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Chapter 146: Negotiation
“Stop her idea of becoming a concubine for Zhong Zheng Lin”?
He Lian Min Min’s brain was put to use appropriately in this matter. She almost bluntly pointed out that He Lian Wei should be stuffed into the Eighth Prince’s Mansion.
Mu Xi Yao felt that this deal was a bit of a loss. He Lian Min Min dared to bring it up so clearly, and it had a lot to do with her return to the He Lian Mansion. Someone should have said something to her, otherwise this woman would not let go of her grudges so easily.
“Since it’s all for the peace of the house, this concubine has no reason to refuse.”
No matter what she says or not, things need to be done. This time she suffered a bit of a loss on the surface, but next time she’ll get it back. On the side of His Royal Highness, she needed to pretend to be pitiful and show weakness again. The benefits should be enough to recover the “loss” caused by this excessive generosity.
She really wanted to express her opinion about the damaged suffered: she couldn’t take advantage of this business, and she also had to use her brain to drive away the woman she disliked.
He Lian got her refreshing [1] reply, and contentedly, she took people away with her.
[1]  çˆœćż« shuǎngkuai - refreshed/rejuvenated/frank and straightforward. I feel like in Chinese novels this “refreshing” word is used very much, and I needed to put it out there that it actually means one is being direct. I didn’t know.
Sure enough, Mu Xi Yao was still afraid of the other woman who had won the Phoenix sign with her, her mother was right. The negotiation went unexpectedly smoothly, and the result made He Lian Min Min extremely satisfied. One mountain couldn’t tolerate two tigers? Humph! After He Lian Wei Rui was cleared away, she and Mu Xi Yao would return to be bridge to bridge, road to road [2]. How to live next, this life was very long... [3] Afraid that Mu-shi thought the same way in her heart.
[2] ćˆæ˜ŻæĄ„ćœ’æĄ„ïŒŒè·Żćœ’è·Ż yĂČu shĂŹ qiĂĄo guÄ« qiĂĄolĂčguÄ«lĂč - Bridge to Bridge, Road to Road.  Metaphor meaning that unrelated things to each other should be strictly separated. The idiom’s origin is from Gao Yang’s “Complete Biography of Hu Xue Yan: Stepping into the Clouds”, volume 1: “Lending a loan is another thing, and getting a pad of rice is another thing. The bridge returns to the bridge, and the road returns to the road.”
[3] When she says “life is long” she means she is open to possibilities. Like now, they’re allies, but maybe next time they would not necessarily be.
“Wei Zhen, keep an eye on the He Lian Mansion. Lord He Lian should be very busy these few days.”
Mu Xi Yao was used to doing things steadily, and she had always kept her promises about what should be done.
“Mistress, won't you tell the Highness about this? The He Lian family is not easy to deal with.”
Wei Zhen sat in the corner just now and heard the conversation between the two women clearly. He was a little uncertain about what Mistress Yao wanted to do. The Principal Consort He Lian-shi actually encouraged her Mistress to do this, his Royal Highness should be extremely unhappy.
“Of course the He Lian family is not a soft persimmon. However, some things that cannot be achieved without a solid foundation. A little flaw is enough to change the whole situation.”
The way to find this flaw
 Mu Xi Yao decided to wait and see Lord He Lian first.
***
Zhong Zheng Lin took Yan Cheng Zhou to take a boat and walked around outside the camp at will. When he turned to the mountainside, he saw Zhong Zheng Ming  sitting on the ground in an apricot-white brocade robe. A horizontal flute in his hand was placed on his lips, and the ancient tune of “Flowing Goblet” [4] came to his ears. In this deep mountain, it was particularly moving.
[4] “攁觞” liĂș shāng, can be translated to “Flowing feast/goblet”, this ‘flowing’ can also be a ‘stream of water or sth resembling one’. About the piece. There’s a famous modern qin master called Ding Cheng Yun (äžæ‰żèż ) who wrote a qin partiture called exactly the same piece: “攁觞”. (This master is from our times, I wonder if the author just put it there as a wink for the ones in the known, or if they got confused). Another important thing is, 攁觞 shares his two characters with  “攁觎æ›Č氎” which means Winding Stream Party, an ancient drinking game played during the Spring Purification Festival in which a cup of wine is floated down a stream with people seated on both side (the person sitting in front of the cup when it stops has to drink).
<table> A guqin. Pinterest.</tbody></table>
“Flowing Goblet” was one of Mu Xi Yao’s favourites, and every time she played the guqin, she will definitely not miss this song. Now, Zhong Zheng Ming also prefers “Flowing Goblet”.
