RATMOFANF: Chapter 89

 Glossary

·Shen Jingxiu (沈静姝): The female protagonist, wife of Li Ling.

·Li Ling (李陵): The male protagonist, heir of Zhenguo Duke Manor.

·Qingluan (青鸾): Ninth Princess, Li Ling's cousin.

·Zhaolu (朝露): Qingluan's personal maidservant.

---

Chapter 89: Qingluan Wants to Go See the Lanterns with Cousin

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, Li Ling indeed returned home early. Seeing Jingxiu engrossed in packing his luggage for the long journey, he glanced at his busy young wife's figure, walked over, and said with a smile, "I've troubled you, my lady."

Jingxiu looked up at him, her expression neutral. "How long will you be gone this time?"

Li Ling replied, "If things go smoothly, I can return in just over a month. If not, it might take two or three months."

So long! They had never been apart since their marriage.

Hearing this, Jingxiu felt a pang in her heart.

Li Ling pulled her close. Seeing his young wife's fallen expression and her star-like eyes growing moist, he cupped her face and said to her, "I'll hurry back as fast as I can."

Jingxiu broke free from him, turned her face away, and pouted. "Go for as long as you like. I can't be bothered to care."

Li Ling sighed, then embraced his wife again patiently. "It's not that I don't want to take you. It's truly a very difficult journey. Once past the Zhennan Pass, it's all mountain roads, and we have to cross a desert. You really wouldn't be able to endure it."

He gently kissed her eyelids. "Besides, this is official business. Bringing family along—how would that look?"

"Wait for me at home with peace of mind." Seeing his wife still hanging her head, he held her close and murmured in her ear, "I know you can't bear to be apart from me, and how could I bear to leave you either."

Jingxiu pushed him away, her face expressionless. "Don't be so self-absorbed. Who can't bear to be apart from you? I just miss my maternal family and wanted to see them."

She lowered her eyes, a touch of grievance in her voice. "I haven't seen them in five or six years."

Li Ling leaned down, looking at her pitiful little face. "Don't worry. After we reclaim the five cities of Gunzhou, the roads will be clear then. I will definitely take you to Chaozhou."

Jingxiu snorted coldly. "As if reclaiming them is so easy."

She sighed melancholically. "Grandmother is already eighty. Last year, Uncle wrote saying her mind often gets confused these days. I'm afraid in her remaining years, it will be difficult for me to see her again."

Li Ling held her and said, "Rest assured. This time, His Majesty sending me to inspect the southern border defenses indicates his intention to reclaim the five cities of Gunzhou."

He looked at his wife. "Once His Majesty issues the edict to dispatch troops, I will volunteer for the front lines. After driving out those southern barbarians, I will take you back to Chaozhou to see Grandmother."

Seeing his young wife was still listless, Li Ling urged, "Come on, let's get ready. I'll take you to see the lanterns."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

After the two got ready and left Qingfeng Yuan, before they even reached the second gate, they saw Qingluan walking towards them from a distance.

Jingxiu instinctively glanced at Li Ling. His previously gentle face turned cold again, his brows gradually furrowing.

Qingluan walked slowly up to the two of them. She glanced at Li Ling, then lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong, calling out in a whisper as faint as a mosquito's hum, "Cousin."

A picture of pitiful and aggrieved vulnerability.

Li Ling nodded expressionlessly and asked, "Are you going to Grandmother's?"

Seeing Li Ling was finally willing to acknowledge her, she slowly raised her head. "Grandmother just sent someone to call me over for dinner." She gazed eagerly at Li Ling, then glanced at Jingxiu beside him. "Cousin, is Cousin's Wife going out?"

Seeing Li Ling remain silent, Jingxiu replied, "We're going out for a walk."

Qingluan said mildly, "I'd forgotten. Today is the Lantern Festival. The city must be very lively." As she spoke, she gave a bitter smile. "It's truly shameful to say, but I've grown up without ever seeing what a folk Lantern Festival is really like."

This was a hint that she wanted to go along.

Jingxiu, who was looking forward to a rare moment alone with Li Ling, certainly didn't want this peculiar princess, who clearly had designs on her husband, tagging along.

Hearing Qingluan's words, she remained silent and instead looked at her husband beside her.

Li Ling replied mildly, "Grandmother is waiting for you to have dinner. You should go quickly, Cousin."

