Chapter 11 Her Time Is Running Out
Inside the main room of the Jiang residence.
"Among my concubines and new dancers in the backyard, is there one named Fengchun?" Jiang Chonghai asked his wife, Yun.
Lady Yun recalled for a moment, "No, why do you say that, my husband?"
“Yesterday, Qin Shaozong suddenly asked me for this dancer at the banquet, but he never mentioned it again. It’s quite strange.” Jiang Chonghai stroked his mustache and instructed his wife, “Didn’t they ask for two maids? Find an opportunity to question them and make them tell you in detail about the lady’s room.”
Yun chuckled, covering her mouth. "You don't need to tell me such a small matter. I already told you. Tao Xiang just came by. She said that Lady Dai is incredibly beautiful, with fair skin and peach-blossom cheeks. She's so lovely and radiant, as if she stepped out of a painting. With such a peerless beauty by his side, even if Lord Qin is attracted to other women, it's only a fleeting interest. He might forget everything else once he sees Lady Dai."
"Is his favorite concubine really that beautiful?" Jiang Chonghai asked ambiguously.
Yun paused, though she knew her husband had always been fond of women, otherwise he wouldn't have kept a whole household of dancers. She was still secretly annoyed that his focus was on such things, and her tone softened slightly: "Anyway, Tao Xiang said it with her eyes wide open, so I think it's probably true. After all, Lord Qin is of high rank and great power, and has fought in the south and north for many years. His experience is definitely different from that of us who are trapped in a small county. What kind of beauties hasn't he seen? For someone to make him so nervous, that Lady Dai must be exceptionally beautiful."
"Nervous? Why are you nervous?" Jiang Chonghai snapped out of his daze.
Yun then recounted how Dai Li had sprained her ankle and how Qin Shaozong had hurriedly sent someone to find a physician for the household. She concluded by saying, "...However, Tao Xiang said that she is illiterate, arrogant, and somewhat difficult to serve."
Jiang Chonghai didn't see anything wrong with it at all. So what if a beautiful woman has a temper? That's only natural. "Qin Shaozong only brought her, his favorite concubine, on this trip?"
Yun nodded and said that was probably true.
Jiang Chonghai paced around the room for a couple of minutes. “This afternoon, you will personally take a gift to visit Madam Dai. If she has any other requests, please try your best to fulfill them.”
Yun remained silent.
Jiang Chonghai could see that she was unwilling, so he scolded her: "Just go when I tell you to. Is this the time to be so self-important? So what if she is a favored concubine and not the principal wife? Qin Shaozong's three thousand soldiers are still outside the county. If you can be on good terms with her, you can try to get her to whisper in your ear. Maybe you can get rid of this big shot, Qin Shaozong, sooner."
Yun had no choice but to agree.
*
The afternoon sky was clear and the breeze was gentle. The spring breeze, carrying the fragrance of flowers, drifted into the room through the carved wooden windows, gently lifting the curtains embroidered with peony patterns. As the wind blew, the curtains swayed, revealing a touch of dreamlike beauty.
But even more captivating than this splendor was the woman reclining on the soft chair by the window. Sunlight fell upon her, making her lips appear even more like painted rouge and her skin as white as snow, her rich springtime beauty almost overflowing. She was like a peony that had absorbed the essence of the sun and moon and the dew, and even a slight glance at the sound of someone revealed a stunningly languid beauty.
Yunrong stood there, stunned.
However, the woman in the room casually looked away, as if she regarded her as an insignificant ornament or a new servant, not worth her time or effort.
Yun Rong snapped back to reality, her expression turning somewhat unpleasant.
Having been the wife of the prefect for many years, she had never had to worry about other women's feelings after her aunt passed away. Every lady in the county treated her with utmost respect and flattery.
Today, however, I am looked down upon by a concubine!
Being older, Yunrong quickly put on a smile: "I heard that Madam twisted her ankle. Alas, it's all my fault for not adding enough lamps when I had the room decorated, which has caused Madam to suffer this. I'm truly sorry."
