Chapter 84: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" (Are You the One)

 FlamingoBees 

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

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 Chapter 84: 

 

Mian Tang was momentarily stunned. "Ah? He's... not that bad..."

He Zhen raised her eyebrows. "Not that bad? If he was really any good, why would he keep you outside the manor and barely give you any household money?"

He Zhen clearly remembered how, despite Mian Tang earning money, she always lived frugally. Mian Tang had mentioned that her husband occasionally brought home some money from gambling, but they had to be careful with their spending if they wanted to make it last. Back then, Mian Tang had been proud of her husband's ability to make money, but now, thinking about it, it seemed stingy for a prince!

Mian Tang, feeling cornered, could only stubbornly defend him, "Well... back then, he had to hide his identity, so it wasn’t easy for him to bring more money..."

"The men at the merchants' gatherings spent more on courtesans than he ever did on you..." He Zhen muttered this last part under her breath, but her eyes, which now looked at Mian Tang, were filled with a mix of release and pity.

Mian Tang, feeling that He Zhen might no longer blame her but still shouldn’t defame Cui Xingzhou like this, tried to salvage his reputation once more. "He didn't mean to deceive me... it was just that at the time, he had no other choice..."

"It was no other choice... Because that fiancée of his hasn’t been dealt with yet, had she? If you stir things up, the whole prince’s residence will be in chaos..." 

When He Zhen was willing, her sharp tongue had no match in all of Lingquan Town.

Mian Tang decided to stop explaining and simply said, “We’ll take it one step at a time. When we signed the marriage contract, he said that we could dissolve the engagement at any time…”

What she meant to convey was that the Prince was quite generous, giving her the option of an exit. However, when He Zhen heard this, especially after recalling Cui Xingzhou’s cold and menacing demeanor in the woodshed, it twisted into something more sinister. To her, it sounded like a veiled threat—a reminder to Mian Tang that she had to obey in all things, or risk being cast aside as a discarded wife at any moment.

He Zhen, who had once fantasized about a relationship with Prince Huaiyang herself, had also considered the vast difference in their backgrounds and the obstacles they would face. But now, seeing Mian Tang go through what she had only imagined, all those obstacles seemed to have materialized.

Though He Zhen was the daughter of a merchant, she had been pampered all her life and had never suffered any hardship. After today’s torment in the woodshed, she couldn’t help but feel an unease when looking at the imposing gates of these grand residences.

Poor Mian Tang, deceived early on by a lecherous prince, had already lost her innocence. Now, with no other choice, she had to enter the prince's household and live alongside such a stingy and cold-hearted man...

For a moment, all the sharp edges in He Zhen seemed to dull.

By the time Mian Tang finished her tale, the carriage had arrived at their destination. Mian Tang invited He Zhen to go home, drink some calming soup, and rest well, so that the bad luck from today’s incident in the woodshed could be washed away.

After lowering her head for a while, He Zhen finally said, “Do you think I was foolish for what I did earlier?”

Mian Tang smiled. “When we were choosing styles for the porcelain, we only picked the finest pieces, didn’t we? It just means we both have sharp eyes. He does have a handsome face, after all, and even if he weren’t a prince, people would still fight over him. Why would I laugh at you?”

He Zhen quickly glanced up at her, feeling that Mian Tang was speaking too favorably of him, as if she was making light of a bitter situation. However, she couldn’t bring herself to call it out and only murmured softly, “Then take care of yourself… Now that you are a Princess, I was foolish not to recognize that and made things difficult for you in front of others… You don’t hold it against me, do you?”

Mian Tang noticed He Zhen’s sudden change in tone and smiled as she replied, “If I held a grudge, I wouldn’t have sent someone to fetch you from the woodshed…”

He Zhen exchanged a smile with her, and the feelings of a mistaken love that had lingered since their girlhood felt like waking from a long dream. Yet, before parting, He Zhen kindly reminded Liu Mian Tang about Miss Lian's instigating words.

Upon hearing that Lian Binglan had learned of her past residence on North Street, Liu Mian Tang remained calm.

Since it was the truth, unless all the people of Lingquan Town were slaughtered, the day would inevitably come when it would be known.

She had always conducted herself in a way that left her with no regrets or guilt. As for Prince Huaiyang (淮阳王), if he dared to deceive her, he would have to bear the consequences. So even if Miss Lian knew and gossiped about her behind her back, it didn’t matter.

After Cui Xingzhou had completed an inspection of Dongzhou, he found some time to spare today and made an impromptu return to Zhenzhou.

After having dinner at the prince's manor, he casually strolled into Liu Mian Tang's courtyard.

Mian Tang was in the middle of writing a letter home.

Over the past few days, Liu Mian Tang had organized her business shops and sent a portion of the money to her uncle Lu’s family. She asked him to buy back some of the farmland the Lu family had previously sold, to prevent them from eating through their wealth and falling into ruin again.

A few days ago, her uncle had written back, saying that under her grandfather's supervision, the two branches of the family had split. Her grandfather and her uncle’s family were now living together. As for her second uncle, Lu Mu, he had taken his share and was now living separately.

Mian Tang thought it was for the best. Otherwise, with her eldest uncle Lu’s kindness, he would not be able to outmaneuver her second uncle. Thus, in her letter, she reminded her grandfather to take care of his health and promised that once the war in Dongzhou calmed down next year, she would ask the prince for permission to visit him.

As she was halfway through writing, a voice came from behind, "No need to wait until next year; the war will be over this autumn."

Mian Tang turned to look at him, "Really? At today’s tea party, the ladies were talking about the troubles in Dongzhou, saying that the bandit leader is quite formidable, almost as if he has the same aura as Yangshan’s Lu Wen..."

