Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
Translatorâs notes:
Thank you to Anon for the donation, and for binging the chapters :p
*****
Xiao-Shiâs dad also cherished his daughter, and couldnât feel satisfied no matter how he reasoned it. He still went and asked the second lord to write a letter to the Jing Prince.
Since she was a daughter of the Xiao clan, and he was also her father in name, the Xiao clanâs second lord still wrote a letter with a flourish of his mighty brush, and gave it to Xiao-Shiâs father to send to the Jing Province along with her momâs letter.
Since the letters came from the Jing Duke Estate, they naturally couldnât be delivered in private. They were sent directly to the Jing Prince Estate.
One for the Jing Prince and one for the Jing Consort.
The Jing Prince didnât overthink things and thought they were ordinary letters. He sent the consortâs letter to the Changchun Pavilion while opening up the one addressed to him.
After reading, his expression turned ugly on the spot.
As mentioned previously, the Second Lord Xiao was a military man, and his words were never restrained. Anyone else would have implied their meaning with a few words, letting the recipient understand. Instead, he casually said everything on his mind, saying how a small concubine could be favored but the main wifeâs face still needed to be considered. Also, the matter of offspring needed to be considered as well.
Such an attitude could be said to be unrestrained with his words, but from another perspective it was clear that the Xiao clanâs second lord had no respect for the Jing Prince.
The Jing Prince didnât bicker with others, but this was the first time since coming to the Jing Province that someone was riding on his head.
The Jing Consort received her momâs letter on the other side. She figured that since the letter was openly delivered, there was definitely one for the Jing Prince as well.
The Jing Consort put her letter away and waited for the Jing Prince to come âmake upâ with her. She was prepared to flatter her husband a little more and give birth to children earlier. After all, her letter had mentioned that the Xiao clanâs second lord had sent the Jing Prince a letter.
But to her disappointment, the Jing Prince hadnât come even after night had fallen.
âChun Xiang, go see if his highness has come yet.â Only after she spoke did she remember the old Chun Xiang was no longer with her.
A timid voice sounded from her side, âConsort, we arenât allowed to leave the pavilion without permission.â
Hearing this voice, the Jing Consort remembered she had a new Chun Xiang. This one had helped her send word last time, and the letter home was also sent out by her.
âThis consort remembers that you were able to send word out last time. Can you help me do so once again? Ask when his highness is coming.â
Chun Xiang backed away repeatedly out of fear, and waved her hands, âConsort, it was different last time, Chun Xiang canâtâŚ.â
âWhat was different?â The Jing Consort spaced out before understanding, âIs it because this consort isnât ill? Donât worry, just say this consort is ill. Iâll go lie in bed first.â
After speaking, the Jing Consort walked towards the bed.
Chun Xiang fell to her knees in fright, âConsort, this really isnât possibleâŚ.â
Xia Xiang came over and pulled Chun Xiang up, giving her a pinch. She raised her voice and said: âConsort, donât make things hard for us servants. We really canât do it.â
The Jing Consort turned her head, her expression fierce and eyebrows raised, âAh? Are you guys looking down on this consort as well? Are you?â
As she spoke, she picked up the things next to her and started smashing them. The more she saw the sky darken, the more ruthlessly she smashed. The sounds of shattering rang out.
Why did he refuse to come? Why didnât he come!?
Xia Xiang and the rest were used to such a scene, and stood there with solemn faces. Chun Xiang wanted to go stop her but was pulled away by Xia Xiang. Xia Xiang also signaled Qiu Xiang and Dong Xiang to keep watching.
âChun Xiang, if you keep this up, Iâll report it to Auntie Qi. I donât want you dragging the three of us down!â
âI, IâŚâŚâ
Right as they were speaking in the hallway, a middle aged palace maid came in from the front door.
âAuntie Li.â
This Auntie Li was a managing auntie under Auntie Qi. The palace maids serving in the Changchun Pavilion were managed by her.
âChun Xiang, come with me.â
Hearing these words and remembering what she did, Chun Xiangâs face paled.
âAuntieââ
After Chun Xiang left with Auntie Li, she never returned. Another palace maid took on the name âChun Xiangâ.
***
The Jing Princeâs expression wasnât too good when he returned.
It didnât look much different, but Xiao Hua could tell he seemed to be angry.
Who had upset him?
Xiao Hua only thought about it but didnât ask.
The two of them ate, bathed and went to bed.
After getting into the palanquin bed, the Jing Prince pressed over. The normally quite gentle person seemed inexplicably fierce today.
Before long, Xiao Hua died a little once but he wasnât done. She died a little a second time. As the third time approached, Xiao Hua couldnât resist crying out for mercy while her entire body trembled and her eyes teared up.
He bit her earlobe, sucking and licking at it, saying in a low, hoarse voice, ââŚ..Xiao Huaâer, endure a little longer, almost doneâŚâŚâ
He had said these words many times already, and Xiao Hua didnât dare believe them anymore. She could sense that he had some melancholy in his heart, but didnât know why.
âHighnessâŚ.highness, whatâs wrong?â Her voice shook as she asked.
The Jing Prince didnât respond, and only after several dozen times did he finally fall heavily onto her. He rolled over with her and held her in his arms, using his hand to wipe away her tears.
âI was a little stirred up today, donât cry.â
âHighness, did something happen?â
The Jing Prince stroked her hair, saying: âNothing.â
After resting for a while, the Jing Prince carried Xiao Hua to take a bath. After getting in bed, the two lay down. Xiao Huaâs mind was still a mess. She suddenly heard the Jing Prince say: âWhen Zhuoâer and Yi Yi are a little older, give birth to a few more children for this humble prince.â
After Xiao Hua gave birth to the two children, she started taking birth control medicine. The medicine was prescribed by Doctor Hu, and was very mild. It didnât harm the body. The Jing Prince also knew that giving birth was damaging to the body, especially since she was still young and had given birth to twins. It was quite draining on the body. The Jing Prince had taken the initiative and asked Doctor Hu for the medicine.
