RATMOFANF: Chapter 61

 Glossary

· Shen Jingxiu: The female protagonist, Li Ling's wife.

· Li Ling: The Heir of Zhenguo Duke Manor, Shen Jingxiu's husband.

· Qingluan: Li Ling's cousin.

· Empress Li: Li Ling's eldest paternal aunt.

· Imperial Concubine Li: Li Ling's youngest paternal aunt, Qingluan's birth mother.

· Meng Guifei: A rival imperial consort.

· Zhou Yi: A military general.

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Chapter 61: From Now On, I Will Share the Burden With You

Seeing his little wife's beautiful lotus-blossom face finally clear up, Li Ling let out a long sigh of relief. He swung his legs onto the bed, pulled her into his arms, and said, "I was wondering why you always seemed displeased with me whenever Qingluan was mentioned. So you actually thought of me that way."

His words seemed to imply it was her being petty.

Jingxiu indignantly broke free from him, her face cold. "That day in the garden, as soon as you heard something happened to her, you abandoned me and rushed off in a frantic hurry. And you still blame—"

Li Ling, hearing her bring up that day again, pulled her back into his arms, his heart aching for her. He coaxed her, "That day was entirely my fault. It was a momentary oversight that caused you to suffer grievance. I swear to you, if I had known that old woman would be so despicable, I would have died rather than abandon you and leave."

He was truly afraid of not gaining his little wife's forgiveness. He kept kissing her beautiful hair, her forehead, and apologized incoherently, "It was all my fault, my oversight. As long as you can forgive me, you can hit me or scold me. Just please, don't be angry with me anymore."

Li Ling was an extremely proud man. In her past life, after five years with him, she had never seen him speak softly to anyone. Seeing him apologize to her so sincerely now, Jingxiu found it hard to continue holding it against him.

Although she had suffered grievance that day, it truly was a momentary lapse on Li Ling's part. She believed that if he had known it would place her in danger, he would never have abandoned her like that.

Not only because she was his wife, but even if she were an unrelated woman, someone of Li Ling's character would not have done so.

Moreover, hearing him tell her personally that he had no romantic feelings for Qingluan had untangled the knot in her heart.

She wouldn't dwell on this matter and make both of them unhappy. Doing so would mean she still couldn't live this life well.

However, completely letting go of her anger was something she couldn't do either. Jingxiu pushed him away again and said indignantly, "Then you are not allowed to keep thinking about Qingluan from now on."

Li Ling froze in place. "What counts as 'not thinking about her'?"

He paused, then continued, "If you mean the kind of romantic feelings between a man and a woman, I can assure you, I don't have even a shred of that for her. But she is my cousin. If something happens to her and you expect me to stand by and do nothing, I truly cannot do that."

Since Li Ling said he had no romantic feelings for Qingluan, Jingxiu believed him. Although his nature was cold, he never deceived people. In her past life, through all those years with him, he had never once told her a lie.

He was a magnanimous person; Jingxiu had no doubt about that.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

However, even if he had no feelings for Qingluan in his heart, Qingluan absolutely had improper designs on Li Ling. In her past life, her request for the Emperor to grant a marriage to Li Ling as a equal-status wife was a fact.

Therefore, even if Li Ling's concern for Qingluan stemmed from cousinly affection, it still made her feel very uncomfortable.

She turned her head away and remained silent.

Li Ling also fell silent.

The two sat quietly for a while. Then Li Ling moved forward, turned her body to face him, and said to her, "There's a reason for my concern and care for my cousin. Let me explain it to you."

He drew his wife closer and patiently began telling her about an old story from their Li family:

"Back then, my eldest paternal aunt, who was the Empress, developed a rift with the Emperor because of Consort Meng. The legitimate son she gave birth to, due to congenital weakness, died young. She found herself in a difficult position in the palace. To consolidate her position as Empress, and so that our aunt would have a reliable person to depend on in the palace, my grandfather sent my youngest paternal aunt—Qingluan's birth mother—into the palace as well."

He paused, stroking his wife's smooth hair with his large hand, and continued, "At that time, my youngest aunt and General Zhou—Zhou Yi—were in love with each other. They were originally waiting for General Zhou to complete the one-year initial, most intense mourning period for my grandmother, after which Lady Zhou was going to send a matchmaker. But for the sake of my eldest aunt and for the Zhenguo Duke Manor, my grandfather ultimately made the painful decision to separate them and sent my youngest aunt into the palace."

"My youngest aunt sacrificed her own happiness for the Li family just like that. After entering the palace, although she received the Emperor's favor, because her heart belonged to another, she always went through the motions with the Emperor. Later, His Majesty accidentally discovered that she actually loved someone else. In a rage, he demoted her to the cold palace. Later, the second legitimate son born to my eldest aunt died shortly after birth. She finally couldn't endure any longer. Her final request to the Emperor before her death was to ask him to forgive her younger sister."