Hearing this, and observing her attire, most people could probably deduce that she was the mistress of the mansion. Given that she had already apologized and adopted such a humble posture, they would surely give her a smile and exchange a few pleasantries.
The woman on the soft chair did look at her again, but things did not go as Yunrong had expected.
"Are you the wife of the steward in the manor?" she asked.
Yunrong's vision went black, and her smile vanished again. She wondered if Madam Dai was truly empty-headed, or if she was trying to intimidate her.
Dai Li lazily straightened up, seemingly convinced of her suspicions, and began to rattle off a list of things at a rapid pace: "There are definitely problems with the house you arranged. Putting aside the fact that there are too few decorations, look at what you've put here! The vases aren't gilded, they look so stingy. Everyone says that peach blossoms begin to bloom in spring, and the peach blossoms are clearly in full bloom now, so why aren't there any peach blossoms in the house? The peony pattern on the curtains is somewhat acceptable, but the colors are too plain, it's not auspicious at all, and this table..."
With each word she spoke, Yunrong's head buzzed. Finally, she even went along with it: "It was indeed your poor arrangement. There weren't enough lamps in the room, which caused me to not see the way and twist my ankle. Go back and accept your punishment from your master."
Seeing that the other person was standing still with a blank expression, Dai Li waved her hand to shoo them away, "Did you remember what I just said? Go and do it."
Yun Rong's face turned blue with anger. Finally, her personal maidservant found an opportunity to interject: "My mistress's husband is Lord Jiang." He's not some lowly steward.
Dai Li feigned surprise.
Yunrong was about to exhale after holding her breath for so long when she heard Daili click her tongue and actually scold her, "Why didn't you say so from the beginning?"
Yun Rong: "..."
She suddenly remembered what the maid Taoxiang had said about this Lady Dai's arrogant and willful nature. In her opinion, the other party was not only arrogant and willful, but also completely ignorant of human relationships and terribly stupid.
"Taoxiang, serve tea to the Lady of the Mansion." Dai Li did not get up from the soft chair, but pointed to the opposite side, gesturing for Yun Rong to sit down.
Yunrong stood still for a few breaths, suppressing all the pent-up frustration in her heart before she moved on.
"You came to chat with me, why did you bring something with you?" Dai Li looked at the brocade box in her maid's hand.
"I heard you had some trouble at home, so my husband specially sent me to bring you gifts. Take a look and see if you like them. If not, I'll get you something else," Yunrong said, changing her approach.
When dealing with such a shallow person, you can't be too roundabout, otherwise, with her tiny brain, she won't understand the hidden meaning in her words.
It should be more straightforward, preferably getting straight to the point.
Yunrong secretly thought that her guess was correct, because Madam Dai finally had a smile on her face.
Dai Li opened the brocade box, which contained several pieces of jewelry, including a red gold hairpin with a ruby, a honey-colored crystal hairpin, a peony hairpin with twisted gold wire, and a pair of fine jingling bracelets.
A fair finger hooked a jingling bracelet, but Dai Li only glanced at it before tossing it back into the box: "It's too big, this isn't my size."
Yunrong's temples twitched.
Some of these gift boxes are given away unopened to others, while others are given away after the recipient has taken out the jewelry they like and replaced the missing pieces. But I've never seen anyone so careless as to nitpick.
Taking a deep breath, Yun Rong silently told herself not to argue with a foolish woman. This kind of person was much easier to fool than someone who was unmoved by the winds. She affectionately reached out her hand and said, "Let me see what size bracelet you should wear."
Dai Li didn't avoid her.
Taking the opportunity, Yunrong showered Dai Li with compliments on her appearance, which made the latter smile with satisfaction, and the conversation gradually began to flow.
During their casual conversation, Yunrong learned that Daili was not only twisting her ankle but also feeling unwell. She was immediately alarmed and hurriedly asked what had happened, then sent a maid to fetch the family physician.
"It's nothing, I'm just having my period, I'm just feeling a little unwell," Dai Li waved her hand.
Yunrong was stunned.
