CH 43

When Yan-furen stepped pass the gate, she didn’t notice the unusual expression on the faces of the servants, she only felt it was a little too quiet. It was when they ushered her into the main hall of Jingting residence that she felt something was wrong.

The three words ‘Fuxi Hall’ on the plaque hang in the main hall was written by the previous emperor himself, it was also stamped with his personal seal. It was said that although the Grand Princess didn’t live here with her son, but the main hall was left open as a sign of respect for the mother. And now that she was led to the main hall, could it be……

T/N – Fuxi Hall = Hall of Good Fortune and Joy.

Yan-furen’s palms started to tremble, slightly damp with sweat. Once inside, she saw an old woman sitting on the main seat of the hall.

The old woman was wearing phoenix print purple gold palace robe with eastern pearls phoenix hairpin on her hair. Sitting straight at the elevated seat, her face was without expression but the air of authority was abundant.

Yan-furen shocked mind was flooded with the memory of twenty years ago when she was still the wife of a lowly fifth-rank official. She was presented in front of the Grand Princess, that time she didn’t even dare to raise her head.

It had been twenty years, and yet the fear and trepidation still rushed back.

“Chenfu pay respect to the Grand Princess.” Yan-furen’s forehead was misty with sweat but she dared not lifted her head, let alone wiped it.

* chenfu 臣妇 = This Official’s Wife.

“Ka!” The sound of teacup being knocked over.

Drip, drip.

She could hear tea water dripping to the floor, cold wind blew from the door behind her. The main hall was so cold that Yan-furen couldn’t help shivering.

“Wei-shi,” The Grand Princess’ lazy voice was chilling, “Are you here today to make amends to bengong‘s granddaughter?”

T/N – It seems Yan-furen’s maiden surname was Wei, so she could also be called Wei-shi (which literally means ‘that one from Wei clan’)

“Your Highness, chenfu …..” The image of the sick son on the bed gave her the courage to raise her head, but the moment she met the Grand Princess’ eyes, her throat felt stuffed with a ball of cotton that no words came out.

“Yan family is said to have strict education, who expects Yan family to produce a lecher son who eyes unmarried young ladies in boudoir. Bengong can see the reputation of this son of yours is false.”

* 沽名钓誉 = using disreputable means to obtain fame or praises.

The Grand Princess abruptly stood up and fiercely smashed her teacup next to Yan-shi’s feet, “How do you educate your son to be this ridiculous. It is fine if he is ridiculous, but do not drag other people’s innocent daughter!”

Yan-shi’s body shook, she was close to fall on her knees in front of the Grand Princess.

“Utterly shameless, licentious and lusty.”

The icy needles in the Grand Princess’ words pierced Yan-furen’s heart to the bones. Her body swayed and finally failed to stop her wobbly knees to bend, she fell in a kneel in front of the Grand Princess.

“Your Highness, chenfu is incompetent, chenfu have failed to educate my son. But chenfu only have these two sons, they are chenfu’s life, chenfu also have no choice!”

“Your Highness is also a mother, that time when you pleaded Madam Marchioness to marry the Marquis, wasn’t it also due to deep motherly love?” Yan-furen sobbed as she spoke, “Chenfu is also a mother, chenfu can only beg the Grand Princess for blessings.”

“Yan-furen, you are wrong.” Yin-shi coldly laughed, “That time I was willing to marry the Marquis due to mother-in-law’s kindness. Marrying into the Grand Princess’ family was my honour, but here the advantage is on Yan family.”

“Or perhaps Left Minister Yan is so powerful that us the royal relatives are no longer in your eyes that you can pick and choose our Junzhu’s?” Yin-shi glared at Yan-furen’s face, impolitely spat out, “Pif, I want to see how big Yan family face is, dares to force a Junzhu to marry beneath her. If it was a Gongzhu that your son liked, would you also demand a marriage?”

“If your son wants to die, then he can go die, what does it do with our family?!”

“Go back.” The Grand Princess no longer felt like talking to Yan-furen, “Wei-shi, today bengong makes it clear for you, bengong’s granddaughter will not marry into your family. Live or die, it’s none of bengong’s business.”

“Your Highness!”

“Get out.” The Grand Princess coldly looked at her, “From now on, the Grand Princess residence and Ban residence do not welcome Yan family. Your family have destroyed our reputation, forced a marriage, we can’t live under the same sky.”

* 不共戴天 = cannot live under the same sky, absolutely irreconciled.

The last string in Yan-furen’s mind snapped, she stared at the Grand Princess incredulously. Their family was a minister family, and the Grand Princess said they couldn’t live under the same sky?

In the end Yan-furen was ushered out by the Grand Princess’ momo. Or more precisely, was helped out with her arms restrained.

“Delusional!”

“What kind of thing wants to eat a swan.”

* 癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉 = a toad wanting to eat swan flesh, meaning someone who lacks self-awareness and dreams of getting something out of reach.

Ban family servants’ were heard throwing comments around her, Yan-furen struggled to free herself from the momo’s grips but she couldn’t move at all.

“Laonu advise Madam Minister not making yourself tired,” the momo wearing dark-coloured dress coldly smiled, “Laonu is used to doing rough work. It is not good if Furen’s arms are accidently twisted.”

* laonu 老奴 = This Old Slave.

Yan-furen sneered, “The Grand Princess really doesn’t have our Yan family in her eyes?”