Li Ling sighed. "Although my youngest aunt was released from the cold palace due to the Emperor's feelings of guilt towards my eldest aunt, she still did not regain his favor. I heard her pregnancy with Qingluan was also an accident. In the end, she also died of melancholy in the palace."

After recounting these past events, Li Ling cupped his wife's face and looked at her. "My eldest aunt entered the palace willingly because she was fond of His Majesty. But my youngest aunt... the Li family truly failed her. My grandmother never got over this. Even by my grandfather's deathbed, because of this matter, she had not forgiven him."

He gently stroked Jingxiu's face and said gravely, "Now, my father has already retired from his official post due to illness. As the head of the Zhenguo Duke Manor, I cannot neglect the only flesh and blood left by my youngest aunt. After all, she sacrificed herself for the Li family. If I don't look after Qingluan, what kind of person would I, Li Ling, be?"

Li Ling looked at his wife. "The Zhenguo Duke Manor is a centuries-old noble clan. Outsiders talk about how glorious and powerful our family is in Great Qi, but they don't realize that behind this glory lies not only the blood and sweat of generations of men fighting on the battlefield but also the sacrifices of generations of Li family women. If not for the unbreakable marital ties with the imperial family, how could the side of the monarch tolerate a Zhenguo Duke Manor whose achievements could overshadow the sovereign?"

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Having never heard the usually reticent Li Ling speak at such length, Jingxiu's heart felt sour. Not only because of the tragic experiences of these two paternal aunts in the Li family's past but, most painfully, because of Li Ling's own situation.

When the Duke of Zhenguo retired, Li Ling was just twenty, a young man whose tender shoulders had to bear such a heavy burden.

Others only saw the heroic glory of the Heir of Zhenguo Duke Manor, but she felt even more heartache for his difficulties.

Jingxiu looked up at him, reached out, and touched his face. "You said, 'We are husband and wife, we should be of one heart.' From now on, I will share the burden with you."

Li Ling was touched by his little wife's understanding and enjoyed her tenderness even more. He reached out, took her delicate hand, and slowly rubbed it against his face.

He closed his eyes, revealing a very content expression.

At this moment, he finally understood the deeper meaning of the phrase he had heard fooling around with friends in his youth: "The gentle hometown is the most captivating."

Having a woman he truly loved by his side made even the weariest heart feel comfortable.

He quietly enjoyed his wife's gentle touch. After a long while, he opened his eyes, looked at Jingxiu, and said solemnly, "Rest assured. Since I married you, I will treat you with sincerity."

"Then you must not only refrain from holding other women in your heart but also must not learn from those scholar-officials' sons and take concubines," Jingxiu retorted. "Only if you can do this will I believe you."

Li Ling reached out and pinched his little wife's ear, teasing her, "With such a fierce wife at home, how would your husband dare?"

"It's good that you don't dare!" Jingxiu retorted.

Having said that, she lifted the quilt and lay down. Li Ling immediately lay down beside her. He stretched out his arm to hold her, leaned close to her ear, and said, "Now that my wife has finished her interrogation and understands everything, does that mean you also won't hold that day in the garden against me anymore?"

Jingxiu removed his wandering hand from her body and retorted, "Who said I won't hold it against you? I haven't completely forgiven you yet."

Li Ling's hand stilled. "Then what must I do for you to forgive me?"

Jingxiu shot him a glare. "We'll see based on your future behavior."

Looking at his charmingly sulky little wife, Li Ling leaned over her, pressed close to her face, and said slyly, "Why wait for the future? Your husband will 'behave' well for you to see right now."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Jingxiu's delicate face flushed slightly. She glanced at the flickering bright candle by the bed. "Ah! Put out that candle first."

Li Ling looked down at his little wife's shy and bashful appearance, his expression half-smiling as he teased her, "Just now my wife said she wanted to 'see' me behave. If I put out the candle, how will you be able to see?"

(End of Chapter)

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Li Ling @Jingxiu: Wife, I've explained everything clearly to you. Can you forgive me now?

Jingxiu @Li Ling: It's easier for me to deal with. Why don't you ask our lovely dear readers?

Li Ling @Everyone: Whether you're from the south or the north, stop for a moment, take a look. Although I made mistakes with my wife, I truly am a good man. I promise you all, from now on I will treat my wife even better.

Translator's Note: check out my other work— My Younger Sister Insisted On A Marriage Exchange Wanting To Make Me The Wife Of A Marquis and The Marquis’s Beloved is a Black-Hearted Lotus (⁠*⁠＾⁠3⁠＾⁠)⁠/⁠～⁠♡

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