Cui Xingzhou had always thought Zi Yu was Lu Wen. Hearing Mian Tang’s comment, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy, as if his fiancée were praising a past paramour. He snorted coldly, "Even if it's Lu Wen, he is just another defeated general under my command. Another one like him, what is there to fear?"

Mian Tang glanced at him and then turned back, "Your bravery should be put to better use on the battlefield. Why scare a little girl in the woodshed today?"

"What little girl? An old maid!" Cui Xingzhou said with a stern face, correcting Mian Tang. "She’s always stirring up trouble around you. No wonder she can’t get married! If I hadn't come today, you’d see how she would have embarrassed you. It's just scaring her a little; if it were up to me, I’d have silenced her completely!"

Prince Huaiyang had held a grudge against He Zhen for a long time. Today, he seized the chance to give her a few scares, which he considered quite mild.

Mian Tang, having been slightly irritated by He Zhen’s comments earlier, felt somewhat vexed, realizing she was easily deceived and even He Zhen had become aware of it. Yet, she remained captivated by this grand deceiver.

Seeing Cui Xingzhou so worked up, she instead found it amusing and said, "Don’t worry, she won’t be pining for you anymore. Miss He said that even the merchants who indulge in flower wine (prostitutes) give more money to courtesans than you gave me for the entire year!"

No matter how handsome a man is, stinginess can ruin his charm. The image of the young, chivalrous hero in shining armor that He Zhen had in her mind was now shattered beyond repair.

Cui Xingzhou, however, didn’t care about He Zhen’s opinions. He pulled her into his arms, his voice husky, "How long has it been since I could touch you? I have no place to reward you... How about you open up tonight, and I’ll make sure to reward you properly..."

Mian Tang wasn’t about to open up. After teasing him for a while, she sent him on his way.

Cui Xingzhou said, "Then I won’t bother you. Don't be in such a hurry to drive me away; let’s talk a bit more."

Over the past few days, Mian Tang had learned to make some pastries from Li Mama and brought them to him.

After having been a fake couple for so long, they could no longer maintain the shyness and awkwardness typical of unmarried young people, or express feelings through poetry.

Under the brocade curtains and blooming flowers, the towering and handsome man, adorned with a golden crown, whispered sweetly to the delicate and beautiful woman in a pink dress, their heads close together in an intimate manner. It truly was a picturesque scene.

However, the Old Princess Consort was not keen on letting her son break the rules. So, before they could enjoy each other's company too long, she hurriedly sent someone to summon Cui Xingzhou to speak with her.

The stern-faced old woman was rather unappealing, but Cui Xingzhou could not defy his mother.

In any case, before the formal ceremony, Prince Huaiyang had to maintain his composure!

This was also the main reason why Cui Xingzhou was so eager to end the turmoil in Dongzhou—defeating those troublemakers would allow him to return home for the ceremony and enjoy his nights with a beautiful woman.

However, the news of Prince Huaiyang's upcoming marriage had already spread throughout Zhenzhou. People were privately discussing how the prince’s fiancée had transformed from an ordinary sparrow into a phoenix overnight.

After returning from Zhenzhou where she had been receiving medical treatment, the Princess Consort Sui shared details about Prince Huaiyang’s new bride with her husband during dinner.

The Prince Sui had been listening somewhat passively until the Princess mentioned that Prince Huaiyang’s fiancée was named Liu Mian Tang. At that point, he slowly lifted his head.

Recently, the Prince Sui had been occupied with matters related to his trip to the capital. Although he had received reports about Prince Huaiyang's rewards upon entering the capital, he had not paid much attention to the details. The fact that Prince Huaiyang was bringing a woman home to marry was something that only concerned women.

Since the woman Prince Huaiyang was marrying was not the daughter of a noble or high-ranking official, there was no political alliance or power consolidation involved, so the Prince Sui naturally did not pay much attention.

However, he was utterly stunned to learn that the woman Cui Xingzhou was marrying was none other than Liu Mian Tang from Xizhou!

The Prince of Suwang, having only halfway through his meal, abruptly put down his chopsticks and began to interrogate every scout who had returned from the capital.

Only then did he piece together the details of this seemingly inconceivable marriage.

The Prince Sui could hardly believe that Cui Xingzhou would defy convention and marry a female bandit!

Amidst his shock, he also felt a sense of being robbed, as if his own interests had been unfairly taken away.

He finally understood why Cui Xingzhou was involved in matters that didn’t concern him and why those who had previously tried to seize the woman had never returned.

After hearing his subordinates' reports, he glared ominously for a long time before suddenly bursting into malicious laughter. His laughter was filled with endless hostility: “So, Prince Huaiyang, you’ve taken another step to oppose me! Whatever I covet, you seem to want to snatch it away! I wonder, in the end, who will have the last laugh…”

In truth, due to this momentary lapse, he had missed a golden opportunity to influence the relationship between Cui Xingzhou and the new emperor.

But now that he knew, it was good to be aware early on, allowing him to plan in advance.

If Prince Huaiyang continued to strengthen his power, it would inevitably pose a threat to his own ambitions. The current chaos in Dongzhou was a good opportunity; if utilized properly, it could eliminate Prince Huaiyang without the need for direct destruction and acquire the increasingly intriguing woman.

Originally, the Prince Sui’s interest in Liu Mian Tang was just a passing curiosity, wanting to toy with something new and interesting. However, now that she was about to become Prince Huaiyang’s wife, she truly sparked his competitive spirit.

"Liu Mian Tang, I am keen to see what charm you possess that can captivate someone as cold and unyielding as Cui Xingzhou!"

© 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.

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