodshed and dark secrets that often lay hidden behind the facade of opulence.

Surrounded by watchful and intimidating guards, she finally broke down in tears and cried, "I... I don't know..."

Miss He, who had been trembling and crying in the presence of Prince Huaiyang and his men, found herself overwhelmed with fear. She had no idea that her actions could lead to such a dire situation, where even a mere false accusation could be fatal.

Cui Xingzhou, remaining silent, let Mo Ru's cold words sink in. "You’re just a minor merchant's daughter, indulging in lofty dreams of grandeur. If you keep stirring trouble and spreading rumors, you might end up in the stables with the dogs!"

Miss He trembled at the threat, her tears flowing uncontrollably as she realized the gravity of her situation.

At that moment, Fang Xie’s quivering voice came from outside: “Your Highness, the Princess is unwell and has asked to leave early. She instructed me to tell you that if Miss He is here, she would like to take her along, as she plans to visit Lingquan Town as well.”

As Miss He, looking dazed and battered, climbed into Liu Mian Tang’s carriage, she resembled a flower ravaged by a storm.

Liu Mian Tang, having heard from Fang Xie about the scare tactics employed by Prince Huaiyang and his men, sighed inwardly. She handed Miss He some warm water and gently said, “It’s alright now. Drink this.”

Seeing Liu Mian Tang’s face, Miss He seemed to wake from her nightmare, and she burst into tears. “Why... why are you all ganging up on me?”

Liu Mian Tang set down her teacup slowly and said softly, “I didn’t intend to deceive you. At that time, I didn’t even know he was Prince Huaiyang.”

She skipped over the details about Yangshan and simply explained that she had fallen into the water and lost her memory, mistakenly thinking that Prince Huaiyang was her betrothed, Cui Jiu.

Miss He, who was aware of Liu Mian Tang’s previous injury, was stunned by this new revelation. Had someone claimed earlier that Prince Huaiyang was a scoundrel who deceived innocent women, Miss He would have defended the prince to the death, convinced of his virtue.

However, having just been frightened out of her wits by the prince and his men, Miss He now felt a sense of empathy and shared enmity towards Liu Mian Tang.

“He really deceived you like that? So, was his intention to cast you aside with the divorce letter he left in the northwest?”

Liu Mian Tang considered for a moment and nodded, acknowledging that Miss He’s interpretation was close to the truth.

Miss He gasped in shock.

If it had been anyone else, such claims would have seemed absurd. But Liu Mian Tang was so beautiful that any man might be tempted. It was unimaginable that Prince Huaiyang could be so unscrupulous as to deceive such a virtuous and intelligent woman into being his mistress, intending to discard her once he had his fun.

Had Liu Mian Tang not pursued him to the northwest, softening the prince’s hard heart and convincing him to marry her, she might have spent her life bearing the stigma of being an unchaste woman.

Miss He recalled Liu Mian Tang’s past efforts to support her family and how everyone in Lingquan Town spoke of her as a fortunate woman to have. It was clear that Liu Mian Tang was not a vain woman seeking to climb the social ladder.

Now, even though Cui Xingzhou had a newfound sense of responsibility, Liu Mian Tang’s position as an outsider marrying into the royal family would likely lead to significant mistreatment. The relationship between Prince Huaiyang and Zhao Yuan, who had recently divorced his wife under the pretext of her inability to bear children, illustrated the callousness of high society. If Zhao Yuan, known for his fickleness, could discard his wife, it was not unreasonable to fear that Prince Huaiyang might do the same.

In that moment, Miss He forgot her own misfortune and grasped Liu Mian Tang’s hand, her tears flowing freely.

“Mian Tang, if he is so unworthy, what will become of you after marrying him?”

Liu Mian Tang had not intended to tarnish the prince’s reputation but had simply recounted the facts as they were. She hoped that Miss He’s resentment might be eased by the truth, although she did not expect their fleeting friendship to endure.

However, to Liu Mian Tang's surprise, Miss He seemed to have filled her mind with dramatic scenarios and looked at her with such sympathy, as if she were about to marry a dragon or a monster.

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