The Young Lady of the General’s House

It happened to be a nice day, Rui-wangfei took Shen Qi and Shen Jin to the small garden in the main courtyard. The maintenance of this garden was directly under Rui-wangfei’s eyes so it was very elegant and polished.

The maids had tidied up the pavilion in advance, Rui-wangfei sat down then Shen Qi and Shen Jin sat beside her. The maids and pozi‘s brought up tea and fruit then stood outside so as not to disturb their conversation but not delay serving either.

Only then did Rui-wangfei say, “Qi-er, do you know where you made mistake?”

Shen Qi was startled, “Mother?”

Rui-wangfei looked at Shen Qi for a long time before she sighed, “Is it possible that you still haven’t realised?”

Shen Jin saw that Rui-wangfei was teaching eldest sister, so she nestled quietly on the side drinking the rose dew tea held in her both hands. It had been a year, some parts of this garden had changed.

Shen Qi pursed her lips, “Mother, please tell me.”

Rui-wangfei glanced at her daughter, “You talk to Jin Girl.”

Shen Qi was stunned, Shen Jin heard her name mentioned, she looked over with a puzzled face. Rui-wangfei leaned against the wooden railing without speaking.

Shen Qi trusted Rui-wangfei the most so she gave a general recap without much detail on some parts.

After it was finished, Rui-wangfei looked at Shen Jin and asked, “Had it been you, what would you’ve done?”

Shen Jin blinked, her long eyelashes fluttered, “Just didn’t let her in.”

Shen Qi’s whole body froze, but Rui-wangfei laughed lightly, “Tell it to your eldest sister slowly, your eldest sister is a confused one.”

Shen Jin said, “Mother Consort, Big Sister has done a good job.”

Shen Qi asked, “Younger Sister, please tell me more. If it were you, how would you have handled it?”

Shen Jin thought for a moment, “We can’t just ignore relatives, so give some silver and send them out. If Countess Yongle is not happy, spend more money to rent a house and buy some servants for her.”

Shen Qi now understood why her mother was disappointed of her, she had been wrong from the beginning. She had wanted to be virtuous and pleasing to her mother-in-law so she let that cousin into the house, which had given the cousin an opportunity to seduce her husband.

“Big Sister, even if that cousin looked pitiful and weak, but she was able to reach the Capital without problem, so she must be capable.” Shen Jin said with a sigh, “A lot of things happened on our way here.”

“That is true.” Shen Qi sighed, “I only thought about her pitiful life, but I forgot she must have come on a purpose.” She was deceived by the cousin’s woeful appearance.

Shen Jin nodded at Shen Qi with approval. Shen Qi could not resist pinching her cheeks, “How come you are fatter now?”

“I am not.” Shen Jin looked at Shen Qi with rounded eyes, “Big Sister, I am taller!”

“Haha okay.” That amused Shen Qi, the gloom in her heart dissipated a little, “And then what?”

“Ah?” Shen Jin looked at Shen Qi somewhat confused, “Oh right. After she is in, since she is willing to be a concubine then let her be a concubine, why should a concubine get to enjoy the benefits of a relative?”

Shen Qi froze at the reply, she turned to look at Rui-wangfei. Rui-wangfei did not speak but her expression was full of approval.

“It shouldn’t have been this way.” Shen Jin said in a serious manner, “Courtesy is not entitlement.“

T/N – What Shen Jin said was ‘礼法不和的” with 礼 = etiquette, courtesy, propriety, and 法 = legality, lawfulness. It’s a hard to say so just keep reading…

Shen Qi had always thought that Shen Jin was a soft, innocent and cute person without much of a temper, even when bullied she would just move away, and she just liked to eat. This was the first time she found that in some matters this younger sister saw things more clearly than herself.

Perhaps Shen Jin developed such a temperament due to her awkward position. As for herself? She was quite competitive and wanted to be the foremost in everything, but nothing in the world was always perfect.

Shen Qi was the main mistress of Marquis Yongle residence, she didn’t want people to say that she mistreated relatives so she had been accommodating. At most she just avoided seeing the person, but this had made the cousin bolder instead.