As he spoke, Li Ling made to step away. Seeing they were about to leave, Qingluan quickly blocked their path and spoke directly to Li Ling. "I also want to go see the lanterns. Can you take me with you, Cousin?"

Li Ling glanced at her with puzzlement and replied with two words: "Not possible."

Qingluan's thin little shoulders began to tremble slightly again. Her voice choked with sobs as she stared at Li Ling and asked, "Why?"

Before Li Ling could answer, she continued, "Before, whenever I asked anything of you, Cousin, you would agree without hesitation. What's different now? Why are you treating me like this?"

Then she looked at Jingxiu beside him, her eyes filled with a venom born of jealousy. She said hatefully, "Is it because of this woman?"

Li Ling suppressed his anger and spoke to Qingluan in a low, cold voice. "What nonsense are you talking?"

Qingluan's tears fell again. She looked at Li Ling and demanded, "Am I wrong? Cousin, you used to treat me so well, always protecting me. Ever since you got involved with this woman, you've been cold to me. Did she urge you to act this way? What is so special about this woman that you would... for her sake..."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

"Enough!" Seeing Qingluan losing control, Li Ling finally couldn't contain himself and roared out in anger.

Tears streamed from Qingluan's eyes as she sobbed, looking at Li Ling.

Perhaps having already witnessed Li Ling's harsh severity that other day, this time she wasn't frightened into confusion. She remained standing there steadily, fixing her teary eyes on Li Ling without restraint.

Li Ling suppressed the fire in his heart, sighed softly, and spoke to her in as calm a tone as he could muster. "You should understand your own status. You are a princess; how can you go out casually? Even staying in this manor, since your arrival, we've stationed many extra guards for your safety."

He paused, then continued, "I will protect you; that is my duty. But now you've grown up. You should be sensible and not always act like a child, losing the dignity befitting a princess."

With that, Li Ling said to Zhaolu at Qingluan's side, "Escort the Princess to Anxi Tang. Take good care of her."

After saying this, Li Ling took Jingxiu's hand and left without looking back.

Long after the two had disappeared from sight, Qingluan still stood rooted to the spot, sobbing quietly.

Zhaolu stepped forward and said helplessly, "Princess, didn't you say yesterday you wanted to slowly win back the heir's heart? Why did you act so foolishly again now... Ah! Saying such things, how will the heir see you?"

Qingluan wiped her tears with a handkerchief and let out a long sigh. "Cousin is completely bewitched by that Shen woman now. I know this matter cannot be rushed." As she spoke, she couldn't help shedding more tears. "But whenever I see Cousin with her, I just can't control myself."

Zhaolu coaxed and advised her, "Alright, alright, don't cry. Just don't act like this next time, and it will be fine."

Qingluan said wistfully, "I need to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with Cousin."

Zhaolu helped adjust her cloak. "It's cold in the snow. If Your Highness isn't in the mood, I can send someone to inform the Old Madam. Let's go back."

Qingluan turned her head and replied, "We can't go back. The more it's like this, the more I need to make Grandmother feel for me. I refuse to believe her own flesh-and-blood granddaughter can't compare to that outsider, Shen-shi."

She snorted coldly, gritting her teeth. "Even if Grandmother won't stand up for me, there's still Father Emperor. Even if I'm not his favorite, I am still his flesh and blood. If Grandmother proves unreliable, after my coming-of-age ceremony, I'll beg Father Emperor to issue an edict for a marriage alliance."

The power of love was indeed immense. Zhaolu never expected this always tearful, delicate little princess to show such unprecedented tenacity in the fight for the Li family heir. She said delightedly, "If Your Highness can truly be strong, defeating that Shen-shi won't be a problem."

Mentioning Jingxiu, Qingluan couldn't help gnashing her teeth again. "Hmph! That Shen-shi! We'll see about that."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

---

Recently, the story's rating has dropped a lot. I was chatting with a few other authors about this yesterday and heard that some people are intentionally giving low ratings on purpose; many have encountered this.

It's truly incomprehensible!

Why do this?There are thousands of good stories to read; if you don't like one, just move on.

I've also heard that some people, with ill intent, use alternate accounts to deliberately give other authors' stories poor ratings to pull down the score. Goodness! This... this... can only be said to show how perilous the hearts of people in this world can be.

To those who genuinely like this story, I hope you can take a moment to give me a "five-star favorable rating" in the review section to help raise the story's score a bit.

No pressure—if you like it, give the rating; if not, just move on.

(End of Chapter)

← prev next →