She recalled her husband telling her at lunchtime that Lord Qin had asked him for a dancer named Fengchun at the banquet. So, Lord Qin wanted her because Lady Dai couldn't serve him?
Recalling that Lord Qin had searched the entire mansion for someone last night, Yun Rong seemed to sense something amiss. She comforted her, saying, "Madam Dai's beauty is unparalleled; how could ordinary beauties compare? Even if those dancers caught Lord Qin's attention, it was only a fleeting stroke of luck. With the bright moon shining, how could the stars dare to compete?"
Yunrong was certain the other person would find it pleasant to listen, and indeed, the woman opposite her smiled, but...
Her smile was almost too bright; it didn't seem like she was being comforted, but rather like she was laughing at her for saying the wrong thing.
Yunrong was puzzled.
“Who told you that a dancer has caught the attention of the Marquis?” Dai Li picked up a small bamboo plaque from the table and played with it. “If you don’t believe me, go back to the backyard and look for her. I guarantee that even if you turn the entire Jiang mansion upside down, you won’t find a single person named Feng Chun.”
Yunrong listened, completely stunned.
What did she mean by that?
It is true that Lord Qin named someone at the banquet, but why did she insist on the name Wu Fengchun?
Yun Rong leaned forward, "What makes you say that, Madam?"
Dai Li smiled and said, "Because there is no such person as Feng Chun. It was just that Lord Jun was upset with me on the way here, so he deliberately made up a girl to try and make me behave. But I won't fall for his tricks. He's so devoted to me and even swore a solemn oath to heaven. Last night, after questioning him, I found out it was true. The so-called 'Feng Chun' is just nonsense. He's just fooling me. But you must not spread this around, otherwise Qin Changgeng will definitely be angry."
Yunrong was speechless.
My husband had clearly described how shrewd and cunning this Lord Qin was. Could it be that his reputation is undeserved, and his supposed illustrious name is nothing but a facade to scare people away?
Otherwise, she found it hard to imagine that such a powerful and ruthless figure would actually swear a poisonous oath to the heavens for such a foolish woman who was merely beautiful. Can a poisonous oath be sworn so casually? If one angers the gods, at best it will affect one's own fortune, at worst it will bring divine retribution!
Or is it that all men are like that, saying anything for a moment of pleasure in bed?
Having not heard any applause for a while, Dai Li frowned and said, "Why are you acting like this? Don't you believe what I said?"
Yun Rong forced a stiff smile. "How...how could that be?"
Dai Li lovingly touched the small bamboo token before showing it to her as if to show off, "Look, this is the token of our love."
It is a transmission.
Those who were not slaves or refugees all had their stories told.
It was at this moment that Yunrong suddenly realized that the other party's smugness was likely because she had originally been a slave and had no household registration. It was Qin Shaozong who helped her obtain a household registration, which was why there was the story of the token of their love.
After praising it blindly for a while, Yun Rong casually said, "Such a valuable item should be stored properly."
"I carry it with me at all times, I won't lose it." Dai Li happily hung the small bamboo tag on her waist.
Yunrong tentatively brought up Qin Shaozong with Daili, who smiled smugly and made no attempt to hide anything.
An hour later, Yunrong came out of the house, looking dazed, and almost tripped over the threshold as she went out.
"Taoxiang, go to the garden and pick some fresh flowers to replace these old ones in the house. Dingxiang, go to the storeroom and bring back the vase that the Lady mentioned." Daili assigned tasks to the two maids.
After the two women left, Dai Li let out a long breath and wearily pressed her temples.
Playing along is exhausting; it seems even being a simple-minded pretty face isn't easy...
Dai Li's gaze shifted to the small bamboo tag at her waist, and her eyes darkened.
If Zhouzhou wasn't in Nankang County, she would definitely head south to visit her hometown. As for Ying County, which was teeming with salt smugglers, whoever wanted to go could go; it was none of her business anyway.
Gui Shui's excuse won't last long; her time is running out.
A note from the author:
Let's transition a bit qaq
Have you guys been reading this lately, my darlings? It's like a tonic! [crying emoji] [crying emoji] [crying emoji]
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