Chapter 50 (1/2)
Glossary
儿 | er | (lit. child) diminutive marker used as a form of endearment
The country of Tian Chu called the province a road. It was only a few short months but the number of Red Eyebrow troops at the southern border had reached four hundred thousand. They had broken through many cities and occupied each road of the southern border. Wherever they went, they raised their flag–wait for riches and equal farmland for all. The impoverished people received benefits and one after the other responded to the call, joining the ranks of the Red Eyebrow army. The land of the wealthy were divided and all of their foodstuffs and belongings were robbed clean while the people themselves were kicked to the streets from their lofty glazed-tile rooms, their clothes having been peeled off until almost nothing was left.
The conflict became more and more intense. The main forces of the uprising were heading towards the capital and the number of people fleeing north also increased with the rich bringing along their entire family and belongings as they moved. An endless stream of carriages moving along the roads towards the capital could be seen every day, along with hordes of refugees both young and old carrying iron pots and packages.
The Emperor urgently sent troops to the southern defense line and issued an imperial edict to recruit troops from all regions. Many commoners that had been affected by the disaster one after the other joined the ranks of this new army in order to fill their bellies.
As there was a famine and also the issue with the rebels, the amount of money the imperial court had spent was quite a bit, and the imperial treasury was exhausted. There were not many deposits left in the inner storehouses and there was no alternative but to pass down another imperial edict to have merchants and businessmen fork over their money.
When Ruan Zi Xu received this news, he took the lead and contributed one million taels not for anything else but to ensure their safety. Fortunately the Emperor was rather open-minded and the country of Tian Chu had never been like those past dynasties that kept a tight leash on merchants. Merchants donated money and the Emperor was happy to do them a favor–You earn your money and when I have an issue, you’ll help me resolve it; you’re good to me, I’m good, everybody’s good.
The emperor consulted with his court for many days and arrived at a verdict. It was imperative to preserve the corn that comes from Jiang Nan to be able to have a steady flow of foodstuffs to the capital. But Jiang Nan was far-flung and transportation was not something easily done. However, Lan Zhou was to the north of Jiang Nan. In the event the capital was not possible, they could move the capital to Lan Zhou if necessary. Not only did that city have an abundant logistic supply, they could also guarantee the safety of the items.
As the largest merchant in the country of Tian Chu, Ruan Zi Xu spent an exorbitant amount each year to bribe influential members of the court so his network was very wide. After he received this piece of information, he immediately sent competent subordinates to Lan Zhou to prepare things, such as buying real estate, shops, fields, and other things that would guarantee the moving of their entire family in the future.
The rebellion continued and life also continued.
On this day, a luxurious carriage came to a stop in front of the Ruan clan’s residence and a gorgeously-dressed middle aged couple came out claiming to be Mister Lu’s parents who have come to visit their son.
The guard on duty led the two into the gatehouse to rest and took the proffered calling card as they went inside to announce. Not long after, Ruan Zi Xu came over to greet them and led the way into the drawing room of the main building. The distinguished guests and host sat down in their respective seats and a small servant boy soon served up fragrant tea.
Ruan Zi Xu sent someone to inform Lu Piao Xiang, who was currently staying in Zhen Xia Pavilion, saying the Lu parents were currently here.
Master Lu and Madam Lu’s appearances were proper and their bearing were within the societal norms. They lived in the capital and had opened a very prosperous high-end restaurant and had a residence with seven compounds. Although they fell far short of the Ruan clan’s wealth, they could also be regarded as a rich family.
After a while, Madam Ruan received news, to please invite Lu Piao Xiang’s mother for a meal in the inner courtyard.
Lu Piao Xiang entered the drawing room. Seeing him, Master Lu hastily stood up.
Lu Piao Xiang faintly smiled as he bowed in greeting. The older man’s expression was a little frantic and was about to bow in return but with a glance from Lu Piao Xiang, he foolishly paused and then promptly straightened up.
“Pa, please sit. This child will present tea to you.”
Lu Piao Xiang smilingly picked up the steaming fragrant tea on the table and handed it over. Master Lu was just about to stand up but trembled under the others’ meaningful glance and hurriedly sat down and received the offered cup but did not dare drink.
“Fifth……fifth high……” Master Lu was a little tongue-tied.
“Pa, if you old one has something to say, just say it. Uncle Ruan is a very good person, don’t be nervous.”
Lu Piao Xiang’s attitude was easygoing and there was a smile in his eyes, but only Master Lu could sense the threatening implication in his words. Indeed, he was not used to such a courteous Lu Piao Xiang. The sight was even more painful to bear than if he had been caned. He straightened his frenetic emotions and cleared his throat: “I received your letter in the capital, saying that you have become close with the Eldest Miss of the Ruan clan and wanted to take their family’s daughter as your wife?”
Lu Piao Xiang gave an authentic laugh: “Pa has thought wrong. This child does not want to take their family’s daughter as a wife, I want to enter the Yun clan and become the Eldest Yun Lady’s secondary husband.”
Master Lu was dumbfounded and only found his voice after a moment had passed: “How……How could that be possible?”
“How could that not be possible?”