The momo pushed her outside the gate of Ban residence, then bowed while whispering in a shocked voice.

“Left Minister Furen, what do you mean with that. Isn’t this all because Yan family looks down on Ban family and intends to force Junzhu to marry beneath, thus offending the Grand Princess tremendously.”

“When did I…..”

“Someone come! The Grand Princess has fainted, invite the imperial doctors!”

“Yan-furen, you bully people too much!”

Jingting residence was located in a street that was full of residences of people with status at the Court. The noise has made the guards of some other residences ran over in curiosity.

A commotion at Ban family gate, a carriage bearing Yan Minister’s insignia parking in front of it, the crowd immediately conjured up some scenes of dramatic love and hate, harmony and enmity in their minds. Standing at some distance, they waited excitedly to watch a play. All of them wished to be able to come closer but as the faces of families with status, they couldn’t show their excitement too openly.

“Yan-furen!” Ban Hua who was dressed in red came out, she spoke in a stern voice from the gate, “I don’t know what sins I have done that someone of your family is obsessed over me. But the humiliating words you said that has made my grandmother swooned in anger, I take them to heart. Today I swear, even if no man is left on earth, even if noone in the world is willing to marry me, I’d rather shave my hair and become a nun than enter Yan family!”

The crowd thought: Yan family has gone too far by forcing a Junzhu to marry, angered the Grand Princess until she fainted. This Fule Junzhu was a bold lady, speaking severely in defense of the Grand Princess, she must have been very filial.

It occurred in noone’s mind that Ban family was lying. What Ban-junzhu said to the Left Minister Furen on such a bright and broad daylight couldn’t be false.

—

Half an hour later the news that Left Minister Furen had forced Ban-junzhu to marry and caused the Grand Princess to faint in anger had spread throughout the Capital

Yan Hui’s career was smooth and promotions were rapid, a lot of people were jealous of him. Various kind of talks were heard.

Some said Ban family was too rigid and cold, it was heartless to watch the devoted Yan-gongzi die rather than giving him their daughter. Yan family tradition was strict, and family was filial, wasn’t it great to marry into this kind of family? That Shen Yu who withdrew from the engagement, his family background wasn’t as good as the Yan’s, but wasn’t Ban family willing to accept him?

But some others said Yan family’s conduct of forcing marriage by threat of death was too shameful. Frankly said, wasn’t it bullying the powerless Ban family. Such a beautiful Ban-junzhu, Yan Zhen wasn’t the only man who dreamed of her, but no other family made such attempt. It was because Yan Hui was the powerful Left Minister that his family dared to be shameless.

Many scholars resorted to citing literary sources in order to debate their points endlessly, until Rong Xia spoke up.

“Fule Junzhu is filial, her conduct is not unreasonable. Yan-gongzi is neither benevolent or filial to use death to force a marriage. It is a pity that Fule Junzhu has to suffer injustice due to her angelic looks. A man who starves himself to force a woman is not a gentleman, and has no manner.”

Rong Xia said that at a poetry gathering, in front of many scholars.

The scholars echoed his words, and praised him for not cowering on the face of the strong, for daring to speak his mind despite it being an offense to the incumbent Left Minister of the dynasty.

In their ordinary minds, Count Cheng’an wasn’t defending the absurd Ban family, he was speaking on behalf of justice and morality. By speaking up, he had offended not only Yan family, but also Yan faction at the Court.

What a spirit.

A courageous and equitable spirit. A true gentleman. The exemplar for all scholars to emulate.

Bold and unbiased, being a gentleman meant being someone like Gentleman Rong.

Public opinion very quickly converged into one and blew like gale throughout the Capital. Countless people praised Fule Junzhu for her filial piety, for her angelic looks, and nothing more was heard about her being a femme fatale. On the opposite, Yan family reputation plunged, their sons were said to be shameless lechers.

And when everyone thought this was the end of it, something else happened to Yan family.

—

Yan family in-laws, Chen clan, took some men to ambush and beat up Yan eldest son in front of the main gates of Ministry of Revenue. After the beating, Chen family’s eldest son cried, and with a face full of tears and snot, he spoke about how his sister was tormented by Left Minister Furen so much that she miscarried.

Everyone honoured filial piety, but these two words compassion and mercy, had to be upheld too. The younger generation’s filial piety was met with harshness by the older generation. What was she, if not an evil mother-in-law?

Finished with beating up the eldest son, Chen family people ran to Yan residence gate to make a scene. They forced their way inside to bring home the deadly pale and skinny Chen-shi.

Following it was the news that Chen family wanted a divorce.

Chen and Yan squabble diverted the attention from Ban and Yan feud. Now everyone waited for the daily news of Chen family sending people to curse and pour sewage water at Yan’s doorstep, adding more materials to gossip in their leisure time.

—

Chen family was one of the prestigious families in the Capital, they had good relationship with many people. The news regarding the two families took a while to reach Emperor Yunqing’s ears.

In the Great Moon Palace, Wang De walked up next to Emperor Yunqing who was bending over the desk reading memorials. He whispered, “Your Majesty, Count Cheng’an requests an audience.”

Emperor Yunqing rubbed his eyes, “Announce.”

He had been in bad mood recently, the family of an important official had forced his niece to marry and caused his aunt to faint in anger.

The flesh on top of hand and the flesh on the palm were all flesh, but one was thicker and one was thinner. Moreover, this involved the face of the royal family, this problem couldn’t just be dismissed.