Fei Pin Ying Qiang Volume 1 Chapter 15

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While Qi Niqun used a servant girl's hand for support, tears clung to her lashes. Once she reached Qi Yunruo's bedside she cried until her sobs could no longer be heard. As she held Qi Yunruo's hand, her voice carried sorrow. "How could this happen?"

Li Chen set aside the empty bowl of medicine. He took his time saying, "The princess consort is far into pregnancy. It's better not to stay so close lest you also get sick. Let's all leave. We should not wake Little Qi up."

"Yes," said Qi Niqun. At first, she waited for Li Chen to take the initiative to support her outside. But Li Chen left by himself. Her heart tightened at that moment, and as she s.h.i.+fted her gaze toward Qi Yunruo, her eyes flashed with ill will. 

Qi Niqun followed Li Chen outside to the outer study. Sat down on a chair. Li Chen asked, "Does the princess consort know what caused this situation?"

"It was this concubine's fault. Younger brother was too stubborn and did not allow this concubine to interfere. This concubine listened to what he had said and did as told. From the start, that Consort Ji was not a person easy to communicate with. This concubine should not have—" 

"How does the princess consort think this situation should be resolved?" Li Chen interrupted her somewhat impatiently.

QI Niqun sat there, shocked. Then she said, "This concubine feels that Consort Ji and my younger brother are both to blame. As people who live together in the same household, fighting too much isn't good."

Li Chen grunted in acknowledgment.

"How will Your Highness handle what had occurred?"

Li Chen responded by calling for Su Ge. Ordered Su Ge to report every detail he had been privy to. Following that, both Su Ge and Lulan described all of Qi Yunruo's actions and all of Eunuch Xia's words. Then Li Chen glanced at Qi Niqun. 

"This sly slave. How dare he insult his master?" said Qi Niqun. "To lie and hide the truth from his superiors, even if he were beaten to death it wouldn't be enough."

Li Chen said, "In the estate, currently the princess consort and Consort Wei are with child. They cannot do or see any violent things for this reason, lest we bring forth bad fortune. Su Ge, have that Eunuch Xia receive twenty strikes of the rod. Afterward, send him to Taipu Temple to feed the horses."

"This slave will do as commanded."　　

Li Chen rubbed his forehead. For a moment, Qi Niqun was rendered speechless, and she sat there awkwardly.

Since the beginning, Li Chen did not believe a lick of Consort Ji's words. This was because Li Chen understood Ji Ru's nature to an immense degree. She was a person that would never let herself be truly wronged. The wrongs that she had received would be given back to the other party tenfold. Once Li Chen saw her impoverished costume and pitiful actions, his heart only felt full of helplessness. Sometimes, in the eyes of those types of women, he was merely someone unaware of the full details of a situation and unable to discern truth or lie from their words. A person not too difficult to manipulate. He just needed to listen to what they said and to act for them. That would be enough. 

"The princess consort should return and rest," said Li Chen. "You have already yielded the power to manage the household, so naturally you do not have to concern yourself with every matter. You are blameless here."

"This concubine thanks Your Highness for showing consideration," said Qi Niqun, sounding as if she were sobbing through her words.

Patting her hand once, Li Chen called for someone to send her back to Winter Plum Courtyard.

After a while, Su Ge rushed over. His words were soft. "Your Highness, the things that are to be rewarded to Consort Ji…"

Li Chen calmly said, “Reward them."

"Yes, this slave will do as commanded."

It were as if Qi Yunruo had fallen into a dream of long ago. All of a sudden, he wasn't sure of the day, only that he had just entered Count Ziyang's estate.

At Qingzhi Street, he had been a little master. The servants dared not say anything inappropriate in his presence. Yet once he had stepped foot into Count Ziyang's estate, he learned of a new word: prost.i.tute¹. The most despised type of woman.

Little Yunruo sobbed as he asked, "Where is Older Sister Yuan Yuan?"

To which Granny Kong, the old servant in charge of taking care of him, coldly replied, "The mistress has sold her."