Lu Piao Xiang was still smiling but his eyes held a trace of ice. Others could not sense this but the distance between him and Master Lu was small, scaring the latter so that his heart trembled and he quickly said: “Of course. Yes, of course.”
“Pa has given his consent?”
“Consent……consent to what?” Master Lu stared blankly at him.
“Naturally of this son’s marriage and entering the Yun clan as a concubine. Pa won’t oppose it, right?” Lu Piao Xiang slowly reminded him.
“No, of course not, heh heh, I won’t oppose it.” Master Lu laughed as he responded but only he knew that he was basically crying.
The marriage was decided just like this?
Ruan Zi Xu somewhat did not believe it. He had thought it would be very troublesome as after all, Mister Lu was not an ordinary person and his family’s qualifications were also like that. He could very easily take a young lady of equal status as his wife and safeguard the grand position of the principal husband.
Master Lu really doted on his son too much! If his son said one, it would be one, and the father would basically not dare to say two! Ruan Zi Xu shook his head. But in regards to his eldest daughter’s marriage, this was a good thing. Except, even in his dreams, he would have never expected that these parents of Lu Piao Xiang were fake, and it would be a very long time before he would know the truth of the matter. By that time, the raw rice would long have been cooked and his little grandchild would be old enough to buy soy sauce.
During the period when the two Lu parents were visiting their residence, Ruan Zhu was reclining on the bed, wasting time by giving the child in her belly some math problems and reciting the multiplication tables from one to nine quite a few times. Pregnant women were all very lazy. Besides eating, they only knew how to sleep. However, compared to the women of this era, Ruan Zhu had an advantage that was precisely prenatal education.
Her kind of prenatal education was different. The majority of women read aloud poems to their unborn children while she would recite the ancient verses that she had memorized in her past life once and then take out this era’s huqin[a] and play the same songs that she would do on the violin. If she felt too bored, she could also play ‘The Butterfly Lovers’ for her child to listen.
Today while she was still prattling on about math, Nuan Chun walked inside, saying Mister Lu’s parents had arrived from the capital to their residence and Madam Lu was currently in the inner courtyard chatting with our family’s Madam, asking Miss to please go over and meet them.
Ruan Zhu was a little surprised and a little nervous. Up til now, she didn’t quite believe the matter of Mister Lu wanting to become her secondary husband.
The husband was not at home and the wife gave him a large and bright green hat to wear. No matter how she thought of this situation, it was rather comical, yet everyone thought it was as it should be and there was nothing wrong with it.
She sat in front of the bronze mirror to dress up. But to be honest, no matter how a pregnant woman adorned herself, it wouldn’t be of much use. Her eyes were swollen, hands and feet were swollen, waist……ai, let’s just not talk about her waist, the entire world knew about it anyway.
Wearing a water-blue cloud brocade qixiong ruqun and adding a little rouge, she walked out of Furong Garden with an arctic fox fur cloak lined with silver satin over her shoulders.
齐胸襦裙 | Qixiong ruqun
Currently, winter had already began. Her courtyard was called Furong Garden but inside, there was not even half a flower. Only the corners were still as green as before with the few xiangfei bamboo adding a touch of warmth to the bleak winter landscape.
Yun Shi Wei was not in the room. Not long after arriving in Yu Zhou, he had made a few friends and practically went out with them every day to hunt or walk dogs or such.
Ruan Zhu arrived at Jin Se Tang with Nuan Chun lending an arm in support. In the main seat sat her mother from the same bloodline and next to her was a middle-aged woman with an amiable expression. Her appearance was proper and seemed to not resemble Lu Piao Xiang but their personalities seemed to differ by more than a single degree. However, a good temperament was something nurtured by the future and had nothing to do with what was innate.
Were the aristocracy born with power?
There were also many cases of children being college students while their parents were farmers.
Let’s just not confuse ourselves with this question of whether they were similar!
Nuan Chun removed Ruan Zhu’s fox fur coat and she bowed in greeting to Madam Ruan: “Greetings to Mother, Zhu Zhu pays her respects.”
“Zhu’er, this is Madam Lu, Lu Piao Xiang’s mother, who has just arrived from the capital.”
“Greetings to Madam Lu!” Because their relationship had not been ascertained, she only bowed in respect.
However, even if their relationship was defined, Lu Piao Xiang was a concubine. A secondary husband’s parents were not considered relatives, much less in-laws.
Madam Lu seemed to be even more nervous than her and had stood up.
“Miss Ruan does not need to be polite. My family’s fifth……that……My family’s child has already written a letter explaining everything. Miss Ruan is very beautiful, bright as ice and snow, multi-talented, a rare good lady in our country of Tian Chu. To be able to take you as a daughter-in-law, cough……No, for our child to be able to enter your Yun clan as a secondary husband is the good fortune cultivated from a previous life.”
The status of a secondary husband was very low. Families that were more concerned and picky were all unwilling for their son to be a secondary husband as they didn’t have any honor and their children had to follow the principal husband’s surname. Only when they had settled down outside and established themselves could they regain their ancestor’s family name and pray to their own family’s forebears and have the qualifications to enter their own family’s ancestral hall.
“Zhu’er, don’t always stand, quickly sit by Mother’s side. Mei Yue, pull the brazier a little to this side to warm up Eldest Miss’s body.”