Why did he suddenly bring this up?
âSure.â Although she didnât understand, Xiao Hua still agreed.
After having two little ones, Xiao Hua realized how much she liked children, especially ones she had with him.
âThis humble prince will only have children with you.â
Hearing his tone, Xiao Hua still felt that he was acting up at someone.
âSure.â She turned her eyes, âThen highness definitely has to remember his words.â
The Jing Prince didnât speak, only patting her on the back a couple of times as though telling her that this humble prince would definitely keep his word.
The next day the Jing Prince was back to normal, as though the irregularity from last night never happened. Xiao Hua was curious however.
Just who on earth was it that upset him? Could it be lord uncleâs family?
Xiao Hua felt that it didnât seem to be the case, mostly because they werenât on the same level. Even after the Li family made a fuss, his highnessâs response was only a little helplessness, but he didnât take it to heart.
Only after asking Xiao Xia Zi did Xiao Hua get an inkling.
It was said that the Jing Consortâs family had sent letters over from the capital. There were two of them, one for the consort and one for the Jing Prince.
Based on his reaction last night, Xiao Hua guessed that the Jing Consort had complained to her family, and asked the Duke Jing Estate to reprimand the Jing Prince. It probably had something to do with childrenâŚ..
Thinking of this, Xiao Hua didnât think any further.
Apart from the saying âyou reap what you sowâ, there wasnât any other way to describe the Jing Consort. It wasnât because the two of them were at odds that she would think this way. It was mostly due to what Nana He had âmentionedâ to her before New Yearâs Eve last year about the Jing Prince and his consort. Therefore, Xiao Hua was extremely clear about her actions in the past.
Thinking of how this woman had looked down on him for not being able to speak in his youth, Xiao Hua had a bellyful of anger.
You reap what you saw! Donât forget what you did!
Xiao Hua sneered in her heart, before no longer thinking about it. She called Ding Xiang to have the wet nurses bring the two children in. She decided to stop taking her birth control once Zhuoâer and Yi Yi were older. She would follow his highnessâs wishes and give birth to a few more, angering the consort to death.
***
Li Miao Lianâs grand wedding day arrived very quickly.
The occasion couldnât be said to be truly grand, but it was still rather spectacular. The bridal procession left from the Tiren Gates and circled around the city once before returning via the Zunyi Gates accompanied by the beating of gongs and drums. It was extremely lively.
This was the first wedding the Jing Prince Estate organized since its construction. The bride was also the Jing Princeâs cousin, so the venue would naturally not be small. Although they didnât invite the officials under the Jing Princeâs jurisdiction, just the groomâs side alone had quite a few close friends and colleagues. Since it was to be held in the Jing Prince Estate, the Jing Prince decided they might as well hold it in the training grounds where the guards often trained their martial skills.
Several dozen tables filled the training grounds, and those who came to the wedding feast were mostly the guards who werenât on duty that day. Such a large occasion was rare, and everyone was extremely excited.
The Jing Prince also showed up on the day, but he merely drank a cup of alcohol with everyone before leaving. Everyone knew his highnessâs personality, and felt that what he did already exceeded expectations. After the Jing Prince left, the high ranking officers started giving speeches. His highness had said that the alcohol was on him today, so they should all drink their fill.
In the end, the supposed feast turned into the Jing Prince treating everyone to alcohol. Everyone drank until they were teetering and tottering, unable to walk. Of course, that was what happened afterwards.
Luckily the groom was well liked, and several of his bros were there to help cover him as he made his escape early. Otherwise he might not have been able to consummate his marriage that day. These people who trained in martial arts were no different from military men, and they were all drinking experts. Despite this, no one was left standing in the end.
Qi-Shi started crying when she saw her daughter being married off. Although they would remain close by, it was still digging a piece of her heart out. Li Xue Bing grew tired of her crying and long since hid in the study. Only her old opponent was left to accompany her.
Concubine He also couldnât be bothered to console her. She curled her lips on the side, thinking how she needed to properly fawn on the lordâs nephew. If her own daughter could also be married off this way, she would praise her ancestors.
The Jing Prince Estateâs dowry for Li Miao Lian was already thirty two carriages worth, and there was even a box of silver as the capstone. The day before the marriage, the western pavilion represented his highness and sent the box of silver over, a total of two thousand taels.
Concubine He secretly calculated the combined value of the dowry, and realized it exceeded ten thousand taels.
Concubine He had never seen such a large dowry before. In their small county, a household was said to be rich if the dowry was several hundred taels. How could it be compared to the Jing Prince Estate? No wonder Concubine Heâs eyes were incessantly red.
The Li family understood that Madam Hua really couldnât be provoked. Marrying their daughter off was the correct decision.
This was because as each carriage of the dowry was brought into their pavilion, the people delivering things all mentioned how it was the madamâs arrangement. Furthermore, the final box of silver was sent over by the western pavilionâs people.
Looks like Madam Hua had control over the estateâs finances. No wonder the Jing Consort was so furious.
They had actually misunderstood. Li Miao Lianâs dowry wasnât arranged by Xiao Hua, but by Auntie Qi. Xiao Hua merely followed the Jing Princeâs arrangements and forked out the silver.
Of course, if they really wanted to think that way, it was also fine. After all, the silver truly did come from Xiao Huaâs hands.
Authorâs notes:
Itâs said when a man wants to embellish his womanâs dignity, he has to go big, haha.