Chapter 36.1

"Your highness…"

Consort Jin laughed so hard that she couldn't catch her breath. Only with the support of Ziyan did she finally stop her laughter. “When she first entered the mansion, had I used my identity and capabilities, she wouldn't even be able to last a day. Ziyan, let me tell you the truth. When you enter a mansion, know that if the west wind doesn't overwhelm the east mind, it would be the east wind that overwhelms the west wind. Even if you aren't interested in fighting, there would still be countless people forcing you to fight. If you refuse to fight, you can only wait for your death…”

Ziyan thought about the reports she'd received in the past few days. According to the reports, Side Consort Hu's people were extremely arrogant, often confronting their own people and even gathering other servants around. She remained silent.

In her short-sightedness, she had always believed that since the consort doesn't like disputes, why not just stay as far away as possible? After all, as the main consort, just a meager Side Consort Hu wouldn’t be enough to shake her position. However, just slightly over a year had gone by, when reality slapped her fiercely in the face.

Even if Side Consort Hu was a cheap whore and born as a prostitute, with Jin Wang backing her, she could still ride roughshod over the noble Consort Jin.

“Back then, my mother also suffered from this kind of loss. She thought she was so noble and no one could shake her position. Yet, she still ended up angered for most of her life as she watched that person give birth to both a son and a daughter. Meanwhile, throughout the decades she had only managed to give birth to a daughter. However, I'm not even as good as my mother. Without any child to rely on, who knows how that person will deal with me in the future…” 

Zi Yan had wanted to say some comforting words to Consort Jin when she sat up suddenly from the couch herself and said, "No, I can't sit and wait around for death. Since he is disgusted with me, I will find someone that won’t make him disgusted. After their child is born, I will have the baby brought to my side to raise. The woman can be anyone, but it can’t be the one from Liuchun Pavilion.”

“Your highness, then we—” 

“Let the people in Xiaokua's courtyard make some movements, and see if you can instigate that stupid and unenlightened wet nurse, who doesn’t even understand that the pavilion closest to the water enjoys moonlight first. Go call over Concubine Feng and let some servants also go out to search for more candidates. This consort doesn’t believe that no one can’t steal that bitch’s limelight.”

As these words fell, Consort Jin’s eyes flashed brightly. It wasn’t until that moment did the former prestige of the proud daughter of Xu Jiatian reappear. Time may have consumed her arrogance, but it hadn't consumed her mind.

“Yes, your highness.”

~

Yaoniang didn't know that because a certain man always sneaked into her room at night, and couldn’t tolerate the heat, to make himself and her more comfortable, he ordered for the ice to be brought to all three of the nannies. If Yaoniang learned of the truth, she would probably be frightened to death.

A message had been sent down, and the ice kettles were delivered in the afternoon.

Except for the little princess and Mammy Mu, each of the three nurses had an ice kettle in their room. Nanny Qian and Nanny Wang were so happy that they laughed until their eyes couldn’t be seen. The other servants all admired their good fortune, only Yao Niang remained low-key.

When the ice kettles were delivered, a lot of onlookers joined in the fun.

As the young servant girls looked around here and there, some discerning ones noticed that the ice kettle in Yaoniang’s room was different from the rest.   

Originally, everyone was very happy, but once these words were said aloud, their enthusiasm dampened.

Nanny Qian is used to being a petty person. Hearing this, she felt uncomfortable, so she made up an excuse and went to Yao Niang's room to take a look.

Yaoniang was rearranging her room since the ice kettle was not small. She had specially cleared out some space before finally settling the kettle down. Then she fetched a basin of water and carefully wiped off the dust on it. The kettle appeared to have been just taken out of the storage room.

The arrival of Nanny Qian made Yaoniang a little surprised. After all, shouldn’t she be busy in her own room right now?

When Nanny Qian came in, her eyes were glued to the ice kettle. She gazed up and down all over the kettle before she snorted and walked out. 

As soon as Nanny Qian left, Ah Xia came in.

After a glance at Nanny Qian’s back, she turned and said to Yaoniang anxiously, “Nanny Su, I heard some of the others say that the kettles are different.”

“How are they different?” asked Yaoniang.

Ah Xia glanced around Yaoniang’s room and her eyes fell on the ice kettle.

In a daze, she pointed towards the ice kettle and said, “This is different.”  

Yaoniang turned her head and her gaze rested on her ice kettle as she wondered how hers was different from the others. Only after Ah Xia started explaining did she understand how her kettle was special.

The colours of the kettles were different and even though all three of the kettles were made of copper, the kettle in Nanny Qian’s room was made of bronze while Yaoniang’s was made of brass. The details and patterns on the kettles were different too.

(TN: Bronze and brass are both copper alloys. Bronze is a mixture of copper and tin while brass is a mixture of copper and zinc.)  

Under the current circumstances, Yaoniang couldn’t go herself so she could only send Ah Xia to take a look at Nanny Wang’s ice kettle. 

When Ah Xia returned, she reported that Nanny Wang’s and Nanny Qian’s kettles were identical. Yaoniang was speechless.

Isn’t this simply asking for trouble?

The few servants who had delivered the ice kettles were on their way to leave when they were stopped by Nanny Qian and Nanny Wang in the courtyard.