Zhong Zheng Lin’s phoenix eyes flickered for a moment.
This was Yan Cheng Zhou’s first time listening to the fifth prince’s play, and he found it was very pleasant. Although he was not proficient in rhythm, he could still enjoy it. His Royal Highness’s skills didn’t seem to be bad. This tune penetrated directly into people’s hearts, and he always felt that there was something in it.
Zhong Zheng Lin saw Yan Cheng Zhou listening intently and in the blink of an eye, his eyes darkened even more.
“Sixth brother.”
Zhong Zheng Ming played the song, turned around and greeted the visitor politely. He had noticed it as early as when he came, but he didn’t intend to interrupt himself.
“The fifth brother is in good spirits.” Choosing such a fancy pastime, at night in this kind of place, all alone.
Zhong Zheng Ming drew the flute in his hand with a flowery move and stood up with one hand on the ground. Roughly tidying up the brocade robe, he smiled extremely gracefully.
“This song fits the scene. An old man [5] once praised the lofty and quiet song Flowing Goblet, but this song can only be played when there is harmony in all matters.” Zhong Zheng Ming  said with regret.
At the end, he couldn’t hear that old man playing the zither. A pity. Otherwise it could be regarded as an elegant [6] event where intellectual people could mingle.
[5] 故äșș gĂčrĂ©n is ‘old friend / the deceased’ and 曟 zēng is ‘grand’ from great- (grandfather, grandchild etc).
[6] 雅äș‹ yǎshĂŹ is a Chinese word meaning ‘something elegant’, often referring to activities related to qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. From “Suiyuan Poems”.
Old man? The arc of Zhong Zheng Lin’s mouth gradually disappeared. When did Mu Xi Yao become an old relative of Zhong Zheng Ming?
“We set off early tomorrow. If the fifth brother has had enough fun, it’s better if he rests earlier.” Zhong Zheng Lin nodded and said his parting, with his hands behind his back, and walked away with Yan Cheng Zhou in no hurry.
On the way down the mountain, his sixth Royal Highness glanced at the guard commander who was standing solemnly beside him, and spoke casually, “Is the music good?”
Yan Cheng Zhou nodded honestly, “This subordinate thinks his fifth Highness song should be good.”
What exactly is a good play, he is a rough man, and he can’t say, but he still can answer as he feels.
“Not only are you interested in rhythm, but you can practice a lot in your spare time.In the next training gap, there will also be an adjustment.” After Zhong Zheng Lin said this sentence, he didn’t speak again.
Yan Cheng Zhou’s steps showed his confused mind, and when he stared at the Master’s back his eyes were open like copper bells.
<table> Chinese copper bells. (Baidu).</tbody></table>
Learn the rhythm? Did his Highness send this errand wrong? He has been tone-deaf since he was a child, and he doesn't even know how to read the music score. With these qualifications, no musician would be willing to teach him.
Holding back his doubts, Yan Cheng Zhou followed his sixth Highness all the way back to the camp, and even until he fell asleep, he still couldn’t figure it out. Next time he trains, does he really want him to go up and show his ugliness?
Zhong Zheng Lin picked up Mu Xi Yao’s letter and read it carefully under the oil lamp.
In the dead of night, he missed the soft intimate way she acted with him and her coquettish appearance when she was full of tricks and reluctant to acknowledge her mistakes. More than half a month passed, and things in the mansion continued to happen, and she was not idle for a moment.
He took the Cheng Qing “stamp” that was always attached to the back of each letter. That kid was raised by his mother in Danruo Courtyard, he must be spending his days happily.
Zhong Zheng Lin glanced at a stack of letters in the box and felt that the rebel party needed to be wiped out as soon as possible.
So on the second day, the soldiers found that his sixth Royal Highness looked colder, and his horse’s speed seemed to increase a bit during the journey. If the sixth Highness was the only one who looked different, then everyone would think it may just be that the military situation was urgent.. However, the fifth Royal Highness on the side also had a poor face, which made the entire team look a lot more solemn in an instant.
Everyone silently chose to bury their heads and speed up the horses. Out of the corner of their eyes, they also caught a glimpse of the blue under the eyes of Commander Yan, and then they were even more afraid to squeak.
***
In Shengjing, He Lian Min Min took Su Lin Rou and the two concubines without title, Wan Jing Wen and Zhang-shi, to the palace of Consort Shu to greet her. After greetings, she got on the sedan chair and followed the Consort to Feng’An Palace to salute the Empress Dowager.
