Chapter 132: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One
FlamingoBees
Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)
Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One
Chapter 132:
After losing their daughter-in-law Cui Fu, Duke Qing's family suddenly realized she wasn't as unbearable as they had previously thought, and they began to entertain the idea of reconciliation.
After all, there was a child between the former couple. If Cui Fu felt nostalgic for the past and the Guo family expressed some soft words of apology, perhaps they could win her back.
While Duke Qing's household was eagerly plotting, on the other side, the Old Princess Consort Chu was in a hurry to enter the capital.
Cui Xingzhou had always been decisive, yet he had kept the matter of Cui Fu's divorce hidden. It wasn't until halfway through the journey that the steward sent to greet her slowly revealed some of the situation.
Upon hearing this, Old Princess Consort Chu felt somewhat dazed, thinking she shouldn't have stayed in Zhenzhou and allowed her son and daughter to cause trouble in the capital.
If she had been there, her daughter wouldn't have been so willful as to seek a divorce… But what about Liu Mian Tang's background? That was… quite outrageous, wasn't it?
"See, sister, I told you so. You didn't believe me then, but now it’s proven that I wasn't lying, right?"
The one speaking was Madam Lian Chu.
Her son-in-law, Fifth Master Cui Xingdi, had purchased land and established a business in Qingfeng Town, near the capital, and was doing quite well in his partnership with friends.
So shortly after Cui Xingzhou entered the capital, Cui Xingdi also left Zhenzhou for Qingfeng Town to handle business matters, leaving his newlywed wife, Lian Menglan, alone at home.
After getting married, the Fifth Master established his own household and didn’t live with the royal family anymore. With the vast royal residence left with only Old Princess Consort Chu, it became lonely, so she had no choice but to attend various tea parties to experience the bustling life.
As time went on, the once nearly severed sisterly bond began to pick up a few threads again.
Old Princess Consort Chu had never been one to hold a grudge against her sister, but now, her interactions with Madam Lian Chu were not as submissive as before.
Not long ago, Madam Lian Chu had mysteriously claimed that Cui Fu had divorced Guo Yi in the capital. Old Princess Consort Chu thought her sister was once again spreading baseless rumors, so she didn't believe her and scolded her fiercely.
Later, Madam Lian Chu made an even more outrageous claim: she insisted that her daughter-in-law, Liu Mian Tang, was actually the bandit leader Lu Wen! She spoke with such conviction that it infuriated Old Princess Consort Chu, and she turned against her sister again.
However, it turned out that others returning from the capital were saying the same thing.
As the saying goes, "three people make a tiger," and gradually, Old Princess Consort Chu's heart began to waver. But she felt it was inappropriate to directly write to her son and ask if Cui Fu had divorced him or if Liu Mian Tang had ever committed robbery.
Cui Xingzhou’s letters provided no details at all.
In the end, she could no longer contain her anxiety and insisted on going to the capital. After repeatedly urging Cui Xingzhou through letters, she finally made the journey.
Seeing that there was already an official escort for the fleet heading to the capital, Madam Lian Chu decided to accompany her, hoping to send her daughter to reunite with her husband.
Old Princess Consort Chu thought it wouldn’t be a problem to bring them along, so she allowed Lian Binglan and Lian Chu to take the boat to the capital together.
To be honest, Madam Lian Chu came this time with the intention of watching the excitement.
At first, when Cui Xingzhou refused to marry her well-behaved daughter from a respectable family and insisted on taking the lowly-born Liu Mian Tang as his wife, Madam Lian Chu thought it was enough that Liu Mian Tang had been Cui Xingzhou's concubine. She never expected that this girl had previously been a bandit!
Madam Lian Chu was absolutely convinced of this rumor. After all, she had once been threatened by Liu Mian Tang with a knife to her neck.
Sometimes, when Madam Lian Chu had nightmares, she could still vividly remember the murderous glare Liu Mian Tang shot at her back then, like two daggers pinning her in place.
Looking back now, what respectable woman would be so fierce and agile? If one were to say she was a bandit from Yangshan, it would make perfect sense!
While still feeling some lingering fear, Madam Lian Chu also looked forward to seeing her sister's expression of regret for her earlier decisions. This thought alone gave her plenty of motivation to endure the fatigue of the journey and witness her sister's shocked reaction upon learning of the scandal in the Prince's family.
When the large ship docked, the Prince family's horses and carriages were already waiting to greet them.
Although Fifth Master Cui Xingdi had his own residence in Qingfeng Town, near the capital, it was only proper for Lian Binglan, as the sister-in-law, to pay her respects to her sister-in-law in the capital.
Thus, the Lian mother and daughter accompanied Old Princess Consort Chu to the Huaiyang Mansion.
Liu Mian Tang was due to give birth soon, and every day she experienced several contractions. The various physicians had examined the fetal position in turn and all said that the princess' pregnancy had been well-nurtured, but the baby was slightly larger than usual, which might complicate the delivery.
So, in these past few days, Liu Mian Tang had reduced her food intake, spending her days walking around the courtyard, afraid that the baby in her belly would grow any larger.
When Old Princess Consort Chu and her entourage arrived at the Prince's Mansion, Mian Tang was supported by Cui Xingzhou as they went to greet Old Princess Consort Chu.
Even though there were countless things she wanted to say to Mian Tang, seeing her with a protruding belly, looking ready to give birth at any moment, Old Princess Consort Chu couldn't help but focus solely on Mian Tang's belly, repeatedly exclaiming how big it was and wondering if she would have a smooth delivery.
Today, Cui Xingzhou stayed at the residence to welcome his mother, and upon hearing her say that Mian Tang's belly was large, his expression turned a bit somber.
