The Beloved Imperial Consort - Chapter 90
When Mo Wan Qin heard gatekeeper report the sixth Highness’s cefei came to pay a visit, she was quite surprised. Did just this lady Mu with sixth months pregnant belly drop in on them? Could it be she came to seek justice for her younger sister?
“Little sister-in-law, qie must have caused you many inconveniences for turning up uninvited.” Mu Xi Yao smiled up brightly. One couldn’t tell she came to pick a quarrel with them.
“Not at all. We’re sister-in-law, after all. You needn’t be polite with me.” Mo Wan Qing courteously led her to Mu Xi Ting’s courtyard, “Shufei has miscarriage yesterday. She’s grieved for the whole night, not even willing to eat something. Little sister better persuade her a bit. Her body has already suffered damage, yet she won’t recuperate. What is she going to do in the future?”
Mu Xi Ting miscarried. However, Mo Wan Qing wasn’t even a bit elated. On the contrary, she was very unhappy. She’s just taken over the authority over the governance of the residence for a few days, yet this kind of thing happened. They were clearly slapping her face. As soon as his Highness learned of this news yesterday, he immediately went to shufei’s place and appeased her for a long while. When he came out, he began to give her a cold shoulder. As a result, she was actually relieved that Mu Xi Yao came at this time to help console shufei.
“You sisters have a nice talk. I won’t stay. If you need something, just call the servant girl outside.”
Mu Xi Yao nodded and thanked her. Only then did she had time to carefully look at the person lying on the bed.
Needless to say, her complexion was unsightly. The dark circles under her eye told Mu Xi Yao she didn’t have enough sleep. The bed and beddings were clean and neat. She was being taken good care of.
“Do you want to die, don’t you?” Since there was no outsider inside the room, Mu Xi Yao’s face turned grim. When she saw Mu Xi Ting’s more dead than alive appearance, an anger overcome her.
A reaction flickered in Mu Xi Ting’s empty eyes. As she looked at Mu Xi Yao, her tears could not stop falling.
She had listened to the second sister’s words and requested his Highness to move her into cefei’s courtyard. Yet, she still fell prey to the other person’s scheme and lost child. Yesterday, his Highness’s patiently consoled her. However, it still couldn’t pacify her inner pain. She had endured silently. Why could she not avoid this from happening?
“Second sister, I’ve contently stayed in the courtyard. I only ask to have a child at my side, whom I can personally bring up. That’s all I need. I do not strive for favor nor do I get into conflicts with others. Why there’s still no room for me in this residence?” Mu Xi Ting had a soft-hearted personality. She was used to rely on other people. Since even his Highness couldn’t protect her child, what kind of hope could she have?
“If you don’t want to be schemed by others, you have to learn to scheme against others. Is it your first time entering the inner yard that you don’t know even these kinds of principles? It’s not that someone has no room for you. It’s having no room for all the women. If you’re not even able to deal with the vile affairs in the inner yard, how can you have the capability to give birth to a child? Even if you gave birth to a child by a stroke of luck, how are you going to raise the child safely to adulthood?”
“Don’t you forget. While you’re despairing here, the culprit is rejoicing greatly in your misery right now. Don’t get groundlessly hurt by others and not know how to retaliate. Although we, Mu House, are not a prominent nor noble family, there’s no reason for us to get bullied by everyone.”
Mu Xi Yao was infuriated by her resignation. She was practically a replica of Mu Xi Yao from the previous life. That silly woman did mistakes her whole life. Mu Xi Ting, however, was still young. She should not share the fate of her predecessor.
“What happened yesterday?”
Mu Xi Yao’s lecturing did not wake Mu Xi Ting’s will to survive. On the contrary, hatred began to surge into her heart.
“Yesterday, Jiang shufei visited with the young master. Everything was alright at first. Later on, the young master suddenly horsed around about wanting to fly a kit. As a result, cefei called people to take him to the garden to play. At the time, I was chilling in the water pavilion. Seeing so many people, I wanted to return to the house to avoid them, yet unexpectedly…”
Mu Xi Yao’s eyebrows frowned deeply upon hearing her words. Jiang shufei? Could it be the woman who used to push around Di Wu Yi Zhao’s wife and daughter in the previous life?
“Does that woman has one shu daughter?”
“Yes. His Highness got only two sons and one daughter, and she gave birth to his one son and one daughter. Usually, she acts arrogantly in the residence and is very favored by his Highness.”
Mu Xi Yao’s eyes darkened. This matter became difficult. That woman was Zhong Zheng Ming’s favored concubine. However, she wasn’t a bright one. This time, not only did she shoulder the accusations she has also sew somebody else’s trousseau1. Even if they caught the clue and investigated further, they would, she was afraid, only catch the other party’s discarded pawn.