Entering the main hall, He Lian Min Min saw at a glance several princesses leaning next to the Empress Dowager and talking amusedly. At this moment, Empress Dowager Jin had a gentle smile on her face.
“Empress Dowager, this concubine brought the old six family to greet you.” Consort Shu smiled gracefully and saluted.
Behind her, He Lian Min Min and the others followed suit and greeted the Empress Dowager Jin, who was sitting on the soft couch.
“You may rise.” Empress Dowager Jin raised her right hand slightly, and the golden crystal nail guard on her finger was particularly eye-catching.
<table> A golden nail guard. (Pinteres).</tbody></table>
Consort went to the concubine’s side to sit down, and He Lian Min Min led the people to sit down under the princesses and Consorts.
“Is the sixth sister-in-law not sleeping well? Why are your eyes a little puffy?” Zhong Zheng Ying on the opposite side immediately singled out He Lian Min Min.
The Empress Dowager looked over there, and it was indeed a bit eye-catching.
“Sixth family, what’s the matter? Didn’t you rest well at night, or did you overdo it? You need to take care of your body, Aijia [7] is still waiting to hug the great-grandson.”
[7] 擀柶 aijia: lit. “in mourning” or “grieving one”; illeism for the Empress Dowager, a widowed empress, as she is in mourning for her deceased husband. (Dreams of Jianghu).
He Lian Min Min’s stomach hasn’t moved for a long time, and it’s something that Empress Dowager Jin has remembered for more than a day. He Lian Min Min was sitting upright with her hands folded on her knees. Her demeanour was excellent as she answered.
“Going back to the ancestor, this concubine is conditioning her body with a medicinal diet. I used it a little late last night, and my eyes looked like this this morning.”
“The medicated diet needs to be taken with attention to the hour, and children’s affairs have to be taken to heart. Ask the people below to remind you. Otherwise, after drinking those many cups of soup in vain, it will be useless and it will not be able to work.”
The Empress Dowager heard her say that she was taking the initiative to take the medicine, and her face showed satisfaction.
“Well, then, how is the sixth sister-in-law recuperating? When will the ancestors’ wish to hold her great-grandchildren be fulfilled?” Zhong Zheng Ying’s eyes flashed harshly.
She now sees Zhong Zheng Lin’s family as unsightly. Consort Shu was favoured by the Emperor and she couldn’t move her for the time being. But for He Lian-shi she can still make it difficult by one or two points.
He Lian Min Min had been prepared to be criticised by her, but she didn’t expect Zhong Zheng Ying to be so blunt in front of Empress Dowager. She didn’t take her feelings into account at all, and she singled out people’s weaknesses without a hitch.
“Momo said that I still need to take the medicine with peace of mind for two or three years. As for the children, it still depends on fate.” He Lian Min Min showed a little shyness on her face, and she seemed embarrassed to speak of these matters in front of people.
“Isn’t it that Ben Gong heard that the sixth brother is often in Mu cefei’s place, and that there are not many times when he is in sixth sister-in-law’s house?”
In a phrase, Zhong Zheng Ying put on display Mu Xi Yao’s domineering favour and He Lian Min Min’s inability to hold Zhong Zheng Lin’s heart.
The Empress Dowager raised her eyebrows, glanced at Zhong Zheng Ying, and when she looked at He Lian Min Min, her expression changed subtly.
“Is that true?”
What was the matter with the rules in the old sixth’s Mansion?
Consort Shu looked at He Lian-shi, afraid that she would not understand the sense of proportion and answer badly. Better He Lian Min Min be sensible this time, and excuse Mu Xi Yao.
“Ancestor, there is no way it’s like this.” He Lian Min Min turned her head to look at Zhong Zheng Ying, correcting her words with great patience. “Mu-shi fetus is really unstable, so His Royal Highness is naturally vigilant. It is also human nature to guard at night. Besides, they rested on separate beds, separated by a screen. The rules were not broken.”
He Lian Min Min couldn’t be clearer about the facts, but this is what must be said, otherwise they would just expose that there are no rules in the backyard, and that Empress Dowager will definitely not like it.
The Empress Dowager remembered what the Master of Anguo Temple said, and remembered that Mu-shi was blessed with excellent luck, and her lively and active personality. She took into account Mu-shi’s hard work in pregnancy, and the doubts in her heart slowly disappeared.