Rui-wangfei said, “Your Big Sister ate a bowl of something your Brother-in-law brought to her, and the baby was lost.”

“Ah?” Shen Jin couldn’t hold a startled cry, she looked at Shen Qi with hands covering her mouth.

Shen Qi thought of that child and her eyes reddened, she turned away slightly without speaking.

Shen Jin reached out to hold Shen Qi’s hand and said comfortingly, “Big sister, it’s definitely not Brother-in-law.”

“I know that, although he was somewhat …… but it was still his firstborn son.” A man would have a special feeling towards his first child. Thinking of her husband’s expression that time, Shen Qi pursed her lips, “I know who it is.” Everything circled back to that person.

“Then why didn’t Big Sister take action?” Shen Jin asked back.

Shen Qi didn’t know what to say, what could she do with mother-in-law and husband protecting that woman? She shook her head and didn’t answer.

Shen Jin looked at Rui-wangfei, who then said, “One lives only once, being too concerned about reputation makes life unpleasant.”

“Mother.” Shen Qi covered her face with a handkerchief and cried in low voice, “I wish I could beat that cheap woman to death, but I have no proof.”

Shen Jin didn’t know how to comfort her. Rui-wangfei ‘hated that iron couldn’t become steel’, she looked at her daughter, “Why not use the chance to make all the concubines sign deeds?”

Shen Qi kept shaking her head, unable to speak as she cried.

T/N – ‘Hated that iron couldn’t become steel’ 恨铁不成钢 = to feel resentful of someone failing to meet expectations and impatient to see improvement. — Deeds here is 卖身契 = Deed of sale into slavery.

Shen Jin thought for a while, she used a handkerchief to pick up a piece of furong cake, it was Shen Qi’s favourite cake before she got married, “For Big Sister, please don’t cry.”

Shen Qi looked at the piece of cake on Shen Jin’s hand, Shen Jin said, “It is delicious, I just tasted it.”

Shen Qi took the furong cake and slowly ate, she had been too upset to even cry now. Shen Jin warmly said, “Big Sister don’t cry any more, and don’t be upset. It is already like this, getting sad is useless.”

Shen Qi couldn’t swallow the piece of cake in the mouth, she looked at Shen Jin’s sincere face trying to persuade her.

Rui-wangfei softly smiled, “It is correct, it has been this way, what use it is to regret? One has to look ahead.”

Shen Jin nodded her agreement, Shen Qi finished the cake and said, “I understand.”

Rui-wangfei called Cuixi to take Shen Qi to wash her face, she then turned to Shen Jin and asked, “Count Yongning also has this kind of cousin?”

Rui-wangfei saw that Shen Jin could think differently from Shen Qi meant she must had mulled over similar thing for long time. Shen Jin looked at Rui-wangfei with a face full of surprise ‘Mother Consort, you are too awesome, how do you know, I have never told you.’

Rui-wangfei pursed her lips, her smile was gentle and light, she sighed, “Such a lucky child.”

Marquis Yongle Shizi was the husband Rui-wangfei had carefully chosen for Shen Qi from many candidates. He was good on all aspects, Rui-wangfei knew he was a bit soft in nature but as her daughter was competitive and always wanted to be the foremost so they should have been a good match, she never expected it would be like this now.

And how about Shen Jin? From Count Yongning’s words and actions it was obvious she had occupied his heart. Thinking about how the border town was, this was really a case of ‘extreme sorrow turns to joy’.

However it was also due to this child’s good temperament. This child was able see things through but she was not manipulative, and she had her own calculation and her own bottom lines. She could be a little muddled on small things, but on big things she understood very well.

Shen Jin’s eyes curved as she smiled, Rui-wangfei said, “When your elder sister invite you to their residence, that concubine will likely to want to be present too.”

Had it not been Rui-wangfei who said so, Shen Jin would had said it was impossible that anyone wanted to join in the gathering of sisters. See, even Chen-cefei and Xu-cefei didn’t try to join them today.

Rui-wangfei didn’t mention it again. A maid came to report that Shen Zi had come bringing her husband. Shen Zi’s husband was the eldest son of Zheng family, Zheng Jiaqu. He didn’t hold scholarly honour in Imperial Exam, but his literary talent was acknowledged by everyone, plus he looked refined and gentle in manner.