“Xi Ting, nurse your body to health first. This matter isn’t simple. Lady Jiang has probably also fallen prey to other’s schemes. The culprit behind the scene is someone else.”
Mu Xi Ting’s hatred was originally directed toward lady Jiang. However, once she heard Mu Xi Yao’s words, she instantly became a loss for what to do.
“The most important thing right now is to take care of your body and ask his Highness to put few capable people at your side. There are quite a lot of careless missions regarding the matter of miscarriage. Think about it carefully. Why would young master horse around about wanting to fly a kite during such a hot day? Moreover, little girls like to play with kite more. Why would the young master inexplicably take fancy to this girly toy?”
Mu Xi Yao was calm and composed, her words were clear and logical.
“Even if we followed the vine to get to the melon2, the other party has already thought up of a way to get away from the felony. You mustn’t act on your impulses. Be careful. Next month, concubine Wu will arrive in Shengjing. At that time, I will come to pick you up to have a little get-together.”
She’s said already everything. Mu Xi Yao got up to say goodbye: “Remember, there are daddy and concubine Wu who hope you well. Don’t do anything foolish.”
Mu Xi Ting’s eyes teared up. She nodded, complying.
Mu Xi Yao took Zhao momo to bid farewell to Mo Wan Qing. While turning over the archway, she happened to bump into an acquaintance.
“Isn’t this the immensely favored Mu cefei of his sixth Highness’s residence? Are qie’s eyes deceiving qie? How come she came to visit with a big belly? Could it be to call on shufei? Yeah, you’re sisters of the same household. You ought to visit one another. This shufei’s fortune is a bit scanty. She has miscarried a child, after all. Just unbeknownst, whether cefei will catch the ill luck. It’s better to be careful. Cefei’s pregnant, after all. Right?”
Mu Xi Yao glanced at the gorgeously dressed woman in front of her who had her head pinned with gold and jade hairpins. She made a step backward to distance from her a bit.
“Who is it?” Mu Xi Yao asked the servant girl left by Mo Wan Qing.
“Replying to cefei, this is the newly taken Lin shufei by his Highness.”
Recently, this mistress became favored by his Highness. She repeatedly talked back to Mo cefei, yet his Highness always only chastised her with few words, exercising no discipline on her. As Mo cefei’s servant girl, she naturally disliked her.
It was her again. She was unfortunate enough to bump into her, Mu Xi Yao. The gaze filled with hatred in the Imperial Garden, Mu Xi Yao still remembered clearly.
“Slap her face.”
Zhao momo and Hui Lan were stupified. Slap face? They subsequently looked at the mistress’s expression. Sure enough, she was calling them. How did they dare to treat Mu Xi Yao with slight? They quickly called the servant girls and labor momos who were following behind them to hold that shufei and make her kneel. Pulling away the servant girls behind her, it looked like she was going to be hit.
The servant girl left by Mo Wan Qing looked at the scene before her with a silly expression. Her mind was thrown into a mess.
“You dare! This is the fifth prince’s residence. If you dare to touch me, his Highness won’t let you off!” The woman who was firmly restrained by people screamed madly. How could she know that lady Mu would be as arrogant as to hit people without the slightest scruple in someone else’s residence? Since entering the residenceresidence, she’s been pampered greatly. She did not even put cefei into her eyes. When has she suffered such a grievance?
“Lady Mu, don’t you forget. This is not your sixth prince’s residence. You have no say in beating people!”
Mu Xi Yao looked at the woman, who despite being subdued, still acted arrogantly and rude. She entered the pavilion aside and steadily sat down to have a rest.
“Hui Lan, refreshments.”
Hui Lan’s face twitched. Mistress, did you have to go out of the palace to put on airs? Hui Lan bowed her head and took the food box from a servant girl who always carried it with herself and successively served all kinds of pastries on the table. She passed Mu Xi Yao bamboo chopsticks and carefully attended to her.
“Such a shady place. Shufei must not be fond of it. Move her to the place with sunlight.”
Seeing that woman being drag away and get down on knees outside the pavilion, struggling with all her might, Mu Xi Yao turned her head to gaze at the other side. The charming landscape of sunlight sparkling on the lake’s surface greeted her.
“You also know that I’m used to being rampant in the residence? In that case, have you heard that I’m rampant only in the residence?”
The woman’s voice was gentle. She uttered only one word, “Slap.”
Translation notes:
[1]Sew somebody else’s trousseau is a Chinese idiom meaning to paved way for other/behind someone else’s success
[2] Follow the vine to get to the melon is a Chinese idiom meaning to track sth following clues