However, Mian Tang responded cheerfully, assuring everyone that everything was fine.
Based on Madam Lian Chu’s earlier assumptions, she believed that since Liu Mian Tang had hidden her past as a bandit when marrying into the Cui family, once the truth came to light, Cui Xingzhou would definitely not treat this woman kindly.
But when they finally met, she was surprised to see that Cui Xingzhou was inseparable from Liu Mian Tang, even casually massaging her wrist while they spoke.
Women who have given birth know that as the due date approaches, sometimes hands and feet swell with water retention. Seeing how adept the prince was at massaging her, it was clear he had done it often, becoming so skillful.
From this perspective, it appeared that they were still very much in love, completely unlike a couple who had recently quarreled.
As for Cui Fu, she looked even more radiant than when she was in Zhenzhou, not at all resembling someone who had lost her marriage and felt lost and desolate.
Old Princess Consort Chu had initially only heard about Cui Fu's divorce and was unaware of many of the details behind it.
When Cui Fu recounted everything, especially when she spoke about being worn down by the Duchess of the Old Duke Qing and suffering a miscarriage, even the gentle Old Princess Consort Chu felt a shiver of anger coursing through her.
Her husband had a harem full of concubines; how could she not know the suffering her daughter endured? Thankfully, her daughter had a determined brother who didn’t let the Guo family wear her down, which allowed her daughter to return home with her life!
As Liu Mian Tang said, her daughter was from the Prince's Mansion; if she wanted to remarry, what kind of man couldn’t she find? Why should she endure humiliation with Guo Yi?
Madam Lian Chu, eager to watch the drama unfold, had traveled all the way from Zhenzhou but hadn’t witnessed a single decent scene, leaving her feeling immensely disappointed.
Seeing that Old Princess Consort Chu wasn’t getting to the point, she grew anxious and disregarded Lian Binglan's warnings, asking pointedly, “Old Princess Consort, living in Zhenzhou, your news can’t be as good as what’s circulating in the capital. I heard some whispers before that really frightened me. Tell me, how unreliable are these rumors? Someone even said the princess consort was once a bandit... oh dear…”
Before she could finish her sentence, a bowl of hot tea held by Lian Binglan suddenly spilled onto Madam Lian Chu’s lap, scalding her and making her jump up immediately.
Lian Binglan quickly apologized to her mother and waved for a maid to assist her in changing clothes, finally interrupting Madam Lian Chu's irritating remarks.
Liu Mian Tang watched from the side and felt that her sister-in-law seemed to have a better sense of propriety, at least much better than Madam Lian Chu, whose shallow nature resembled that of a puddle.
Liu Mian Tang was not one to hold grudges; she had always believed in returning kindness tenfold for respect shown.
Now that Lian Binglan had married into the family of Cui Xingzhou’s half-brother, if she could settle down to live a peaceful life, the formalities and courtesies on the surface must be maintained.
Currently, Cui Xingzhou was a prominent minister in the court, and there had already been some family scandals; if any more rumors regarding the persecution of his half-brother's family surfaced, it would ultimately harm Cui Xingzhou's official reputation.
Therefore, if Lian Binglan understood the situation, then Liu Mian Tang could naturally act like a good sister-in-law. She smiled and inquired about her well-being, expressing slight concern for her half-brother’s health.
So when the food and drink were laid out, the family banquet turned out to be quite harmonious.
Aunt Lian Chu might have been subtly reminded by her daughter; although she still wore an expression of discontent, she didn’t say anything bothersome.
Liu Mian Tang asked a little about the Fifth Master’s situation and learned that he was not in Qingfeng at the moment but was out of town looking to buy a shop.
Since the family split, although the Fifth Master struggled with illness, he had clearly become much more ambitious, not solely relying on the land allocated to him by Cui Xingzhou but working hard in business.
Having a disability prevented him from taking the civil service examinations or inheriting the title, so earning money through commerce seemed to be a good choice instead of just living off inherited wealth.
After the family banquet, Lian Binglan did not intend to stay too long and interrupted her mother's desire to linger at the Prince's Mansion for a few days to explore the capital. She simply mentioned that the Fifth Master was about to return home, and she was eager to go back to Qingfeng Town to tidy things up so that she could reunite with him.
Since that was the case, Mian Tang naturally did not try to keep them longer. She had Mama Li find the steward to prepare some daily necessities and bedding for Lian Meilan, loading them onto the cart to send off with her, so she wouldn’t lack for anything upon her arrival at her new home.
When the Lian mother and daughter came out, Lian Chushi wore a look of discontent. “Xingdi’s shabby little courtyard is barely the size of a palm. Didn’t you say it hasn’t been expanded or repaired in ages? Why are you in such a hurry to go there? You might as well stay a few more days here, where you can eat, sleep, and shop more conveniently!”
Lian Binglan looked at her mother as if she were a simpleton without any common sense, her eyes filled with disdain. She coldly replied, “Haven’t you seen that Mian Tang is about to give birth? What are you hanging around for?”
Madam Lian Chu was puzzled. “She’ll give birth with the help of a midwife and doctors; it doesn’t require you or me. What does it have to do with us?”
Lian Binglan said softly, “If her delivery goes smoothly, it’s naturally none of our business. But if something goes wrong, we outsiders would be the first ones suspected, and it would be hard to explain ourselves.”
Madam Lian Chu found her daughter’s words rather strange. “What do you mean that if she gives birth unsafely, we’ll be suspicious? It sounds like someone would want her to have a difficult labor.”
Lian Binglan didn’t respond but turned her gaze out the window, a cold smile crossing her lips. She feared that in this entire capital, there wouldn’t be very few people wishing for Princess Huaisang to die in childbirth!
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