“Besides, your Highness will not break the rules for Mu-shi. Before leaving, His Royal Highness also walked to the various yards every month, and it’s not like the princess said. Afraid the princess heard the wrong news, or was blinded by the servants.”
Where did Zhong Zheng Ying’s news come from, He Lian Min Min waited for her to justify herself.
Su Lin Rou was well advised by He Lian Min Min in advance, and the two of them adjusted their story early. Although they were reluctant in their hearts, they had a look of agreement on their faces.
Wan Jing Wen and Zhang-shi were just concubines, and they were not even qualified to answer in front of the Empress Dowager. They were not asked questions by the above, so they could only wait in silence. At this time, listening to He Lian Min Min’s answer, they were shocked, but their faces did not reveal anything.
When the Empress Dowager saw Zhong Zheng Lin’s mansion’s women were quite harmonious, there was no worry in her heart. On the contrary, she was unhappy with Zhong Zheng Ying’s hearsay.
“Fourth girl, how can your identity allow you to listen and believe, then speak falsely in public so easily? What are you caring about the private affairs of your sixth brother’s mansion? Do you want your face [8] or not?”
[8] äœ“éą TǐmiĂ n - dignity / face (as in “losing face”) / honourable / creditable / (of sb's appearance) presentable / respectable.
Empress Dowager Jin was a typical harem woman, and she had great requirements for women’s morality and etiquette. This time she ran into Zhong Zheng Ying who exceeded the bounds, and naturally she wanted to admonish her.
“You are also a Mistress and mother now, does Aijia still need to tell you this? Speaking of the sixth’s family just now, what are your plans for yourself? Do you still let momo oversee and take care of it?”
When the Empress Dowager asked this question, not only Zhong Zheng Ying couldn’t hold her face, but even He Lian Min Min was very surprised.
He Lian Min Min thought the Empress Dowager would admonish Zhong Zheng Ying to be outspoken and listen to all the muddy words. She didn't think that the ancestors would be guided by her, but instead thought of the private affairs of the princess’s mansion.
He Lian Min Min glanced at Zhong Zheng Ying obliquely, laughing secretly in her heart.
This slap was loud.
***
Relationship Diagram(by Sith Kazar)
â–Č Footnotes
[1]  çˆœćż« shuǎngkuai - refreshed/rejuvenated/frank and straightforward. I feel like in Chinese novels this “refreshing” word is used very much, and I needed to put it out there that it actually means one is being direct. I didn’t know.
[2] ćˆæ˜ŻæĄ„ćœ’æĄ„ïŒŒè·Żćœ’è·Ż yĂČu shĂŹ qiĂĄo guÄ« qiĂĄolĂčguÄ«lĂč - Bridge to Bridge, Road to Road.  Metaphor meaning that unrelated things to each other should be strictly separated. The idiom’s origin is from Gao Yang’s “Complete Biography of Hu Xue Yan: Stepping into the Clouds”, volume 1: “Lending a loan is another thing, and getting a pad of rice is another thing. The bridge returns to the bridge, and the road returns to the road.”
[3] When she says “life is long” she means she is open to possibilities. Like now, they’re allies, but maybe next time they would not necessarily be.
[4] “攁觞” liĂș shāng, can be translated to “Flowing feast/goblet”, this ‘flowing’ can also be a ‘stream of water or sth resembling one’. About the piece. There’s a famous modern qin master called Ding Cheng Yun (äžæ‰żèż ) who wrote a qin partiture called exactly the same piece: “攁觞”. (This master is from our times, I wonder if the author just put it there as a wink for the ones in the known, or if they got confused). Another important thing is, 攁觞 shares his two characters with  “攁觎æ›Č氎” which means Winding Stream Party, an ancient drinking game played during the Spring Purification Festival in which a cup of wine is floated down a stream with people seated on both side (the person sitting in front of the cup when it stops has to drink).
[5] 故äșș gĂčrĂ©n is ‘old friend / the deceased’ and 曟 zēng is ‘grand’ from great- (grandfather, grandchild etc).
[6] 雅äș‹ yǎshĂŹ is a Chinese word meaning ‘something elegant’, often referring to activities related to qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. From “Suiyuan Poems”.
[7] 擀柶 aijia: lit. “in mourning” or “grieving one”; illeism for the Empress Dowager, a widowed empress, as she is in mourning for her deceased husband. (Dreams of Jianghu).
[8] äœ“éą TǐmiĂ n - dignity / face (as in “losing face”) / honourable / creditable / (of sb's appearance) presentable / respectable.