Little Yunruo's sobs grew louder and more pitiful. "Why? I want Older Sister Yuan Yuan to feed me! I want Older Sister Yuan Yuan to help me put on my clothes! I want Older Sister Yuan Yuan!"

Granny Kong slammed the bowl on the table. A frown slid across her face. "Who would care if a maidservant of a prost.i.tute was dead or alive? Once that woman died, the mistress sold all of those people to the human brokers. They've been sold to the coldest and most impoverished regions in the west. For the rest of their lives, they will never be able to return."

Little Yunruo sat there, shocked. "Never return? Like how mother can never return?"

Granny Kong hated it the most when Qi Yunruo mentioned his mother. The veins of her forehead bulged as she glared at him, and she took her time speaking, enunciating each word to the fullest. "Do not mention that prost.i.tute in our household again!" 

It frightened Little Yunruo to the point where he couldn't even cry. He held in his sobs as he ate.

The new environment was terrifying to him. There was no mother, there was no Older Sister Yuan Yuan, and there was no Older Brother Cheng who would carry him on his back as he ran. Granny Kong left him alone to cry. Waited until his cries finally ceased.

He didn't know how much time had pa.s.sed. However, Little Yunruo quickly understood that crying could solve nothing. From observing the eyes of those around him, he learned that they felt repulsed by him. And his father never once came to visit. Unlike how the man had at least made some effort back at Qingzhi Street. Eventually, Little Yunruo gave up on him.

Qi Yunruo stood behind Little Yunruo. Watched as he grew older a little at a time. He lived in the outermost part of the estate. He was no longer like how he had been before turning seven years old, able to fly a kite freely or see a gentle woman smiling at him as he jumped into her arms. No longer could he lift his head and ask with eyes sparkling with hope, "When will daddy return?"

Qi Yunruo opened his eyes.　

He was unsure how many layers of blankets were currently covering his body. He did not even have the strength to lift them. 

"You're awake?" A hand reached over. The owner of the voice spoke softly and slowly, and touched his forehead.

"You are sweating."  

Qi Yunruo fought to keep his eyes open longer, before closing them again. After a moment, he opened them once more. And then closed them.

Dawn had already arrived. Li Chen rose from the bed and put on his outer robes. He called for someone. Lulan, who had stayed awake overnight, rushed over.

Li Chen ordered, "After a moment, ask Physician Lu what your master is allowed to eat. And whether he is allowed to have his sweat wiped clean."

"Understood, this maidservant will do as ordered."

Li Chen turned around, his gaze falling upon Qi Yunruo. Then he left Lakeside View House to attend morning court.

Qi Yunruo's illness left as quickly as it came. Once his high fever subsided, Physician Lu said, "This young master's body is too weak. He needs to eat many nouris.h.i.+ng things to supplement for this."

Then Lulan send off Physician Lu. Su Ge had already arranged for people to send over birds' nest and ginseng, two highly nouris.h.i.+ng food items. While Liusu helped Qi Yunruo put on his outer robes and supported him outside the inner chamber to sit, two low-ranked servant girls made his bed.

Qi Yunruo's hair was let down. His head throbbed with pain. Liusu presented him a cup of water and he asked, "What happened yesterday?" 

A soft sigh escaped Liusu's lips. "Master suddenly fainted and scared us all to death."　　

Once Xiao Shan and Xiao Jiu had finished making the bed, they asked if he wanted to lie down.　　

Qi Yunruo nodded, his exhaustion apparent. He relied on their support to reach the bed. As he waited for the medicine to arrive, two pillows were placed at the front of the bed to support his back. 

He had no appet.i.te. There was still some lotus porridge left over, so he forced herself to eat some before taking the bitter medicine. Afterward, Qi Yunruo felt nauseous. It wasn't until he ate two pickled plums that he felt better. 　　