When Shen Zi arrived, she saw Rui-wangfei and Shen Jin was drinking tea while chatting. After Shen Zi greeted Rui-wangfei, Shen Jin smiled to her, “Second Sister.”

“Third Sister has changed after becoming a Countess.” Shen Zi sat down in front of Shen Jin.

In the past Shen Jin would stand up when Shen Zi arrived, but today she sat still, “It looks like the water and soil in the border town are really nourishing, Third Sister has put on weight and is more anchored now.”

Shen Qi could call her fat was after pinching her cheeks and felt the flesh, but Shen Zi calling her fat was an obvious sarcasm. Who didn’t know the border town was an inhospitable place under the watchful eyes of the Barbarians.

“En.” Shen Jin nodded, “If Second Sister likes it, come over with Brother-in-law, I’ll take you eat roasted whole lamb.”

Shen Zi’s face changed, “Who would like that.” Only exiles would go to such a place, she felt Shen Jin was mocking her.

Shen Jin looked at Shen Zi with confusion in her eyes, then …. “Oh.”

Shen Qi had finished reapplying makeup, Rui-wangfei stood up as she saw Shen Qi returned, “Alright, you sisters talk, I’ll get someone call Fourth Girl and Fifth Girl here, I won’t be on the way of you talking here.”

“Mother Consort.” Shen Jin and Shen Qi both stood up.

Shen Qi smilingly sent Rui-wangfei out, she didn’t look a bit like she had just had a cry.

Shen Jin sat down after Rui-wangfei left. Shen Zi could no longer held herself, she coldly laughed, “After Third Sister went to the border town and back, all the rules learnt in the Capital are forgotten already.”

“En?” Shen Jin looked at Shen Zi with her head slightly tilted. (T/N – I think at this point Shen Qi had returned from sending off Rui-wangfei)

Shen Zi did not dare to go against Shen Qi but she said to Shen Jin, “Father and Mother Consort have always taught us three sisters the order of seniority. I am an elder sister and I have not yet sat down, but Third Sister has.”

“But I’m a Countess.” Shen Jin understood, she said in a somewhat bewildered but in matter-of-fact way, “Second Sister’s husband …… has no official position or title.”

Shen Qi laughed, “Third sister has a good memory.” She felt Shen Zi was getting dumber and dumber, did she think they were still in the past?

“We are at home now, but if this was outside, Second Sister would have to bow to Third Sister.”

Shen Jin continued drinking the rose dew tea, her voice was delicate and soft, “We are family, Second Sister doesn’t need to worry about it, please just sit down.”

Shen Zi’s face changed and changed, Shen Jin was implying that she hadn’t sat yet because her status was low. Either sitting or standing were both wrong now.

“Eh? Second Sister?” Seeing that Shen Zi still didn’t sit after a long time, Shen Jin finished her cup and watched her if she was understanding Shen Zi.

Shen Jin smiled, “Really, no need to be so polite. Although Second Sister values the rules the most, but we are all family, we can follow the rules when we are outside.”

Looking at Shen Jin’s smiling face, Shen Zi’s heart was full of frustration and annoyance. As if suddenly thinking of something, she smiled a little twisted smile and sat down.

“I haven’t asked how Third Sister has been since you were married? I heard that Count Yongning is murderous, is Third Sister okay? I can see you’ve lost a lot of weight, is it because you’re scared of Count Yongning? How does it feel opening your eyes to see a hideous face …… Third sister is really pitiful, you look wasted.”

T/N – Didn’t she just say Shen Jin look fatter….?

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T/N – We are meeting Rui-wang’s other children soon so here is a little reminder of their names:

Rui-wangfei’s children:
Shen Qi (1st Girl)
Shen Xuan (son)
Shen Xi (son)

Xu-cefei’s children:
Shen Zi (2ndGirl)
Shen Jing (4th Girl)
Shen Rong (5th Girl)
Shen Hao (son)

Chen-cefei child:
Shen Jin (3rd Girl)