“Did you guys deliver the wrong things?”

The leader of the servants looked at the nannies with doubt and asked, “What do you mean we delivered the wrong things?”

“The kettles! They’re different!” Nanny Qian was at a loss as to how to explain further. She could only gesture wildly in the direction of Yaoniang’s room.

The servants still couldn’t understand her.

Nanny Wang smiled, pulled Nanny Qian aside, and said, “Don’t misunderstand us. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. It’s just that one of the kettles that were delivered is different from the other two.”

A servant frowned and said, “What’s the difference? We were ordered to send it. Even if there was a difference, the arrangements were made by those above and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

After listening to the explanation, Nanny Qian still had more words to say but was violently grabbed by Nanny Wang from behind.

“Take care,” said Nanny Wang with a smile.

After the servants were gone, Nanny Wang glared at Nanny Qian angrily and said, “I already said that there was no need to ask, but you just had to go look for more trouble.”

Once she finished her words, Nanny Wang walked away and left Nanny Qian standing there all alone. Nanny Qian stomped her foot fiercely while her eyes shot daggers at Yaoniang’s room. Then she quickly hurried back to her own room.    

No one discovered Mammy Mu standing there in the eastern corridor with Yuyan by her side.

“Act as if you didn’t hear anything,” said Mammy Mu.

Yuyan nodded her head.

~

Yaoniang went to the small kitchen to eat dinner.   

When Nanny Qian and Nanny Wang who were already there saw her walk in, neither of them greeted her like before. Nanny Qian, especially, had ‘unwillingness’ written all over her face.

However, the other people in the small kitchen still treated Yaoniang as warmly as before, if not warmer.

Even though the three wet nurses competed with each other, the others were sensible enough to understand how to act accordingly. 

Perhaps the favouritism was too much that it caused Nanny Qian and Nanny Wang to lose their composure. Normally, they would still try to maintain some superficial affection. 

Old Lady Wang attentively handed Yao Niang's dinner to her. This time, unlike before, it was especially packed in a food box.

Food was normally served on a tray, but now that it was placed in a container, people may think that there was something special hidden inside. Nanny Qian showed a stiff smile but her eyes burned with anger. Although Nanny Wang’s displeasure wasn’t as obvious, her face didn’t look pretty either. 

Yao Niang hurriedly took her food box and left. Nanny Wang and Nanny Qian remained in the small kitchen, what they would say and do, she wasn’t interested in knowing. She also didn’t bother to care and she didn’t even have the time to care, because she guessed that Jin Wang would be coming again at night.

Just as she expected, he came in the middle of the night. 

Recently, Jin Wang always arrived punctually and seldom skipped a single night. It’s probably because after having a brief taste of pleasure, he became more greedy.

However, there was one thing that had always confused Yaoniang. Jin Wang never entered her, but always climaxed outside of her.

There was nothing wrong with Jin Wang’s body. She had personally experienced it all in her previous life and also a little in this lifetime. However, now her thighs were rubbed completely red and raw, but he still wouldn't enter her. 

Does he think that she was dirty?

Obviously, she shouldn't be thinking in this direction, but she couldn't help it. There were no other explanations that she could think of.

However, Yaoniang didn't dare to mention even a word of this matter. Although her heart was knotted inside, she still left the matter alone to avoid unnecessary trouble. She also had an inferiority complex. If Jin Wang really did disdain her and she'd blurted out her thoughts wouldn't it be just asking for humiliation?

With these thoughts floating in her mind, Yaoniang inevitably became less enthusiastic as she served Jin Wang. 

Jin Wang was puzzled as to why she suddenly became less enthusiastic. Perhaps he wasn't as vigorous as her former husband? With this thought in mind, he began to toss her around even more fiercely.

But after tossing around for a long time, Jin Wang also realized that there was something not quite right. Yet, if someone had asked him, he wouldn't be able to say what exactly wasn't right. The feeling was as if there was an itch that he couldn't scratch.

All of Jin Wang's knowledge regarding the love between men and women in bed was from listening to the crude jokes made by the rough men from the barracks.    

He knew that women had another entrance that would cause unimaginable bliss for men. He had personally experienced it before and it had left a lasting impression. As for the other stuff he had heard from the soldiers, he had only understood the words but not the meaning.

Truth to be told, as a prince, he shouldn't be so ignorant. The first time he had a wet dream, the palace should have sent an experienced maid to teach him. However, that year an incident occurred and a shadow for the female body appeared in Jin Wang's heart. Later, he married Consort Jin and encountered another incident that further deepened his psychological scar.

Nowadays, he would vomit at the mere sight of a female's body.

Even though he had a princess with Side Consort Hu, that was just an accident. In fact, they had only slept together that one time.

In regards to this matter, he was completely innocent.

However, the truth must not be made known to outsiders. How could Jin Wang possibly let the public learn about his private affairs?

It's just that Yaoniang's shy look and considerate acts all moved Jin Wang, especially his self-esteem as a man. 

As he recollected the words he heard from the soldiers, he compared them with what he had experienced. But there was one phrase, "To enter and be willing to die inside," that he still couldn't understand.

Enter where? And why would someone be willing to die?