In the afternoon, Ji Huan came to visit. The past couple of days he had been packing his things and studying. As such, he had been absolutely clueless about the recent situation. The only reason he found out was because Yueya Er had heard it from others during some errands. That during yesterday morning, Frost Autumn Courtyard's Eunuch Xia had a gus.h.i.+ng wound on his forehead after leaving Lakeside View House. Then in the evening, he was punished to the rod and thrown out of the estate to a temple, the rest of his life to be spent feeding horses. Ji Huan almost jumped from fear after hearing all of this, and rushed to see Qi Yunruo.　　

Qi Yunruo had slept until noon. After that, he sat in bed as he read. Ji Huan had just arrived, and once he caught sight of his pale face, his heart chilled in an instant.　　

Qi Yunruo smiled brightly. "Older brother Ji is here."

Ji Huan sighed. "I've not seen you for only a couple days, and you're already looking like this."

But Qi Yunruo only reached out to hold his hand. "When are you leaving, brother?"

"In a few days. My father was recently promoted to the Minister of War, so I'll be going to visit him soon." 

Following a moment of thought, Qi Yunruo said, "The position of Minister of War is high. Older Brother Ji will be taking the exams next year, so it will be helpful to your father."

Ji Huan laughed bitterly. "Little Qi, I know a bit about the circ.u.mstances at Count Ziyang's estate. My legitimate mother is the daughter of my father's professor² during his years at the academy. My father was a poor scholar. If it weren't for his professor's a.s.sistance, he would not have what he has today.

“Back then, my legitimate mother was unable to conceive for five years. Therefore, my father took in my birth mother as a concubine. Who knew that later on, after my birth mother had just given birth to me, my legitimate mother would conceive Ji Ru. A year after Ji Ru was born, she gave birth to a son, and a year after that, she gave birth to another one. And my legitimate mother saw me as an eyesore. My father felt so sorry for her, and truly loved his legitimate sons. Therefore, he was quite lackl.u.s.ter in his affection for me, and didn't really care about me. I had to protect my birth mother and also study. Unfortunately, my birth mother suddenly died.

“After that, I swore I would not care what path I took as long as I would stand above others. A person above most people. Before I met you, I wondered if you had the ability to seduce the prince. If so, I would be on guard against you. Who would have known that once I saw you, I would like you a lot. It was like seeing my previous self. I really see you as my blood brother. And I am truly afraid that once I leave, you'll look like how you appear now, tired, pale, and ill."

As Qi Yunruo listened to Ji Huan's words, he felt tears form at the corners of his eyes. "I never knew that brother's heart held so many depressing things."

Ji Huan smiled a little. "I have stopped feeling depressed about it since long ago. Next year, I will definitely be the top exam taker. And from then on, my future will be boundless. However, I cannot stop worrying about you. You belong to the prince's estate and the prince will not let you go. For the rest of your life, you will have to stay here, and you cannot win against those women."

"…Back then, brother had asked me why I did not want to… with His Highness…" Qi Yunruo paused, his voice bitter. "I've never told brother this, but I had actually been terrified. I was terrified that I'd become just like my birth mother, locking herself and her heart in a small house just for the sake of one man, and forcing her to a death."

Reaching out, Ji Huan stroked his head.

"Brother needn't feel worried," said Qi Yunruo. "I know now that I will not become like my mother. Actually, I'm really smart. I understand who truly treats me well and who doesn't like me." 

Ji Huan eyes held a trace of a smile. However, there was still a deep worry etched within. "Little Qi, Consort Ji already hates you. Currently, her status has grown even higher due to our father's promotion. The prince won't touch her for this reason. You must take caution and protect yourself."

"I know, Brother Ji." Qi Yunruo leaned toward Ji Huan and wrapped his arms around him, squeezing tight once.

A few days later, when Ji Huan was scheduled to depart, Qi Yunruo's body had recovered. Ji Huan disguised himself and left the city. After staying outside the city for two days, he went back into the city and returned to his home estate.

