Chapter 59
Chapter 59
The Birth of Suspicion (2)
“I made that peach blossom paper myself!” explained Zheng Wan hastily. She said indignantly, “The crown prince had told me to burn all the ones he made when he broke off our engagement!”
Cui Wang was noncommittal, and she couldn’t tell if he believed her or not. He only flicked his sleeve—Zheng Wan felt the world spin, and she was once again in Liluo Garden, not far from Lijia Pavilion.
“Don’t ever mention the words ‘crown prince’ in the future.”
He said as he lowered his head down at her.
“Why?”
Although Zheng Wan knew that even the doorman’s big yellow dog knew how to guard its territory, she did not expect that because of the love gu, Cui Wang would become so overbearing, even forbidding her from saying certain words.
“I don’t like it.”
After Zheng Wan and the State Preceptor had left, one after the other, Rong Qin had lost interest in the games played in the pavilion. After an hour or so, she saw a pair of people in very familiar clothes beyond the pavilion. She was just about to lean closer for a look when she heard Huai Wang flick his fan open beside her.
“Why does it seem to me that that person is the State Preceptor?”
The more she looked, the more it seemed to be so.
Not to mention, the State Preceptor’s aura was one that was rarely found in the mortal realm; even that height made him seem like a crane amongst chickens— in all of the gentlemen around him, there was no one taller than him. Furthermore, that wide robe…
“It is the State Preceptor!”
Huai Wang snapped his fan closed.
Rong Qin stared hard at the little lady that was standing intimately by the State Preceptor and was tremendously shocked. If asked to say who was the one she knew best in the whole capital besides her parents, it had to be Zheng Wan without a doubt.
“County Princess, is that, is that Wan’niang?!”
Third Lady Jiang spoke out the truth in her place; everyone in the pavilion exchanged looks. “Wasn’t it said that Wan’niang had greatly o-offended the State Preceptor?”
Jin Wang said cheerfully, “Ah, you don’t understand… between men and women, those who treat each other with the respect they would show to guests are just partners who are living together, and can be replaced with anyone. This sort where love inspires life, and hate results in death2, where one minute they’re life-and-death enemies, and an inseparable pair the next, is called true love.”
Rong Qin’s face turned black.
But Rong Yi was elated; she raised her hand and waved, “Wan’niang, State Preceptor, the banquet will begin soon.”
Zheng Wan looked up; she also waved her hand and revealed a mouthful of white teeth, “Princess, I’m coming.”
Seeing that Cui Wang was about to leave, she grabbed his sleeve and told him:
“Jin Wang composed a poem for me before.”
Actually, which of the young gentlemen in the whole of the capital who are even just somewhat learned have not composed poems for her before?
Cui Wang retracted his sleeve, then went up the stairs.
“Let’s go.”
Zheng Wan then lifted her skirts and followed.
——————
After the banquet at Yanchun Garden, everyone in the capital knew that the State Preceptor and the Zheng family were probably about to mend their bridges.
The State Preceptor, who was as cold as ice and had no concern for anything, was actually able to patiently tour the garden with Lady Zheng all day, and in the evening, sent someone to escort them back——
Clearly, the previous rumours about wishful thinking and one-sided infatuation that had caused such a buzz were all false.
The truth was: the Zheng family had climbed onto another tall branch, and they were about to rise to the heavens.
The night of the banquet, just how many maidens wrapped themselves in their quilts, and cried buckets for the man of their dreams? The number of people who hated Lady Zheng increased again.
But she didn’t care. The second day, she took the carriage and went happily to the State Preceptor’s house.
The third day.
The fourth day.
The fifth day.
……
Day after day.
Originally, the State Preceptor’s residence had only a few rough servants, all men, but for her, he even hired a few female servants. But Lady Zheng was like an old mother hen guarding her brood; she intentionally picked only the ugly, fat and old—she found fault in all the young and pretty ones and sent them all back.
When word of this got out, there were two opinions.
One was that Lady Zheng could make decisions in the State Preceptor’s residence, so obviously she was its future mistress. The other opinion, however, began to say that she’s so easily jealous even before marrying into the family, won’t she become a jealous wife?
The State Preceptor will have a tough life then.
“Cui Wang, is your life tough now?”
Zheng Wan nestled in a wooden barrel and asked Cui Wang, who was standing straight-backed outside the door.
She didn’t know what Cui Wang was thinking, but every day when she came, he would bring out a barrel of medicine for her to soak in, and wouldn’t let her get up until she had soaked for four hours. Zheng Wan had soaked like this for a month, and only felt that her bones were lighter, and her skin was smoother.
However, Granny Jin woke up once and told her that this was called Da’ao3. She said that her lover was planning for her, and training her body and bones, so as to prepare for the future.
So Zheng Wan asked a few times, but as she couldn’t get any answers out of those wired-shut lips, she gave up and simply soaked obediently.
Unsurprisingly, Cui Wang never answered.
Footnotes:
2 love inspires life, and hate results in death: 这恨之欲其死，爱之欲其生; a Chinese expression, meaning When you love, When you love, even shortcomings become charming, and you do everything for the person. Conversely, when you hate, the better he treats you, the more you hate him, and you just want to kill him with one blow.
3 Da’ao: 打熬; to toughen through training.