He had left through the corner door that Qi Yunruo had used to first enter the prince's estate. Ji Huan had worn clothes of the common folk and carried his luggage. He only brought a page named Qing Xing. They had quietly used a horse-drawn carriage meant for servants to leave. 

Li Chen had not been off duty. By the time he had returned to the estate, Beautiful Forest was already empty.　　

All of a sudden, he sighed deeply. 　　

He had been born with a s.e.xual preference for men. He loved high-spirited and magnanimous men, men with open minds. And he liked to talk to people like Ji Huan, who were very knowledgeable and learned.

Li Chen wanted someone who could both be a close friend and his intimate lover.

It was a pity Ji Huan could not be such a person. He had too much ambition. He had a long-cherished wish he must fulfill, and would not be willing to stay by a man's side. Li Chen had known this from the beginning. As such, he wasn't too sentimental, though his heart did feel disappointed.

The princess consort had to wait after the new year to give birth. Currently, Little Qi was still managing the estate. Li Chen had thought Little Qi would have been frightened by the previous event, and would yield the stewards.h.i.+p after recovering from his illness. Yet when he woke up, he acted as though the previous event had never occurred. He went back to managing the accounts naturally. He also went and discussed with Su Ge about the matters regarding Li Chen's birthday celebration.

In the end, the two decided to invite the six imperial princes and their families. Apart from them, of the high-ranking officials, they only invited the in-laws, such as Count Ziyang and his family and the Minister of War, Ji Hansong, and his family. There was also the Wei family of the Imperial Academy's Sacrificial Wine Specialist. The celebration was treated as just a family gathering, so there were no plays and dancers hired.  

However, when that day arrived, the estate started receiving gifts from other people early in the morning. This event was not managed by Qi Yunruo. He just needed to keep and eye on the kitchens and the servants.

Once Li Chen arrived at the estate after attending morning court, a pair of jade ruyi³ bestowed by the emperor and a jade crown bestowed by the empress had been delivered.

Qi Niqun stuck out her large abdomen as she walked. Countess Ziyang accompanied her. The two of them discussed the events that had occurred the previous month. After Qi Niqun had slowly finished relaying the news, she said, "Basically, Consort Ji was trying to start trouble for me."

Countess Ziyang smiled coldly. "Did she think since her family was able to produce a minister that she could reach the heavens? Her grandfather is only a farmer!"

Qi Niqun s.h.i.+fted her gaze to her abdomen, a light sigh leaving her lips. "Hopefully this child will be male."

"Definitely so. I've said it from the beginning, Darling Qun is blessed. Qi Danxia had already been married for several months and has still not gotten pregnant."

As soon as she said this, Liubai came to the door. "Your Highness, the princess consort, and mistress. The mistresses of the Ji and Wei families have arrived."

This line: Li Chen calmly said, “Reward them."
The reason Li Chen is rewarding Consort Ji is to make Consort Ji and Qi Niqun fight, since he gave Consort Ji a lot of good stuff lol

And d.a.m.n, that flashback with little yunruo broke my heart…

I'm just gonna say, this novel gets super good the further we get into it.

This was a super long chapter. To those who are reading this on an aggregate website, shame on you! The ONLY place I, sleepchaser, post my translations is my word press blog.

Next regular chapter: September 28, 2019 at 12 pm EST.

Chapter Supplement:

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prost.i.tute: Raws actually has two words, 娼 and 妓 separated by a comma. The first is like a lower ranked prost.i.tute from a brothel and the second is like the higher-ranked courtesans. The nuances between the two words are really subtle, and I probably described it terribly above. There's really no true English equivalent, so I just used the word prost.i.tute. professor: (老师) Technically it's "teacher" but teacher is not strong enough of a word in English, and does not have as respectful of a connotation as its Chinese counterpart. It's similar to a "mentor" too, but more towards the intellectual. Therefore, I used the word "professor," but I am aware this may not be doing the raws justice. jade ruyi: (玉如意) Picture will be provided in the chapter supplement. It's an item meant to signify good fortune.